HTML Onhold The Company [v5.12.0 Public] [Westane]

3.80 star(s) 79 Votes
Discussion Reviews (79)
HaseoOfDeath

HaseoOfDeath

Engaged Member
Game Developer
Sep 13, 2017
3,204
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orellion said:
Coming back to a massive game like the Company after a year trying to remember what variables did what, what characters motivations were, etc wouldn't be easy. Also the release of all the source code and encouraging members to have at it – along with the release of a new game – tends to make me think it's not a realistic outcome.
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Well the other big thing is the game is already falling apart in many areas. It basically needs a good long and deep clean up but doing nothing but that and trying to please supporters, trying to not break The Company further, etc. it's just piling on stress.

Westane seemingly mentioned basically cleaning the game alongside developing the new game just so that when he's burnt out on coding, he can write for BitW. If he's tired of writing, he can clean up The Company little by little.

The main thing is just not dumping everything all at once and just doing little by little until The Company is ready to be returned having basically made sure it's working.

Basically getting a chance to do something new all the while getting an entire year to touch up and get TC in working area is the plan.
 
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Slaylife

Active Member
Aug 21, 2016
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Looks like a case of severe burnout.

Alas RL does not wait nor spoil and a year from now on the dev might have new issues to deal with that will hinder with the game development.

Never mind if he decides to start a new game for some fresh ideas (or to earn money to support the current one), goes into scope creep mode (which results in an even bigger burnout than before), gets some long lasting sickness/depression or his job gets even busier than before (or ends up unemployed).

Plus after tasting the joys of taking a break from such a tiresome endeavor one might look for all excuses possible and then some to extend said joy once the break period is about to end.

I'd say 80% chance it will end abandoned. Tends to happen almost always with games that continue for like half a decade or more. Only the luckiest, most talented and most masochistic devs emerge victorious from such an outstanding chore...and even more than a few of those tend to cut some promised/expected content in order to have it actually released at all.

Too bad.
 
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Ohara Scarlett

New Member
Nov 1, 2024
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Hopefully the haitus will be just that and the game will continue. The company was one of the first games of this genre that I played and it and the community around it helped me get into writing my own, so I'm hopeful that it will complete as it is close to doing so. In the meantime I wish the creators well and will check out the new game when it gets released.
 
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davethewizard

Newbie
Jun 25, 2017
49
58
HaseoOfDeath said:
Westane seems very adamant that The Company will be finished in 2026. but a long year long break is necessary since DomJohn's ending was the clear sign that the writing was already taking a dive. This could end up saving TC instead of forcing out a shit ending and letting it be the finale
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Was an enjoyer of early DomJohn forever ago, only finally got to see it through to the end now, can't agree more - what the hell kind of an ending is it when he (or Tasha) doesn't even knock you and your family up? ;)
 
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pantypriv

pantypriv

Member
Oct 9, 2021
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Perhaps if they had focused on finishing the story and the game instead using that much resources on art work, it would have been finished by now?
And then they could have worked on their own unique artstyle?

But I admit, I'm biased, didn't care for the style they went for.
 
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Snugglepuff

Devoted Member
Apr 27, 2017
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pantypriv said:
Perhaps if they had focused on finishing the story and the game instead using that much resources on art work, it would have been finished by now?
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No.

And then they could have worked on their own unique artstyle?

But I admit, I'm biased, didn't care for the style the went for.
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Your bias is pretty blatant.

The art came well after the game had been started, and iirc after quite some time had only gotten as far as the prologue, and Chapter 1. That's all.
The rest of the time was taken up with reworking characters, content and events, all while still working on the story, and devoting a smaller amount of time to the Freeplay Mode.

Now, out of all that, why would you think that art from a third-party would make the game take longer to make, when it was only being done as an alternative whilst still using clips/gifs/pics from real-porn?
Don't forget that images are more easily replaced/substituted than adding/reworking entire sections of content.
 
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pantypriv

pantypriv

Member
Oct 9, 2021
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Snugglepuff: fair points. But I've been playing this game, off and on, for a long time (I have not been able to keep up with the discussions though), and it seems like we have been waiting for a conclusion of the story for an overtly long time.
I get that some characters needed rework, and perhaps even such reworks was crucial for a conclusion to even be possible.

As for art...I would have been quite happy with whatever style, as long as it was open for mods made by others to replace it, in case it didn't fit.
And in general I don't think that the art style is the crucial thing, the story/plot is.
 
HaseoOfDeath

HaseoOfDeath

Engaged Member
Game Developer
Sep 13, 2017
3,204
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pantypriv said:
Snugglepuff: fair points. But I've been playing this game, off and on, for a long time (I have not been able to keep up with the discussions though), and it seems like we have been waiting for a conclusion of the story for an overtly long time.
I get that some characters needed rework, and perhaps even such reworks was crucial for a conclusion to even be possible.

As for art...I would have been quite happy with whatever style, as long as it was open for mods made by others to replace it, in case it didn't fit.
And in general I don't think that the art style is the crucial thing, the story/plot is.
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So I'll clear something up. Westane was basically not really losing anything by adding art to the game. All of Chapter 1 was completed long ago so it was basically replacing images with art and that would take seconds if not minutes. That content was finished so there was no wasting time otherwise when adding artwork to it.

Over the last 2 years, she was dead set on finishing characters and made it to about 80% of The Company being finished. Only John and Chanel really needed to be finalized but as people could tell from Dom John, the ending took a dive in quality. This was the first time Westane's personal life basicall affected The Company for the worse.

While she did end up redoing parts of the game, that wasn't just for wasting time or resources. This was the first game Westane had ever made. The coding and overall structure of the game is a mess and Westane knows this. To fix the code structure, add content, and also finish the game was just too much alongside a divorce, a home on the brink of collapse, and more.

In the end, 80% of The Company is fully done but it took awhile getting there. That last 20% requires a healthier mindset. If you look at Dom John, it's not worth completing the game as it because it would end up so terrible, all the fun memories you have over TC would have been wasted.
 
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crystal-geyser

Member
May 31, 2019
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pantypriv said:
Perhaps if they had focused on finishing the story and the game instead using that much resources on art work, it would have been finished by now?
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What artwork? Art branch hasn't been meaningfully updated since 2023, even then it was like the first chapter iirc. All work since then was on main branch for the most part. Not to mention the story and everything probably was mapped out for the most part, just had to be implemented. Why that wasn't done instead of refactoring older sections, I don't really know. I'm not in the dev's shoes. If it were me, I would have saved the "infinite development" section of gamedev till after I had my ducks in a row first. Get the bones in there, then flesh it out and rework things as needed. Then again, falling into the constant reworking of old content is a pretty easy trap to fall into for newer devs.

Still, all the news is kind of par for the course, dev makes TF game, and ends up drinking their own kool-aid and joining the "other team" after writing/coding for a TF takes over their life. Followed by "indefinite" hiatus. It was inevitable, it happens every time. Crazy to think it went on for this long before the plug was pulled.

Can't say the new game really interests me either. It's Whoremaker, but without any of the stuff that makes WM fun (like self participation), and no TF.
 
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docjane112

Member
Apr 28, 2020
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crystal-geyser said:
Still, all the news is kind of par for the course, dev makes TF game, and ends up drinking their own kool-aid and joining the "other team" after writing/coding for a TF takes over their life. Followed by "indefinite" hiatus. It was inevitable, it happens every time. Crazy to think it went on for this long before the plug was pulled.
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I am fascinated by the mind that thinks making a TF game turns someone trans and not that someone who is subconsciously trans might be drawn to TF games.
 
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3.80 star(s) 79 Votes