I couldn't agree more. The others, even Alice, are only there to provide background and propel Edward & Elsa's dynamic forward. Which is just fine, since they are the only interesting characters so far.
A long journey - Even though i like Scifi this game just wasn't for me. Mainly because of the MC who was just too much . Also the story, the way i see it at least, will end up just being another Harem/incest game in space..so, no thanks...
On the flip side, if you're looking for exactly this kind of game i suppose this will turn out to be pretty good.
Toro7 - Game is still in the early stages, but i liked it so far... I played the lesbian route. Nothing to complain here. Some character introductions, overall decently written, some mystery..good stuff,...
Although, since i'm a riddle/mystery solving grandmaster. i already know how it ends.
My pleasure - dumb dialog, dumb characters, dumb everything, sorry... The game also has one of the worst defloration scenes you could ever come up with.. Best day EVVVVVVVERRRRRRRR. I think people who played that game will recognise this phrase...
To be fair though, if you're heavily into milfs, older / younger themed games and just don't give a fuck and want to experience all of them having the hots for your pixel dick this is probably it..
Being a Dik - The AVN Flagship=) Well, It's been a long, long time since i played this so i couldn't remember much of it other than the first 2 chapters. This time i ended up dropping the game early/mid chapter 6 when the MC decided to become the Head/president/whatever of his fraternity. At that point i was starting to get really fed up with this whole College story and knowing that this would go on for another 10 or so chapters wasn't exactly motivating to keep on reading. Don't get me wrong, i can totally see why this is the most popular porn game amongst all of them, but i still got bored with it...what can you do...
I also started reading Corporate Culture, but i'm still at the very beginning...
So far the MC comes across as being borderline schizophrenic at times ...His random infatuation with (forgot her name) on the other hand i found somewhat believable. Mainly because i witnessed this kind of behaviour in RL a couple of times myself. For example, a female friend of mine once was "in love" with a teacher of hers...Oh boy, that certainly was something else. The way she spoke about him all the time without knowing him.., the things she did to get his attention...it was pure insanity, something that no AVN could ever capture. So with that in mind i'm kinda curious to what extent this will be played out in this AVN
Toro7 - Game is still in the early stages, but i liked it so far... I played the lesbian route. Nothing to complain here. Some character introductions, overall decently written, some mystery..good stuff,...
Although, since i'm a riddle/mystery solving grandmaster. i already know how it ends.
And I've completed version 0.4 of Alive. noping123 I thought that the dialogues came out rather well, especially the banter with Freddie and Javi. I could see that you put a lot of effort in the phrasing. The sex and romance did not seem too porny, apart from Stacey's comeon and her masturbating to the MC on Mary's route. I preferred Nikki's route, I understand her first date is 'forced' but on other routes it feels like the MC is stringing her along for days after that. I neither found Mary's supposed brilliance nor her being a metalhead very convincing. "Metalingus" is a kind of lame name to be honest, even if it's also a meta allusion to tongue fucking. The background music was chosen well. Didn't mind the minigames at all. That's as harsh as my criticism's going to get and I understand that about 0% of that can be changed now. I also have more practically constructive comments about the presentation and spelling. Just hit me up if you want to discuss that.
By the way, I'm looking for games to play during the summer and I'm open to suggestions, with a preference for completed games. I'm thinking of prioritising Terminus Reach, SWE1 The Warrior's Heart, the Oathbreaker games and Elvensang. All the recent talk about Hillside and Corporate Culture did catch my interest, but I don't really like white-knight sims or edgy brooding protagonists.
No, I actually don't. I meant it as something out of character for both of them (MC of TittS and Richard), because it's a rather degrading thing to do.
Also, "pedestrian"? Remind me to always bring a foldable bike whenever I go to whatever city you live in...
I played the first release of Vae Victus. I liked it for the most part. Typical male dom stuff that I enjoy, but couldn't tell you about the story-first merits due to playing a very early version. From what little I did see, it was a more tropey male dom power fantasy that will appeal to the fans of the genre but lacks nuance for broader appeal.
I put that game on hold not because I got disinterested but because it has gameolay elements like war and kingdom management. I typically let gameplay eroges cook for a long time before playing to let it develop all the gameplay elements for a smooth run.
