If you haven't been following news on Patreon, get ready for some updates! For a start, the expanded version of Ouroboros has now been released! This will be its new home page, with links updated in the future, but for now it's available in two places:
http://www.nutaku.net/games/download/ouroboros/
http://www.mangagamer.com/detail.php?goods_type=1&product_code=1000
The new version of Ouroboros features the following:
- Hentai art for all scenes!
- In addition to the original six scenes, there are six brand new scenes, plus some new variants.
- Three new post-awakening dungeons.
- Special cycles: let Amiel, Teira, and Emantha take over for one cycle and fulfill their fantasies.
- Lots of new conversations and interactions between the characters.
- Key to increase battle speed 300%.
I hope everyone enjoys it! ^-^
Meanwhile, to catch up people regarding TLS: a fairly large update that finishes the elven section of the plot is 95% done, but stalled due to my parallax mapper flaking out on me. I have been poking them and investigating alternatives, so I hope to get this moving along before too long passes. Expect more updates soon!
Well uhm, nice to see some news here from you, I'm looking forward to the next version of TLS.
ReplyDeleteThe commercial release of Ouroboros 2.0 is quite an big surprise. Did you mentioned that before here on the blog? I can imagine that there will be an big discussion about that, maybe prepare an strawpoll link, for an little easier look on the opinions.
I haven't made a big deal of it, but yeah, I've mentioned it on the blog. I'm unclear on exactly what you're wanting with a discussion or straw poll?
DeleteWhat would there be to discuss, exactly? A game developer can solicit outside input on what she works on, but she isn't required to do so.
DeleteI'll take a look at Ouroboros with the new version, I hadn't gotten far enough in the last version to get to the meat of the game, as I got distracted by other things after completing the first cycle.
I think there might be an uproar about the requirement to pay to play 2.0
DeleteI assume you're not opposed to the idea of commercial games as a concept, so say some more to help me understand your position. You feel that if a creator wants to create a product and sell it, they should not release any part of that product for free?
DeleteDemos are a classic part of video games, so I didn't expect this to be controversial. Instead of making a demo that cuts off and asks you to pay more, I created a complete game and released it completely for free, then created an enhanced and expanded version for the commercial release. I had hoped that would be better received.
I'm not against it, I was just surprised.
DeleteThe idea with the strawpoll was for an better overview how the people feel, if they don't like it in general or is the price just to high, or should it be free for people who support an specific fee trough Patreon, should it come to an uproar.
My main problem is that I don't have much money atm thanks to my health, so I support no one trough Patreon or buy much for entertaining. Which is not against you or the idea of an commercial concept, just that it raised the surprise as I saw it, because I was looking forward for the release.
Ah, I understand. I apologize if I wasn't clear at all times that Ouroboros 2.0 was going to be commercial release. TLS 0.21.0 is still coming out, of course, and will be free as always.
DeleteI did solicit opinions from various people, on and off Patreon, but didn't go for a poll because I felt it was likely that it would only tell me that people like free things.
Though I had some influence on the price, it was largely determined by the market: what price points publishers like, what similar games cost, what users of large platforms tend to pay, etc.
Also, if I wasn't clear: all patrons got a chance to access the game early, either for beta testing or as an early version of the commercial release. Anyone giving $5/month or more on Patreon ends up giving me more than the full price of a game, so they definitely get everything I create for free!
I'll offer an option to purchase via Patreon eventually, but right now the game is exclusive to the above two stores.
Congrats. Shame I blew all my nutaku gold on stupid shit, this will have to wait until I have a job again I think.
ReplyDeleteI'll be buying that, thanks.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to spend for the Patreon because even at 5$ I'd've given you 60 with the(Admittedly shorter than I'd like) time I've been hanging around for TLS but any games you release commercially I'll buy to support. Even should you release the finished Last Sovereign commercially with no updates beyond what we already get for free, expect my money for it.
I committed to releasing all of TLS for free and I intend to stick to that, but I'm glad to hear you'll support commercial releases too. The field of adult games is young, and while Patreon has been great for it, we need a larger market if it's going to continue growing.
