That was so damn cute! Do you have like a plan for how often you can update or is it a thing of slowly working on it when you get a spark of inspiration?
Also, I've only really played Michael's story so far. But I'm guessing they'll be rather interlinked throughout? I hope you keep it rather linear, for your own sake haha You'll have to write soo much more the more choices you make. At least if those choices are supposed to significantly change things. Choices to skip scenes or whatever would be fine.
I appreciate you taking the time to download and play through Herach and thanks for the kind words.
Chapter 3 is already done and dusted and available on Patreon. I've actually already completed the full story arch, it's not fully scripted yet but the real time consuming part is the rendering. My lofty aims are to get an update of around a third or a half a chapter out each month to Patreon with a final story size of around 8 - 10 chapters, depending on how I chose to break it up.
Yea,h you may be right on the choice based approach. Like I mentioned in the other post, I have been tossing it around in my mind. I do think it's important though if I go down that route that I do it properly and not just create choices which close off content if you pick the wrong one. One day I think it's a great idea next day it's stupid, WTF am I thinking :)
I would encourage playing both routes if you have the time, you will get a fair bit of extra content that way. It's kinda like choices really. I guess I've already created that bed to lie in :)
A shameless plug for chapter 3, the total file size is 2.1gb, for this version it is 740mb, so you are getting double the content you seen so far.
Yeah I've heard that rendering's a bitch! But those are some rather lofty goals! I hope you've got the time to fulfil them, but take the time you need of course. I just hope it'll turn out well because these first chapters set up a lot of promise!
Oh yeah, you do you. I won't complain about getting more content haha but tell your story the way you want to tell it, no matter what. I did check out both perspectives, and will keep doing so for the other chapters, but as a cis person with little personal experience in this topic, apart from meeting people at parties and such, I feel like I most relate with Michael. So It'll probably be the side I'll keep playing first whenever every chapter comes out.
The shameless plug is warranted and I'll consider it! It's pretty damn tempting!
I was learning on the job rendering out chapter 2, some of my early renders really showed that. Actually I re-rendered practically all of chap 2 because of a few issues that cropped up early on. The first thing I learned was that switching to AMD before starting this was a huge mistake, only when I sold a kidney (just kidding :)) and bought a 4080 Super did rendering times get down to a respectful level.
I understand that, I think that's why I went with the multiple paths route, because some folks want to identify with one role over the other, so you have the choice.
I just played the Jon route and want to say I enjoyed the story so far. I'm usually not one for kinetic novels but that story was pretty well done. I really like how supportive the sister and best friend are.
I would love for meaningful choices to be a thing after chapter 2 because I feel like the linear way the story is laid out serves well for an introduction to the side characters and the college story going forward.
Male protagonist games aren't really something I look for in adult visual novels but the friend was done well enough that I might redo the story from his perspective.
Going forward will the focus be on Jon's story? I ask that because it seems like it'll be the most interesting. Will there be meaningful choices once the pair make it to college? What girls will Jon meet in college and will any of them be the online friends that were mentioned?
Thank you so much for the kind words and above all taking the time to download a play through. You've hit on an internal debate I had, had through the initial development in terms of offer player choices. I initially as you rightly observed went for a linear path, similar to VN's like Steins Gate. I am open to change to a more choice based approach as the story develops however, it's really not a lot of extra coding/redering, I just don't want to do it half arsed. Chapter 3 is still very much linear, I'm in the middle of developing Chap 4 (when they eventually get themselves off to Uni :)) and have a few ideas regarding choices, I'm very much leaning towards that approach.
I would totally recommend playing both routes if you have the time, there are different scenes unique to both characters and give you a little more insight into the supporting characters too.
Once again thank you so much for the feedback, you've certainly pushed me further down a course that I agree with you will enhance the story, as long as I can do justice to it.
Edit: Forgot to answer your question on Jon's girls. I have love interests planned for both characters, you'll meet some in Chapter 3 and a lot more in Chapter 4, that's all I can tell you right now :)
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That was so damn cute! Do you have like a plan for how often you can update or is it a thing of slowly working on it when you get a spark of inspiration?
