Ren'Py The Headmaster [Mykock's Manor Ch.3] [Altos and Herdone]

[SilentType]

To be honest, this "$10 for beta" policy caused that I suspended my $5 membership some time ago.

Headmaster betas are quite stable, sometimes more stable than full releases of other games. So for me beta's release is true release of version (even here, people are more interested in beta than in full version). It annoyed me that after many months of support for total 35$ - 45$ I had to wait another week to see newest version. As a result I thought that I prefer cancel membership and pay 10$ for release.
Is it profitable for Atlos? Can be easily counted. And I suspect that a few people could think same way as me.
Ultimately, I don't remember if I paid $10 at least once because the last updates didn't have what I was waiting for (class punishments).

Apart from the Headmaster, it seems to me that the entire Patreon system that developers rely on is not entirely fair. Someone tell me why, for example, someone who pays $10 one-time now will have access to the beta version, while someone who paid $5 or even $1 for a whole year will not?
I really like another developer approach. He give you access to games based on the TOTAL of all the pledges you have made. And guess what? This policy did not result in an outflow of patrons because, let's be honest, adult games are so easily pirated that only those who want to pay pay. So patreons continue to support the developer even though they theoretically don't have to (like me).

The whole patreon system is a bit of a scam, people expect that if developers get more support, they'll work quicker. But instead of investing in their work, or hiring people to help, what actually happens is the developers work even less as they have less need to with more money (and more money to enjoy themself, see the concept of backward bending supply of labour from economic theory), and they pocket all the extra money.

That being said, people are not very good at voting with their wallets.

 

[Cartageno]

The whole patreon system is a bit of a scam, people expect that if developers get more support, they'll work quicker. But instead of investing in their work, or hiring people to help, what actually happens is the developers work even less as they have less need to with more money (and more money to enjoy themself, see the concept of backward bending supply of labour from economic theory), and they pocket all the extra money.

That being said, people are not very good at voting with their wallets.

Well, the whole Patreon system wasn't intended for this kind of endeavour where you get a "real thing" to show for your patronage. I mean, Patreon happily takes it because money, but it was intended to support people doing their stuff. Of course you wouldn't if you wouldn't see anything - the art they painted, the YouTubes they created and so forth. But the idea is not "I pay for a product" but "I like what this person is doing, let's give them a helping hand so they can continue".

 

[KanyeT]

Found it here. https://f95zone.to/threads/the-headmaster-mykocks-manor-altos-and-herdone.23470/post-10521980 The release numbers are off because of the delay in 0.14, but the order should be the same, just moved back one step. Zoe will be the main student antagonist and will be introduced at the end of "Part 2" and begin "Part 3" which (I think) is the final part of the story.

Nice, thanks for sharing. I can't wait for more Liz content!

 

[drea2]

So, I assume, you've have something to bolster your claims, eg. your own fabulous game or so?

From my expierence, even the things that looks easy often aren't easy and needed a lot of work, either cause out of 5 tries one was good or because it has 100 details that need be accounted for.

Overall, I doubt developing a game, regardless of adult or not, Ren'Py or not, is anything but easy and I don't mean easy as not anyone can do as this place shows the opposite, but in easy as in doing it without skill for some average quality in a limit amount of time.

Or maybe I know how to develop? If this game was adding mechanics yeah it should take developpement time.
But this game has only the punishment system, that is available from the beggining. But if the code is spagetti, that would explain why adding a student to the system would be a pain in the ass to do.
It's Ren'Py, not Unity.

 

[Living In A Lewd World]

I think you overestimate the efforts put into this game. It's just your average Honey Select game. You may like the story, but let's be serious, it's not "well written", even for a porn game. Maybe the developpement of this game is chatotic, so the developper take a lot of time, it seems likely that is the case(hat and the recently health issues). And if the developpement takes time, it's more likely that the developper isn't a developer in the first place, and just learnt for this game (RenPy is pretty easy, it's just some Python and this games doesn't do any fancy things)
Really, aside from the "base settings", that may fit to your tasting and that's okay, this game is nothing special to any game on this website
And $20 is a big price, see Paradise Lust who is sold for $10 with live 2D renders. Or just any officially translated eroge.

