itch.io

A small suggestion about the fast travel map.

Maybe it would be better to replace the location icons with ones that would be easier to remember and associate with a particular place? The pieces of location screenshots themselves are more like a puzzle and look a bit unclear. If you put schematic drawings hinting at the essence of the location instead of cut out fragments, I suppose it would be more aesthetically pleasing and understandable.

For example, cornucopia or ears of wheat for farms, screwdriver and hammer for the workshop, flask, magnifying glass, microscope, and other items that would be easy to associate with a particular location. Again, this is just an aesthetic suggestion.

Excellent work and extraordinary speed.

I'm afraid that at a stage when the characters have already been thought out, it would be unwise to change their preferences. You can change the course of events by adding some details, but changing one trait that is in harmony with the personality as a whole would oblige the author to rethink the character.

You could suggest introducing new characters, but I would be careful with such ideas, because there are already more than a dozen main characters and many more side characters. It's one thing to create a story along the lines of an anime - there are specific types who respond and act in a specific way. Everything is predictable. Here, however, the author creates his own template.

Although the decision to make such risky personality changes or add characters is up to the author anyway.

To me, the development of this game already looks like a highly ambitious madness, balancing on the verge of creating something between a utopian dream, introspective observation, and erotic fantasy. And I'm fascinated.

It was informative. I was rarely interested in the other Ren'Py games seen on that specific forum. My inconvenient trait is that I hate playing something in the demo or early access. Constantly waiting for a continuation reduces my interest, especially if it was initially low. Whatever.

I suppose that's important for games where there are specific limitations, but in this case, as the author noted, we can develop relationships at the same time with many characters, and that makes a hell of a lot of sense. I don't even want to know right now the plans for how they will be fulfilled.

For example, that at some point in the game we will have to choose a monogamous relationship (I already have my doubts about such a trivial option - we've all seen families in this game).

Or, for example, that we will automatically get some kind of outcome based on the decisions we make and the results we get (the management component of the game).

Or, for example, go through some kind of ritual with our chosen ones.

Or anything else - I can think of many things, don't even get me started seriously. :)

CB has a demo version, so you can probably use it to see some technical points, if there is a strong interest in them.

As for the loading option, I hope it does not cause any errors related to all sorts of mechanics in the game (relationships, inventory, stats, crafting). I don't know how Ren'Py works, but I accept the possibility that loading not from the main menu may cause errors, like duplicating or something more serious. I can't remember where I've encountered this kind of thing - in Ren'Py, RPG Maker or some other games - it definitely happened, but I can't say where or when.

The only game where I've seen the implementation of save names is Camp Buddy. There's a very creative design of the entire interface, including the save section. Although I feel uncomfortable mentioning and complimenting another game here. But I haven't found any private forms of communication on this site, on the other forum, or on Patreon.

I mention it only because the programmer could see how certain features were implemented - not to borrow, but to study, because at one time the developers of Camp Buddy also suffered from various technical errors.

PS. I have not tried the new (Ren'Py) version. I'm not sure if I need to look at it right now - the screenshots show me clearly enough the amount of changes made. But of course I'm mindful of this unusual game.

The new fonts and cursor are fascinating. Love them! The size of the buttons in the dialog box is a bit small, perhaps there is a way to either make them bigger or add a slider in the settings to change the size of the buttons and fonts in dialogs for people with poor eyesight.

Also, the location change buttons have become quite tricky and mischievous. You altered them in a very interesting way - unexpected but original. It doesn't seem to be what I had in mind, but it's also what I wrote. It's still hard to figure out where a player is going, but at least the signs are different now.

I can't say anything about the change of gender. I was originally interested in the game because of the gay theme, I'm not attracted to women. So I have zero interest in the breasts of the feminine protagonist. Despite the fact that I have often been mistaken for a girl since childhood, and the fact that I strictly adhere to the "receiving" role, I have never had any desire to change gender. There is a chance that I will drop half of the game's routes at once just because I am not interested in an outcome in which it turns out that I played an otome. And I don't know anything about transgender topics: for example, if a guy became a girl, but dates guys, doesn't that make her straight in the end? I don't know.