DeleteMy comment disappeared / didn't get posted? :(
ReplyDeleteI didn't get any notifications about comments being deleted, anyway. Sorry, whatever you wrote must not have made it through.
DeleteI think the only problem is that it wasn't clear enough by the update's title or description that the full version of Ouroboros wasn't going to be for free like it's previous incarnation.
ReplyDeleteSomething like "Ouroboros 2.0 Available for Purchase!" would've had helped clarifying these kinds of misunderstandings.
That aside, welcome back and congrats on the update.
That's fair. I've been talking about this so extensively on Patreon that it didn't really occur to me as an interpretation, but I get why people might think that.
DeleteAnyway, thanks!
Just bought it. BTW, are you still planning to update the free version to 1.1.7? I want to recommend the game to a few of my freinds and suggest they play the free version first if they are unsure, but I can't find a link to version 1.1.7, so I'm guessing you havn't uploaded it yet. Just wondering if I should link them to the old 1.1.4 post for the update or somewhere else. Anyway, congrats.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've been pretty busy and so I didn't get 1.1.7 done... until just now. The old post now has the new links, so feel free to share that - thanks!
DeleteIf I buy it on Nutaku, if you update it, will I get the updates for free? Or will I have to rebuy? Would it be better to buy on Mangagamer?
ReplyDeleteOnce you've purchased a game on Nutaku, you can click on the "Download" button at any time. I believe (but haven't tested) that if I upload a new version via the dev console, redownloading should get you that new version. Having said that, this one shows every sign of being stable so far, any bugs would be extremely minor.
DeleteAs for choosing MangaGamer or not, that entirely depends on your preferences. Use the store you like best.
Hey Sierra Lee o/ I saw a new game on Nutaku, your game : Ouroboros. I tried a old version 1.1.4 (I suppose it is a demo) Honestly, I love this game, very well worked, a wonderful and awesome story. So, I a bit worried about a point, I finished the whole deme, and so, I wondered if there are many new content on this new version AND if there will be new content in future? I hesitate to buy it, 15$ is a bit expansive, 10$ would be better, of course I understand your choice but so, I want some answer. Good luck for your future projects.
ReplyDeleteHere's the list of additional content in version 2.0:
Delete- Hentai art for all scenes!
- In addition to the original six scenes, there are six brand new scenes, plus some new variants.
- Three new post-awakening dungeons.
- Special cycles: let Amiel, Teira, and Emantha take over for one cycle and fulfill their fantasies.
- Lots of new conversations and interactions between the characters.
- Key to increase battle speed 300%.
It's a little over twice the length of the original, so you can decide if that's worth it to you. I think a game like this would sell for $5-10 on Steam, but the adult game market seems more expensive. There are 30 minute games selling for that amount, so an RPG of this length needed a higher price point.
Thanks for your interest and glad you liked the game!
"It's a little over twice the length of the original" Wow, sound very interesting, and good point, adult game market is more expansive. Usually I don't want buy RPGMaker game, but your work is just so amazing, I changed my mind thanks to you, I think that I will buy in on Nutaku. But last questions, you will release new future content, or your game is end? And it is better for you to buy it on Nutaku or to follow you on Patreon? Thanks for answers Sierra Lee.
DeleteGlad the game is worth it to you! ^-^
DeleteRegarding future content: If you mean TLS, yes, there's a large update currently in its final stages. If you mean Ouroboros, no, it is a completed game. I'll only release another version to do polishing, but so far no meaningful bugs have been reported.
Regarding how to support me: I'm far more grateful to be supported in any way than concerned about how people do it! Obviously if you're interested in following me long term, Patreon is the way to do that. If you just want to get the game, you might as well get it on Nutaku or MangaGamer, right now it's only available on Patreon to long time supporters.
Thanks you so much for all these information, I will follow you, if your work as good as Ouroboros, even better, it will be a pleasure =D I don't know how work Patreon exactly, but I will check it, need to be careful with money, but I will think to it, still thanks for your help and your very good and hard work, I wish you the best for your future project, good luck and have fun ! ^^
DeleteWhen will the Mangagamer download be available? I purchased it before realising it was only a pre-order...
