Ren'Py Abandoned Sweet Times [v0.18.9.1] [SLG-Dev]

[-DEV-Phil-]

Hello guys,

first, I would like to apologize for not being present for a few days. Unfortunately, I am currently struggling with my job. It's not that I'm doing my job poorly, no, I'm actually doing it too well, and my boss thinks I'm being paid too much for it and wants to cut my pay. This is tearing me apart, as my real job is truly my dream job, and it's hard for me to either give it up or compromise. Sorry for the real-life vent, Nobody cares but I just needed to get that off my chest.

Now, onto my survey:

I think it's safe to say that most people here agree that realism is important, but if it serves the plot, we can overlook some things. It's good to read that. I have to admit that while working on the rework, I lost sight of some things, which my wife ironically reminded me of because she noticed - Why so little naked skin ? I will now refocus on those aspects and promise improvement in the next updates.

The next point is probably the most difficult for me and also causes some of the updates to take longer.

Player decisions: It's hard for me not to fully flesh out the story that I partially have in my head and instead break it down into clear waypoints with other variations. When I come to a point where I realize myself, "Wait, I could add a menu here," the thought immediately comes, "Yes, but how do I incorporate that again?" Decisions like "Do you want ketchup or mayo with your fries?" don't feel like real decisions as the main course is ultimately still fries. A better choice would be something like "Fries or currywurst," but then as a developer, you have to come up with something new if the player wanted currywurst, but you actually intended to make fries and schnitzel. Then I reach a point where I think, "Damn, what do I do with the currywurst now?"

One can certainly debate the way I have implemented choices so far:

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I don't know if you can understand what I mean, but I'm actively seeking help in this regard. I'm currently in contact with some great fellow writers who have brought up some really good points, and I think this will show in the future, and damn, that means so much more work, but who knows, maybe I'll be unemployed on Monday and have the time.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has responded to my question. You can't imagine how much it has helped me gain clarity in some thought processes.

Which brings me to the next point:

I still have some questions

In the lively discussion with the aforementioned fellow writers, I noticed something. Many of them write here: "Everything's fine as long as I can avoid this and/or that person."

!Spoiler alert for Libby!

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And I just forgot the other question, sorry, I'm a bit scatterbrained. I'm sure I'll remember the other question eventually, then I'll post it.

Apologies to anyone who read this entire post and thought, "WTF."

Best regards,

Phil

 

[milfkiller]

full save pls

 

[-CookieMonster666-]

full save pls

This is from the very end of v0.18.05 (the previous version).

 

[BGRW2020]

I have just one question which will determine if I stick to this story or not, NO NTR is that correct - I hate when a dev does not say there will not be NTR and several updates later suddenly there it is
So will there be NTR or Not

 

[BGRW2020]

Just - restarted using latest version, Victorias eyes are almost crosseyed, need to aim the eye slightly more outward away from the nose - just an observation - in fact all the characters are not as nice as in version 18public - did you really make Mels legs more muscular - she was a doll before as was Victoria and Libby

 

[BGRW2020]

I'm really confused, what happened to all the story of Victoria and Mel, there is nothing in 18.06 - is this a rework or is 18 still apply?

 

[BGRW2020]

I'm really confused, what happened to all the story of Victoria and Mel, there is nothing in 18.06 - is this a rework or is 18 still apply?

 

[-CookieMonster666-]

I'm really confused, what happened to all the story of Victoria and Mel, there is nothing in 18.06 - is this a rework or is 18 still apply?

Yes, this is a reworking as of v0.18.x, mentioned before on this thread (by both the dev and me). As such, most additional content once freeroam begins is not yet back in the game. AFAIK most of those scenes (if not all) will be added in once more, but since I only proofread and test and am not the developer, that's only something Phil can say for sure. There is also additional content, so it's not only redoing what was there before.

 

[fuckmymamarunnin]

so that's it? after over 2 years in development? 1 sex scene w/the stewardess (which was very vanilla btw), n current version ends with NO other sex scenes, n the scene with Mr. Nice talking to his female boss? n found this on another site, which continues with sandbox version, but even that only has the overly-complicated coffee house scene...THIS IS A PORN SITE; WHERE'S THE PORN IN THIS GAME FFS??!!

 

[Woodstock_1983]

How come most of the games I download the sounds and music doesn't work even though I have the volume adjusted to the max?

