Ren'Py World's Crossing Academy [v1.3.5.1] [TeamEmberWings]

[tortorus]

Nope. I'm a fairly pathos-heavy writer, and this story started off fairly heavy because I wanted a deeper storyline than just "mc wanna bang all the chickz." I wanted antagonists, real threats, things to care and worry about.

Part of the story is transitioning from that heavier, darker theme into a lighter, more positive theme as you begin to help the girls solve their problems. I'm also planning a rework of Season 1 that is going to pull back on the negativity a bit and smooth that over, now that I'm more familiar with the AVN community. I wrote it like I would have written a novel, which I learned isn't what the typical AVN fan is looking for in a story.

For me, this is not a problem of dark or less dark. It s more a problem of pacing of the story. You have make shit happend but not all in the same time and not always bigger... one after another after another.
It s not an all aventure story, it s also romance story, a fantastic story, a porn story, etc...
There is more to develop than just the problem with the stalker, the interdimensional traveler, or the mc fate. We also have world to explor, races to see and learn to know, girls to romance. I think you focus too much of problem and solving problem. it s the heart of a good book ok, you have too keep the reader hooked. But in a porn game good vibe, sex and romance are also good (if too much bad come at once the impact of it is lesser each time, and you frustrated the reader.). And not all the adventures have to be death threat... some argument with the LI, some mc struggle to choose a girl between another, etc... are also good, you write a romance game not a new indina jones. It's all about finding the right balance.
But i have to say this poor mc... have really a shitty live. And for now, it don t get really better at all. He just have some sex bonus...

 

[sk1122]

I wrote it like I would have written a novel, which I learned isn't what the typical AVN fan is looking for in a story.

I wouldn't say you can't use those heavier, darker things in VNs, or not have antagonists, real threats etc.

But unless its part of the main plot and impacts everyone at once, you might just want to decide on an individual base whether you add them at all for her.
And (imo more important) also pace differently enough for each LI when they do happen.

 

[VictorSeven]

For me, this is not a problem of dark or less dark. It s more a problem of pacing of the story. You have make shit happend but not all in the same time and not always bigger... one after another after another.
It s not an all aventure story, it s also romance story, a fantastic story, a porn story, etc...
There is more to develop than just the problem with the stalker, the interdimensional traveler, or the mc fate. We also have world to explor, races to see and learn to know, girls to romance. I think you focus too much of problem and solving problem. it s the heart of a good book ok, you have too keep the reader hooked. But in a porn game good vibe, sex and romance are also good (if too much bad come at once the impact of it is lesser each time, and you frustrated the reader.). And not all the adventures have to be death threat... some argument with the LI, some mc struggle to choose a girl between another, etc... are also good, you write a romance game not a new indina jones. It's all about finding the right balance.
But i have to say this poor mc... have really a shitty live. And for now, it don t get really better at all. He just have some sex bonus...

Right, this is part of me being a career dungeon master, too lol. Everything has to be dire. I've learned over the last couple of years that this isn't quite the presentation that the AVN community enjoys, which is part of the reason I decided on a rework of Season 1. I'm gonna be pulling back on that a bit until I feel like that balance you speak of has been achieved.

As far as Aurum goes, things start to get better for him in Season 2. I won't say too much, but the atmosphere in S2 is quite a bit different from how S1 started.

Appreciate your feedback. I continue to learn more and more about what the AVN community enjoys in a story, and if I ever do another game beyond WCA, all this knowledge will help tremendously.

 

[tortorus]

Right, this is part of me being a career dungeon master, too lol. Everything has to be dire. I've learned over the last couple of years that this isn't quite the presentation that the AVN community enjoys, which is part of the reason I decided on a rework of Season 1. I'm gonna be pulling back on that a bit until I feel like that balance you speak of has been achieved.

As far as Aurum goes, things start to get better for him in Season 2. I won't say too much, but the atmosphere in S2 is quite a bit different from how S1 started.

Appreciate your feedback. I continue to learn more and more about what the AVN community enjoys in a story, and if I ever do another game beyond WCA, all this knowledge will help tremendously.

Thanks for the answers.
I wish you good luck.

 

[VictorSeven]

New Update On The Horizon


Been a while since I've done a progress update, so here we go!

