- Thread starter Aaryn
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Wasn't expecting update sooner than 25th. Thanks for early sharing, will enjoy for sure
oh yeah, for sure. thanks for reading and glad you enjoyed it. a lot of people have enjoyed the original but the revamp is leagues above it. but a lot of fans have enjoyed watching the development process and how the game and project has grown. the original versus the revamp really shows that. i still dont feel like a professional and sometimes the development is slow because i'm emotionally invested in the project and sometimes that doesn't translate into fast updates. so i try and offset that by making the project free. I have heard on my discord that a few other sites have just the revamp posted now and deleted the original and some people got pissed on their sites. i dont have any control over that. i can control the thread here as well as on my patreon and itch.io so if you ever get stuck or are looking for older copies of things, you can always check those other places too. appreciate you checking in <3
Well, I did play the revamp and of course it looks really good, I can understand why it's not fast to post updates, when you are emotionally and physically invested in your project, you have to make it looks has good as you can imagine it, and honestly, I don't know if it's has good as you want it to be, but it's so damn good!
haha. i mean, it's easy to constantly see things to improve on but i'm sure that's neverending anyway. eventually i'll have to walk away and say it's done. i also realize that developers get excited when they can make something 2% better but most people don't even see a difference and that can really feel like a waste of time. So the revamp is very much focused on very obvious improvements to things that were not there before like music and background characters and.... fucking decent lighting in the early game, lol. but yeah, honestly i'm happy with the revamp so far. it can always get better but for me and my current skill level in all of this, this is my best and i'm happy with it. but thank you for your kind words and i'm glad you think it's good. it's a fun story that i'm proud of overall and it's having the effect on people that i really wanted so that's pretty cool
Updated OP with Revamp v0.06.3 public release. Enjoy and thanks for the support
Thanks for the update! The original game made me cry at one point and I'm glad the revamp has leant into a more emotional vibe haha.
x-interupt tagging you here since I'm not able to reply to game reviews but you left a nasty-toned review that had so many inaccuracies in it that it seemed like you were talking about a completely different project than the one posted.
So hi. I'm the one who's spent the last 6 years with the apparent "creative block" you referenced.
To clarify, this is the only revamp and it just began last fall. I'm not sure why you thought there were others. It will likely be the only revamp because i have no intention of running my project into the ground. This is my first game project and the original game was a rough draft so i'm applying the things i learned the first time through so that the entire project is consistent. The fans, characters, and story deserve that and it means a lot to me.
I have released the game for free throughout its development to compensate for this and run on donations only.
I'm also not sure why you haven't seen any story progression in 6 years. The total original game has 10 chapters and over 60k lines of scripting code and is probably about 15 hours long depending on your reading speed. Each of the 21 updates in that game usually added between one and two hours worth of story which is far beyond the norm for these types of games. There has never been an update released for this project that hasn't added more story content (aside from a hotfix or bug update on my Patreon page). Please reference the posted Change Logs for details; they go all the way back to 2017, giving you an itemized list of everything added. This game is literally ALL story content. You specifically stated the last 3 updates have added nothing which is also untrue as each update has added half of a chapter; thus, the last 3 updates have added one and a half chapters to the progression of the story, which is probably around 7k lines of dialogue and events. The revamp is linear so the coding won't allow you to miss it unless you 1) use an old save and the game crashes, or 2) you just exit out of it and stop playing.
The revamp starts over at the beginning with completely redone graphics, new scenes, sound effects, animations, and a fully licensed soundtrack that was not included in the original. It includes background characters and other elements to make the world more alive that were not included in the original because I was new and learning as I went. It also has all of the originally annoying repeated scenes removed so that players don't get stuck in the early game.
I'm not sure what "stock images" you're talking about because there are zero stock images used in the revamp. I've created every shot in the game myself and I've purchased rights to the music.
Also, my copy only has 1,563 images. I have no idea why your copy has more.
I'm just a regular guy writing a story about two dudes trying to find acceptance with themselves. I'm not really sure why that bothered you so much but I'm going to wish you happiness anyway. Giving you the benefit of the doubt, I hope your tomorrow is better than today was. Life is too short to be writing bitter reviews of existential lgbt indie games on a porn site.
So hi. I'm the one who's spent the last 6 years with the apparent "creative block" you referenced.
To clarify, this is the only revamp and it just began last fall. I'm not sure why you thought there were others. It will likely be the only revamp because i have no intention of running my project into the ground. This is my first game project and the original game was a rough draft so i'm applying the things i learned the first time through so that the entire project is consistent. The fans, characters, and story deserve that and it means a lot to me.
I have released the game for free throughout its development to compensate for this and run on donations only.
