VN Ren'Py Abandoned Were Never Seen Again [Ch. 2] [Betrayal]

[KingDickey]

What does the onscreen kills option do in Settings? Is it implying that unless ticked, characters only die off-screen and you can't see?

 

[JoeTheMC84]

Two male protagonists but three males in the banner... I think I have a guess on who the first victim of the monster is going to be,

But in all seriousness, multiple protagonist games can be tough to pull off for a lot of reason. It's even harder if they are both males. Not least of the reasons is because most players will associate more with one over the other or may even dislike one altogether. It could cause some people to be upset because the one they don't like might get the girl they like most because you have said some girls may be exclusive to one guy. You've set up a potential problem where your two main characters are competing not just for love interests in game, but even player interest out of game. And then there is the added problem of workload, each main protagonist needs equal time, or it will seem like you prefer one over the other and then that begs the question of why you made them both main characters to begin with.

This is all just me thinking of this as a fellow storyteller and writer myself (I'm writing some VN's myself right now but still struggle with the 3D art part of it too much to get anything out to the public). I applaud your bravery in trying to tell a story this way and really do wish you the best.

I may check it out later if we are able to save at least all the love interests by the end. If a love interest will die no matter what then this game won't be for me, so I'll wait for a spoiler on that or a walkthrough.

I don't like going into games, especially games were main characters and love interests can die, without spoilers or a walkthrough. I hate negative anticipation, its why horror is my least favorite genre. But if I know what's going to happen it turns negative anticipation into positive anticipation which is why two of my favorite movies are horror movies.

I'm a fan of spoilers. It turns the questions of "what's going to happen" and "are they going to die" into the more positive questions of "how this or that is going to happen" and "how are these characters going to get out" (and if you know they won't get out of it you can now laugh at all their stupid choices instead of being upset at how dumb they were). It's why we reread books, rewatch movies, and replay games even though we know exactly what is going to happen. Positive anticipation is so much more powerful than negative anticipation. But I know spoilers aren't for everyone and not everyone wants a walkthrough.

 

[TerumiNin]

For a game looking to have a lot of choices having the option to skip would be nice. I know it's there on replay but it also counts scenes that have been seen as not with a different pick sometimes. Also eliminates having to make so many saves.

 

[Yuri L]

I'll ask the most important question: Will we have a chance to kill the evil? I ask because I hope it's not like those horror film franchises that go on for 20 years not knowing when to stop milking one villain haha

Edit: Just realised the title name and now my hopes are sinking

 

[twiztid]

Let us start by saying I love this style. It gives the feel of a classic Horror Movie. Each character has their own personality, which is great. You don't just hop in the game and start flirting. Apart from the grammar this game is pretty solid.

 

[Vendrik Valgar]

uhh sheessshh~ we got some horror in here, my bottom is up popcorn is made sit back and relax

 

[RPDL]

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[I-Love-Adventure]

nice game thank you

 

[Glasses!]

Two male protagonists but three males in the banner... I think I have a guess on who the first victim of the monster is going to be,

It'd be such a cliche... But I love it! Yay! Poor guy haven't even appeared in first chapters, I think it'd be so rude to kill him just after he'd speak a few lines, oh... terrible, terrible me...

But in all seriousness, multiple protagonist games can be tough to pull off for a lot of reason. It's even harder if they are both males. Not least of the reasons is because most players will associate more with one over the other or may even dislike one altogether. It could cause some people to be upset because the one they don't like might get the girl they like most because you have said some girls may be exclusive to one guy.

Yes, I understand that may become a problem and be kinda frustrating. Hovewer, in my opinion, it's even a bigger problem to write relationships between two characters with incompatible personalities, it'd look unrealistic and unbelievable. This can be solved either by making all of the LI "compatible" to MC, or by making a MC unrealistically handsome and charming and overall "sex machine", you know what I mean.

You've set up a potential problem where your two main characters are competing not just for love interests in game, but even player interest out of game.

Competing for love interests is actually an opposite of the previous problem — if the player likes a certain girl and a certain boy and would like to see them kissing, then he'd be pleased. But the coolest thing in having multiple male protagonists is: This way of setting up the story saves me, the author, from writing unrealistic contrived dialogues if the player meets a girl he would like to fuck, but this girl and the MC have completely opposite, not matching personalities. I didn't want to make the girls in the game unrealistically lecherous, ready to fuck the first person they meet, so two MCs with very different personalities partially solve this problem.
About competing on the player's interest... well, I know, I know, think of it as an experiment. Seriously, I don't know if there are more pros than cons, but still it allows me to add some really fresh and intriguing situations, like the one in first episode, when one MC is faced with the choice of whether to take the other's word for it, or the funny dialogue in the second episode, where both MCs get choices when talking to each other ("Stay with Rick and Kat" option). In fact, the list of what can potentially be done only with multiple protagonists in the game is endless. I personaly love of the way it was done in GTA V, where players can ask one protagonist to hang out with other.
Still, as I said, it's an experimental approach.