I don't know what you consider tropey and the setting and the beginning of the plot aren't the most original take on fantasy. The writing style and characterisation however tower over the typical maledom game, but that may be faint praise... Although the characters are not all super deep, they are consistent and they are reasonably fleshed out, the quest in Marbia is a good way to get a sense for that.
The management gameplay is relatively simple. I find playing the average sandbox more of a chore.
Blackmailing the Family has gay and futa so I never really looked into it. Maybe it's avoidable, but like Healslut, games with too many gender tags sometimes lack focus on straight interactions. Maybe some day...
I dropped the game for over-the-top grimdarkery and the psychopathic MC, also found some of the setting cringy, but the MM scene that I remember, was skippable, not avoidable. I don't know what's been added since, but I bet the overwhelming focus is still straight.
I did? I guess. Lol. What I do, is get into the right mood, and right frame of mind, and then just.... write.
And write.
And write.
And then later on when I'm actually adding stuff to the script, I'll fix anything I don't like. That's, in complete honesty, the most I do when it comes to a lot of specific phrasing. I put a lot of thought into certain other things, but the actual way the words come out.... it just sort of happens. Idk.
Actually... it's the name of a song. By the band Alter Bridge. It's totally fair if you think it's a lame name, but when I was deciding on a band name, I heard that song and decided to use it so I didn't have to think too hard on something that I didn't really think mattered.
If you have harsher criticism on stuff, feel free. I might cry a bit, but hey! You're right in assuming about 0% of it would change now, but that doesn't mean its not interesting to hear it. If you don't feel like derailing the thread, feel free to DM me whatever thoughts you have.
There are more oddities in that house that the participants point out. Hopefully it leads to something interesting. Because if it is only going to contain MC seducing the women, this game is going to get old fast.
By the way, I'm looking for games to play during the summer and I'm open to suggestions, with a preference for completed games. I'm thinking of prioritising Terminus Reach, SWE1 The Warrior's Heart, the Oathbreaker games and Elvensang. All the recent talk about Hillside and Corporate Culture did catch my interest, but I don't really like white-knight sims or edgy brooding protagonists.
I'll recommend Love of Magic now that book 2 (out of 3 books) is out. Is on steam as well, which is good. I really like the story and writing in that game.
Actually... it's the name of a song. By the band Alter Bridge. It's totally fair if you think it's a lame name, but when I was deciding on a band name, I heard that song and decided to use it so I didn't have to think too hard on something that I didn't really think mattered.
Full disclosure: I don't mind the song at all, I think it's pretty good. But the reason I know about it (and the reason I heard it at the time) is because I'm a fan of pro wrestling (like WWE type stuff for example), and one of the more famous wrestlers uses it as his theme song. I happened to be watching wrestling around that time, and well...
I feel conflicted. The mob family story is as strong as ever. It's entertaining and well-written. But everything else seems to be deteriorating further and further with each update. The LIs have good reasons to want a man, but no real reason for MC to be that man. If anything, they should be deeply wary of him. It's all layers upon layers of porn logic. The "side girls" likewise are ridiculous. A nun gives MC a blowjob because... she's wacky that way. An experienced assassin fails to kill MC - a hilariously inexperienced, self-admitted coward. MC decides to spare her life because... well, because she's hot. MC's boss, and his boss's boss are OK with that, for reasons... The assassin then chooses to reward MC by letting him fuck her. Because of course she does.
A lot of screen time was dedicated to juvenile humour and cheap porn in this update. It left little space for character development, which is why it's delivered by Wilfred's exposition dump monologues. It's not as bad as it could have been, I suppose. Funny how writers keep ignoring show, don't tell...
My biggest problem remains the MC. He is chauvinistic, egotistical, and manipulative. He is a low-ranked foot soldier who is supposedly forced into working for the titular family, yet he is allowed to do anything (and anyone) without consequences. His transgressions, including blatant disrespect and disobedience, go largely unacknowledged, let alone punished. This is supposed to be a mob family with strict rules, yet they never apply to MC. At one point Wilfred, the boss's right-hand man, strongly insinuates to the MC that he can do whatever he wants with the boss's daughters, and neither him, nor the boss will interfere. I mean, what??
