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

[Fun Shaundi]

Ya it seems unlikely that nobody would ask Bella how the sister is doing, unless they aren't aware she's still alive. It's very much a daytime soap opera trope for her to be comatose. Summer being in that bed would've been the most cliche plot twist.

Dunno, her friends and most people in school know her and her reputation. Her friends would know this is a topic that hurt her and they wouldn't tell a completely newcomer (Nika) about it, and the others might not mention it simply cause they're scared, cause she has the reputation of being crazy and violent.

 

[360 Danny DeVitos Later]

What i see by fair criticism is what majority of the people agree on something, for example when 100 people play a game and 90 of them criticize the game for good reasons and they all agree on common ideas, than that is fair criticism, pretty much everyone agrees on the bad points of a game.

For anything popular like Summer's Gone that in reality means only fan criticism is fair though. It's writing off anything that doesn't fit a fan's idea of what's flawed as not legit so every other criticism is unfair, flawed, meritless or bad faith.

That attitude is why F95 threads are often a repetitious echo chamber cycle of memes and theories that are either giant circle jerks or mass hate. What everyone agrees on is not a good metric for fairness or legitimacy because that quickly becomes what fans or haters whichever is more prevalent agree on and every other criticism or praise gets pushed away. People that like a game pretty much by default are willing to overlook it's flaws or they literally don't bother them or even see them as flaws. I know for a fact I'm guilty of that.

We see that on F95 all the time. I look at the SG and BAD threads because I like the games, every popular game has people that have been posting in them week after week for years because they like the game no? Contrary opinions get dog-piled, mocked, shut down and butthurt facepalmed by thread regulars every time. Let's be honest it's very predictable. Because they're not seen as contrary opinions, they're seen as something wrong to be attacked and discredited because fans don't want to hear it or are tired of it but aren't tired of the same positivity brought up and repeated endlessly. It's plain fanboying.

No sex content is a perfect example. It's a literal plot point in the VN through Nika's PTSD and impotence but people decide it can't be criticized because there is a disclaimer. When no it's literally part of the plot the decision for it to be there is absolutely open to been criticized or disliked as much as any part of a plot or theme is. Negative opinions don't need consensus they just need to be made in good faith for the criticism to be "fair". I don't think we're all so sensitive something is only fair if we all agree with it.

 

[Ray_D]

Hee hee, Amber tried to get Bella to attend the book club.
I imagined this scene in my head, laughed until I cried.
Well, how can you not love this cute bitch, the fucking Ocean
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it's a good thing there wasn't some sex scene with those mature women, poor nika would have failed the mission.

 

[John972]

Ya it seems unlikely that nobody would ask Bella how the sister is doing, unless they aren't aware she's still alive. It's very much a daytime soap opera trope for her to be comatose. Summer being in that bed would've been the most cliche plot twist.

Yeah, I can imagine the F95 riots if Ocean had a future chapter where the MC woke up, walked to the bathroom, and opened the door to see the naked back and ass of a showering woman. The woman slowly turns around in a very Bobby Ewing-esque way. It's Summer. She looks at the MC quizzingly and asks, "Nika, what's the matter?"

 

[BobTheDuck]

Yeah i don't know but i don't believe that bit with MC's uncle, i think he was straight up lying about that.

It just came out of nowhere and it was never mentioned before, either that or maybe Ocean plans something, maybe more will be revealed in the future, he keeps everything in mystery and reveals things bit by bit as story goes on.

I just had the weird thought, does Willi play basketball? What if Nika is the NTR child of Leia or Katie?

For anything popular like Summer's Gone that in reality means only fan criticism is fair though. It's writing off anything that doesn't fit a fan's idea of what's flawed as not legit so every other criticism is unfair, flawed, meritless or bad faith.

That attitude is why F95 threads are often a repetitious echo chamber cycle of memes and theories that are either giant circle jerks or mass hate. What everyone agrees on is not a good metric for fairness or legitimacy because that quickly becomes what fans or haters whichever is more prevalent agree on and every other criticism or praise gets pushed away. People that like a game pretty much by default are willing to overlook it's flaws or they literally don't bother them or even see them as flaws. I know for a fact I'm guilty of that.

We see that on F95 all the time. I look at the SG and BAD threads because I like the games, every popular game has people that have been posting in them week after week for years because they like the game no? Contrary opinions get dog-piled, mocked, shut down and butthurt facepalmed by thread regulars every time. Let's be honest it's very predictable. Because they're not seen as contrary opinions, they're seen as something wrong to be attacked and discredited because fans don't want to hear it or are tired of it but aren't tired of the same positivity brought up and repeated endlessly. It's plain fanboying.