The changes on the body under the skin of the masculine protagonist also cause mixed feelings. It looks beautiful and frightening at the same time. Although I find the idea of changing the character's appearance interesting, I catch myself thinking that ultimately I'm only interested in routes that won't contain any triggers. And that ends up discarding the masculine ones, too, even though I'm extremely attracted to men (not muscular ones, though).

Either way, I'm still interested in the game. I am surprised by the enthusiasm and unusual ideas of the developer.

I would like to share more thoughts and suggestions. Again, any innovations, corrections and additions are more work. But the developer wants feedback and suggestions - I've been allowed to open my mouth and I'm doing it. Again, this is not something that needs to be dealt with urgently, and I do not want to upset the author in any way - I am not an expert, these are just amateur observations and thoughts.

1. Change fonts in buttons and title. Later it will be possible to stylize them and find on the net some beautiful ones that look like runes, for example.

2. I guess you can hide all the buttons in the big one, like a stone tablet, scroll or notepad or other object - when the player clicks on it, the buttons will unfold on the screen either vertically (in a column) or horizontally (in a row). This avoids the problem of buttons blocking too much beauty on the screen - when hidden, they block almost nothing.

3. Add the ability to open this menu of buttons when moving between locations. Now it is only available in dialogues, and this is a bit uncomfortable.

4. Add pop-up labels (tooltips) to all foot icons (change locations) explaining where these icons lead.

5. Add an undo option to choices. For example, I have the ingredients for all the essences, but I don't want to craft any - if I click on the chemical instruments (alembic, retort, etc.), the game offer me to create the essence with no option to refuse.

6. Add a task log, where both the task itself and specific details will be indicated. For example, the task "I need to prepare a salve" and the explanation "For the salve I will need the following ingredients: ..." and you can even add new details that you can learn from one of the characters, for example, "Never use sugar instead of honey".

7. It may be appropriate to change the trading screen. I was confused at first when I went to the market and couldn't interact with anything other than the letters in the center. The images of items for buying and selling both on the trade screen and in the inventory are very small. I don't have very good eyesight, so it was hard to see the icons and be sure what they were and what they might be used for. There was a good suggestion here to add tooltips when hovering over item icons in the inventory or other UI windows.

8. After pressing the skip text button, the game starts to automatically scroll the text at a very high speed in all dialogues and scenes, which is why the skip cannot be disabled (or it's just difficult). Perhaps there is a button on the keyboard for this by default, but the player cannot find out the control anywhere in the game. A solution needs to be found. Options:

a) reduce the message skip rate or add a configuration that allows you to flexibly adjust the message skip rate - the one that exists now is already extremely high;

b) limit skipping messages only to the dialog in which it was enabled (new dialogs, scenes and texts will start without automatic skipping);

c) remove the skip text button and leave the automatic text scrolling, but make the automatic speed more flexible in the settings - x2, x3, x4, x5, x6 (this will allow you to use the automatic function for quick skipping).

There are probably other solutions, but I haven't come up with them.

9. Frequent change of poses of characters during a conversation is a plus, it gives dynamics and goes well with 3D graphics, you need to use it more often (for comparison, 2D graphics are much better combined with immobility; 2D - "frozen" comics, 3D - live and moving theater). For example, the scene when Britt gets dressed at the beginning of the game while talking to Borg looks great, thanks to a good change of poses - more like this is needed. From an erotic point of view, this scene also looks beautiful. A turn of the head, a slight change in posture - all this will be a plus in different dialogue scenes.

10. Now the facial expressions are fine, and I don't see the point in doing much more expression - it can ruin the narrative and make it comical.  The ending of the demo is a little blurry - immediately after dinner, the scenes move at a frenetic pace; backgrounds, places and people change over and over again. I guess it's because the author wanted to show the idea of "to be continued". Therefore, it would be great if in the future both this fragment (the beginning of the first chapter) and the subsequent narrative went a little more smoothly.

That's all. I don't have any other comments or questions yet.

<3

Excellent. I will be glad to follow the development of the game. However, you didn’t answer one of my question: are there other sites or forums where a demo is published? I myself found this game through a third-party forum. Are there any more places where the developer collects the feedback from the demo?

TLDR: I like it.

1. First, I want to ask: are there any forums or sites (Patreon, Twitter, etc.) where this demo was posted? I think it is better to collect feedback and suggestions on specialized resources, where it is more convenient to view messages, and where more people can look at the product. Of course, there is always the possibility of encountering unfriendly users, but still, more audience is needed for feedback.