MC - again, an inexperienced teenager - is also magically good at everything he does, and it's all unearned. He's a squeamish nobody, and yet defeats every single opponent he faces, including hardened, experienced combatants! The mob's boss even lets MC take command of people much, much senior to him. It's played for laughs with juvenile humour, and we get yet another exposition dump about how this ridiculous scenario actually demonstrates MC's brilliance.
This rant is already getting out of hand, so I'll stop here
MC - again, an inexperienced teenager - is also magically good at everything he does, and it's all unearned. He's a squeamish nobody, and yet defeats every single opponent he faces, including hardened, experienced combatants!
Haven't played the new update yet (busy with Love of Magic Book 2 at the moment). But wasn't it hinted that MC actually has good training but hides it, acting as if he doesn't? I remember him scoff at the practicing teenagers in the beginning as amateurs. Then there was the fight with some elite guy in the raid against the disgruntled son of a second tier family. In that fight he did very well while trying to make it seem like it was all luck. Possibly also other stuff that I've forgotten.
Then there was the fight with some elite guy in the raid against the disgruntled son of a second tier family. In that fight he did very well while trying to make it seem like it was all luck.
That was one of the scenes I mentioned where his victory felt unearned. So much so that a tertiary character had to do an exposition dump about how the nonsensical fight actually demonstrates MC's brilliance. There is nothing in the MC's background, or in-game training that suggests he should be able to survive that encounter, let alone win it :/
That was one of the scenes I mentioned where his victory felt unearned. So much so that a tertiary character had to do an exposition dump about how the nonsensical fight actually demonstrates MC's brilliance. There is nothing in the MC's background, or in-game training that suggests he should be able to survive that encounter, let alone win it :/
Otherwise I agree that the game has a bit too much wacky comedy even before this update, and it is a shame if it goes further in that direction. It feels pretty inappropriate to have such things close after the exposition on Luna's backstory. The game loves to go to extremes I guess.
Exactly! Luna's backstory is probably my favourite bit in this game. It's rare to see such brutal, graphic violence involving children. It's even rarer to do it so incredibly well. But that atmosphere really doesn't go with wacky, slapstick comedy. It comes off as cheap.
Exactly! Luna's backstory is probably my favourite bit in this game. It's rare to see such brutal, graphic violence involving children. It's even rarer to do it so incredibly well. But that atmosphere really doesn't go with wacky, slapstick comedy. It comes off as cheap.
So. When I first came across this place, I played a bunch of games... hated the majority of them. Deluca family was one of the handful I really liked. I particularly liked the whole my name is luna section, as it sort of seemed like a bit of a turning point in the game. It didn't seem out of synch with anything, more like a natural progression, and suggested a turn in the story. It, in my mind, really helped define the character, and it just made sense.
Flash foward to the most recent update. It now feels like a fever dream. Instead of leaning into the groundwork that was laid down, the game felt like it did a COMPLETE 180 - like it decided "Ok that's enough heavy stuff are you ready for some laughs!?" - which is fine on it's own - but quite a stark contrast. I feel like doing that 180 after such a major storyline, was a mistake. I think I would have liked it a lot better if it sort of did more half and half. Lean into the (sometimes rather serious) story/subject matter, while peppering in the comedy bits. Instead it was just all comedy all the time... oh and suddenly everyone wants to jump on the dick which sort of seems OUT OF NOWHERE. It just didn't seem to fit with the characterizations thus far at all - at least not the way it was done.
It wasn't bad, at all. Like... for what it was, it was fine. I just feel in a lot of ways, it was a completely different game than the one I first played and enjoyed.
Also because I'm a sucker for that sort of stuff, I was somewhat disappointed that there really wasn't too much done with the missions (as far as any additional gameplay goes) aside from "grind them over and over to get enough money to progress". While I enjoy minigames in general, I'm not a fan of grind.
I always hesitate to criticize any other games, especially ones infinitely better and more successful than mine, but idk. The entire update sort of left me wanting.... and not in anticipation, more like... meh. Yea that was fine for what it was. Not what I expected, but sure.
