VN Ren'Py Abandoned The Manifest: Shadows Over Manston [v2.2] [White Phantom Games]

[Grumpy Ol' Dude]

You did not. However, your statement did come across as if the dev hadn't been working on it in forever:

That comes across very much like the dev has been sitting around doing nothing. Sorry that I took it that way and not how you intended.

If I thought that were true I wouldn't have bought the game on Steam in 2024. I'd like to play completed games only. I've probably downloaded one or two incomplete games from here ever, played some incomplete ones that had at least a free demo version on Steam like College Kings or College Bound or Welcome to Free Will. Also I only bought two games before the last version came out without ever playing them, Chasing Sunsets and this. I don't usually trust people let alone random porn game devs.
In both cases devs were behind their schedule in the end, I could only hope that this game's quality will make up for my dissatisfaction from these delays like Chasing Sunsets' did. That one surely exceeded all my expectations and became an all time top 3 for me.

A single occurrence, however lengthy, does not equate to a pattern.

Was it really just a single occurrence? Moving, injury, old buggy code, multiple excuses already for dealys. In 2022 it was 6 months for the final release while just this last update took twice as long. Was it that huge? I'm sure but dev should've had an idea about the remaining content when the estimation was made.

I am confident he will return to this like he's been adamant about in the past.

I'm confident too, that doesn't mean I couldn't understand others who feel different after everything.

 

[-CookieMonster666-]

If I thought that were true I wouldn't have bought the game on Steam in 2024. I'd like to play completed games only. I've probably downloaded one or two incomplete games from here ever, played some incomplete ones that had at least a free demo version on Steam like College Kings or College Bound or Welcome to Free Will. Also I only bought two games before the last version came out without ever playing them, Chasing Sunsets and this. I don't usually trust people let alone random porn game devs.
In both cases devs were behind their schedule in the end, I could only hope that this game's quality will make up for my dissatisfaction from these delays like Chasing Sunsets' did. That one surely exceeded all my expectations and became an all time top 3 for me.

I had no way of know you'd bought it over there. You said what was posted on Steam, which I also can see without buying the game. What you said came across to me how it came across. I can't go back in time, understand suddenly, and pretend I didn't get a different impression from your earlier statements.

Was it really just a single occurrence? Moving, injury, old buggy code, multiple excuses already for dealys. In 2022 it was 6 months for the final release while just this last update took twice as long. Was it that huge? I'm sure but dev should've had an idea about the remaining content when the estimation was made.

A 2½-year gap = one long occurrence (of no release happening). Only two of those things delayed the release. Fixes for some of the old, buggy code were released only a couple of weeks after the major v0.17, and this next bug release will take however long it will take. But since that's after the most recent release, it's disingenuous to pretend it's "yet another" occurrence of something contributing to what has already stopped — the period of time with no release has been ended. So yes, a single occurrence of major delay.

I'm confident too, that doesn't mean I couldn't understand others who feel different after everything.

Good on you. I still cannot understand that attitude. Oh, well. It is what it is.

 

[Grumpy Ol' Dude]

A 2½-year gap = one long occurrence (of no release happening).

Now I'm confused. When did that happen exactly?
The game was released on Steam on the 14th of December 2022.
On the 27th of March 2023 there was a dev blog.
An update, v.0.15.5 was released on July the 1st.
v.0.15.6 came on the 16th of August.
v.0.15.7 on the 2nd of October.
v.0.15.8 on the 1st of November.
Then v.0.15.9 on the 25th of March 2024.
v.0.16 on the 7th of April.
Two dev logs came in April and May and v.0.16.1 in June.
Radio silence until October, then two dev logs in two weeks and then another two in the next two months, the last one in January 2025.
And again, radio silence until the update v.0.17 came out on the 26th of July.

Basically after the initial Steam release there were gaps but none of those was 2.5 years long. Dev made the 6 months statement when the game was released on Steam too. Since then 2.5 years went by but not without updates.

What am I missing here? I'd really like to know, I'm not reading the topics too often that aren't tagged completed or abandoned, only checked this one this time because I've already bought it and like I've said I don't usually do that before the final update.

 

[-CookieMonster666-]

Now I'm confused. When did that happen exactly?
The game was released on Steam on the 14th of December 2022.
On the 27th of March 2023 there was a dev blog.
An update, v.0.15.5 was released on July the 1st.
v.0.15.6 came on the 16th of August.
v.0.15.7 on the 2nd of October.
v.0.15.8 on the 1st of November.
Then v.0.15.9 on the 25th of March 2024.
v.0.16 on the 7th of April.
Two dev logs came in April and May and v.0.16.1 in June.
Radio silence until October, then two dev logs in two weeks and then another two in the next two months, the last one in January 2025.
And again, radio silence until the update v.0.17 came out on the 26th of July.

Basically after the initial Steam release there were gaps but none of those was 2.5 years long. Dev made the 6 months statement when the game was released on Steam too. Since then 2.5 years went by but not without updates.

