Guess I'll be starting a completely new save.
That's not so bad; just gives me a reason to re-experience everything again properly!
M3tav0X
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I know it's been almost three weeks but I just thought of something.
While the Hinterlands chapter - and by extension, P and Storm - is still fresh in everyone's minds and there's a minimum amount of implemented content you guys would have to rework, why not reach out to the fanbase on the matter? Like what you guys did with getting the fans' ideas and such regarding Asterion r18 content, it even just a poll on Twitter?
I understand that you guys probably just want to move on with the project by this point, but if bringing this up to you guys was enough that you'd actively keep it in mind for the rest of the project, as you said, shouldn't it be important enough to see what the fanbase thinks about it, too?
You guys have put a lot of time and effort into the Hinterlands already, I get it. But all the same, there's bound to be people who are strictly opposed to P and Storm being romantic or are only interested in them being familial; such players are then forced to completely pass-up on a not-insignificant about of content from the Hinterlands in the form of P and Storm hanging out together. Likewise, assuming that "course correcting" means anything like "giving the player a choice later for P to take back what he says to Storm in Chapter 18" if P and Storm end up romantic, such a scene would likely come across as needlessly cruel to Storm regardless of how it was written.
Getting an idea of what the fans would want might be a good idea here. But at the end of the day, it'd be your choice as the devs. I'm not saying that this has to or even necessarily should be what you guys do, just that it wouldn't hurt to consider doing it while it's not unreasonably difficult to handle...
Again, it's your choice, though. Just wanted to bring this up.
Yeah, I get it; you have to draw a line somewhere with this sort of thing and unfortunately, not every idea can get included all the time. It's just kinda disappointing to think that such valuable content as the interactions between P and Storm is essentially exclusive to a romantic relationship between them.
I don't personally know how difficult it would be to rework this stuff to accommodate that choice - I imagine it can be quite difficult and time consuming, depending on how in-depth it went - but I do imagine it would be easier to implement that sort of thing now, while the Hinterlands are still something of a chief focus, than later on when there would be even more content to recode and whatnot. Not to mention that, as I imagine, most people will be either starting new saves or at least restarting from saves before Hinterlands III for the new content.
In the end, however, I'll trust the judgment of you guys that are actually making the game; if you think there's been too much focus on refining Hinterlands III and you just want to move on, you guys should go with what you think is best...
... That said, I can't imagine anyone would be upset with you guys for trading more time to provide more options for your players to explore the story in a way that's satisfying for them... I definitely wouldn't, at least...
But as I said, I'll defer to your judgement about this. I'm just one person who's suddenly voicing an arbitrary complaint; I understand that the wants of one person can't - and likely shouldn't - be allowed to completely shift your priorities or plans. In the end, all I want is see Minotaur Hotel become the best possible story that it can. All I can ever hope for is that my words be seen as the helpful and well-intentioned input I intended them to be; and if they have some positive impact on the trajectory of development, all the better.
Whatever you decide is the best course of action, I and every other fan of this project will still be here to experience this wonderful story you guys are creating! Keep up the great work you guys do with this project!
I'm still not really clear on something.
Will the determining factor for how P and Storm's relationship develops be the amount of time P spends interacting with and doing nice things for Storm (buying Storm clothes, going to P's grandfather's home, visiting Storm's mother, etc)? Or will there be another, more specific factor(s) that determines P and Storm's relationship?
I guess what I'm really trying to ask is -
Will I be able to explore P and Storm's various plot threads on the Hinterlands - and thus, the resulting scenes and interactions between them - without locking them into a romantic relationship?
Will I be able to see P buying Storm clothes, exploring the town with Storm, sharing a cigar with Storm on his grandfather's porch, taking Storm to visit his mother and all those meaningful scenes and interactions without Storm and P becoming romantic? Or will I still need to avoid letting P and Storm have too many of those interactions for them to be familial?
Despite being completely optional, a lot of those scenes and interactions are really good at developing P and Storm's characters and their dynamic; they really help the player to build a clearer picture of these characters. But despite how very few - if any - of these scenes and interactions appear to have any distinctly romantic connotations, up to this point seeing too many of them always locked P and Storm into a romantic relationship; after a certain point, if the player wants P and Storm to have a non-romantic relationship, they have to stop pursuing these interactions between P and Storm regardless of whatever else they have to do in the Hinterlands...
As I didn't notice any mention of it in the 0.6.2 release announcement (not to mention that I'm probably one of - if not the only person who really cares one way or the other) I'm pretty sure I already know the answer to this... But I figure it can't hurt to ask about this, regardless.
With this new expansion to Hinterlands III, will there be any changes to how the time spent there affects P and Storm in later chapters? Specifically with how P's relationship to Storm (i.e. whether P and Storm progress towards a romantic or familial relationship after Hinterlands III) and whether P will be recruitable in chapter 19 are determined?
I've always enjoyed P and Storm's story arc(s) well enough, but I always preferred the idea of them having a platonic or familial relationship as opposed to a romantic one... So I never particularly liked how P developing romantic feelings for Storm and P's "good" ending in Chapter 18 (the one that'll lead to him being recruited) were both strictly tied to the same variable - that being how much time P spends with Storm during Hinterlands III...
As I said, I'm probably one of the only people who particularly cares either way about this... But it'd be nice if there was a distinction between what determines P and Storm's relationship and what determines whether P can be recruited later; like, if the amount of time P spends with Storm during Hinterlands III determines whether P can be recruited while specific choices during those interactions determine how their relationship progresses? Something like that, I guess...
