yes, I subscribed as soon as I wrote mine previous post.
And thanks for the details about occultism. Maybe in the future I'll post some good books to read, or links to visit, for those interested in starting exploring the matter.
- Thread starter Stolen_rose
- Start date
And thanks for the details about occultism. Maybe in the future I'll post some good books to read, or links to visit, for those interested in starting exploring the matter.
- Jun 18, 2022
- 315
- 2,167
This game is off to a phenomenal start. My initial impression was that it was going to be one of those rather whimsical magical college games given Caleb's fortuitous uni admittance and his first encounters with his quirky classmates. The atmosphere changed very quickly after one particularly unpleasant dorm room visitor dropped by. I loved the palpable sense of menace you feel in that meeting and in several other scenes that happen soon after: exploring the campus at night, that creepy meditation session, and the ensuing conversation with Selena where she is at her absolute most mysterious. I found myself absolutely glued to the screen, utterly engrossed in the story, and unsettled enough to feel like saving approximately every five seconds.
My appreciation for the game only grew when I realized how replayable it is. At this point, I've done four playthroughs, and I've pretty much decided to do one for each of the deities at the very least. It's fascinating to see all the little and significant changes in the story that occur in response to different choices and different stats/adherences. For instance, if you decide to have Caleb turn down Rayne's offer at their first meeting, she later takes a drink during the Never Have I Ever game after asking the question about rejection. If Caleb doesn't turn her down, she doesn't drink because she's apparently never been rejected before. I was also really pleased that I was able to have Caleb give a persuasive speech and beat Keira in the fight on different playthroughs...basically, everything I wanted to see happen that didn't work out on my first playthrough I was able to have Caleb accomplish later on after focusing on the right stat. I know it takes a ton of work to account for all these different possibilities, but such attention to detail really increases immersion and replay value.
There are already quite a few mysteries I can't wait to see explored further. What is the true purpose of the college? Why does Marie think Caleb is a monster? What exactly is the other, darker side to Caleb we've heard him refer to but never actually seen yet? Is Victoria really Marie or something else? Who is Silver? Who is Vanessa and why is she so sexist, mean, and exclusionary? I'm mostly joking with that one, but my first playthrough I had Caleb worship Luna and he would no doubt be crushed to learn he can never become a lunar witch. Did the lady on the bus have something to do with Caleb being admitted to the university and was she the one who called him? Is the curvy, bored receptionist lady single and what is her number? So, yeah, there are definitely a lot of mysteries to be resolved in future updates.
Two issues that mysterious VNs can run into is they can drag the suspense out too long or, worse in my view, end up discarding story threads altogether for convenience's sake. I think there's reason to hope Zero End will able to avoid both those pitfalls. First, the game and story seem to be very well-planned. I have every confidence that the dev knows exactly where this bus is headed, and I couldn't be more pleased to be a terrified passenger. Secondly, we've already seen a mini-mystery or two already be resolved satisfactorily in the first update. For example, it's pretty obvious that there's something up with Rayne...she acts very differently from scene to scene. If you've seen all the Rayne content available, you already have a good idea why she behaves like she does. We don't have all the details yet and it's certainly possible that Caleb could be being deceived, but plenty of other games would have made us wait many updates just to find out as much about her and her dual nature as we have already. I think that's a great sign for the future!
I have some more stuff to say about the characters as well, but since this post has dragged on a little longer than I intended I'll save it for later. The main message I wanted to express is simply, "Play this now!"
My appreciation for the game only grew when I realized how replayable it is. At this point, I've done four playthroughs, and I've pretty much decided to do one for each of the deities at the very least. It's fascinating to see all the little and significant changes in the story that occur in response to different choices and different stats/adherences. For instance, if you decide to have Caleb turn down Rayne's offer at their first meeting, she later takes a drink during the Never Have I Ever game after asking the question about rejection. If Caleb doesn't turn her down, she doesn't drink because she's apparently never been rejected before. I was also really pleased that I was able to have Caleb give a persuasive speech and beat Keira in the fight on different playthroughs...basically, everything I wanted to see happen that didn't work out on my first playthrough I was able to have Caleb accomplish later on after focusing on the right stat. I know it takes a ton of work to account for all these different possibilities, but such attention to detail really increases immersion and replay value.
