VN Ren'Py Stray Incubus [S2 Ch.3b] [IP Studios]

[CeTanu_AUT]

Found a coding error when you are in the baths with Centoria and Illya



It should be cnt_lust +=1 instead, as it is now it sets Centoria Lust to +1 instead of adding 1 to the existing value.

 

[Wishicouldfly]

I hadn’t seen the notice about the change in developers. I was playing straight from season 1 to season 2, and the difference is really jarring. I’m not saying it’s horrible, but there’s definitely a lot of room for improvement. Especially the scene transitions — there are almost no dialogues, and suddenly we jump into a random tournament, then straight to the princess scene. I hope that, even if it takes some time, they take care to work on some of the details, because I still don’t understand what happened in that scene with the sorcerer. (Where did those snowmen come from?)

 

[Melfior]

Is it just me or writing quality dropped?

 

[godscoper]

So I've just finished playing through all of the game again. Mainly because I hadn't done so yet. And also to give the update another chance after I rushed through the initial broken release.
It made the transition feel even rougher.

I think I had forgotten how much effort Flynn actually put into this game.
Once the part in the new elven city rolles around the failings become apparent immediately. The characters suddenly look low-res, facial expressions look weird and the transitions became all choppy.
Strangely the characters look even worse than the samples posted on discord.
You know the ones he had to remake because they didn't fit his fancy lighting technique.
I'm not even gonna mention the writing.
Has anyone actually talked to that illusive writer of theirs?
Because I'm starting to suspect their name starts with Ch and ends in PT

I recommend anyone defending this half of a chapter to replay the original game and then tell me again that this is an acceptable first release.
And to anyone saying it's unfair to compare the two:
If they don't want their game compared to the original, then they should have come up with their own world, story and characters.
But they wanted instant success, so they went for a popular project with tons of built-in good will.
They should have known this would be the reaction if they didn't at least deliver something on par with Flynns earlier chapters.

right i expected that writing might be different then flynn and improved over time but to change models on girls (how do you mess up princess look and her so called body double without any explanation), personallity on girls completely did 180, and fight scenes were just bad, how can you change MC being a skilled fighter to him getting his ass kicked and acting like pussy, or after princess got hurt he flipped out and acting like he knew her forever. i'm not going to talk about the random sex scene and jumping around locations randomly.

 

[NoiVul]

The original creator made strong scenarios, with a light hearted corruption theme. There was an unresolved question about whether these girls were actually being enslaved by the incubus power. It seemed like the girls didnt seem to know or care about the changes in their behavior.

Would you prefer stronger corruption, or leave it about where Torr is at now?

I personally prefer a smaller harem of about 6 or 7, so enough attention can be given to each girl.

 

[YesYesYesYesNo]

not gonna lie all the complaining in the tread had me afraid all the new stuff was gonna be a total disaster, but it really wasn't bad, models and stuff were slightly different here and there but it was perfectly fine

on another note, what's the release schedule supposed to look like

 

[maxthruster]

on another note, what's the release schedule supposed to look like

We don't know. They're currently working on rewriting this episode but it's still early in development. I believe they posted a general timeline of hopeful release rates, but with the rewrite I don't expect that to be accurate anymore.

 

[xceratxx]

it's hurt when you see your one of favourite avn got abandoned then taken over by different people to develop.
I hope new devs stick around and help to keep this game alive.

 

[najjih]

why is there no mention of Lumi after fighting with athena? this shit is crazy to me

 

[Haggis McMutton]

why is there no mention of Lumi after fighting with athena? this shit is crazy to me

Flynn's final chapters were a bit of a mess, which is understandable considering he was probably already having financial troubles at the time.
If he was planning for Lumi to return, it would have probably happened in this or the next chapter.

I'm doubting the new "devs" will include Lumi, though.
Especially since quite a few people didn't like Lumi being in the game, when he was first introduced.

Which is a shame, but I get: It's a kink that definitely isn't for everyone.

 

[maxthruster]

Was there ever any hint that Lumi was more than just a one-off encounter? There's been numerous girls Zycris had quick flings with that haven't made appearances since, I'm not totally sure why Lumi would be treated differently unless he was massively popular, which he wasn't. As mentioned, it's a kink that's rather polarizing.

 

[Haggis McMutton]

Was there ever any hint that Lumi was more than just a one-off encounter? There's been numerous girls Zycris had quick flings with that haven't made appearances since, I'm not totally sure why Lumi would be treated differently unless he was massively popular, which he wasn't. As mentioned, it's a kink that's rather polarizing.

