VN Ren'Py Trouble iN The aRena [Ep.7] [Sir Gary Bummer]

[BingusBaBingus]

Ay Gamedev Gary you a better man than me because if I constantly got anti NTR comments and wishes that people could change my game on the thread that is based around my game that is EXPRESSLY centered around NTR I'd crash out.

I love your work and I'm so excited for the next update! I hope very soon is like this week

 

[Sir Gary Bummer]

Howdy!

Episode 6 is now out on

You must be registered to see the links

, public release will follow in two weeks as always.
Or until it leaks, I guess.

Anyway, have a fancy image to entice you into getting it early!

Cheers!

 

[Alandir]

This game would be amazing if you could play as the maid or if it had no NTR at all. Its a damn shame because those screenshots looks amazing.

If you play this game and you strongly self identify with the protagonist, that's a skill issue honestly. You see the maids perspective more often than his, if you identify with him, you got noone to blame but yourself.

 

[Ser Lordypants]

Alright... this insistence on hiding the action is getting ridiculous. I mean, you're setting the characters up anyway. Tack on 8 renders plus 5 lines of basic text and you've got a little scene. Or they could just be silent, like Saranhil's first handjob. A handful of those and you're showing her progress instead of just implying it with little texts or shadows. Hide the sex from Donkey, not the players.

In some cases you've done the work already. That extra morning blowjob set on patreon could just be a scene in the game. In fact, it would've been a great way to start this update. That's how they wake up. Then there's some arena fighting. Then actually show her "massage." Then there's some mingling at the palace. Then maybe a couple ladies run into Ruru in the sauna. Another image set that you've already made. And so on. The normal story events were fun as always, but not fun enough to be 95% of the update. Not for me anyway.

 

[Sir Gary Bummer]

Alright... this insistence on hiding the action is getting ridiculous. I mean, you're setting the characters up anyway. Tack on 8 renders plus 5 lines of basic text and you've got a little scene. Or they could just be silent, like Saranhil's first handjob. A handful of those and you're showing her progress instead of just implying it with little texts or shadows. Hide the sex from Donkey, not the players.

In some cases you've done the work already. That extra morning blowjob set on patreon could just be a scene in the game. In fact, it would've been a great way to start this update. That's how they wake up. Then there's some arena fighting. Then actually show her "massage." Then there's some mingling at the palace. Then maybe a couple ladies run into Ruru in the sauna. Another image set that you've already made. And so on. The normal story events were fun as always, but not fun enough to be 95% of the update. Not for me anyway.

I quite enjoy the hidden aspect myself. To me, it allows the imagination to craft a better scene than could feasibly be made in game. As for having short scenes of just a few renders, I just don’t personally like having scenes like that in game. I either want scenes to be these implied, hidden things, or I want full effort.

In general I think there needs to be a balance between the spicy scenes and the rest, too much spice makes it feel like you’re just clicking your way from one porn scene to the next. That said, it's entirely possible I've missed the mark by going too far in the opposite direction. There was actually supposed to be one more full scene in the episode, but it was taking too long to make as is. Perhaps that could've made the episode more appropriately spicy.

But yeah, this episode had a lot of effort put into other stuff. Lots of side characters, lots of new places, fighting scenes, and so on. Right now I’m aiming to make the next episode less complicated, which should mean that it won’t take as long to make, or have a bit more spice in it. Ideally both.

 

[Ser Lordypants]

I quite enjoy the hidden aspect myself. To me, it allows the imagination to craft a better scene than could feasibly be made in game. As for having short scenes of just a few renders, I just don’t personally like having scenes like that in game. I either want scenes to be these implied, hidden things, or I want full effort.

In general I think there needs to be a balance between the spicy scenes and the rest, too much spice makes it feel like you’re just clicking your way from one porn scene to the next. That said, it's entirely possible I've missed the mark by going too far in the opposite direction. There was actually supposed to be one more full scene in the episode, but it was taking too long to make as is. Perhaps that could've made the episode more appropriately spicy.