2. Second. Cursor. Just mirror it horizontally so that the rake handle moves to the left instead of the right, and then aiming at objects with the cursor will become a little easier. The image of the rake is much larger than the real (in the "brains" of the program) cursor, which is why it is not always comfortable to use it.

3. Now the game is not far from the concept stage, so I don’t offer anything and I don’t insist on anything - first I want to understand a little better, and only then reflect. And that brings us to the next question: I want to know if the main character can be top or bottom with every available character? If so, it would double the amount of work (obviously), and make less sense, because character preferences and personalities would matter a lot less. If we can act in a different role for each individual character, then it might be a little confusing.

I guess the author's idea is not to put the hero under all other characters in every possible way, but to show how he will adapt to the desires and cultural norms of the people around him (I personally hate both this topic and the topic of social roles, but this is my PTSD). If the character sticks to one sexual role (presumably, bottom), then in terms of a given narrative, this simplifies the task.

4. Fourth, I find some of the details of the game interesting, and I like that it starts with a nice styling in the menu, and contains original, albeit rustic, images in the interface. For example, the tractor, the barn and the book look very cute. But at this stage of development, there is no point in discussing and focusing on the beauty of the interface - all this can be easily fixed at any stage of development, because this is a general component of the game, and not some piece of story or gameplay. Although someday the interface will need a lot of improvements, because at the moment it does not match the quality of graphics and storytelling.

5. Next topic. Music: a constant melancholic melody from the beginning of the game makes it a little difficult to focus on the narrative, sometimes you need a pause and just ambient - sounds can completely (and this is not an exaggeration) change the perception of anything, especially the game. For me, the melody creates the feeling that the life of the protagonist is about to end, although the game has just begun.

I don’t know what the general idea of the game is, and why, in this era of general interest in northern culture and mythology in video games (because games about Nords, Vikings and the like have been massively released for half a decade), the author decided to turn to such a complex topic, but I don't mind because the gay-oriented ones suffer from two problems: there are very few of them compared to any other, and most of them are of poor quality. Here we see at least a good start.

Final note (OFFTOPIC). I want to note that the understanding of the term used in the title is incomplete in modern times due to insufficient knowledge of the issue. Scandinavian mythology is known mainly from two large sources and small archaeological finds that indirectly help in the interpretation of the material. In fact, among the popular ancient cultures, this one remains one of the least studied. Of course, there are those who are examined even worse, but we are not in the competition.

For example, the use of the word ERGI goes back to the Christian period of the early Middle Ages... If you understand what I'm getting at, then it is obvious that this word is colored by the influence of foreign cultures. I am more than sure that initially the Scandinavians, just like all other cultures, did not have prejudices about same-sex love, and a number of myths indicate this. If there were prejudices, then this would have been clearly stated in at least one of the two Eddas.

Let's take Judaism as an example - in the Old Testament there are no prohibitions on same-sex love. Sodom and Gomorrah were punished not for debauchery or same-sex love, but for treachery and for trying to outrage Lot's guests - so for invading private property. Another ban did not apply to men in general, but specifically to prostitutes of pagan gods, which was equated with idolatry. Moreover, the love between David and Jonathan was clearly erotic, not platonic. But there is no insult to effeminate or gay men in the Eddas, nor is there any clear indication of this in stories where only males were involved in sexual relations. ERGI is a relic of Christianization of a later period, when the Viking tribes settled among the peoples of Eurasia, adjusting to the already rooted Christian radical norms.

The reason for this perception of the word is simple. The northern peoples were perceived by the "civilized" southerners as barbaric, despite having their own culture, mythology, writing, and the like. But they were considered degenerates, and that led to prejudice that the dominance of one man over another through sexual abuse - verbal or physical - is natural for them. And so the word ERGI was demonized, when initially, most likely, it was nothing more than a petty squabble between two men who shout hurtful words at each other. Like a scream and a fight between two monkeys - we see it every day. Because of this, swear words do not become terrible lifelong curses.

Of course, this is the same insult as the others, especially in sexual terms. But the stigma is something more terrible, and I see no evidence that that Viking culture in the pre-Christian period had a prejudice against gay sex. There is no evidence.