Reflections on a single playthrough:
I have completed a single playthrough of the ver. 0.30 download available from the official links on the opening post of this thread. This was installed by downloading the balanced ver. 0.25 file and the ver.0.30 update patch. I also used the "adjustment" mod (aka URM mod) as I saw many posts decrying the dialogue font/text box/etc. in earlier iterations of the game. This mod does not overwrite the script.rpy file. I don't know if the mod is still needed, but I used it anyway. I have not previously downloaded or played the VN prior to this installation.
I received one error message (already reported on this forum by someone else) when advancing the page of the photo album in the photographer's studio. It was regarding a missing 'TransCornerFlip.jpg' file. I was able to tell Ren'Py to ignore the error and life went on without any further difficulties. I don't see a single misnamed or missing .jpg file as anything to warrant a complaint, just by the way. I will say that having a single error of this sort amidst all of these files, over 1800, is more of an achievement than a deficiency. On the other hand, (this makes me sound like an economist!) I've not made multiple playthroughs, meaning I've not tried seeing every .jpg file called by the script. There could be more such errors, but no other such error has been reported in this forum.
Language Usage:
While I am to understand that someone has proofread the script, I did manage to run across many (too many) errors in grammar, word choice, and words simply left out of the script. As a former English teacher, I am probably more readily chagrined by these errors than your basic high school graduate, but the proofreader needs to up his game. Many errors deal with homonyms, words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings. An example is the trio of to, too, and two. Each sounds the same, but each means something different. Even a decent seventh grader should be aware of the differences and know when to use which, yet instances have made their ways past the proofreader. That brings to mind the difference between past and passed, at least once confused in the script. I don't expect a non-native English speaking dev to present a flawless script in terms of language usage, but that's why the Gods created proofreaders. I applaud the dev for having acquired one, but it might be time to reconsider renewing his contract and search for a replacement.
Models:
The dev has chosen DAZ3d models for this VN. I applaud that decision as the HoneySelect-type models are less attractive, less realistic, and more geared to a "cutesy" - perhaps anime-inspired story or tone. While I found the "present day" version of the second daughter (the landlord's tenant) to be overly busty, her younger version was quite appropriately endowed for her age. I admit this is really a matter of personal preference and recognize that the dev must feel the need to cast as wide a net as possible to snare the largest possible audience. Generally, I found the models to be attractive, although the MC model was clearly over the top by design. The middle-aged doctor might have had the body of a 25-year-old, but at least her face managed to show more mileage than her body. As with the case of the overly busty Abigail, I suppose one must bow to the desires and expectations of the target audience. I mean, do we really want to see the MC bang a now middle-aged, former girlfriend? Do we really want her to look middle-aged? It appears to me that much care was taken to provide situation specific facial expressions to the models, at least the female models. The scene with the three present day girls in the penthouse living room is an example of the varying facial expressions. The detail of having Abigail's "fang" actually cause her lower lip to bleed in the photographer's studio is an excellent example of using the DAZ graphics to add something extra to the VN. Most devs of VN would not include such a detail, yet Peacemaker did for this one. Even the hilarious "ugly, fat, bald dude" with the micro dick was well modeled and provided a bit of comic relief.
The number three daughter, Isi of the wheelchair, is possibly the most beautiful model I've ever seen in a VN.
Renders:
Vast amounts of storage is consumed by the .jpg files in this game, with no relief in sight. On one hand, barring the occasional three-legged girl, the renders are very good to excellent. On the other hand (economists?), for those with slow internet connections or running out of storage space, the sheer size of the files required for this game will preclude some from supporting and purchasing it in the future.
