I really never comment on anything, but I felt the need to do here-
Normally I download these tipe of games just for the nsfw scenes, but this game managed to catch me very early on with its story and characters. The way it depicts how confused one can be about things like sexuality, a crush on someone you don't want to damage your relationship with, plus the writing, honestly made me really love this game. It's amazing, the best one i've played so far.
The only thing I would like to point out, is that it has no sound, so a little bit of background music or sound would be really cool ^^ I can't wait for the next update, thank you for working on this game <3
Thanks for the love and your appreciation early on. It means a lot considering I think the beginning is by far the weakest part of the game. In terms of sound, it's on the list. The game is still very much in development and you can consider this pre-alpha stage at this point. Sound is one of the last things that we'll probably add and I want it to be meaningful when we do add it
I am in the same boat as Braden rn, I thought I was straight but a guy has really been heating me up and I feel like he is super amazing. This game is honestly a reflection of where I am in life right now and I REALLY enjoy it! I seriously hope more crops up soon :D
Heya, I'm glad that you can relate with Braden's character. I caught some shit on other sites because many of the gay players were automatically assuming that Braden was in denial--which is the point of his character in the first place--that sexuality doesn't always fit all the labels, regardless of how many we keep making. I wanted to give people that felt that way a voice through his character
I think Braden's sexual frustration and unlability was perfect, especially for people like me - games and characters like thisneed to happen so people questioning - like me - can have more inspiration!
Definitely one of the reasons that Braden's character is like that. I've tried to put quite a few minority characteristics within these characters because the media tends to really create a stereotype of sexuality that isn't congruent with how many people are. I wanted to normalize people that don't fit the stereotype and validate that that's ok.
I love how this game is redefining labels and what it means to be an NSFW game - it is a wild wide and one I am looking forward to traveling down :) mad props to your dev team!
So as you progress through the game, hopefully you'll see things get better (including facial expressions). This is my first project and I had no previous experience at all. I'm just learning as I go so you can consider this version a rough draft. My old computer system was too much of a potato to handle extra characters in the original version of the game but later, based on donations, I was able to afford a new system--which is why you see things gradually get beter and the scenes start to fill out a bit more. So yeah, it's a work in progress and this entire version of the game is just practice
it is genuinely the best nsfw game i've ever played.
i loved every bit of it and i really related to Zack and his sexuality issues. thank you so much for this.
also, the characters' development was amazing. the story was just surprisingly very well written and absolutly fantastic.
now i can't wait for the next update!! is there a date? also, since we won't be able to use the saves from the last update, are we going to play through the entire story all over again?
hey thanks for the love. Saying it's the best NSFW game out there is a decent compliment considering that i felt like it was so niche in the beginning. A lot of people just look for straight up porn stuff and this game completely throws that out the window for story-based content and just happens to not have limits related to any content (including the sexual stuff). There's currently not an ETA on the next update. Covid destroyed my current work schedule but I'm still working on it. It'll drop on my Patreon first for the supporters there and then I'll update the link for the free version 3 weeks after that. I'm glad you related to the story, it's close to my heart and very personal to me so I'm glad it reached you. Thanks for the support :)
A few years ago, I fell in love with my straight college roommate. He was a swimmer and he was beautiful - we'd talk for hours, hang around in our underwear, sleep in the same bed, drink ourselves silly, and do nearly everything together. We were practically joined at the hip for a year. I could recognize his smell from hundreds of meters away. I was so fucking in love with him, and I didn't know how to cope.
So I lied to him.
I never said anything... at least not until everything blew up in my face. I think I'm still reeling from it.
I just wanted to tell you that this visual novel means so much to me. Not because it makes me feel like I'm living some alternate-fiction fantasy, but because I am learning that... maybe I should've told the truth. And even if we wouldn't end up like Braden and Zack, maybe I would find my own way to love him.
I love this piece of work, and I love you for making it. Thank you.
i knew from reading your first sentence that I was going to enjoy this reply and it was gonna hit me in the feels. These types of replies always mean the most to me because it sounds like you really experienced it the way I wanted people to. So thank you for that and thank you for checking in with the beautifully written note. It means more than you'll ever know. I don't know how your story would have turned out and whose to say that Braden and Zack's will turn out any different. but you really validate a lot of what I wanted to share with people in this story and I'm glad you got to experience those moments with someone that you cared so deeply for. Thanks man :)
this is my first writing, too. I guess you just have to try and then learn as you go. that's all i'm doing. I got a good community, good early (but critical) feedback, and I'm working with some friends that mean the world to me.
we've talked about UE4 but using renpy was much easier in the beginning for me since i had no coding experience. Full 3d just sounded really intimidating but i won't say that we've ruled it out for the future either
I'm working on it. All the covid stuff increased my regular job workload exponentially but i'm still working on the game after work most days until late. As the game nears the ending, things will get more complex from a writing standpoint because I need to pull everything together. I dont want a bunch of loose ends and I dont want it to feel like Season 6 of Game of Thrones either. So the writing slows down a bit to try and weave everything together. Hell, the middle part of the game and the beginning were quick and easier to write (although we all know the beginning really needs some work now that I've learned a bit more).
No spoilers, though. I accidently blurt enough crap out on the Patreon and the Discord. I will way the next episode wont be as much of an emotional rollercoaster as the last one. We all need to calm down a bit after all that.
my creative side is pretty dramatic and, quite honestly, kinda bleak. I'm glad you see the beauty in it though. I think there's some beautiful moments in this game that i'm beyond proud of. Thank you for your best wishes. I hope this one isn't the end either :)
Hi, love your game and can't wait for the next chapters!!!
Good idea I propose would be to give the players a way to control the erotic scenes... Like arrows to control the animated movements: faster, slower, next scene, etc. This would allow us to take the time we need to see the action ;).
The rest is just amazing and the sexual tension built during all the game is extactic!!! Thanks!!!
yo, thanks for the feedback. I'll see what I can do. I have a lot of great ideas, too--but execution of those ideas is a different story. This is a very very small team of people helping me do this. It's basically me doing this thing with the support of two buddies that help me as they can. It's insane how long it takes to do animation. You literally have to position each movement in each frame. Then you factor in the rendering of those frames and you're probably looking at a month or two for each shot. Without saying spoilers, the ending animation of Chapter 8 took 9 months to do by itself
Thanks and I completely understand. I will definately buy the game when it will be completed. I could also donate now but don't like the monthtly thing... Is there a way for a one shot gift?
So you have a couple choices on the donation thing. You can do it through here and just donate for the download or you can do it through the Patreon. I know you said you're not a fan of the monthly donation but you can actually specify a custom amount on the monthly subscription on the Patreon and just do it for one month and cancel. The advantage of doing that is that you unlock all the custom Patreon stuff over there as long as you donate $10 or more. Long as you cancel before the 1st of the next month, you wouldn't get charged again. Even if you did get charged again, you can just DM me and i'll refund (i'm not in the business of trying to screw people out of cash). If you try and do something and mess it up over there, again, you can just DM me and we'll figure it out--people do that all the time that are new to Patreon.
One other thing is that the finished version of the game will still be FREE. The idea here is to run this entire thing on donations and that's it. No ads, no cost, all free--forever. I make enough off of it now to fund the project so there's no more cost out of pocket for me. However, if funds run low, sometimes I have to make cuts or just wait a bit longer to save up for things. But for the most part, the donations are covering the costs. Regardless, the game will never cost--ive said that from the beginning and I plan to stick with it.
Hey thanks. That was one of the things I wanted to make shine in this game. I wanted conversations and dialogue that mattered, while simultaneously sometimes NOT mattering--because that's how real dialogue is between people. Regardless, it gives us insight into the characters and the joking banter between guys is just fun. I'll also admit that I tried really hard to make the dialogue transcend generational differences--so it's purposely all over the place in an attempt to try and appeal to the widest audience. Not sure if it comes across that way but that was the idea :)
That's awesome. Usually when I play a sex game, I just want to skip straight to the sex scene, but this game got me more interested in the dialogue and the plot than the sex. For me, it's not just a sex game, but also a romantic experience. And I'm a Chinese player, so this game also helped me with my English and how to express my self around STRAIGHT dudes. ❤️❤️❤️
I think the erotic scenes are better when there's genuine build-up for them. While this game teases, there's purpose to the teasing because of the shotcomings and where the characters are in their lives. Rather than finding the adult content sexual, it's almost like you're rooting for them
Geez, this game. I can’t express my words well enough to even manage to DESCRIBE how good of a job you did!! I have never seen anything like this, or this good, and would love to see more and wish people could look at your work as an example ;) I honestly can’t wait for the next update, and feel like I’m waiting for a song or movie to be released!! I really hope this won’t be a one time project, and hope you will make more of these!!!
wow, thanks a lot. I really do want to redefine the genre here. Although the game takes some time to get started, I hope where the story has gone made up for some of the early newbie hiccups--had zero idea what I was doing. I have some other ideas for projects but one thing at a time--I'm not very good at multitasking with things like this. Glad you liked it though and it means a lot that you took the time to express the impact :)
Don’t worry, keep up the good stuff! By the way, the later chapters definitely make up the first chapters! Hope this story progressed is amazing! Hope you are doing great!
Oh my god! Where do I begin? I actually made this itch.io account specifically to comment on this game because I enjoyed it so much. I just love the way you write everything! The little nods to psychology are fun too because I'm currently studying it at college.
