VN Ren'Py Summer's Gone [S1 Steam + DLC] [Oceanlab]

rudy007 · May 6, 2023

PaxHadrian17 said:
Amber is smokin hot and she has a vested interest in helping the MC fix his problems - not just as a psychiatrist, but also as Bella's mother.

I think that the trip Amber and the MC will make to the cabin will be pivotal. It is a place where secrets will be unlocked - some of what happened in the past - and some emotions for the MC, perhaps overwhelming, will also be released.

I also think that it is the right place and setting for Amber and the MC to have an intimate encounter.

I could see some roleplaying with Amber asking the MC to pretend that she is Summer and to walk her through the day. I think that Amber will stay in role as Summer and as day moves into night and the MC and Summer kiss and fool around, she will stay in character through most if not all of the roleplaying.

We have every reason to believe that the MC and Summer were kissing, but what about petting - clothing on or off; what about some oral - above the waist or full on.

If Summer gave/received oral in the flashback, will Amber stay in character through this or will she break character (and does the MC being Bella's boyfriend - the choice to kiss/not kiss Bella on the hill - influence that decision).

Finally - I believe that this trip to the cabin will result in some level of breakthrough for the MC regarding being able to be aroused by a woman (something far beyond what Nami got by giving him a quasi ass job in the hot tub at the end of the night at Nicks) .

Will the MC develop some level of emotional attachment to (or sexual desire for) Amber because he ties his Summer memories to Amber memories due to the most recent trip to the cabin?

If this happens, does the MC start greeting Amber (in private) with kisses and petting, or when Amber holds the MC when he is in a therapy session, does he end up kissing and pressing for some physical intimacy now that that door has been unlocked?

Through all of this, how much of the activities does Amber note in the MC's file - one of the files Bella is most certainly going to snoop in since she wants to know what is going on.

I think Amber knows some of the snooping that Bella does so she will lay some breadcrumbs in the file to help Bella and the MC if they are in a relationship; if Bella and the MC are not in a relationship, does Amber provide breadcrumbs to lead Bella away from the MC, especially if Amber finds she is starting to have feelings for the MC beyond those of his psychiatrist or as Bella's Mom?

There are So many possibilities here and the fact that the MC is Absolutely Not a horn dog will add to the likelihood of increased intimacy with Amber during the cabin trip. Amber will know that the MC is not playing her to get in her pants - he is truly a man who needs her help and her commitment to help the MC even if it requires an unconventional approach could lead to unexpected levels of both physical and emotional intimacy between Amber and the MC.

Ocean has quite the story to tell here!

I hope Ocean find an easy way to tell his story with too many branches. If he goes for diferent branches starting now, he will create another AWAM. That means: if he make his standard update, you could have only few minutes of gameplay. That's a scenario we cannot accept. Imagine after months of waiting you get non or few minuts of play. And only because you're on "wrong" route.

Orgitas · May 6, 2023

rudy007 said:
I hope Ocean find an easy way to tell his story with too many branches. If he goes for diferent branches starting now, he will create another AWAM. That means: if he make his standard update, you could have only few minutes of gameplay. That's a scenario we cannot accept. Imagine after months of waiting you get non or few minuts of play. And only because you're on "wrong" route.

Narrative creep is certainly a thing. The worrying thing is Ocean went into SG with not really knowing the ending - One of the big reasons why there are a lot of inconsistencies that are, sort of, being rectified with the upgrading of previous chapters. Devs really ought to have the beginning, middle and end in order before writing the rest. It keeps you on track.

Fortunately all the updating Ocean and co have done has worked splendidly currently(Seriously, the original version of the game was terribly bad, relatively speaking).

Another thing some Devs suffer from is trying to cater to many kink crowds - To cast a wide net. These often fail.. It is better to focus on a couple of things, and do them well, than try to tick all sexual boxes.

rudy007 · May 6, 2023

Orgitas said:
Narrative creep is certainly a thing. The worrying thing is Ocean went into SG with not really knowing the ending - One of the big reasons why there are a lot of inconsistencies that are, sort of, being rectified with the upgrading of previous chapters. Devs really ought to have the beginning, middle and end in order before writing the rest. It keeps you on track.

Fortunately all the updating Ocean and co have done has worked splendidly currently(Seriously, the original version of the game was terribly bad, relatively speaking).

Another thing some Devs suffer from is trying to cater to many kink crowds - To cast a wide net. These often fail.. It is better to focus on a couple of things, and do them well, than try to tick all sexual boxes.

