discussion VN Ren'Py DAZ My Dorm [v0.30.2 S4 Ch.2] [Tropecita Games]

[tropeLewdCorn]

Chart of girls per update (SPOILERS)
DISCLAIMER: There are spoilers about 0.23. If you didn't read the Table of Contents, please don't look at the chart.
You know I'm a number nerd who likes to keep track of everything. Yeah, it's also called control freak.
A friend asked for a list to know which girls showed up in which updates. I had it for lewd scenes, but not for story ones, so I used the chance to add the story scenes where the girls appear in a more complete chart.
That's all, in case anyone is interested.

Spoiler

 

[tropeLewdCorn]

My Dorm 0.23 (Season 3, Chapter 3) is out for Norah's Tier on Patreon and Subscribestar and for sale on Oppaiman

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[Diosmios45]

I love this game!

 

[tropeLewdCorn]

Special Render XLVIII - Emma - Free Edition​

Continuing with the Valentine's theme, flowers are a cliché; but we know a girl who likes a cliché if it's pink, right? A cliché or ... a Trope!
I think Emma would climax if she got a bed of pink roses and lilies!
Coincidentally, tomorrow Emma's Tier will get the update, an update where there is a lot of pink!
Enjoy the Full HD render (4K for subscribers) if it doesn't make your eyes bleed!

 

[tropeLewdCorn]

 

[Inkeyisle]

Chart of girls per update (SPOILERS)
DISCLAIMER: There are spoilers about 0.23. If you didn't read the Table of Contents, please don't look at the chart.
You know I'm a number nerd who likes to keep track of everything. Yeah, it's also called control freak.
A friend asked for a list to know which girls showed up in which updates. I had it for lewd scenes, but not for story ones, so I used the chance to add the story scenes where the girls appear in a more complete chart.
That's all, in case anyone is interested.

Spoiler

View attachment 508376

This is some impressive commitment

 

[tropeLewdCorn]

Special Render (IL) - Erika - Free version​

Once again, someone deceived us with the fat kid, the white wings, the bow, and the arrows.
The best bonbon in the box has black wings. No, they aren't stained with chocolate.
She can shoot me whenever she wants.
I think she already did.

Enjoy the Full HD render (4K for subscribers).

 

[jonsnow1203]

really loved the game man

 

[tropeLewdCorn]

really loved the game man

Thanks!

 

[Quetz]

One of the better harem games, IMO. Certainly of the slice of life variety. I enjoyed how the harem came together, with honesty and (more or less) full transparency.

 

[tropeLewdCorn]

One of the better harem games, IMO. Certainly of the slice of life variety. I enjoyed how the harem came together, with honesty and (more or less) full transparency.

Thanks!
One of the things I didn't like when I played harem games was that the MC started relationships left and right without telling the girls he was already in one relationship (or more). That painted the MC as a wannabe cheater since the idea of a harem wasn't discussed previously. Then someone discovered it, drama ensued, and everyone talked and agreed to the new situation, rinse and repeat.

I wanted to avoid that cycle, so I wanted the MC to inform any "candidate" to enter the harem that he was already seeing someone. The harem was discussed the first time he has the chance to fuck someone (Eileen) on Day 6, when the MC has fooled around with some of the girls, but hasn't established a relationship yet.
The process wasn't perfect (it's my first project) and he had the same talk with several LIs, so reading the same conversation (or very similar) with six girls can be boring for some players who play full harem. Today I would do it differently, after the learning process.
And about how the harem came to light, it always was in the girls' hands, so it needed to be in an event where every one of them (at least the ones in a relationship with the MC) was there. The first event like that was the pool party, so I did it.

 

[Quetz]

Thanks!
One of the things I didn't like when I played harem games was that the MC started relationships left and right without telling the girls he was already in one relationship (or more). That painted the MC as a wannabe cheater since the idea of a harem wasn't discussed previously. Then someone discovered it, drama ensued, and everyone talked and agreed to the new situation, rinse and repeat.

Yeah, exactly. This doesn't only undermine the MC's personality, but also the LI's self-worth. How great does the MC have to be for the LI he cheated on to forgive him. Your MC immediately manages their expectations, and lays his cards on the table, and I loved that.

I wanted to avoid that cycle, so I wanted the MC to inform any "candidate" to enter the harem that he was already seeing someone. The harem was discussed the first time he has the chance to fuck someone (Eileen) on Day 6, when the MC has fooled around with some of the girls, but hasn't established a relationship yet.
The process wasn't perfect (it's my first project) and he had the same talk with several LIs, so reading the same conversation (or very similar) with six girls can be boring for some players who play full harem. Today I would do it differently, after the learning process.