Whenever I see P's "bad" ending in Chapter 18, it always just felt like the game was saying that P having a familial relationship with Storm was, well, the bad ending; like P's life is objectively lesser - less fulfilling or meaningful or something - if he and Storm aren't romantically interested in one another. That's the kind of vibe I always feel from it, at least.
I'm probably just over-analyzing, though... Really, I'd just like a timeline where P can work in the hotel without his relationship with Storm being the determining factor...
This was a lot of text... My apologies for the essay; I didn't intend for this inquiry to be this long...
Regardless, I still love Mino Hotel and look forward to whatever else comes in the future!
My time has come! Words cannot describe how many ideas and scenarios I've come up with about Asterion!
Answering the prompts in order:
1) For positions, MC and Asterion in a mating press is very high on my list, as is Asterion riding MC cowgirl style. Sixty-nine with Asterion would also be pretty hot!
For sexual acts and/or kinks, body worship is an obvious one, as is role reversal. Some role playing would be nice to see, too. Pet play could also be something interesting to explore. It might be interesting to sometimes get an option to bring one (or more!) of the other characters into the action every now and then.
2) Tugging on and playing with Asterion's tail would definitely be a good way for MC to tease or rile Asterion up. Some of the banter between Asterion and MC could also lead to some interesting ideas; for example, MC could leave a pair of his underwear on Asterion's pillow if you choose the option in chapter 18 that suggests Asterion might do something "indecent" while doing MC's laundry.
3) I feel like Asterion would be really into more classic stuff for teasing and riling up MC; caressing, grinding, whispering sweet nothings into his ear, etc. Including new events where MC can show interest in various different kinks or ideas could be a good gateway into new ideas for Asterion to Tease MC with; for example, perhaps there could be an event after building the gym where MC can show an interest in body worship (sniffing, licking, groping, etc) in the locker room and afterwards, Asterion could "forget" to put on deodorant after a workout or "accidentally" leave a used jockstrap in MC's room. Really get creative with it!
4) The sauna idea is definitely a good one. Other ideas could be things like:
a. Upgrading the infirmary and MC and Asterion can decide to "christen" one of the new beds
b. Creating a playground with a swing-set for any children at the hotel - after an optional conversation with Luke - leading to the installation of a sex-swing in the Master's quarters
c. A rock-climbing room/station being added to the gym (the idea here is something like nude climbing)
d. MC getting the opportunity to view the contract that forbids Adsterion from "exposing himself while [they] are expecting guests" and having the opportunity to modify or even completely rescind it would be a neat idea to explore
e. A game/club room with things like a pool table (getting to tease or fuck Asterion while he's bent over to line up his shot; MC being teased or fucked by Asterion while bent over)
f. Similarly to the sauna, adding something like a public bath or a proper onsen as a surprise or at the request of Kota, and/or adding a hot tub/jacuzzi to the pool
g. Building a spa where MC and the characters can get massages and other spa treatments that can temporarily improve their stats, similarly to cooking with Khenbish
h. Instituting an "Adults-Only" time at the swimming pool where swimwear is optional, encouraged to be disregarded, or even completely banned
i. Maybe something like adding giant themed "getaway-rooms" that resemble different places and environments; one could be themed after Paris and have a perfectly to-scale recreation of the Notre Dame cathedral; another could be themed after the Asphodel Meadows in the Underworld, or perhaps Crete as Asterion remembers it
j. A dance/martial arts studio (open room, wall-length mirrors, etc)*
k. Art gallery (calling Asterion or his body a work of art)*
l. A big library (fooling around with Asterion in a secluded cornr, but having to stay quiet; filling it with books could be something achieved over time via donations from guests and making purchases through the R&D Projects menu)*
At the end of the day, it really comes down to how creative you can get with seemingly innocuous or innocent projects. Really stretch the limits of logic and creativity with it!
5) Bondage, maybe? I don't really have much of anything for this one. Ultimately, I'd like MC and Asterion to establish early on some sort of safeword or consent agreement where they can explore their more out-there ideas and urges, but only as far as the other is comfortable.
6) Dirty talk about what MC could make Asterion do, filling Asterion's head with ideas of all kinds of horny debauchery, only to say that Asterion will have to ask for it if he want's anything like that to happen. Playing with the dominance and power dynamic while ultimately leaving it up to Asterion to decide what he is or isn't comfortable with pursuing.
Additionally, while MC and Asterion are getting frisky, MC could grab Asterion by the horns and fool around with that; grinding into his muzzle, getting a touch more aggressive while receiving oral, etc.
7) In a situation where MC is just less dominant, I don't really see Asterion becoming more dominant on his own. Rather, I'd like to see paths where MC could actively encourage Asterion to be more dominant in a sexual setting; for example, using the hotel's magic to tie himself to the bed, ready for Asterion to use as he pleases for awhile.
Heck, maybe even have a more dominant Asterion pull a trick like this!
8) I'm willing to bet Asterion has a praise kink; it just makes sense to me. Either praising or being praised by MC sounds like something Asterion would be into.
I also think Asterion would be into leather and harnesses and the like, kinda leaning into his bovine heritage a bit.
Another idea, as mentioned before, would be body worship. Asterion has shown a great deal of pride in his physical form, so it would make sense that he would be interested in this sort of kink.
edits:
Grammar & typos
*More ideas for question 4
I'm playing on PC. Just installed the new build and started a new playthrough to see the new content.
There was no issue at first, but at the 4th save (I habitually save at every choice while I play through any VN), on the screen where I decide my name for the playthrough, the game suddenly started displaying an error whenever I try to open the save/load menus! I can't access the save files from the main menu, either; I can't access any of my save files now!
