VN Ren'Py Abandoned Strange Nights [v0.7.1] [LocJaw]

[Luckzor]

Don't forget that the game is actually a complete rip of life is strange. Using these figures is actually illegal. Unfortunately it's possible that he got in trouble because of this and we will never hear from this project again.

It's a shame, I love the game too. LocJaw is the uncrowned king of oral sex. This little demo contains by far the best cunnilingus scene i have ever seen in an adult game. I just can't do without this demo just because of this one super good animation. Pretty much all developers can learn a lot from that, especially those who make lesbian scenes. These are mostly not animated at all.

Looks like is your first time with parody games, there are a lot of games based in shows or even other games, there are even porn parodies from tv shows or movies. We have game parodies, comics and videos from Dragon Ball, Tomb Raider, Pokemon, Bleach, The Simpsons, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Family Guy, Avengers, etc. If you search here you can find some of them in the forum and some of them are finished and others are work in progress.
Most of the time when a developer abandon a game is because had not much support in Patreon, personal problems, or because he just lose interest in the project, not because legal reasons.
If that was the case we could say that most of the games that are abandoned were because legal reasons, even when they aren't based in a show, comic or game and we have a lot of those every week.

 

[Ferghus]

Man, y'all just eating a bait this old? smh

 

[exazubi]

Looks like is your first time with parody games, there are a lot of games based in shows or even other games, there are even porn parodies from tv shows or movies. We have game parodies, comics and videos from Dragon Ball, Tomb Raider, Pokemon, Bleach, The Simpsons, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Family Guy, Avengers, etc. If you search here you can find some of them in the forum and some of them are finished and others are work in progress.
Most of the time when a developer abandon a game is because had not much support in Patreon, personal problems, or because he just lose interest in the project, not because legal reasons.
If that was the case we could say that most of the games that are abandoned were because legal reasons, even when they aren't based in a show, comic or game and we have a lot of those every week.

May be, but doesn't change the facts. And the most famous Pokemon parody was discontinued for exactly that reason: under pressure from Nintendo

 

[WarlockRaven]

May be, but doesn't change the facts. And the most famous Pokemon parody was discontinued for exactly that reason: under pressure from Nintendo

False. Author himself said this wasn't the case.

 

[ꜱᴛᴀɢᴡᴏᴏᴅ]

Fair use and parody are fucking weird and inconsistent when it comes to what is allowed or not. Usually, from what I've seen, it tends to start with a cease and desist if an IP owner takes issue with a project. If it goes further it tends to depend on the size of the company or the amount of money they'll throw around. There are no hard rules or laws because the goalposts move. However, what could be an issue in regard to copyright is if a parody uses actual assets ripped from an official source such as directly out of a game. In that case, it becomes straight-up stealing.
In this case, I don't think there's direct stealing. The character models in this game appear to be of a higher polycount than the original game and there seems to be additional texture work at play too. Not to mention the nudity that was never a part of the original models.
Dontnod, Square Enix, Deck Nine or whoever would most likely issue a cease and desist first and then proceed to fighting IP infringement (with locjaw's defense being fair use parody) if they cared enough to go after this. And it could really go either way if locjaw wanted to fight. I think most people would just fold at the cease and desist though since legal costs can mount up and be crippling even if you end up winning, and you'd have to weigh up whether this could make enough money to justify the fight if you won.

I love parody games, specifically when they emulate the visual style of the original IP as perfectly as this project has, but I'm painfully aware of the fact that a parody project is likely dead the moment the IP owners get wind of it. Parody law or not. It's just too costly to defend.

But the death of a parody game doesn't necessarily mean they got shut down. Some devs just have to move on for other reasons. We see original works go down the toilet here all the time. I don't think this one actually got shut down because the Patreon page and social media haven't been scrubbed.

