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

[HogRocket]

jokes aside, do you guys think at some point with the dev getting more support and getting a better hardware there's hope of the updates being released in an shorter time ? idk how much of the story he already write at this point.

I will say that, as I am trying to develop my own game, rendering time is an issue but the biggest time blackholes (for me) are setting up the scene ( posing, set dressing, lighting), writing the story (write a scene, figure out if it can be built and rendered, rewrite based on what can be built and posed, repeat repeat repeat) and coding the game (I haven't even got this far yet). Yes, having better hardware would help, or having two computers - but the time killers aren't hardware based in a lot of cases. Any solo project is going to be slow no matter what.

Just my input based on limited experience.

 

[Uriel ☁]

jokes aside, do you guys think at some point with the dev getting more support and getting a better hardware there's hope of the updates being released in an shorter time ? idk how much of the story he already write at this point.

Jokes aside I believe Ocean reached the quality level he was aiming for and is finally content with it, thus the standardization of the chapter's quality. Somebody recently posted a discord screen of him saying he's aiming to complete ch4.5 by the end of october, that would mean publishing an update (half chapter) in 3 months that starts to become quite competitive for a game of this quality.

He also said in the latest dev log that he's starting to outpace his rendering machines, meaning he poses scenes faster then they can render them. He wants to upgrade them to professional GPUs but they're ridicolously expansive (like in the 50k each range).

Supporting this kind of projects works in diminishing returns. When the support is low every penny matter because they help to cover the losses (assets, electricity, etc.). When the support is high, well don't expect a 10 bucks monthly donation to really change anything speed/quality wise.

The real big bump will be the Steam release after chapter 5, as the Steam market is really big and we know from other games that recently published there that the revenues are very impactful.

 

[SKTN]

jokes aside, do you guys think at some point with the dev getting more support and getting a better hardware there's hope of the updates being released in an shorter time ? idk how much of the story he already write at this point.

I don't think so. For example, DPC had patreon goals like "more hardware = faster updates". In reality he just increased amount of content per update, which branching story obviously demands. And knowing Ocean, I assume, he will do the same or push the quality of renders even further, so it's gonna stay the same 1 or 2 updates per year.

 

[realill]

You can technically outsorce parts of rendering work, like character design/clothing, environment setup, etc.

 

[VeryGG]

Best game I ever played till now. Looking forward to the next version

 

[anonnyscouse]

He just lost more than 100 patreons, we need to hope the Steam release help the game, but i really think he should reconsider making two game at the same time, i mean he could still write both at the same time keeping off all the hard work to put into the real game. (just imo of course)

The losing of patreons weeks after a release is very common. There will be people who signed up just as chapter 4 was due to release and then unsubscribe after downloading the update. Usually it's people who want to support the dev but can't afford a monthly subscription, so they'll effectively make a single month payment in order to get the new chapter on release.

 

[Drakenite]

I'm not sure why he hasn't considered polishing up chapter 2 and then push for chapter 5 for the steam release at least to get the game out there first so there could be revenue and then go back to the alternating WiaB and SG plan. It just seems like a more financially profitable move. Alternating now greatly pushes back the steam release date, thus delaying revenue. Also gives time for other games to be released which by now, the market is already over saturated with these types of games.

 

[Nekiorem]

He just lost more than 100 patreons, we need to hope the Steam release help the game, but i really think he should reconsider making two game at the same time, i mean he could still write both at the same time keeping off all the hard work to put into the real game. (just imo of course)

its the start of a new month so thats a common sight so patreon numbers going down , quite a lot resub early or later

 

[Old Man Al]

... Also gives time for other games to be released which by now, the market is already over saturated with these types of games.

This type of games sure, but not this quality in this type of games. As of now I see no other game on F95 which comes even close to this render quality.
And those renders, combined with chosing good ingame shoots will have the people flock to it once it hits Steam.
Also the story & characters are also on the more interesting side of the fence, so that helps. It may not be perfectly flawless written, but very few games here make me smile and sad and really induldged into them. Summers gone is one of this rare pearls.

Imo and for me of course. But I doubt it will have problems with a bigger audience. I prognose most people trying SG will like or even love it once it goes live on Steam.

 

[Uriel ☁]

He just lost more than 100 patreons, we need to hope the Steam release help the game, but i really think he should reconsider making two game at the same time, i mean he could still write both at the same time keeping off all the hard work to put into the real game. (just imo of course)

It's completely normal on patreon to lose a bunch of patrons at the start of every month, since that's when the new billing is processed. There are many reasons for that, the most common is trouble with the automatic payment.

You must be registered to see the links

you can see the patrons fluctuation day by day. You can see for instance he actually gained 50 patrons compared to the previous month (despite no release in that month) and he gained +27% patrons compared to the month before ch4 release.

 

[Mortarion]

He just lost more than 100 patreons, we need to hope the Steam release help the game, but i really think he should reconsider making two game at the same time, i mean he could still write both at the same time keeping off all the hard work to put into the real game. (just imo of course)

Thats quite normal. You can't just use the plain numbers from patreon on a random day. Especially not, if there was the change to a new month.

Take a look at this:

You must be registered to see the links

Here can you see the data for every day 'till six months back.
Hover you cursor on a day you like. I use for my example the 28th of the last three months.