Agree.
About Bella, if she was the only real LI, I could get it. But there are many characters who are on her level. Without being a harem game, it will be tough to realize it. (We know that it will be not a harem, Ocean said it himself)
Bella and Nami are now two characters who are most developed. If Ocean spend so much time for other characters, this will go AWAM route fast. I know that Bella fans will go ballistic if they don't have Bella in one or two updates. Nami fans too. And if Ocean makes all characters on same level, it will become worst than AWAM.
I really hope Ocean has a plan to develop it at good speed. Faster is always better, but if he can (after last rework is finished) maintain his tempo from today, we're good. If he can cut 3-4 weeks, even better.
Ocean isn't a bad developer, he can make story credible, his ability for details is probably one level up comparable to other devs. And his renders and animations are just unbelievable... It's hard to compare him to other developers, few of then have such a level of animations.

Orgitas · May 6, 2023

rudy007 said:
Agree.
About Bella, if she was the only real LI, I could get it. But there are many characters who are on her level. Without being a harem game, it will be tough to realize it. (We know that it will be not a harem, Ocean said it himself)
Bella and Nami are now two characters who are most developed. If Ocean spend so much time for other characters, this will go AWAM route fast. I know that Belly fans will go ballistic if they don't have Bella in one or two updates. Nami fans too. And if Ocean makes all characters on same level, it will become worst than AWAM.
I really hope Ocean has a plan to develop it at good speed. Faster is always better, but if he can (after last rework is finished) maintain his tempo from today, we're good. If he can cut 3-4 weeks, even better.
Ocean isn't a bad developer, he can make story credible, his ability for details is probably one level up comparable to other devs. And his renders and animations are just unbelievable... It's hard to compare him to other developers, few of then have such a level of animations.

Certainly agree that his render work is great. Vast improvement to what it used to be in the original version. They have come a long way as the original renders look... Basic. Have to respect that kind of dedication to learning a craft. As for LIs.. I think 3, or 4, should be the maximum with a handful of side girls for short, one off, encounters from time to time. Anything more and you just start to get flooded.

Ocean is certainly in the top 5 3D based AVNs - Though still has plenty of ways to go before reaching the DPC level of things. Will need to work on his coding game more to compete on that front. But, if Ocean keeps at it, it won't be long.

rudy007 · May 6, 2023

Orgitas said:
Certainly agree that his render work is great. Vast improvement to what it used to be in the original version. They have come a long way as the original renders look... Basic. Have to respect that kind of dedication to learning a craft. As for LIs.. I think 3, or 4, should be the maximum with a handful of side girls for short, one off, encounters from time to time. Anything more and you just start to get flooded.

Ocean is certainly in the top 5 3D based AVNs - Though still has plenty of ways to go before reaching the DPC level of things. Will need to work on his coding game more to compete on that front. But, if Ocean keeps at it, it won't be long.

His previous version of SG was on level, or little bit above today games. He invested heavily in his computers and he's still doing this.
Problem with this is; you're "buying" time when your game will be considered "old" and you have to rework it again (and again).
Game should be finished under 5 years, if longer, you have to rework it because it will be not up to date. (graphic, not story)

PaxHadrian17 · May 6, 2023

rudy007 said:
I hope Ocean find an easy way to tell his story with too many branches. If he goes for diferent branches starting now, he will create another AWAM. That means: if he make his standard update, you could have only few minutes of gameplay. That's a scenario we cannot accept. Imagine after months of waiting you get non or few minuts of play. And only because you're on "wrong" route.

I think Ocean is a better storyteller than many others including L&P (AWAM).

We need several more revs to get a better sense of how Ocean will treat LI's that are turned down (like the Bella Kiss Yes/no which branches the next day).

Is there another chance to continue the Bella relationship as a romance (I hope so); how many chances do we get, 1-2 for main LI's?

In the save where I said no to Nia about coming over on the weekend, do I get Bella content instead (with Bella kiss) or is the CH 5 release shorter for me if I turned down both Bella and Nia?

There has to be a consequence for the choices I make, and we need to give Ocean a chance to show us what those consequences look like.

I'll play both Nia routes (yes/no to the weekend visit) now to see what happens.

Years from now, when we are well into Season 2 or even Season 3, I will be interested in trying different paths that are much more developed to see how the story I experience changes.

RNasc4444 · May 6, 2023

Orgitas said:
Fortunately all the updating Ocean and co have done has worked splendidly currently(Seriously, the original version of the game was terribly bad, relatively speaking).

I wholeheartedly disagree. The original version of this game was my favorite game for a long time. Well to be fair not really the original but up to ch3.5.

