- Sep 10, 2020
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I was just thinking about this game. Was thinking the rewrite would of been done by now. Sadly I was wrong. Guess I'll come back in another year if it's done by then.
Sounds like you're in a better frame of mind towards what you want to do. Glad to hear it.[PROGRESS REPORT] An Interesting Spread of Data
Hey all!
You may recall that I did a poll recently. Well, I did 3. One on SubscribeStar, one on Patreon, and one in the Discord just to see how things would shake up. And wouldn't you know it, the data I got had some interesting nuance to it. Let's start with SubscribeStar.
View attachment 3734592
So OF the 15 or so that voted, this was the spread. And this is really interesting because it's unique out of the three data sets. Here's Patreon.
View attachment 3734593
As you can see, the spread is VERY different. But by and large, paying members or members that have already played are very much leaning towards more Season 2 content as opposed to finally getting the... I keep saying Rewrite but it's essentially a Revision or a Repolish... done. Finally, here's Discord.
View attachment 3734594
Again, I find myself quite surprised, as it seems the Discord poll was VERY polarizing; either deliver as much Season 2 content as possible or drop everything and get the revision done with.
Further, it's come to my attention that a lot of games have undergone rewrites for the very same reason as I initially had for mine, which was complaints. Not only that, but some games changed so much during the revision process that the original audience no longer recognized or liked the projects anymore, and the ones who cried for the changes weren't interested either. I'm looking to avoid that, and really keep the spirit of what made WCA so enjoyable to the original audience as I go through and polish up the first few chapters. So I decided that I wasn't really going to be doing much "rewriting" as I was going to be revising key moments. I'm leaning much more toward the playerbase that liked the original way the script was written, with a few added quality of life changes, such as being able to make a choice with Eshtel rather than being forced to give her away to Chiara. I do want to smooth out a LITTLE bit of the man-hating atmosphere in the beginning, but I also believe the oppressive circumstances make for great obstacles for Aurum to overcome and that losing that underdog feeling will lose the meaning of the story for most people. Otherwise, most of the script is gonna stay as-is, with any sexual content like lesbian scenes giving you a choice to view or skip them as some of the scenes are baked into the story and hard to remove. One of the biggest problems was forcing people to watch content they didn't wanna watch, and that's the main focus for the quality of life changes.
Anyways, thanks for reading. Lot going on right now so progress is slow (I STILL NEED TO HIRE A POSER; APPLY PLEASE!). But I SHOULD have Episode 3 out to top tier supporters before the end of the month, and also SHOULD have a special surprise for the game's 3 year anniversary, which is this month! Thank you all for the continued support!
-Vic
I have a much better idea. My initial knee-jerk reaction upon hearing what felt like constant complaints about the intro to the game was to rewrite the Prologue and first couple of chapters from scratch. But my knee-jerk reactions are never good, and I know this, so I decided to spend a few months with my ear to the ground sussing out what it is the community at large really wants.Sounds like you're in a better frame of mind towards what you want to do. Glad to hear it.
Good message, just do you have a time frame for the game release?I have a much better idea. My initial knee-jerk reaction upon hearing what felt like constant complaints about the intro to the game was to rewrite the Prologue and first couple of chapters from scratch. But my knee-jerk reactions are never good, and I know this, so I decided to spend a few months with my ear to the ground sussing out what it is the community at large really wants.
And the general consensus is, nobody wants me to alter the story. Like at all. So what I've decided to do is more like a repolish than a true rewrite. Here's essentially what I'm aiming to do:
There are some technical things I gotta work out as far as keeping the game under 2GB for Android devices, and figuring out how mobile players are gonna get their DLC characters, and to that end I'm wondering if someone might be able to just build me a launcher that will check for the correct version, download updates, and allow purchase of DLC characters through the app. I know it can be done because all these Google Play games do it with a 500mb apk and an 8GB download after that's installed. I just don't know how to do it, much less in a way that will cooperate with and launch a Ren'py game. Once I figure that out, it'll be SMOOTH sailing to combine this all into one program.
