Ren'Py Summertime Saga [v21.0.0 wip.5091] [Kompas Productions]

[Dragon59]

i go to the graveyard at night and nothing happens

Did you go at night or in the evening? It has to be at night, after the evening timeslot.

 

[costanz]

English speakers have an idiom that goes "overstaying your welcome". I'm not 100% sure if it applies to what I'm about to ask, but here I go anyway: would you consider that Summertime Saga's developtment has overstayed its welcome?

I remember the earlier years of the game, the excitement and hype everytime a new patch was uploaded.
Then came months of pacing, waiting while numerous patches piled up until there was enough new content to justify starting all over.
And now... I don't feel any of that. My last playthrough was the Roxxy update, which I sincerely loved! That was roughly 2 years ago. But now... I don't feel like downloading any more v0.X.X patches.

Maybe I'm growing old and impatient (30 yo), but this game was THE game. Summertime Saga was the game that had me checking every week to see if it got a new update. But not anymore. Does anyone here share my feelings?

I first played this game like 2 months ago, so I don't have the years-long frustration everyone else does but I get it I guess.
I've been playing a ton of games the last few months and I always feel like updates for ALL of them are lackluster. At least with Summertime Saga, the animations are good and the drawings are hot. Because of that, I feel like it's still good. To me, it's "THE" game.

 

[Dragon59]

But don't forget about what patreon takes from the amount they get plus the taxes they have to pay at some point.
And I am not saying I don't agree with you that they make a lot of money but still there are expenses they have to pay which we know nothing about+taxes + patreon cut.
Also they are still human beings and they need to relax every once in a while.
Edit 2: If you don't like it then don't support them. If you do support them and don't like what they do then comes the question: why do you support them?

Part of being a patron of the arts or of an artist is to help provide living expenses for the artist(s), allowing them to not have to worry about making ends meet. It is not about purchasing a particular product, it is about being a patron.

2 months of work, with a team of 7 peoples working full time on the game to release :

• An eerie mini-route for a certain someone.
• A brand new cookie jar scene with that person.
• A spooky new location.

Over 60k $ per month, hum , he was releasing 3 times more content than this when he started the development with less than 1k (alone) .
I think its true when people says that humanins get greedy easily.
no offense !

Imagine having HR for a fucking indie porn game, Jesus Christ. What's the point? Hire another dev or artist.

Patreon takes max 12%, so hypothetically $60,720 a month or $8,674 per employee or $54 an hour or $102,000 per year for the game before taxes which I'm assuming they're all 1099. Taxes in CA (the highest in the US) would be 11,300 - $20,340. Healthcare being around $4,000 a year again for California, the highest. So they're still making $78,000 each a year.

All this assuming they're working 40 hour weeks which I seriously doubt because of how slow updates release. My team of 4 devs for a major financial software company released 6 major updates this year alone, including a rebuild from the ground up.

Love the game, hate the wasted resources.

Easy solution. Don't be a patron. In the mean time, let those who wish to be patrons, be patrons.

 

[Leo D. Marstone]

Does anyone here share my feelings?

Welp, I do. Actually my last played version was the one in which the mermaid was introduced?
I dunno. I really liked the concept since it was one of a kind back then and I liked the art and characters that came with it.
My thought process was like to wait and play the finished game to enjoy it to the fullest but....hm. I lost interest? xD
I definetely will play the game again when it is finished but the game is so long in development and from the looks of it the end is not nearly in sight. So yeah.

Also Dragon59
Yoo, i love your enthusiasm but keep it in one post? ,)=

 

[Idzord]

is there any futa trans content in this game ? in unlocked gallery theres no futa characters

 

[Dragon59]

Wow. Such a mature response. Did you learn debate techniques from 2020 politics?

 

[Toolman6971]

If you think it has overstayed its welcome, you are free to cancel any patronage you've been providing. Old and impatient at 30? I think patience comes with age (I'm 61). I have plenty of other games to play while waiting on updates.

53 here and I echo your statement. We come from a hardier stock I guess.

 

[Superrando195]

Part of being a patron of the arts or of an artist is to help provide living expenses for the artist(s), allowing them to not have to worry about making ends meet. It is not about purchasing a particular product, it is about being a patron.

Completely understand what you are saying but logically when someone is making just about 70k a month to release lackluster updates to a game I can understand why people would be perturbed by that.
Just as you say people should just stop supporting they also have the right to criticize developers as well, especially if they have already been a patron for multiple months.

I get that you want to defend the developer by basically saying "If you don't like it, leave" but some people may have already given a lot of money and expected a bit more.

Not going into whether having expectations is right or not but people have different views, just because you think one way does not mean other people have to as well.

 

[yoyomistro]

English speakers have an idiom that goes "overstaying your welcome". I'm not 100% sure if it applies to what I'm about to ask, but here I go anyway: would you consider that Summertime Saga's developtment has overstayed its welcome?

