VN Ren'Py Abandoned Thaumarotica [v0.2] [Double Prolix]

[Darth Sidious]

Okay, first dev log in a while, but this is a big shift so buckle up.

Ren'Py 8 is out and it's using a Python 3 codebase and that means I'm going to have to recode some business. I've also been working on an update for Power Corrupts/Paragon as a side project, but dual-wielding two major projects was slowing me down a lot. Since I need to refactor a bunch I'm going to just combine the two game projects into one using an isekai mechanic/game element, along with some other game ideas that were distracting me.

So what does this mean in a practical sense? Well, I've rewritten the game story to include world-jumping (or phasing or whatever you want to call it) aspects, and this enables me to reuse some of the ideas, characters, and other work from Power Corrupts. The game's intro has been rewritten and I'm working on new renders - which suits me fine because the first renders I made were kind of shitty anyway (see the above post!)

So the next Thaumarotica release is going to include almost entirely new content (though many of the same characters) and I might change the name - and not only because a lot of people were finding "Thaumarotica" confusing.

No timeline on when this is going to be out yet, because again, Renpy 8 is new to me. Might not require a lot of adjustment, might require a shit ton - we'll see!

I found this game again thanks to Ronri . So glad to see you're still working on it, because I was remembering a scene in the game. If you ever open a Patreon page or Itch.io I will donate to your cause.

 

[DoubleProlix]

I found this game again thanks to Ronri . So glad to see you're still working on it, because I was remembering a scene in the game. If you ever open a Patreon page or Itch.io I will donate to your cause.

I do have a patreon -

You must be registered to see the links

- and I'm (slowly) inching towards the next release, which will bring us to the end of Episode 1. I'll be rolling in elements of Power Corrupts as well, but I've pushed those back a bit. Might end up being some parallel reality shenanigans, once I've figured out how I want to incorporate it.

 

[Darth Sidious]

I do have a patreon -

You must be registered to see the links

- and I'm (slowly) inching towards the next release, which will bring us to the end of Episode 1. I'll be rolling in elements of Power Corrupts as well, but I've pushed those back a bit. Might end up being some parallel reality shenanigans, once I've figured out how I want to incorporate it.

That's great, do you plan on updating Thaumarotica more regularly after this? As in once every month or other month? If so I'll start my support after the next release and get the Patreon version.

 

[DoubleProlix]

That's great, do you plan on updating Thaumarotica more regularly after this? As in once every month or other month? If so I'll start my support after the next release and get the Patreon version.

No promises, no excuses, but I'm going to make every effort to try and stick to a steady bi-monthly schedule. Monthly would be ideal, but I'd rather under-promise and over-deliver, if that makes sense!

 

[HogRocket]

I had forgotten about this game until it popped up in thread alerts. I'm glad to see it's still going, I remember liking it quite a bit. In fact I remember NOT liking the very first release (0.0.1) very much, then liking it a lot when the first update (0.1) came out

Good luck, I'll keep watching for it

 

[DoubleProlix]

So, I was working on the game in Daz and between two scenes suddenly some of my character models stopped working. Just... totally fucked up. Big grey slabs instead of the shapes and textures I'm used to, and this fuckup has been reflected in dozens and dozens of scenes I'd already finished, everything involving those models.

I'm fucking done with Daz. It's not just this, it's the crashing and the slowdown and the strain on my computer. It's just not a well made program.

Where do we go from here? I don't know. I'd commission 2d art but I really don't have the budget for it, or the skill to do it myself. And I don't like the look of Honey Select or the other anime-style rendering programs out there.

I'd go to something entirely text-based but I don't know if there's enough interest to justify the effort.

 

[-CookieMonster666-]

So, I was working on the game in Daz and between two scenes suddenly some of my character models stopped working. Just... totally fucked up. Big grey slabs instead of the shapes and textures I'm used to, and this fuckup has been reflected in dozens and dozens of scenes I'd already finished, everything involving those models.

I'm fucking done with Daz. It's not just this, it's the crashing and the slowdown and the strain on my computer. It's just not a well made program.

Where do we go from here? I don't know. I'd commission 2d art but I really don't have the budget for it, or the skill to do it myself. And I don't like the look of Honey Select or the other anime-style rendering programs out there.

I'd go to something entirely text-based but I don't know if there's enough interest to justify the effort.

I don't know how all of that works, but I know several developers have imported Daz models into something like Blender and then used that. Maybe that would at least keep things so they don't get borked. I'm not sure. You might consider posting this trouble in another forum on this site to ask for suggestions. I know I've seen threads where people have offered tutorials for using Daz; maybe some of those there have enough experience to know alternatives / how to fix screwed-up models or something else that could help.

 

[DoubleProlix]

What I may do is rework Thaumarotica as a text game in Twine, treat it as a prototype, and then if funding permits hire an artist to make visual assets for a Ren'Py remake.

 

[DoubleProlix]

Progress on this continues. Now involving time loops as a way of integrating a "New Game+" mechanic in each chapter/episode. For the time being it's still going to be Ren'Py, but with minimal placeholder visuals until I can afford to commission art assets.

0.3 is going to be a ground-up rebuild that tosses out most of what was already done... which is fine with me, as the original renders were very low quality. New story, too. Protagonist is mostly the same guy, and it's still paranormal/horror focused.

 

[Darth Sidious]

Progress on this continues. Now involving time loops as a way of integrating a "New Game+" mechanic in each chapter/episode. For the time being it's still going to be Ren'Py, but with minimal placeholder visuals until I can afford to commission art assets.

0.3 is going to be a ground-up rebuild that tosses out most of what was already done... which is fine with me, as the original renders were very low quality. New story, too. Protagonist is mostly the same guy, and it's still paranormal/horror focused.

Next build next year then, got it