VN Ren'Py Zia [v0.5] [Studio Zia]

4.10 star(s) 8 Votes

Arisushi

Member
Game Developer
Jul 9, 2020
452
1,727
Checked it out but there is a forced hetero scene and I really don't like the guy it's with so that kinda put me off. Didn't get beyond that.
I know this has been a recurring opinion regarding that scene (and as an extension, the entire game itself).

I also fully understand that everyone has their own level of tolerance to themes they don't like.

However, IF POSSIBLE, I kindly request our audience (who only enjoy female-female pairings) to give the female-love route a try at least once and then make your decision.

I've personally taken a lot of care to showcase their relationship in a fun and pleasing way. And Sarnko has put in weeks of work to make their interactions look good on screen.

So, I humbly request our audience to NOT miss out on all of that just because of a single throwaway joke of an intimate scene -- with a guy whom the mc herself dismisses off as a loser by the end of the scene.
 

Avaron1974

Resident Lesbian
Aug 22, 2018
25,742
88,632
I know this has been a recurring opinion regarding that scene (and as an extension, the entire game itself).

I also fully understand that everyone has their own level of tolerance to themes they don't like.

However, IF POSSIBLE, I kindly request our audience (who only enjoy female-female pairings) to give the female-love route a try at least once and then make your decision.

I've personally taken a lot of care to showcase their relationship in a fun and pleasing way. And Sarnko has put in weeks of work to make their interactions look good on screen.

So, I humbly request our audience to NOT miss out on all of that just because of a single throwaway joke of an intimate scene -- with a guy whom the mc herself dismisses off as a loser by the end of the scene.
Okies, i'll take a proper look at it.
 

PJWhoopie

Member
May 14, 2019
364
720
@
Avaron1974

I am kind of curious what you think of the game... as I always enjoy your constructive criticism in other threads. You are usually fair/open minded, despite personal preferences for game genre.

I really liked the game (v1) as it was different/fresh. I just saw V2 is out, so I wanna fire that up and see what is going on with the characters.
*Update*
It was a short installment (V2) but its more of a character development update. I'm still on board!
 
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Arisushi

Member
Game Developer
Jul 9, 2020
452
1,727
I'm full on hetero and every single one of the guys in this has made me cringe so far. Not because they are characterized or written badly, but because they're behaving too realistically.
:LOL: Sorry about that. I swear that (from 0.3 onwards) you'll also get to see the (realistically) endearing side of guys too. So, I hope you can stick around for that as well.
 
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Gosamr

Member
May 6, 2021
334
474
:LOL: Sorry about that. I swear that (from 0.3 onwards) you'll also get to see the (realistically) endearing side of guys too. So, I hope you can stick around for that as well.
That comment wasn't meant to be a criticism of you or the characterization. It was merely a lament about the prevailing attitude amongst many "real" guys nowadays. I am acquainted with some and am aware of quite a few others myself, one of whom I do not consider myself to be. I would like to think I am hopefully one of the "realistically endearing" ones you are going to be showing us later. I'll find out soon enough, because I definitely plan on sticking around.
 
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Arisushi

Member
Game Developer
Jul 9, 2020
452
1,727
That comment wasn't meant to be a criticism of you or the characterization. It was merely a lament about the prevailing attitude amongst many "real" guys nowadays. I am acquainted with some and am aware of quite a few others myself, one of whom I do not consider myself to be. I would like to think I am hopefully one of the "realistically endearing" ones you are going to be showing us later. I'll find out soon enough, because I definitely plan on sticking around.
I fully understood that you weren't criticizing the writing itself and, was just pointing at the ways in which some guys conduct themselves. So, no offense was taken :)

I just realised that (while just two updates in) the game didn't offer much in terms of showing guys in a good light yet. Which felt hilarious to me because one of the male love interest is going to be a total sweetheart of sorts (while also having some realistic flaws). So, I just figured I'd use this chance to clarify it.

Also, really happy to hear you'll be sticking around for the future updates. (I'll do my best to deliver a fun and engaging series.)
 
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Deleted member 3727657

Active Member
May 22, 2021
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I fully understood that you weren't criticizing the writing itself and, was just pointing at the ways in which some guys conduct themselves. So, no offense was taken :)

I just realised that (while just two updates in) the game didn't offer much in terms of showing guys in a good light yet. Which felt hilarious to me because one of the male love interest is going to be a total sweetheart of sorts (while also having some realistic flaws). So, I just figured I'd use this chance to clarify it.

Also, really happy to hear you'll be sticking around for the future updates. (I'll do my best to deliver a fun and engaging series.)
This game never gets dark tags like rape, corruption, cheating, incest, Sexual harassment, etc.?
 
