Author: Chaotic

Just a small post today to show what I’ve been doing this week.

In the last update, I mentioned that I would be experimenting with some ancient Egypt assets I bought. Well, I did and here are the results…

Some of you may notice the lighter skinned woman as the female player character from Leanna. This is because I’m trying to find a use for her. Around when I discovered the faster way to render IRAY images for the game, I also decided the remove the most of the shots where you will able to see the player from a third person angle. They weren’t adding anything satisfying to the game content and just creating more work. Right now, you only have the option to switch to third person during the animations (basically, the sex). It can give you a much better, and hotter view of what’s happening.

So, as I say, showing the faces of the female player characters became pointless. I rebuilt the female pc bodies so that they are no longer the woman you see above.

I know some people were into her however, and I’d love to find a use for the model. If these images turn into a short story, that seems like a good option.

Now that The Academy Part 4 is released, it’s time for me to return to updates on my own projects.

If you still want to discuss Academy 4, I’d advise doing it here as that’s where most of the questions have already been asked.

First of all

Obviously, I’m still working on Leanna, but before I build up too much excitement over it, I need to say that I’m taking a break from it for a month.

Setting up the images this week has been a bit of a chore. I’m still enthusiastic about it, but there’s only so many consecutive days you can create images before the repetition gets to you. Right now, I’m only creating 4 or 5 images per day, but if I take a break, It’ll jump back up to 30 to 50. It may seem like this will push back the release date, but honestly, it’ll make production much quicker in the long run.

Normally, I take a month long break after I release a game, but since I was already working on Leanna when I released April & Violet, I haven’t been able to have one this year. Members have just had a game, and free players got Photographer Part 2 recently, so this seems like a good time for this.

This would probably mean Leanna’s release date is around late July or August, which is actually pretty normal for me (I’m normally doing 2 game per year and releasing them around those times).

Leanna

I’ve still got lots to talk about with Leanna, and plenty of images to show, so I’ll continue making some blog posts about the game over the next month though.

I will say that the game now has 894 images, which is pretty damn good.

For now, here’s some of the images I’ve been posting to tumblr for those who may not have seen them.

So, what am I doing?

Well, I have other non VDG related things in my life to take care of. This month long break will end with a 5 night vacation for me for instance.

Also, I will be doing some Leanna stuff. Yeah, the idea is to take a break, but there’ll undoubtedly be the occasional afternoon where I’m just really in the mood for it, and I’ll get another pile of IRAY images sorted.

Apart from that, I’ll be experimenting with some new characters and sets. I’ve bought an asset pack full of Egyptian characters and environments, so I’ll be rendering some images for fun with them. It may evolve into a short story. I might also do short story about something else, similar to Betsy’s Christmas from the advent calendar last year.

That’s all for this week. See you on Friday when the blog posts will return to their usual day.

Academy Part 4

Today I am happy to announce that The Academy – Part 4 has been released and is now available in the members section.

Here’s some final words from dsp3000 on the matter….

After 3 months hard work I am very happy to announce the release of part four of my Academy series. Naturally this follows on from the first three installments and continues the complex and engaging story.

As before, you will need a code from the end of part three to play this game. Different codes will unlock different scenes and options in part four. I have noticed on the blog that the basic logic of the code structure has been sort of figured out, in so much as people have attempted to work out what each letter or number represents in terms of achievements from part three. I will warn you though; customised codes won’t necessarily work, especially those that defy what you could actually achieve in part three. For example, you could not have sex with both Annie and Amy in part three, so you cannot use a code which suggests that you have. I’ve built the code checks so you can’t.

Anyway, enough about codes, except to say that it would be a good idea to have one written down before you start playing part four. You will see why.

This episode has once again pushed the image count up to become my largest game yet. There are 1824 images in the game, 142 of which are animated. There are also a further 191 supporting images. As mentioned in previous blog posts, this game is quite complex and has several achievements to find. It will become apparent what your main objectives are, and which ‘missions’ you need to piece together to get where you need to be. I won’t give away any spoilers and I urge you not to either. Hopefully you will find out a few more secrets and surprises from The Academy and it’s characters.