The following is from after I select "Continue" in the main menu:
[code]
I'm sorry, but an uncaught exception occurred.
While running game code:
File "game/extra_screens_menu_screens.rpy", line 318, in execute
screen mobileLoadMenu():
File "game/extra_screens_menu_screens.rpy", line 318, in execute
screen mobileLoadMenu():
File "game/extra_screens_menu_screens.rpy", line 332, in execute
use mobileFileSlots(_("Load"), 'load')
File "game/extra_screens_menu_screens.rpy", line 685, in execute
screen mobileFileSlots(title, saveLoad):
File "game/extra_screens_menu_screens.rpy", line 685, in execute
screen mobileFileSlots(title, saveLoad):
File "game/extra_screens_menu_screens.rpy", line 690, in execute
fixed:
File "game/extra_screens_menu_screens.rpy", line 697, in execute
grid gui.file_slot_cols gui.file_slot_rows:
File "game/extra_screens_menu_screens.rpy", line 704, in execute
for i in range(gui.file_slot_cols * gui.file_slot_rows):
File "game/extra_screens_menu_screens.rpy", line 706, in execute
button:
File "game/extra_screens_menu_screens.rpy", line 712, in execute
has vbox
File "game/extra_screens_menu_screens.rpy", line 718, in execute
if FileSaveName(slot)=="":
File "game/extra_screens_menu_screens.rpy", line 722, in execute
if "@" in FileSaveName(slot):
File "game/extra_screens_menu_screens.rpy", line 733, in execute
text FileSaveName(slot) xalign 0.5 size 24
NameError: Name 'bg_color' is not defined.
-- Full Traceback ------------------------------------------------------------
Full traceback:
File "renpy/common/_layout/screen_main_menu.rpym", line 28, in script
python hide:
File "renpy/ast.py", line 922, in execute
renpy.python.py_exec_bytecode(self.code.bytecode, self.hide, store=self.store)
File "renpy/python.py", line 2218, in py_exec_bytecode
exec(bytecode, globals, locals)
File "renpy/common/_layout/screen_main_menu.rpym", line 28, in <module>
python hide:
File "renpy/common/_layout/screen_main_menu.rpym", line 35, in _execute_python_hide
ui.interact()
File "renpy/ui.py", line 298, in interact
rv = renpy.game.interface.interact(roll_forward=roll_forward, **kwargs)
File "renpy/display/core.py", line 3276, in interact
repeat, rv = self.interact_core(preloads=preloads, trans_pause=trans_pause, pause=pause, pause_start=pause_start, **kwargs)
File "renpy/display/core.py", line 3693, in interact_core
root_widget.visit_all(lambda i : i.per_interact())
File "renpy/display/core.py", line 567, in visit_all
d.visit_all(callback, seen)
File "renpy/display/core.py", line 567, in visit_all
d.visit_all(callback, seen)
File "renpy/display/core.py", line 567, in visit_all
d.visit_all(callback, seen)
File "renpy/display/core.py", line 567, in visit_all
d.visit_all(callback, seen)
File "renpy/display/screen.py", line 432, in visit_all
callback(self)
File "renpy/display/core.py", line 3693, in <lambda>
root_widget.visit_all(lambda i : i.per_interact())
File "renpy/display/screen.py", line 443, in per_interact
self.update()
File "renpy/display/screen.py", line 631, in update
self.screen.function(**self.scope)
File "game/extra_screens_menu_screens.rpy", line 318, in execute
screen mobileLoadMenu():
File "game/extra_screens_menu_screens.rpy", line 318, in execute
screen mobileLoadMenu():
File "game/extra_screens_menu_screens.rpy", line 332, in execute
use mobileFileSlots(_("Load"), 'load')
File "game/extra_screens_menu_screens.rpy", line 685, in execute
screen mobileFileSlots(title, saveLoad):
File "game/extra_screens_menu_screens.rpy", line 685, in execute
screen mobileFileSlots(title, saveLoad):
File "game/extra_screens_menu_screens.rpy", line 690, in execute
fixed:
File "game/extra_screens_menu_screens.rpy", line 697, in execute
grid gui.file_slot_cols gui.file_slot_rows:
File "game/extra_screens_menu_screens.rpy", line 704, in execute
for i in range(gui.file_slot_cols * gui.file_slot_rows):
File "game/extra_screens_menu_screens.rpy", line 706, in execute
button:
File "game/extra_screens_menu_screens.rpy", line 712, in execute
has vbox
File "game/extra_screens_menu_screens.rpy", line 718, in execute
if FileSaveName(slot)=="":
File "game/extra_screens_menu_screens.rpy", line 722, in execute
if "@" in FileSaveName(slot):
File "game/extra_screens_menu_screens.rpy", line 733, in execute
text FileSaveName(slot) xalign 0.5 size 24
File "renpy/text/text.py", line 1541, in __init__
self.set_text(text, scope, substitute)
File "renpy/text/text.py", line 1660, in set_text
i, did_sub = renpy.substitutions.substitute(i, scope, substitute)
File "renpy/substitutions.py", line 270, in substitute
s = formatter.vformat(s, (), kwargs)
File "/home/tom/ab/renpy-build/tmp/install.android-x86_64/lib/python2.7/string.py", line 563, in vformat
File "/home/tom/ab/renpy-build/tmp/install.android-x86_64/lib/python2.7/string.py", line 585, in _vformat
File "/home/tom/ab/renpy-build/tmp/install.android-x86_64/lib/python2.7/string.py", line 646, in get_field
File "/home/tom/ab/renpy-build/tmp/install.android-x86_64/lib/python2.7/string.py", line 605, in get_value
File "renpy/substitutions.py", line 228, in __getitem__
raise NameError("Name '{}' is not defined.".format(key))
NameError: Name 'bg_color' is not defined.
