snkeysnek

Newbie
Dec 5, 2021
74
170
Great game, but I wonder whether it would be better to focus on the main protagonists instead of switching all the time
 

JustXThings

Member
Game Developer
May 22, 2022
210
1,212
Hey there !

Unfortunately I haven't the time right now to keep some sort of development journal, blog, or whatever. From October I shall be more free to do so. But since it is been around a month since the 0.1.Final release, let's give some Development Status Update for anyone interested.

DEV STATUS UPDATE


Currently working on 0.2 a bit behind plan but satisfied with what I got so far.

When is 0.2 coming ?

I want to release 0.2.alpha this month. Likely by the end of it.

What to expect in 0.2 ?

To be honest, I am not entirely confident that I got everything what I want for 0.2, but here is the initial aim I initially planned.

0.2 will mostly focus on Agnes, her relation with Rebeca and her deep dive into understanding her own "feelings".

Rebeca, and also a bit of Olivia will be supporting the events.

Paula shall get an event with Agnes husband and I would also like to give her a couple of "short" events. One in the past and one in the present.

No events for Rebeca this time, but she is getting a lot of screen time anyway.

What about the sex scenes ?

Plenty of them. I don't think there will be a single event without sex of some sort.

What have I got so far ?


So far I have around three and a half events done involving Agnes, Rebeca and Olivia. These are arguably the most difficult ones.

Paula events are much more straight forward and should go faster.

Any other thoughts ?

This update focuses on establishing some relations that are necessary to move the plot forward which I feel will happen in 0.3. We won't get much info about the story, but we will get plenty of character development for when it comes later on.

I though about including a single Mr. Irwin (metro guy) event, but his next three events are related to each other. So, I prefer putting them all together.
 

grumpyoldcat

Member
Apr 30, 2020
244
367
Hey there !

Unfortunately I haven't the time right now to keep some sort of development journal, blog, or whatever. From October I shall be more free to do so. But since it is been around a month since the 0.1.Final release, let's give some Development Status Update for anyone interested.

DEV STATUS UPDATE

Currently working on 0.2 a bit behind plan but satisfied with what I got so far.

When is 0.2 coming ?

I want to release 0.2.alpha this month. Likely by the end of it.

What to expect in 0.2 ?

To be honest, I am not entirely confident that I got everything what I want for 0.2, but here is the initial aim I initially planned.

0.2 will mostly focus on Agnes, her relation with Rebeca and her deep dive into understanding her own "feelings".

Rebeca, and also a bit of Olivia will be supporting the events.

Paula shall get an event with Agnes husband and I would also like to give her a couple of "short" events. One in the past and one in the present.

No events for Rebeca this time, but she is getting a lot of screen time anyway.

What about the sex scenes ?

Plenty of them. I don't think there will be a single event without sex of some sort.

What have I got so far ?

So far I have around three and a half events done involving Agnes, Rebeca and Olivia. These are arguably the most difficult ones.

Paula events are much more straight forward and should go faster.

Any other thoughts ?

This update focuses on establishing some relations that are necessary to move the plot forward which I feel will happen in 0.3. We won't get much info about the story, but we will get plenty of character development for when it comes later on.

I though about including a single Mr. Irwin (metro guy) event, but his next three events are related to each other. So, I prefer putting them all together.
Take your time, appease no one, and do your best. You are making a good product.
 

Pointless123

Newbie
Jun 16, 2017
36
29
Not a big fan of all the different colors for text, it make it a little hard to read sometimes with a transparent textbox

better use different colors JUST for the names, it's enough
and maybe use different colors for text for dialogue vs thinking instead of the little cloud image left of the textbox, it will be more comprehensible
Agree with this, just the name being in a different colour would be enough for me, maybe a little portrait so we know who's talking. Then have the thinking text in italics will make it more obvious that it's a thought and not dialogue.

Putting the text into Word/Open Office Writer will highlight the vast majority of the spelling and grammar issues.
 
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JustXThings

Member
Game Developer
May 22, 2022
210
1,212
Not a big fan of all the different colors for text, it make it a little hard to read sometimes with a transparent textbox

better use different colors JUST for the names, it's enough
and maybe use different colors for text for dialogue vs thinking instead of the little cloud image left of the textbox, it will be more comprehensible
Agree with this, just the name being in a different colour would be enough for me, maybe a little portrait so we know who's talking. Then have the thinking text in italics will make it more obvious that it's a thought and not dialogue.

Putting the text into Word/Open Office Writer will highlight the vast majority of the spelling and grammar issues.
Hard agree on the text colors. Sometimes I wish I had selected one or two colors and keep them OUT of any renders. That should have made the text color selection easier. Outline helps, but there are still so many renders where it is annoying.

I am still trying to figure out a clearer format. What I can tell for sure is that it won't come in 0.2. I am fully focusing on content for the next update.

