VN Ren'Py Trouble at Home [Ep.3 v1.0] [CoolKittyRhymes]

[tufstuff]

The flashback should have been included waaay earlier in the game

There's no omniscient narrator for this story, it's all told as it happens to the MC or when he recalls stuff. In this case, he never wants to think or talk about his past and Emily eventually drags it out of him so we finally get to learn about it. I actually prefer having some of this storytelling because it's like connecting puzzle pieces later on, rather than being dumped with a big exposition from the start.

Having it sooner would have been nice, but I think the story had to develop this far before it made sense for MC to disclose it.

He seemed so passive and down on his luck, but then does heroic shit like saving people from a housefire.

The order of events are important here. He was living a pretty good life for the last year or so before the housefire, and even in a good mood to go celebrate his girl's bday... It was the next day when everything started falling apart.

 

[Aurelius Ambrosius]

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There's so much that happened in 2023 both from released content and personal skill growth that felt worthwhile to share. I'll give a quick bullet point rundown followed by more details if you see something that piques your interest.
For developers who are interested in my journey and how it compares to theirs, or for aspiring new ones wanting to know what to expect, I hope you find some of this insightful.
For fans, supporters and other curious souls who'd like to know more about me and the project I develop, there should be a little something to gain from this as well.

• What is a healthy workload?
• Your learning will never end.
• What mistakes did I make?
• What is next?

Workload
This is something that I see talked about occasionally, but I don't believe most people understand. Developers put a lot of time into their work for a very small amount of enjoyment by players. It could take 1,000+ manhours of development time for you to play that 2-hour episode update.
Sounds ridiculously exaggerated? Consider the writers, actors, sfx teams, and everyone else that goes into making one episode of your favorite show. There's a reason we only get eight 1-hour episodes a year, if we're lucky.
Or how long it takes your favorite author to write the next book in the series. Planning, plotting, writing, proofreading, and multiple revisions over hundreds or even thousands of hours... just for someone to read in 1/100th of that time.
I released 2.5 episodes throughout 2023, and while I truly wanted to get a full 3 done I just couldn't fit it in. Sure, they seem to be larger than the typical episode of other similar projects, but it's still important to strive for quick release intervals that contain enough content that's worthwhile for the player.
For those looking to monetize their project (especially with services like Patreon), you'll find there are some people who love what you do and really want you to succeed so you can make the best game possible for them. They may even become a regular supporter. Most of them understand the workload constraints, but others may wonder what's taking so long.
My advice: be transparent and communicate your plans and your pace of work. And be honest with yourself about what you can realistically produce. Don't overpromise something you can't deliver.
Learning on the job
At this point I've been working with Daz for about a year and a half. In the beginning I thought everything I did looked so awesome. I was creating images with lifelike models with little effort out of the box.
As I was browsing around the internet to learn how to use different aspects of the software, I saw many people in forums talking about how you'd want to customize the settings to make your characters and renders look better.
Are you kidding? They look great already!
Well... Eventually I learned some humility. While I was able to make large improvements with my renders from 'simple' ways like increasing the iterations and not using the denoiser... I was missing out on the things that really made a difference, like those texture settings on characters' skins.
It took over a year before I realized how much things like that were holding me back. So over the last six months it's gone from this...

To this...

It's a quick example of a render I used to be proud of, to something I whipped up on a whim for demonstration. Not only have I started figuring out what all those texture maps and setting sliders do within Daz, but I also took a step back to look at what makes good photography. This is mostly dealing with ways to light your scene, fill the foreground/background appropriately, and the positioning of your camera. Also, finding natural looking poses for your characters.
It's very easy for me to overexaggerate expressions and poses because I want to make sure that emotion is conveyed. My early renders suffered from this. What's funny to me is that I usually see the opposite problem in so many AVNs where the characters are expressionless or have blank stares.
The lesson here is a little can go a long way. Humans notice the tiniest differences on others' faces. And some good advice (even though it's not something I do) is to search up images online to use as references for poses/expressions if you're struggling with getting the right look.
I do not consider myself an expert in anything related to art or photography, and in fact I know almost nothing, so I fully expect to look back at my work in a year and call it trash. Hell, I already do this every couple of months as it is lol.
Is there anything I would do over?
The answer to this is simple: don't rush the first release. We only get to make a first impression once, and I hate that I may have lost so many potential fans by trying to get something out as soon as I could.
This doesn't mean take forever to strive for perfection. It means finding people you trust that can provide honest critiques of your work early on. And if there are other projects you find inspirational, identify where they excel so you can model your own work after that.
I had a terrible beta release for TaH because I wasn't properly prepared, and it's sad to me that many won't give it another chance and find out it's something they'll like. There were far more negative comments than positive ones from the early release, and when you're dealing with people on the internet it's usually hateful remarks rather than constructive criticism. You're left trying to sift through mindless garbage to find the nuggets of truth that will actually help you improve.
What's in store next?
I am still moving along production to complete the third episode of Trouble at Home. I put out samples regularly that show how the art is improving, but I know that's not what keeps people hooked.
TaH was created using the severed relationship with Kayla at its core, and the character growth that both her and the protagonist will have because of it. The story will continue to progress in different ways, exploring deepening relationships and other unique events along the way. You can expect more romantic and intimate scenarios than before, as well as some darker themes that haven't been touched yet.
I hope to reveal a deeper story that will keep people wanting more, and make this something that will stand up to its peers in the AVN world.
-ckr

