Ren'Py Years Between Us [Ch.4] [ScarabsGourmetHole]

[DressedToThrill]

ScarabsGourmetHole

When Julia asked what I was going do about it, I wanted to type to her that I was going to get our life back on track. At least, that was what I was thinking. Apparently I was using long distance telepathy to communicate this to her, which our telepath wife picked up on, replying to us that she'd been dying to hear these words.

But I would find it more immersive as a phone game if we could just communicate normally through text messages, and for my choices to appear as such message in the messaging "app".

Besides this, I think this is a well put together phone simulation despite it using Ren'py. If I could suggest one more thing (and this is not really important), then by default the gallery shouldn't show empty slots for missing images. When I open the gallery app on my real life phone, it's not predicting future images I will take. Seems a bit odd.

Obviously, the slots are nice for hard core gamers who are picture hunting, so I'm just saying there could be a toggle for those people, in the same vein some people ask for toggles to reveal all images regardless of progression. I'm just opposite man.

 

[DressedToThrill]

This is too vague. My feedback for when three choices like these are given the player, is that they should somehow convey what emotion the MC and player want to convey. One of these will express anger, another will express shock, and one will express enthusiasm. I won't spoil which, but I wouldn't be able to, and wasn't able to guess which until I tested all three.

If the question is asked is "What's your take on this?", then I suggest replies like:
"It pissed me off... (that's my take on it!)" , or
"I don't know... (I'm kind of in shock.)", or
"Dude, I think I liked it... (am I weird for that?).

 

[Lizzardcheese]

The narrative becomes meaningless if the wife is unfaithful, regardless of the player's chosen path. If you are fully committed to a "love" path but cannot prevent this outcome or at least have the option to try, it undermines the entire point of that route. In this case, the only possible outcomes are to either forgive and move on (if the love foundation is strong) or descend into a cuckolding narrative (NTR/NTS)

Games like this have saturated the market recently if this one just follows the trend without any substance of its own, it's not worth the time, if the developer is committed to this direction, so be it. Otherwise, I'd propose a change since it's still early and somewhat feasible

Almost every one of these games has "Love path" in the description, but it's only to help their donations. Soon enough they almost always force NTR or "nts" which is usually just being cucked. Looking like this one is following that route.

 

[Artist271]

Is Chad my boyfriend or something? I talk to him more than my wife, is this actually a gay romance porn game? Jesus Christ.

 

[pussslayer]

now i understand the name of this game it take years of yaping

 

[FatYoda]

This game seemed like it might be alright but this dude is a moron. Duke is Chad. FFS man he's getting you to turn your wife out so he can fuckin steal her.

 

[TurboKinetics]

This game seemed like it might be alright but this dude is a moron. Duke is Chad. FFS man he's getting you to turn your wife out so he can fuckin steal her.

We should have known shit would be weird when the guy that supposedly wanted to save his marriage, caught her lying about going to a strip club and 8nstead of just going home and asking where she is or at least actually having a dinner with her elected to go drink with chad and had to sleep on the couch. Bad choices and i doubt this one will end up a good story. Time will tell i guess.

 

[FatYoda]

We should have known shit would be weird when the guy that supposedly wanted to save his marriage, caught her lying about going to a strip club and 8nstead of just going home and asking where she is or at least actually having a dinner with her elected to go drink with chad and had to sleep on the couch. Bad choices and i doubt this one will end up a good story. Time will tell i guess.

I dont really care tbh, i'm here to watch her turn into a whore, but i hate it when mc is just completely oblivious

 

[MiltonPowers]

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Hello everyone!

I need to offer you all a sincere apology. I believe the latest chapter release was a complete failure. You've given me feedback about the huge number of errors, the unpassable choice menu that blocked progression, and various other technical issues that players encountered. I want to deeply apologize to everyone, and I guarantee that I will fix all of these problems in the near future—and definitely before the next chapter release.

I'm still learning the programming side of development, and I haven't fully mastered this engine yet. Sometimes I have to insert certain values through trial and error, but I'm learning, and soon I believe I'll be able to resolve all these technical issues.

As for the story itself, there hasn't been much constructive feedback on that front, so I'd really like to know what you thought of the latest chapter from a narrative perspective. I'd appreciate more specific feedback from you so I can take it into account when writing the next chapter.

What did you think of the character development? Were the emotional moments impactful? Did the pacing feel right? Your detailed thoughts would help me tremendously.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. Your support means everything, and I'm committed to delivering a better experience moving forward.

 

[MiltonPowers]

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Hello everyone!

I want to sincerely apologize to you all. The latest chapter really exposed a huge number of problems in the game and revealed many technical issues that I'm making while creating this visual novel. Right now, I think I'm still learning how to make games and understanding what the audience ultimately enjoys. And most importantly, whether I can use my enthusiasm and passion to tell the story the audience wants to hear in the most engaging way—for them and for myself.