And then there is the added problem of workload, each main protagonist needs equal time, or it will seem like you prefer one over the other and then that begs the question of why you made them both main characters to begin with.

True. This is actually the hardest part for me, because I don't want the MCs to be like "A real MC and his sidekick".

I may check it out later if we are able to save at least all the love interests by the end. If a love interest will die no matter what then this game won't be for me, so I'll wait for a spoiler on that or a walkthrough.
I don't like going into games, especially games were main characters and love interests can die, without spoilers or a walkthrough. I hate negative anticipation, its why horror is my least favorite genre. But if I know what's going to happen it turns negative anticipation into positive anticipation which is why two of my favorite movies are horror movies.
I'm a fan of spoilers. It turns the questions of "what's going to happen" and "are they going to die" into the more positive questions of "how this or that is going to happen" and "how are these characters going to get out" (and if you know they won't get out of it you can now laugh at all their stupid choices instead of being upset at how dumb they were). It's why we reread books, rewatch movies, and replay games even though we know exactly what is going to happen. Positive anticipation is so much more powerful than negative anticipation. But I know spoilers aren't for everyone and not everyone wants a walkthrough.

Here I can definitely say that not all characters will make it. What kind of slasher would it be if all the teenagers came home alive and in one piece? Even more, I can totally understand you about negative anticipation — there are slasher movies that I had to drop in the middle of, just because I've felt in love with a certain character, and knowing that character is going do die (because of not being the obvious

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) is making me sick.
However, this one is the game. With choices. Canonical movie "

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" wouldn't work here, at least not in a straightforward way. Just think of it — while in movie realm a random (jerk/bully/nerd/freak/loser/bore) is definately doomed, here (because choices have to matter) it is unclear if author would kill or spare him/her. It's that uncertainty that makes you cross your fingers for the characters, right?
Still, if you insist on spoilers, you're welcome to PM me here or on discord.

This is all just me thinking of this as a fellow storyteller and writer myself (I'm writing some VN's myself right now but still struggle with the 3D art part of it too much to get anything out to the public). I applaud your bravery in trying to tell a story this way and really do wish you the best.

It's actually easy to tell by the questions you pose (or, at least, a big lover of movies/books). Good luck with your own game, too, I already interested in playing it just because you question the things that many other VN writers don't.

 

[JoeTheMC84]

Thanks for the reply.

It'd be such a cliche... But I love it! Yay! Poor guy haven't even appeared in first chapters, I think it'd be so rude to kill him just after he'd speak a few lines, oh... terrible, terrible me...

Cliches are a thing for a reason, right?

I didn't want to make the girls in the game unrealistically lecherous, ready to fuck the first person they meet, so two MCs with very different personalities partially solve this problem.

Interesting, I had not thought about that aspect of it. I definitely don't like games where it seems like every girl just a closet slut waiting for the main character to show up so they can get banged by him.

About competing on the player's interest... well, I know, I know, think of it as an experiment. Seriously, I don't know if there are more pros than cons... I personally love of the way it was done in GTA V, where players can ask one protagonist to hang out with other.
Still, as I said, it's an experimental approach.

True. This is actually the hardest part for me, because I don't want the MCs to be like "A real MC and his sidekick".

GTA V is probably one of the few games I've seen pull it off, so if that's a game you're seeing some inspiration from then maybe you can too. And again, I really hope you do because this seems like an intriguing game. Experiments are good.

Here I can definitely say that not all characters will make it... Still, if you insist on spoilers, you're welcome to PM me here or on discord.

Oh man , Well once this game is at the top of my list of games to play (which I have added it too) then I will be hitting you up about some spoilers,

It's actually easy to tell by the questions you pose (or, at least, a big lover of movies/books). Good luck with your own game, too, I already interested in playing it just because you question the things that many other VN writers don't.

Thanks for the complement! The main thing holding back right now is 3D assets and my own skills at rendering. The writing and coding are super easy for me, but I don't have any assets and making renders even with what have never seems to turn out well. It's a learning curve and I respect anyone who is making a go of it. If I get anything ready to show, I'll hit you up to check it out.