You might not be wrong... or I might have made a similar mistake, in terms of assumptions/projection. I haven't played the latest update, but I always assumed that the MC is somehow related to the family... perhaps he's the matriarch's son or nephew, for example. If that's the case, jufot's porn logic objections still apply, but a bit less strongly, and the relative impunity granted to the MC makes a hell of a lot more sense. That's the only explanation that seemed logical to me.
Of course, if this doesn't turn out to be the case, than jufot's criticism is even more telling.
It's such a bizarre game, though... and I might actually enjoy the text-based sections the most. It does some things really well, but it's still a mess.
If that's the case, jufot's porn logic objections still apply, but a bit less strongly, and the relative impunity granted to the MC makes a hell of a lot more sense. That's the only explanation that seemed logical to me.
No no no, that's all correct. He most definitely has some connection to the family. My objection is two-fold:
- People with much stronger connections to the family are subject to harsh rules, so why not MC? We know for a fact that he's not Cordia's son (she says so explicitly), so at best he's some long forgotten nephew. We know that the family needs him, somehow, but so what? That just means he must be kept alive, not pampered.
- His apparent skill and expertise is entirely unearned. Unless martial prowess is a genetic trait in this universe, in which case I'll stop looking for logic here entirely
Yeah, noticed many people kinda wanted the game to go down the bit more 'serious' path once I released Luna's flashback.
Luna's flashback event was never meant to change the game, but rather showcase why Luna is who Luna is and create a goal for the player (m6 chase).
The game has always had some degree with darker parts, mc's mother trying to use poison on him when he was a kid, the death of Trino (traitor guy), and some other parts of the game where it may not be dark but simply very story focused with no room for comedy. Granted, Luna's flashback event was long and the 'dark' part was turned up a notch.
Another thing to note is that we're playing a game while it's being developed. Luna's part finished with the serious/dark part, but the other releases focused on the other girls, which did not include major 'serious' moment but rather on their individual arc (Gracie's work with the Family, Isabel's relationship with Gracie and Antonio)
Now, I could've forced myself to change the direction of the game at those part. Like, make the writing on Gracie's and Isabel's part more serious and probably many people would not dislike it or even had loved it. But I personally wouldn't have liked done that. When I write, I genuinely do not think about what genre must fit where. I just write based on what I feel like how I want the story to go. Even the comedy part is never planned. I just write.
This will probably make every pro writer throw their pen and paper at me and call me a writer infidel, heh.
But I'm an amateur writer, creating a hobby project. I like my weird way of doing it.
About our mc - the game explains that he is a coward who is afraid of situations that can get him killed. But the game also tries to distinguish between lethal situation vs non-lethal situations. He is not afraid of random fights. But his personality just want to avoid it if he can.
Haven't gotten into mc's background regarding if he hasn't had combat training, but haven't explained that he lacks it either.
What have diluted the idea of mc's competence regarding normal fights is probably that mc is mostly reacting to events that involve high ranking people. Be it serpents, capos, or what not.
I tried to fix that a bit with the introduction of the remade introduction scene, trying to showcase a bit more about MC's personality without going overboard, but alas, this is where I have to improve as a writer.
About the porn logic - there is for certain porn logic applied. Side characters are supposed to be quick and very porn logic applied, where the main girls only have it from time to time with the use of my imaginary 'porn logic notch'. Isabel more than the other two.
I don't want a realistic love/intimate style of game. The lewd part was always meant to be 'boys fantasy'. I want to turn up the porn logic notch just so we can get some fun lewd, but not high enough that it becomes too much.
Anyway, it's not appropriate for the dev of the discussed game to butt in too much! Just wanted to share my thoughts about some of the stuff, heh.
...His random infatuation with (forgot her name) on the other hand i found somewhat believable. Mainly because i witnessed this kind of behaviour in RL a couple of times myself. For example, a female friend of mine once was "in love" with a teacher of hers...Oh boy, that certainly was something else. The way she spoke about him all the time without knowing him.., the things she did to get his attention...it was pure insanity, something that no AVN could ever capture. So with that in mind i'm kinda curious to what extent this will be played out in this AVN