As the last chapter showed, many people didn't understand what I was trying to convey. I attribute this to the fact that the entire narrative is delivered through a mobile phone interface. The scale of my ideas is colossal, enormous. I have some experience in script writing for TV series, and in my head, I immediately envision grand cinematic scenes that should unfold. But when you frame it all through a phone screen, the magic of the scene breaks down through text messages. Basically, I've cornered myself with this phone messenger engine.

Initially, I chose this format because it seemed like the simplest approach—I could essentially just write the script and occasionally insert images that fit the moment. This format requires more screenwriting skills than directorial shot composition skills. But now I realize it's the opposite—I actually want more directorial control over shots. I want to tell the story more like a traditional visual novel rather than a phone-based one.

So I'm actively thinking about finishing this first visual novel and then, with all the experience I've gained, stepping up to the next level and releasing an even better, newer visual novel in the same spirit as this one, but with full directorial vision, proper shot composition, engaging scenes, and an intricate plot.

What are your thoughts on this? Would you be interested in seeing a traditional visual novel format in the future?

Thank you for staying with me through this learning journey. Your support means everything.

 

[DarkFlame44]

Scarabs patreon seems to be empty for me. Whats up with that? Did they quit?

 

[Logan1377]

Scarabs patreon seems to be empty for me. Whats up with that? Did they quit?

Same. After what he posted a few weeks ago, maybe he decided to abandon this game and close up shop.

 

[John999+]

Same. After what he posted a few weeks ago, maybe he decided to abandon this game and close up shop.

I saw on Boosty that chapter 4 is available there. His Subscribestar account is under review.

 

[DarkFlame44]

Same. After what he posted a few weeks ago, maybe he decided to abandon this game and close up shop.

Does that mean chapter 4 will become forever unavailable if the boosty goes down before it goes public?

 

[Logan1377]

Does that mean chapter 4 will become forever unavailable if the boosty goes down before it goes public?

There's always the chance that someone leaks it here either way. Just have to rely on someone to do so.

 

[ScarabsGourmetHole]

Scarabs patreon seems to be empty for me. Whats up with that? Did they quit?

Same. After what he posted a few weeks ago, maybe he decided to abandon this game and close up shop.

I saw on Boosty that chapter 4 is available there. His Subscribestar account is under review.

I apologize for the silence.
My Patreon account has been suspended again.
For now, I'll have to continue working on Boosti.
Work on the new chapter is in full swing.

 

[ScarabsGourmetHole]

Hey everyone!

We're excited to bring you the latest chapter in Alex and Julia's story, and let me tell you – this one takes things to a whole new level.

After the dramatic events of Chapter 3, Alex finds himself walking deeper into the shadows. Night Whisper has orchestrated something far more twisted than before, and this time, the stakes are impossibly high. Alex enters a mysterious room where reality blurs with his darkest fears, and what he discovers there will shake him to his core.

Julia finds herself in a situation that will test every boundary Alex thought existed in their relationship. The messages keep coming, each one more disturbing than the last. Photos. Provocations. Philosophical musings about pleasure and morality that would make anyone's skin crawl. But behind all this manipulation, there's a bigger question: Is Julia really part of this game, or has Alex been played all along?

This chapter dives deep into Alex's psyche as he struggles between jealousy, confusion, and a strange arousal he doesn't want to acknowledge. He's forced to watch, to question, to doubt everything he thought he knew about his wife. The tension builds with every message from the mysterious antagonist, who seems to be orchestrating an elaborate psychological experiment.
And just when Alex thinks he's figured it all out, when he's ready to confront Julia and lay everything on the table – fate throws him another curveball. A message from Chad changes everything. Duke is back in the picture, and Alex must make a choice: face the truth with his wife, or pursue the revenge he's been craving?

Chapter 4 is intense, provocative, and filled with moral dilemmas that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It pushes the boundaries of trust, tests the limits of desire, and leaves you wondering: how far would you go if someone was playing games with the person you love most?

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[ScarabsGourmetHole]

Greetings, dear friends!

Chapter 5 is now available for Gold-tier supporters.

After the turbulent night, Alex faces the most crucial conversation of his married life. Julia and Alex stand at a crossroads where their paths may either converge once more or diverge forever.

This chapter explores the delicate boundary between honesty and destruction, between forgiveness and the point of no return. You will witness how a single evening can reshape everything they believed they knew about each other.

The mysterious NightWhisper returns with revelations that threaten to upend everything. A cryptic book. A collector in Hong Kong. Julia's unexpected journey. Are these mere coincidences, or threads of a web someone has been weaving all along?
Multiple branching paths await you—each leading to profoundly different outcomes. The path of reconciliation and trust. The path of painful revelations. The path of unexplored desires. Which will you choose?

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[TurboKinetics]

Nts and she is still lying. Like dude, just send one just 1 of the photos of her in that gangbang she ditched you for and grow a pair. This is such a sloppy story.

 

[Nimbus Commando]

I would have slammed her head through a window and the so-called friend character I would cripple the guy, but sadly the MC is too much a bitch and a retard to do that, man the story and characters are as always retarded.