Windows-10-10.0.19041
Ren'Py 7.4.6.1693
Minotaur Hotel 0.6.1
Fri May 6 14:31:05 2022
[/code]
I can't tell whether it's more funny or sad to see the number of people that don't seem to understand that a game being on itch.io doesn't mean it's available to the general public.
This game is still in it's super buggy alpha stage; what makes so many people feel entitled to have access to the game at this stage without actively supporting the development? What's so desirable about the buggy alpha builds of this game that so many people feel like it should be public? I just can't wrap my head around it.
This many grown adults old enough to play a game like this shouldn't have this much trouble understanding a very basic concept like this.
It's absolutely mind boggling...
My main issue is that MC's entire way of thinking has done a complete 180 over night; he's gone from a generally nice, moral, well meaning person to a literal sociopath in a ridiculously short amount of time. Behavior in-and-of itself is subjective and can shift radically on a whim, but the thoughts behind that behavior are another thing entirely; the way a person thinks takes time to change, and we've had a front-row seat to the way MC thinks for a route and a half by now. It'd be one thing if he was fully aware of his behavior and acknowledged it for what it is, but he isn't and doesn't, which is the crux of the - or rather, this - issue. Unless the behavior is qualified in real-time in MC's thoughts as his way of acting out and distancing himself from his feelings for Tai (e.g. "Tai clearly didn't care about me so I won't care about him" or "I'll just get with someone else and forget all about Tai"), there's no way to retroactively justify the way he's acting while in the first-person perspective.
Not even to mention the fact that we, the player, were showed the entire conversation between Tai and Spencer, which only served to justify the way Tai responds to MC's confrontation and further cementing in our heads how douchebag-ish MC is acting, as we have the full context. It would have been better to leave us in the dark about the full context of the conversation and, instead of Tai's unnecessary confession, leave the conversation off on a vague and suspicious note, something open to interpretation that could reasonably leave MC with some doubts; this, paired with the ring Tai was - by MC's perspective - suddenly waring around his neck and his blatant refusal to share any information regarding his past with Spencer, would bubble over into the situation we now find ourselves in. The way everything is executed now is just cheep and for the sake of setting up a dramatic act 2 climax, and the story pretends that there will be no way to reconcile between Tai and MC as though we didn't set out to play Tai's route in the first place; it's a series of terrible tropes that stick out like sore thumbs in an otherwise well-done story.
Consistency is key with characters in this kind of medium, and conveying a person as flawed is not the same as turning them into a manipulative sociopath when they've showed no tendencies towards such behavior before. The way MC is thinking right now completely flies in the face of almost every conversation he has with Tai in Diego's route; we have the perception of MC that we do because we've already been through an entire route in his head.
[SOILERS AHEAD - READ AT YOUR OWN RISK]
*Deep inhale* Okay, so.... I gotta be honest, I'm actually more disappointed with this update than anything... Not to say the overall quality of the writing isn't up to the usual quality or anything, cuz it absolutely is; no, I'm disappointed with the use of the whole "Person A says something; person B overhears part of it an misunderstands" trope, because I honestly thought this VN was above using that trope.
Obviously, I don't like that trope- like, really, really don't like it. It's only ever used as a cheep, low-effort way of bringing more drama into a story, it's literally never executed right, and even when it is executed in a decent way it's still awful to sit through because it's so overused! Further, the thing overheard is almost always something that didn't need to be said in the first place because both parties clearly already knew what was said, and it's always phrased in a way that no one would phrase it in real life for the sake of making it be easily misconstrued in-universe, and the characters involved always make the situation infinitely more complicated than it needs to be and end up making everyone involved look like assholes!
Seriously, the secret that Tai is keeping about Spencer and the fact that he used to date Spencer do not need to be mutually inclusive pieces of information; Tai is absolutely smart enough to know he could tell his boyfriend - who, by Tai's own admission, is the most important person in his life - the parts of the story that don't directly relate to Spencer's secret.
And speaking of Tai's boyfriend, this update makes MC out to be an absolute douchebag! Frankly, based on MC's behavior in this update, I'd even go so far as to say that Tai dodged a fucking bullet! There is a limit to what behavior can be justified in this situation and MC definitely crosses it; there is nothing that can be said or done that can reasonably justify or redeem MC's behavior, there just isn't.
There are better ways of doing this sort of thing than the way it's done here...
If you absolutely need to include this type of plot device, then there are better ways of handling this. My recommendations would be to:
1) extend the convo between Spencer and Tai to include more information about what's really going on, then handle it like Diego and Kyrex's convo at the end of Diego's route; that is, we - the player - don't know any more about the full convo than MC until after someone actually explains the convo to them. This would both make the convo less stilted and awkward because Spencer and Tai wouldn't be talking in super vague terms like they know someone (e.g. the player) is listening in and engage us in a similar way as the MC, making us wonder what actually happened in Tai's office.
and b) show more deliberation and hesitation in MC's actions in the days after the breakup; nothing huge, just more moments where MC stops - and I mean really stops - to wonder why he's not more heartbroken and why he's suddenly acting the way he is. Or full stop have MC's inner monologue be acknowledging of the fact that MC is basically exaggerating his horniness to such an extreme as a way to try and get over Tai faster - now that would really sell what I'm hoping you were actually going for. The way it's presented now, however, MC is just a huge douchebag, as mentioned before; if this is how we can expect him to act whenever there's some kind of relationship trouble in the future, I'd say Tai's better off without him.