Meat first, dressings later. The next build is mostly a main story build with I think 3 or 4 new Side Story scene opportunities. I have 2 scenes left to shoot for the main story, and I could get some extra Side Story scenes done as a bonus if I push hard. After that, it's all scoring and bugtesting, and making sure what is supposed to be available for the player ends up available to the player.



Now for the dressings. I'm currently in the process of bringing on someone for posing, which will help with shooting scenes, which is the most tedious part of the whole process. My other writer is also learning posing and shooting, and I'm hoping this can speed up the rate of content drops we can put out once everyone is all trained up.



Now that I have some help, all we gotta do is kinda settle into a groove and figure out some side storylines that really make interacting with these characters pop and give them some meaningful progression towards the intimate moments you've all been waiting for. There's been enough buildup. It's getting high time we let y'all have some fun. You've earned it, with all your patience.



With that said, thank you for all of your patience, and I hope to have this out to our T5 and above supporters within the week, bugs notwithstanding. As always, I'll publish another update with a release schedule for everyone once that's made available to our T5 peeps. Love you all!

-Vic​

 

[VictorSeven]

[SUPPORTER RELEASE] WCAS2 0.2.2.00 + Release Schedule

Huh. Well, what do you know. I actually did it. I got this update out within a week of the last post.

Not only that, but the last update to the game was exactly 2 months ago. For a game that usually puts out 3 updates a year, which calculates out to one update every 4 months, we've already cut our update time in HALF. That's powerful.

That being said, I have to say... a lot of bad shit happened while I was working on this update. Lost quite a few family members and motivation was in the gutter. If not for all that, I may have had this out a month ago. So I expect this update not to be quite as hefty/impactful quality-wise as previous ones, as there was a good time where I just didn't have the passion to make things happen. However, toward the end, I pulled out of it, and we ended up not only with a nice small to medium story chunk to throw at you, we also ended up with a nice handful of side story scenes to add on to our Free Time activities.



In that regard, the other writer I hired, Boogle, has been an absolute blessing. You have him to thank for a lot of the side content, and he even tried his hand at shooting a couple of the scenes you'll get to see in this build. You also have him to thank for helping me brainstorm and get my ADHD ass some external motivation and get me in gear. I am still as yet unmedicated, but that may be changing soon as I've just gained access to health insurance for the first time in... 18 years? Yeah. 'Murica.



Anyways, nobody wants to hear about my sorry ass. This build includes a total of 7 main story scenes and I think 2 more Free Time opportunities, as well as I want to say 4 or 5 more Side Story scenes? Not a hefty update, but not too slim, either. Let's get to what everyone wants to know, the release schedule:

RELEASE SCHEDULE (

You must be registered to see the links

/

You must be registered to see the links

):
​

• 11/22/23: T5 Supporters and up ($75 Patreon/$50 SubscribeStar)​
• 11/29/23: T4 Supporters ($25)​
• 12/6/23: T3 Supporters ($10)​
• 12/13/23: T2 Supporters ($5)​
• 12/17/23: T1 Supporters ($2)​
• 12/20/23: FREE TO THE PUBLIC​

As I said, not a massive update, not by any standard, but I'm really excited to put out something TWICE as fast as I normally do. I have Boogle on writing and shooting for a lot of the side content, and I'm currently training the artist from my book series, Ashtox, on shooting scenes as well, so between the three of us, we may eventually get to monthly updates with a good chunk of content to digest.

Anyways, super jazzed about only taking 2 months to update this time around. Thank you all for being so patient with me. It means the world.

To our continued adventures together!

-Vic
​

 

[snow123789456]

[SUPPORTER RELEASE] WCAS2 0.2.2.00 + Release Schedule

Huh. Well, what do you know. I actually did it. I got this update out within a week of the last post.

Not only that, but the last update to the game was exactly 2 months ago. For a game that usually puts out 3 updates a year, which calculates out to one update every 4 months, we've already cut our update time in HALF. That's powerful.

That being said, I have to say... a lot of bad shit happened while I was working on this update. Lost quite a few family members and motivation was in the gutter. If not for all that, I may have had this out a month ago. So I expect this update not to be quite as hefty/impactful quality-wise as previous ones, as there was a good time where I just didn't have the passion to make things happen. However, toward the end, I pulled out of it, and we ended up not only with a nice small to medium story chunk to throw at you, we also ended up with a nice handful of side story scenes to add on to our Free Time activities.