What am I missing here? I'd really like to know, I'm not reading the topics too often that aren't tagged completed or abandoned, only checked this one this time because I've already bought it and like I've said I don't usually do that before the final update.

I have no idea, dude. Some of the stuff you posted earlier has been very confusing to me. I read your posts from before (where you say 3 years since the Steam release of 2022). Again, I misunderstood earlier, but you made it sound to me like you were saying there were no releases at all for 3 years or something. So, to get clarity, based on the above there were releases (albeit some minor, ofc):

• December 2022 (on Steam)
• July 2023 (v0.15.5)
• Aug 2023 (v0.15.6)
• Oct 2023 (v0.15.7)
• Nov 2023 (v0.15.8)
• Mar 2024 (v0.15.9)
• Apr 2024 (v0.16)
• Jul 2025 (v0.17)

So it actually had only been 14 months between the last two releases?! That's even less reason to think WPG won't finish the game. Now I really think some folks are panicking for no reason at all. You're not changing my view at all that it's understandable they have their doubts. Now the doubts seem even more ridiculous to me.

Anyway, I'm done with this conversation. I think what I think, you think what you think. I don't see the point of the back-and-forth anymore. You can reply to this if you want, but don't expect any response back. And FYI, I'm not upset or anything. But no offense, this entire conversation feels like a colossal waste of time at this point.

 

[Grumpy Ol' Dude]

I have no idea, dude. Some of the stuff you posted earlier has been very confusing to me. I read your posts from before (where you say 3 years since the Steam release of 2022). Again, I misunderstood earlier, but you made it sound to me like you were saying there were no releases at all for 3 years or something. So, to get clarity, based on the above there were releases (albeit some minor, ofc):

• December 2022 (on Steam)
• July 2023 (v0.15.5)
• Aug 2023 (v0.15.6)
• Oct 2023 (v0.15.7)
• Nov 2023 (v0.15.8)
• Mar 2024 (v0.15.9)
• Apr 2024 (v0.16)
• Jul 2025 (v0.17)

So it actually had only been 14 months between the last two releases?! That's even less reason to think WPG won't finish the game. Now I really think some folks are panicking for no reason at all. You're not changing my view at all that it's understandable they have their doubts. Now the doubts seem even more ridiculous to me.

Anyway, I'm done with this conversation. I think what I think, you think what you think. I don't see the point of the back-and-forth anymore. You can reply to this if you want, but don't expect any response back. And FYI, I'm not upset or anything. But no offense, this entire conversation feels like a colossal waste of time at this point.

The issue isn't the time between the updates but dev's word vs. reality.

I don't doubt dev will finish it as I've said otherwise I would not have bought it. But saying it will be finished in 6 months at the initial Steam release on the 14th of December 2022 then still developing it almost 3 years later without an actual ending in sight puts the dev in a bad spot. He's unreliable, that's why people have doubts about the game getting an ending at all or for dev to return to this one and that's understandable.

I get it, you don't care about a 2.5 years delay and are OK with it but lots of people lose their trust if someone does this. The info about the game's schedule is still there, don't you think it's a bit off-putting? Imagine someone visiting the Steam page for the first time seeing it's in a huge delay and dev goes silent time after time while every single update takes twice the time he said completing the whole game will take...
I'd say for folks here who just download the product for free anyway it shouldn't matter, they have no right to be pissed off, dev does not own them anything, not even patrons considering the nature of that model but Steam users? They've paid for a product with a clear schedule and a promise and were misled.
Don't get me wrong I'm not here to convince you, I'm just saying what's the reason behind others' thoughts because you're saying you don't get it why are they upset.

 

[Soma456]

There is no reality other than he completely stopped caring about this game. Its been 5 years since the last update. There is no real news. The status is abandoned because that it was it simply is. I really liked what little we got of this game but its as dead as the Epstein files being released. He failed us.

 

[Machete]

The general idea is this game is on iatus until Defending Lidia Collier is completed. The decision was made years ago out of a fans poll between the two games. By the was by the time DLC will be completed, if ever, this game will be so outdated and the models so old that the dev will have to restart from scratch. My guess and opinion.

 

[Canto Forte]

Let us necro this thread some more:
The ”outdated” game and ”models so old” got a new life in the bright shiny game that is getting worked on - Defending Lydia Collier - by the same developer, so them being old has nothing to do with them being beautiful or game worthy to be relevant today.

By the was by the time DLC will be completed, if ever, this game will be so outdated and the models so old that the dev will have to restart from scratch. My guess and opinion.

Plot rehash into the reality of this day and age: MC gets sacked and joins ICE where he gest into more and kinkier shenanigans while getting the drop on wild babes having their ways in the darker and the more obscure corners of society (actual life plot line and story of former Superman actor Dean Cain) who went from American hero to bashing the teeth of American Citizens in while getting the jump on allegedly undocumented aliens; - the irony of playing the alien, totally undocumented and never legalized, as the highlight of his acting career, while ending up having to bash the heads of his fellow citizens in, for the glory of Trump - can never go away or be wasted on any of us.