About bubbles. I wanted at least SAY / THINK / WHISPER. I need those three to establish the proper tone between dom / sub reactions. I know "(think)" / "think" is kind of standard, but I was still missing whisper. I have thought about eventually changing bubbles into character thinking / saying / whispering faces. But work keeps piling up and I don't even know if that is a good idea.

Spelling issues / Grammar / others.

Some good news here. The Atom included with Ren'Py wasn't spell checking and I couldn't make it work no matter what I tried. Recently I installed an Atom stand-alone version et voilà, works. That should at least help with some of the most blatant mistakes.
 

Nayko93

Well-Known Member
Feb 3, 2018
1,245
2,694
Hard agree on the text colors. Sometimes I wish I had selected one or two colors and keep them OUT of any renders. That should have made the text color selection easier. Outline helps, but there are still so many renders where it is annoying.

I am still trying to figure out a clearer format. What I can tell for sure is that it won't come in 0.2. I am fully focusing on content for the next update.

About bubbles. I wanted at least SAY / THINK / WHISPER. I need those three to establish the proper tone between dom / sub reactions. I know "(think)" / "think" is kind of standard, but I was still missing whisper. I have thought about eventually changing bubbles into character thinking / saying / whispering faces. But work keeps piling up and I don't even know if that is a good idea.

Spelling issues / Grammar / others.

Some good news here. The Atom included with Ren'Py wasn't spell checking and I couldn't make it work no matter what I tried. Recently I installed an Atom stand-alone version et voilà, works. That should at least help with some of the most blatant mistakes.
You should always keep it simple :

- use white/grey #d4d4d4 color for all text

- for the textbox, take mine, I think it's the best one for this color of text with just the right opacity to make the text visible no mater the render behind it ( and no need for outlines ) and enough transparent so it never hide anything behind it
or if you're feeling adventurous you can try to put a slider to adjust the textbox opacity
textbox.png
( it seem deep black but no it's just because of the grey background )

- use different colors only for names

- and finally, use normal text for talking and narration, italic text for thinking, and use smaller text ( still big enough so we can read it ) and add **on each side of the whispering text**
 
Last edited:

rand0m

New Member
Apr 11, 2018
2
3
About bubbles. I wanted at least SAY / THINK / WHISPER. I need those three to establish the proper tone between dom / sub reactions. I know "(think)" / "think" is kind of standard, but I was still missing whisper. I have thought about eventually changing bubbles into character thinking / saying / whispering faces. But work keeps piling up and I don't even know if that is a good idea.
Try to separate what happens (vocal or non-vocal e.g. say/think) from how it happens (shouting/normal/whispering).

As sideimages I suggest a character image for say and the same image overlayed with a thinking bubble for think.

For shouting use upper case letters and maybe a slightly larger font size (e.g. 120%). I'd consider the upper case itself as sufficient.

For whispering use a reasonably smeller font size (e.g. 80%). It should be small enough to be regognized as a smaller font size but still be easily readable. Use a significantly smaller font size for text that is spoken out loud but actually not meant to be heared by other characters (words mutter beneath someones breath).

For emotions you could use a set of emojis either added to the sideimage or right in the text. I'd arguie against that, though, because you are doing a pretty good job of conveying the mood of the characters. Emojis make people lazy and should be used sparingly in a VN. Never use more than one in the same Ren'Py statement.

In general use a normal font face almost all the time. Use italics for single words or short groups of words to emphasize ironic or sarcastic remarks. Don't use italics for entire sentences. There is no need for any other font face. A good text speaks for itself. Leave the reader the freedom of deciding for himself if a part is extremely funny or just slightly amusing without flooding him with emojis or an excessive use of different font art.

You're doing a great job. Any plans towards Patreon? Or any other way of showing some support?
 

JustXThings

Member
Game Developer
May 22, 2022
210
1,212
You should always keep it simple :

- use white/grey #d4d4d4 color for all text

- for the textbox, take mine, I think it's the best one for this color of text with just the right opacity to make the text visible no mater the render behind it ( and no need for outlines )
or if you're feeling adventurous you can try to put a slider to adjust the textbox opacity
View attachment 1913154
( it seem deep black but no it's just because of the grey background )

- use different colors only for names

- and finally, use normal text for talking and narration, italic text for thinking, and use smaller text ( still big enough so we can read it ) and add **on each side of the whispering text**
Try to separate what happens (vocal or non-vocal e.g. say/think) from how it happens (shouting/normal/whispering).

As sideimages I suggest a character image for say and the same image overlayed with a thinking bubble for think.

For shouting use upper case letters and maybe a slightly larger font size (e.g. 120%). I'd consider the upper case itself as sufficient.

For whispering use a reasonably smeller font size (e.g. 80%). It should be small enough to be regognized as a smaller font size but still be easily readable. Use a significantly smaller font size for text that is spoken out loud but actually not meant to be heared by other characters (words mutter beneath someones breath).
Thanks a lot ! I'll give these things a try once I start 0.3. I like the smaller font idea, I didn't think about that.