Also, I've only really played Michael's story so far. But I'm guessing they'll be rather interlinked throughout? I hope you keep it rather linear, for your own sake haha You'll have to write soo much more the more choices you make. At least if those choices are supposed to significantly change things. Choices to skip scenes or whatever would be fine.
I appreciate you taking the time to download and play through Herach and thanks for the kind words.
Chapter 3 is already done and dusted and available on Patreon. I've actually already completed the full story arch, it's not fully scripted yet but the real time consuming part is the rendering. My lofty aims are to get an update of around a third or a half a chapter out each month to Patreon with a final story size of around 8 - 10 chapters, depending on how I chose to break it up.
Yea,h you may be right on the choice based approach. Like I mentioned in the other post, I have been tossing it around in my mind. I do think it's important though if I go down that route that I do it properly and not just create choices which close off content if you pick the wrong one. One day I think it's a great idea next day it's stupid, WTF am I thinking :)
I would encourage playing both routes if you have the time, you will get a fair bit of extra content that way. It's kinda like choices really. I guess I've already created that bed to lie in :)
A shameless plug for chapter 3, the total file size is 2.1gb, for this version it is 740mb, so you are getting double the content you seen so far.
Yeah I've heard that rendering's a bitch! But those are some rather lofty goals! I hope you've got the time to fulfil them, but take the time you need of course. I just hope it'll turn out well because these first chapters set up a lot of promise!
Oh yeah, you do you. I won't complain about getting more content haha but tell your story the way you want to tell it, no matter what. I did check out both perspectives, and will keep doing so for the other chapters, but as a cis person with little personal experience in this topic, apart from meeting people at parties and such, I feel like I most relate with Michael. So It'll probably be the side I'll keep playing first whenever every chapter comes out.
The shameless plug is warranted and I'll consider it! It's pretty damn tempting!
Thanks Herach.
I was learning on the job rendering out chapter 2, some of my early renders really showed that. Actually I re-rendered practically all of chap 2 because of a few issues that cropped up early on. The first thing I learned was that switching to AMD before starting this was a huge mistake, only when I sold a kidney (just kidding :)) and bought a 4080 Super did rendering times get down to a respectful level.
I understand that, I think that's why I went with the multiple paths route, because some folks want to identify with one role over the other, so you have the choice.
Hi Everyone,
Thanks for visiting my page. Would love to hear your feedback, I will try to answer as much as I possibly can.
I just played the Jon route and want to say I enjoyed the story so far. I'm usually not one for kinetic novels but that story was pretty well done. I really like how supportive the sister and best friend are.
I would love for meaningful choices to be a thing after chapter 2 because I feel like the linear way the story is laid out serves well for an introduction to the side characters and the college story going forward.
Male protagonist games aren't really something I look for in adult visual novels but the friend was done well enough that I might redo the story from his perspective.
Going forward will the focus be on Jon's story? I ask that because it seems like it'll be the most interesting. Will there be meaningful choices once the pair make it to college? What girls will Jon meet in college and will any of them be the online friends that were mentioned?
Thank you so much for the kind words and above all taking the time to download a play through. You've hit on an internal debate I had, had through the initial development in terms of offer player choices. I initially as you rightly observed went for a linear path, similar to VN's like Steins Gate. I am open to change to a more choice based approach as the story develops however, it's really not a lot of extra coding/redering, I just don't want to do it half arsed. Chapter 3 is still very much linear, I'm in the middle of developing Chap 4 (when they eventually get themselves off to Uni :)) and have a few ideas regarding choices, I'm very much leaning towards that approach.
I would totally recommend playing both routes if you have the time, there are different scenes unique to both characters and give you a little more insight into the supporting characters too.
Once again thank you so much for the feedback, you've certainly pushed me further down a course that I agree with you will enhance the story, as long as I can do justice to it.
Edit: Forgot to answer your question on Jon's girls. I have love interests planned for both characters, you'll meet some in Chapter 3 and a lot more in Chapter 4, that's all I can tell you right now :)