Prettier renders don't make up for the nosedive in dialogue quality and overall emotional depth that the game suffered from in the last couple of updates (especially 4.5 Full). Also you'd think that in between all of this Ocean c0ckriding, someone would eventually mention his absolutely DIRE need for a native English speaker to proofread his entire damn script. Because the state of it right now is appalling.

I know based on the shit I read here most users aren't all that proficient in English but if the goal of the reworks is for an even and balanced Steam release, that dreadful grammar can't actually make it to the final version.

weezal · May 7, 2023

RNasc4444 said:
I wholeheartedly disagree. The original version of this game was my favorite game for a long time. Well to be fair not really the original but up to ch3.5.

Prettier renders don't make up for the nosedive in dialogue quality and overall emotional depth that the game suffered from in the last couple of updates (especially 4.5 Full). Also you'd think that in between all of this Ocean c0ckriding, someone would eventually mention his absolutely DIRE need for a native English speaker to proofread his entire damn script. Because the state of it right now is appalling.

I know based on the shit I read here most users aren't all that proficient in English but if the goal of the reworks is for an even and balanced Steam release, that dreadful grammar can't actually make it to the final version.

Fr.
Also wtf is up with the Bibi and wormy shit. Shit is weird as fuck

Fun Shaundi · May 7, 2023

weezal said:
Fr.
Also wtf is up with the Bibi and wormy shit. Shit is weird as fuck

I can't really believe you have never ever met someone who made up words, used babytalk to tease or used pet names to refer to others. I call my little nephew 'bebehsaur'. Of course that's not how I talk to others in my daily life, just use it with him, or like I've mentioned before, I called an ex 'amurr', a babytalk modification of 'amor' (love) cause I loved her and that was our thing.
That isn't weird, it's just a sign on affection and playfulness, but I guess not everyone experiences it.

John972 · May 7, 2023

RNasc4444 said:
I wholeheartedly disagree. The original version of this game was my favorite game for a long time. Well to be fair not really the original but up to ch3.5.

Prettier renders don't make up for the nosedive in dialogue quality and overall emotional depth that the game suffered from in the last couple of updates (especially 4.5 Full). Also you'd think that in between all of this Ocean c0ckriding, someone would eventually mention his absolutely DIRE need for a native English speaker to proofread his entire damn script. Because the state of it right now is appalling.

I know based on the shit I read here most users aren't all that proficient in English but if the goal of the reworks is for an even and balanced Steam release, that dreadful grammar can't actually make it to the final version.

Dude, that's partly like saying you enjoy the rework without saying you enjoy the rework

Playing Chapter releases 1 and 2 will give you a better idea of the original content, not versions that are already substantially reworked.

"nosedive in dialogue quality" / "state of it right now is appalling" - well, I agree to disagree on these ones. Appalling, really?

There is a DIFFERENCE BETWEEN a truly appalling, machine-translated script based on bad dialogue in some other native language AND a script that no longer conforms to a critic's kinks and expectations. Characters originally acting badshit crazy does not necessarily equate to "overall emotional depth".

RNasc4444 · May 7, 2023

John972 said:
Dude, that's partly like saying you enjoy the rework without saying you enjoy the rework Playing Chapter releases 1 and 2 will give you a better idea of the original content, not versions that are already substantially reworked.

"nosedive in dialogue quality" / "state of it right now is appalling" - well, I agree to disagree on these ones. Appalling, really?

There is a DIFFERENCE BETWEEN a truly appalling, machine-translated script based on bad dialogue in some other native language AND a script that no longer conforms to a critic's kinks and expectations. Characters originally acting badshit crazy does not necessarily equate to "overall emotional depth".

Characters acting batshit crazy? I'm guessing you didn't like the edgier MC? Can you give me an example of a "Character originally acting badshit crazy" that is no longer part of the current version of the game? Other than the Bella bedroom sister argument that used to be amazing, natural, logical and packed with raw emotion compared to the lethargic shitshow of a wet fart scene that replaced it? How about the new bathroom Nami scene that makes me want to gouge my eyes out and throw them into the fire, when she starts shaking like an epileptic monkey with downs? How's that for batshit crazy?

I stand by the adjectives I used. Appalling fits rather accurately when you put it in the context of the Steam release, the amount of work Ocean put on the reworks and how big the game is. Seriously, when was the last time you replayed this game? The broken English and the grammar errors stick out like a gangrenous wound.

And the dialogue quality is self evident. I would bet my left nut Ocean used to have someone REALLY FUCKING TALENTED writting the script for the first few versions of this game because the quality difference to what we have now is monumental. And I don't just mean English skills. I mean exposition, dialogue, character interaction...

yossa999 · May 7, 2023

PaxHadrian17 said:
Amber is smokin hot and she has a vested interest in helping the MC fix his problems - not just as a psychiatrist, but also as Bella's mother.