- Making it a CHOICE whether or not to wingman for Chiara, date Eshtel yourself, or join them in a poly arrangement
- Pulling Cecilia's mannequin scene and putting it in her side story file so you have to opt-into her sexual content
- Adding an option to express disinterest in River so that you have to opt-into her sexual content
- Smoothing out the negativity and man-hating atmosphere in the Prologue and Chapter 1. Yes, I did a tiny bit of rewriting here so it's not quite so overbearing for brand new players.
- Breaking up that horrid martial arts training scene into parts of the daily routine so it's more digestible
- Adding an option to stay in the forest or leave early, which will be the way to unlock and opt-into the Harpy girl's content
- Combining Season 1 and Season 2 into one single game
- Making all sex scenes that occur in the main story skippable/opt-out friendly for the people who hate lesbian scenes and the like
- Providing an explanation of either mixed heritage or having grown up in multiple locations (this one is more likely) to explain why Aoibheann has such a unique way of speaking that belongs neither to the Irish nor the Scottish (and so the Irish people will stop yelling at me). So many people love her and the way she talks but I can't call it an Irish accent or god help me the Catholics and the Protestants BOTH will set aside their differences to flay me alive.
Not quite. The story stuff and choices are a simple matter of rearranging stuff that's already there and patching the holes they leave behind. If it was just that, I could have it done in 2 weeks. The technical stuff, on the other hand... the combining it into one game and/or having a launcher built... that's the wildcard stuff that I have no idea how to do myself and how long it'd take someone else to do. Or how much it would cost. So I still kind of have to hammer that out before I can really move forward with the release. Until then, I'll be working on Season 2 Episodes 3 and 4 while I do some research and see if I can find someone who knows how to do what I need done.Good message, just do you have a time frame for the game release?
Sounds fine to me I think. Having two separate executables isn't that much of a hassleNot quite. The story stuff and choices are a simple matter of rearranging stuff that's already there and patching the holes they leave behind. If it was just that, I could have it done in 2 weeks. The technical stuff, on the other hand... the combining it into one game and/or having a launcher built... that's the wildcard stuff that I have no idea how to do myself and how long it'd take someone else to do. Or how much it would cost. So I still kind of have to hammer that out before I can really move forward with the release. Until then, I'll be working on Season 2 Episodes 3 and 4 while I do some research and see if I can find someone who knows how to do what I need done.
I suppose another solution might be to postpone the combining of the two games into one, and thus rid myself of the technical thorn in my side. That would get the "rewrite" portion out of the way and done, and just leave Season 1 at Version 1.0, with the future task of combining the games together. It would also contain all of Season 2's variables so the saves would transfer over with everyone's decisions.
Fuck, that might be it. The tech stuff can wait, I think. Thoughts?
Sounds fine to me I think. Having two separate executables isn't that much of a hassle
- Providing an explanation of either mixed heritage or having grown up in multiple locations (this one is more likely) to explain why Aoibheann has such a unique way of speaking that belongs neither to the Irish nor the Scottish (and so the Irish people will stop yelling at me). So many people love her and the way she talks but I can't call it an Irish accent or god help me the Catholics and the Protestants BOTH will set aside their differences to flay me alive.
Isn't Ren'py up to 8.x or something?NEVER MIND APPARENTLY ALL I GOTTA DO IS UPDATE REN'PY TO 7.7You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.
Hm... That is actually really well thought out.I have a much better idea. My initial knee-jerk reaction upon hearing what felt like constant complaints about the intro to the game was to rewrite the Prologue and first couple of chapters from scratch. But my knee-jerk reactions are never good, and I know this, so I decided to spend a few months with my ear to the ground sussing out what it is the community at large really wants.
And the general consensus is, nobody wants me to alter the story. Like at all. So what I've decided to do is more like a repolish than a true rewrite. Here's essentially what I'm aiming to do:
There are some technical things I gotta work out as far as keeping the game under 2GB for Android devices, and figuring out how mobile players are gonna get their DLC characters, and to that end I'm wondering if someone might be able to just build me a launcher that will check for the correct version, download updates, and allow purchase of DLC characters through the app. I know it can be done because all these Google Play games do it with a 500mb apk and an 8GB download after that's installed. I just don't know how to do it, much less in a way that will cooperate with and launch a Ren'py game. Once I figure that out, it'll be SMOOTH sailing to combine this all into one program.