Sometimes these medias and games can be quite childish with various themes of sexuality and image but the way you write feels so genuine and real, to the extent where the advice various characters are giving resonates to real life in a strange and profound way.
Usually in these games, there's a character who sticks out like a sore thumb because of how annoying or unlikable they are but this is one of those rare exceptions. All of the characters are really amazing. I love how fleshed out (no pun intended) they all feel.
Just reached the end of the game so far and, I read the patch notes so I knew a cliffhanger was coming, I just certainly didn't expect something so... severe :O.
Please continue what you're doing! You're so talented at it! I hope you stay well during these times.
Yo, thanks for the reaction man and thanks for taking the time to not only make an account but leave a thoughtful reply. It's also cool to see another psych guy (I'm one, too) that can pickup on a lot of the easter eggs and stuff. There's a ton that's genuine here and I'm glad you like it. I agree that a lot of VNs are very childish, something that my game caught some flack in the beginning for being too serious in the issues that it tackled until people warmed up to the emotional ride that it takes you on. I'm glad you dig the characters, too...despite there being so few. I had no idea what i was doing so i kept the cast small and more manageable to help with learning as i go. And sorry i broke your heart with the cliffhanger--longtime fans are used to it by now. Since you just made the account for here, we also have a discord server if you check out the patreon. You can actually hit us up directly there too..faster than feedback on here. You stay safe too-- world is crazy right now
I'm honestly loving this game, it's the story and the character development that gets me to play it for hours! Keep up the great work! I just finished Ch 8, I am really looking forward for what's to come for them. :)))
still in the middle of playing, wanted to give some feedback tho.
first: AWE-SOME! first time i see a 3d VN that doesn't make me cringe. i love VN, i love 3d - and i love yaoi/BL/MM. but up to now i never stumbled on a good 3d VN, ESPECIALLY not a MM one... your renders are great, and there's such a sheer number of them, like wow, new set of scenes all the time for every occasion. kudos on the amazing amount of work behind that. the characters are well done, and Zack is hawt AF. excellent posing/expressions/scenes setup too. i like that you use full renders for your scenes, and not VN style just a BG and sprites. and the animated scenes (2 images? i cheated and checked the folder... now i can have my own private 2-image slideshows lol), hmmmm. yesss. yup, i mean those scenes XD. it's fun too to see their clothes melting into nothing when they strip. language is real, i appreciate, and those two are hilarious, i lmao'd a couple of times real loud ^^ good idea with the topics that can be unlocked for conversation. there's a good balance of earnest stuff, slice of life etc, humor, hawt scenes (even if up to now it was solos, it was sensual and amazingly done. ok, said as a 3d dude lover but still... :D), and the story flows nicely. there's a lot of feeling there, and i can see why people identify with/understand Zack (i would too if i was a guy into dudes, which i sadly am only in my fantasy :/). and to see him slowly falling for Braden, more and more, emotionally and physically, while trying to respect him and not risk/fuck up their friendship - the gay man's balancing act... Z & B not being stereotypes, i like that too, cause there are as many nuances of colors in the rainbow spectrum as there are individuals, and not all shine bright and flamboyant, but every single one is beautiful.
i'm not judging/commenting on where the story goes, where thru and who does what and why, or if drama here/there needs be or not - it's your story, your characters, and up to now, i like it. ^^ (atm i'm watching Zack sitting on a bench asking himself why he's doing psy as a major).
i don't mind the slow burner, it makes the wait worth it, if it comes too early/easy, there's like a disappointing moment just after... and geez please to those who expect easy porn, those sparse but well made solo scenes just at the right moment have riled me up more than some hardcore scenes in other VN. like when you go wtf watching a porny pic... instead of yum ~
the interface is slight, which i appreciate, it doesn't take unnecessary space and frills for nothing, but looks design and fitting all the same. (1 only thing, that you might even have fixed by now because it's a flaw: the speaker's name without background, unlike the text = not good, barely readable and just off design-wise, should be made like the text, like a tab over the text field. also the skip etc texts need a BG, they're barely visible). the idea of giving them objects is awesome too and the objects are nicely rendered - tho there again, white square frame = meh, could be even more awesome with a colored BG + rounded frame, or as transparent png..
finally, did i mention this whole game is awesome? :D
so, looking forward to the rest of "my" game and possible updates! thanks for creating and sharing this adventure with us ^^ - and proving that yes, 3d in VN has a future, and even a present!
more funny than minus: - Zack describes Braden in the beginning as a hairless twink... but B's legs are freaking HAIRY! 0_o - they must be starving on a harsh diet, cause when they go to the cafeteria, no food no drinks! NEVER! XD
EDIT: i saw you mentioned sound and license in another comment... doesn't Incompetech give away music for very cheap or even free?
Yo, first off...thank you for the insanely detailed post and comments. I appreciate the time you took. I'll be honest, the part I think I'm the most excited about (for you) is that you're enjoying the game so far and you're still in the part of the game that I consider the weakest part. This game starts off slow because I had no clue what I was doing. It really starts to only develop around Chapter 3 imo. I really wanna go back and fix the earlier parts but I'm really stoked you enjoyed it anyway. Honestly, I'm more excited at your reaction moving forward. It's just fun to read posts where people get all worked up about the project. Thanks for the thoughts. it really means a lot :)
Bruh. This was supposed to be weak so far. I played it for like five minutes got addicted and played it for several hours every night I was so upset when I realized that I had reached all you had done so far. I am so excited to see where this goes man. I've never read a better more accurate depiction of what runs through someones head. If I had money to spare I would certainly have pain probably 30 dollars just for the game. Please keep up the good work. Oh p.s. the romantic scenes are my very parts so please make sure you keep those up.
heh, the beginning is def the weakest. I didn't really have a writing style or anything. I've gradually gotten more confident and better and accepted that it's better to take things slow rather than rush them. Plus, having another guy that's more experienced with writing and that I trust with my life helps to give me feedback and pointers. That makes a world of difference in the flow of the story and the overall tone.
Dont worry about the financial support though, i'm not a greedy person. Kind words work for me as well. You can always spread the word about the game, too. Honestly, there's about a million ways to be supportive rather than just paying and I appreciate all of them. Game is free for a reason and it's already gotten far more donation support than I ever imagined possible.
And there's plenty of romance. TBH, my fav two scenes in the game are both imo the most romantic. I love those scenes and they're incredibly intense to write. There's gonna be more :)
PARTIAL SPOILER ALERT!
sooo… now that i just finished VIII, i KNOW what you meant about it getting better. everything i said before multiplied by a bunch! the renders have improved a lot, i think just after i wrote the last comment. especially various cool cam angles and a lot of new locations. love it when you totally go off from VN style into a real, free 3d story! the whole going out of the dorms/college is excellent, way to go! actually everywhere they went, i liked. also Braden’s toony slidermania side smile is finally gone, lol (didn’t comment on that one, i knew - or at least hoped - you’d fix it ^^). generally Braden looks sexier, i suck at comparing things but whatever you did worked! Z’s makeover too. the quality of everything just improved. then also yeah, action-wise, some wicked scenes too ^___^ … now we’re talking! guess i had to pick my jaw off the floor too XDD. btw, also loved the 1st kiss anim, it was beautiful! the beach games and drunk B were too much, man, i laughed my ass off so hard there were tears and it almost hurt XDD. and then.. yeah, i laughed less. but the 3 way bonding was great. also the pool lesson was awesome. i noticed you had woven a lot more seriousness into the story, introspection, drama, heartwringing situations. however… nothing could have prepared me for the last last part… 0_o … i’m still reeling. me too, i’m still standing out there, gaping. soo glad they went for this lesson omfg. still, really looking for the next chapter, just to know how they fare…
EDIT: y’know.. what i really like with this story is the feeling of being one of the guys, sitting there listening to them. to their daily hilarious chitchat about everything and nothing, banter, messing with each other… to such extent, i think i’ve never seen that, not even in fanfiction. i wrote sth in that direction once but it was all imagination… to any dude it’s just what you live - for me it’s so detailed i appreciate cause yeah.. fat chance i’ll ever experience it ~
The game has always had a serious purpose and tone to it. I like to think that it's more "adult" in the sense based on it's issues rather than the actual content. I just chose to make a story without any real limitations and I like that. I'm glad you stuck it out through the first part, that i thought was weaker because I think it does get a lot better once I figured out how to write better. Hopefully, i'll continue to improve with the help of the other two guys I have propping me up. I'm also glad you appreciate the banter. I think that's what truly makes it a real slice of life story. The banter, while sometimes funny and comedic, provides insight and background at the same time and has it's own way of providing character development. Plus, i think conersations like that are just part of real life, debating random shit that doesn't matter with friends is something most of us have probably done. But yeah, thanks for the love and I'm glad you like it. We still got some story left to tell, too
Itch.io only let's me put one link up from what I can tell but you can download the MAC version from the Patreon site. Here's the most recent link for ya:
Working on it now. Each chapter seems to take longer because we try and do new things. That last one was probably the best one we've done though. I'm trying to work on upping the graphic quality for this next one
Heh, thanks a lot. It's been a really passionate project..both with the writing and just the emotional experience and relationships I've made through it.
I so can imagine, man. Both your characters and you deserve a hug. The story is very deep and strong, a feature almost non-existent in gay themed games. Thank you again!
I wish I could just hug really tight both Zack and Braden, they're the cutest, and that's thank to you.