ReplyDeleteNovember 18, though it may go up earlier for you depending on your timezone. Sorry for the confusion!
DeleteWhoo! Updates an stuff! I haven't played Ouroboros yet so I'm super psyched to snag it from Nutaku soon, but I'm mostly really excited for TLS. Really excited to see how things shape up.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile I've been tinkering with my own RPGmaker project. You're probably short on time to even breathe, but if you have the time I'd be indebted if you check it out and let me know what you think of it? I value your opinion super high haha.
It's at saucevn.blogspot.com
Glad you're excited for TLS and hope you like Ouroboros!
DeleteI am indeed crazy busy right now, but I will try to take a look. The chances of this getting lost in all the comments is pretty high, though - can I have an email address for you?
oh right, I'm found at moistenstein[at]gmail.com
DeleteNo rush, I can fully understand not having the time :3
I've been playing through Ouroboros 2.0
ReplyDeleteIs it odd that I feel so sorry for the kid to the south? All she wants to do is play her drum on a monster filled beach, but ever since I've awakened her dream will never come true. :(
Haha, can't say that's a reaction I've gotten yet! Well, you can imagine that the character spend part of their post-game infinite cycles making the NPCs happy for once. XD
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ReplyDeleteI'm sticking with TLS rather than Ouroboros. I think that TLS has a good story and has easier controls than Ouroboros. My friend let me play his recently bought Ouroboros and I sucked. I'm just not use to that game. Still, Great work as usual Sierra Lee! :D
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, this is just a side project - the only updates it will receive are bugfixes. My main ongoing work is TLS and will remain TLS until it's finished. ^-^
DeleteWhat about the people who tends to pirate it? I hope you had a plan for that. I really hate people who tends to pirate games... T-T
DeleteI wish people wouldn't pirate the game, but I don't think there's anything meaningful I can do. Systems like DRM will only inconvenience people trying to support me. I could take down links and throw DMCAs at sites, but that would expend a lot of time and effort just to inconvenience people who probably wouldn't support me anyway.
DeleteI'd much rather focus on creating things I love and accept piracy as a fact of life.
Looks like it's currently the #1 downloadable game on nutaku. Nice.
ReplyDeleteYup, I didn't expect to hang onto that place for this many days! O_O
DeleteHey Sierra, your patreon $10 tier says you get all your commercially available games. Does that include previous games, like Ouroboros, or is that only if you're supporting patreon in the month the games come out?
ReplyDeleteI assume it's better for you to pay you $10 on patreon than $13 on nutaku, but I don't know how big of a cut those guys take.
That tier is written for people consistently supporting me at that level. I do plan to "sell" Ouroboros via my Patreon, but I can't do that while I have exclusive deals with Nutaku and MangaGamer.
DeleteI can't discuss the exact percentages due to non-disclosure agreements, but yeah, after store cuts are considered, more comes to me on Patreon than Nutaku despite the price difference.
Just bought 2.0, and I have to say the new open feels kind of weak to me.
ReplyDeleteThe old Ouroboros trusted us enough to let the revelation build on its own through a couple of loops, but now we kinda get what's happening right from the start and we namedrop the Big Four right away.
I guess it's like now the game has an in media res opening, and I've never liked that technique.
You must have played the earliest version, then, because that opening has been in the game long before 2.0. I prefer it without the opening myself, but I don't think it's a better opening: too many players will dismiss the game as another mediocre hentai game without getting to the twist. Trusting the player only works if the player trusts me, and most people don't know or care who I am.
DeleteThat's fair. When recommending TLS I basically just have to go, 'No seriously, it's awesome. Play it. Yes I know the protagonist is exactly the same as every other hentai protagonist. PLAY IT ANYWAY.'
DeleteYeah most people drop the game completely because of the generic Chosen at the beginning, so when I've shared it I sit right next to them and force them to play until I'm bored. I don't give hints or anything though, I just say 'Keep playing!'
DeleteI've done so with screensharing a few times over the internet but it's just much harder to share over the internet so I mostly just leave links and hope for the best.