 

[exazubi]

Fair use and parody are fucking weird and inconsistent when it comes to what is allowed or not. Usually, from what I've seen, it tends to start with a cease and desist if an IP owner takes issue with a project. If it goes further it tends to depend on the size of the company or the amount of money they'll throw around. There are no hard rules or laws because the goalposts move. However, what could be an issue in regard to copyright is if a parody uses actual assets ripped from an official source such as directly out of a game. In that case, it becomes straight-up stealing.
In this case, I don't think there's direct stealing. The character models in this game appear to be of a higher polycount than the original game and there seems to be additional texture work at play too. Not to mention the nudity that was never a part of the original models.
Dontnod, Square Enix, Deck Nine or whoever would most likely issue a cease and desist first and then proceed to fighting IP infringement (with locjaw's defense being fair use parody) if they cared enough to go after this. And it could really go either way if locjaw wanted to fight. I think most people would just fold at the cease and desist though since legal costs can mount up and be crippling even if you end up winning, and you'd have to weigh up whether this could make enough money to justify the fight if you won.

I love parody games, specifically when they emulate the visual style of the original IP as perfectly as this project has, but I'm painfully aware of the fact that a parody project is likely dead the moment the IP owners get wind of it. Parody law or not. It's just too costly to defend.

But the death of a parody game doesn't necessarily mean they got shut down. Some devs just have to move on for other reasons. We see original works go down the toilet here all the time. I don't think this one actually got shut down because the Patreon page and social media haven't been scrubbed.

We don't know. But also for copyright reasons, parodies always run the risk of being set under pressure. In this case it is very unfortunate. I'm in love with the original game series. And this parody really felt like a prequel. Then there are the super good oral sex animations that you rarely see in games of this quality. If the cunnilingus scene between Rachel and Jefferson were standard in lesbian sex, some games wouldn't be able to save themselves from the fans. In the vast majority of games, lesbian sex is not animated at all, and when it is, it's often terrible.

Either way, it's a great pity that this game has been abandoned.

 

[exazubi]

False. Author himself said this wasn't the case.

Here is the relevant link. So everyone can form his/her own judgement.

https://f95zone.to/threads/leaf-on-fire-v0-2-02-thunder-one.4213/

We can twist and turn as we like. Facts are. the best Pokemon parody is dead, unfortunately so is Stranger Nights. we will probably never know the exact reasons. But it is what it is: parodies in particular often met this fate

 

[aesir150]

Exazubi just admit you're wrong and stop moving the goalposts.

Porn parodies aren't illegal, they are protected under fair use. That is a fact.

There is a difference between something being stopped because it is against the law, versus a company intimidating someone via lawfare (as in abusing the legal system).

Lawfare is a common tactic of taking someone to court to hurt them regardless of validity of a case.

The purpose of lawfare is usually to achieve one if not all of three of these goals.

1. Intimidate them into submission, either through ignorance of the law or due to the unnecessary burden to time, mental, and financial resources. Some people just don't think it is worth the effort to fight a case due to how much of a hassle it is, or they just don't know their rights.

2. Via bad publicity. When you get involved into a legal case you undergo discovery, which basically means you have to turn over a ton of private info. Some people don't want other people to know they make adult content. Or have other information about them leaked.

3. The legal process in itself is the punishment. Lawyers and court fees cost a lot of money. Even if someone was guaranteed 100% to win on the merits of the case, as in asserting their fair use right, they can still go bankrupt in the process or never had enough money to even hire a lawyer.

 

[Sonico]

Got to this one abandoned for years already - found out about it through the other one in fact - but still, feels like a real shame indeed. Great art and soundtrack, seeing the story through the eyes of Jefferson was fun plus his powers, whose nature seems to be quite different from Max's in the original game, rise all kinds of questions.

Makes for a great adult parody/spin-off that unfortunately we will not see any conclusion for.

 

[DarkDank]

Got to this one abandoned for years already - found out about it through the other one in fact - but still, feels like a real shame indeed. Great art and soundtrack, seeing the story through the eyes of Jefferson was fun plus his powers, whose nature seems to be quite different from Max's in the original game, rise all kinds of questions.

Makes for a great adult parody/spin-off that unfortunately we will not see any conclusion for.

I know right, honestly the other one isn't bad at all, but this was hot as hell. And the age difference, plus more direct/rapey aspect was really hot in the game.

 

[Sonico]

I know right, honestly the other one isn't bad at all, but this was hot as hell. And the age difference, plus more direct/rapey aspect was really hot in the game.