I remember the earlier years of the game, the excitement and hype everytime a new patch was uploaded.
Then came months of pacing, waiting while numerous patches piled up until there was enough new content to justify starting all over.
And now... I don't feel any of that. My last playthrough was the Roxxy update, which I sincerely loved! That was roughly 2 years ago. But now... I don't feel like downloading any more v0.X.X patches.

Maybe I'm growing old and impatient (30 yo), but this game was THE game. Summertime Saga was the game that had me checking every week to see if it got a new update. But not anymore. Does anyone here share my feelings?

This is an indie game that's grown in scope and vision since its inception due to the funding made available. You have to think of each release as what it is: an insider alpha test with a very large pool of testers. Sure, functionally each update serves to keep people interested and funding the game, and that's clearly working. So many AAA or even indie prefunded titles grow in scope and have increased development cycles, but because we're not privy to that until we see a beta or final product, we don't know it happened. Of course, that's changing with all the Early Access releases nowadays that are sold as betas but some of which are indeed alphas, but this has always been sold as an alpha from the beginning. If people sign on not understanding the distinction, then that's on them for misunderstanding not due to false advertising on the developer's part.

I only play releases every 6-8 months now; that's fine for me, and you said you haven't played a full release in 2 years, which is fine as well. But development continues apace and from what I can see every update, and it's not like it's devolved into a scam situation. If the scope is annoying then there are many other games with smaller scope in a similar vein to bide the time until this one is completed or reaches a point where saves are fully forward compatible.

I respect your opinion, although I disagree with it,
I’m not saying you’re wrong, but that’s an opinion, in your case and that of some people, and I and others think differently,
In my view, donation is when nothing is expected in return,
kind to some charity, donate toys or clothes to the needy.
And when you donate to a breeder, we are expecting something in return,
this is called merchandise.
If someone here supports a developer but doesn’t expect an update from the developer, tell me, that is,
if someone here donates to a developer, but does not download their game,
then yes, it can be called a donation, but I don't think anyone does that.
You said you donate to a creator to create art, but he creates art for himself?
Or for people who "donated"?
This patreon business was just a name they created to not look like buying a product.
In short, if a developer doesn't deliver a game, nobody donates,
and if nobody donates, he doesn't deliver the game,
in short, this is called buying and selling a product.
I know that I will take some falcepalm, I already got used to these kind of people.
But as I said at the beginning, I respect your opinion, but I don't agree with it.
Some will agree with his or my opinion, it is part.
I just made a comment, not wanting to change your opinion, nor am I going to change mine.
And if possible, does anyone have a complete save game for this version?
No desire to play all of it, despite not knowing if it is big or not.

It's not an opinion that's literally Patreon's stated business model.

 

[Dragon59]

Unfortunately, you have to complete Eve's route (worst character in the game - except that ugly latino maid, of course). Then enter the tattoo parlour in the afternoon (I don't remember if on saturday or not).

DC loves wasting time on these side crappy characters (the latino maid, the Korean dictator, the mayor's relatives and so on) - but his Worshippers HERE still say that he's NOT milking.

Funny, Eve's story was what endeared me to the game.

Are you a patron? If not, what's he milking you of? What's your stake in this discussion?

 

[StantheMan69]

StantheMan69, are you forgetting to factor in Patreon's cut and a little thing called Taxable Income?

Paranormal erection, in that case focus on compressed versions whenever possible.

No I know that patreon cuts and taxes are taken out. I just don't know the exact amount that goes to DC, therefore I put the info that I can see and do know. That being said, let say $40,000 is what goes to DC. That is still a lot more money per month than a lot of other devs are getting. Some of who deliver content that is longer and better every month. Then what DC is delivering in 6 months.

 

[401Grem]

No, I had this problem as well. Apparently something I did in 20.5 had to be undone for 20.6.
One problem I found is that after playing 20.5, I had a number of pregnancies pending. The notices each morning from the graveyard ended up crashing the game.

Yes, go into your phone and turn pregnancies to false.

 

[Dragon59]

I respect your opinion, although I disagree with it,
I’m not saying you’re wrong, but that’s an opinion, in your case and that of some people, and I and others think differently,
In my view, donation is when nothing is expected in return,
kind to some charity, donate toys or clothes to the needy.
And when you donate to a breeder, we are expecting something in return,
this is called merchandise.
If someone here supports a developer but doesn’t expect an update from the developer, tell me, that is,
if someone here donates to a developer, but does not download their game,
then yes, it can be called a donation, but I don't think anyone does that.
You said you donate to a creator to create art, but he creates art for himself?
Or for people who "donated"?
This patreon business was just a name they created to not look like buying a product.
In short, if a developer doesn't deliver a game, nobody donates,
and if nobody donates, he doesn't deliver the game,
in short, this is called buying and selling a product.
I know that I will take some falcepalm, I already got used to these kind of people.
But as I said at the beginning, I respect your opinion, but I don't agree with it.
Some will agree with his or my opinion, it is part.
I just made a comment, not wanting to change your opinion, nor am I going to change mine.
And if possible, does anyone have a complete save game for this version?
No desire to play all of it, despite not knowing if it is big or not.