But yeah, this episode had a lot of effort put into other stuff. Lots of side characters, lots of new places, fighting scenes, and so on. Right now I’m aiming to make the next episode less complicated, which should mean that it won’t take as long to make, or have a bit more spice in it. Ideally both.

Until now it was a fine balance. Some proper scenes, some hidden ones, some phone teasing, some story. Even some casual nudity. This chapter was way too far in the opposite direction imo. I was expecting to actually see Saranhil's "practice" once it started. Not just imagine it. I didn't expect the vast majority of the lewd stuff to be hidden. "Oh look, they're getting it on in secret behind that door over there!" can be hot once or twice. Not 10 times in a row. I don't know if that was your vision for the game all along, but it feels like a sharp turn.

The frustrating part is that it would be so easy to show more. You're halfway there. Most of these texts are perfect opportunities. The characters are in position already. Donkey sets his phone down. Cut to Ruru and Zavnessos, Saranhil, Sveida, whoever. Whomever? Anyway. A few angles. A few poses. Ruru says "Good girl." Girl says "Mmmpphph." Money shot. Maybe one single animation. Maybe not. Spend an hour on it. 90 minutes tops.

You really don't think it would be worthwhile to sprinkle some scenes like that throughout each chapter? I think it would go a long way. It would spice things up without all the work required for those finale sized scenes. But if that's not the direction this is going, I dunno. I guess it's time to stop subbing. Sorry for the instant negative feedback. Probably sucks after you took your time crafting this release.

 

[Doner077]

I had a tough choice ahead of me ...




Ive gone with the futa

 

[Deleted member 5588728]

I had a tough choice ahead of me ...

View attachment 4356534
View attachment 4356537

Ive gone with the futa
View attachment 4356540

When in doubt Meriadoc, always follow the futa.

 

[Sir Gary Bummer]

Until now it was a fine balance. Some proper scenes, some hidden ones, some phone teasing, some story. Even some casual nudity. This chapter was way too far in the opposite direction imo. I was expecting to actually see Saranhil's "practice" once it started. Not just imagine it. I didn't expect the vast majority of the lewd stuff to be hidden. "Oh look, they're getting it on in secret behind that door over there!" can be hot once or twice. Not 10 times in a row. I don't know if that was your vision for the game all along, but it feels like a sharp turn.

The frustrating part is that it would be so easy to show more. You're halfway there. Most of these texts are perfect opportunities. The characters are in position already. Donkey sets his phone down. Cut to Ruru and Zavnessos, Saranhil, Sveida, whoever. Whomever? Anyway. A few angles. A few poses. Ruru says "Good girl." Girl says "Mmmpphph." Money shot. Maybe one single animation. Maybe not. Spend an hour on it. 90 minutes tops.

You really don't think it would be worthwhile to sprinkle some scenes like that throughout each chapter? I think it would go a long way. It would spice things up without all the work required for those finale sized scenes. But if that's not the direction this is going, I dunno. I guess it's time to stop subbing. Sorry for the instant negative feedback. Probably sucks after you took your time crafting this release.

Everyone's entitled to their own feelings and opinions, I'm not really one to take things personally. The main reason I had in releasing this game for free was to get as much feedback as possible. I am more interested in learning, than I am in trying to make a perfect game on my first attempt. What I mean with all this, is that expressing that you're upset with an episode is completely okay.

That said, I don't appreciate the whole "do things the way I like or I will withdraw financial support" thing going on in the final paragraph. I don't know if that's what you actually intended, but that's how it reads to me.

Unsubbing because you don't like where the game is going is perfectly fine. Or doing so because of personal financial reasons, or just subbing the one month because you want to play the update ahead of time. I very much appreciate all support I get. But I really don't care for anyone trying to use money as some sort of leverage over me. I've had quite enough of such nonsense in real life, thank you very much.

 

[Ser Lordypants]

Everyone's entitled to their own feelings and opinions, I'm not really one to take things personally. The main reason I had in releasing this game for free was to get as much feedback as possible. I am more interested in learning, than I am in trying to make a perfect game on my first attempt. What I mean with all this, is that expressing that you're upset with an episode is completely okay.