True, the age and status differences play a significant role in how each of them behave towards the ladies in the respective games that adds some spice. As an aside, i'd guess it's also something of a bitter irony that, imho, could more easily be turned in its own thing without ties to the original game series, would get discontinued.

 

[hecom]

Holy shit this game is insane shame it got abandoned wtf

 

[lordylorder]

SNIP

I think there should just be a law where if you're suing someone that can't afford the legal fees you get extra scruitiny from the court.

 

[thevampirate]

I'd really like to see this one come back. It's better than the other Life is strange parody done on this site.

 

[Juice86]

I'd really like to see this one come back. It's better than the other Life is strange parody done on this site.

Interesting, I like the other game better

But this one was really cool too, It had a much darker tone, esp with Victoria acting like an evil slut. Which is such a good look for her honestly.
I *LOVE* Victoria in this version far more than her char Lust in stranger or the original game.

This game gave me a new appreciation for her, shame it'll never get updated now

 

[Pif paf]

Exazubi just admit you're wrong and stop moving the goalposts.

Porn parodies aren't illegal, they are protected under fair use. That is a fact.

There is a difference between something being stopped because it is against the law, versus a company intimidating someone via lawfare (as in abusing the legal system).

Lawfare is a common tactic of taking someone to court to hurt them regardless of validity of a case.

The purpose of lawfare is usually to achieve one if not all of three of these goals.

1. Intimidate them into submission, either through ignorance of the law or due to the unnecessary burden to time, mental, and financial resources. Some people just don't think it is worth the effort to fight a case due to how much of a hassle it is, or they just don't know their rights.

2. Via bad publicity. When you get involved into a legal case you undergo discovery, which basically means you have to turn over a ton of private info. Some people don't want other people to know they make adult content. Or have other information about them leaked.

3. The legal process in itself is the punishment. Lawyers and court fees cost a lot of money. Even if someone was guaranteed 100% to win on the merits of the case, as in asserting their fair use right, they can still go bankrupt in the process or never had enough money to even hire a lawyer.

Well, maybe he is a lawyer on the prowl for another case...

 

[Culuf]

This might've been said in another of the 72 pages here, but I must say it myself. LocJaw is GREAT at composing dialogue. Rachel and Chloe especially. They compliment each other way better even than the original game LIS:Before the Storm. It's like LocJaw got in each characters' heads and knew exactly what they would be thinking at any moment. The shame that this has been abandoned is immeasurable!

 

[ekej]

This game is fucking amazing. Too bad it's been abandoned...

Also, LocJaw didn't post anything anywhere for 2 years now. So no, he didn't stop making this game because of a cease and desist.

Hopefully he didn't get the shirakami treatment (jail - fuck the CCP) or PANGXXX fate (serious illness).

 

[PK02]

What happened to this game is truly a tragedy.

 

[exazubi]

Exazubi just admit you're wrong and stop moving the goalposts.

Porn parodies aren't illegal, they are protected under fair use. That is a fact.

There is a difference between something being stopped because it is against the law, versus a company intimidating someone via lawfare (as in abusing the legal system).

Lawfare is a common tactic of taking someone to court to hurt them regardless of validity of a case.

The purpose of lawfare is usually to achieve one if not all of three of these goals.

1. Intimidate them into submission, either through ignorance of the law or due to the unnecessary burden to time, mental, and financial resources. Some people just don't think it is worth the effort to fight a case due to how much of a hassle it is, or they just don't know their rights.

2. Via bad publicity. When you get involved into a legal case you undergo discovery, which basically means you have to turn over a ton of private info. Some people don't want other people to know they make adult content. Or have other information about them leaked.

3. The legal process in itself is the punishment. Lawyers and court fees cost a lot of money. Even if someone was guaranteed 100% to win on the merits of the case, as in asserting their fair use right, they can still go bankrupt in the process or never had enough money to even hire a lawyer.

Like you, I don't know why the game stopped. And I never claimed to know it exactly. The game was stopped long before I expressed my opinion here. So it's not up to me.

What I know is that almost never a porn parody is actually completed into a full version in the end. I have followed several of these games with great interest and enthusiasm. And so far everyone I've ever been interested in has been abandoned. And there must be reasons for that.