I'm also not sure why you haven't seen any story progression in 6 years. The total original game has 10 chapters and over 60k lines of scripting code and is probably about 15 hours long depending on your reading speed. Each of the 21 updates in that game usually added between one and two hours worth of story which is far beyond the norm for these types of games. There has never been an update released for this project that hasn't added more story content (aside from a hotfix or bug update on my Patreon page). Please reference the posted Change Logs for details; they go all the way back to 2017, giving you an itemized list of everything added. This game is literally ALL story content. You specifically stated the last 3 updates have added nothing which is also untrue as each update has added half of a chapter; thus, the last 3 updates have added one and a half chapters to the progression of the story, which is probably around 7k lines of dialogue and events. The revamp is linear so the coding won't allow you to miss it unless you 1) use an old save and the game crashes, or 2) you just exit out of it and stop playing.
The revamp starts over at the beginning with completely redone graphics, new scenes, sound effects, animations, and a fully licensed soundtrack that was not included in the original. It includes background characters and other elements to make the world more alive that were not included in the original because I was new and learning as I went. It also has all of the originally annoying repeated scenes removed so that players don't get stuck in the early game.
I'm not sure what "stock images" you're talking about because there are zero stock images used in the revamp. I've created every shot in the game myself and I've purchased rights to the music.
Also, my copy only has 1,563 images. I have no idea why your copy has more.
I'm just a regular guy writing a story about two dudes trying to find acceptance with themselves. I'm not really sure why that bothered you so much but I'm going to wish you happiness anyway. Giving you the benefit of the doubt, I hope your tomorrow is better than today was. Life is too short to be writing bitter reviews of existential lgbt indie games on a porn site.
- Jun 21, 2017
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It was not intended as "nasty toned" and i apologize if you read a critique as that way, i am simply stating my opinion.
and as for the "second revamp" i apologize if i got it mixed up with another game, however the critique still stands as to progress of the story and progression on the game itself. keep in mind that to many of us, the original version is not here, and as such we have only the current version to look at. you may claim there were 10 chapters and 21 updates, but there is no evidence at this time of those claims here.
the current game is nearly identical to the game i saw a couple years ago when i was initially interested in it, but the story has had no progression.
you are to be lauded that you are only accepting donations, and not on subscribestar, or patreon, et all seeking a monthly donation, but the critique still stands, that it appears you have hit a creative block.
and the 1572 images i find are when i type .jpg in the file search of windows at the main folder of the game you are distributing, this is not an attack in anyway shape or form butt i'm inclined that maybe the game you are intending to distribute is not the one that we have available to us here, you may want to check your uploads, and the critique about content again comes to pass, 6 years 1572 images, not all renders, this of course includes the standard GUI images and the others i define as "stock images" that are standard to all Ren'py games.
the game itself has potential, but at it's current progression rate, and i love slow building relationship stories, i must unfortunately say it seems it will never be in a form of closure, or progression that can keep me.
I wish you the best of luck, and i hope one day i'm proven wrong that this becomes one of the greatest stories told, but i won't be there to see it.
Best of Luck
Actually, the old version " v0.21.4 (Complete Story)" is available for download right under the current version of the revamp.
bruh, the original version is literally on page 1 of this thread where it's been continuously updated for 5 years until it was finished.
It's right there and hasn't moved for 5 years. There's practically cobwebs on it. Everyone in the forum talking about the game or reviewing the game downloaded it from page 1 right here according to the format that F95zone requires me to post it in. If I don't follow their format, they change it to match every other post on the website. That version, v0.021.4 has over 5,000 images and was very much a work in progress until it was finished last Fall.
And of course i read your feedback in a nasty tone, bro. you put 2 stars down and didn't say one nice thing about it-- in fact, you told me to abandon it and go do something else.
^ that's not nice
I'm fine if the review is honest or the project has too much dialogue or you're not interested in a long, drawn out love story with deep adult themes. that's fine and that's fair and i'll obviously respect that because people like/dislike different things. this is a niche story and it's deep and dramatic and that also means it's not for everybody. That's fine. I take constructive criticism very well and I have a pretty open mind. While i dont really care about the star rating here, I still take time to listen to people and see if their feedback coincides with what my vision is. So I read everything people say on multiple websites and I take that serious.
however, i'm not cool with just randomly getting 2 stars and then lectured over a series of complete inaccuracies, confusion with other games, or just not downloading it from the first page of the thread. I go out of my way to distribute this and make it free and available for people because the story has made a difference to people and i'm grateful for that. Like... if you had problems downloading or you were stuck, or you had questions about the versions or whatever you could have just asked and i would helped you out or answered your question.
- Jun 21, 2017
- 54
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ok first off i love stories in this genre, and as i said previously, and obviously you didn't read, " i love slow building relationship stories," i love lengthy character driven stuff, and apparently those points didn't come off as intended.
i apologize for not noticing "spoliler" boxes and clicking on them to see the complete story. again my bad.