Are you familiar with how patronage of the arts works? Patronage in the arts involves providing support to artists in order to give them the freedom to create works. As I understand it, Jack Conti first created Patreon in order to help support independent music artists. It's not a tit-for-tat arrangement. The National Endowment for the Arts in the US does not pay for individual works, it pays to allow artists to create. That's what patronage has meant for a long time, even though some patrons in history have expected to receive the works of art. There is no physical works that can be owned exclusively by a patron, so that can't apply here.

It's not an opinion that's literally Patreon's stated business model.

Well said.

Yeah, the game is free for people to play. That being said he is getting money from patreons to make the game. Let's not kid anyone the people that sign up for his patreon are supporting the making of the game. $69,000 worth of money each and every one month for working on the game. What I am trying to say is, I do not feel the amount of content that is released plus the length of time it take for the new content. Is anywhere close to a $69,000 a month price tag. It feels like a slap in the face. (This is my opinion, everyone is free to feel different.)

He may be a perfectionist but if all the updates are just him fixing his artwork and reworking part of the game he has already done. To me, his focus is on the wrong stuff then. It would make more scenes to work towards finishing the game. Afterward, go back and revise the art and tune up the story.

As for comparing him to other creators. Just cause he is the first to create something that doesn't make him immune to being compared to others. Especially if others deliver content that is superior to what he has been delivering.

I have stopped being a patreon a while back. Also, I know all of this is my own opinion if you or others feel that what DC is delivering enough to justify your $69,000 a month. All the more power to you and best wishes to all.

That was your right as a former patron. If you are not satisfied with an artist, pull your support. For instance, there are a few developers I've removed and others I've brought down to $1 because I no longer felt there were other artists more deserving of my patronage.

 

[srksrk 68]

Hi Folks,

Version 1.00 of the

You must be registered to see the links

is up with the proper nauthifications of the new Odette Halloween content.

Version 0.20.6-1.00:

• Naughtification of Odette Halloween scene.
• Added blinking and breating animations for new Odette Halloween content.
• Fixed an issue with everyone blinking on dialog advance when parameter BLINKING has been changed.

And don't be freaked out by Odettes blinking Vampire eyes. That's intentional

Enjoy!

 

[Dragon59]

Also Dragon59
Yoo, i love your enthusiasm but keep it in one post? ,)=

Sorry. It comes from catching up and thinking I'm only going to respond to one or two messages. I've combined a lot of them to make fewer entries.

 

[Joey's Conscience]

DC earns that much because the patrons consider his work worthy of the money they put in, and people are free to spend their money however they like. If you are a Patron, and are dissatisfied with the content, pull your money out. Enough people doing that will send a message loud and clear. If you are not a patron, you are playing a pretty good game, that the dev put a lot of work into, absolutely free. So your complaint is that you aren't getting enough for what other people paid for? wow

Especially if others deliver content that is superior to what he has been delivering.

Are they though? SS is not some koikatsu game, all the art and animation is made from scratch. If you have other indie games with that level of quality, please let me know, I'm missing out on some gems.

 

[sstrangemd]

is there any futa trans content in this game ? in unlocked gallery theres no futa characters

Yeah there is, it's in Eve's route. You get an option to pick their gender once you reach a certain part in their story.

 

[monopz]

I first played this game like 2 months ago, so I don't have the years-long frustration everyone else does but I get it I guess.
I've been playing a ton of games the last few months and I always feel like updates for ALL of them are lackluster. At least with Summertime Saga, the animations are good and the drawings are hot. Because of that, I feel like it's still good. To me, it's "THE" game.

The vast majority of games on here are getting under $1000 per month on Patreon. So most of them usually have to do this stuff in their spare time, you also are talking about spending 100-200 hours to create content that most people will complete in 2-3 hours at most if they take their time.

Just look at what it takes to make super long games, Cyberpunk 2077 had it's teaser trailer in early 2013 and the game is finally releasing in late 2020. That is a huge developer with a large budget, now imagine how much work one guy has to do to make these games. Summertime Saga is the exception here, they get a ton from Patreon and have a fairly decent sized staff. Despite that animating all this stuff, and doing all the coding takes far more time, and effort than how long it takes to experience the content.

 

[Toolman6971]

I've been a patreon of DC's for 3 years. In all that time I've never felt the need to complain about any of his work. He gets an update out when it's ready with minimal bugs. If he was putting out shitty updates and never fixing bugs I wouldve stopped my subscription. Maybe its my age, but I've never seen a need to complain about a good product. Thanx DC.

 

[Toolman6971]

will there be a time in which you won't need to restart a new game to play the new version?

Worked fine for me.