There are four main sex scenes to discover and also plenty of flirting, kissing, touching and nudity with many of the characters in this episode. I think there are about 15 different endings, but these aren’t always the same depending on what else you achieved while getting there.

Good luck and enjoy playing!

dsp3000

EDIT : Oh, and, as always, if you can’t see it, remember to refresh the pages!

And some quick words from me…

Some of you may have noticed that the new page showing Academy 4 is a bit more basic that what I usually post. It’s nothing to worry about, I’ve just decided that I’m going to redesign the members section sometime so that it’s easier to update. This shouldn’t interfere with the game at any point. At the most some of the pages of the members section might be offline for a minute next week, but if you’re in the middle of the playing any game online, you won’t be interrupted.

Good day to you all. Just a blog update from me (Chaotic) this week.

Academy Part 4

So, yes, sadly, Academy Part 4 is not being released today.

Dsp3000 has persevered as much as he can, and I’m happy to say that he has finished producing all of the game’s content. That means all of the images are complete.

However, since this game is the most complex he’s done to date, he needs just a little more time to thoroughly test everything and make sure that the finished game is of a high standard. Despite his initial worry that upcoming commitments would mean he wouldn’t be able to work on the game over the next two weeks, fixing the remaining issues won’t be that time consuming, and he believes he can get everything finalized in a few days next week.

So, that means that, barring acts of God, Academy Part 4 should be released next Friday, May 19th.

Leanna

A few notes on my own game as well.

Leanna is going very well. Since changing my rendering technique, the number of images has rocketed up to 575. Currently, I’m rendering images for the first sex scene, which is great to finally get around to doing.

Currently, there are four sex scenes, so I still have a little while to go. But they’re one of the quicker things to make images of, since there’s just 2 people in one location (well, 3 for the threesome), so expect the image count to go up fast this week.

Today, news from dsp3000 on Academy Part 4…

I’m in the very final stages of production now for ‘The Academy : Part Four’ and in terms of a release date, it will play out one of two ways.

It all hinges upon how much I can do this weekend. The plan is to switch off my phone, close the blinds and put in a full weekend working without any distractions whatsoever. That way I may just get everything finished and be able to release the game next Friday 12th May. This is of course my preferred option, especially since I will be going away for a few days at the end of next week.

This sets up the other possibility. If I don’t finish the game for next Friday, then unfortunately a few other commitments mean that I won’t realistically be able to finish it for release until two weeks later.

So we are looking at a release date of either May 12th or May 26th.

All said, progress has be pretty good since my last update. A few too many distractions from my proper job and life in general have slowed things down a little. But with just two more full scenes to complete and with the image count at 1651, I am very nearly there.

Following the precedent set by from my previous episodes, this will probably be my largest game yet. It could be close though, I reckon it’ll end up around 1800 images in total. Plot wise this episode is also rather complex with many variables carrying over from part three. I’m sure that you will enjoy playing it and finding everything.

Anyway… Here are a few more teaser images.

dsp3000

No news from dsp3000 yet on his progress with Academy Part 4. Hopefully all is fine and we’ll here from him soon. As soon as I get any news, I’ll post it.

In the meantime, I just want to give you all a quick update on my progress with Leanna.

In my last blog post, I wrote that I had resigned myself to redoing all of the images in Poser with V4 models instead of Genesis 3 and IRAY. Well, I’m happy to say that this crisis may have been averted.

At about 4am on Friday (yeah, I had a poor night’s sleep), my brain started wandering onto new possibilities. You see, it doesn’t take that long to render images with just the characters. The promo shots you’ve seen me post from time to time where it’s just Leanna or whomever standing in front of light grey or white background only take about 2 minutes to render. It’s the environments that can take forever.

So, I started thinking, how can I get rid of the environments, at least in terms in render times. Back when I started making these games, I didn’t make the environments myself. I used screenshots from games like Hitman or GTA, then rendered the characters on top of them. I won’t go into all of the details, but I’ve tried doing this and where it can be done, it’s working really well. I do one render of the environment with IRAY, then just use it as a background image with Leanna rendered on top.

For images where I can’t really do this, I’ve also tried just replacing all of the shaders with much more basic versions, and this is also working rally well. It’ll mean that for the locations you’ll see slightly less detailed bricks, or wood, but you’re all here for the women, not the architecture, so that’s fine.