- Making it a CHOICE whether or not to wingman for Chiara, date Eshtel yourself, or join them in a poly arrangement
- Pulling Cecilia's mannequin scene and putting it in her side story file so you have to opt-into her sexual content
- Adding an option to express disinterest in River so that you have to opt-into her sexual content
- Smoothing out the negativity and man-hating atmosphere in the Prologue and Chapter 1. Yes, I did a tiny bit of rewriting here so it's not quite so overbearing for brand new players.
- Breaking up that horrid martial arts training scene into parts of the daily routine so it's more digestible
- Adding an option to stay in the forest or leave early, which will be the way to unlock and opt-into the Harpy girl's content
- Combining Season 1 and Season 2 into one single game
- Making all sex scenes that occur in the main story skippable/opt-out friendly for the people who hate lesbian scenes and the like
- Providing an explanation of either mixed heritage or having grown up in multiple locations (this one is more likely) to explain why Aoibheann has such a unique way of speaking that belongs neither to the Irish nor the Scottish (and so the Irish people will stop yelling at me). So many people love her and the way she talks but I can't call it an Irish accent or god help me the Catholics and the Protestants BOTH will set aside their differences to flay me alive.
The save files aren't compatible with Season 2 because I have some massive quality of life changes and systems in place in Season 2 that require an independent set of variables that Season 1 doesn't have set. Currently, there are no choices in Season 1 that affect anything that's been written in Season 2, so just start a brand new Season 2 playthrough for nowSo is there a way for me to continue my saved game from season 1 into season 2? Whenever I load it it gives me an error and then renpy just bugs out and crashes.
Ah OK. Thank you! I was wondering if I did something wrong. Looking forward to what you come up with for the game. I am enjoying it quite a bit.The save files aren't compatible with Season 2 because I have some massive quality of life changes and systems in place in Season 2 that require an independent set of variables that Season 1 doesn't have set. Currently, there are no choices in Season 1 that affect anything that's been written in Season 2, so just start a brand new Season 2 playthrough for now
In the rework/repolish, there WILL be choices in Season 1 that carry over into Season 2, but thankfully it will all be one game by then instead of two separate ones. This is actively being worked on and may end up being out sooner than I imagined.
I'm excited![PROGRESS REPORT] The Season 1 Rework is Done
So um... Surprise.
I ended up blasting through Chapters 1 through 6 last night and setting everything up for WCA to be combined into one game. Got all the choices and rewritten content in, though the story hasn't changed much. All of the sex scenes are now skippable, but there IS some unavoidable nudity in there, so playing it totally SFW isn't quite possible yet.
I know. I know. ADHD is a bitch.
View attachment 3760205
Seriously grinds my gears knowing I can pump out this much work in one night, and yet most nights I just sit there, staring at the screen, unable to do anything because Monkey Brain is demanding I work on music stuff, or D&D stuff, or ANYTHING besides this. But I had an opportunity and I took it, and here we are.
Tier 4 and 5 supporters are going to help me test this for a few days and iron out as many bugs as we can, and then it's releasing to the public directly as a gift for the game's 3rd anniversary. It will only be available for PC/Linux and Mac for a little bit while I work on setting up Cloudflare for hosting the files for the Android game. The new Ren'py update allows me to make a separate "downloader game" that you install on your mobile device which will then fetch the rest of the game from Cloudflare, allowing us to break the 2GB limit for mobile games. I'm about halfway through the whole process. The cool thing is, on mobile, once this is done, you shouldn't ever have to download anything new because the "downloader game" will automatically detect updates when I upload a new version and will download it whenever you open the base app! Until that's ready, feel free to use Estrada's unofficial android ports (found on F95Zone).