 

[Machete]

Let us necro this thread some more:

Allowe me, please, to elaborare. First, i really liked this game and i still like it. And i'd be happy to see it move on.

By outdated game and models i mean that, i should check but i'm pretty sure it's the case, it isn't made with the latest version of Ren'Py, so it's likely gonna need recoding to some extrend, and whatever software they were using until 5 years ago (i don't know the products they usally use for 3D modelling) sure released new versions. Therefore new scenes would look clearly different from the old ones, if the old assets can be still used at all.

My guess, and i repeat, it's a guess and opinion, is that reworking the game from the beginning would probably be easier and faster than trying to save what have been done so far.

 

[Sonico]

Allowe me, please, to elaborare. First, i really liked this game and i still like it. And i'd be happy to see it move on.

By outdated game and models i mean that, i should check but i'm pretty sure it's the case, it isn't made with the latest version of Ren'Py, so it's likely gonna need recoding to some extrend, and whatever software they were using until 5 years ago (i don't know the products they usally use for 3D modelling) sure released new versions. Therefore new scenes would look clearly different from the old ones, if the old assets can be still used at all.

My guess, and i repeat, it's a guess and opinion, is that reworking the game from the beginning would probably be easier and faster than trying to save what have been done so far.

I could be wrong, but Canto Forte's point seems to be that while not working on this game per se, the dev has been very much active for all this time through Defending Lydia Collier, meaning he's probably already has not only access but practice in using the latest versions of Ren'Py and up to date on DAZ models, even if not working with the specific story or cast from Shadows Over Manston.

Plus, it has been 5 years, pretty sure some of the assets are still quite useable and possibly popular in some cases, even if not the most fresh around. Crusader Kings III is older than that.

 

[Machete]

I could be wrong, but Canto Forte's point seems to be that while not working on this game per se, the dev has been very much active for all this time through Defending Lydia Collier, meaning he's probably already has not only access but practice in using the latest versions of Ren'Py and up to date on DAZ models, even if not working with the specific story or cast from Shadows Over Manston.

Plus, it has been 5 years, pretty sure some of the assets are still quite useable and possibly popular in some cases, even if not the most fresh around. Crusader Kings III is older than that.

Ok, but you are literally implying that the Dev would be well equipped to rework the existing material. And reworking the existing material to update the game was my point to begin with.

 

[Sonico]

Ok, but you are literally implying that the Dev would be well equipped to rework the existing material. And reworking the existing material to update the game was my point to begin with.

He stopped for years, so it wouldn't be "instantly continue from where he left off" anyway because he'll probably have to replay to even remember a bunch of stuff, may or not have different ideas about where he would like go with the game moving forward - or tweak previous scenes he's no so much into anymore and so on.

But much of this has far more to do with creative directions, vibes and feels on the Developer's part than elements being "outdated" - what can be specially debatable when it comes to model assets, since 5 years not exactly make them incompatible with current ones. Or even look old, there are some Daz models from 6-10 years back that you still see popping into current or new games and people still love them. Without going into the fact there are newer versions of Ren'Py does not on itself mean one wants to deal with or port over their work to the latest version of a program or engine.

Just my thoughts, i could be wrong - Canto Forte, feel free to correct me if i misunderstood what you meant - and either way we'll have to wait until White Phantom finishes with Lydia Coller and feels like (hopefully) returning to this one.

 

[Canto Forte]

There is another perspective: one where the characters in this game have a cosplay convention holiday. There they play pretend in the stage production of Defending Lydia Collier, the Shakespeare reimagining of Hamlet for Comic Con Conventions - they tour the globe showing how deep they can go into cosplay and drama and devotion to play different characters.

White Phantom finishes with Lydia Coller and feels like (hopefully) returning to this one.

The third perspective has to do with where this game left everything off: the point where MC and the other charcaters are at the crossroads - so the story can continue with brand new plots and arcs for character development, even a 10 year skip where characters can get either reimagined, updated, changed completely or we can follow some other story all-together.

Looking at these characters now, I can see all the cast of Defending Lydia Colllier in heavy make up or prostthetics that change some of their features, but the core beauty and traits shine through.

As these character models have shined through all these years, with some morphs but with their core beauty preserved and still attractive today, in my opinion, making a comeback with the characters of Defending Lydai Collier undergone through some morphs to enhance their appeal and relevance but preserving their core beauty, it would work phenomenallly.

Developers do not need their original models, they can pick them up right outta the same store they did years before, or find some that they can morph into similar models and they would have some ready, outta the box, already updated and improved characters for their modern games.

 

[Daastaan007]

Will this game comeback?

 

[-CookieMonster666-]

Will this game comeback?

Yes, after the other game by the dev, Defending Lydia Collier, is finished. He's even said this himself specifically in this very thread. You can search to read his exact posts about it.