As far, as I see, the development of Paradise Lust is also financed through Patreon. So, "The Headmaster" might even be finally "cheaper" than Paradise Lust, as the dev gives it away for free 1 month after the beta-release.
Regarding the writing:
Altos makes in my opinion many things well in writing, which I see rarely done well in porn games:

• the characters have interests beyond lusting for the genitals of the MC (I know, this is a low barrier, but there are really games out there, where the girls do at least after some introduction nothing else than lusting for the MCs cock, which I find outright boring)
• the characters have quite different character traits
• the characters are acting plausible according to their character traits
• there is a (nonsexual) main aim, that this game follows and a lot of subplots that all point to this aim and don't go on their own. Even the whole lewdness is part of this aim and doesn't stand for it's own.
• despite the hilarious plot, many things, that the dev writes about seem to be recherched and not pure work of imagination of the dev. I got only recently again aware of this, when the headmaster spoke in the last update not only about the lust that certain BDSM-methods produce, but also about problems in the application.

Regarding images:
Altos uses Illusion-Images for what one can use them in my eyes best, and what I'm also very much interested in:

• showing character traits, emotions and even plot progression through images by showing different postures and facial expressions, basically visual story telling.

I guess, that's way more time-consuming to achieve using DAZ-images or even hand-drawn images but thus also not that often well used in this way. But the pure image quality is for me not that important for me, as long, as the images don't tell at least parts of the story and as long as the story has not that much quality.
I actually look first at the images and then at the plot, but If I don't find the plot interesting, I can also not enjoy the images. Than I really prefer watching porn. That is far more exciting.
I know actually even one dev, who produces tons of well-looking DAZ-Images every month and totally fits my exhibitionism-kink, but which's story is written so blend, that I just can't enjoy it.
There I prefer much more a developer who takes his time for thinking about the plot, the writing and the image producing, maybe trying things out and dismissing them again, but who produces for me after 6 months hours of pure joy.

Regarding the programming:
I know, this is the least time consuming in adult game development, but it still needs to be done.

 

[LegendBear]

I'm surprised no one has leaked the beta, it's been 24 hours. I thought this game was more popular.

 

[Nicoed]

I'm surprised no one has leaked the beta, it's been 24 hours. I thought this game was more popular.

I have to say that I've been quite disappointed by the last update, because it basically gave up the sandbox mechanics in favour of a classic VN.

 

[Madmoiselle Chiffre]

I'm surprised no one has leaked the beta, it's been 24 hours. I thought this game was more popular.

If you need something to play and want to download instantly, you may take this link I found somewhere else:

Spoiler: Lady Gemma de Luxe

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[Antwit]

If you need something to play and want to download instantly, you may take this link I found somewhere else:

Spoiler: Lady Gemma de Luxe

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Tnx
This looks like a game

Spoiler: to handle with all of the naughty and impatient boys

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[Antwit]

"Accio The Head Master 0.15beta update link!"

 

[telgalad]

"Accio The Head Master 0.15beta update link!"

What is that image from???

 

[Man_0f_Culture]

I'm surprised no one has leaked the beta, it's been 24 hours. I thought this game was more popular.

The reduced update cadence may have something to do with that. It could also potentially just be a consequence of how many games there are these days. But I'd be pretty surprised if this game wasn't still pretty popular. It's the kind of game that executes extremely well on it's premise, with a narrative and writing that are a cut above most other games like it.

It's able to create interesting situations/scenarios, and doesn't become too cliche or overly reliant on porn logic. The writing is strong enough to provide entertaining dialogue and context. But doesn't get pretentious, overly indulgent, or add unnecessary complexity. Most importantly, it doesn't take itself too seriously. If you're looking for what they're cooking, there are few, if any, other games that even attempt to deliver what this game does. Much less match the level of quality in the content itself. They really have a great understanding of what makes certain kinks or scenarios hot, and this elevates even the most simple scenes in the game.

Unfortunately, (at least for us) I think the fact it hasn't, also speaks to the level of loyalty that AltosandHerdone has engendered among their supporters. With games like this, one form of what I guess could be called, "pseudo-DRM" is the ability to make your regular patrons not want to leak it. Of course, it still only takes one person, so the more people support the game, the higher the odds that one person does decide to bless us. There are absolutely people in this thread who already have it. I'd assume in these kind of situations, it ends up being someone from in the F95 thread who just can't wait any longer and then shares it once they get it.

This is still one of my favorite games on here and I'm sure the update is great. But I'd be shocked if more than a small fraction of the non-patron players actually follow the development close enough to know ahead of time, when updates are supposed to drop. Like others have said, this thread will probably get a lot more lively once the update does eventually appear on here.