That said, I don't appreciate the whole "do things the way I like or I will withdraw financial support" thing going on in the final paragraph. I don't know if that's what you actually intended, but that's how it reads to me.

Unsubbing because you don't like where the game is going is perfectly fine. Or doing so because of personal financial reasons, or just subbing the one month because you want to play the update ahead of time. I very much appreciate all support I get. But I really don't care for anyone trying to use money as some sort of leverage over me. I've had quite enough of such nonsense in real life, thank you very much.

Oh yeah, I definitely intended to exert control over you with 5-10 dollars per month. Did it work?

I just meant that the months of support and being a general fan were a big deal for me. Couch change for you, I know. I'm not the type to form expectations. Or become invested in a porn game. But this was one of my favorite games on the site. It's my own fault for breaking pattern. Of course no promises were made and nobody was owed anything, but going from a little secret teasing here and there to hiding nearly everything was not on my bingo card. If that works for you, then by all means keep doing your thing.

 

[BingusBaBingus]

I'd also like to throw my hat in the ring for a review!

I don't disagree with some of the things the reviewer before me mentioned, but I feel it mostly focused on the negatives, and I think it failed to put a spotlight on some of the great things this episode did too. So I wanna take a crack at giving episode 6 a review now that I've finished it and had some time to sit with it.

I like to start with the positives. First off, I was fiending for this release like a crackhead, having just recently found and fallen in love with this game, I saw the ep release yesterday while at work and subbed first thing to give the new episode a try. The biggest improvement? The story. I've seen it a few times in these type of games, but this game has consistently been stepping it up when it comes to storytelling. The tournament was a fun arc, and provided some interesting matchups, jokes, and development for characters like Sveida, who definitely benefitted from a spotlight. The worldbuilding has been really interesting too.

The next thing I love is the dialogue. Sure, I'm sure not every joke will land with everyone since humor is subjective, but I found this episode a lot funnier than the rest, which is impressive considering there's no voice acting, and most of the more fluid animation is saved for the lewdie bits. The banter between Donkey and the announcer, anything with our good ol' Orc, and the one I found the most funny, The Ay Ay Captain bit. IT'S A DUMB BIT BUT MY DUMBASS CHUCKLED EACH TIME. The expressions have gotten a lot better too, managing to convey some physical/slapstick comedy. A lot of the conversations in this chapter felt pretty natural, and the character interactions were refreshing. The scene with Saranhil and the crew defending Sveida, the conversations with her parents, etc. It almost felt like this was more of a character development episode than a sex one, and after looking at it like that, I found it more enjoyable. It makes me wonder how long this story will go, considering that now that gamedev is getting me to care about the characters, setting up their goals, dreams, and arcs and now developing them even further, I wouldn't be surprised if this goes 10-12 episodes, considering the amount of worldbuilding, side characters, intricacies and politics we've been seeing. I for one am pretty intrigued on where we're headed in that regard. No pressure lmao. Sure, if you're here for a point and dick adventure, (Which I do all the time, I totally get it) then I could understand not really caring for these aspects of the episode, but I found it pretty fun.

Another massive improvement was the animation. My lord, I remember in episode 1 where the animation was pretty choppy. The game has come a long way. This episode was ridiculously fluid in the lewdie scenes, and solid in the action scenes. As someone who's tried to write fight scenes, it's hard to deal with choreography, but the animation here was solid. Now as for the more fun animations. They were fantastic this time around, especially the portal handjob and jesus christ the Sveida scene at the end is easily the best sex scene in this game so far imo. The Saranhil one last episode was more satisfying, but this one was damn near perfect. So was the one proceeding it.

Now onto some feedback. I do agree that this episode could have been a tad more sexy. We got some great scenes like the ones I mentioned above, and I did like the double BJ too. I also am a fan of hidden stuff, but I think what we were missing was maybe just one more visceral sex scene. To strike that perfect balance of story and sexy, which I think episode 5 did nail a bit more. That's the only thing I wanted a bit more of.