Second, I'm quite new to the Visual Novel area, and I'm loving it, but from the novels I've seen, most of them have the "Gallery" section where you can find some of the most important or remarkable moments of the story, do you intend to (can't think of any other verb, I'm really sleepy and english is my second language, so I'll probably misuse the word) put this Gallery stuff on the game?
That's all, I'm loving your novel and can't wait till the next chapter! (they were so cute at the pool and then the dorm was like that???? so much I wanted to see, and now so much goes through my head "what they're going to do now? where they'll stay? WHAT ABOUT THE PICTURE???? was anybody in there? how that happened?", a lot of questions and I just want to see those boys happy together) thanks for your work and hope everything goes well! ^^
Thanks for the love and I feel like Zack and Braden could both use a hug right about now. So in terms of the "gallery" feature, I'm going to give you an honest response to this question. I have no idea how to do it. lol. Basically, each update, I try and learn a little something new with the coding and stuff. I know a lot of people were interested in the gallery feature early on so I just left all the images unlocked in the game directory. What you'l notice on a lot of games is that they archive all the images in the game into one file (usually an .rpa file) and you can't see them. I don't do any archiving with Str8. So if you go into the game folder and look for an images folder, you can browse every pic in the game. That was my early answer to a "gallery." Eventually something like that may be added in game but honestly, there's sooooo many pictures I don't know how how to start the process of picking which ones would go in the gallery. But for now, if you want shots like that you can just look in the images folder and do what you want with them.
In terms of the game moving forward....yeah.... people were pretty surprised i think with the cliffhanger and that shit hurt my soul to even write it. But we move onward and hopefully you'll realize it had a purpose. Hell, I still have questions... good news is the next update won't be as emotionally rough as this one was. That last chapter was freakin' HEAVY.
Thanks for the reply, now I just wanna hug em more ^^
I didn't really know about the image folder, totally checking that later (or right now, probably now), and don't worry about the gallery stuff, it's hard, not only to do the coding (which I respect you so much for (you and Blayke already do so much (I get tired just thinking of all the work, every step, it's a lot))), but to pick just a few pics to put there, so being able to check them all is efficient and save you from a lot of stress.
And you're killing me - YOU'RE KILLING ME - I was so happy and then Braden goes to the locker room - I died a little there - but everything turns out okay, more then okay, THEN the beach, I actually cried - and died a little harder - but again things were fine. And then, the dorms... I'm dead, but okay. Thanks again for the story, I can totally relate to Zack and this makes things really meaningful to me, can't wait for the next chapter (you're cliffhanger totally worked, I'm super hyped ^^)!!!
Hi! I love love the game so much, i can't wait the next update, i know it's an annoying question, but when do you publish the next update? Sorry for my bad english.😊
Glad you like the game so far. And it's not an annoying question at all. Honestly I appreciate the interest. Thi gs have been going really slow with the next update. Basically we're trying to do some outlining moving forward to make sure pieces click into place. Plus, I was exhausted after the last update and it had been around 6 months since I had a day off so I sorta just crashed. Hopefully going to finish up some outling this weekend and get started on the writing part.
yo, i know i said hey to you earlier on the discord but that's a great place to get info on the game along with the Patreon. We're also slowly getting active on Twitter for in-the-moment kinda stuff. Thanks for the luv though. Glad you enjoyed it so far ;)
I love this game. I haven't reached the end yet, I'm at the part where Beautiful Braden gives Zack his First Kiss -- it was beautiful. I'm going to contribute to the development as soon as I can. And btw, I loved the dialogue; I thought it was very realistic. The models are all beautiful. And the story is real well written. It's so nice to read such a beautiful visual novel. I'll be in touch again.
hey thanks a ton. Hell, if you love it now, i think you'll be even happier later... didn't really hit my stride until that update in particular. Def stay in touch and let me know :)
Neither use entirely one model. I ended up mixing a few variations from a few different models but most of Zack is the Malachi model and Braden is mostly the Max model. Both are gen 3
Hey! So I downloaded the game a few weeks ago, and I can leave my first impressions here!
So first and foremost, I'd like to say to the developer, that the game is very fun, engaging, and rewarding! I also really enjoy the concept and the new take on it, differing from other developers!
Now to the good stuff, my criticisms, so I know the developer was going to revamp the first part of the game due to confusion and poor development and make it more story orientated. And I totally agree, the beginning was repetitive and I got stuck a few times.
With that being said, there are a few problems or potential fixes I could recommend, as I've played the whole story up-to-date. Firstly, the dialogue, it can get very repetitive and very meta. The whole "bUt I wAnT yOu tO bE coMfOrTabLe" and the whole "BrAdEn ArEnt YoU cOmfY wItH mE?" "yOu'Ve SeEn mE nAkEd BefoRe AnyWayS" (sorry for the typing, its how i read it in-game) was very annoying. At times I was thinking, do people actually talk like this? I can understand that Zack is a bit insecure and Braden is discovering himself, but still it can seem unrealistic and plain cringy.
Other than that, I'd like to see more customization with the characters, more options, more different stylistic personal preferences, like for example in the popular dating sim "coming out on top" you could choose which characters had body hair and which had a beard. Just more customization in general, though it could interfere with the whole zac trimming his pubes bit, but I would still like more options. I know this sounds far-fetched, but a list of kinks you could assign to each character that changes their dialogue and what they find attractive on other characters, things that make the story more personalized and unique to the player.
But yeah! Take everything with a grain of salt, but thanks for reading this far! And keep up the good work! I love the game.
So I'll try and respond to this the best I can. Yes, the beginning will be restructured as the first portion of the game was mirror after other game norms at the time and I don't really like the feel. However, I did a poll on this awhile back and it's honestly about 50/50. About half of the players at the time actually preferred the repetition part because they wanted to try to "solve" it and figure out how to progress the story. However, I've made the decision to change it and make it more narrative and less game.
That being said, the dialogue that you find "cringey" really won't change. Actually, if there's anything that I'm the most proud of about the game, it's the dialogue. To answer your question about there being people out there who actually talk like this: yes... thousands of them for sure but probably closer to millions. The dialogue structure is actually a mix between various slang because I wanted to bridge the age gap for players. There's references on multiple age groups here and I like that because it broadens the audience. Perhaps the biggest counter to your suggestion is that you call the dialogue "unrealistic" and that's the first time i've heard that since the game was created. I actually have thousands of messages of players who can relate to specifically the parts you don't. The most common word I hear from people is "realistic." Which brings me to one of the ultimate purposes of the game. Zack's character, in particular, is built to be stubborn to the reader because he's a manifestation of someone who is uncomfortable with himself. He fights against the grain of acceptance repeatedly. This is what anxious people do and I wanted to give that a realistic voice--both to validate those who live like this but also to give those who don't an idea of how difficult this journey is for others. Basically, the "cringey" moments are the things I get the most fan mail about and it's usually people saying how much they can relate to the characters. Is the dialogue awkward at times? Hell yes. They're 18 and 19 years old with limited experience. They're going to act cliche at times and other times inconsistent. They're going to do/say embarrassing shit because that's what you do when you're 18 or 19 and you don't have any experience. I'm simply normalizing this because it's a step that people who have no experience at this need to get past. It's also something that people without anxiety probably won't understand. It's easy to become frustrated with a character who is less comfortable or resistant to doing things that come easy for you naturally. And for some people, seeing fictional characters do it, has allowed many players/readers to ascertain the courage to do so in their own lives and for that I'm extremely grateful that the game had the intended impact. That's what it's written that way. I seriously struggled with my own sexuality and that's what you're seeing Zack's character do. It's just not that easy for some people. I've never ever pictured Zack being "cringey" or whiny though--maybe that's just a matter of taste. His ton to be was away authentic... like he's realistically torn at several times during the game.
The other point you made about character customization is something that would be nice to include but it's pretty much impossible. I honestly wanted to do something like this in the begining. You reference Coming Out on Top (COOT) as an example and to compare it to this format is unrealistic. COOT uses sprites. Of which you simply toggle the body hair once and it's on the sprite every time it slides onto the screen. Basically it's super easy to customize things like that. For me to change body hair, I would have to redo thousands of pictures. So if the game has 4000 renders of Braden now, I would have to redo all 4000 pictures again with body hair. Then render all 4000 a third time with a different hair style with body hair. Then render all 4000 a fourth time with the different hair style but maybe the original body hair. Now times all this by two because you would have the same options for Zack. I could literally spend a year of development making mods for body hair and still probably not touch the surface for customization. To further complicate this, I would have to code in every possible variable for each type of hair style/body hair into every line of code for every picture. The current build of the game (v018.2 has 35,000 lines of code). Adding in mods like that would probably double it at least and writing the game this far has taken me around 2.5 years. To add Body hair to COOT, you make one hair overlay for each sprite (which was like 5 guys) and then drop an overlay on each CG (so probably like 30 pics and you're done).
Felt in debt for playing without paying so sharing my thoughts is the least i could do. Basically, love the way the story builds up, there are flaws but it's good. It really has the potential to become great. Hope you continue to work on this. cheers!