I think that the trip Amber and the MC will make to the cabin will be pivotal. It is a place where secrets will be unlocked - some of what happened in the past - and some emotions for the MC, perhaps overwhelming, will also be released.

I also think that it is the right place and setting for Amber and the MC to have an intimate encounter.

I could see some roleplaying with Amber asking the MC to pretend that she is Summer and to walk her through the day. I think that Amber will stay in role as Summer and as day moves into night and the MC and Summer kiss and fool around, she will stay in character through most if not all of the roleplaying.

We have every reason to believe that the MC and Summer were kissing, but what about petting - clothing on or off; what about some oral - above the waist or full on.

If Summer gave/received oral in the flashback, will Amber stay in character through this or will she break character (and does the MC being Bella's boyfriend - the choice to kiss/not kiss Bella on the hill - influence that decision).

Finally - I believe that this trip to the cabin will result in some level of breakthrough for the MC regarding being able to be aroused by a woman (something far beyond what Nami got by giving him a quasi ass job in the hot tub at the end of the night at Nicks) .

Will the MC develop some level of emotional attachment to (or sexual desire for) Amber because he ties his Summer memories to Amber memories due to the most recent trip to the cabin?

If this happens, does the MC start greeting Amber (in private) with kisses and petting, or when Amber holds the MC when he is in a therapy session, does he end up kissing and pressing for some physical intimacy now that that door has been unlocked?

Through all of this, how much of the activities does Amber note in the MC's file - one of the files Bella is most certainly going to snoop in since she wants to know what is going on.

I think Amber knows some of the snooping that Bella does so she will lay some breadcrumbs in the file to help Bella and the MC if they are in a relationship; if Bella and the MC are not in a relationship, does Amber provide breadcrumbs to lead Bella away from the MC, especially if Amber finds she is starting to have feelings for the MC beyond those of his psychiatrist or as Bella's Mom?

There are So many possibilities here and the fact that the MC is Absolutely Not a horn dog will add to the likelihood of increased intimacy with Amber during the cabin trip. Amber will know that the MC is not playing her to get in her pants - he is truly a man who needs her help and her commitment to help the MC even if it requires an unconventional approach that could lead to unexpected levels of both physical and emotional intimacy between Amber and the MC.

Ocean has quite the story to tell here!

Man, I almost wish you didn't hit the bullseye because this is the very detailed spoiler I've ever seen. And in the MC's situation, this is the most natural and plausible root cause of an intimate relationship with Amber. A sudden flash of lust between them would be so feigned and fake. And it's a very recognizable situation, seen it many times in movies and novels, where a female character is roleplaying someone else important to the MC to let his trapped emotions come out and get his closure. Quite fitting with the plot. For example, in Chasing Sunsets, Tara seduces the MC by roleplaying his long-time loved sister Jaye, in the hope that he will get his release from the pain and anguish and not make his foolish escape that broke his family's hearts.
The only thing is questionable how this works with Amber being the MC's psychologist, should such a twists be prohibited by her professional ethics and maybe legal considerations? After all, it is likely that instead of breaking the emotional attachment to the long-lost person, he will replace it with dependence on the person who roleplayed her. I'm not a psychologist at all, but wouldn't the cure be more dangerous than the disease?
However, it is very suitable for the whole story, excellent insight!

Razrback16 · May 7, 2023

Ya I like Pax's idea, curious to see how things play out...

Looking forward to Ch5...sure hope there's some more Amber content on the way.

John972 · May 7, 2023

RNasc4444 said:
Characters acting batshit crazy? I'm guessing you didn't like the edgier MC? Can you give me an example of a "Character originally acting badshit crazy" that is no longer part of the current version of the game? Other than the Bella bedroom sister argument that used to be amazing, natural, logical and packed with raw emotion compared to the lethargic shitshow of a wet fart scene that replaced it? How about the new bathroom Nami scene that makes me want to gouge my eyes out and throw them into the fire, when she starts shaking like an epileptic monkey with downs? How's that for batshit crazy?

I stand by the adjectives I used. Appalling fits rather accurately when you put it in the context of the Steam release, the amount of work Ocean put on the reworks and how big the game is. Seriously, when was the last time you replayed this game? The broken English and the grammar errors stick out like a gangrenous wound.

And the dialogue quality is self evident. I would bet my left nut Ocean used to have someone REALLY FUCKING TALENTED writting the script for the first few versions of this game because the quality difference to what we have now is monumental. And I don't just mean English skills. I mean exposition, dialogue, character interaction...

Batshit Crazy? easy (if you really know the game)...