Being able to empathize with the characters is absolutely essential to a story like this and when your main character is presented to basically turn into this massive douchelord, we lose the ability to feel sorry or empathize with them and our image of them as a person is pretty much gonna stay tarnished from then on.
Alright, since I'm pretty sure this is already my longest reaction to an update so far and it's just paragraph after paragraph of ranting, I'm gonna wrap this up here before I rile myself up again and leave off with this: up until now, I've absolutely adored this VN and it's a real shame to see it take this path when everything else has been so strong so far. It's fine if you wanna include some drama surrounding Tai and Spencer's past and all the secrecy about Spencer in general, but there are more effective ways of going about it than using such a cheep and overdone trope.
Anyways, keep at it! I'll be looking forward to the coming updates. I've always been adamant about people writing the stories they want to write, I just ask that this be considered some food for thought, as it were.
(also I'm really sorry for the huge rant; I have strong opinions and just no way of sharing them concisely...) :(
God, Spencer is so f*cking suspicious! Any time we get even the slightest bit of information on him, all it really does is emphasize just how little info we have on him!
He doesn't seem like a bad person or anything, but there're still so many unknowns surrounding the guy.... Just this weird enigma of a character that seems to know everything about everyone while nobody knows anything of value about him!
At this point, he's almost starting to feel more like some kind of trickster fey or local ghost or something, rather than a person. I'm almost scared to find out what kinds of twists we're going to see surrounding this character...
Homecoming ~Morenatsu Revisited~ comments · Replied to OceanViolets in Homecoming ~Morenatsu Revisited~ comments
God, your straight up just looking for reasons to be offended at this point, clearly more interested in being "right" (which you actually aren't) than you are in actually educating yourself about the topic you're virtue signaling over. The fact that you're entire argument hinges on a specific (and incorrect) interpretation of less than 10 words should be a sign that you're point might not actually be that defensible - like a sandcastle facing against a moderately sized wave.
News flash, school starts in the spring in Japan - in April, to be more specific - not in the fall like in the west. Since the game takes place over the characters' summer break in August, that means that the characters have all been in their senior year for about four months; plenty of time for all the characters to have had their 18th birthdays, which, by the by, can quite often occur during one's senior year or even leading up to it; you're circumstances and experiences are not universal. The characters weren't legal in the OG Morenatsu, but this is not the OG Morenatsu, so it's not fundamentally right (in any way) to judge it as such. Nevermind the fact that this game, in fact, is not actually set in our real world, and that the schooling of a foreign country in a fictional alternate universe populated by anthropomorphic animals - including mythical creatures such as dragons - could very well be different in some aspects compared to your own frame of reference.
Furthermore, a person's level of schooling doesn't invalidate the legal prospects of their age. Would you be making this much of a fuss if the characters were all 40-year-olds who re-enrolled in high school after dropping out when they were younger? No, of course you wouldn't, because that would be beyond ridiculous. If the concept of "suspension of disbelief" is that difficult for you to comprehend, then just don't play; it's literally as simple as that.
If you're that desperate to rip into a game for problematic content, how about going after something like After Class for blatantly admitting that Gil was sexually harassing the MC and other high school students throughout MC's entire high school career? Or maybe the Lagoon Lounge games - both OG and remake - for their veritable laundry list of issues and problematic content, including but not limited to sexual assault, rape, mind control, corporate espionage, and - in the case of the OG games - actual pedophilia involving actual minors?
If you want to be offended by something, that's your prerogative, knock yourself out. But keep your "BuT tHeIr In HiGh ScHoOl So ThEy'Re AcTuAlLy MiNoRs" bs to yourself; no-one here asked for you to spew your SJW preaching in the comments, so get off your soap-box and just be quiet, because nobody is actually listening to you. Just leave your 1-star review and scurry off back to your Tumbr blog or Twitter account or wherever it is you crawled here from.
I've been quite excited for this update! Glad to see things starting to move forward with the project! I'm especially excited to see what goes on with the latest addition to our roster of eligible bachelors! I've only dipped my toes into this update a little bit, so I haven't gotten around to seeing everything in this update just yet, but I'm really happy nonetheless.
The only thing is I'm trying to get to the new Reth content in day 2 but I can't get it to trigger... All I have are all the same options for day 2... Are there any special conditions I need to meet like stats or choices in day 1 to get the new Reth content??
(By the by, I'm pretty sure the solution to the hallway puzzle is in the wrong order? Like, the directions are all correct, but they're in the reverse order they should be; that is, they follow the same order as is described to get to the admissions office instead of the opposite order.)
Also, judging by the height chart, I'm pretty sure MC is the same height as me, lol
edit: I have only had Aldric for about five and a half minutes but if anything happened to him, I would kill everyone in the Academy and then myself! (himbos are my greatest weakness)
Take as long as you need, my friend! If the first build is anything to judge by, then I know the next build is gonna be well worth the wait! This game is shaping up to be something really great, and the narrative is already among the more compelling and interesting that I've seen in a while!
Can't wait to start getting to know our cast of eligible bachelors and see where the story goes from here! I'm especially interested in getting closer to Rath in the not-too-distant future! X3c
[SPOILERS AHEAD; CONTINUE AT YOUR OWN RISK IF YOU'VE NOT COMPLETED THIS UPDATE]
Honestly, I identify with Diego on a spiritual level in this update; I'm exactly the same way when it comes to picking up on that sort of thing irl! X3
I also agree with Diego that the way Tai's handling this is kinda scummy and shady... I'm gonna withhold making any judgements about the situation just yet, since it's clear that there is much more going on here than we yet know (and I'd bet dollars-to-doughnuts that it has something to do with Spencer) and that we'll get a clearer picture of what's really going on as the story progresses, same as with Diego's route.