Hey thanks. I agree with you on the flaws. I just started a reread and I cant believe how bad the beginning is written...def have come a long way. But on a more serious note, dropping me a note is def appreciated. U dont have to pay or anything like that. I appreciate the feedback and just knowing you enjoyed it...that goes a lot further than a few bucks does. <3
I've never related to a random video game character from an erotic visual novel so much before. Character build up and dialouge is a solid 10/10! I eagerly await the next update! :)
thanks a lot :) this is really what I'm going for here. Zack is the spirit animal of unsung multitudes out there. I wanted a MC that really fights against himself and I think the buildup and the length of the game shows that. Zack is a frustrating character but a lot of our own insecurities can be frustrating to others who can objectively see the big picture when we, ourselves, cant
It was good. I love your ability to story tell, especially when it come to the Zach Character. If there was one thing that I was disappointed in with this part vs the first part is there was not enough sex. Or even the allure of sex. With the first part you had the complete sexual cat and mouse of the two main characters but you also had the scene where he see's his swimming partner fucking his roommate in the shower. which is the same route you should have taken it " Just how hard did he Mikhail have to work for that open pool door. a little too story driven with this one I get more sexual stuff from my merge nymphs. But other than that it was very good. Just maybe make the next one a little more XXX. :-)
imo That is why Straight?! is so great and sets it apart from the rest. It isn't porn; if you wanted that there are a TON of Japanese VN's out there with little to no dialog to get your rocks off to. Those that do have dialog have atrocious writing, spelling, and grammatical errors as most of them are attempts at translation from Japanese.
I got a lot of feedback like this in the beginning and I specifically went against it for the purpose of the story and I have zero regrets. The concept of the game isn't a porn game first; instead it's a story that chooses to not edit anything out. Allowing for an unfiltered approach to the story content and including adult content allows for limitless storytelling possibilities. It's possible we could do a primarily adult content story in the future but that's not the primary point here. I wanna do something different that purposely stands apart from the rest. The part of the story you like the most is actually my least favorite and thr mostly poorly written. I recently started a reread to start outlining the next part and I feel like the beginning is pretty bad now. Theres only so much you can do with porn scenarios and with the number of games flooding the market, they all have the same reused scenarios. Its definitely not the direction I wanna go. Adding sex into the game at the point where you suggested would have compromised the entire Zack character.
I'm curious if you, maybe, might be interested in translate it to other languages so the game could reach more public or something. If you do, let me know and i'll be happy to help with the project translating it to the brazilian portuguese. Thank You.
i'm not doing any translations right now because this is only the alpha/rough draft of the game. we need to go back through and fix some early game stuff, which may change the dialogue/translation. After that, we may look at translations
Haven't started yet. it's going to be awhile. to get this one done in the time frame we did, i've had zero days off in months so i'm resting up a bit. But then we have to do outlining and prep work. The majority of updates on game progress come from the actual patreon page just to keep people in the loop
yeah I am having a hard time getting this new file to start off where I think we all left off them all going to the beach. have any recommendations on how I can do that?
1. So the update is currently only available to the $5 Patreon supporters. This is basically how I cover costs and stuff. I take donations. However, 3 weeks after Patreon release, it goes free to everyone. The game will always be like that. After it's public, then i post the link on a few other sites.
2. Your best bet after an update is to just delete the previous one and play the new one. However, don't use old saves. There's a warning at bootup when you play the game but someone always tries to load an old save anyway and then messages me saying their game has errors. If you use an old save, the game will crash. So when you get the new update, just click New Game and then follow the red "update" choices. It'll ask you a few questions about your past choices and then drop you off just prior to the end of the last update--so basically it'll feel like you're loading an old save anyway.
3. The new full game with v0.17.2 is almost 1.6 gigs. So if you delete the old one and then just drop this one in instead, it won't be that much bigger
When I was playing this game/VN, I had a strong impression that Zack, Braden and Mikhail would become a three person couple. Any chance that might happen?
I won't confirm or deny any future spoilers. At this point, there's several hundred active game supporters that would be furious if i gave away an ending somewhere
the newest update just dropped last Saturday on the Patreon. I'll update the link on the Patreon site for the free download of v017 on January 25. Patreon supporters get the updates 3 weeks earlier than the free folks. We've had the largest positive reaction to this update over any other one in the game's history. Warning: it's an emotional rollercoaster
Hey, I love the way the story goes but choices doesn't make that much of a difference for now, I think. Still, great work tho.
Good luck with that project.
And I just want to know one last thing. (Im kinda "wanna know end of the movie before watching it" type of guy) At the end, will they be together finally? I'm not interested in details. Just "Yes" or "No" would be enough. Thanks xD.
The choices matter but more so to customize the experience to the reader moreso than completely changing the story. The plan was to have two "perspectives" rather than actual separate "routes." This basically means that the story is written one way but based on your choices and perception, it can chance things. We haven't gotten to the biggest difference between them but there are very subtle differences already places throughout the game.
In terms of the ending, there's no way i could spoil that. I've always answered that question as this: "I feel the ending will be appropriate for the journey we've been on." It must fit with the story or nothing mattered the entire time.
I want to make a point, tho. The game looks kinda "lacking" without music, in my opinion. Some kind of sountrack can fill a lot of space. Actually I played the game with music that I opened at the background. Music adds some kind of "feeling" to games in my opinion.
Have a nice adventure, my fellow game developer! Can't wait to see the full game.
Yeah, it's on the list. i just dont have time to add everything right now. it's a slow progression. This is just the rough draft. Think of this like the practice version of the game. I honestly want an entire soundtrack but that's going to be really expensive to purchase music rights. So we've elected to go silent for now
Aaryn, when the time comes I suggest doing searches on YouTube for up and coming artists (especially LGBT artists). They probably would provide cheaper music (or even free) and would love to be more exposed.
Ok, so this game is actually soo amazing though when I first downloaded this game I did not expect it to be so good I relate to Zack like so much its honestly disturbing how much me and him have in common, although I have some critiques for the first part of the game sometimes it can sorta feel like a time loop until you do the right thing because the dialog repeats, but other than that its pretty damn good, I look forward to the finished version. Also this is kind of sad but I actually missed these characters yesterday when I finally hit the "to be continued" screen, you've done a pretty good job if i'm actually missing these characters like they're actual real life friends of mine. So hey, kudos to you I can't wait to see the finished version.
to be honest, i have the same problem. Every time i try and take a break from this game, the characters beckon me back and i tend up writing another chapter. you're right about the beginning of the game. it does repeat because that's how the majority of these games were setup so i just cloned that style in the beginning but i ended up hating it so i moved away. This is still the draft version so we'll go back and fix the first part for sure. Also the art sucks in the beginning and I got a lot better so all of that will be redone too
Hey Aaryn ~ Man ! I totally fell for this game .. like head over heels .. TBH It took me through a ride along my own story , all those bittersweet feelings over and over again ! I love this novel so so so sooo much <3 loads of love <3
Ahh btw very very eagerly waiting for the next episode ! been checking daily XD Braden is such a sick darling i just love him <3 and Zack ! gosh he reminds me of myself soo much !! They both are so so so very relatable ! I really liked Mikhail too , yeah and that "mom-fucker" hahah he was very cute tbh , what's his name anyway .. did i miss it or did you not mention it xD
All the very very best for this and coming games ! ALso cheers to your future , Hope you'd have a very bright one <3 love from India
heya, thanks for the love from India. It's super humbling to get approval of this project from all over the world. One of the early goals of this was to make it applicable to different people, beliefs, ages, cultures, and perspectives. It's just really cool when i get that validation.
Glad you're digging the characters. In terms of good ole MF, we haven't seen his name specifically in the game yet. I just did a public post on the Patreon and I'm dropping the new update tomorrow over there. Then 3 weeks later it'll go public for free.
Hope you have a bright future as well and Happy New Year from the United States :)
you could probably start with Part 2: Chapter 5. The new update dropped today on the Patreon and finishes up Chapter 8 so you got plenty to catch up on. TBH, you haven't even gotten close to where the game actually gets good imo. Chapter 6 is usually where people say they got hooked
← Return to game
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
I really never comment on anything, but I felt the need to do here-
Normally I download these tipe of games just for the nsfw scenes, but this game managed to catch me very early on with its story and characters.
The way it depicts how confused one can be about things like sexuality, a crush on someone you don't want to damage your relationship with, plus the writing, honestly made me really love this game. It's amazing, the best one i've played so far.
The only thing I would like to point out, is that it has no sound, so a little bit of background music or sound would be really cool ^^
I can't wait for the next update, thank you for working on this game <3
Thanks for the love and your appreciation early on. It means a lot considering I think the beginning is by far the weakest part of the game. In terms of sound, it's on the list. The game is still very much in development and you can consider this pre-alpha stage at this point. Sound is one of the last things that we'll probably add and I want it to be meaningful when we do add it
Hey! I absolutely love this game.
I am in the same boat as Braden rn, I thought I was straight but a guy has really been heating me up and I feel like he is super amazing. This game is honestly a reflection of where I am in life right now and I REALLY enjoy it! I seriously hope more crops up soon :D
Heya, I'm glad that you can relate with Braden's character. I caught some shit on other sites because many of the gay players were automatically assuming that Braden was in denial--which is the point of his character in the first place--that sexuality doesn't always fit all the labels, regardless of how many we keep making. I wanted to give people that felt that way a voice through his character
Oh really? That is horrible :/
I think Braden's sexual frustration and unlability was perfect, especially for people like me - games and characters like thisneed to happen so people questioning - like me - can have more inspiration!
Definitely one of the reasons that Braden's character is like that. I've tried to put quite a few minority characteristics within these characters because the media tends to really create a stereotype of sexuality that isn't congruent with how many people are. I wanted to normalize people that don't fit the stereotype and validate that that's ok.