Lots of people on Questionable Questing are playing it now, though after I personally shared it on some Corruption of Champions fanfictions. Although sadly that lead to said fanfictions dying off because the Authors got too into your game...
Hopefully they start writing fanfiction for TLS though. I'd really like to see that, even if it's generic wish fulfillment. Because wish fulfillment in something new would be new.
TLS certainly has enough meat to its world to support the weight of a story, but I don't think you'll see much fanfiction of it.
DeleteFanfic usually happens when a world is interesting but the story is weak; when a writer sees a thing that fires the imagination but still thinks, 'This is cool, but I could do better.' Or at least, that's been my experience... maybe it's obvious I spent a lot of time in the Zero no Tsukaima fandom.
I could see stories about the characters pre-setting, maybe: Simon and Hilstara and Vhara during the last war, Yarra before she fled the Incubus King, Robin at school, that kind of thing.
By the way, pretty sure Teira saying 'My special kills are strongest against smaller, faster enemies' when you pick the Combat option after awakening her, is a typo?
ReplyDeleteIt is! You'd think after so many players, we'd have cleared out all the typos by now. >.<
DeleteFixed for version 2.1, anyway. Thanks!
Another thing; in the bar, the headband guy can path down into the doorway and you have to wait a couple minutes for him to decide to walk back out.
DeleteAlso, it's kind of a pain to have to manually reequip the Sword and Armor in cycles after the ones you bought Sharp Sword or whatever.
DeleteDuring Emaya's sex scene, she kind of repeats herself ("Very nice.") and then Atreyan has a line where he says: "You shouldn't already know what it looks like."
DeleteAlso, one of the guys in the corner of the castle (one of them needs a saw) can path into blocking the boulder chest, or even walk in behind you when you're getting it, closing it off.
When coming into the town from the bottom beach area, if you open the menu without moving half of the bottom row (your money) is cut off.
DeleteWhen you're going through the ice dungeon north towards the fire, if the orc on the upper level is on the right side as you go up you'll enter battle with him.
If you complete the ice dungeon through using the Grate-removing Horn and an awake Teira, there's still a tunnel leading out when you're back on the beach. Like she dug her way in anyway.
Thanks for the bug reports! Some will persist: for example, I know about the money row being cut off, but it'd be more trouble than it's worth to fix a graphical error that only appears rarely.
DeletePathing errors are unfortunately going to be an ongoing issue, since MV doesn't let you limit NPCs as easily as VX Ace did. Getting attacked from multiple levels is likewise just an unfortunate feature of the engine.
One more: when the mimic type critters in the final dungeon casts its Numbing Roar silence effect, Emantha and Amiel can still cast even though everyone gets the '...' effect. I mean, I was glad, because those chests would be a pain without magic. But still.
DeleteAnd is it just me or is the super Smiley weirdly... fuzzy? Not pixelated exactly, but... something.
This is actually a mechanic that was never made clear: there are two "silence" status effects. "Silence" stops Amiel and Emantha's skills, while "Numb" stops Atreyan and Teira.
DeleteSlimey is indeed pixelated: the sprite is blown up to 300%.
Okay, I'm stumped. Atreyan keeps saying there's still defense mechanisms in place before I can finish the game, but I'm not sure what. I killed all the monsters (dragon, bird-thing, scythe, golem), did all the Stone of Rebirth stuff, became an evil overlord for a bit... what's left?
ReplyDeleteI'd rather not bother you, but unlike TLS Ouroboros doesn't have a wiki, and the fenoxo thread seems to have vanished.
Return to the brazier that grants you items, accessing it after the flames change color will take you to the final dungeon.
DeleteThere's a walkthrough made for the game, actually, it can be found in the threads and also from the TLS wiki.
15 bucks for a game with 6 hours of content wow what a ripp off
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely expensive compared to SFW games, but NSFW games sell at a bit of a premium due to higher industry cost. For example, if you look at the Nutaku store, you'll find many games at $10 with less than an hour of content. I'd rather be upfront about the length and have some people not buy than hide the fact and have some be disappointed.
Delete(Not sure if you chose this post for a reason instead of a newer one, but FYI you can get it for less than $15 at less expensive stores.)
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ReplyDelete