There are already quite a few mysteries I can't wait to see explored further. What is the true purpose of the college? Why does Marie think Caleb is a monster? What exactly is the other, darker side to Caleb we've heard him refer to but never actually seen yet? Is Victoria really Marie or something else? Who is Silver? Who is Vanessa and why is she so sexist, mean, and exclusionary? I'm mostly joking with that one, but my first playthrough I had Caleb worship Luna and he would no doubt be crushed to learn he can never become a lunar witch. Did the lady on the bus have something to do with Caleb being admitted to the university and was she the one who called him? Is the curvy, bored receptionist lady single and what is her number? So, yeah, there are definitely a lot of mysteries to be resolved in future updates.
Two issues that mysterious VNs can run into is they can drag the suspense out too long or, worse in my view, end up discarding story threads altogether for convenience's sake. I think there's reason to hope Zero End will able to avoid both those pitfalls. First, the game and story seem to be very well-planned. I have every confidence that the dev knows exactly where this bus is headed, and I couldn't be more pleased to be a terrified passenger. Secondly, we've already seen a mini-mystery or two already be resolved satisfactorily in the first update. For example, it's pretty obvious that there's something up with Rayne...she acts very differently from scene to scene. If you've seen all the Rayne content available, you already have a good idea why she behaves like she does. We don't have all the details yet and it's certainly possible that Caleb could be being deceived, but plenty of other games would have made us wait many updates just to find out as much about her and her dual nature as we have already. I think that's a great sign for the future!
I have some more stuff to say about the characters as well, but since this post has dragged on a little longer than I intended I'll save it for later. The main message I wanted to express is simply, "Play this now!"
No plans for harem?? Very bad. I am Out of here.
- Oct 31, 2017
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Start by selecting deity Aphrodite, then much later (Day 1 evening) choose to go to the Gym and Train with Keira(Strength). Then, the player (not the MC) can watch Keira masturbates in the shower thinking about the MC (not the player)
.Whats the blue and red mark in the character screen? Also there is a screenshot where Caleb eyes are red, i dont seem to see this in the game
I think there is a succubus in rain?
I think there is a succubus in rain?
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- Oct 31, 2017
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For the blue and red bar in the Profile screen, it is called Player Alignment (in the code), not sure what exactly it means though, as in alignment to what, but probably red mean aggressive, and blue is less aggressive and 'friendlier'. It is only set once (on this release) depending on how you choose to handle the "Thing". At the start, alignment is set in the middle, you will notice a white 'square' block in the middle between the red and blue bar, after your choice with the "Thing", the white 'square' block will move either to the left (red bar) or right (blue bar).
Not sure about the promo image, if it is in the game or not, or preview for the next release.
Yes, there is a succubus inside Rayne which explains why she is the way she is.
Damn, i was hoping caleb can mind control into victoria's pants since she keep calling him monster. Come one dev, you know you want it. Give him that power
i was assuming red to play as bad guy ie monster that he keeps repeating and blue is good guy.
- Aug 3, 2022
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The image with the red eyes appears when fighting Keira with Astarte as your patron deity.
The alignment system is Severity vs Mercy. I contemplated using Boaz and Jachin to suggest that, but figured having B and J at opposite side of a spectrum might create more confusion, given the pornographic nature of the game. It is tied to the monster Caleb refers to, though it's not a 100% overlap.
You'll be able to get into Victoria's pants, eventually, but she's leagues more powerful than Caleb as a magician--no chance he can overpower her with magic. I intend to have something similar with a different character in the next release, but it's not really mind control, exactly. It's more of a horny spell.
The alignment system is Severity vs Mercy. I contemplated using Boaz and Jachin to suggest that, but figured having B and J at opposite side of a spectrum might create more confusion, given the pornographic nature of the game. It is tied to the monster Caleb refers to, though it's not a 100% overlap.
You'll be able to get into Victoria's pants, eventually, but she's leagues more powerful than Caleb as a magician--no chance he can overpower her with magic. I intend to have something similar with a different character in the next release, but it's not really mind control, exactly. It's more of a horny spell.
- Oct 31, 2017
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- 3,516
That is the first thought I had, it must have been linked to the deity but which deity and which scene?