This also means the page for Season 2 will be shut down, and all downloadables will be moved to the Season 1 page. I'll probably make new art to celebrate what will be the 1.0 launch of the game in earnest. Massive thanks to all of you for your patience. I'm just glad this turned out to be a lot easier than I thought it would.
View attachment 3760206
That being said, the 1.0 version is still undergoing bugtesting, and there are bugs that are simple to fix and there are bugs that are massive pains in the ass to fix. And I have no idea how many of each we'll be facing. But as soon as we have 'em all squashed, you all can expect a direct-to-public release, skipping the month long Patreon/SubscribeStar cycle! And hopefully, we'll have a new pinup pack to celebrate, as well.
Again, thank you all! T4 and T5 supporters, check the page for the download links!
- Vic
Big news, definitely thought it would take longer, glad I was wrong[PROGRESS REPORT] The Season 1 Rework is Done
So um... Surprise.
I ended up blasting through Chapters 1 through 6 last night and setting everything up for WCA to be combined into one game. Got all the choices and rewritten content in, though the story hasn't changed much. All of the sex scenes are now skippable, but there IS some unavoidable nudity in there, so playing it totally SFW isn't quite possible yet.
I know. I know. ADHD is a bitch.
View attachment 3760205
Seriously grinds my gears knowing I can pump out this much work in one night, and yet most nights I just sit there, staring at the screen, unable to do anything because Monkey Brain is demanding I work on music stuff, or D&D stuff, or ANYTHING besides this. But I had an opportunity and I took it, and here we are.
Tier 4 and 5 supporters are going to help me test this for a few days and iron out as many bugs as we can, and then it's releasing to the public directly as a gift for the game's 3rd anniversary. It will only be available for PC/Linux and Mac for a little bit while I work on setting up Cloudflare for hosting the files for the Android game. The new Ren'py update allows me to make a separate "downloader game" that you install on your mobile device which will then fetch the rest of the game from Cloudflare, allowing us to break the 2GB limit for mobile games. I'm about halfway through the whole process. The cool thing is, on mobile, once this is done, you shouldn't ever have to download anything new because the "downloader game" will automatically detect updates when I upload a new version and will download it whenever you open the base app! Until that's ready, feel free to use Estrada's unofficial android ports (found on F95Zone).
This also means the page for Season 2 will be shut down, and all downloadables will be moved to the Season 1 page. I'll probably make new art to celebrate what will be the 1.0 launch of the game in earnest. Massive thanks to all of you for your patience. I'm just glad this turned out to be a lot easier than I thought it would.
View attachment 3760206
That being said, the 1.0 version is still undergoing bugtesting, and there are bugs that are simple to fix and there are bugs that are massive pains in the ass to fix. And I have no idea how many of each we'll be facing. But as soon as we have 'em all squashed, you all can expect a direct-to-public release, skipping the month long Patreon/SubscribeStar cycle! And hopefully, we'll have a new pinup pack to celebrate, as well.
Again, thank you all! T4 and T5 supporters, check the page for the download links!
- Vic
[PROGRESS REPORT] The Season 1 Rework is Done
So um... Surprise.
I ended up blasting through Chapters 1 through 6 last night and setting everything up for WCA to be combined into one game. Got all the choices and rewritten content in, though the story hasn't changed much. All of the sex scenes are now skippable, but there IS some unavoidable nudity in there, so playing it totally SFW isn't quite possible yet.
I know. I know. ADHD is a bitch.
View attachment 3760205
Seriously grinds my gears knowing I can pump out this much work in one night, and yet most nights I just sit there, staring at the screen, unable to do anything because Monkey Brain is demanding I work on music stuff, or D&D stuff, or ANYTHING besides this. But I had an opportunity and I took it, and here we are.
Tier 4 and 5 supporters are going to help me test this for a few days and iron out as many bugs as we can, and then it's releasing to the public directly as a gift for the game's 3rd anniversary. It will only be available for PC/Linux and Mac for a little bit while I work on setting up Cloudflare for hosting the files for the Android game. The new Ren'py update allows me to make a separate "downloader game" that you install on your mobile device which will then fetch the rest of the game from Cloudflare, allowing us to break the 2GB limit for mobile games. I'm about halfway through the whole process. The cool thing is, on mobile, once this is done, you shouldn't ever have to download anything new because the "downloader game" will automatically detect updates when I upload a new version and will download it whenever you open the base app! Until that's ready, feel free to use Estrada's unofficial android ports (found on F95Zone).