I don't think Lumi was meant to be a permanent LI, either. He's just too niche.
I do agree with Najjih, though. We don't even know if he's alive or dead after the Athena-fight.
Which bothers me greatly.
I mean, we just fought Athena to protect him, I would have at least liked to know if he is still alive or not.
Even if Flynn didn't plan to bring him back, he could have added a short scene with Lumi at the end of the chapter.

 

[Wolfeszorn]

Flynn's final chapters were a bit of a mess, which is understandable considering he was probably already having financial troubles at the time.
If he was planning for Lumi to return, it would have probably happened in this or the next chapter.

I'm doubting the new "devs" will include Lumi, though.
Especially since quite a few people didn't like Lumi being in the game, when he was first introduced.

Which is a shame, but I get: It's a kink that definitely isn't for everyone.

That could´ve been easily solved if they made the transformation stuff permanent for those who prefer him to be a girl imho. But i don´t trust the new devs with anything after already butchering the first version like this. Add branching to that and you get another shitshow, i guarantee it.

The only thing that would bring my trust back is if they admit that a project like this was way too advanced for em and that they put it on hold until their skills are advanced enough to not butcher the story and game that ppl loved any further.

 

[maxthruster]

That could´ve been easily solved if they made the transformation stuff permanent for those who prefer him to be a girl imho.

The problem with this is that it creates a huge amount of variance going forward: every scene which features Lumi will have to be rendered twice, and many will need to be written entirely differently to account for his different sex in each one. Then start to factor this in with other variations in the game - for example, the existing render branching caused by the choice of whether to bring Misty to the village.

Now consider how this may affect lewds in the future. Obviously, Lumi would need two separate scenes each time he's given some loving. Does the buildup and writing have to be different each time too? How much variation is there in the relationship based on his gender? And, more importantly, how does he interact with the other girls? We're already seeing tons of threesomes and interactions between other girls during lewd scenes, so how much time would it add the development process if several scenes now need multiple permutations to account for him?

Most games that have a heavy focus on character transformation have ways to circumvent some of these issues. Most are just kinda short, or don't use 3d renders the way Stray Incubus does. They may include transformations only during limited parts of the game, or simply not offer choices that affect a character's appearance in order to keep them consistent. It just creates too much bloat to have a major character with multiple possible appearances in a game like this. Especially for a character who really isn't needed as a major LI and who only exists to cater to a more niche fetish.

 

[Wolfeszorn]

The problem with this is that it creates a huge amount of variance going forward: every scene which features Lumi will have to be rendered twice, and many will need to be written entirely differently to account for his different sex in each one. Then start to factor this in with other variations in the game - for example, the existing render branching caused by the choice of whether to bring Misty to the village.

yep. That´s why i added that i don´t trust the new devs with something like that. The current stuff already seems all over the place with the sudden skips, jumps etc. Maybe in a couple of years when and IF they improve their skills.

 

[maxthruster]

yep. That´s why i added that i don´t trust the new devs with something like that. The current stuff already seems all over the place with the sudden skips, jumps etc. Maybe in a couple of years when and IF they improve their skills.

It isn't even really a matter of skill though, it's a matter of bloat. Yes, all of those problems will make things worse, but even before Flynn gave up the game I would've cautioned against such a move because such visual variations would have slowed the development down considerably for very little tradeoff. Like, imagine if the game let you pick one of three character models for Zycris at the start, and each scene had to be rendered three times to account for this. Sure, it'd be nice in the finished product, for anyone who isn't a fan of his default look, but it'd take so much longer to produce and would increase the file size dramatically as well.

 

[Haggis McMutton]

I agree that having two versions of Lumi or three, if you have to account for scenes in later chapters where he is present in 2 versions and dead in another, is really not feasible.

It also rubs me a bit the wrong way.
Because imo Lumi was simply into men and went to the brothel transformed to get laid.
I didn't get the impression he preferred to be a woman.
Though that could have been explained away, by it being some punishment or condition from Athena.

While I'm on the topic of Athena:
I always wished there would have been a bit more room for compromise when it came to dealing with Athena's curses.
For example, in this case, if by making certain choices you could convince her that Lumi didn't really fulfill the criteria for being brutally murdered.
After all he didn't go to the brothel as a customer, but to serve customers.
I just always felt that her staunchness was a bit overdone. Considering the relationship she has with her dad (that charming bestiality enjoyer and casual rapist), I'd expected her to be a bit more understanding towards humanity.
But maybe I'm just forcing what I know about irl Greek mythology on to the characters of the game.