View attachment 3110290

In that regard, the other writer I hired, Boogle, has been an absolute blessing. You have him to thank for a lot of the side content, and he even tried his hand at shooting a couple of the scenes you'll get to see in this build. You also have him to thank for helping me brainstorm and get my ADHD ass some external motivation and get me in gear. I am still as yet unmedicated, but that may be changing soon as I've just gained access to health insurance for the first time in... 18 years? Yeah. 'Murica.

View attachment 3110291

Anyways, nobody wants to hear about my sorry ass. This build includes a total of 7 main story scenes and I think 2 more Free Time opportunities, as well as I want to say 4 or 5 more Side Story scenes? Not a hefty update, but not too slim, either. Let's get to what everyone wants to know, the release schedule:

RELEASE SCHEDULE (

You must be registered to see the links

/

You must be registered to see the links

):
​

• 11/22/23: T5 Supporters and up ($75 Patreon/$50 SubscribeStar)​
• 11/29/23: T4 Supporters ($25)​
• 12/6/23: T3 Supporters ($10)​
• 12/13/23: T2 Supporters ($5)​
• 12/17/23: T1 Supporters ($2)​
• 12/20/23: FREE TO THE PUBLIC​

View attachment 3110293

As I said, not a massive update, not by any standard, but I'm really excited to put out something TWICE as fast as I normally do. I have Boogle on writing and shooting for a lot of the side content, and I'm currently training the artist from my book series, Ashtox, on shooting scenes as well, so between the three of us, we may eventually get to monthly updates with a good chunk of content to digest.

Anyways, super jazzed about only taking 2 months to update this time around. Thank you all for being so patient with me. It means the world.

To our continued adventures together!

-Vic
​

Thanks for the comments. How is the rewrite of season 1 going?

 

[VictorSeven]

Thanks for the comments. How is the rewrite of season 1 going?

Sorry for late reply. Still very much in the planning stage. I have a lot of organizational work to do before I can even touch the thing, so I'm still mainly focusing on putting out new Season 2 content.

 

[VictorSeven]

[RELEASE] 0.2.2.00 Halfway to Public!​

Ahoy folks!

This newest build is now halfway to public release! Just as a reminder, the release schedule is:

• 11/22/23: T5 Supporters and up ($75 Patreon/$50 SubscribeStar)
• 11/29/23: T4 Supporters ($25)
• 12/6/23: T3 Supporters ($10) < We are here
• 12/13/23: T2 Supporters ($5)
• 12/17/23: T1 Supporters ($2)
• 12/20/23: FREE TO THE PUBLIC

That's right, we're now at the point where early access to the build is only $10. I've had some pretty good feedback from those who have played it already, so I'm fairly confident you'll enjoy the build You can get them here on

You must be registered to see the links

or here on

You must be registered to see the links

!



In other news, one of the newer Discord members referred me to a dev that might be able to help me with a long-awaited requested feature: being able to tell when you've completed all of a girl's side scenes without having to click on her. Currently, the idea is to greyscale her image based on whether or not your progress variable matches the max number of quest steps that girl has. Once you've completed all of the scenes for a girl in that build, her photo should grey out next time you open the book so you know there's nothing left to do.

We're still working out the kinks, but if all goes well, I hope to have this feature implemented in the next build after this one. I'm also considering putting question marks in the places of all the girls you could potentially unlock in a given build so you have an idea of what your maximum amount of progress is.

There are those two things and a couple of other things being worked on for the next update after this one, so there may be a few less scenes and more Quality of Life changes. We shall see what we come up with.

In even more exciting news, I've reworked the way I plan story arcs and have 2 of the 4 main antagonist arcs mapped out. This'll make it easier to plan the content coming up and hopefully streamline the process even further.

That's all for now! Enjoy the build!

-Vic

 

[VictorSeven]

Let's Talk Tech! New Features Coming in Next Build!​

Hello, all! I know, I know, two devlogs in the same week? What is this sorcery?

