VN Ren'Py Summer's Gone [S1 Steam + DLC] [Oceanlab]

[BobTheDuck]

I don't really have faith in the basketball scholarship theory, but I do believe it's possible because:

(a) Ocean has a really ambiguous way of storytelling. By that, I mean he often doesn't state things obviously or directly. The Nika/Nami scholarships are a case in point (granted, maybe Ocean's reworked the Ch 1 script for the Season 1 Steam release to make the scholarships obvious beyond the Steam page blurb). Besides, some college things in the world of Wollust don't accurately mirror what happens IRL colleges.

(b) what we know so far in the game is mostly from Nika's perspective - someone who is traumatized and trying to reintegrate into society... We don't really see Nojiko's work behind the scenes. We know Nika/Nami get a college scholarship, we just don't know why because we don't know Nojiko's motivations/plans and Nika doesn't give a shit anyway. It's highly unlikely although not outside the realms of possibility that the scholarships are basketball-related if you view it from the perspective of Nojiko/Nami et al getting Nika back into the sport one very, very small step at a time (i.e. without pushing him or making it too obvious).

Both are completely plausible, with the caveat that scholarship is not mentioned once in the script for the ch5 beta, so the theory is built off the oddity that is the steam blurb, coupled with the suggestion that Vic got a (non basketball) scholarship. The first we know of basketball is Nika looking at the tryout poster (I think), then Trey asking him if he's going to go for it. As far as any scholarship goes, we've only got that one image of Vic's letter, and some vaguely suggested content. The mention that Noji thought Nika wanted to go to college, is a different conversation to (for example) 'they offered you a place, you should take the opportunity! Carpe diem!' It's currently very ambiguous but suggestive that there's more at play than it was the only college they could afford.

I have more belief that any scholarship that was for both of them would be discretionary, as Nika hasn't chosen any focus in his studies, and seems to be picking up whatever interests him in college life, rather than the obligitory scholarship activities. The whole basketball arc is the underdogs coming out of nowhere to impress the pros, Nika's currently training with the misfits, and Stahl and Hill know they have an uphill battle to get a team out of them. Also, Zara would know Nika had a scholarship for basketball before he did - she'd sniff it out, just like Rambo.

If there's a scholarship for both, it's due to nepotism in some form, which furthers the mystery aspect. Nami clearly doesn't have the basketball skills to be granted one on sporting merit. The only connections we have are the vague, suggestive wording of the blurb, Vic's mention of a list (that goes against all kinds of privacy issues) and Vic having one. The current script doesn't support anything conclusive, and the blurb only hints towards it.

Regards b) 100% plausible, but impossible to keep secret from Zara.

 

[codex35]

View attachment 3486691
View attachment 3486697

When people see Bella, all their anger for delay is gone

Ocean, you know what you're doing

 

[John972]

Both are completely plausible, with the caveat that scholarship is not mentioned once in the script for the ch5 beta, so the theory is built off the oddity that is the steam blurb, coupled with the suggestion that Vic got a (non basketball) scholarship. The first we know of basketball is Nika looking at the tryout poster (I think), then Trey asking him if he's going to go for it. As far as any scholarship goes, we've only got that one image of Vic's letter, and some vaguely suggested content. The mention that Noji thought Nika wanted to go to college, is a different conversation to (for example) 'they offered you a place, you should take the opportunity! Carpe diem!' It's currently very ambiguous but suggestive that there's more at play than it was the only college they could afford.

I have more belief that any scholarship that was for both of them would be discretionary, as Nika hasn't chosen any focus in his studies, and seems to be picking up whatever interests him in college life, rather than the obligitory scholarship activities. The whole basketball arc is the underdogs coming out of nowhere to impress the pros, Nika's currently training with the misfits, and Stahl and Hill know they have an uphill battle to get a team out of them. Also, Zara would know Nika had a scholarship for basketball before he did - she'd sniff it out, just like Rambo.

If there's a scholarship for both, it's due to nepotism in some form, which furthers the mystery aspect. Nami clearly doesn't have the basketball skills to be granted one on sporting merit. The only connections we have are the vague, suggestive wording of the blurb, Vic's mention of a list (that goes against all kinds of privacy issues) and Vic having one. The current script doesn't support anything conclusive, and the blurb only hints towards it.