Lastly this isn't really part of the review, but more kind of wondering what the next step is. It seems like among the girls the secret is out that they're all bangin' good ol Ruru. So that begs the question, where do we go from here? This episode as I mentioned above did wonders for the characterization and development of each of our female companions. So I'm interested in finding out what the next step for them is going to be. There were some hints about Donkey maybe getting closer to the truth, but only time will tell. I for one am still really interesting in finding out where we go next.

So that's my massive fucking wall of text. Sorry, I didn't think it'd go on this long haha. This is the first release I've gotten to be here for so figured I'd throw in my 2 cents.

Gamedev, I fucking love this game, and I'm excited to see what you cook up next.

 

[Sir Gary Bummer]

Oh yeah, I definitely intended to exert control over you with 5-10 dollars per month. Did it work?

I just meant that the months of support and being a general fan were a big deal for me. Couch change for you, I know. I'm not the type to form expectations. Or become invested in a porn game. But this was one of my favorite games on the site. It's my own fault for breaking pattern. Of course no promises were made and nobody was owed anything, but going from a little secret teasing here and there to hiding nearly everything was not on my bingo card. If that works for you, then by all means keep doing your thing.

Yeah, having high hopes and expectations for something and it not living up to those is always disappointing. I don't have expectations of anything since Mass Effect 3, in fact I still have a smoldering hatred for that entire franchise. You always get burned harder by the things you love.

It's just that there's a clear difference between feedback that point out things you don't like, versus feedback that tries to tell someone how they should make their project. The second is just generally unhelpful, even if the intent is good. Should I try to follow the actual advice I'm given by every single person, the game would turn out... awful. Democracy and game design do not go hand-in-hand methinks.

I'd also like to throw my hat in the ring for a review!

I don't disagree with some of the things the reviewer before me mentioned, but I feel it mostly focused on the negatives, and I think it failed to put a spotlight on some of the great things this episode did too. So I wanna take a crack at giving episode 6 a review now that I've finished it and had some time to sit with it.

-Snip-

Cheers! Always happy to hear which jokes land. It's so different writing them instead of throwing one out in person and instantly knowing whether it landed or not. My only metric when writing is whether something makes me laugh, so it's really helpful to hear which ones work for others (or didn't).

Yeah, I've been thinking a lot more on the character arcs, I'm glad it shows through. I feel like I needed to write the characters for a while before I started understanding them, but for most of them I have a pretty good idea now.

The fight scenes are a fun little puzzle, I find. I don't want to put too much time into making them since they're ultimately just a minor thing, at the same time I do want them to feel dynamic. So the goal is to get a sense of action and movement in as few renders as possible. Screen shakes and sound effects do a lot of lifting. As for the animations, yeah, I've learned a ridiculous amount over the course of making this game. I'm still intimidated by the thought of trying to make my own from scratch though, I feel like it'll take more time to learn than I want to spend.

I can certainly see how removing that one extra spicy scene pushed the episode into more of a "character development episode", instead of a Spicy McSpice episode. I do think it's important to find a solid balance, so I'll keep the feedback in mind.

As for where the story is going? Well... Even I don't know for sure. I mean, I have a vague destination in mind, but the journey to get there I'm making up on the go. Structure, order, planning, such things are beyond me. My brain thrives in chaos.

 

[WzS]

I don't have expectations of anything since Mass Effect 3

I can 100% relate, still remember that day being the most upset I've ever been because of a game, it also taught me to never buy a game on release again.

Should I try to follow the actual advice I'm given by every single person, the game would turn out... awful.

For sure having a clear vision for the story you want to tell is vital, and adjustments can still be made.

Structure, order, planning, such things are beyond me.

I'm just glad you got a good head on your shoulders, despite the chaos.


A word on criticism. You probably know this, but the more popular you get, more people will judge what you create and naturally the portion of nonsensical/unhelpful criticism will greatly increase. And it does get to a point where most authors just start ignoring everyone's feedback, or at least not bothering responding, and I would certainly not hold it against you for that, in fact it would probably even be prudent at that point.

But that's just me always worrying about the mental state of anyone creating something I like, so bear with me.