There's one LI I wasn't entirely convinced about, the old friend we meet at a diner (If memory serves). She came a bit out of nowhere and felt rushed. I also only dated the girls who were in the MC's general age-range. And, on that topic, I enjoyed how the rest of the story just unfolded while respecting my choices. There were no snide remarks, no jealousy, or you signposting how sad or lonely these LI were because they weren't getting the MC's cream filling. That you respect the player's choices puts your game already above many others, in my book.

I honestly didn't mind having the talk with several LI, because every talk confirmed to me that the MC was doing the right thing. It felt natural, and entirely fit with the slice of life theme it had going. How would you this differently today?

And about how the harem came to light, it always was in the girls' hands, so it needed to be in an event where every one of them (at least the ones in a relationship with the MC) was there. The first event like that was the pool party, so I did it.

This is something I noticed more than "the talk"; multiple LI asked him about the others, and he always responded with something akin to "it's not my secret to share". I think it made sense for more women to know about each other (girl talk), and his reply did feel as a cop-out at times. But, it was consistent and in-character, so I don't have real complaints about it.

 

[tropeLewdCorn]

Yeah, exactly. This doesn't only undermine the MC's personality, but also the LI's self-worth. How great does the MC have to be for the LI he cheated on to forgive him. Your MC immediately manages their expectations, and lays his cards on the table, and I loved that.


There's one LI I wasn't entirely convinced about, the old friend we meet at a diner (If memory serves). She came a bit out of nowhere and felt rushed. I also only dated the girls who were in the MC's general age-range. And, on that topic, I enjoyed how the rest of the story just unfolded while respecting my choices. There were no snide remarks, no jealousy, or you signposting how sad or lonely these LI were because they weren't getting the MC's cream filling. That you respect the player's choices puts your game already above many others, in my book.

I honestly didn't mind having the talk with several LI, because every talk confirmed to me that the MC was doing the right thing. It felt natural, and entirely fit with the slice of life theme it had going. How would you this differently today?


This is something I noticed more than "the talk"; multiple LI asked him about the others, and he always responded with something akin to "it's not my secret to share". I think it made sense for more women to know about each other (girl talk), and his reply did feel as a cop-out at times. But, it was consistent and in-character, so I don't have real complaints about it.

That's one of the reasons I started making My Dorm. My step-son introduced me to the AVNverse and I liked it, but every game I tried had something I would do differently. The cheating/hiding game was one of those things. I wanted to write a story about how to build a different family based on sincerity, so I created an MC who never lies. He hides things, but it's because of the "it's not my secret to share" motto. It's not his secret, it's the girls'.

Eileen, the girl you weren't entirely convinced about, was going to have a different role in my initial idea, as a side (but recurring) girl outside the harem to provide early lewd content and, later, an entry point for Kiara into the family. That's why that scene feels rushed. It backfired with the first release and people focused on her having had some dates once she and the MC broke up, chalking her as a slut. I decided to turn that character 180º and make her the one who puts the harem in the MC's mind, and later convinces Alexia to accept the harem.

I would change those conversations with a flag that prevents players from seeing it more than twice instead of 6-8 times. The moment the player has seen it twice, there would be a scene with two girls not in the harem yet saying something like "That guy knows how to keep a secret. Two girls tried to get some info out of him and got nothing because he was protecting someone else's secret". The girls don't need to know what info they are talking about for that conversation to work. One of them could have heard one of the asking girls talking to herself in frustration, for example.

The problem (and the blessing at the same time) for a lot of first-time devs is that they make the game they would want to play (if they don't start doing it for the money), but they have a biased view of what the audience wants. It was my case and I received a lot of constructive (and destructive) comments in the first updates, so I introduced ideas players proposed but didn't derail my vision of the story. Obviously, I rejected a lot of those ideas because they didn't fit with the game theme (NTR, for example) or because I wouldn't feel comfortable writing about it (hard domination). But I can say this game is better thanks to the community's ideas and help.

 

[tropeLewdCorn]

Happy Daphne's Day... Sorry, Valentine's Day!

 

[Quetz]

That's one of the reasons I started making My Dorm. My step-son introduced me to the AVNverse and I liked it, but every game I tried had something I would do differently. The cheating/hiding game was one of those things. I wanted to write a story about how to build a different family based on sincerity, so I created an MC who never lies. He hides things, but it's because of the "it's not my secret to share" motto. It's not his secret, it's the girls'.

