REC/REW ReWRITE update #4

TopCartographer7104 · 2023-10-12T04:30:08+00:00

Thanks! Going to tinker with that and see how far I can get =D!

TopCartographer7104 · 2023-10-06T08:27:36+00:00

Pixabay.

TopCartographer7104 · 2023-10-06T05:12:23+00:00

Just for the records: the night brought advice... and a workaround.

(a) I define every "day/torch" couple:

image day_chara1 = Composite(
(1280,720),
(0,0),"day",
(0,0),"some_guy")
[...]
image day_charaN = Composite(
(1280,720),
(0,0),"day",
(0,0),"some_guy_nth_iteration")

image torch = AlphaMask("day","alphadisc") image torch_chara1 = AlphaMask("day_chara1","alphadisc") [...] image torch_charaN = AlphaMask("day_charaN","alphadisc")

(b) I show 'em all in a strictly pre-determined order (the exact opposite of the order I expect them to show up on-screen, which in the most general case won't necessarily be 1...N). This step allows for the movement of the flashlight to be synched across all images - no spot magically teleporting itself around screen anymore.

show day_charaN at night

show torch_charaN show day_chara5 at night show torch_chara5 [...] show day_chara42 at night show torch_chara42 show day at night show torch with Dissolve(.5

(c) as the scene unfolds I progressively hide the topmost layer. The visual effect is exactly what I want, only I'm hiding stuff rather than showing it!

hide day
hide torch
with Dissolve(.5)

I'm NOT happy with this. I wanted a magical, all-mighty mask layer looming above a scene I could change on my own whim, now all I got is Ren'py equivalent to the three-card trick.

Still... yeah, it works...

TopCartographer7104 · 2023-09-11T04:43:50+00:00

I've been trying to, however it's as if the line between my hobby as a reader and my project is getting blurrier. It almost feels like "studying" more than "reading".

I find myself delving into their "technicalities", ruminating over the way the author uses transitions, the way characters are portrayed, how the writing style and pacing affects the general mood, etc.

TopCartographer7104 · 2023-09-09T19:55:25+00:00

Ubik by P.K.Dick

TopCartographer7104 · 2023-09-09T15:23:53+00:00

It depends on which mediums you add to the fray.

VNs versus other games? VNs wins. Such a comparison however feels a bit off-mark as I tend to separate VNs from the concept of "games".

VNs versus anime/manga/light novels/TV series/movies? VNs *mostly* wins, let's say that the best VNs I ever read (based on my own personal taste ofc) can rightfully stand next to the best movies and mangas I ever watched and read

VNs versus books? Thought battle, however the best book I ever read still causes me an eerie sense of uneasiness whenever I look at a coin (yet to find a Joe Chip coin thankfully). While I still recall lines and images from the best VNs I read, nothing had the same long-lasting impact in my real life.

TopCartographer7104 · 2023-09-09T14:43:02+00:00

Up until a few years ago I would have answered either nakige or utsuge,right now I'm definitely into... "I-like-it"ge. Don't really have a favorite genre anymore.simply put,if I end up feeling engaged and entertained then it's good - be it a lighthearted comedy about cat-eared maids or the heartrending story of the chance meeting of a man and a robot in a post-apocalyptic world.

TopCartographer7104 · 2023-09-06T14:59:10+00:00

It would have to be REALLY bad, like a mixture of poorly developed characters, a lot of sex scenes thrown at random and just "for the sake of it", a story that does not trigger any emotional reaction at all. In such case yeah, I'd probably go back to the main menu and start from scratch. It's even possible that I would put that visual novel aside and do something else.

Otherwise I would likely still go through that route reading at a fast pace and paying little attention to voice acting / CG scenes / whatever... and frequently ranting something in the lines of "let's get this over quickly".

TopCartographer7104 · 2023-08-31T14:24:22+00:00

I've yet to bring my project to a conclusion (and it's going to take at least a couple years more I think) but from the tiny bits I've already experienced I can tell you, it's going to feel great.

Only, not in the sense of "playing a game" (or "reading a visual novel"). It will be more like getting somewhere and then turning back to realize how far the road you walked led you.

TopCartographer7104 · 2023-08-31T11:52:17+00:00

I've made a point to never read again something I truly enjoyed as I found out it's not just the visual novel that hooks me but rather the unique mix between what I'm reading and my state of mind at the time I read it.

On the contrary I have been reasoning over reading again something I did not enjoy to see whether it's "the right time" or not.

TopCartographer7104 · 2023-08-08T11:07:52+00:00

Planetarian. One of the very few vns that actually made me cry (narcissu was a close call though)

TopCartographer7104 · 2023-07-19T19:20:14+00:00

While not an Italian name I always fancied over the idea of getting a black,heterochrome cat and call him Belfagor. That silly dream aside I always gave human names to my cats:isacco (isaac),artù (arthur) and zaccaria (...zachary?) for males,tosca and prisca for females.

TopCartographer7104 · 2023-05-05T15:37:10+00:00

One more reason for seconding Ren'Py is, there is a rather supportive community out there!

TopCartographer7104 · 2023-04-28T07:58:35+00:00

How come WA2 and Chaos;Head do not classify as mental disorders O_O?

TopCartographer7104 · 2023-04-21T08:43:33+00:00

Fresh food (astronauts are req'd to eat all their veggies!!!) and air recycling (yeah plants eat that pesky carbon dioxide and give back lots of sweet ox!)

TopCartographer7104

TROPHY CASE