Ren'Py -u4ia- [Ep3.01p] [DriftyGames]

[John972]

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'can't wait!

The trailer animation makes me think it's an island of lost souls, so many troubled characters.

On a positive note, there's several new gorgeous women in the trailer, including Anita's roommate... and it's always great to see the adorable Sea.

 

[cumsumnida]

View attachment 3113191

I really don’t like that it’s going to take 9 months for the 2nd chapter to come out.

Chapter 1 didn’t establish a strong narrative hook, so I was hoping the Chapter 2 would come out soon to really sell the story to players and drum up more interest on this site.

 

[DuckDairyDip]

I really don’t like that it’s going to take 9 months for the 2nd chapter to come out.

Chapter 1 didn’t establish a strong narrative hook, so I was hoping the Chapter 2 would come out soon to really sell the story to players and drum up more interest on this site.

Yeah, I completely agree with this. I can understand it taking 9 months considering what the dev is trying to achieve and the mechanics being implemented, but the first episode didn't really sell the game well. It didn't provide much and while there are several interesting aspects, the way it ended felt abrupt and it didn't feel like I really learned a lot as a player. Unless someone is a fan of the dev due to their previous work, would not be surprised if many people jumped off after episode 1 since it does feel underwhelming as an introduction to this story.

 

[Abhai]

just curious that no one is finding at least a bit "strange" that the dev is able to set precise data two months in advance?
everything is as peachy as it could be

 

[John972]

Yeah, I completely agree with this. I can understand it taking 9 months considering what the dev is trying to achieve and the mechanics being implemented, but the first episode didn't really sell the game well. It didn't provide much and while there are several interesting aspects, the way it ended felt abrupt and it didn't feel like I really learned a lot as a player. Unless someone is a fan of the dev due to their previous work, would not be surprised if many people jumped off after episode 1 since it does feel underwhelming as an introduction to this story.

Each to their own, I guess.

I, on the other hand, though it was a solid opening for a first release - lots of content, sexy times, and an intriguing plot (where everything obviously isn't answered in Ch 1). I reserve judgement on the traits system, since it's only Chapter 1.

Funny you should mention the Dev's "previous game". Did you ever play it from the start? I presume not, considering it's very modest opening chapter relative to it's later popularity and the size of the -u4ia- first release:

Leap of Faith - 1st Release:

Changelog:

Leap of Faith - Chapter 1

I'm glad to be able to present you with the first chapter of Leap of Faith. It's been great fun developing, consisting of almost 500 still renders and 250 animated ones, along with 5000 lines of source-code and dialogue.

-u4ia- - 1st Release:

Changelog:
Ep1.01c

• 1,907 story renders
• 16,764 animated frames
• 18,770 lines of script/dialogue
• 33 songs (1 exclusive)
• More than 400 UI elements
• u4ia is running on Ren'Py 8.1.0 - Prerelease (which should fix lagging animations and CPU spikes issues on mid to low end computers)

 

[DuckDairyDip]

Each to their own, I guess.

I, on the other hand, though it was a solid opening for a first release - lots of content, sexy times, and an intriguing plot (where everything obviously isn't answered in Ch 1). I reserve judgement on the traits system, since it's only Chapter 1.

Funny you should mention the Dev's "previous game". Did you ever play it from the start? I presume not, considering it's very modest opening chapter relative to it's later popularity and the size of the -u4ia- first release:

Leap of Faith - 1st Release:


-u4ia- - 1st Release:

I played the first release of Leap of Faith the day the thread appeared on F95. I actually have a bunch of nagging issues with the overall plot structure of Leap of Faith. But much like Leap of Faith, my issues with -ufia- are the kind of thing that probably won't matter as much when the full game is released in comparison to following its development like this as episodes release. Drifty is a strong writer even if I don't like certain things, it's always about the actual structure and never the quality itself. I find it a bit strange to put focus on the amount of renders and animations in these initial releases though. You can have an initial release with not many renders but still find a way to intrigue the players while also setting up things in a way to provide enough information about what is ahead. My issue isn't about the amount of content, just how everything was utilized. It's the first episode, nothing needs to be answered but there should be solid setup. Not saying Drifty didn't setup anything, but that there is no real idea where anything is going and kind of just dumps a bunch of mysteries and questions with not much depth to them yet or even the illusion of a potential path to the next step when even looking towards episode 2. As I said, Drifty is going for a more ambitious game here which is why development time makes sense. The sandbox sections, the skill tree, etc. It's a lot more involved and their second major project like this, so scaling up makes sense.