No sex content is a perfect example. It's a literal plot point in the VN through Nika's PTSD and impotence but people decide it can't be criticized because there is a disclaimer. When no it's literally part of the plot the decision for it to be there is absolutely open to been criticized or disliked as much as any part of a plot or theme is. Negative opinions don't need consensus they just need to be made in good faith for the criticism to be "fair". I don't think we're all so sensitive something is only fair if we all agree with it.

It's that good faith approach that is most moft lacking - the different opinion isn't the problem, it's that some opinions are now memes in their own right:
- "I'm going to be 84 before this is finished/my kids will play this wah wah wah" This isn't a discussion point, it's a now a trope. People saying this aren't being honest, they can't have this complaint without wanting to see the game finished. Things take as long as they take. This is disingenous at best.
- "where's the compressed/android/mac" Learn to pirate better. I can't think of a single thread where people haven't explained what to do. Every time someone asks for a compressed, they push the actual post deeper into the search (like I've now done, I'm an asshole).
- "You like the game, you're a white knight riding Ocean's cock." Imaginative, witty and a great comeback for every time someone disagrees with trollish behaviour, sprinkle through comments to show how salty they are. 100% guaranteed to win the internet with this meme. Wait, why do the trolls fantasize about people riding Ocean's cock so much? Are they truly into NTR?
- "You don't agree with me, you're a child. I have seen everything in the world and am the repository AND font of all knowledge. Nothing deviates from my world view, YOU SHALL NOT PASS." Pretty hard to have a meaningful interaction with all the good faith shown by those peeps.
- The sex thing "There was no sex, this game sux" is not a discussion in good faith, because it is stated there is no sex. Discussing that Nika could have fingered or muff dived, or heck stayed still and let Bella grind him like sandpaper is a discussion, and most people have debated that in good faith. If people can't read the first screenshot, before they can even set the skipping of pages and transitions, how do they even AVN?

Most theories are debated when in good faith, heck, a troll who will debate a point without salivating over cock riding is almost a breath of fresh air. I like your direction, but maybe you're giving too much credit to the trolls, lumping them in with people who think differently. Trolls will simply oppose because they like grinding on other people's opinions. The minute there is sex in the game they'll say "huh, a full blown threesome with the twins and Kate only? Why can't I bang Josy yet? What do you mean wrong game? You're just cock riding." It takes dedication to not act in good faith - ie not be human and be a troll.

 

[Ray_D]

Yeah, I can imagine the F95 riots if Ocean had a future chapter where the MC woke up, walked to the bathroom, and opened to door to see the naked back and ass of a showering woman. The woman slowly turns around in a very Bobby Ewing-esque way. It's Summer. She looks at the MC quizzingly and asks, "Nika, what's the matter?"

well, if that were to happen, Nika would probably get his erection back.

 

[John972]

There are not much information where did they live before. The only thing Nami said:
"We went to a high school way in the west."

And we know that MC has (had?) an uncle who taught him to play basketball. Who is his uncle? Does this mean that MC knew his birth parents? Where is his uncle now? How are Noji and uncle related? There are no answer

Well, there's also the question of when and why did Nojiko move and isolate the MC and Nami away from their own relatives and Nojiko's circle of friends?

Was it when they were much younger and because of the Zanes? Or was it when they were teens and because of Summer?

How many times has Nojiko moved them? Is the house they live in now the same one they lived in when Summer was around?

So many questions...

The game lays out pretty well the school histories of the main characters.

The MC, Nami, Nia, and Summer went to that high school out west. The rest of the characters attended another one or two high schools more or less together. The difference in high schools seems geographic rather than socio-economic. Well-to-do Summer attended the same high school as average Nika, Nami, and Nia. Dirt poor Mila attended the same high school as well-to-do [insert name of posh character here].

Addendum:

MC, Nami, Nia, Summer = Tropics High School "out west".

Bella, Ayua, Mila, Nadia, Kate, Jeff, Trey, Aziz = all attended same unnamed High School, different from Tropics HS.

Zara, Vic = High School not stated, although both attended same Elementary and/or Middle School as Mila.

 

[John972]

well, if that were to happen, Nika would probably get his erection back.

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In that specific scenario, only if Ocean can come out of hiding for long enough to write an erection into the game... /s

 

[John972]

Isn’t Kelly, by any chance, Daphne’s daughter? Her religious inclination, earrings like Daphne’s, eyes, but her breasts are from Willie’s mother’s side.

I can't shake this nagging feeling in the back of my head that SG could become the GOAT inbred/incest game ever ["What do you mean I just shagged by half-sister? I thought she was my cousin."]

 

[BobTheDuck]

I can't shake this nagging feeling in the back of my head that SG could become the GOAT inbred/incest game ever ["What do you mean I just shagged by half-sister? I thought she was my cousin."]