Regarding that first picture. Even though it clearly lacks the lighting of the second picture, I still like your first picture a LOT. So, even though I agree with you that you improved, personally I would prefer 2 updates in the first style over 1 update in the second style.

 

[ViperGts151]

Regarding that first picture. Even though it clearly lacks the lighting of the second picture, I still like your first picture a LOT. So, even though I agree with you that you improved, personally I would prefer 2 updates in the first style over 1 update in the second style.

CoolKittyRhymes

 

[Alfred the Fallen]

Regarding that first picture. Even though it clearly lacks the lighting of the second picture, I still like your first picture a LOT. So, even though I agree with you that you improved, personally I would prefer 2 updates in the first style over 1 update in the second style.

I'd prefer the first style over the second even if there were no difference in development times, because it gives us a much clearer view of the characters. It's a bit odd that the developer would talk about how it's important not to over-exaggerate the poses because people can notice the tiniest differences in facial expressions, but then go on to say that he prefers a style of lighting that has heavy shadows obscuring parts of the characters. Prominent shadows can be a useful tool for creating a certain dramatic mood, but they are very distracting when just added for no other reason than the fact the the developer is excited to show off a new technique they learned.

 

[tufstuff]

I'd prefer the first style over the second even if there were no difference in development times, because it gives us a much clearer view of the characters. It's a bit odd that the developer would talk about how it's important not to over-exaggerate the poses because people can notice the tiniest differences in facial expressions, but then go on to say that he prefers a style of lighting that has heavy shadows obscuring parts of the characters. Prominent shadows can be a useful tool for creating a certain dramatic mood, but they are very distracting when just added for no other reason than the fact the the developer is excited to show off a new technique they learned.

I took that post about the pictures as a "That was my peak ability before, but this is an example of how much I've grown." So if he's able to do more from an artistic standpoint then it should increase the visuals overall.

 

[BeingADikDik]

I took that post about the pictures as a "That was my peak ability before, but this is an example of how much I've grown." So if he's able to do more from an artistic standpoint then it should increase the visuals overall.

There's something to be said about letting the reader's imagination fill in the gaps. Photorealism (shadows, etc.) is a means for the author to convey the full details of the scene, which leaves less for the reader to fill in. Think about The Hobbit shot at 48 fps instead of 24 fps - the experience was immediately less cinematic, revealing all the flaws of the sets and acting that pulled some viewers out of the movie. I think the same thing applies to VNs. I'd prefer devs focused on making the world feel 'alive' than 'real'.

 

[Quetzzz]

I'd prefer devs focused on making the world feel 'alive' than 'real'.

Atmosphere, though. The setting of a scene can contribute to what the player is reading and experiencing. Sure, artistic effects for the sake of being artistic can come off as pretentious. And using, for instance, shadows when it's not appropriate can detract from the experience.

 

[tufstuff]

I'd prefer devs focused on making the world feel 'alive' than 'real'.

I think I see the point you're trying to make. But I also think adding to the artistic repertoire can help make the world feel more alive. I certainly like the increased character details in the last episode. And being able create some more dramatic scenes that need better lighting and camera work than he's done before could really enhance their effect.

I would say as long as ckr isn't replacing his whole style he built TaH with, but only incorporating new stuff where it's needed, is good.

 

[Alfred the Fallen]

I think I see the point you're trying to make. But I also think adding to the artistic repertoire can help make the world feel more alive. I certainly like the increased character details in the last episode. And being able create some more dramatic scenes that need better lighting and camera work than he's done before could really enhance their effect.

I would say as long as ckr isn't replacing his whole style he built TaH with, but only incorporating new stuff where it's needed, is good.

It's good that he is learning new techniques and all, I'm just concerned that he could go overboard with them, which is what I think is happening in the example pictures. The old style is a bit flat, but the new style is very distracting. The shadows are the most prominent thing in the picture, which is not what I'm interested in. I'm interested in the characters, and the shadows should be there to accentuate them instead of overwhelm them.

Shadows in real life are often fuzzy and faint due to how light bounces around a room, so it can look unnatural when you have an image where most of the shadows are very dark with crisp outlines. And that's something that happens often when developers are testing out new techniques to make things look more "cinematic". A good example of this would be in the game Intertwined, where the developer there has recently replaced a lot of early game renders.