 

[Sir Gary Bummer]

I can 100% relate, still remember that day being the most upset I've ever been because of a game, it also taught me to never buy a game on release again.

For sure having a clear vision for the story you want to tell is vital, and adjustments can still be made.

I'm just glad you got a good head on your shoulders, despite the chaos.


A word on criticism. You probably know this, but the more popular you get, more people will judge what you create and naturally the portion of nonsensical/unhelpful criticism will greatly increase. And it does get to a point where most authors just start ignoring everyone's feedback, or at least not bothering responding, and I would certainly not hold it against you for that, in fact it would probably even be prudent at that point.

But that's just me always worrying about the mental state of anyone creating something I like, so bear with me.

Ah, a fellow ME3 victim. Yeah, I can't remember ever being more upset by a game either.

For sure it's most important to consider one's own mental health first, but so far I've mostly enjoyed chatting with people about the game. I'm sure that could change at some point, and if it ever feels like it takes more from me than it gives, I'll probably reconsider. Not like there's much I can do to influence it, so there's no point worrying about it for now. Thanks for worrying for me, though.

 

[Mommysbuttslut]

Ah, a fellow ME3 victim. Yeah, I can't remember ever being more upset by a game either.

For sure it's most important to consider one's own mental health first, but so far I've mostly enjoyed chatting with people about the game. I'm sure that could change at some point, and if it ever feels like it takes more from me than it gives, I'll probably reconsider. Not like there's much I can do to influence it, so there's no point worrying about it for now. Thanks for worrying for me, though.

I'm probably about to be crucified, but I somewhat recently replayed the entire ME trilogy after almost a decade and honestly, they all suck. Probably seems worse since I played manshep, forgetting how much of a fucking boy scout he is, but all three games were just not good all around. The series just hasn't aged well. With the exception of a few characters the dialogues aren't very well written, the story isn't bad but comes off as kinda generic at this point, the characters expressions are really stiff and the voice acting is not good. Maybe I'll give it another playthrough with femshep to see if that's better enough but honestly, that game is best remembered and not played at this point.
Still, watching Shep making a colossal ass of himself on the dance floor again did almost make up for it ruining my childhood memories.

 

[Sir Gary Bummer]

I'm probably about to be crucified, but I somewhat recently replayed the entire ME trilogy after almost a decade and honestly, they all suck. Probably seems worse since I played manshep, forgetting how much of a fucking boy scout he is, but all three games were just not good all around. The series just hasn't aged well. With the exception of a few characters the dialogues aren't very well written, the story isn't bad but comes off as kinda generic at this point, the characters expressions are really stiff and the voice acting is not good. Maybe I'll give it another playthrough with femshep to see if that's better enough but honestly, that game is best remembered and not played at this point.
Still, watching Shep making a colossal ass of himself on the dance floor again did almost make up for it ruining my childhood memories.

It's been too long for me to remember much of the writing, so nostalgia goggles might be doing some work there. I do remember being really intrigued by the story in ME1, which had this entire mystery thing going for it. That part probably doesn't work quite as well once one knows the story to come. The gameplay has probably not aged in its favor either.

I still remember some of the characters with fondness though, which I suppose helps feed the smoldering flames of hatred.

 

[Ser Lordypants]

Yeah, having high hopes and expectations for something and it not living up to those is always disappointing. I don't have expectations of anything since Mass Effect 3, in fact I still have a smoldering hatred for that entire franchise. You always get burned harder by the things you love.

It's just that there's a clear difference between feedback that point out things you don't like, versus feedback that tries to tell someone how they should make their project. The second is just generally unhelpful, even if the intent is good. Should I try to follow the actual advice I'm given by every single person, the game would turn out... awful. Democracy and game design do not go hand-in-hand methinks.

It's not how I think you should make your project. It's how you were already making the project. It was an expectation informed by the previous chapters. You were showing the scenes. There were far fewer hidden ones. And for some of those texts that Donkey got, the player actually saw the full scenes. Remember?

It's also how most games here tend to develop. More spicy scenes over time, not less. Not 1 per hour of gameplay. Not 2-3 per update when updates come twice a year. You've had an account since 2017, surely you get that.