 

[-CookieMonster666-]

so that's it? after over 2 years in development? 1 sex scene w/the stewardess (which was very vanilla btw), n current version ends with NO other sex scenes, n the scene with Mr. Nice talking to his female boss? n found this on another site, which continues with sandbox version, but even that only has the overly-complicated coffee house scene...THIS IS A PORN SITE; WHERE'S THE PORN IN THIS GAME FFS??!!

Many events you got before — from the sandbox of the previous versions of 0.17.x and earlier — will be added back in. (I cannot say all, because I'm only the proofreader and don't know future plans Phil has for his game.) Adding more complexity to the story and changing some things people disliked earlier (and things I suspect Phil himself may have disliked) was the focus of the rewrite. Now that the entire prologue rewrite has been finished and the first Libby event has been added back in, future content will be either rewrites of previous events or entirely new events.

Obviously I'm biased, but personally I really like the changes. Instead of having a pattern of [Play Prologue] > [Go to an event] > [Go to another event] > [Choose the next event] but having them relatively disconnected from each other, now there are threads that continue through events to connect the story as a whole. There are improved renders (I'm not talking about the models themselves but the quality of the work he's done), smoother storytelling, and generally a higher quality game overall. Also, it sounds like you might not have played the Libby event from the latest version. If you haven't seen that I highly recommend playing it as well. To do so, you can go to her room after the Prologue has finished and click on her. (Or you can click on the laptop in the MC's room, the woman icon on the left, and then Libby's picture.)

I do understand the disappointment of things being redone, but I have high confidence it will just continue forward from here on out. Phil and I are in fairly regular communication, and I know he's really excited about working on the game. His work situation has changed (as in, losing his RL job) so that will cause a bit of a bump in the road, but I trust him very much to do what he can and keep working hard on his game.

As far as porn content, more is definitely coming. (I already have seen a new lewd scene that will be coming in the not-too-distant future.) However, I believe having a balance between that content and the story and character development is important. You may not share my view, but as things move forward in coming releases, I believe we'll get quite a bit more sexual content in the game. I would ask for your patience a bit longer, although I understand if you're frustrated or unhappy.

How come most of the games I download the sounds and music doesn't work even though I have the volume adjusted to the max?

This game has no sound right now. Having the sliders maxed out will not give you any sound; there's nothing wrong with your system or your copy of the game or anything. I would assume other games where you hear no sound are the same way.

Getting music for a game can be difficult. Firstly, you need to hunt down music that fits the scenes (and with freeroam, music that fits a room or area, if you decide you want that). Secondly, you have to find music you can afford (a lot of music is free but a much larger amount is not and can be pretty expensive). Thirdly, you need to make sure you have the rights to use the music in a game; some songs grant a developer the right to use them freely but some require licensing fees, which obviously add to a song's cost. There's probably more to consider that I'm not thinking of right now, but you get the idea.

I actually have thought about trying to hunt down some music for the game to suggest to Phil for inclusion later, but I haven't had time to start on that yet. And even if I find some I think would work, that doesn't mean he'll agree with me. It's his game, not mine. I just proofread, beta test, and offer some suggestions here and there. We'll just see what the future holds in this regard, but that is why you're not hearing anything with volume sliders all the way up.

 

[Woodstock_1983]

Many events you got before — from the sandbox of the previous versions of 0.17.x and earlier — will be added back in. (I cannot say all, because I'm only the proofreader and don't know future plans Phil has for his game.) Adding more complexity to the story and changing some things people disliked earlier (and things I suspect Phil himself may have disliked) was the focus of the rewrite. Now that the entire prologue rewrite has been finished and the first Libby event has been added back in, future content will be either rewrites of previous events or entirely new events.

Obviously I'm biased, but personally I really like the changes. Instead of having a pattern of [Play Prologue] > [Go to an event] > [Go to another event] > [Choose the next event] but having them relatively disconnected from each other, now there are threads that continue through events to connect the story as a whole. There are improved renders (I'm not talking about the models themselves but the quality of the work he's done), smoother storytelling, and generally a higher quality game overall.

I do understand the disappointment of things being redone, but I have high confidence it will just continue forward from here on out. Phil and I are in fairly regular communication, and I know he's really excited about working on the game now. His work situation has changed (as in, losing his RL job) so that will cause a bit of a bump in the road, but I trust him very much to do what he can and keep working hard on his game.