Still, though, Tai has some major explaining to do down the line. He's, like, literally the perfect boyfriend - perfect body; perfect personality; perfect house; perfect hair; perfectly attentive; just.... perfect - and he just take's you out on a really nice date to a café, treat's you to drinks the following evening, gives you probably the best fuck of your life, collects your dirty clothes for you and leaves some for you to change into the next day, remembered your favorite breakfast that you told him about on your date and made it for you before he left for work; basically doing so much to lead you along and get into a relationship... only to basically hit you with the ol' "it's not you; it's me" speech the next time your relationship comes up and be infuriatingly vague over the details of what is actually giving him pause about the relationship and why it might mean you two shouldn't be together... Shit just hurts, man! Though the heart-to-heart you have with Diego afterwards was really sweet, especially considering that it clarifies that he isn't really upset over you getting with Tai!
If it were just about anyone other than Tai, this would've come off as just plain manipulative, but considering what we've come to know about him across Diego's route and his own up to now, I know that Tai's not that kind of malicious or sleazy person, so I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and see how this unfolds going forward.
On a much lighter side note, after seeing what Tai was packing, I'm kinda disappointed that MC didn't make a joke like, "I'm gonna forget how to walk tomorrow, aren't I?" before they did the do, or "After what happened last night, I'm surprised I remembered how to walk this morning!" later in the day while talking about it with someone. Just a though; it's always been a funny dirty joke to me!
Keep up the excellent work! Despite how negative my comments might come across, I'm honestly really enjoying Sileo and I'm really looking forward to the next update!
Me, being very happy that this game exists and patiently waiting for the next update because I enjoy this game and its cast of hunky guys:
Me, remembering that there were some technical issues a while back that have been stalling development:
Me, understanding that such issues are bound to crop up here and there and are out of your control, and respecting that you are still doing what you can to give us an enjoyable experience despite the setbacks:
(Seriously, though, take all the time you need to finish this next update! The content you've already given us is great, so we can be patient for a while more while you work on the next update! Keep up the hard work; you're doing great!!)
I want to like Teak as a character and give him the benefit of the doubt, really I do, but it feels like his aggression towards Luke is way too exaggerated without any real reason being given or even really alluded to, especially compared to Teak's interactions with the rest of the cast. Like, Teak will be having a relatively normal interaction with another dog, then stop just to yell across the room at Luke to screw-off and die; he's cartoonishly mean to Luke and we aren't given anything close to a real explanation for it other than what basically amounts to an offhanded "Don't take what Teak says personally; he's just racist!", and that's only if you bring it up while cooking with Burry.
I just can't take Teak seriously as a character because of how little acknowledgement and consequence there is for Teak's behavior - the exact behavior that got Cooper severely injured and almost killed him. In fact, Cooper seems to be the only character that does take Teak's behavior seriously and reprimands him for it.
We see Teak have some relatively positive/emotional/constructive interactions with characters other than Luke, but the way I see it, all it really accomplishes is calling further attention to just how unreasonably antagonistic Teak is towards Luke. All I really want is for just a little more depth to be worked into this plotline; a few small allusions to Teak having some kind of deeper, more complicated feelings/thoughts of Luke, or if more characters were to genuinely acknowledge Teak's behavior and say/do something about it, or something! There really is more to Teak's character than just being an aggressive, self-absorbed asshole, but that's the only aspect of Teak's character that's ever directed at Luke and it just makes him feel more one-dimensional than he really is, which is a real shame for one of the main characters of an otherwise great game.
Playing through the opening of this VN again has been surprisingly fun, 'specially in finding out which choices affect which stats and seeing how high you can raise any particular stat. It's cool to see how different stats contribute to the story at different levels; like how making choices that raise your wisdom and intelligence made your character more perceptive and added some more dialogue to the interactions.
Seeing that kind of attention to detail already in this VN with just the first build was a nice surprise and gives me high hopes for future releases!
[SPOILERS AHEAD FOR DIEGO'S ROUTE; READ AT YOUR OWN RISK]
Just finished the update and I gotta say; this was, overall, a really satisfying conclusion to Diego's story. Just the sappy, story-book esq. happy ending that Diego deserves. Everything was wrapped up pretty well, I feel, and all the conflict was resolved in a satisfying enough and realistic way.
All that said, I still don't like Kyrex. This is, primarily, just me being dead set on holding a grudge against him, though I've noticed (what I believe to be) a couple of holes in the story he told on day 19; Kyrex says to Tai and Diego that he never viewed the situation as being in a relationship and saw Diego like a clingy stalker type, but if you go to the gym on day 5, Kyrex talks about Diego like his ex as opposed to a fling gone wrong. At least, it's very heavily implied that he viewed his time with Diego as a relationship, so much so that MC specified the topic as being about Kyrex's ex; the way Kyrex talks about Diego being "high maintenance" and that he had "needs that weren't being fulfilled" sounds like someone talking a bad relationship as opposed to what he said on day 19.
I don't know, maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it just doesn't line up to me and the fact that MC doesn't bring it up at all just feels... off...
On to more pleasant topics! Now that Diego's route has come to a close, I'm way excited to start seeing the other routes! Looks like the next update will be Tai, but I'm crazy looking forward to the start of the Axel/Dom route(s)! I remember it being said that the plan after completing Diego's route was possibly to start writing on multiple routes at once; is that still the case or should we expect Tai's route to come to a close before work starts on the next? No real complaint either way - just curious.