Plot/Theme:
Basically, the story of this VN has to do with an over the hill mixed martial arts fighter, living in Virginia. Due to a tragic automobile accident, his wife has been comatose for a year and his third daughter (tenant) has been paralyzed from the waist down and gets around in a wheelchair. Over time, the MC's financial resources have been drained by the medical bills resulting from aforementioned accident and his effort at mounting a comeback (sounds like the many comebacks of Sugar Ray Robinson!) failed against the reigning champion. Feeling woozy after his defeat in the ring, the MC goes to the Emergency room and receives an MRI scan which shows damage to his neck vertebrae. He is advised by his former girlfriend/doctor to stop fighting and that disclosure of the injuries will preclude him from being acceptable as a fighter in the future. So, effectively, this will be a story of an injured, hard luck individual in financial straits trying to get out from under the weight of the ongoing medical expenses caused by his comatose wife and paralyzed daughter. Along the way, he will deal with various temptations in the form of his daughters (tenants), his sister, her daughter, and any other female that might wander before his eyes. As the MC is still married, this should provide angst regarding being unfaithful to his comatose wife and, of course, self recrimination over the incest. So, the player will corrupt the MC and the female family members by making the proper choices. It's a corruption game, where both the male MC and the females of his household become the corrupted. This is by no means an entirely original plot premise. Still, most corruption games have a female protagonist and the player corrupts her. Any incest game is, by definition, a corruption game.
Structure:
Most AVN's found on this site are geared to making everything easy for the player to experience the entire roster of opposite sex characters in sexual relations during a single, well scripted playthrough. Peacemaker has chosen not to do that. His approach is to make decisions made by the player actually affect the subsequent story events, sometimes hours of play after the decision was made. For example, if the player has the MC discipline some teenaged girls for getting drunk, some story elements are bypassed, at least in the short term. It could very well be that future updates might either include the bypassed material or include some alternative scenes with the same characters. Only time will tell. A true completion-ist fanatic might have to make quite a few playthroughs of the game to get every scene before his eyes. Given that several branching lines are not yet completed (or even begun?), the final product might be enormous requiring many playthroughs for the player to reaps the benefits of Peacekeeper's efforts. This approach has met with mixed reactions from those who post in this forum. While we often see people decry the VN's that make the players' selections essentially useless, we also find that players don't really want a situation where they might miss something because of a decision they made. As is frequently the case in many aspects of life, the players want to have their cake and eat it, too.
The Economics of AVN Development:
Most devs AVN's won't come right out and say it, but they're really in it for the money. The real brass ring to be grabbed is to have their games available to an enormous market on Steam. While Steam may take a substantial portion of the funds collected from a "purchase" of an indie AVN, the fact remains that a decently, or even middling, successful release on Steam can result in a life-changing amount of money to the developer. If a game is proposed to Steam and rejected; as was the case with "The Intoxicating Flavor" despite years of fairly regular updates, the dev will simply pack it in. The end of the rainbow and the pot of gold is found on Steam. After all, no one is going to try to sell this game via Gamestop!
Of course, one does not create a VN without costs. The developer, Peacemaker in this case, needs to acquire DAZ assets and sufficient computing power to rapidly and efficiently render the artwork. Since the money is to be made from the English language market, the dev also needs to make sure that "Engrish" doesn't chase away potential buyers of the future. It is a major undertaking, with real financial risk, for one person to undertake. All this is done, often for years, with very little financial support available. Yes, devs will try to eke out subsidies via Patreon and SubscribeStar, but they rarely meet the costs of the dev. It is almost a catch-22 situation for a dev. He needs to get out frequent, meaty updates (best if done on a monthly basis) while still providing quality renders, writing, characterizations, etc. Monthly updates are best, as those who subsidize the dev via Patreon or SubscribeStar get charged each and every month. How much is someone willing to contribute over the course of three, four, or six months while waiting for the next update to an AVN he can easily acquire for free on F-95? Bear in mind that if the game is completed and released on Steam, one can "buy" it for probably less than $20. So, attracting supporters on Patreon/SubscribeStar is not a given.
For someone like Peacemaker, launching his very first effort at an AVN, subsidies via Patreon are going to be difficult to acquire and maintain. He has no track record of completed games and, despite an impressive initial release on F-95, has encountered a fair amount of resistance to his VN approach in this forum. Make no mistake, the renders are almost invariably excellent. The major characters are distinct and well written. Peacemaker includes comic relief along with the usual double entendre and raunchy sex jokes. The intent is clear that Peacemaker is trying to create a top quality product. The initial version of the game was made in November, 2023 and he has released three updates in the intervening seven months. I applaud his efforts to date, yet I wonder if he will be able to maintain the commitment to completing the game over the next five or six years. With all the uncompleted branching of the script in just four version releases, will this AVN go the way George RR Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire"?
- sj