I mean, it really did all begin with Willi's pee pee

 

[goldenrhino]

I am now an Adrianna fan.

 

[Tysonator2000]

Dunno, her friends and most people in school know her and her reputation. Her friends would know this is a topic that hurt her and they wouldn't tell a completely newcomer (Nika) about it, and the others might not mention it simply cause they're scared, cause she has the reputation of being crazy and violent.

Fair point. For that outburst about the picture to not be addressed by now, isn't normal. It's a sensitive topic sure, but Bella talks to her sister about him like she's in love. I've met actual crazy, violent women in my own life, Bella mostly acts the part. She has more bark than bite. Real psychopaths don't feel guilty about hurting others. She felt bad just by mentioning Thomas' cheating ways to Brenda.

 

[Fun Shaundi]

Fair point. For that outburst about the picture to not be addressed by now, isn't normal. It's a sensitive topic sure, but Bella talks to her sister about him like she's in love. I've met actual crazy, violent women in my own life, Bella mostly acts the part. She has more bark than bite. Real psychopaths don't feel guilty about hurting others. She felt bad just by mentioning Thomas' cheating ways to Brenda.

Addressed by who, though, Nika? Her friends? Bella herself?
And true, Bella talks fondly of Nika both if she's fooling around with him or if she's in friendly terms with him (Haven't tested a playthrough where he threats her, though). Bella suffers from what I call the 'beaten dog syndrome': A dog that has been abused in the past will bark and sometimes even bite any human that approaches them after they're rescued, and it takes some time for them to heal enough to overcome the trauma and allow contact.
I don't believe she's a true psycopath, cause we can see different scenarios where she feels empathy and compassion (Like you mentioned, feeling bad about Brenda, feeling protective of her shorty rude friend, recognizing and complimenting people when she knows they're nice, caring about Nika after his fight with Sai, reassuring him that taking therapy with her mum will help him, etc).
But sadly, people know her for her outbursts and how her behavior changed (the beaten dog) after Melanie Ceril bullied her, cause there's when she started to viciously attack people like Mila in such way that people started to recognize her for that, and that's why Jeff warns us about her. Hell, she gets so mad at you over such a small thing that she ends up hurting Nika during a match, and even her own mum thought she had beaten Nika and immediately scolded her.

 

[yossa999]

[...] No sex content is a perfect example. It's a literal plot point in the VN through Nika's PTSD and impotence but people decide it can't be criticized because there is a disclaimer. When no it's literally part of the plot the decision for it to be there is absolutely open to been criticized or disliked as much as any part of a plot or theme is.

Bro, I see on your userpic Maya about to swallow a footlong?
How about me starting to criticize you for that and demanding to change the fucking userpic?
Inb4: You wouldn't dare change it just to prove me wrong.

And I will go on and on telling tales that Maya is a very inexperienced, gentle and decent person and you shouldn't degrade her like this. And don’t even try to tell me that this is absurd, I know it perfectly well. But I'm entitled to criticize your userpic, don't I? Since you never changed your userpic after my criticism, I will follow your every message, facepalm it and comment that you are a pathetic Maya hater, that you cannot stand the slightest criticism and because of this you have hidden your profile. And that it's not Maya who should be the cockgobbler on this userpic, but someone else who humiliates her.

That's pretty much what many of the "sex-when?"-ers do; they don't make points why, given the existing plot, the MC should start fucking everything that moves right now. They don't make points why the plot should be changed to naturally allow the MC to fuck anything that moves right now. They demand and make insults. But even if they give their reasons for adding sex content in the game this instant, why should those reasons be accepted by others, including the author? Why is that?

And even if the author says ten times, "sorry guys, but this is the story I want to tell, if you can't accept that, then this game probably isn't for you" - they don't just leave the 1-star rating and comment "Not my cup of tea, way too long to wait for any sex scenes to appear in the game, if they appear at all." and go away. They will constantly return to this thread, leaving offensive comments about the author, the game and those who like the game.

So, the sex content is a perfect example of what so-called criticism should not be.

 

[Nurikabe]

Yeah, I can imagine the F95 riots if Ocean had a future chapter where the MC woke up, walked to the bathroom, and opened to door to see the naked back and ass of a showering woman. The woman slowly turns around in a very Bobby Ewing-esque way. It's Summer. She looks at the MC quizzingly and asks, "Nika, what's the matter?"

Look at you name-dropping Bobby Ewing out of nowhere! I see you!

 

[John972]

Bro, I see on your userpic Maya about to swallow a footlong?
How about me starting to criticize you for that and demanding to change the fucking userpic?
Inb4: You wouldn't dare change it just to prove me wrong.

