VN Ren'Py Who even uses rollback?! xD

[woody554]

But then I played more and more and more. And since there is "unlimited" source of them, at least when you join this world for the first time, I got corrupted. If not for anything else - just becouse of lack of time. With 20 titles in download, I really wasn't in mood to replay whole game to check routes, or to get the "perfect" one for me.
So rollback became more and more used,

yeah yeah. but that's because they ALLOWED you to roll back. I mean it's like giving a recovering alcoholic booze and hoping he won't drink it. studies show that if temptation is present people almost invariably fail to resist it, no matter how much they thought they don't want to do it. and it's because you must resist it every second of every day of every year for the rest of your life, while it only takes a blink of an eye getting distracted to fail. so statistically you always fail.

(if you use URM or mod the game other ways then of course you can only blame yourself for riskless boring playthrough. which is fine and I don't think breaking the game should be made difficult to prevent it, but the default should not enable you ruining the game for yourself.)

at the same time all of us have played games that gave us no mercy and no hints, and the harder they were the more legendary they become. and mostly for the non-VN games we don't even think it's a problem because we assume not having immunity is part of the game.

which is why I believe the game must make it clear in the very first minutes what its policy is considering things like this. you must kick the player in the dick right away if you EVER plan to do it. give him a choice to grab mom's pussy in the first scene with instant game over and no rollback. then maybe show a popup saying:

"game over. this isn't one of those games that allow you do anything with no consequences, so choose carefully or accept the consequences. you get to try again this one time, but after this there will be no rollbacks. you stand and fall with your choices and there's no one else to blame."

then everybody knows how it is and their playthough and choices will actually have real weight. consequences that matter, nerve wrecking choices, exhilarating successes. if you're not risking anything you're not winning anything.

But it requires a lot from devs of played game. 9/10 VN's posted here are too bad to care about authentic run, because writers of the story didn't cared about it in the first place.

yeah. that's the real problem with lack of rollbacks, not the rollbacks themselves. most games simply require it for troubleshooting the badly made game.

 

[mypossiblepasts]

then maybe show a popup

I'll raise you one more - just show it right away, instead of those absurd "Are you 18?" ones.
Thank god I haven't seen much more of those cringe, roleplay intros from the dev about game lately btw.
For a moment I fell into some rabbit hole and felt like every other VN I picked had one.

kick the player in the dick right away if you EVER plan to do it
...
most games simply require it for troubleshooting the badly made game.

This made me think...

1 - Are those "Follow her/Take a look at her ass" scenes some old meme or reference? Because I hate them, and I feel like I could manage to make a good lesson out of them. I'll have to think about how to translate my thoughts to words first though.
2 - Also needs more self-debate, but to achieve what we discussed before - maybe hiding options would work? Hm, but then how to mark which options to show. It's not like there's a way to judge what did player read and thought.
I have to come back to this in future.

 

[woody554]

1 - Are those "Follow her/Take a look at her ass" scenes some old meme or reference? Because I hate them, and I feel like I could manage to make a good lesson out of them. I'll have to think about how to translate my thoughts to words first though.

I think those are often there to bootstrap the beginning of accumulating corruption points. you need mild options that are at least a little creepy to give those first 5 or 10 corruption points before you start giving player choices to grope the girls and so on. the point is simulating how the originally innocent MC slowly grows more corrupt through his own actions as he chooses to do questionable things instead of neutral or loving ones.

you could also just railroad him through like three events where the dialogue gradually shows the same internal development, but it's very passive while point systems are the player actively driving the change. when we fantasize we generally want to feel in control of it instead of it happening to us. (although I'm sure the submissive/masochist/ntr crowd might want the opposite of being in control).

it's the same function as hugging and doing chores have on a love route. you start from platonic signs of affection before you unlock more intimate stuff.