 

[Glasses!]

What does the onscreen kills option do in Settings? Is it implying that unless ticked, characters only die off-screen and you can't see?

"Onscreen kills" and "offscreen kills" are common terms to describe the way murders are shown in horror films. The essence of "offscreen kills" is that at the moment of mortal danger the victims run away, hide, scream, then the murderer draws a knife/ axe/blade over them in close-up, then we hear a scream over a black screen. The "onscreen kills" are the opposite of it.

The dark scenes in the preview images look way too bright.
It seems like the colors go from 16-255 instead of 0-255.

Yep. It's intended, I tried to match the visual style of the game to 80s slashers.

Like this one. See, the black color is pitched up. I think it's because the old tube televisions had kinescopes that couldn't represent pure black.

For a game looking to have a lot of choices having the option to skip would be nice.

The "tab" and "ctrl" buttons still work, despite their settings are hidden. I use them often for debugging purposes.

I know it's there on replay but it also counts scenes that have been seen as not with a different pick sometimes. Also eliminates having to make so many saves.

Guess this is happening because the game is full of lines depending on the character's mood and attitude towards the MC.

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I'll ask the most important question: Will we have a chance to kill the evil? I ask because I hope it's not like those horror film franchises that go on for 20 years not knowing when to stop milking one villain haha
Edit: Just realised the title name and now my hopes are sinking

Why do you guys keep asking for spoilers?

Let us start by saying I love this style. It gives the feel of a classic Horror Movie. Each character has their own personality, which is great. You don't just hop in the game and start flirting. Apart from the grammar this game is pretty solid.

Thanks for the kind words. About the grammar - well, I tried my best, but in general I could use a proofreader, that's true.

 

[Yuri L]

Why do you guys keep asking for spoilers?

Hey don't blame the others! As far as I can see, I'm the only one who has asked a story-related question about the monster.

 

[Glasses!]

I don't know about 80's CRTs, but it looks pretty awful on monitors that can display true blacks imo.
Especially with Honey Select graphics (which don't look like any old movies).

Sadly, I knew that this kind of stylization might not appeal to some players. But I still thought it would make the game look better. Anyway, there's about 1000 images, and I'm so lazy to redo them all. I already did that once at a certain point in development, though, there were about 400 images by the time, but it still took me a few days.
Still, I think for the next chapters I might darken the black a little bit, so the new renders won't contrast with the ones I already have.

Spoiler: Comparison

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[Ragnar]

I actually came up with that idea too, but I couldn't decide how to make a game out of it. Look, let's say we have an adult non-kinetic VN about a serial killer and a group of teenagers, in which the player controls the actions of the killer. How do you, in general terms, imagine its gameplay?

Well you have two ways to go. The psycho is one of the members of the group or they are an outside force or person.
Storywise there are many ways to go. In example you can stalk and eliminate the dudes and kidnap and brainwash the girls.
Gameplay can be to choose the appropriate moment and victim with game overs if you make mistakes.

 

[HansDampf788]

I was already skeptical because of the multiple protagonists and reading the Dev posts confirms my worries so the game goes straight to the ignore list.

 

[TiffanyMonroe]

So... what do you think of Yandere Simulator, by the way?

Is that another one of your games?

 

[KingDickey]

Thank you for the quick reply! Loved the setup so far, great job

 

[SharkVampire]

I haven't played this game yet, but after reading the discussion, I involuntarily remembered the series of games The Dark Pictures Anthology. As it seems to me, if someone decided to do a porn game in the horror genre, then the mechanics from the mentioned game could be very suitable for this genre. Those who have played it know that The Dark Pictures has several protagonists and they overall presence in one scene feels pretty organic, if they reduced the impact of QTE on the outcome of whether a character survives or dies, and instead gave the player tasks with controversial solutions (at least, it should have seemed that way), it would be a really great game. As for relationships, a lot depends on the situation in which the characters find themselves, but it seems to me that betrayal or simply fear, which can doom someone, should not only affect the development of the story, but also to keep the player interested and in a state of suspense. Here, by the way, I think the jealousy factor could come in handy, one of the characters might simply give in to it and let one of the heroes die. Also, if you draw parallels, The Dark Pictures had interesting mechanics with character traits that shifted according to their decisions and locking other decisions, when the characters trait became dominant. It seems to me that this idea wasn't fully developed and it looks weak in the game, but if someone could take all of the above and reframe it, I think it would be very interesting game to play.

 

[vilewe7570]

Small mod that allows you to rename the main MCs.

 

[Xiomi]

Android pls