As far as porn content, more is definitely coming. (I already have seen a new lewd scene that will be coming in the not-too-distant future.) However, I believe having a balance between that content and the story and character development is important. You may not share my view, but as things move forward in coming releases, I believe we'll get quite a bit more sexual content in the game. I would ask for your patience a bit longer, although I understand if you're frustrated or unhappy.

This game has no sound right now. Having the sliders maxed out will not give you any sound; there's nothing wrong with your system or your copy of the game or anything. I would assume other games where you hear no sound are the same way.

Getting music for a game can be difficult. Firstly, you need to hunt down music that fits the scenes (and with freeroam, music that fits a room or area, if you decide you want that). Secondly, you have to find music you can afford (a lot of music is free but a much large amount is not and can be pretty expensive). Thirdly, you need to make sure you have the rights to use the music in a game; some songs grant a developer the right to use them freely but some require licensing fees, which obviously add to a song's cost. There's probably more to consider that I'm not thinking of right now, but you get the idea.

I actually have thought about trying to hunt down some music for the game to suggest to Phil for inclusion later, but I haven't had time to start on that yet. And even if I find some I think would work, that doesn't mean he'll agree with me. It's his game, not mine. I just proofread, beta test, and offer some suggestions here and there. We'll just see what the future holds in this regard, but that is why you're not hearing anything with volume sliders all the way up.

Thanks for explaining it to me. I didn't know all of that.

 

[-CookieMonster666-]

Thanks for explaining it to me. I didn't know all of that.

No worries! It's not something everyone realizes (both the sliders not giving sound b/c there isn't any) and especially what all goes into including music.

 

[-DEV-Phil-]

0.18.7 Update Status​

Hello,


I'm excited to announce that Update 0.18.7 for our game is almost complete! All the renders and coding work has been finished and now it's going into post-production. (-CookieMonster666- You will receive the new link shortly )
As soon as that's done, it will be available exclusively on my

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for two weeks.


This update includes the first sidequest featuring Jane, where you have to find some secrets to complete it. I'm really proud of this addition and I hope you all enjoy it and please let me know if it's too hard

After the first playthrough, the important scene is of course repeatable and also available in different versions.

One of the biggest parts of this update was the integration of a new movie player in the game.

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I'm really excited to hear your feedback on it as it will help me integrate more videos faster into the game in the future.

In addition, you can now visit Mel's room
She will be there at night, so make sure to pay her a visit

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I also integrat Vic's room in the upcoming Update.

Lastly, there will be three small events at the Lounge on the weekends for you to discover, these are largely to integrate events in the future.

Thank you all for your continued support, and I can't wait for you to experience all the new additions in Update 0.18.7.


And finally:
Some work is already being done on version 0.18.8, which will include the revised version of Vic's first story part. Here are a few pictures:

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See you soon,
Phil

 

[bobbo69]

I noticed his Patreon page isn't showing any patrons, isn't there anyone pledging him?

 

[TigerWolfe]

I was feeling this til I hit free roam. Sadly it's not for me. If there's ever a pure VN version I'll check it out gladly.

 

[-DEV-Phil-]

I was feeling this til I hit free roam. Sadly it's not for me. If there's ever a pure VN version I'll check it out gladly.

Klick on the Laptop in Daves Room, there you can play the Storyparts without the Sandbox (ATM only Libbys Part 01 more will follow in the next Updates)


Best regards,

Phil

 

[TigerWolfe]

Klick on the Laptop in Daves Room, there you can play the Storyparts without the Sandbox (ATM only Libbys Part 01 more will follow in the next Updates)


Best regards,

Phil

I'll look forward to updates then. Just getting out of the house was a nightmare. If sandbox is where your heart is for this I'd recommend tweaking navigation.

 

[jotaerre]

I have to agree.
I liked the update, but the way of navigating is hard.
Being a "static" environment, the colour changes, or better brightening changes, aren't sometimes obvious.
Jane's office for example, is hard to leave.
I might not have the best graphics card, but for a non-moving pieces VN it shouldn't matter.
But overall I like the game.

 

[Joshy92]

Does anyone know if Libby will do stuff with another girl and if so can it be avoided.
I thought I would ask because I am not really a fan of seeing love interests with other people (well usually anyway)

Edit - Never mind I think I will still play it even if she is with another girl