Thing is if i remember correctly we could give all serums to other girls and suddenly we can't to lola. Ok, i understand the reason is branching and making choices and this will create problem where some players based on their choices can't access content in future updates if those updates are solely focused on one branch like it's case with current update. I'm more for having access to all content in one playtrough, but the decision is yours. I was not following development plan for this game, but i really can't remember that story branching was original intention for this game and i doubt that most members here knew about this, otherwise they would create more save files to access new lola content. If it's other way around, i apologize for long rant. I like this game and i was playing it since the beginning, but i think story branching will just decrease potential of this game. Rant over
How will it decrease potential.
I guess there is
a lot of example of game that missuses branching or losts themselves into it. But that doesn't mean all have to do so.
And if we were using a different engine
I would be a lot saner right now I would agree with you, but the only strength of Ren'Py is its rollback and save system. So making choices is much easy than some Unity game with 30yo save mechanics.
Nowadays I need to be careful about the size of the save directories. I already have multiple hundreds of GB of eroge, I cannot allow myself to have more than 1GB of saves for each.
You might say I'm a compulsive saver. I tend to save every time there is a choice or after a choice.
Well ... yeah, Ren'Py, good with branching engine. So given the amount of content Jan forces himself to put inside each update, we came to the conclusion that if we wanted to finish the game at one point, we would need to be smart when branching.
Let's just estimate a gross amount of time needed to "finish" the game.
Given we give all the girls let's say 2 routes, at least 2 stages by routes, add maybe 3-4 plot lines. Add 2 secondary character to support the story. Give secondary character 4 scenes each.
That gives us around at more than year and a half worth of work given consistently high and really optimistic output.
More realistically that would represent over 2 years of work if not 3.
About what was planned, well, Jan as a creator "plan" or more accurately would want to do way more than he can.
It's just that since we I joined him, he can do more, so it's more realistic to plan more content.
To simplify, currently the goal would be.
For the girls :
Multiple routes with multiple stages for multiple girls with each stages consisting of a sizable amount of unique scenes.
For the story:
A quick background overview with more details on the blog, character development of the girls, and around 3 routes to revenge for the MC, multiple branches some being shorter and potentially leading to different ends.
We don't want to go heavy on the branching. But if a branch is needed and lead to a quicker end we will try to give a decent closure.
I will rephrase a little, we won't be afraid to choose to have a route not playable like a slightly more complete "they lived happily ever after".
Annnd that is probably TMI that we bite us in the ass in the future.