With my other writer on hiatus and my other poser in training swamped with art commissions, I'll admit there hasn't been a ton of movement as far as content creation for the build following 0.2.2.00. Most of my personal dev time has been spent on the backend, shoring up systems, creating variables, and finally figuring out how to make some of the features y'all have been requesting that I haven't known how to do until now. There are 2 massive Quality of Life changes coming to WCA S2, and it's about damn time I figured out how to do this.

Request 1: Players want to be able to tell when a girl has no more scenes

Request 2: Players want to be able to see all of the girls they can unlock in the current build so they know if they're missing anything

Me: Say no more

BEFORE:



AFTER:



Request 1: You'll notice Mouse is greyed out, and in game, you will not be able to click her.

Request 2: You can now see the "?" silhouettes marking characters you haven't unlocked yet that are available in the current build.

I was also able to create an update feature that should (SHOULD) keep you from having to start over every time I add side scenes. It's supposed to check the "maxquest" variables and change them in your save game as soon as you load your save but before you get to play. That part is currently still in testing, but I think I have it nailed down. Time will tell.

LASTLY. Someone pitched the of making the main story content into RPA files since there's no limit on that, and changing the location of the save files because of a weird Android thing where you can't access your saves unless you root your phone. That will solve a TON of issues and allow me to combine S1 and S2 into one single game MUCH sooner. I also have someone who may be willing to help me handle compression of the images in separate grades for PC/MAC and for Android, so if that happens, we are well on our way to having the tools we need for the remake.

That's all for now! Love you all and thank you for the continued support!

-Vic

 

[TigerWolfe]

Let's Talk Tech! New Features Coming in Next Build!



Hello, all! I know, I know, two devlogs in the same week? What is this sorcery?



With my other writer on hiatus and my other poser in training swamped with art commissions, I'll admit there hasn't been a ton of movement as far as content creation for the build following 0.2.2.00. Most of my personal dev time has been spent on the backend, shoring up systems, creating variables, and finally figuring out how to make some of the features y'all have been requesting that I haven't known how to do until now. There are 2 massive Quality of Life changes coming to WCA S2, and it's about damn time I figured out how to do this.



Request 1: Players want to be able to tell when a girl has no more scenes



Request 2: Players want to be able to see all of the girls they can unlock in the current build so they know if they're missing anything



Me: Say no more



BEFORE:



1701970749588.png



AFTER:



1701970760072.png



Request 1: You'll notice Mouse is greyed out, and in game, you will not be able to click her.



Request 2: You can now see the "?" silhouettes marking characters you haven't unlocked yet that are available in the current build.



I was also able to create an update feature that should (SHOULD) keep you from having to start over every time I add side scenes. It's supposed to check the "maxquest" variables and change them in your save game as soon as you load your save but before you get to play. That part is currently still in testing, but I think I have it nailed down. Time will tell.



LASTLY. Someone pitched the of making the main story content into RPA files since there's no limit on that, and changing the location of the save files because of a weird Android thing where you can't access your saves unless you root your phone. That will solve a TON of issues and allow me to combine S1 and S2 into one single game MUCH sooner. I also have someone who may be willing to help me handle compression of the images in separate grades for PC/MAC and for Android, so if that happens, we are well on our way to having the tools we need for the remake.



That's all for now! Love you all and thank you for the continued support!



-Vic

Yay for the android updates!

 

[Dark Prince 19]

[SUPPORTER RELEASE] WCAS2 0.2.2.00 + Release Schedule

Huh. Well, what do you know. I actually did it. I got this update out within a week of the last post.

Not only that, but the last update to the game was exactly 2 months ago. For a game that usually puts out 3 updates a year, which calculates out to one update every 4 months, we've already cut our update time in HALF. That's powerful.

That being said, I have to say... a lot of bad shit happened while I was working on this update. Lost quite a few family members and motivation was in the gutter. If not for all that, I may have had this out a month ago. So I expect this update not to be quite as hefty/impactful quality-wise as previous ones, as there was a good time where I just didn't have the passion to make things happen. However, toward the end, I pulled out of it, and we ended up not only with a nice small to medium story chunk to throw at you, we also ended up with a nice handful of side story scenes to add on to our Free Time activities.