For emotions you could use a set of emojis either added to the sideimage or right in the text. I'd arguie against that, though, because you are doing a pretty good job of conveying the mood of the characters. Emojis make people lazy and should be used sparingly in a VN. Never use more than one in the same Ren'Py statement.

In general use a normal font face almost all the time. Use italics for single words or short groups of words to emphasize ironic or sarcastic remarks. Don't use italics for entire sentences. There is no need for any other font face. A good text speaks for itself. Leave the reader the freedom of deciding for himself if a part is extremely funny or just slightly amusing without flooding him with emojis or an excessive use of different font art.

You're doing a great job. Any plans towards Patreon? Or any other way of showing some support?
Yeah... exactly that's why I said I don't know if side faces are a good idea.

Side mood images are great to establish the mood in static renders with a lot of dialog. But that is not what I am aiming for here. I really want this to feel like watching a play in the theater. The mood must be set with the renders and the flow between dialog and images must be in sync.

Since the side images are only to indicate say / think / whisper I tried keeping them minimalistic, but it looks 'cheap' so I kind of debated with myself if real images would be better. Anyhow, I like both your ideas to keep emotions and ton in the text in a less intrusive way. I'll see if I can make Ren'Py translate all those thinks / whispers tags into the desired text formatting.


You're doing a great job. Any plans towards Patreon? Or any other way of showing some support?
No Patreon in sight nor alternative in the near future. That might change because I also support / have supported projects and I understand the reasoning behind it. But the game will stay free.

Hey. Posting here, reviewing and participating is showing support =D
 

rand0m

New Member
Apr 11, 2018
2
3
I created a simple style demo for shouts, normal speech and whispers applied to talking and thinking. Maybe there's something worthwhile for you in there.



To improve readability in 0.1.final replace game/gui/textbox.png with either of the following images:
textbox.png
or
Use the console (Shift O) to adjust the alpha value of the textbox permanently, e.g. persistent.dialogueBoxOpacity = .8.
 
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Gutsounet

New Member
Jun 6, 2020
4
9
Well Dev that was a great game ! I gonna ask you where i can give you my money but i see that you already answer that, i'm gonna follow your work with big interest ! Keep going like that !

and sorry for my english !
 

Ogre

Member
Mar 29, 2018
205
541
Enjoying your work a lot. I hope you don't mind if I make suggestions - feel free to ignore them. It's your vision that matters.

Rebeca is a very interesting character, the way she manipulates and makes everything in to a game. She is evil but also seems to have affection for her victims. Be careful not to make her all powerful and perfect. It would be interesting if she sometimes loses ground, makes a mistake, and then has to fight and scheme to get her little submissives back into line. An imperfect character with flaws and emotions is a lot more interesting than a perfect coldhearted supervillian. Agnes is also very interesting, with her desire to break out of her boring sexlife. She clearly is getting a benefit from what is happening to her.

It's harder to give Paula as much depth of character as Rebeca and Agnes already have, because so far, she is mostly just a victim. Maybe a way around this is to have her go back and forth from unwilling reluctance to sometimes eagerness, where she actively sets herself up for wicked things to happen to her. Have her take some risks tying to understand what she is feeling inside instead of just always being told what to do. The more she does to herself, the more shameful it is. Of course that is followed by regret, and then obsession over the next thing she fears/wants to happen.

You definitely have a knack for this type of writing. Good dialogue, and tension. The scene in the lunchroom between Agnes and Rebeca was excellent even though nothing overtly sexual actually happened. You clearly understand that for a noncon/reluctance story to be super hot, the victims have to experience a gradual spiral downwards, mixing suffering and humiliation with great pleasure, and mixing shame mixed with desire for more. They can't just suffer and hate everything. Where is the fun in that?

Finally, and I know you don't need anyone to tell you what you want in your story, but I personally hope to see some handcuffs, collars and leashes, ropes, nipple clamps, etc. mixed in with the exhibitionism and risktaking. The level of helplessness and fear of being caught is even stronger when they can't possibly explain away their submission kink.

Anyhow I've said way too much. Thanks for the game!
 

JustXThings

Member
Game Developer
May 22, 2022
210
1,212
I feel like giving a quick update since it's past July and there is no update yet =D

0.2.alpha is almost ready.

I have struggled a bit since I am away from my desktop and my laptop is a piece of s#*t.

Tonight everything should be ready and I'll try uploading it, which I fear will be a challenge in its own considering the speed of the internet where I am right now.

Cheers !
 

Harem Trooper

Well-Known Member
Oct 4, 2017
1,226
2,432
Did something get mixed up with the tags ? In the tags it shows male protag but in the description nothing is either named or hinted. In the dev. notes and his own tags there is no male protag tag.
 
4.70 star(s) 39 Votes