VN Ren'Py Abandoned Stormside [v0.23.1.4] [Atemsiel]

[Ralpvolvos]

No wonder a lot of patreon based dev can always get away after scamming ans leeching off their patreon intentionally.

People who still said "give him some slack" and yada yada didnt realize or cope too much, that atem basically and intentionally lied to his patron for months (a year+ if we count since last update).

And not for once in a year, he informed his Patreon that he paused development indefinitely. In fact last year and iirc around june and july he still said developtment is going smoothly and in december said new update is "around the corner" or something like that before MIA for 8 months.

And then come back just to abandonned the game

 

[BusWindow]

Damn, people are brutal around here. Not getting into that.

Personally the branching storylines wasn't what drew me to the game, it was the characters, humor, and animation style. If I got an alternate story with just Cassie and Riley I'd be happy, they were the most fleshed out characters after all and it would be a shame to never see more from them.

 

[Sasugachan]

That was not a good apology at all, there was much more to address. The compromise he proposed makes no one happy. Disappointed.

 

[IceboundArt]

In order for this game to be realistically manageable it needs to be trimmed down to two paths. A "normal" path (normal for how BDSM centric the game is) and a kinkier/heavier path. Not on a per love interest basis either.

An entire dev team couldn't have managed the variable shit show this game was intended to be.

The game as it is now is salvageable with some basic rewriting and some less basic re-making of the existing content. Not going to be quick, but I think it would be a much better idea than starting a new game outright. That is unless Atem has just soured on the game.

I really want to see this game continue. The girls are great and it's one of the very few maledom BDSM games that exist.

 

[Ryulong Drago]

People are brutal but it's understandable. Shit happens in everyone's life, but on platforms like Patreon, communication about shit happening has to be common sense, you don't need to be a community manager to understand that. People are paying you to make the game. It is not a charity.

Speaking of the game, it's fucked. It was obvious it was too ambitious from the beginning, so it's not surprising at all where things have ended up but it still hurts. It's not easy to let go of this one. Stormside had several key things going for it. The question now is how much of it can be preserved/replicated in whatever next project the dev eventually decides to cook up and how many people will still be around to support it.

 

[WNt2k]

Not really surprised by the development. This was one of the few games I was willing to wait for as much as it was necessary, and I didn't mind if the dev took time for his mental health considering how high the bar he himself set was. It's also the game I probably replayed the most to have all/most path combinations available (not joking, I've 50+ branch saves and attempted more than an hundred playthrough with no walkthrough).
Having said that, I don't think any sort of excuse can validate his behavior. What I really struggle to relate with is Well, welcome to the adult world, where people get paid to work and not to have fun with games. In this half year, you were getting paid while doing nothing for the reason you were paid for (a luxury most people can't afford) and instead of apologize and try to regain people's trust by committing to work on it again, you say that you're gonna quit the game because you're not having fun anymore. I don't see how other people could consider to fund his next project at this point, but people always surprise me so I guess that's not impossible. I may probably sound harsher than intended, but I really didn't agree with anything he wrote in his "apology". I think it would be better if he pauses the subscriptions, take his time to sort out his feelings, then decide if to continue Stormside in whichever form, or change his career path.

I absolutely agree with you. The worst thing, for me, is that he didn't take the time to leave a message beforehand, to explain his situation. At least people could have known what was going on, and most of them would have been understanding and patient..
Afterwards, everyone can make mistakes but he will have to regain people's trust and that won't happen in the snap of a finger.

 

[Suchpornverywow]

Branching storylines is cool and all, but that isn't the main draw of this game. It's the great writing, and the attention to detail in the renders and the sex scenes.

 

[crotch69]

I'm happy that he is alive. Best of luck with whatever he wants to build next.

 

[MorallyLucky]

Branching storylines is cool and all, but that isn't the main draw of this game. It's the great writing, and the attention to detail in the renders and the sex scenes.

It was all 3 of those things (the fantasy of being able to interact with each girl differently was a major draw), but yes, having only 2 of those things is better than the product being dumped lol.

 

[ImSenjou]

I use so many walkthrough mods and guides for the games I find here that I've even developed a preference for Kinect novels, and I know they're not the most popular here.