 

[cumsumnida]

I played the first release of Leap of Faith the day the thread appeared on F95. I actually have a bunch of nagging issues with the overall plot structure of Leap of Faith. But much like Leap of Faith, my issues with -ufia- are the kind of thing that probably won't matter as much when the full game is released in comparison to following its development like this as episodes release. Drifty is a strong writer even if I don't like certain things, it's always about the actual structure and never the quality itself. I find it a bit strange to put focus on the amount of renders and animations in these initial releases though. You can have an initial release with not many renders but still find a way to intrigue the players while also setting up things in a way to provide enough information about what is ahead. My issue isn't about the amount of content, just how everything was utilized. It's the first episode, nothing needs to be answered but there should be solid setup. Not saying Drifty didn't setup anything, but that there is no real idea where anything is going and kind of just dumps a bunch of mysteries and questions with not much depth to them yet or even the illusion of a potential path to the next step when even looking towards episode 2. As I said, Drifty is going for a more ambitious game here which is why development time makes sense. The sandbox sections, the skill tree, etc. It's a lot more involved and their second major project like this, so scaling up makes sense.

Exactly. At this point:

1) we don’t really know what “it’s about” with the current content in the game. It feels vague. Compared to Being A DIK or Artemis, these other games establish clearly what it’s going to be about. There’s a strong sense for the narrative.

2) Obviously u4ia is an AVN, and the trailers keep teasing that there’s some mystery, but the game itself hasn’t yet established the premise of the mystery. Secret treasure? A murder? Revenge plot?…

A lot of recent games like Summer Heat,Dreamland, A Shot in the Dark and Vinovella have intrigue/mystery as the core plot line. I think the Vinovella mystery plot starts off strongest.

3) the most intriguing thing about this game was the MC skills mechanic. The game seems to be designed around branching alot, so I hope it’s designed well.

I thought LoF was ok at best (writing feels sloppy, contrived and too convenient), but appreciate how well put together u4ia is. The dev has improved a lot technically and this game should’ve got more fanfare considering the number of LoF players.

I hope the dev’s writing improves too because this is a whole different genre.

 

[John972]

I played the first release of Leap of Faith the day the thread appeared on F95. I actually have a bunch of nagging issues with the overall plot structure of Leap of Faith. But much like Leap of Faith, my issues with -ufia- are the kind of thing that probably won't matter as much when the full game is released in comparison to following its development like this as episodes release. Drifty is a strong writer even if I don't like certain things, it's always about the actual structure and never the quality itself. I find it a bit strange to put focus on the amount of renders and animations in these initial releases though. You can have an initial release with not many renders but still find a way to intrigue the players while also setting up things in a way to provide enough information about what is ahead. My issue isn't about the amount of content, just how everything was utilized. It's the first episode, nothing needs to be answered but there should be solid setup. Not saying Drifty didn't setup anything, but that there is no real idea where anything is going and kind of just dumps a bunch of mysteries and questions with not much depth to them yet or even the illusion of a potential path to the next step when even looking towards episode 2. As I said, Drifty is going for a more ambitious game here which is why development time makes sense. The sandbox sections, the skill tree, etc. It's a lot more involved and their second major project like this, so scaling up makes sense.

I only mentioned the amount of renders because I also played the first LOF release, and when I read your post, my first thought was that -u4ia- had much more content (and a more complicated plot) on its first release than LoF. The unstated point I was trying to make is that LoF had a modest although solid start and developed well from there (both in content and followers/players), so I'm awaiting further releases of -u4ia- to pass judgement.

Exactly. At this point:

1) we don’t really know what “it’s about” with the current content in the game. It feels vague. Compared to Being A DIK or Artemis, these other games establish clearly what it’s going to be about. There’s a strong sense for the narrative.

2) Obviously u4ia is an AVN, and the trailers keep teasing that there’s some mystery, but the game itself hasn’t yet established the premise of the mystery. Secret treasure? A murder? Revenge plot?…

A lot of recent games like Summer Heat,Dreamland, A Shot in the Dark and Vinovella have intrigue/mystery as the core plot line. I think the Vinovella mystery plot starts off strongest.

3) the most intriguing thing about this game was the MC skills mechanic. The game seems to be designed around branching alot, so I hope it’s designed well.

I thought LoF was ok at best (writing feels sloppy, contrived and too convenient), but appreciate how well put together u4ia is. The dev has improved a lot technically and this game should’ve got more fanfare considering the number of LoF players.

I hope the dev’s writing improves too because this is a whole different genre.

LoF was it's own kind of story - almost like the Hallmark of AVNs Yes, it had some fantastical plot elements (a la the Joe Nobody hooks up with Pop Superstar angle), but the characterizations of the LIs weren't as one-dimensional as many AVNs and Drifty based the Cece storyline on his own personal experience (albeit with the happy ending he was denied IRL).