Well you have done a great job so far!
I love how this game is redefining labels and what it means to be an NSFW game - it is a wild wide and one I am looking forward to traveling down :) mad props to your dev team!
Thanks a lot. Hopefully, it continues to improve
oh, also, i think there are some punctuation issues, but nothing too much.
and, if you're accepting some constructive criticism, i think you guys could work a bit on the characters' facial expressions.
also, if there were more characters, like extras in the outside areas and in classes, it'd be great!
still, what an excellent game!
So as you progress through the game, hopefully you'll see things get better (including facial expressions). This is my first project and I had no previous experience at all. I'm just learning as I go so you can consider this version a rough draft. My old computer system was too much of a potato to handle extra characters in the original version of the game but later, based on donations, I was able to afford a new system--which is why you see things gradually get beter and the scenes start to fill out a bit more. So yeah, it's a work in progress and this entire version of the game is just practice
wow....
this game really caught me off guard.
it is genuinely the best nsfw game i've ever played.
i loved every bit of it and i really related to Zack and his sexuality issues. thank you so much for this.
also, the characters' development was amazing. the story was just surprisingly very well written and absolutly fantastic.
now i can't wait for the next update!! is there a date? also, since we won't be able to use the saves from the last update, are we going to play through the entire story all over again?
ps: the body hair looked great! nice details
Yo,
hey thanks for the love. Saying it's the best NSFW game out there is a decent compliment considering that i felt like it was so niche in the beginning. A lot of people just look for straight up porn stuff and this game completely throws that out the window for story-based content and just happens to not have limits related to any content (including the sexual stuff). There's currently not an ETA on the next update. Covid destroyed my current work schedule but I'm still working on it. It'll drop on my Patreon first for the supporters there and then I'll update the link for the free version 3 weeks after that. I'm glad you related to the story, it's close to my heart and very personal to me so I'm glad it reached you. Thanks for the support :)
A few years ago, I fell in love with my straight college roommate. He was a swimmer and he was beautiful - we'd talk for hours, hang around in our underwear, sleep in the same bed, drink ourselves silly, and do nearly everything together. We were practically joined at the hip for a year. I could recognize his smell from hundreds of meters away. I was so fucking in love with him, and I didn't know how to cope.
So I lied to him.
I never said anything... at least not until everything blew up in my face. I think I'm still reeling from it.
I just wanted to tell you that this visual novel means so much to me. Not because it makes me feel like I'm living some alternate-fiction fantasy, but because I am learning that... maybe I should've told the truth. And even if we wouldn't end up like Braden and Zack, maybe I would find my own way to love him.
I love this piece of work, and I love you for making it. Thank you.
i knew from reading your first sentence that I was going to enjoy this reply and it was gonna hit me in the feels. These types of replies always mean the most to me because it sounds like you really experienced it the way I wanted people to. So thank you for that and thank you for checking in with the beautifully written note. It means more than you'll ever know. I don't know how your story would have turned out and whose to say that Braden and Zack's will turn out any different. but you really validate a lot of what I wanted to share with people in this story and I'm glad you got to experience those moments with someone that you cared so deeply for. Thanks man :)
this is my first writing, too. I guess you just have to try and then learn as you go. that's all i'm doing. I got a good community, good early (but critical) feedback, and I'm working with some friends that mean the world to me.
we've talked about UE4 but using renpy was much easier in the beginning for me since i had no coding experience. Full 3d just sounded really intimidating but i won't say that we've ruled it out for the future either
When will the next update come out? Can you give us any spoilers?
I'm working on it. All the covid stuff increased my regular job workload exponentially but i'm still working on the game after work most days until late. As the game nears the ending, things will get more complex from a writing standpoint because I need to pull everything together. I dont want a bunch of loose ends and I dont want it to feel like Season 6 of Game of Thrones either. So the writing slows down a bit to try and weave everything together. Hell, the middle part of the game and the beginning were quick and easier to write (although we all know the beginning really needs some work now that I've learned a bit more).
No spoilers, though. I accidently blurt enough crap out on the Patreon and the Discord. I will way the next episode wont be as much of an emotional rollercoaster as the last one. We all need to calm down a bit after all that.
Amazing game cant wait for more
thanks a lot :)
This game is really sad but beautiful and I hope you not only finish it but go on to create many games like this
my creative side is pretty dramatic and, quite honestly, kinda bleak. I'm glad you see the beauty in it though. I think there's some beautiful moments in this game that i'm beyond proud of. Thank you for your best wishes. I hope this one isn't the end either :)
Hi, love your game and can't wait for the next chapters!!!
Good idea I propose would be to give the players a way to control the erotic scenes... Like arrows to control the animated movements: faster, slower, next scene, etc. This would allow us to take the time we need to see the action ;).
The rest is just amazing and the sexual tension built during all the game is extactic!!! Thanks!!!
yo, thanks for the feedback. I'll see what I can do. I have a lot of great ideas, too--but execution of those ideas is a different story. This is a very very small team of people helping me do this. It's basically me doing this thing with the support of two buddies that help me as they can. It's insane how long it takes to do animation. You literally have to position each movement in each frame. Then you factor in the rendering of those frames and you're probably looking at a month or two for each shot. Without saying spoilers, the ending animation of Chapter 8 took 9 months to do by itself
Thanks and I completely understand. I will definately buy the game when it will be completed. I could also donate now but don't like the monthtly thing... Is there a way for a one shot gift?
So you have a couple choices on the donation thing. You can do it through here and just donate for the download or you can do it through the Patreon. I know you said you're not a fan of the monthly donation but you can actually specify a custom amount on the monthly subscription on the Patreon and just do it for one month and cancel. The advantage of doing that is that you unlock all the custom Patreon stuff over there as long as you donate $10 or more. Long as you cancel before the 1st of the next month, you wouldn't get charged again. Even if you did get charged again, you can just DM me and i'll refund (i'm not in the business of trying to screw people out of cash). If you try and do something and mess it up over there, again, you can just DM me and we'll figure it out--people do that all the time that are new to Patreon.
One other thing is that the finished version of the game will still be FREE. The idea here is to run this entire thing on donations and that's it. No ads, no cost, all free--forever. I make enough off of it now to fund the project so there's no more cost out of pocket for me. However, if funds run low, sometimes I have to make cuts or just wait a bit longer to save up for things. But for the most part, the donations are covering the costs. Regardless, the game will never cost--ive said that from the beginning and I plan to stick with it.
Thanks, much appreciated!
this game has the most realistic and relatable conversation in all adult games i 've played, and the chemistry is also great.......
Hey thanks. That was one of the things I wanted to make shine in this game. I wanted conversations and dialogue that mattered, while simultaneously sometimes NOT mattering--because that's how real dialogue is between people. Regardless, it gives us insight into the characters and the joking banter between guys is just fun. I'll also admit that I tried really hard to make the dialogue transcend generational differences--so it's purposely all over the place in an attempt to try and appeal to the widest audience. Not sure if it comes across that way but that was the idea :)
That's awesome. Usually when I play a sex game, I just want to skip straight to the sex scene, but this game got me more interested in the dialogue and the plot than the sex. For me, it's not just a sex game, but also a romantic experience. And I'm a Chinese player, so this game also helped me with my English and how to express my self around STRAIGHT dudes. ❤️❤️❤️
I think the erotic scenes are better when there's genuine build-up for them. While this game teases, there's purpose to the teasing because of the shotcomings and where the characters are in their lives. Rather than finding the adult content sexual, it's almost like you're rooting for them
Geez, this game. I can’t express my words well enough to even manage to DESCRIBE how good of a job you did!! I have never seen anything like this, or this good, and would love to see more and wish people could look at your work as an example ;) I honestly can’t wait for the next update, and feel like I’m waiting for a song or movie to be released!! I really hope this won’t be a one time project, and hope you will make more of these!!!
wow, thanks a lot. I really do want to redefine the genre here. Although the game takes some time to get started, I hope where the story has gone made up for some of the early newbie hiccups--had zero idea what I was doing. I have some other ideas for projects but one thing at a time--I'm not very good at multitasking with things like this. Glad you liked it though and it means a lot that you took the time to express the impact :)
Don’t worry, keep up the good stuff! By the way, the later chapters definitely make up the first chapters! Hope this story progressed is amazing! Hope you are doing great!
Thanks a lot. I'd never written anything before. Feel like I'm getting the hang of it and I got a good coach
Oh my god! Where do I begin? I actually made this itch.io account specifically to comment on this game because I enjoyed it so much. I just love the way you write everything! The little nods to psychology are fun too because I'm currently studying it at college.
Sometimes these medias and games can be quite childish with various themes of sexuality and image but the way you write feels so genuine and real, to the extent where the advice various characters are giving resonates to real life in a strange and profound way.
Usually in these games, there's a character who sticks out like a sore thumb because of how annoying or unlikable they are but this is one of those rare exceptions. All of the characters are really amazing. I love how fleshed out (no pun intended) they all feel.
Just reached the end of the game so far and, I read the patch notes so I knew a cliffhanger was coming, I just certainly didn't expect something so... severe :O.
Please continue what you're doing! You're so talented at it! I hope you stay well during these times.