View attachment 3110290

In that regard, the other writer I hired, Boogle, has been an absolute blessing. You have him to thank for a lot of the side content, and he even tried his hand at shooting a couple of the scenes you'll get to see in this build. You also have him to thank for helping me brainstorm and get my ADHD ass some external motivation and get me in gear. I am still as yet unmedicated, but that may be changing soon as I've just gained access to health insurance for the first time in... 18 years? Yeah. 'Murica.

View attachment 3110291

Anyways, nobody wants to hear about my sorry ass. This build includes a total of 7 main story scenes and I think 2 more Free Time opportunities, as well as I want to say 4 or 5 more Side Story scenes? Not a hefty update, but not too slim, either. Let's get to what everyone wants to know, the release schedule:

RELEASE SCHEDULE (

You must be registered to see the links

/

You must be registered to see the links

):
​

• 11/22/23: T5 Supporters and up ($75 Patreon/$50 SubscribeStar)​
• 11/29/23: T4 Supporters ($25)​
• 12/6/23: T3 Supporters ($10)​
• 12/13/23: T2 Supporters ($5)​
• 12/17/23: T1 Supporters ($2)​
• 12/20/23: FREE TO THE PUBLIC​

View attachment 3110293

As I said, not a massive update, not by any standard, but I'm really excited to put out something TWICE as fast as I normally do. I have Boogle on writing and shooting for a lot of the side content, and I'm currently training the artist from my book series, Ashtox, on shooting scenes as well, so between the three of us, we may eventually get to monthly updates with a good chunk of content to digest.

Anyways, super jazzed about only taking 2 months to update this time around. Thank you all for being so patient with me. It means the world.

To our continued adventures together!

-Vic
​

It has been such an interesting game to play, a plot which was able to spring surprises at certain moments, which felt quite refreshing to play. Sure MC starts in the dumps at the beginning but he has certainly grown character wise throughout the story progression. Also another pleasing thing is seeing the quality of game development which has been ever-improving each chapter which really shows the Dev cares about the project. There is a certain potential in the story and with the solid foundation it has can definitely say with similar quality it can grow to something impressive even more than current. It is unfortunate to hear about the things you mentioned you were/are dealing when you wrote this Dev log though it is equally admirable to see the amount of productivity you are able to pull through despite all of that being stacked on you, definitely showcases the work ethic and dedication. Although if at a certain point it becomes too overwhelming it would be better to recharge, recover and socialise/share amongst people you cherish, also trust you know your situation better so would not want to preach on it by any amount, just a friendly perspective on it.

Thanks for reading Dev; best wishes for ahead

 

[VictorSeven]

It has been such an interesting game to play, a plot which was able to spring surprises at certain moments, which felt quite refreshing to play. Sure MC starts in the dumps at the beginning but he has certainly grown character wise throughout the story progression. Also another pleasing thing is seeing the quality of game development which has been ever-improving each chapter which really shows the Dev cares about the project. There is a certain potential in the story and with the solid foundation it has can definitely say with similar quality it can grow to something impressive even more than current. It is unfortunate to hear about the things you mentioned you were/are dealing when you wrote this Dev log though it is equally admirable to see the amount of productivity you are able to pull through despite all of that being stacked on you, definitely showcases the work ethic and dedication. Although if at a certain point it becomes too overwhelming it would be better to recharge, recover and socialise/share amongst people you cherish, also trust you know your situation better so would not want to preach on it by any amount, just a friendly perspective on it.

Thanks for reading Dev; best wishes for ahead

Hey, thank you for having the patience to make it past the intro. A lot of people took issue with the way Aurum starts out, and have left pretty bad reviews because of how negatively the story starts. I'd love to have your review on this thread if you have the time!

Also, highly appreciate the compassion. These last two years, it's been fuggin rough. But the show goes on, and people like you make all the pushing through worth it. Appreciate the love and kind words

 

[Dark Prince 19]

Hey, thank you for having the patience to make it past the intro. A lot of people took issue with the way Aurum starts out, and have left pretty bad reviews because of how negatively the story starts. I'd love to have your review on this thread if you have the time!

Also, highly appreciate the compassion. These last two years, it's been fuggin rough. But the show goes on, and people like you make all the pushing through worth it. Appreciate the love and kind words

Appreciate your kind words as well, as for the review part funnily have tried writing it for multiple games here but never find the right preciseness or composition and just like essays back in the day which used to happen in high school, the paper gets torn or here delete the entire text as don't like it, but yea it is certainly something would want to correct on and post some reviews for the favourite games out here to show them some support apart from supporting them on various platforms.