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Arisushi

Member
Game Developer
Jul 9, 2020
452
1,727
This game never gets dark tags like rape, corruption, group sex, cheating, incest, Sexual harassment, etc.?
While the game has some serious subject matter like death and murder, it won't go "dark" in the way you seem to be implying here.

For example,
You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

But all that is probably for Season Two and later, IF the first season turns out to be successful that is.

For now, death and murder are about as far as this game will go in terms of its "darkness".
 

Kali_K

Newbie
Jan 17, 2020
34
127
I know this has been a recurring opinion regarding that scene (and as an extension, the entire game itself).

I also fully understand that everyone has their own level of tolerance to themes they don't like.

However, IF POSSIBLE, I kindly request our audience (who only enjoy female-female pairings) to give the female-love route a try at least once and then make your decision.

I've personally taken a lot of care to showcase their relationship in a fun and pleasing way. And Sarnko has put in weeks of work to make their interactions look good on screen.

So, I humbly request our audience to NOT miss out on all of that just because of a single throwaway joke of an intimate scene -- with a guy whom the mc herself dismisses off as a loser by the end of the scene.
I am on the fence about whether to give this game a try or not for the exact same reason. What confuses me is that, clearly you're very well aware of the number of people out there that have taken issue with this scene and yet aren't willing to do anything to change it. I wholeheartedly understand that is very much your game and your creative vision but considering how many potential supporters this decision alone could be costing you, I'd have thought that reworking the scene to where the player has a choice if the 'date' is male or female, or just reworking the opening to avoid it altogether would be in your (and the game's) best interest.

I appreciate the time you've taken to address how the game will be shaped going forward and it does genuinely tempt me but I honestly don't feel as though you're fully grasping just how distasteful having a forced partner is on many of your potential audience. Plenty of other games have started with a female character already having a boyfriend (sadly - what I wouldn't give to play a game where you actually get to choose your preference) and given the choice to only pursue women within the game but they've (almost) all avoided any forced contact with males once the player is introduced to the world and the character. Going about it the way you have, is very clearly causing issues and I'd have thought that the simplest (although admittedly very time consuming) way around that would be to rework the scene to avoid the unpleasantness.

I wish you every success with the game going forward and I may still try it but I do urge you to consider adapting the beginning to avoid all of the complaints previously levelled at you.
 
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EndlessNights

Member
Jun 18, 2022
315
2,164
I wish you every success with the game going forward and I may still try it but I do urge you to consider adapting the beginning to avoid all of the complaints previously levelled at you.
I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on the game if you do end up trying it. The scene you're concerned about might not be as bad as you expect. Yes, Zia does go out on a date with a guy, they have an awkward conversation, and for some inexplicable reason they go back to Zia's place and appear to be about to have sex before a fortuitous interruption saves the day. There's no way to avoid the date, but nothing lewd actually ends up happening and Nick doesn't even appear to be a real LI since Zia herself ends up disliking him. The 0.2 update focuses mostly on Zia and Nina's relationship (which can take a romantic turn) and is in my opinion a big improvement over the first release.

Given Zia's bisexuality, you could approach the game as a rescue mission of sorts where you the player try to save Zia from her terrible taste in men and help fix her up with a nice woman instead. It'll never feel exactly the same as a true lesbian protagonist game experience, but this is still an important job. Based on the first guy she was drawn to, Zia might well end up picking a serial killer, drunk, or incel next if left to her own devices. We certainly can't have that! Arisushi has said players will be able to choose exactly who Zia pursues so I don't expect any more forced dates in the future.

It'd be a tough decision for Arisushi to go back and rework the beginning now. I'm not sure I'd recommend it even if it might cut down on some of the criticism. For one thing, the extra work would slow down progress on the next release. It also might create a dynamic where players will begin to feel like they can force changes onto the story if they get mad enough about something which is generally not a good thing and probably would be abused.
 
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Kali_K

Newbie
Jan 17, 2020
34
127
It'd be a tough decision for Arisushi to go back and rework the beginning now. I'm not sure I'd recommend it even if it might cut down on some of the criticism. For one thing, the extra work would slow down progress on the next release. It also might create a dynamic where players will begin to feel like they can force changes onto the story if they get mad enough about something which is generally not a good thing and probably would be abused.
Yes, you're absolutely right in that remaking the start might well give players the idea that if they scream and shout loudly enough, then they'll get their vision of the story, rather than Arisushi's and that wouldn't be good for anyone. I also acknowledge that doing so wouldn't just be 'time consuming' as I believe I phrased it but would also most definitely cause severe delays to the release of future content, which again, really isn't ideal at all. *sigh* I do wish more game developers better understood why things like this are such a big deal to some. I'd obviously still like to see the beginning reworked in some fashion but I don't want that to come at the cost of anything else. I'll continue to deliberate on this one for now. Thank you for providing some additional points to reflect upon.
 
4.10 star(s) 8 Votes