Yo, thanks for the reaction man and thanks for taking the time to not only make an account but leave a thoughtful reply. It's also cool to see another psych guy (I'm one, too) that can pickup on a lot of the easter eggs and stuff. There's a ton that's genuine here and I'm glad you like it. I agree that a lot of VNs are very childish, something that my game caught some flack in the beginning for being too serious in the issues that it tackled until people warmed up to the emotional ride that it takes you on. I'm glad you dig the characters, too...despite there being so few. I had no idea what i was doing so i kept the cast small and more manageable to help with learning as i go. And sorry i broke your heart with the cliffhanger--longtime fans are used to it by now. Since you just made the account for here, we also have a discord server if you check out the patreon. You can actually hit us up directly there too..faster than feedback on here. You stay safe too-- world is crazy right now
I'm honestly loving this game, it's the story and the character development that gets me to play it for hours! Keep up the great work! I just finished Ch 8, I am really looking forward for what's to come for them. :)))
yo, thanks a lot for the luv. Glad you liked it. There's still some story left. Just slow progress right now but it's still in the works
still in the middle of playing, wanted to give some feedback tho.
first: AWE-SOME! first time i see a 3d VN that doesn't make me cringe. i love VN, i love 3d - and i love yaoi/BL/MM. but up to now i never stumbled on a good 3d VN, ESPECIALLY not a MM one...
your renders are great, and there's such a sheer number of them, like wow, new set of scenes all the time for every occasion. kudos on the amazing amount of work behind that. the characters are well done, and Zack is hawt AF. excellent posing/expressions/scenes setup too. i like that you use full renders for your scenes, and not VN style just a BG and sprites. and the animated scenes (2 images? i cheated and checked the folder... now i can have my own private 2-image slideshows lol), hmmmm. yesss. yup, i mean those scenes XD. it's fun too to see their clothes melting into nothing when they strip.
language is real, i appreciate, and those two are hilarious, i lmao'd a couple of times real loud ^^
good idea with the topics that can be unlocked for conversation.
there's a good balance of earnest stuff, slice of life etc, humor, hawt scenes (even if up to now it was solos, it was sensual and amazingly done. ok, said as a 3d dude lover but still... :D), and the story flows nicely. there's a lot of feeling there, and i can see why people identify with/understand Zack (i would too if i was a guy into dudes, which i sadly am only in my fantasy :/). and to see him slowly falling for Braden, more and more, emotionally and physically, while trying to respect him and not risk/fuck up their friendship - the gay man's balancing act...
Z & B not being stereotypes, i like that too, cause there are as many nuances of colors in the rainbow spectrum as there are individuals, and not all shine bright and flamboyant, but every single one is beautiful.
i'm not judging/commenting on where the story goes, where thru and who does what and why, or if drama here/there needs be or not - it's your story, your characters, and up to now, i like it. ^^ (atm i'm watching Zack sitting on a bench asking himself why he's doing psy as a major).
i don't mind the slow burner, it makes the wait worth it, if it comes too early/easy, there's like a disappointing moment just after... and geez please to those who expect easy porn, those sparse but well made solo scenes just at the right moment have riled me up more than some hardcore scenes in other VN. like when you go wtf watching a porny pic... instead of yum ~
the interface is slight, which i appreciate, it doesn't take unnecessary space and frills for nothing, but looks design and fitting all the same. (1 only thing, that you might even have fixed by now because it's a flaw: the speaker's name without background, unlike the text = not good, barely readable and just off design-wise, should be made like the text, like a tab over the text field. also the skip etc texts need a BG, they're barely visible).
the idea of giving them objects is awesome too and the objects are nicely rendered - tho there again, white square frame = meh, could be even more awesome with a colored BG + rounded frame, or as transparent png..
finally, did i mention this whole game is awesome? :D
so, looking forward to the rest of "my" game and possible updates!
thanks for creating and sharing this adventure with us ^^ - and proving that yes, 3d in VN has a future, and even a present!
more funny than minus:
- Zack describes Braden in the beginning as a hairless twink... but B's legs are freaking HAIRY! 0_o
- they must be starving on a harsh diet, cause when they go to the cafeteria, no food no drinks! NEVER! XD
EDIT: i saw you mentioned sound and license in another comment... doesn't Incompetech give away music for very cheap or even free?
Yo, first off...thank you for the insanely detailed post and comments. I appreciate the time you took. I'll be honest, the part I think I'm the most excited about (for you) is that you're enjoying the game so far and you're still in the part of the game that I consider the weakest part. This game starts off slow because I had no clue what I was doing. It really starts to only develop around Chapter 3 imo. I really wanna go back and fix the earlier parts but I'm really stoked you enjoyed it anyway. Honestly, I'm more excited at your reaction moving forward. It's just fun to read posts where people get all worked up about the project. Thanks for the thoughts. it really means a lot :)
Bruh. This was supposed to be weak so far. I played it for like five minutes got addicted and played it for several hours every night I was so upset when I realized that I had reached all you had done so far. I am so excited to see where this goes man. I've never read a better more accurate depiction of what runs through someones head. If I had money to spare I would certainly have pain probably 30 dollars just for the game. Please keep up the good work. Oh p.s. the romantic scenes are my very parts so please make sure you keep those up.
heh, the beginning is def the weakest. I didn't really have a writing style or anything. I've gradually gotten more confident and better and accepted that it's better to take things slow rather than rush them. Plus, having another guy that's more experienced with writing and that I trust with my life helps to give me feedback and pointers. That makes a world of difference in the flow of the story and the overall tone.
Dont worry about the financial support though, i'm not a greedy person. Kind words work for me as well. You can always spread the word about the game, too. Honestly, there's about a million ways to be supportive rather than just paying and I appreciate all of them. Game is free for a reason and it's already gotten far more donation support than I ever imagined possible.
And there's plenty of romance. TBH, my fav two scenes in the game are both imo the most romantic. I love those scenes and they're incredibly intense to write. There's gonna be more :)
PARTIAL SPOILER ALERT! sooo… now that i just finished VIII, i KNOW what you meant about it getting better. everything i said before multiplied by a bunch! the renders have improved a lot, i think just after i wrote the last comment. especially various cool cam angles and a lot of new locations. love it when you totally go off from VN style into a real, free 3d story! the whole going out of the dorms/college is excellent, way to go! actually everywhere they went, i liked. also Braden’s toony slidermania side smile is finally gone, lol (didn’t comment on that one, i knew - or at least hoped - you’d fix it ^^). generally Braden looks sexier, i suck at comparing things but whatever you did worked! Z’s makeover too. the quality of everything just improved. then also yeah, action-wise, some wicked scenes too ^___^ … now we’re talking! guess i had to pick my jaw off the floor too XDD. btw, also loved the 1st kiss anim, it was beautiful! the beach games and drunk B were too much, man, i laughed my ass off so hard there were tears and it almost hurt XDD. and then.. yeah, i laughed less. but the 3 way bonding was great. also the pool lesson was awesome. i noticed you had woven a lot more seriousness into the story, introspection, drama, heartwringing situations. however… nothing could have prepared me for the last last part… 0_o … i’m still reeling. me too, i’m still standing out there, gaping. soo glad they went for this lesson omfg. still, really looking for the next chapter, just to know how they fare…
EDIT: y’know.. what i really like with this story is the feeling of being one of the guys, sitting there listening to them. to their daily hilarious chitchat about everything and nothing, banter, messing with each other… to such extent, i think i’ve never seen that, not even in fanfiction. i wrote sth in that direction once but it was all imagination… to any dude it’s just what you live - for me it’s so detailed i appreciate cause yeah.. fat chance i’ll ever experience it ~
The game has always had a serious purpose and tone to it. I like to think that it's more "adult" in the sense based on it's issues rather than the actual content. I just chose to make a story without any real limitations and I like that. I'm glad you stuck it out through the first part, that i thought was weaker because I think it does get a lot better once I figured out how to write better. Hopefully, i'll continue to improve with the help of the other two guys I have propping me up. I'm also glad you appreciate the banter. I think that's what truly makes it a real slice of life story. The banter, while sometimes funny and comedic, provides insight and background at the same time and has it's own way of providing character development. Plus, i think conersations like that are just part of real life, debating random shit that doesn't matter with friends is something most of us have probably done. But yeah, thanks for the love and I'm glad you like it. We still got some story left to tell, too
So... when do we got the chapter IX?
Working on it. You can stay up-to-date from the Patreon page or our Discord server. It's just slow progress to do it right
Hey Could You Please Make It For Macbooks Too
I Really Want To Play This
Itch.io only let's me put one link up from what I can tell but you can download the MAC version from the Patreon site. Here's the most recent link for ya:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/33425607
I love your work!! <3 Keep doing amazing things!! When are you gonna upload the next part? I cant wait!!
Working on it now. Each chapter seems to take longer because we try and do new things. That last one was probably the best one we've done though. I'm trying to work on upping the graphic quality for this next one
This game is so amazing, my head is spinning. Thank you! You put a lot of passion, love, thought into it.... Thanks a million times! <3
Heh, thanks a lot. It's been a really passionate project..both with the writing and just the emotional experience and relationships I've made through it.
I so can imagine, man. Both your characters and you deserve a hug. The story is very deep and strong, a feature almost non-existent in gay themed games. Thank you again!
Hey, first of all, I love your work
I wish I could just hug really tight both Zack and Braden, they're the cutest, and that's thank to you.
Second, I'm quite new to the Visual Novel area, and I'm loving it, but from the novels I've seen, most of them have the "Gallery" section where you can find some of the most important or remarkable moments of the story, do you intend to (can't think of any other verb, I'm really sleepy and english is my second language, so I'll probably misuse the word) put this Gallery stuff on the game?