Tbh I always found the gods in the game a bit off.
I've read a lot of Greek and Roman myths and in those the gods are usually much weirder.
And also much more creative in their punishments.
Not simply "You fucked?", death by fury. A real Greek god would have cursed you to be unresistible to women and impotent at the same time. Or something in that vein.
Also Athena is one of the "good" gods and usually on humanity's side. Her role in the game would have fit someone like Hera much better.

 

[Ronaldweasley 979]

Considering the relationship she has with her dad (that charming bestiality enjoyer and casual rapist), I'd expected her to be a bit more understanding towards humanity.
But maybe I'm just forcing what I know about irl Greek mythology on to the characters of the game.

Athena was always a bitch in the original Greek myths too, she cursed medusa because Poseidon raped her in her temple

 

[maxthruster]

I agree that having two versions of Lumi or three, if you have to account for scenes in later chapters where he is present in 2 versions and dead in another, is really not feasible.

It also rubs me a bit the wrong way.
Because imo Lumi was simply into men and went to the brothel transformed to get laid.
I didn't get the impression he preferred to be a woman.
Though that could have been explained away, by it being some punishment or condition from Athena.

While I'm on the topic of Athena:
I always wished there would have been a bit more room for compromise when it came to dealing with Athena's curses.
For example, in this case, if by making certain choices you could convince her that Lumi didn't really fulfill the criteria for being brutally murdered.
After all he didn't go to the brothel as a customer, but to serve customers.
I just always felt that her staunchness was a bit overdone. Considering the relationship she has with her dad (that charming bestiality enjoyer and casual rapist), I'd expected her to be a bit more understanding towards humanity.
But maybe I'm just forcing what I know about irl Greek mythology on to the characters of the game.

Tbh I always found the gods in the game a bit off.
I've read a lot of Greek and Roman myths and in those the gods are usually much weirder.
And also much more creative in their punishments.
Not simply "You fucked?", death by fury. A real Greek god would have cursed you to be unresistible to women and impotent at the same time. Or something in that vein.
Also Athena is one of the "good" gods and usually on humanity's side. Her role in the game would have fit someone like Hera much better.

It's important to remember two things here.

First, Flynn's worldbuilding, like that of most fantasy authors, draws from a variety of sources; primarily European mythology, but there's obviously common influences from southeast Asia as well. The ancient Greeks didn't really do ninjas or elves, the heroes of their stories didn't shoot fireballs or laser beams, and sex magic was more a thing gods used to fuck around with mortals than something wielded by demons. It's obvious that most of the familiar elements of the game are taken to be just that: familiar. They're foundational elements that are easily recognizable to the audience so we can easily acquaint ourselves with the world. Everyone and their mother knows these concepts at least at a basic level, so you don't need to focus on introducing new lore right away and risk burying players in an exposition avalanche.

Second, the Greek gods were never wholly benevolent, even the "good" ones. Remember, they were initially conceptualized as forces of nature: Zeus controlled the storms of the sky, Poseidon's whims dictated the conditions of the sea, and Hades ruled over death itself. Even the more positive deities frequently curse or murder mortals for perceived slights; Athena is a great example. Bitch turned a spinster into a spider because she was jealous of her weaving skills. The Greeks didn't think of their gods as perfect, untouchable beings the way we typically think of deities nowadays; they were, for lack of better term, human, with all the mental and emotional faults that come with that. They were susceptible to trickery, emotion, and impulsive decisions. When they did favor mortals at all, it was usually out of amusement or attraction rather than genuine care. The favor of the gods was a fickle thing, beyond the understanding of mortal man.

 

[Haggis McMutton]

I agree about Athena not being that nice of a person, that's why I wrote "good". Like you said the gods are essentially human in their nature.
And like all of the gods in the Pantheon she was obviously flawed.
I do think she usually helps more, than she obstructs, though.
For example she helps Perseus, Heracles and Jason. She also played an active role in the Iliad.
And Odysseus was basically carried home by her. Kidding, but she played an important part in that epic as well.
I'm not saying she did all of that out of the goodness of heart, pretty sure there were some selfish reasons behind her help. Doesn't change that she helped.

Also, I'm not trying to say he can't use the Greek Pantheon to make his own Universe more familiar. I just feel like Athene wasn't the best choice for a villain. Even if there are ninjas.
Not saying that he wrote her wrong. She is a pretty good villain. Not an absolute evil, but something more relatable.
I can somewhat understand her motivations, even if I hate how she operates.
It's just her being called Athene, that rubs me the wrong way.

Btw, you think Flynn was setting up a redemption-arc for Athena while turning Mankini Whatshisface (forgot his name, Irena's dad, Incubus general) into the big bad evil?