I've written and coded for a game, and I can relate. Though, in the end, it's all subjective. I love a good story and characters/events that elicit some emotion, but plenty of players just like a mindless fapfest. I respect that you follow your own vision.

Eileen, the girl you weren't entirely convinced about, was going to have a different role in my initial idea, as a side (but recurring) girl outside the harem to provide early lewd content and, later, an entry point for Kiara into the family. That's why that scene feels rushed. It backfired with the first release and people focused on her having had some dates once she and the MC broke up, chalking her as a slut. I decided to turn that character 180º and make her the one who puts the harem in the MC's mind, and later convinces Alexia to accept the harem.

Didn't you know that LI in AVN need to pure, virgin, and be able to fuck like a porn star?
While I refused her on my first playthrough of part 1, I did go back and accept her before starting part 2. And, she grew on me. For me, having her be an ex (due to benign circumstances) who dated and discovered that the MC _is_ the guy she wants is just fine. If anything, it would elevate her character because she'd know what she wanted and would be motivated by that to make things work. People make mistakes, sometimes out of their control, and I think that's an interesting story to tell/experience. Another benefit of a more experience LI is that she'll be faster to be intimate, or try less vanilla things.

I would change those conversations with a flag that prevents players from seeing it more than twice instead of 6-8 times. The moment the player has seen it twice, there would be a scene with two girls not in the harem yet saying something like "That guy knows how to keep a secret. Two girls tried to get some info out of him and got nothing because he was protecting someone else's secret". The girls don't need to know what info they are talking about for that conversation to work. One of them could have heard one of the asking girls talking to herself in frustration, for example.

You can still change it Maybe for a potential release on Steam?
I think in some cases you could just fade to black to skip a conversation as well. Not everything needs to be explained, plenty can be inferred. Sometimes just rewording a choice to include "casual" would be enough to signal to players that the MC is still as honest as ever. I don't remember if your game occasionally shows other people's thoughts, or has a narrator describe things... But those could be used as well for signposting. Like your example: "I'm so curious who else he's dating, but I know I won't get anything out of him." Alternatively, having an LI be self-aware could be an option too: "He said it's up to me to tell people we're dating, so I shouldn't ask him about other girls."

The problem (and the blessing at the same time) for a lot of first-time devs is that they make the game they would want to play (if they don't start doing it for the money), but they have a biased view of what the audience wants. It was my case and I received a lot of constructive (and destructive) comments in the first updates, so I introduced ideas players proposed but didn't derail my vision of the story. Obviously, I rejected a lot of those ideas because they didn't fit with the game theme (NTR, for example) or because I wouldn't feel comfortable writing about it (hard domination). But I can say this game is better thanks to the community's ideas and help.

Yeah, absolutely. I've worked with a dev on his own game after he worked on one other game professionally. He knew he wanted to make an AVN, but wasn't very familiar with the AVN culture as a whole. Just having different voices chime in can help narrow a vision down, maybe even prevent some rookie mistakes.

 

[tropeLewdCorn]

Fitting the Valentine's Day, here's the Full Harem achievement icon for Season 1. 12 girls in 12 chapters (yes, they are floating. Love produces some weird effects).

 

[doritoboi23]

Are the pregnancies implemented yet. I remember playing part 1 close to a year ago and I believe they were not implemented

 

[tropeLewdCorn]

Are the pregnancies implemented yet. I remember playing part 1 close to a year ago and I believe they were not implemented

In Season 1 you could impregnate 10 girls! So yes, they were implemented.
Obviously, the bellies haven't grown, because Season 1 only lasts for 15 in-game days. Season 2 lasts until Day 21 and Season 3 currently covers until Day 24.

 

[doritoboi23]

In Season 1 you could impregnate 10 girls! So yes, they were implemented.
Obviously, the bellies haven't grown, because Season 1 only lasts for 15 in-game days. Season 2 lasts until Day 21 and Season 3 currently covers until Day 24.

Oh it has coma a long way then. Will replay it when I have the time. Ty for the info!

 

[tropeLewdCorn]

Special Render (L) - Alexia - Free Version​

Continuing the Valentine's theme, some people like a jacuzzi full of flowers. With that Jacuzzi, neither flowers, champagne, nor even water are necessary.
Alexia is the only gift I need for Valentine's Day. She is more intoxicating than champagne, refreshing than water, and beautiful than flowers.
Enjoy the Full HD render (4K for subscribers).