With the setup of -u4ia-, I think various plot elements are there, we just don't yet know how they connect or why. I am trusting Drifty at this stage, and I like the idea that the plot will develop like putting a jigsaw together or peeling off the layers of an onion - almost like the 'Lost' of AVNs . To me it's enough NOT to know what the hell is going on in the -u4ia-verse in episode 1, since I hope that means the plot isn't too cliched and easy to guess. Time will tell....

I also am intrigued by the skills mechanic. It'll be interesting to see how it develops and is integrated into the plot/narrative.

PS - the writing and plots of 99% of the AVNs on F95 are "too convenient" (I, for one, have never got it on with any of my past landladies, although I have 'snogged' a Miss Universe)

 

[camube]

anyone know how long in terms of words or total renders will episode 2 will be, or at least so far?

 

[camube]

I really don’t like that it’s going to take 9 months for the 2nd chapter to come out.

Chapter 1 didn’t establish a strong narrative hook, so I was hoping the Chapter 2 would come out soon to really sell the story to players and drum up more interest on this site.

same it's way too long. Anything that takes more than 7 months is far too long for in-development games cuz then it would take 5 years to finish.

 

[DrakaF]

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This week I spent most of the time in Ren'Py and adding renders where I felt they were needed.
I decided to finally re-do the old perks system from episode 1 of u4ia, and I'm very happy about the result. In the new revised version, you choose a perk at the start of every episode, and you also have a choice later on in the episode that will affect your stats.
The perks will automatically help you as you play, and the stats will affect how you handle certain situations later on. These are mostly meant to boost your character for what will happen in season 2, but they will also come into play to a lesser degree for episodes 3 and 4.
I have also been working on one of two big free-roams, and I had a lot of fun doing so. It's nice not to have the December deadline hanging over me, as it was exhausting, and as a result, I'm enjoying myself much more working now.
Next week I'll continue working in Ren'Py work with scripting and dialogue. The positive is that this isn't complicated work, so there's good progress for every hour I put in. The only downside is that there's still a lot of Ren'Py work remaining.
As always, if you have questions or thoughts, feel free to drop them in the comments. And as we enter December, once again thank you for the support. I'll do my best to give you as much content as possible for the release.
Have a nice weekend, and stay safe out there.
// Drifty

 

[Marley300]

Dev Diary, December 8th, 2023

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Open post this time, due to the Promotion further down.

Another week of mostly scripting. I managed to output more than 4k lines of script and dialogue, so it's good progress.
Compared to episode 1, which was about 18k lines in total, I'm sure I'll surpass that by a whole lot.

Other than that, I rendered more scenes where needed and made cutouts of interactable objects in the free-roams. Started working on phone events. Prepared a scene gallery of lewd scenes in addition to improving the existing picture gallery.

I also decided to tie some strings together with another game you might know of.

Promotion
Lastly, I just thought I'd do a little promotion, although I never do them usually. Also, I was not asked to do this. I just feel it's very deserving.

• On Steam, the biggest game engine is Unreal, whose company is valued at around 15 billion dollars.
• The second biggest game engine is Unity, which is also valued at around 15 billion dollars.
• The third biggest game engine on Steam is Ren'Py, where the sole developer has a Patreon with around 400 members.

Ren'Py is an easy-to-use, and free game engine, to help make visual novels. Leap of Faith and U4iA are both bade with Ren'Py. So is another big title that has a release today. And a whole lot of other visual novels. Most of them would never have seen the light of day if it hadn't been for Ren'Py.

Although Ren'Py is built on Pygame, Ren'Py is developed and maintained by Tom Rothamel, who earlier this year celebrated 10 years as a developer - which I assume he meant 10 years as a full-time developer, as he started working on Ren'Py on the 30th of January, 2004.

With that in mind, he's been working on Ren'Py for two decades come next month. Without his work, and giving it away to anybody who wants to use it, you would probably not have been able to play most of these games.

If you think that is deserving of support, and like playing these games, head over to his Patreon at

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and show some love in appreciation for what he's done. And... you also get useful tips, tricks, and updates monthly, if you want to start tinkering in Ren'Py yourself.

Have a nice weekend, and stay safe out there.

// Drifty

 

[voltairepop]

I am not a big fan of the girl models this time. Look kinda generic. But the story, songs and mechanics are top-notch. This is pulling me in. Good work.

 

[Abhai]

I am not a big fan of the girl models this time. Look kinda generic. But the story, songs and mechanics are top-notch. This is pulling me in. Good work.

and what is pulling me in are those yearly (for now) updates

 

[John972]

and what is pulling me in are those yearly (for now) updates

A very belated welcome to F95 and planet Earth.