Over the weekend, I’ve persevered and rendered an extra 30 images, which considering it was the weekend with no full work days, is really good.

So, in summary, it looks like I will be able to deliver Leanna in full IRAY format after all.

Here’s a few examples of my weekend’s work.

An extra note on the redhead on the last image too.

I noticed it’s been a while since I had a redhead as the focus of one of may games. The last time I rendered one was Faye in Miranda, and the last time a redhead was the main character was Maddison. So, I decided to introduce a secondary character in this game, but one I’d spend some time designing too.

So, everyone, meet Ashley. You won’t see her naked in this game, but I like the idea of her being the main focus of one in the future.

Hi everyone. I just want to add a quick mid week update to explain what exactly is happening with Leanna.

Leanna

Last week I was free from work, and from doing any vdg based work too- the first time I’ve done so this year. This also gave me some time to think about things.

After much internal monologue deliberation, various things scrawled on paper, and a respectable amount of math, I ultimately came to the big decision that IRAY renders and Genesis 3 base figures are a grossly impractical way of making games like this. I’ve been working steadily on Leanna now for about 4 months, and I’ve still only completed around 400 images, and at the most I can get 16 images per day maximum (and that’s if I’m lucky, and if I’m batch rendering some of them over night). Although I’ve been working on the assumption that the game will be around 1000 images, Betsy ended up being around 1600. If that’s the case, I’ll be lucky to finish this for May 2018!

To give another comparison, Mortze made all of the images for Finding Miranda with IRAY, and that took him a full year. And he was only using the V4 models which don’t require as much rendering time. And he was only rendering at 1280×625, as opposed to the 1700×1000 I am. And, of course, he was only doing the images (Tlaero wrote it and did all of the html stuff, with some help from Kexter). I’m rendering the images and writing everything for this game! So, looking at that as a comparison, spending year and a half to render all of the images seems likely.

So, what to do?

I could persevere, maybe keep rendering Leanna images whenever I have some spare time, but release other Poser rendered games along the way. However, that could up to four years to see it completed if my math is correct. While I’m not planning to retire in the immediate future, it is possible that I might not even be making these games then.

So, despite it meaning dumping a big pile of work, I think the right thing to do is try making Leanna using Poser instead. Unsurprisingly, I at first had some reservations about this, but after downgrading her character to a V4 (Genesis 3 doesn’t work in Poser properly), I’m feeling really optimistic about this.

EDIT : Here’s a more updated one too

She needs a little work from the side view, but a lot of me actually thinks she looks hotter now. I’m eager to hear any options below.

So, my plan is to spend the rest of the week setting up the various main characters so I can just get along with the rendering next week. For those worried that this will push the release date really far back, it shouldn’t be too bad. Poser images render much faster than those with IRAY, and my PC is basically designed to render them quickly. By comparison, I can get up to 70 images rendered per day as opposed to IRAY’s 18. It may only take me a couple of weeks to where I already am with the images.

So, what is happening with IRAY images

Well, there’s a couple of options. I could just release the unfinished IRAY version of the game when I release this one. Or, another possibility is to just keep working on it whenever I can and release a sort of ‘Leanna HD’ when it’s finally finished. I’m open to suggestions if anyone has them.

Either way, for those of you who’ve become attached to the Genesis 3 version of Leanna, I will find a way for you to see her naked, even if it’s just a case of making a photoshoot gallery.

I’d love to use IRAY renders for something. I’ve been toying with doing some comics for a while now (basically just linear stories as opposed to games). They’d likely just be about 50 images each, so that seems much more feasible. Mini games might work too. the likes of ‘Kelly Solo’ are only around 50 images each.

In any case, the main thing to take away from this post is that IRAY renders with a Genesis 3 base is not a practical way to make images for games like these. In a few years time, technology will probably exist to render everything ten times faster, but that day isn’t here just yet.

Keep an eye on my tumblr for more updates on this, but in the meantime, I’ll just be handing the blog back over to dsp3000 and his upcoming game.

Poll

From dsp3000 in Academy part 4…

Last week I suggested that I might reveal some more information about some new characters who will appear in ‘The Academy : Part Four’.