That's all, I'm loving your novel and can't wait till the next chapter! (they were so cute at the pool and then the dorm was like that???? so much I wanted to see, and now so much goes through my head "what they're going to do now? where they'll stay? WHAT ABOUT THE PICTURE???? was anybody in there? how that happened?", a lot of questions and I just want to see those boys happy together) thanks for your work and hope everything goes well! ^^
Yo,
Thanks for the love and I feel like Zack and Braden could both use a hug right about now. So in terms of the "gallery" feature, I'm going to give you an honest response to this question. I have no idea how to do it. lol. Basically, each update, I try and learn a little something new with the coding and stuff. I know a lot of people were interested in the gallery feature early on so I just left all the images unlocked in the game directory. What you'l notice on a lot of games is that they archive all the images in the game into one file (usually an .rpa file) and you can't see them. I don't do any archiving with Str8. So if you go into the game folder and look for an images folder, you can browse every pic in the game. That was my early answer to a "gallery." Eventually something like that may be added in game but honestly, there's sooooo many pictures I don't know how how to start the process of picking which ones would go in the gallery. But for now, if you want shots like that you can just look in the images folder and do what you want with them.
In terms of the game moving forward....yeah.... people were pretty surprised i think with the cliffhanger and that shit hurt my soul to even write it. But we move onward and hopefully you'll realize it had a purpose. Hell, I still have questions... good news is the next update won't be as emotionally rough as this one was. That last chapter was freakin' HEAVY.
Thanks for the reply, now I just wanna hug em more ^^
I didn't really know about the image folder, totally checking that later (or right now, probably now), and don't worry about the gallery stuff, it's hard, not only to do the coding (which I respect you so much for (you and Blayke already do so much (I get tired just thinking of all the work, every step, it's a lot))), but to pick just a few pics to put there, so being able to check them all is efficient and save you from a lot of stress.
And you're killing me - YOU'RE KILLING ME - I was so happy and then Braden goes to the locker room - I died a little there - but everything turns out okay, more then okay, THEN the beach, I actually cried - and died a little harder - but again things were fine. And then, the dorms... I'm dead, but okay. Thanks again for the story, I can totally relate to Zack and this makes things really meaningful to me, can't wait for the next chapter (you're cliffhanger totally worked, I'm super hyped ^^)!!!
Hi! I love love the game so much, i can't wait the next update, i know it's an annoying question, but when do you publish the next update? Sorry for my bad english.😊
Heya :)
Glad you like the game so far. And it's not an annoying question at all. Honestly I appreciate the interest. Thi gs have been going really slow with the next update. Basically we're trying to do some outlining moving forward to make sure pieces click into place. Plus, I was exhausted after the last update and it had been around 6 months since I had a day off so I sorta just crashed. Hopefully going to finish up some outling this weekend and get started on the writing part.
Hey, I Just reached the end and Im hooked on this. I need more its soooo goood. Thank's alot <3
yo, i know i said hey to you earlier on the discord but that's a great place to get info on the game along with the Patreon. We're also slowly getting active on Twitter for in-the-moment kinda stuff. Thanks for the luv though. Glad you enjoyed it so far ;)
I love this game. I haven't reached the end yet, I'm at the part where Beautiful Braden gives Zack his First Kiss -- it was beautiful. I'm going to contribute to the development as soon as I can. And btw, I loved the dialogue; I thought it was very realistic. The models are all beautiful. And the story is real well written. It's so nice to read such a beautiful visual novel. I'll be in touch again.
hey thanks a ton. Hell, if you love it now, i think you'll be even happier later... didn't really hit my stride until that update in particular. Def stay in touch and let me know :)
I signed up on your patreon page as an elite member (i.e. the $10 per month deal) and now I'm downloading the latest: 0.17.2
Thanks for your hard work. Can't wait to continue with the game/novel.
I just finished Chapter VIII, is that all for now. Are there more chapters?
Thanks,
Emrys
What models do Zach and Braden use? just curious
Neither use entirely one model. I ended up mixing a few variations from a few different models but most of Zack is the Malachi model and Braden is mostly the Max model. Both are gen 3
Hey! So I downloaded the game a few weeks ago, and I can leave my first impressions here!
So first and foremost, I'd like to say to the developer, that the game is very fun, engaging, and rewarding! I also really enjoy the concept and the new take on it, differing from other developers!
Now to the good stuff, my criticisms, so I know the developer was going to revamp the first part of the game due to confusion and poor development and make it more story orientated. And I totally agree, the beginning was repetitive and I got stuck a few times.
With that being said, there are a few problems or potential fixes I could recommend, as I've played the whole story up-to-date. Firstly, the dialogue, it can get very repetitive and very meta. The whole "bUt I wAnT yOu tO bE coMfOrTabLe" and the whole "BrAdEn ArEnt YoU cOmfY wItH mE?" "yOu'Ve SeEn mE nAkEd BefoRe AnyWayS" (sorry for the typing, its how i read it in-game) was very annoying. At times I was thinking, do people actually talk like this? I can understand that Zack is a bit insecure and Braden is discovering himself, but still it can seem unrealistic and plain cringy.
Other than that, I'd like to see more customization with the characters, more options, more different stylistic personal preferences, like for example in the popular dating sim "coming out on top" you could choose which characters had body hair and which had a beard. Just more customization in general, though it could interfere with the whole zac trimming his pubes bit, but I would still like more options. I know this sounds far-fetched, but a list of kinks you could assign to each character that changes their dialogue and what they find attractive on other characters, things that make the story more personalized and unique to the player.
But yeah! Take everything with a grain of salt, but thanks for reading this far! And keep up the good work! I love the game.
Heya,
So I'll try and respond to this the best I can. Yes, the beginning will be restructured as the first portion of the game was mirror after other game norms at the time and I don't really like the feel. However, I did a poll on this awhile back and it's honestly about 50/50. About half of the players at the time actually preferred the repetition part because they wanted to try to "solve" it and figure out how to progress the story. However, I've made the decision to change it and make it more narrative and less game.
That being said, the dialogue that you find "cringey" really won't change. Actually, if there's anything that I'm the most proud of about the game, it's the dialogue. To answer your question about there being people out there who actually talk like this: yes... thousands of them for sure but probably closer to millions. The dialogue structure is actually a mix between various slang because I wanted to bridge the age gap for players. There's references on multiple age groups here and I like that because it broadens the audience. Perhaps the biggest counter to your suggestion is that you call the dialogue "unrealistic" and that's the first time i've heard that since the game was created. I actually have thousands of messages of players who can relate to specifically the parts you don't. The most common word I hear from people is "realistic." Which brings me to one of the ultimate purposes of the game. Zack's character, in particular, is built to be stubborn to the reader because he's a manifestation of someone who is uncomfortable with himself. He fights against the grain of acceptance repeatedly. This is what anxious people do and I wanted to give that a realistic voice--both to validate those who live like this but also to give those who don't an idea of how difficult this journey is for others. Basically, the "cringey" moments are the things I get the most fan mail about and it's usually people saying how much they can relate to the characters. Is the dialogue awkward at times? Hell yes. They're 18 and 19 years old with limited experience. They're going to act cliche at times and other times inconsistent. They're going to do/say embarrassing shit because that's what you do when you're 18 or 19 and you don't have any experience. I'm simply normalizing this because it's a step that people who have no experience at this need to get past. It's also something that people without anxiety probably won't understand. It's easy to become frustrated with a character who is less comfortable or resistant to doing things that come easy for you naturally. And for some people, seeing fictional characters do it, has allowed many players/readers to ascertain the courage to do so in their own lives and for that I'm extremely grateful that the game had the intended impact. That's what it's written that way. I seriously struggled with my own sexuality and that's what you're seeing Zack's character do. It's just not that easy for some people. I've never ever pictured Zack being "cringey" or whiny though--maybe that's just a matter of taste. His ton to be was away authentic... like he's realistically torn at several times during the game.
The other point you made about character customization is something that would be nice to include but it's pretty much impossible. I honestly wanted to do something like this in the begining. You reference Coming Out on Top (COOT) as an example and to compare it to this format is unrealistic. COOT uses sprites. Of which you simply toggle the body hair once and it's on the sprite every time it slides onto the screen. Basically it's super easy to customize things like that. For me to change body hair, I would have to redo thousands of pictures. So if the game has 4000 renders of Braden now, I would have to redo all 4000 pictures again with body hair. Then render all 4000 a third time with a different hair style with body hair. Then render all 4000 a fourth time with the different hair style but maybe the original body hair. Now times all this by two because you would have the same options for Zack. I could literally spend a year of development making mods for body hair and still probably not touch the surface for customization. To further complicate this, I would have to code in every possible variable for each type of hair style/body hair into every line of code for every picture. The current build of the game (v018.2 has 35,000 lines of code). Adding in mods like that would probably double it at least and writing the game this far has taken me around 2.5 years. To add Body hair to COOT, you make one hair overlay for each sprite (which was like 5 guys) and then drop an overlay on each CG (so probably like 30 pics and you're done).
Felt in debt for playing without paying so sharing my thoughts is the least i could do. Basically, love the way the story builds up, there are flaws but it's good. It really has the potential to become great. Hope you continue to work on this. cheers!