2 - Also needs more self-debate, but to achieve what we discussed before - maybe hiding options would work? Hm, but then how to mark which options to show. It's not like there's a way to judge what did player read and thought.
I have to come back to this in future.

this is usually why point systems or flags are used, to select which choices become visible.

 

[mypossiblepasts]

I think those are often there to bootstrap the beginning of accumulating corruption points.


this is usually why point systems or flags are used, to select which choices become visible.

YOOOO. Do you know that scene?

You must be registered to see the links

You're like Dennis for me right now.

As to what you previously wrote about URM and choosing to be ruined - yeah, I don't do that as mentioned earlier, so I never actually were much aware of those systems. I mean, some games have indicators, like icons or just straight up telling +corruption or "she liked that" etc. - but I totally haven't considered that they can be still implemented without them.
So I guess I might have judged some games too rough in the past xD
but regardless - the 2nd part is even more enlightning:

point systems are the player actively driving the change. when we fantasize we generally want to feel in control of it instead of it happening to us. (although I'm sure the submissive/masochist/ntr crowd might want the opposite of being in control).

This. THIS right here.
I always go for femdom route.
They usually suck.
It might be just because devs do not actually think like a submissive, they don't know what we want. For there is actually waaaaaaaay TOO MUCH CONTROL in players hands when it comes to choices of femdom playthroughs.

 

[woody554]

YOOOO. Do you know that scene?

You must be registered to see the links

You're like Dennis for me right now.

always sunny always funny!

+corruption or "she liked that" etc. - but I totally haven't considered that they can be still implemented without them.

that's another pet peeve of mine, games not communicating or giving feedback on what's happening. I mean there are variables you can hide for good reasons, but the player should always feel he's advancing. there should be some indication that he's not just stuck in a bugged loop.

It might be just because devs do not actually think like a submissive, they don't know what we want. For there is actually waaaaaaaay TOO MUCH CONTROL in players hands when it comes to choices of femdom playthroughs.

I'm on the dom side, but yeah I can definitely see how many devs might add femdom elements without understanding the core fetish, just because they think latex gear or boots look cool. so many fetishes get ruined by vanilla people using them ornamentally. (not saying they can't do that, but it's just frustrating. like every time a milf story starts with "mom looked so good for her age you could easily think she's still in college" it makes me wanna punch someone for making the milf 20yo. that is not the fetish you moron!)

 

[mypossiblepasts]

that's another pet peeve of mine, games not communicating or giving feedback on what's happening. I mean there are variables you can hide for good reasons, but the player should always feel he's advancing. there should be some indication that he's not just stuck in a bugged loop.

Well, yes, but no? Depends.
I guess it would need to be discreet indicator, not straight up +/-. Again, an example of "She will remember that" comes to my mind.
Because if there's any direct feedback about those points - then we loop back to the start.
I'll just rollback and choose something else than +corruption.

Revelation: I am trying to figure out a way to make VN that I will enjoy myself, but that also will be resistant to my cheating attempts.

I'm on the dom side, but yeah I can definitely see how many devs might add femdom elements without understanding the core fetish, just because they think latex gear or boots look cool. so many fetishes get ruined by vanilla people using them ornamentally.

Yeah, it's visible for me especially in any mid-late game (in games not focused on one fetish naturally), when choices should already sway my run toward femdom/lovedom, and then I'm hit with "Surrender/Tell her to fuck off" choice or something like that xD
By that point I want already to not have that option.

I see it now.

Revelation: Devs tie additional choices to points systems, but they forget to connect removal of choices to them as well.

Thanks Dennis! <3

 

[woody554]

Thanks Dennis! <3

I AM A GOLDEN GOD!!


haha, I love those bits where dennis goes full psychopath. glenn howerton is such an amazing actor.

(now I'm thinking how I could add the 'because of the implication' bit in my game... )

 

[mypossiblepasts]

(now I'm thinking how I could add the 'because of the implication' bit in my game... )

Not that those girls are in any danger, there's no danger, right?