Now, I'm not complaining about how long it took. Not at all. This is clearly a spare time passion project type deal. But it's still a bit of factor. If this was an intermediary update focused on story and there was a bunch of spice to look forward to 2 months from now, this wouldn't sting as much. And I've said it before, I do really like the story. But this wasn't about time or work, it was an intentional design choice. So I can't expect anything different in the future.

I never got through Mass Effect 2. Felt like they ditched the rpg mechanics and made it a mission based shooter. Like Halo or something. I put it down after a few hours. Maybe I didn't get far enough for it to open up.
Veilguard though... What a let down. Not because of trans options or any of the other nonsense most people are crying about. They gutted everything that made the franchise good. Strategic combat became hack and slash. Companions became cheerleaders. Meaningful choices disappeared. Open world became so linear that even the maps were a straight line.

 

[Sir Gary Bummer]

It's not how I think you should make your project. It's how you were already making the project. It was an expectation informed by the previous chapters. You were showing the scenes. There were far fewer hidden ones. And for some of those texts that Donkey got, the player actually saw the full scenes. Remember?

It's also how most games here tend to develop. More spicy scenes over time, not less. Not 1 per hour of gameplay. Not 2-3 per update when updates come twice a year. You've had an account since 2017, surely you get that.

I mean, now you're just arguing in bad faith. The first three episodes had a grand total of three scenes. The first release was about one and a half years ago, so that's now six episodes released within that span of time.

Veilguard though... What a let down. Not because of trans options or any of the other nonsense most people are crying about. They gutted everything that made the franchise good. Strategic combat became hack and slash. Companions became cheerleaders. Meaningful choices disappeared. Open world became so linear that even the maps were a straight line.

I really enjoyed Origins, but I gave up on that franchise with Dragon Age 2. I don't even remember what I disliked, maybe it was just that forgettable. Never saw the point in trying the rest.

 

[Doner077]

I didnt have any expectations for the games you guys mentioned because i was too young when they came out / wasnt fluent in english. My love for the genre started in the pandemic with fallout nv and the remastered mass effect trilogy, so they were really enjoyable as a person who went in blind (if you dont count the memes + their general reputation in rpg spaces). And as a person who dont mind playing older looking games i have a huge catalog like that to go through in case i want it + can afford not to even be bothered with mediocre games like veilguard especially i saw angryjoes review for it. Rn i started dark messiah of might and magic from arkane studios after recently finishing witcher 3

 

[Ser Lordypants]

I mean, now you're just arguing in bad faith. The first three episodes had a grand total of three scenes. The first release was about one and a half years ago, so that's now six episodes released within that span of time.

I really enjoyed Origins, but I gave up on that franchise with Dragon Age 2. I don't even remember what I disliked, maybe it was just that forgettable. Never saw the point in trying the rest.

You're right, I did exaggerate. I discovered the game shortly before chapter 4 released. So my experience was seeing things heat up nicely. Visually. And seeing the updates take longer. Which I'm not criticizing.

DA 2 had less strategic combat and the whole game took place inside one city. It was quite a departure from the first. Some people liked it, some didn't. I didn't. Inquisition felt more like Origins, or a fusion of the two at least, and was solid.

I didnt have any expectations for the games you guys mentioned because i was too young when they came out / wasnt fluent in english. My love for the genre started in the pandemic with fallout nv and the remastered mass effect trilogy, so they were really enjoyable as a person who went in blind (if you dont count the memes + their general reputation in rpg spaces). And as a person who dont mind playing older looking games i have a huge catalog like that to go through in case i want it + can afford not to even be bothered with mediocre games like veilguard especially i saw angryjoes review for it. Rn i started dark messiah of might and magic from arkane studios after recently finishing witcher 3

The gaming world has had to lower their expectations to the ground and they're still not being met. It's tragic. Tragic like me playing Gothic 2 while you call The Witcher 3 old looking lol. I've actually heard great things about the whole Mass Effect trilogy, I didn't know 3 disappointed people. I know Andromeda did though.