Hey thanks. I agree with you on the flaws. I just started a reread and I cant believe how bad the beginning is written...def have come a long way. But on a more serious note, dropping me a note is def appreciated. U dont have to pay or anything like that. I appreciate the feedback and just knowing you enjoyed it...that goes a lot further than a few bucks does. <3
I've never related to a random video game character from an erotic visual novel so much before. Character build up and dialouge is a solid 10/10! I eagerly await the next update! :)
thanks a lot :) this is really what I'm going for here. Zack is the spirit animal of unsung multitudes out there. I wanted a MC that really fights against himself and I think the buildup and the length of the game shows that. Zack is a frustrating character but a lot of our own insecurities can be frustrating to others who can objectively see the big picture when we, ourselves, cant
It was good. I love your ability to story tell, especially when it come to the Zach Character. If there was one thing that I was disappointed in with this part vs the first part is there was not enough sex. Or even the allure of sex. With the first part you had the complete sexual cat and mouse of the two main characters but you also had the scene where he see's his swimming partner fucking his roommate in the shower. which is the same route you should have taken it " Just how hard did he Mikhail have to work for that open pool door. a little too story driven with this one I get more sexual stuff from my merge nymphs. But other than that it was very good. Just maybe make the next one a little more XXX. :-)
imo That is why Straight?! is so great and sets it apart from the rest. It isn't porn; if you wanted that there are a TON of Japanese VN's out there with little to no dialog to get your rocks off to. Those that do have dialog have atrocious writing, spelling, and grammatical errors as most of them are attempts at translation from Japanese.
Never said I wanted to "get my rocks off" but a creeping boner would have been nice.
I got a lot of feedback like this in the beginning and I specifically went against it for the purpose of the story and I have zero regrets. The concept of the game isn't a porn game first; instead it's a story that chooses to not edit anything out. Allowing for an unfiltered approach to the story content and including adult content allows for limitless storytelling possibilities. It's possible we could do a primarily adult content story in the future but that's not the primary point here. I wanna do something different that purposely stands apart from the rest. The part of the story you like the most is actually my least favorite and thr mostly poorly written. I recently started a reread to start outlining the next part and I feel like the beginning is pretty bad now. Theres only so much you can do with porn scenarios and with the number of games flooding the market, they all have the same reused scenarios. Its definitely not the direction I wanna go. Adding sex into the game at the point where you suggested would have compromised the entire Zack character.
Dude, that is some amazing storytelling, I can't believe how much I relate to Zack, the whole identity crisis is really appealing. Good job ^-^
thanks a lot. I think it def hits close to home for a lot of people, which is a big reason for the game in the first place.
I'm curious if you, maybe, might be interested in translate it to other languages so the game could reach more public or something. If you do, let me know and i'll be happy to help with the project translating it to the brazilian portuguese. Thank You.
i'm not doing any translations right now because this is only the alpha/rough draft of the game. we need to go back through and fix some early game stuff, which may change the dialogue/translation. After that, we may look at translations
Do you have the walkthrough for Straight??
if you look in the game folder, theres actually a .text file with the walkthrough for the beginning. After that, it's more linear.
I love it, i can't wait till the next part is online.... Is there a date? I know its a lot of work. but i really wanna know how it goes on ^^
Haven't started yet. it's going to be awhile. to get this one done in the time frame we did, i've had zero days off in months so i'm resting up a bit. But then we have to do outlining and prep work. The majority of updates on game progress come from the actual patreon page just to keep people in the loop
It's the 25th..? lol
Just went live on the Patreon site, i'll update the link over here when i get a chance but you can snag it for free off the public Patreon post now
yeah I am having a hard time getting this new file to start off where I think we all left off them all going to the beach. have any recommendations on how I can do that?
1. Do i have to spend Money to See the Update link?
2. can i keep the pls Game, or completly new istallation?
3.How „Big“ will the update be ? (Dont have much free place on my pc left)
1. So the update is currently only available to the $5 Patreon supporters. This is basically how I cover costs and stuff. I take donations. However, 3 weeks after Patreon release, it goes free to everyone. The game will always be like that. After it's public, then i post the link on a few other sites.
2. Your best bet after an update is to just delete the previous one and play the new one. However, don't use old saves. There's a warning at bootup when you play the game but someone always tries to load an old save anyway and then messages me saying their game has errors. If you use an old save, the game will crash. So when you get the new update, just click New Game and then follow the red "update" choices. It'll ask you a few questions about your past choices and then drop you off just prior to the end of the last update--so basically it'll feel like you're loading an old save anyway.
3. The new full game with v0.17.2 is almost 1.6 gigs. So if you delete the old one and then just drop this one in instead, it won't be that much bigger
When I was playing this game/VN, I had a strong impression that Zack, Braden and Mikhail would become a three person couple. Any chance that might happen?
I won't confirm or deny any future spoilers. At this point, there's several hundred active game supporters that would be furious if i gave away an ending somewhere
When is the next chapter being released? I can't wait for more of Zack, Braden and Mikhail.
the newest update just dropped last Saturday on the Patreon. I'll update the link on the Patreon site for the free download of v017 on January 25. Patreon supporters get the updates 3 weeks earlier than the free folks. We've had the largest positive reaction to this update over any other one in the game's history. Warning: it's an emotional rollercoaster
Hey, I love the way the story goes but choices doesn't make that much of a difference for now, I think. Still, great work tho.
Good luck with that project.
And I just want to know one last thing. (Im kinda "wanna know end of the movie before watching it" type of guy) At the end, will they be together finally? I'm not interested in details. Just "Yes" or "No" would be enough. Thanks xD.
Good luck again. :)
The choices matter but more so to customize the experience to the reader moreso than completely changing the story. The plan was to have two "perspectives" rather than actual separate "routes." This basically means that the story is written one way but based on your choices and perception, it can chance things. We haven't gotten to the biggest difference between them but there are very subtle differences already places throughout the game.
In terms of the ending, there's no way i could spoil that. I've always answered that question as this: "I feel the ending will be appropriate for the journey we've been on." It must fit with the story or nothing mattered the entire time.
Well thanks anyway xD.
I want to make a point, tho. The game looks kinda "lacking" without music, in my opinion. Some kind of sountrack can fill a lot of space. Actually I played the game with music that I opened at the background. Music adds some kind of "feeling" to games in my opinion.
Have a nice adventure, my fellow game developer! Can't wait to see the full game.
Yeah, it's on the list. i just dont have time to add everything right now. it's a slow progression. This is just the rough draft. Think of this like the practice version of the game. I honestly want an entire soundtrack but that's going to be really expensive to purchase music rights. So we've elected to go silent for now
Aaryn, when the time comes I suggest doing searches on YouTube for up and coming artists (especially LGBT artists). They probably would provide cheaper music (or even free) and would love to be more exposed.
Ok, so this game is actually soo amazing though when I first downloaded this game I did not expect it to be so good I relate to Zack like so much its honestly disturbing how much me and him have in common, although I have some critiques for the first part of the game sometimes it can sorta feel like a time loop until you do the right thing because the dialog repeats, but other than that its pretty damn good, I look forward to the finished version. Also this is kind of sad but I actually missed these characters yesterday when I finally hit the "to be continued" screen, you've done a pretty good job if i'm actually missing these characters like they're actual real life friends of mine. So hey, kudos to you I can't wait to see the finished version.
to be honest, i have the same problem. Every time i try and take a break from this game, the characters beckon me back and i tend up writing another chapter. you're right about the beginning of the game. it does repeat because that's how the majority of these games were setup so i just cloned that style in the beginning but i ended up hating it so i moved away. This is still the draft version so we'll go back and fix the first part for sure. Also the art sucks in the beginning and I got a lot better so all of that will be redone too
Hey Aaryn ~ Man ! I totally fell for this game .. like head over heels .. TBH It took me through a ride along my own story , all those bittersweet feelings over and over again ! I love this novel so so so sooo much <3 loads of love <3
Ahh btw very very eagerly waiting for the next episode ! been checking daily XD Braden is such a sick darling i just love him <3 and Zack ! gosh he reminds me of myself soo much !! They both are so so so very relatable ! I really liked Mikhail too , yeah and that "mom-fucker" hahah he was very cute tbh , what's his name anyway .. did i miss it or did you not mention it xD
All the very very best for this and coming games ! ALso cheers to your future , Hope you'd have a very bright one <3 love from India
- Aki <3
heya, thanks for the love from India. It's super humbling to get approval of this project from all over the world. One of the early goals of this was to make it applicable to different people, beliefs, ages, cultures, and perspectives. It's just really cool when i get that validation.
Glad you're digging the characters. In terms of good ole MF, we haven't seen his name specifically in the game yet. I just did a public post on the Patreon and I'm dropping the new update tomorrow over there. Then 3 weeks later it'll go public for free.
Hope you have a bright future as well and Happy New Year from the United States :)
Hi I have followed your game for some time, and I love it.
I love the way you stand as a non/payed creator, the idea to let the players chose without giving them a penalty sounds awsome.
Will Zack ever get to...well...fuck his roomate? I mean a complete thing.
(note: I havent palyed the game in a while. I got to the strip part but diden't know from what chapter to continue)
heya thanks. Are you talking about the poker game?
After it. wil the Male Protagonist get to slide his c*** in his friends a**? or in the future?
No spoilers :p
haha good answer.
wich was the chapter after the poker game?
you could probably start with Part 2: Chapter 5. The new update dropped today on the Patreon and finishes up Chapter 8 so you got plenty to catch up on. TBH, you haven't even gotten close to where the game actually gets good imo. Chapter 6 is usually where people say they got hooked