So first up is Governor Ramsey; He is there to oversee an inspection of the Goodhead Academy. You don’t know much about his background, characteristics or his motivations. You also don’t know where his allegiances lie. But maybe you will find out. Accompanying Governor Ramsey is Miss Goodhead. She is the daughter of Mr Goodhead, the founder of the institution that bears his name. Just like Governor Ramsey, Miss Goodhead is difficult to read. Will she be an ally or will she be a foe?

Of course after part three, you need to decide whether or not you will help Bridgette and Didi in their attempt to challenge to Principal Valentine’s authority. Along with all this their will be plenty of opportunity to get to know a few more of the girls there too. More on that next time.

In terms of the production schedule, I’m currently at just over 1350 images. I’ve completed 17 of about 25 scenes so I guess I’ve got about another 500-650 images to create in order to complete this one.

For now then here are a few more images to tease you.

Academy Part 4

From dsp3000…

I’ve made some progress on part four of the Academy series since the last blog update but, due to other commitments, not as much as I would have liked. Progress is progress and, while I still have plenty to do, the game is getting there and it’s looking good.

I’m not going to commit to a release date yet but I promise that I’m definitely not slacking off. I know how eagerly anticipated my games have become so the last thing I want to do is keep anyone waiting longer than they have to.

About four or five years ago, inspired mostly by Chaotic’s games and characters, I started experimenting by modifying existing Virtual Date games, altering dialogue, changing coding and adding in other options. This developed further when I started playing around with creating my own characters and scenarios.

It’s been about two and a half years since I was able to release my first game “Tara : The Hitchhiker” back in late 2014. Looking back it was a bit rough and ready, but hopefully the improvements with each successive game I’ve made have been noticed and appreciated. I see my third game ‘Tara : The Assignment’ as my first ‘proper’ game. It’s far from perfect but a big step up in terms of image quality and content.

Looking back at earlier games I certainly see the flaws more than anything, but I am very critical of my own work. I know the some of you are too, which is cool. Constructive criticism and feedback are essential for developing ideas and for making improvements.

When I first drafted out a plot for the Academy series, it wasn’t supposed to such a big game. I had anticipated around 700 images per episode. The first three parts have had 997, 1500 and 1797 images respectively so part four will likely have even more. As the story unfolds ​I just can’t resist adding in more and more content. But size isn’t everything so I also strive to keep improving the quality of my work too.

It is after all really good to have such a creative outlet and a relatively large and receptive audience. Sometimes I wish producing these games didn’t take so long though. I get ideas much faster than I can turn them into anything.

I would also like to publicly thank Chaotic for allowing me the opportunity to showcase my work. It is much appreciated.

So, back to the update. I’m not sure what the exact image count is at the moment because I’m writing this update on another computer, but I have completed a few more scenes since this time last week. Here are a few more images to tease you all.

Next time I might say a little more about the new characters who you will meet in ‘The Academy : Part Four’. I don’t want to give too much away though so we’ll see…

dsp3000

Photographer part 2

Just one quick update from me too – Photographer part 2 now has an official walkthrough. You can find it here : http://www.vdategames.com/walkthroughs/photographer2.html

This week, the first update from dsp3000 on his upcoming game,  Academy Part 4.

After a short break after completing part three, production on part four of my ‘Academy’ series started around mid January. This is proving to be the most complex part of the story so far due to the carry over effects from previous installments.

The codes required to play the Academy series are a way of recording information and passing it on to the next part. So what you did in one part has an effect on what you could do in the next, and so on. Be aware that you will definitely need to write down your codes from the end of part three if you want to get anywhere in part four.

The number of variables from part three means there will be several different outcomes and options available in part four. As you can probably imagine, working out all these variables is fairly complicated and time consuming, but I’m getting there.

Today the image count stands at just over 1100, and I’m just over halfway through my production schedule.

The last four weeks of production are usually the most intensive for me while I push towards completion. So with that in mind I am optimistically hoping to complete everything by the beginning of May. I wouldn’t be surprised if I run over a little, especially if I can’t keep resisting the temptation to add little extras into the planned scenes as I work on them.

For this week here are a few sample images from ‘The Academy : Part Four’.