Spoiler: Intertwined examples

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A lot of this comes down to personal preference, but I think that dark shadows with crisp outline should be kept off of the characters unless it's absolutely needed for a scene. So, if they are peeking out of a window that has blinds on it while standing in a dark room... sure, cover the face in dark crisp shadows. But if they're standing in a room that has multiple open windows, with lots of light coming in, and walls that are painted a light colour, then the ambient lighting should be pretty much making shadows from the open blinds disappear.

The old example I used here had some issues with excessive contrast on the two girls, while the guys are looking fine. So it's not that the scene couldn't have been improved, it's that the new scene has a bunch of artistic shadows that are very distracting and unrealistic. And that's what I see in the before and after examples that this developer posted too.

I just hope that the developer doesn't swing from one extreme (shadows that are too few and too light) to the other extreme (way too many thick dark shadows). I've always thought this game looked pretty good the way it was. The developer has a style that is nice and distinct, so I hope they don't change things up too much.

 

[tufstuff]

I've always thought this game looked pretty good the way it was. The developer has a style that is nice and distinct, so I hope they don't change things up too much.

I agree. And the images you showed from Intertwined are a good example of a poor way to use light/shadows for the given situation. It look distracting when it's in an environment you expect to be well-lit (lunch time in a school cafeteria conversing with a group of people). The shadows created from the Sun are realistic, but normally there would be internal ceiling lights that brighten everything and dampen the contrast.

But in any case, ckr's examples are from promo images and not game renders. Generally you're going to lean harder into more cinematic imagery for promo stuff.

 

[ViperGts151]

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The days of a boring average life are now in the past.

 

[Hengat]

That's a lot of previews (Yay! More Allison!)

 

[tufstuff]

omg that face Ami has... she looks so damn seductive

 

[WomenWorshiper]

The android port has updated?

 

[CoolKittyRhymes]

Regarding that first picture. Even though it clearly lacks the lighting of the second picture, I still like your first picture a LOT. So, even though I agree with you that you improved, personally I would prefer 2 updates in the first style over 1 update in the second style.

It's probably a common thought that producing better quality images means it takes significantly more time, but in practice there's been very little difference. Improving the images also means improving the scene setup, and with proper lighting the images render faster.

Yes, I took more time upfront at the start of Ep3 working on things like correcting skin textures. But outside of that, I currently spend roughly the same amount of time on artwork than I did before.

 

[Tas Desdemotyranus II]

The models in this game look fantastic! I love the uniqueness. The writing and humour also aren't awful. If some work can be made to improve the sex scenes then I could see this reaching top 30. Good job. 7/10

 

[ViperGts151]

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There's a few things to report on regarding TaH development which includes professional editing, previous error corrections, and remaining work. So let's get started.

Recently someone (vegasman) went through the first two episodes and provided fixes and feedback on the dialogue. A majority of it involved details most readers wouldn't notice, but I've applied all of those changes. There were also a handful of error reports people have provided over the last few months and I've made sure those have been fixed as well.
Last week I felt I needed a refresher of the game, and did a playthrough from the start of Ep3. It also was an excuse to do another round of edits and finalize everything up to Scene 36.
During this playthrough I discovered problems with some images. Not just in Ep3, but in the entire game. The problem occurs after converting the images from PNG to WEBP format, and only involves a small percentage of them (images that have some transparency that are used to overlap on top of other images). I took the time to fix the ones for Ep3, but the first two episodes will need to be done at some point, too.
Progress feels a little behind where I wanted to be. *gasp!* I know, right?

I have already created a good chunk of the remaining ~15 scenes I need to finish, with various amounts of renders for each. I kinda went scatterbrain with it, working on sections that I was in the mood to do at the time.
The rest of this month will be filling in those gaps and completing those scenes. I'm sitting at 57 scenes right now, but still expect I need to split a couple of them up.
So the important question: how does this affect the release date? I'm still targeting February, but I don't have a tentative date yet. Once January ends, lookout for the announcement.
-ckr

 

[ViperGts151]

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'Psycho Ex-Girlfriend' subscribers may request one custom render each month. Yes, you're crazy, but I'm thankful for the support!
Moonlight Secret -- Kim + Jay [VNWhiteKnight]
Duality -- Sierra [Callisto]

 

[STracer]

Well I just finished first half of ep3 and I like it so far. I found myself getting mad at the MC sister. Does she not know what happened to her brother? If not then why not? I hear people complaining about the jokes being bad....well yah...there supposed to be bad. Oh well I have enjoyed it so far....hope you keep this going...to many abondoned stories that should have been finished.

 

[tufstuff]

Does she not know what happened to her brother?

Kayla doesn't believe his story, or at least won't admit to herself that it's true, since there were no other witnesses that would vouch for his side. It just meant it was one more (big) reason to hate him.