Regards b) 100% plausible, but impossible to keep secret from Zara.

I am more playing devil's advocate with this this one.

The whole scholarship thing - or at least a focus on it within the story - has come out of the blue. Whether or not it was always part of the story remains to be seen and I guess we'll have to wait and see what a fresh Season 1 playthrough reveals.

 

[BobTheDuck]

I am more playing devil's advocate with this this one.

The whole scholarship thing - or at least a focus on it within the story - has come out of the blue. Whether or not it was always part of the story remains to be seen and I guess we'll have to wait and see what a fresh Season 1 playthrough reveals.

I'm kinda arguing myself out of it. All that I can really determine is that there is something suspicious right now. Vic's scholarship is almost a useless extra to Maja getting the job: did they recieve those things out of pity? Out of obligation to their parents? Some of it just seems to be the phrasing, and that's too tenuous to construct anything from, other than there is some potential there... for something. We really have to see what the full season brings, because right now there are a few gaps in the early material, and some of these points might be made more obvious.

 

[PickerLewd]

Well folks...it's sent to Steam. Can't change anything else now unless Steam tells him too (unlikely I think).

That's it...onwards and upwards!

Even now, he is currently changing and redoing the bar scene from chapter 3 .

 

[BobTheDuck]

Even now, he is currently changing and redoing the bar scene from chapter 3 .

Well, at least it's not delaying sending it to steam anymore I think it's wise as the official bar opening will be in the next season, and it'd be bad having a different look because that bar is in the old rendering style, and not maybe as flexible for the scenes he has planned now. Better to send it as a patch.

 

[Maviarab]

 

[JJ1960]

I'm kinda arguing myself out of it. All that I can really determine is that there is something suspicious right now. Vic's scholarship is almost a useless extra to Maja getting the job: did they recieve those things out of pity? Out of obligation to their parents? Some of it just seems to be the phrasing, and that's too tenuous to construct anything from, other than there is some potential there... for something. We really have to see what the full season brings, because right now there are a few gaps in the early material, and some of these points might be made more obvious.

I heard she said she was going to get the free scholarship for joining a sorority...

 

[PickerLewd]

It is better not to rack our brains and think about scholarships and say that everyone studies for free, period .
Because even if we think of a plot and an invisible person who pays for everything for Nika and Nami, there are other classmates who should never be able to pay for their studies, like Victoria (whose sister barely manages to help her financially) or Mila, who is supposed to be very poor.

 

[BobTheDuck]

It is better not to rack our brains and think about scholarships and say that everyone studies for free, period .
Because even if we think of a plot and an invisible person who pays for everything for Nika and Nami, there are other classmates who should never be able to pay for their studies, like Victoria (whose sister barely manages to help her financially) or Mila, who is supposed to be very poor.

This is the reason there is speculation, Victoria DOES have a scholarship, and Maja gets employed by ZPR on the same day.

 

[Insomnia_z]

This interests me, in the game, are there clues to this or is this information only given externally by Ocean?
Without the outside information, can one come to these conclusions organically?

If you are talking about the information that Nami and Nika are obligatory going to ZPR then yes.

Spoiler: Nami talks about college

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[sorco2003]

If you are talking about the information that Nami and Nika are obligatory going to ZPR then yes.

Spoiler: Nami talks about college

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Well... this is a good starting point, now this is not information brought from nowhere, it's just a spoiler...
Thank you!

 

[Kokodeska]

still no update? sighh

 

[Kakasan]

still no update? sighh

Calm down man, It has already been uploaded to Steam.
Now just wait

 

[duolaamm]

why steam first patreon later。

 

[Den1mo]

why steam first patreon later。

it doesn't matter. since the game on steam costs 15€ you will pay the same tier on patreon or ss. it can't be cheaper

 

[codex35]

why steam first patreon later。

For high sales

 

[BobTheDuck]

Well... this is a good starting point, now this is not information brought from nowhere, it's just a spoiler...
Thank you!