I just went looking at the images (thumbnails) but couldnt find it (for some reason the image on my PC is much darker than on this site, so I completely missed it thinking it is just a night scene
).Rather than speculate stuff, better just say not sure or don't know
.Thanks for the explanation, that's tough. We have to replay many times to get all the paths. You sure you don't want to reduce the amount of Deity available ?? It will be hell to render so many different paths.
Well, as long as we can win back Victoria as our LI then i'm happy. Not that interested in the other LIs at the moment.
You may want to include some explanation on terms like "Ceremony of Ash"... when it said, some of us have no idea what is that.
For your lust spell, hope we can choose character we can cast on. Hope its not characters like Raine as she is already perpetually horny
Keep this up. If the subsequent release its good, will sub your patreon
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I think i can answer a few question from the multiple play through:
- Is Victoria really Marie or something else?
- Yes, technically she is Marie but "reborn" as Victoria after the Ceremony of Ash. No idea what that Ceremony is
- Who is Silver?
- The lady in the bus
- Why does Marie think Caleb is a monster?
- Probably the entity inside Caleb similar to Rayne where she have a succubus inside her
- Aug 3, 2022
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To be honest, that was an issue I had to tackle. At first, some images were way darker and I didn't realize because my screen was pretty bright. Had some friends playtest for me and they told me it was too dark, so I adjusted the brightness to work on their screens as I intended. It's difficult to manage how various monitors display the images though. Maybe if I was better at coding, I could make a brightness slider, but I unfortunately am not good at that.That is the first thought I had, it must have been linked to the deity but which deity and which scene?
I just went looking at the images (thumbnails) but couldnt find it (for some reason the image on my PC is much darker than on this site, so I completely missed it thinking it is just a night scene
Rather than speculate stuff, better just say not sure or don't know
Couldn't reduce the amount of deities as they're tied to the stats, so I'd have to remove the stats too, and that would imply rebalancing the whole game. Honestly, I'd just recommend picking a deity you think is cool or that would give you some cool outcomes and rolling with it. Deity choice can make some things easier, but it doesn't affect the story in any monumental way.Thanks for the explanation, that's tough. We have to replay many times to get all the paths. You sure you don't want to reduce the amount of Deity available ?? It will be hell to render so many different paths.
Well, as long as we can win back Victoria as our LI then i'm happy. Not that interested in the other LIs at the moment.
You may want to include some explanation on terms like "Ceremony of Ash"... when it said, some of us have no idea what is that.
For your lust spell, hope we can choose character we can cast on. Hope its not characters like Raine as she is already perpetually horny
Keep this up. If the subsequent release its good, will sub your patreon
As for the Ceremony of Ash, it's meant to be a mystery that expands as you find out more. I didn't explain it on purpose because I want the mystery to unfold over time. As EndlessNights mentioned earlier, some mysteries get resolved faster, like Rayne's situation; other mysteries have a more profound impact, and I want those to be developed over a longer period.
As for the horny spell, it's a specific character. Don't wanna get spoilery, so I'll just say that Caleb isn't the one casting it, he only reflects it back to the caster.
The speculation, I'm not gonna chime in on
Reflection FTW. Just hope that character is a hot chick and not a random psychopath/monster. I feel lucky on my "speculations"As for the horny spell, it's a specific character. Don't wanna get spoilery, so I'll just say that Caleb isn't the one casting it, he only reflects it back to the caster.
The speculation, I'm not gonna chime in on
I have a feeling that Victoria's Coven is doing some shady demon summoning, catching people to feed vampires or some human sacrifice shit.
Is it me or anyone else feel that the tea that Victoria drank is a form of mind control potion ?
Stolen_rose - Whats the update cycle for this game? 2,3 months?
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- Aug 3, 2022
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Hard to say. I expect about 4 months, but it really depends on how much content there is in any given release. I want to make sure it's as good as it can be before I deliver an update. QA and post production work(image editing, visual effects) take some time, but it's very much worth the time investment. So, my best guess right now is 4 months total for ver. 0.0.2c but this may change.
- Jun 4, 2018
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Looking forward to it whenever it does come out.
Hope you find a partner and able to churn out contents faster. Hope you surprised us with the story