Thanks for replying Dev; best wishes for ahead

 

[VictorSeven]

[T2 RELEASE] $5 Access/ Progress on S1 Rewrite​

Alrighty, this is gonna be a weird one.

First things first, T2 Supporters on

You must be registered to see the links

and

You must be registered to see the links

(click those links for the download) just got access today! That means early access has dropped to just $5! Looking forward to feedback from you all!

T1 Supporters will get access on Sunday, Dec 17th.

Public Release on Wednesday, Dec 20th.

And I will learn from my mistake last time and INCLUDE THE LINK TO THE ITCH PAGE in the public release this time lol



SECONDLY!

I've been lucky enough to spend quite a bit of time with a couple of Ren'Py coders lately, who helped me out on the feature that's coming in the build AFTER this one where it greys out the girls' pictures if you have no more scenes with them. This has given me some other ideas for other features that I'm going to explore when I get a chance.

THIRDLY!

I am aware that there is not a lot of lewd content in the game so far; we seem to be building up to it for most of the cast, and that tends to take a while. I've been thinking about a special WCA: Fantasies separate build which will be just a gallery of dreams Aurum has had, as this is SUPPOSED to be an adult visual novel.

LASTLY!

I finally started on the rewrite of Season 1. I've rewritten the Prologue through Chapter 2 so far and I've done a bit of work on Chapter 3. Now that the game has evolved a bit, the initial approach and the negativity comes on really strong, and is probably turning a lot of people away. It's probably going to take a few more comb-overs and refining passes, but I'm nearly at the point where I'm ready to have people test the new intro and see how they feel about it.



That's it for now! Enjoy the new build, and would love to hear from ya in the Discord!

-Vic

 

[Harkonnan]

IMO the negativity added a certain realism to it but that's just me I guess. The only thing about part one that bothered me was the scene where he was practicing his forms and had the long internal monologue. Shortening that would help. Other than that yeah I personally had no complaints story wise. Either way keep doing what your doing. I am enjoying the game immensely.

 

[VictorSeven]

IMO the negativity added a certain realism to it but that's just me I guess. The only thing about part one that bothered me was the scene where he was practicing his forms and had the long internal monologue. Shortening that would help. Other than that yeah I personally had no complaints story wise. Either way keep doing what your doing. I am enjoying the game immensely.

Yeah, people mentioned that as well... I might shorten that, too. All feedback is welcome.

 

[sadfuck]

I am aware that there is not a lot of lewd content in the game so far; we seem to be building up to it for most of the cast, and that tends to take a while. I've been thinking about a special WCA: Fantasies separate build which will be just a gallery of dreams Aurum has had, as this is SUPPOSED to be an adult visual novel.

FWIW, for any games with dream content or stuff that "doesn't actually happen" I just can't get into it to the point of it not even mattering to me.
I'd much rather you just have the scenes happen as they happen as you've planned and written them rather than this.
I think you can "get away with it," as it were, because your characterizations and writing are so strong.

Obv, as a non-paying rando, this might elicit a "cool story, bro" type response, but I did want to throw it out there.

 

[VictorSeven]

FWIW, for any games with dream content or stuff that "doesn't actually happen" I just can't get into it to the point of it not even mattering to me.
I'd much rather you just have the scenes happen as they happen as you've planned and written them rather than this.
I think you can "get away with it," as it were, because your characterizations and writing are so strong.

Obv, as a non-paying rando, this might elicit a "cool story, bro" type response, but I did want to throw it out there.

That's... high praise. And good insight.

I'm also looking at changing the font. The longer this goes on, the more I realize just how unreadable it can be.

I'm considering one called Happy Monkey Regular. Thoughts?

 

[Digteren]

That's... high praise. And good insight.

I'm also looking at changing the font. The longer this goes on, the more I realize just how unreadable it can be.

I'm considering one called Happy Monkey Regular. Thoughts?
View attachment 3173918

Personally I greatly prefer serif fonts. Examples would be Glass Antiqua if you want a sort of comic book look or Rosarivo for a more book like look.