Ren'Py Horton Bay Stories - Jake [v0.5.3.2] [Lumphorn Games]
- Thread starter Taka@LumphornGames
- Start date
- Jul 10, 2018
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- 2,458
It runs perfectly on my spare, 11 yr old (Intel i5) PC, 16Mb RAM, Nvidia 1060 GFX, and that's far, far from 'above average' compared to anything less than 5 yrs old. If your system is struggling, you probably have a spyware issue gulping its resources, because this resource-sipping Ren'Py-based game certainly won't be the cause. Either that, or your idea of an 'above average' system is far, far from that. Any average PC should handle this with ease while also running a browser (and Chrome is a total memory hog).
The game progresses, just as it began, at the pace of a very small team of independent developers. It might seem to be taking longer for updates, or the updates getting smaller, but that's an unavoidable consequence of any new code and events having to fit (and be tested for fit) with all the previous code and events. When new pieces have to fully integrate with an ever-growing set of previous work, that takes a bit longer than when you can just create stuff where it doesn't have to comfortably mesh with prior code, etc.
Furthermore, the devs have listened to prior feedback I feel, and it certainly seems as if the renders now are of higher quality, less acceptance of one that comes out especially freaky-looking, etc. Again, that comes at the cost of taking more time per render, per scene, etc.
Finally, it is entirely natural and normal for long projects to start off with a pace that simply isn't sustainable over years. Look at any long walk you've ever undertaken, or an average gym membership use, or indeed, ANY long-term project at all. As the weeks, months, and years pass, there's naturally less of the insane enthusiasm and a more steady, sustainable pace. This is a good thing. It is when devs don't allow themselves to pace sensibly, when they let themselves get pressured into ridiculous burn-out that games get abandoned, which is why most games, as in more than 90%, never get completed, or else get rushed to an early conclusion.
What?!
Let me ask you, how many of your friends and neighbours do you let know about your interest in porn games?
So, if you can't even tell your own friends and family without careful thought, and being very, very selective, how the heck do you think a dev would advertise a job making such?
Most of the games here are small teams, couples, or even solo devs. Of the teams, many of them were working solo first and 'teamed up'. In other words, they found someone already doing these sorts of games, renders, etc. The problem there, of course, is that means both already have a project, and the team thing is often a later or side-project. Long-term teams are pretty rare in this genre.
Aside from the difficulty of finding people who are accepting of the medium, never mind skilled in it, there's a far bigger issue: Money.
'Employees' (to use your choice of word) get wages. The vast majority of games don't earn enough to pay even a solo dev a full-time wage, at least, not before completion and a full release. And a solo dev may not have to be as careful over taxes, benefits, etc. Financially speaking, it is rarer than hen's teeth to find a game in development that can even afford to pay one proper wage, never mind employ a whole team.
For context, and from personal experience, I can tell you that I earn more from just a couple of hours of my (admittedly quite well paid day-job) than all the subs to any one average game combined add up to in a month. For a game to have enough money (before deductions, taxes, contributions, etc) to pay just 3 people a pretty damn poor 'wage' of $2k per month ($24k a year before deductions) each it needs around 1,000 subscribers paying $10 per month each. Not just on a good month, but as a reliable minimum to guarantee you can keep paying the wages. That's a pretty damn exclusive set of games that have that kind of support, almost none of which is it their *first* game. They usually built that following from completing one or more previous, exceptional games.
So 'employees' are not even an option for the vast, huge majority of games. Wake up, dude.
- Sep 16, 2020
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They should have a mod where you can skip the hygiene and fitness calculations. I hate when I have to keep up with all that. I just want to play the game now monitor things in order to play. Also, they should have a WT mod instead of a PDF. I don't have time or patience to flip from game to PDF back and forth. I know most would be upset about this post but this is just how I feel. It's a huge pass for now sorry.
- Jul 20, 2019
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I haven't read such an aggressive and nonsense-filled text in a long time, thanks. Frankly, I'm not even sure if you read or understood what I wrote. By the way, I tell my friends about the "porn" games I play and I've also made them members of this forum. I live in Turkey, and even though it's a very conservative country, I can easily find developers to work on this game. The reality you've constructed in your own mind looks very sad. I'm reading the text you wrote, and it's very interesting that you're responding to things I didn't say or even imply.
This doesn't work. The updates are very poor and take a long time. A game that doesn't satisfy.
- Aug 13, 2021
- 7,845
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This is one of the few devs that does updates monthly, always with new content. Whether it's "poor" or not is subjective.
It's a total waste of time, it's stupid, it's not worth it.
- Jan 4, 2019
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How up to date is the walkthrough?
Edit: Also, how active is the developer with this game? It seems promising, but it's been in development for4 or so years.
Edit: Also, how active is the developer with this game? It seems promising, but it's been in development for4 or so years.
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There[s an update almost every month; consequently they are usually quite small, of course. But he's certainly active.
Every update since I started tracking has had an updated walkthrough paclaged with it.
Honestly he is active and updates are small compared to the amount of characters in the game. I get bored with a game so I probably only update and playthrough again like every 3 months or more because for me it's easy to get burned out of this game.
- Jun 10, 2017
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- Mar 22, 2020
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- Jun 19, 2024
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Well... You seem to be the kind of guy who can get no satisfaction...
... Otherwise, you wouldn't be complaining.
I will not download this update. I will do it when the game progresses. Tilly a waste for me. Weren't three main protagonists and many other secondary ones enough?
The game at this rate will end in 15 years... But then what is the plot?