There were no new issues with any visual elements this time around, so I don't really have anything particularly new to bring up. The only visual aspect that I feel inclined to bring up is that there's an errant pixel off to the side Axel's sprites (towards the right side of the screen in the gallery's sprite orientation). It's been there for a long while and I don't remember ever brining it up, so I figured I'd just mention it, in case it wasn't, like, a known thing.
I really enjoyed that interactive scene at the end of the game, too! Pretty nice seeing Diego on bottom! I've got no actual complaints about it, just would have liked a few more options for what to do, though I get you can only include so much. Again, not a complaint, just a thought; interactive scenes are always a nice time in these games, I just like to have... as thorough an experience as possible.
Great work on this update as always! I'm really looking forward to seeing where this game is gonna go in the not too distant future!
I just realized I haven't left a review of the new build!!
Rune was so friggin' cute, all shy and stuff about his hobbies! And seeing more of Lake's goofball-ish nature was great too. Mikko being all shocked about Lake getting in trouble and stuff and Lake is just like "I have no clue where you got an idea like that from."
I wasn't expecting to see Mikko's new look, but it's not bad; his new sprites are looking really good, in my opinion. And speaking of looking good, that new CG was just, *chef's kiss* beautiful! The aesthetic of this VN is really coming together since the first builds!
It's looking like we're on track to pick our route come the next update and I, for one, am very excited to pick Arvo's maybe-boyfriend! I also recall mention that the first NSFW scene is planned for build 0.6, so that's something else to look forward to in the next build. ;3c
The only real complaint I have is the same as I've had for a while now; with the exception of Devon, the shade of black used on the character sprites just comes off as being too dark. It looks less like the characters are wearing jackets and clothes (and in Rune's case, having antlers) and more like the shape of clothes (and antlers) was cut out in photoshop or something; there's no discernable detail in those parts of the sprites and - to me, at least - it doesn't look as good as it could. Using something lighter - like, closer in appearance to the darker parts of Devon's fur, maybe - that would allow us to see some degree of detail in those parts of the sprites would really help the issue, I think. But that's just me.
Either way, excellent work on the update, as always! I'm really enjoying my time with this game and I can't wait for the next update!
Mmm... Can't say I'm a huge fan of the new sprite rework. The new sprites honestly don't look all that bad most of the time now that I'm seeing them in action, but they do have a much higher tendency of looking really awkward compared to the old sprites, namely Tom and John's sprites - especially John's sprite. I can't really explain it much better than John's sprite just looks awkward and out of place compared to the other new sprites. I think the issues I have might be with John's hand and hair; his hand just looks really off compared to the rest of the sprite and his hair looks like it's constantly blowing in a breeze that doesn't affect anyone else... I think... I honestly can't really pinpoint anything else specific about John's sprite that might be putting me off... Maybe I'm just biased towards the old sprites' style over the new ones.
Anyways, the new story content was really nice to see; seeing Jayce thirst after Big Mac even in Tom's route is fun to see! As was Tom's flustered expression when Jayce woke up during his... Treatment... ;)
Looking forward to Mac's update next time around; Jayce seems pretty thirsty and I bet he wouldn't mind a bit of Mac's protein shake, if you catch my drift! *wink wink*
Look, I'm absolutely SIMPing Piere with every fiber of my being, I have no shame in that, but I would still like to call him out for moving-the-goalpost on giving MC info about his dad. Seriously, he keeps brining up that MC is the "Son of Yorke" and going out of his way to bring up dad, but then refuses to share any of the information we actually want to know...
He's super wishy-washy on whether or not he can actually talk about MC's dad or not! First, he brings up MC's dad and even shows us a picture of him, citing that he's certain that we are the "Son of Yorke" after having met us, then turns around and says he can't say anything more because we aren't "VeRiFiEd" as his son; then, the following day, he continues to bring up MC's dad and dangling the promise of information in front of his face after the DNA test, only to switch gears and say that he "ThInKs It Is StIlL tOo EaRlY fOr ThAt" and "HaS tO aSk HiS sUpErIoRs" before he can tell us anything once we actually have the DNA verification. That's all kinds of suspicious, to me... =_= (...even if he is attractive...)
On a less exasperated note, Roderick is absolutely adorable and the goodest of boys! That little "wruff" he does is really cute; my childhood dog would do the same thing whenever she didn't want to do something, like a little puppy tantrum. What I'm saying is, though I'm a total SIMP for Piere, I would protect Roderick with my life! And you can quote me on that!
Great work, as always! Looking forward to the next build already!
Diego's route is soon coming to a close and it has been quite a ride, let me tell you! It won't be long till we get our happily ever after with the big goof! And speaking of big goofs, Logan was absolutely adorable in this update; what a brave and handsome man, shooting his shot!
And Jay was a very fun addition to the cast, I must say! I certainly wouldn't mind seeing a special scene or two with him (and some other characters), just saying (maybe an Eric "route" or something where we get to fool around with some of the side characters? *waggles eyebrows*). Seeing Dom get all jealous and territorial over Axel was fun, too.
Still not really a huge fan of making Kyrex more sympathetic, but I understand why; it makes for better character development for Diego and all that. I'm still holding to my opinion that Kyrex is a jack-wagon of the highest order.
As far as visual elements and the like that I feel could use some updating, I noticed that some of the darker and/or more neutral colored dialogue can be kinda hard to read sometimes, namely Diego and Jay's dialogue. Things that might help are:
a) darkening the UI behind the text a little,
b) lightening their dialogue colors a small bit, or
c) adding a black or white outline to the text to make it stick out a bit better.