That was in the script I quoted when I raised the question that piqued your interest, so I didn't mention it again - the pertinent points of the rest of the scene are:

- it's hard to get in: n "But I checked some forums and it's a really good college... Even though most of them were complaining about not getting accepted."
- Nika doesn't know what he's going to study: d "I have to think about classes... I don't even know what I'm gonna major in."
- Nami mentions the basketball team, trying to get him interested: n "...They have a D1 Basketball team..." n "Just saying."
- Nika doesn't know why he's going:
d "I don't even know why I'm going to college..."
scene ae1643 with dssa
m "So why did you say yes when I asked you?"
scene ae1645 with dssr
d "I had nothing else."

The reason I don't consider this 100% confirmation of not having a choice, and not explaining the steam page, is because not having a chance to look is not the same as being forced, or being granted acceptance. Nami's words makes it sound like they chose the only possible option, that they didn't even have the chance to consider options, which fits with their characterisation of being financially tight. This still doesn't explain why it's called a mystery. It's no mystery to choose to buy the version of a thing you can afford without seriously checking out all the versions you can't. Even if they looked around, window shopping isn't a mystery. The only mystery is if there was a forced choice or a scholarship, that then adds a question about why. Otherwise, it was just a lack of affordable alternatives.

I can see two mysteries that fit: Noji organises the college for them. Nami wouldn't care much, and neither would Nika, they'd trust her. Maybe it's a deal she has with her friends Z and P via the bookclub. Or, ZPR send the scholarships like Vic, and thye have an easy in. We've already discusse the second one enough (for at least a couple of weeks), and the first option has so many potential angles that I feel it's too early to speculate, without a little more information.

 

[sorco2003]

That was in the script I quoted when I raised the question that piqued your interest, so I didn't mention it again - the pertinent points of the rest of the scene are:

- it's hard to get in: n "But I checked some forums and it's a really good college... Even though most of them were complaining about not getting accepted."
- Nika doesn't know what he's going to study: d "I have to think about classes... I don't even know what I'm gonna major in."
- Nami mentions the basketball team, trying to get him interested: n "...They have a D1 Basketball team..." n "Just saying."
- Nika doesn't know why he's going:
d "I don't even know why I'm going to college..."
scene ae1643 with dssa
m "So why did you say yes when I asked you?"
scene ae1645 with dssr
d "I had nothing else."

The reason I don't consider this 100% confirmation of not having a choice, and not explaining the steam page, is because not having a chance to look is not the same as being forced, or being granted acceptance. Nami's words makes it sound like they chose the only possible option, that they didn't even have the chance to consider options, which fits with their characterisation of being financially tight. This still doesn't explain why it's called a mystery. It's no mystery to choose to buy the version of a thing you can afford without seriously checking out all the versions you can't. Even if they looked around, window shopping isn't a mystery. The only mystery is if there was a forced choice or a scholarship, that then adds a question about why. Otherwise, it was just a lack of affordable alternatives.

I can see two mysteries that fit: Noji organises the college for them. Nami wouldn't care much, and neither would Nika, they'd trust her. Maybe it's a deal she has with her friends Z and P via the bookclub. Or, ZPR send the scholarships like Vic, and thye have an easy in. We've already discusse the second one enough (for at least a couple of weeks), and the first option has so many potential angles that I feel it's too early to speculate, without a little more information.

Sure, it doesn't change what I said and think, it's just that it's now clear that it's a major spoiler. It's still bad for me that Ocean resorted to a marketing strategy to accelerate a mystery that could have been developed naturally... From the point "we didn't see any other college" to "they were forced to" there is a whole story that would have been beautiful to discover the day of the revelation and say "how did I let this slip by or how come I didn't notice that?

 

[BobTheDuck]

Sure, it doesn't change what I said and think, it's just that it's now clear that it's a major spoiler. It's still bad for me that Ocean resorted to a marketing strategy to accelerate a mystery that could have been developed naturally... From the point "we didn't see any other college" to "they were forced to" there is a whole story that would have been beautiful to discover the day of the revelation and say "how did I let this slip by or how come I didn't notice that?

Maybe mail delivery in their part of Wollust is slower than in Vic's and we'll see it in the next chapter. The whole marketing blurb spoilers things by nature - no one buying the game for the first time knows who Bella is, so they will view her appearance in game as inevitable. It's equivalent to a movie trailer which has snippets of all the best shots spoiling all the best bits