June the 28th:



July the 28th:



August the 28th:




As you can see, in the last three months Ocean had a nice increase on patrons. And if we go back 6 months or longe the increase is more obvious.



Peace!

/e

Pffft OctavianusAugustus i put more effort in my post.

Kneel sucker!!

 

[Drakenite]

This type of games sure, but not this quality in this type of games. As of now I see no other game on F95 which comes even close to this render quality.
And those renders, combined with chosing good ingame shoots will have the people flock to it once it hits Steam.
Also the story & characters are also on the more interesting side of the fence, so that helps. It may not be perfectly flawless written, but very few games here make me smile and sad and really induldged into them. Summers gone is one of this rare pearls.

Imo and for me of course. But I doubt it will have problems with a bigger audience. I prognose most people trying SG will like or even love it once it goes live on Steam.

I agree with you that the quality of this game is superb in terms of story, characters and renders. Of course I wish this game the best once it hits steam, but I am talking in practicality since the average user might not even consider the game if games like this gets pumped out all the time, regardless of how nice the renders look. Obviously, I want to be proven wrong and see the sales sky rocket, but only time will tell.

Also, if you are comparing strictly render quality, there are competitors, if few. For example, give Acquainted a try. It is new so it's super short. But so far right now what it lacks in story the high quality renders make up for it.

 

[Old Man Al]

I agree with you that the quality of this game is superb in terms of story, characters and renders. Of course I wish this game the best once it hits steam, but I am talking in practicality since the average user might not even consider the game if games like this gets pumped out all the time, regardless of how nice the renders look. Obviously, I want to be proven wrong and see the sales sky rocket, but only time will tell.

Also, if you are comparing strictly render quality, there are competitors, if few. For example, give Acquainted a try. It is new so it's super short. But so far right now what it lacks in story the high quality renders make up for it.

Well, when I started playing VNs 3 or 4 years back - I was overwhelmed in the beginning. But most VNs are... not very good. And once you start searching for better ones you will find them. That goes here in the F95 forum (I mostly checked out games in signatures) and in Steam you can check the the rating overall and go into detail in the reviews once you are interested. So it is even easier.

 

[Cabin Fever]

I'm not sure why he hasn't considered polishing up chapter 2 and then push for chapter 5 for the steam release at least to get the game out there first so there could be revenue and then go back to the alternating WiaB and SG plan. It just seems like a more financially profitable move. Alternating now greatly pushes back the steam release date, thus delaying revenue. Also gives time for other games to be released which by now, the market is already over saturated with these types of games.

Financially profitable is not the be all and end all. A game at this level of quality is a labor of love. It is paramount that Ocean enjoys doing the work too. And the preferred way for Ocean is to alternate the way it is done now.

People really should stop flogging this dead horse issue about how Ocean works between the 2 games.

 

[Drakenite]

Yes, but he's also communicated that he is facing an increase in costs of energy as well as health issues revolving around his current living situation. Having money solves the problems he's having. If I understood correctly, his patreon subscriptions alone isn't enough to feasibly resolve his current issues.

The benefits of an earlier steam release contribute to multiple factors, not just the immediate gains to profit. Of course, expenses get paid off comfortably, potential upgrade in equipment, affordable and healthier living conditions. All leads to positive outlook that ultimately coincides with what you have said - enjoyable work environment. I have no qualms with his alternating strategy long term. But it just makes sense to re-strategize for the earlier years so that his problems can be mitigated.

 

[seniorboop]

Anyone under the assumption that this game is guaranteed to do significant numbers under the "Mature" or "Visual Novel" categories on Steam need to double back to the popular titles moving units in those categories, how many units they're moving, as well as learning how product categorization works on Steam if not already aware. Also keep in mind Steam's significant cut of each sale.

In the VN category alone he'll be competing with full titles offering exponentially more content, legitimate studios putting out non-renpy genre-spanning 2/3D VNs with unique mechanics, and various smaller teams that can produce more content with competitive quality faster. It's a completely different ballgame than F95.

I like Summer's Gone as much as the next and would like to see it succeed but barring a significant tonal shift in the lead up to chapter 5 it's not really doing anything that will set it apart amongst its competition on the platform.

 

[sageproduct]

In the VN category alone he'll be competing with full titles offering exponentially more content, legitimate studios putting out non-renpy genre-spanning 2/3D VNs with unique mechanics, and various smaller teams that can produce more content with competitive quality faster. It's a completely different ballgame than F95.

I like Summer's Gone as much as the next and would like to see it succeed but barring a significant tonal shift in the lead up to chapter 5 it's not really doing anything that will set it apart amongst its competition on the platform.

There's a reason that when you see a McDonald's, you'll probably also see a Burger King or Wendy's close by.

Some forget how much competition makes the pie bigger for everyone, and that it's much less about fighting over a static, ungrowing pie.

This is especially true in a genre centered around storytelling and not gameplay, greatly reducing the amount of time most will spend on replay.

Just look at how many people who've enjoyed Being a DIK, City of Broken Dreamers, and the other top titles, and are going around just begging for more recommendations.

 

[NotTheReal16]

chapter 4 full mac version?

 

[waldfox]

so anyone know when the chapter 4.5 will be out ? it was released on patreon on Aug 19

 

[arkopand]

so anyone know when the chapter 4.5 will be out ? it was released on patreon on Aug 19

why dont you subscribe and upload it for us?