What I mean is, I think Stormside could be easily salvaged by removing some existing scenes and adjusting the game to the classic love vs. corruption approach, or something similar, there's no need to have so many branches with so many options within each branch, as has been done so far, just let the players choose their paths at the beginning of their relationships with the girls, and then tell the story, keep choices for those events that can actually affect the plot.

I didn't like Stormside because of its branches; for me, that's the game's downside, I've already mentioned that I like using "walkthroughs", I liked the characters, the theme, and of course, the Honey Select, so I hope the developer doesn't abandon Stormside to try something new, he already has everything he needs here, especially what's most important to him in the situation he finds himself in, he has a solid foundation and fan base with Stormside, a new game would only bring even more distrust.

 

[tmu500]

I use so many walkthrough mods and guides for the games I find here that I've even developed a preference for Kinect novels, and I know they're not the most popular here.

What I mean is, I think Stormside could be easily salvaged by removing some existing scenes and adjusting the game to the classic love vs. corruption approach, or something similar, there's no need to have so many branches with so many options within each branch, as has been done so far, just let the players choose their paths at the beginning of their relationships with the girls, and then tell the story, keep choices for those events that can actually affect the plot.

I didn't like Stormside because of its branches; for me, that's the game's downside, I've already mentioned that I like using "walkthroughs", I liked the characters, the theme, and of course, the Honey Select, so I hope the developer doesn't abandon Stormside to try something new, he already has everything he needs here, especially what's most important to him in the situation he finds himself in, he has a solid foundation and fan base with Stormside, a new game would only bring even more distrust.

While I do like the game, the game had too many branches, dividing between love and evil path could have simplify the game and would make the dev's progress much easier. While I am good that he is make another game, he has all the tools just to simplify the game without making the game less enjoyable.

 

[fuckboi17]

So uh is this still work playing?is there a decent amount of content?

 

[Meiri]

So uh is this still work playing?is there a decent amount of content?

Its a great game but its abandoned and not looking like he will go back to this if he comes back.

 

[torpedogoat]

So uh is this still work playing?is there a decent amount of content?

There is enough story to draw you in fully and really wish the story will be continued. Including a ghost hunting free-roam minigame, which is basically a sidestory and is actually fun, but is optional. There is a lot of erotic content, in part due to many scenes existing in several variants (love, dominant-submissive, master-slave routes sometimes multiplied by other options). And that content is outstanding and often highly original. There is a video gallery that would be excellent if you wouldn't be asked one or more silly questions at the start of each scene you play (mostly how you want to be addressed).

The developer is currently recovering from burnout apparently caused by something unrelated to the game. Regardless of what he is saying now, at this point it is pure speculation whether he will return to developing this game with his original vision of excessive branching, continue with a streamlined version that actually has a chance to be completed some day, or moves on to another project.

 

[fuckboi17]

Its a great game but its abandoned and not looking like he will go back to this if he comes back.

Is there a good amount of content already in the game?

 

[Meiri]

Is there a good amount of content already in the game?

There is plenty of content and variations, that's no issue

 

[Demoness_Kiss]

You must be registered to see the links

from the dev's patreon's page

 

[Vibesy]

Is there a good amount of content already in the game?

No, not really. There is only one girl with a decent amount of sexual content and you won't see most of it on a single run due to branching. Some of the LIs have no content whatsoever. The story goes absolutely nowhere and ends on an extremely annoying cliffhanger.

I wouldn't recommend anyone new pick up this game in the current state because it is just an exercise in frustration. Maybe that will change if Atemsiel ever actually releases the massive update he claims to have worked on. That could tie up some loose ends and add coherence, but for the time being don't bother with this.

 

[Meiri]

I mean, there is a lot of content and route variations but the story goes nowhere.

I also wouldn't recommend this game if you are a new player unless until Atemsiel announces exactly what is he going to do with Stormside going forward or if it's definitely abandoned because if you play now you will only get frustrated.

 

[reid1]

So uh is this still work playing?is there a decent amount of content?

There are 7 LIs.

Spoiler: Minor spoiler about the content

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As I already said in another post, this was one of my fav AVNs here. If you are asking if I have regrets about playing it, I'd have to say no even if the content is limited, but chances are that if you start now, you'll get more frustrated than anything. Imagine watching Attack on Titan and it gets axed at episode 13 of the first season. Probably better to wait and see what Atem decides to do for the next update first.