As our first confirmed Venusian board member (where nearly eight months equals one year), I hope you are enjoying the full range of earthling sexual proclivities that F95 has to offer (and that the number and location of earthling sexual organs meets with your satisfaction)... A Venusian experiencing Earthling sexuality brings new meaning to the phrase, 'first contact'. /s

On a serious note - so many good games are on a 7 to 14 month update cycle these days.

 

[DrakaF]

Dev Diary, December 15th, 2023

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I finally finished the 'hotel free-roam' this week, and I'm extremely happy with how it turned out.
One of the reasons it took so much work and time, is that I will re-use it in episode 4, and thus save some time when I get to that part. Because of this, I had to think ahead on most I did, so that later on I can start or end the free-roam on any floor, fill in navigation info for future events, and introduce more random events.
I've made quite a few random events already, and when I get to chapter 4, I will introduce more. So at a later point when you replay the full season (all 4 episodes), you can run into a newly introduced random event already in episode 2.
Another reason it took so much time, was that it consists of more than 20 unique scenes with variations (by the way, by scenes, I don't mean 20 lewd scenes, but yes, some of those too). So there should be plenty enough for everyone to explore. And with the new navigation panel, you can easily see where people are, and go spend time with who you want. It also introduces a lot of new people that you might want to meet.
So, when the free-roam was done, I sped ahead with normal scenes, finishing up three major ones. I also finished a tiny free-roam that helps you build your character. If you don't like free-roams, you can skip that one.
For this week, I'll probably finish everything except the last beach scene, which I suspect is about 1/3 of the chapter, and also needs a lot of rendering. But unless I'm introducing new lewd scenes (could be), I'm done with the animations.
Even though I'm throwing around 'free-roams' a lot, u4ia is still a story-based visual novel, and every episode will lead toward the event which is the season finale. So I'm building towards that, so that it will feel like a proper season finale, and not some added images.
Finally, I want to thank you for the response to my last update's promotion for RenpyTom. It seems a lot of you went and gave your support to him which shows on this graph when it starts going up abruptly. It's fully deserved, and thank you.


It's almost Christmas now, and I hope life treats you well. I'll be back next week with a bit more festive update from the girls.
Enjoy yourself, and stay safe out there.
// Drifty

 

[tslojr]

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It's not so much a normal update this week, which can be summarized into me continuing the work in Renpy, doing Christmas customs, and a little something for you.
I assume most of you have played Leap of Faith and seen the Christmas bonus scene (which is now horribly dismantled because of no sound).
Originally, it was meant to be a part of one of the endings, although very different. I decided to scrap the idea because I didn't want any seasonal stuff as a part of the main story.
In short, like the Christmas bonus scene that's in the game, they were all going to prepare for Christmas - lots of presents, a tree, good food and all that. In the background is Cece, observing that they are all doing all kinds of things to prepare. It's a bit hectic. And suddenly, they notice that Cece's not there anymore. So they start looking for her.
In the end, they realize she's gone up on the roof, so they all go there and find her sitting on the edge of the roof. Of course, they don't have good experience with her sitting on the edge of tall things, so they cautiously approach her.
She explains to them that she found it much better to sit there, because things were so stressful down below, inside the house. So they all end up sitting down and just enjoying the moment.

And with that, I hope you all have a nice Christmas and have a moment to lower your shoulders and just relax. And for those of you who don't celebrate Christmas, have yourself a nice weekend.
I'll have a dev update pause next week but will be back on the first Friday of the new year.
Thank you once again for your support throughout the year. I hope you realize how much it means to me.
Cheers, everyone.
// Drifty

 

[Facttho]

The writing is awesome but idk about the story and these li, have high expectations for sea and the custom li

 

[shamtiiomi]

how i can get the thresome scene ? i tried evrything and no positive results.can someone give any tips?

 

[tslojr]

Dev Diary, January 5th, 2024, and Happy New Year!

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Hi everyone, and Happy New Year to you all.
I took a few days off during the holidays, but nothing major. Most of the days I did at least something on the game.
Work done.
Mostly, what I've done is work on the script, in-game events, new and improved UI elements, and so forth. Accompanied with doing extra renders where needed.
Work to be done.
I have a full bullet list of small things to do, in addition to rendering 6 full small to medium scenes. I'd like to add a little shower scene with Celeste also, if nothing else just for the eye candy. However, that depends a bit on any unexpected problems arising.
Getting there.
So, today marks two weeks until beta testing begins, so it's 14 days of overtime at least. Followed by 7 days of beta-testing and corrections to bugs and typos they find, and the actual release weekend which is plenty stressful in itself. These last weeks are always extra work-loaded, but it's good fun too.
Looking very much forward to showing you the fruits of my labor, and the result of what you've been supporting.
So with that, have a nice weekend. And yeah... we're getting there.
// Drifty