"And of course i read your feedback in a nasty tone, bro. you put 2 stars down and didn't say one nice thing about it"
Stop right there, i'm supposed to say something nice? since when?
why is anyone leaving a review required to ever give constructive feedback?
answer never, not all reviews are going to be constructive.
we are not required when looking at someone and say "you're an asshole, but incredibly literate"
"-- in fact, you told me to abandon it and go do something else."
i stand by this statement.
you are rehashing something and retreading the same ground you admit you've tread, that indicates again that you are stuck in a creative block.
again, i have not attacked you, i have simply said what i observe and what i feel, it's time to move on from this story. now, i didn't tell you to stop making games, i said "do something else".
Maybe try a new story, that'll stand as the constructive criticism which you seem to expect from every reviewer apparently.
or maybe accept that not every review is going to be glowing, every person is different, and maybe while yes i was mistaken in a few things, my opinion of 6 years doing the same thing over and over is worth moving on from.
thank you. i appreciate this and i'm glad the revamp still feels new. I'm really trying hard to make it still feel fresh. For a lot of us on the discord, the revamp has scratched that itch that we had after the end of the original game. I was just so unsatisfied with early parts of the original that there's no way i could leave it that way. it really does look crazy different tho. I'm over halfway through with v0.07 so unless i get stupid and create a ton more work for myself, it shouldn't be too long before we get the second half of chapter 3. Thanks for reading <3
Dude, I did read your comments. They're just hard to take seriously when you admit to leaving a review for a game that you haven't played, missed the actual download button, asked for proof that the game had progressed, were shown that proof and 6 years worth of content being added, then you refused to look into any of the content, and then accusing me of being in a creative block because I'm editing my originally published rough draft.
I'm not sure if you know anything about game development; i sure didn't and I'm still learning. I'm a fucking psych major so i didn't know shit. But it takes a lot of time to do all this by yourself. There's a reason there's hundreds of people in the credits for movies and games. It's a ton of work. In contrast to other games around here, this game is very long with a very long, slow progression story that tackles communication in relationships, love, sexuality, bullies, bloodlines, stereotypes, honesty, friendship, labels, and even God. I chose to write a long game so the story took a long time to develop. If I made a really short story with no substance, I probably could have gotten it done much quicker but I didn't and people just kept wanting more so i wrote more until I was finished and ended the story on my own terms. All I'm doing is putting the finishing touches on stuff now and doing some reorganizing and proofreading along with sound effects and graphics changes. I've never in my life heard that editing, proofreading, and post production means that you're in a creative block.
You don't have to change the review and i'm not asking that. That doesn't matter to me and i dont care about stars here anyway. It's mostly a straight game site and having 5 stars as an LGBT game this long on f95 is top tier considering how toxic people get and how quickly they leave nasty messages with racism and slurs in it. It was just frustrating to see someone do a blind review of the game and mark it down for things they are were unhappy with, then ask for evidence otherwise and be shown clear evidence that I'm not doing the same thing over and over; I simply wrote a rough draft of the original game that i published in-real time that served as an outline and now I'm polishing it with graphic changes and trying to learn sound programming.
This game is easily one of the top tier LGBTQ+ VNs that I've played, primarily because the script is so sincere and so well written; rather than just following along with the characters, you really start to believe in them (that sounds so corny as I type that out), even during the cheesy bits. Additionally, the script maintains a decent flow throughout the game, I never really grew bored or lost interest. I think there's a real talent at work here, and the game is completed, and it's for free. It was a real treat to experience, the author should be immensely proud. Thank you for putting this out there Aaryn!
Dude. Go actually play this game to completion before you leave any more comments in this thread, this is embarrassing to read.
appreciate the support and i'm glad yall enjoyed the story. very much a weird exchange that still doesn't make any sense to me but that's alright. the story isn't for everyone and there's no way i'm going to force someone into reading it when they've already made their mind up about it (especially if they play the older version because the beginning sucks, lol). It doesn't change my focus and i'll confirm that i'm still working on the project and have no intention of abandoning it.
regardless, i did take one thing from this that i wanted to share and idk who needs to hear it. I know several people have played this game and started their own projects or have asked for advice on the discord. I know it shook some things loose with other creators and that's amazing to be part of that. I know some of you read this that are trying to create something of your own and i know how fucking hard that is, regardless of where your head is. I'm pretty chill and i'll admit to having a handful of times that i almost dropped this but i snapped back out of it. it's a long road and the majority of people will never understand that until they've done it. So if you're a creator, hearing someone say you should quit because it's taking too long is the worst advice i've ever heard. if you care about something, then it takes as long as it takes until you're happy with it. dont be afraid of that and dont put pressure on yourself from people who aren't invested in your project to the degree that you are. AAA game studios take 5 to 10 years to make a game and they're employing hundreds or thousands of people. dont pay attention to your number of subs, dont pay attention to the number of followers you have, ignore how much money you've made and just write your shit the way you want and dont quit doing that unless it's the right thing for you personally to do.