Other than that, I don't really have any notes on the visuals (at least, none that I haven't said in in my reviews for previous builds), other than saying the new scene with Diego was just *chef's kiss*. Looking forward to seeing Diego's "turn" in the not too distant future! *wink wink* ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Keep up the excellent work!
(P.S. Thank you for reactivating the keyboard shortcuts; it feels SO much better to be able to hit the "F" key and switch between fullscreen and windowed mode!)
So I was going through day 3, right? I decided I was gonna get started on Kody's route this time around. I like to save my games at choices - before I choose one, that is - but whenever I try to save the game on the choice "Call Kody" or "Wait for the moment", I get an error. And it's only an error on that specific screen; the screens immediately before the choice and immediately after either one save perfectly fine. I don't know if this is a known issue or not but I figured I'd mention it. The full exception message is as follows:
I'm sorry, but an uncaught exception occurred.
While running game code:
File "renpy/common/00action_file.rpy", line 372, in __call__
renpy.save(fn, extra_info=save_name)
PicklingError: Can't pickle <class 'store.Call'>: it's not the same object as store.Call
-- Full Traceback ------------------------------------------------------------
Full traceback:
File "renpy/common/_layout/screen_load_save.rpym", line 35, in script
$ ui.interact()
File "C:\Users\RDM24\Desktop\Patreon Games\Zip Files\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\renpy\ast.py", line 881, in execute
renpy.python.py_exec_bytecode(self.code.bytecode, self.hide, store=self.store)
File "C:\Users\RDM24\Desktop\Patreon Games\Zip Files\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\renpy\python.py", line 1913, in py_exec_bytecode
exec bytecode in globals, locals
File "renpy/common/_layout/screen_load_save.rpym", line 35, in <module>
$ ui.interact()
File "C:\Users\RDM24\Desktop\Patreon Games\Zip Files\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\renpy\ui.py", line 289, in interact
rv = renpy.game.interface.interact(roll_forward=roll_forward, **kwargs)
File "C:\Users\RDM24\Desktop\Patreon Games\Zip Files\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\renpy\display\core.py", line 2672, in interact
repeat, rv = self.interact_core(preloads=preloads, trans_pause=trans_pause, **kwargs)
File "C:\Users\RDM24\Desktop\Patreon Games\Zip Files\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\renpy\display\core.py", line 3477, in interact_core
rv = root_widget.event(ev, x, y, 0)
File "C:\Users\RDM24\Desktop\Patreon Games\Zip Files\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\renpy\display\layout.py", line 998, in event
rv = i.event(ev, x - xo, y - yo, cst)
File "C:\Users\RDM24\Desktop\Patreon Games\Zip Files\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\renpy\display\transition.py", line 47, in event
return self.new_widget.event(ev, x, y, st) # E1101
File "C:\Users\RDM24\Desktop\Patreon Games\Zip Files\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\renpy\display\layout.py", line 998, in event
rv = i.event(ev, x - xo, y - yo, cst)
File "C:\Users\RDM24\Desktop\Patreon Games\Zip Files\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\renpy\display\layout.py", line 998, in event
rv = i.event(ev, x - xo, y - yo, cst)
File "C:\Users\RDM24\Desktop\Patreon Games\Zip Files\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\renpy\display\screen.py", line 697, in event
rv = self.child.event(ev, x, y, st)
File "C:\Users\RDM24\Desktop\Patreon Games\Zip Files\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\renpy\display\layout.py", line 998, in event
rv = i.event(ev, x - xo, y - yo, cst)
File "C:\Users\RDM24\Desktop\Patreon Games\Zip Files\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\renpy\display\layout.py", line 244, in event
rv = d.event(ev, x - xo, y - yo, st)
File "C:\Users\RDM24\Desktop\Patreon Games\Zip Files\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\renpy\display\layout.py", line 998, in event
rv = i.event(ev, x - xo, y - yo, cst)
File "C:\Users\RDM24\Desktop\Patreon Games\Zip Files\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\renpy\display\layout.py", line 998, in event
rv = i.event(ev, x - xo, y - yo, cst)
File "C:\Users\RDM24\Desktop\Patreon Games\Zip Files\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\renpy\display\behavior.py", line 910, in event
return handle_click(self.clicked)
File "C:\Users\RDM24\Desktop\Patreon Games\Zip Files\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\renpy\display\behavior.py", line 845, in handle_click
rv = run(action)
File "C:\Users\RDM24\Desktop\Patreon Games\Zip Files\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\renpy\display\behavior.py", line 308, in run
new_rv = run(i, *args, **kwargs)
File "C:\Users\RDM24\Desktop\Patreon Games\Zip Files\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\renpy\display\behavior.py", line 315, in run
return action(*args, **kwargs)
File "renpy/common/00action_file.rpy", line 372, in __call__
renpy.save(fn, extra_info=save_name)
File "C:\Users\RDM24\Desktop\Patreon Games\Zip Files\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\renpy\loadsave.py", line 404, in save
dump((roots, renpy.game.log), logf)
File "C:\Users\RDM24\Desktop\Patreon Games\Zip Files\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\Hero's_Advent_Public-0.06-pc\renpy\loadsave.py", line 48, in dump
cPickle.dump(o, f, cPickle.HIGHEST_PROTOCOL)
PicklingError: Can't pickle <class 'store.Call'>: it's not the same object as store.Call
Windows-8-6.2.9200
Ren'Py 7.1.3.1092
0.06
Thu Nov 12 17:23:25 2020
Hope this helps!