Until then, I can only do three things:

1. Make long posts of questionable utility on F95

2. Try not to think about all the animations in v0.15b which are probably using the new soft-body model and have Reilly good ass and thigh physics.....

3. Congratulate the developer for getting the update out on schedule, and those already playing it!

 

[Cartageno]

1. Make long posts of questionable utility on F95

Not trying to insult you, but there are so many people on this forum better at this

 

[Sasugachan]

Can't wait for those sweet soft-body™ models jiggle physics

 

[Skeeve]

Hi everyone, while we wait, does anyone else have the link to the English spanking forum page that Altos and Herdone once posted? I have a new computer and also the search function but can't find it. Thank you.

 

[Panthera fossilis]

2. Try not to think about all the animations in v0.15b which are probably using the new soft-body model and have Reilly good ass and thigh physics.....

Would those changes to the animation also work for previous animations or only the new ones. I have effectively 0 knowledge of programming so I don't know if this change would completely replace any old programming or if that would require basically a rework of the whole game.

 

[Cartageno]

Would those changes to the animation also work for previous animations or only the new ones. I have effectively 0 knowledge of programming so I don't know if this change would completely replace any old programming or if that would require basically a rework of the whole game.

Ren'Py games only display graphics (still images or animations) but do not calculate them, so if you have a new way of doing graphics the old ones would be unaffected unless you actively replace them.

This will often be different if you use an engine that calculates images in real time, like you would see in many mainstream games, but Ren'Py is a very basic engine since it is for a very basic premise.

 

[Panthera fossilis]

Ren'Py games only display graphics (still images or animations) but do not calculate them, so if you have a new way of doing graphics the old ones would be unaffected unless you actively replace them.

This will often be different if you use an engine that calculates images in real time, like you would see in many mainstream games, but Ren'Py is a very basic engine since it is for a very basic premise.

Ty, for your answer. Too bad it won't change the previous content. Hopefully it will be changes when they are finished with the game, or maybe replace small parts together with new updates.

 

[c3p0]

This will often be different if you use an engine that calculates images in real time, like you would see in many mainstream games, but Ren'Py is a very basic engine since it is for a very basic premise.

It is made for VN games. So pictures with more or less text and more or less choice. That it is what then engines as it is, is intent to do, although several devs try to do more with it and some make it better work as others.

Engines that render instead of only display are something completely different. If you use such an engine, yes, you save the time that is needed to pre-render the images, what can be quite an amount. The negative a lot of work still needs to be done, lighting, scene placement (even more) looking that all looks good and no cliping and so on.

That is for sure a reason why of over 16 000 games, over 8 000 are Ren'Py ones. Only nearly 3 000 are Unity and only 400 are Unreal. With Unity games both types of games (pre-renders VN types game, as well as full 3D based ones) are made, so from the 3 000 only a part of them are full 3D based. Unreal are almost all 3D based.

Thus over 50% are more or game with pre-rendered images and mostly VN based type of games and only around 3% are 3D based game without pre-renderd imgaes. That rest 47% are most also made with pre-rendered images, but the part of none VN based game is higher than at the Ren'Py games.

 

[Cartageno]

It is made for VN games. So pictures with more or less text and more or less choice. That it is what then engines as it is, is intent to do, although several devs try to do more with it and some make it better work as others.
Engines that render instead of only display are something completely different. If you use such an engine, yes, you save the time that is needed to pre-render the images, what can be quite an amount. The negative a lot of work still needs to be done, lighting, scene placement (even more) looking that all looks good and no cliping and so on.
That is for sure a reason why of over 16 000 games, over 8 000 are Ren'Py ones. Only nearly 3 000 are Unity and only 400 are Unreal. With Unity games both types of games (pre-renders VN types game, as well as full 3D based ones) are made, so from the 3 000 only a part of them are full 3D based. Unreal are almost all 3D based.
Thus overr 50% are more or game with pre-rendered images and mostly VN based type of games and only around 3% are 3D based game without pre-renderd imgaes. That rest 47% are most also made with pre-rendered images, but the part of none VN based game is higher than at the Ren'Py games.

Also, any program live rendering will need a decent enough computer to support it, which is why they have quality settings so you can scale it down if needed. Ren'Py games just show you pretty images and almost any old toaster can handle that at any quality. Using Unity or Unreal or any other of this kind would also limit your audience, which often just isn't necessary. (And let's not mention that in those games often all LIs have the same animations ...) After all, as you say, most VNs are just pretty pictures and some text, anything more than handling that would be overkill. Like using a truck to carry three breadrolls from the bakery.