And I will go on and on telling tales that Maya is a very inexperienced, gentle and decent person and you shouldn't degrade her like this. And don’t even try to tell me that this is absurd, I know it perfectly well. But I'm entitled to criticize your userpic, don't I? Since you never changed your userpic after my criticism, I will follow your every message, facepalm it and comment that you are a pathetic Maya hater, that you cannot stand the slightest criticism and because of this you have hidden your profile. And that it's not Maya who should be the cockgobbler on this userpic, but someone else who humiliates her.

That's pretty much what many of the "sex-when?"-ers do; they don't make points why, given the existing plot, the MC should start fucking everything that moves right now. They don't make points why the plot should be changed to naturally allow the MC to fuck anything that moves right now. They demand and make insults. But even if they give their reasons for adding sex content in the game this instant, why should those reasons be accepted by others, including the author? Why is that?

And even if the author says ten times, "sorry guys, but this is the story I want to tell, if you can't accept that, then this game probably isn't for you" - they don't just leave the 1-star rating and comment "Not my cup of tea, way too long to wait for any sex scenes to appear in the game, if they appear at all." and go away. They will constantly return to this thread, leaving offensive comments about the author, the game and those who like the game.

So, the sex content is a perfect example of what so-called criticism should not be.

A common trend I see here are original fans who were attracted to/turned on by playing a psychotic, abusive, manipulative MC in the first incarnation of SG (pitted against an equally psychotic, abusive, manipulative Bella). Many haven't forgiven Ocean for taking their candy away by reworking the game and story.

I can empathize to a point, but not for those who can't move on and mask their disappointment by shitting on Ocean and the reworks in a sea of negativity whenever they can.

People can be their own judge. With a little digging, the original chapters 1 and 2 can be found, downloaded and played.

We all have our opinions and we all 'read' SG through the lens of our own personal lives and experience.

A part of me thinks Ocean had a dig at all of this (our speculation, putting SG through a microscope, divining Ocean's intentions) during the bookclub discussion in Chapter 5...

Spoiler: Heed Sasha & Co's Words...

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

 

[John972]

Look at you name-dropping Bobby Ewing out of nowhere! I see you!

I kinda had to otherwise those unaware of the Mother of All Baits-and-Switch/Retconns in television history, wouldn't be able to Google the reference...

 

[yossa999]

A common trend I see here are original fans who were attracted to/turned on by playing a psychotic, abusive, manipulative MC in the first incarnation of SG (pitted against an equally psychotic, abusive, manipulative Bella). Many haven't forgiven Ocean for taking their candy away by reworking the game and story.

I can empathize to a point, but not for those who can't move on and mask their disappointment by shitting on Ocean and the reworks in a sea of negativity whenever they can. [...]

Ah, man, this topic should also be banned from discussion at the dinner table, like religion and politics
Because it is really difficult to find a constructive point on this topic that would satisfy both sides.

Psycho MC initially attracted a lot of people to the game. To deny this would be simply hypocritical. The MC remained like this until the middle of the current season, and then the author changed him drastically. I understand perfectly well that many considered this a cheating, so it turns out that the author lied to them for the half the game? (To be fair, some decisions previously limited or lowered the MC's insanity level and made him more similar to the current default MC.)

And the author has repeatedly explained the reasons for such changes, and has repeatedly drawn attention to the fact that the game is a work in progress, it is not finished, some things may change in the future, and this must be taken into account before starting a game.

Both sides have valid arguments, and both have their reasons for being disappointed in each other. People asked: "Well, Ocean, you want to make the MC softer and saner, okay, but you have already prepared everything for this, these infamous dark and light paths. Let us have our psycho chad we like on the dark path and play with your wuss emo on the light path as much as you want."

But the author answered this too, and with the last chapters we ourselves see that the story is branching out more and more. There are many new storylines unfolding. And adding a dark path on top of all of this would require not only doubling the amount of content, but also exponentially increasing the number of story branches. He just can't handle it. Therefore, he had to make a choice in favor of one of the options, and those who disagreed with his choice became the biggest critics of the game. But again, these are religious wars rather than constructive criticism.

 

[Mortarion]

Yeah, I can imagine the F95 riots if Ocean had a future chapter where the MC woke up, walked to the bathroom, and opened the door to see the naked back and ass of a showering woman. The woman slowly turns around in a very Bobby Ewing-esque way. It's Summer. She looks at the MC quizzingly and asks, "Nika, what's the matter?"

Watching Dallas has done some bad things with your mind dude

 

[Killerkaz88]

I was in my 20s when I saw this game online. I am well into my 30s and this game has turned into more of a novel than an adult game. The author will be dead before he gets half done with this project. Good luck to everyone waiting for season that will be 6 years maybe more. Good luck on the steam release though.