This also means the page for Season 2 will be shut down, and all downloadables will be moved to the Season 1 page. I'll probably make new art to celebrate what will be the 1.0 launch of the game in earnest. Massive thanks to all of you for your patience. I'm just glad this turned out to be a lot easier than I thought it would.
View attachment 3760206
That being said, the 1.0 version is still undergoing bugtesting, and there are bugs that are simple to fix and there are bugs that are massive pains in the ass to fix. And I have no idea how many of each we'll be facing. But as soon as we have 'em all squashed, you all can expect a direct-to-public release, skipping the month long Patreon/SubscribeStar cycle! And hopefully, we'll have a new pinup pack to celebrate, as well.
Again, thank you all! T4 and T5 supporters, check the page for the download links!
- Vic
Noice! Does it warrant a replay for those of us who had no beef and are contentedly in season 2 now?[PROGRESS REPORT] The Season 1 Rework is Done
So um... Surprise.
I ended up blasting through Chapters 1 through 6 last night and setting everything up for WCA to be combined into one game. Got all the choices and rewritten content in, though the story hasn't changed much. All of the sex scenes are now skippable, but there IS some unavoidable nudity in there, so playing it totally SFW isn't quite possible yet.
I know. I know. ADHD is a bitch.
View attachment 3760205
Seriously grinds my gears knowing I can pump out this much work in one night, and yet most nights I just sit there, staring at the screen, unable to do anything because Monkey Brain is demanding I work on music stuff, or D&D stuff, or ANYTHING besides this. But I had an opportunity and I took it, and here we are.
Tier 4 and 5 supporters are going to help me test this for a few days and iron out as many bugs as we can, and then it's releasing to the public directly as a gift for the game's 3rd anniversary. It will only be available for PC/Linux and Mac for a little bit while I work on setting up Cloudflare for hosting the files for the Android game. The new Ren'py update allows me to make a separate "downloader game" that you install on your mobile device which will then fetch the rest of the game from Cloudflare, allowing us to break the 2GB limit for mobile games. I'm about halfway through the whole process. The cool thing is, on mobile, once this is done, you shouldn't ever have to download anything new because the "downloader game" will automatically detect updates when I upload a new version and will download it whenever you open the base app! Until that's ready, feel free to use Estrada's unofficial android ports (found on F95Zone).
This also means the page for Season 2 will be shut down, and all downloadables will be moved to the Season 1 page. I'll probably make new art to celebrate what will be the 1.0 launch of the game in earnest. Massive thanks to all of you for your patience. I'm just glad this turned out to be a lot easier than I thought it would.
View attachment 3760206
That being said, the 1.0 version is still undergoing bugtesting, and there are bugs that are simple to fix and there are bugs that are massive pains in the ass to fix. And I have no idea how many of each we'll be facing. But as soon as we have 'em all squashed, you all can expect a direct-to-public release, skipping the month long Patreon/SubscribeStar cycle! And hopefully, we'll have a new pinup pack to celebrate, as well.
Again, thank you all! T4 and T5 supporters, check the page for the download links!
- Vic
Well, good and bad news. Bad news is, yes, everyone has to start over since now Season 1 has Season 2's variables, and also has new choices that actually matter where the original Season 1 did not, so you'll need to actually make those choices for those variables to be set. Good news is, there are bits and pieces of new and reworked content scattered throughout the new Season 1 and I think it plays a LOT more smoothly than it once did. This should also be the last time we all have to start over as well, unless I implement that Love Languages system someone suggested. But I don't know if I have the know-how to do that, so I'm still of the mind that this is the last time we'll have to start over. From now on it should all just be new main story and side story content dropping.Noice! Does it warrant a replay for those of us who had no beef and are contentedly in season 2 now?