This is my favouritve game of all time. I never had more fun and I was never more emotionally touched like this by a game before. I love this game and I will support it with everything. I look forward to playing more chapters and updates. This game has so many twists and thats what I love about it. As a patron I will support you and play this game that I cant get enough of. Great work you guys!
hey, thanks for the support. I'm glad you appreciate it and glad you liked some of the twists. I wanted to keep it fresh and sorta always going in a new direction.
yall are flattering with the "favorite game of all time" stuff tho :p
This is probably my favourite game of all time. The characters that have their own stories, which are exceptionally relatable, and the storyline that does not rush things made this game a hidden gem. I can't thank you enough for not going with the usual gay games route, instead going for a more realistic side of things in which I can sadly still relate to. I'm definitely donating as soon as I have some spare cash :D
thank you. i appreciate that. I've had a few naysayers that thought the game was going in the "wrong direction" but I still disagree with them and I love the approach take here. So thank you for appreciating that. And dont worry about the donations and stuff, I'm appreciative either way
No worries here. I'm just glad you went with your intuition instead of letting others dictate your work. A dollar is not much at all, but I hope it helps. Can't wait to see how the story develops from this point onward. Keep up the good work and take care of yourself as well!
you too! the world is crazy and has been for awhile so stay safe. I appreciate the support, the amount isn't that much of a focus to me. I just appreciate the notes and time people take to type or even throw a buck in the pot to help with this thing. So thanks :)
I honestly made an account purely so I could comment, this story is amazing and has so much depth to it and I really wanna see you guys succeed! I love the characters so much and the latest chapter was so heart warming, thank you for the effort you put in!
There's been an army of new account people lately. it's crazy! thanks a lot. glad you appreciated the depth. Next update goes a bit deeper still and there's still plenty of feels left :)
I thought I was bisexual, but I am not really feeling women 'sexually' but guys are really cute and all that. it has been a really, really wild wide. And I discovered your game and thought this looks interesting and it has REALLY resonated with me well.
I consider myself the very same boat as Braden (who is pretty hot btw) and for someone to really understand that is impressive and really, really mind blowing. So thank you, thank you so much for making a game that I can finally relate to the main character!
I am still on my road to sexual discovery, but I feel with this game, I can at least tell myself I am not 100% straight. And I am so grateful for that.
I've been on my road to discovery for a long time myself and it continues to evolve. This is a journey for me too so I can appreciate yours. I hope you find yourself and I'm honored the game was a part of that journey. Thanks for the support and for checking in with such a personalized take on it. i love stories like this
Ever since I stumbled upon this game last few months ago, I'm eagerly waiting for its updates (excited for the next content within 3 weeks or so!) because the characters are so well-written, root-able, and I just want to hug them all! The plot's pace is also nice (I love me some slow burn) and I can only declare this to a handful of visual novels I have played over the years. Hope the developers have a nice day ahead 💖💖💖
Thanks a lot for the support. New version (v0.19) has been pretty popular so far and should keep up what you've been expecting so far so stay tuned. It usually goes live here after the Patreon site so keep an eye out on 1/29 over on the patreon to get it a little faster. The itchio UI is just a little funky over here so I usually put off doing updates over here until last. Hope you have a good day too
The game is well-written, even from its early stages. If you get someone hooked from the start, you know you're in for a treat. It's the kind of writing I don't see in a lot of other dating simulators so I was pleasantly surprised the first time I touched on the game.
I can tell it's just gonna get better and better. 😁
thanks man. If you were already hooked, I'm optimistic it'll get better. I still think the beginning is trash compared to where the current story is at
honestly, i don't think the beginning is trash but a little awkward however it kind of fit the story, it shows the character development of the two characters. First, starting off a little shy and awkward but through out the story, they slowly warm up to each other and i like that.
oh yeah, that part will stay. The writing and art is just inferior. I think once I got going and actually realized people were invested in this, it sorta empowered me to do it better and things started to come together. I'm very much amateur. While i have my own motivations to complete this project regardless, I'm still very codependent with my audience because I'm just so new at this. So a lot of the time I'm like the guy on stage feeding off the energy of the crowd. That effects me rather than having my own internal fire regardless of the audience. But yeah, as that grew, i think I started to take more risks. Then I got a couple buddies that I love to death to have my back on this, bounce ideas off, and just help me polish or create things that enhanced the story and it sorta took off. I wanna apply that energy to the beginning tho--that quality, i guess
I can't help but play, play again, and again ... - from time to time, then in its entirety it's a very beautiful story (especially a very beautiful love story between two young men), of course it There are ups and downs, but between the visual side that is so realistic, and its beautiful story, it's impossible to resist.
I can't wait to play the sequel. I leave you a big hug from Paris. Take good care of yourself. LOVES And I wish you a Happy New Year.
Thank you, It's always cool to hear people have gone through it multiple times. That seems to be even more true after v019 hit. Despite it being fictional, I tried to make it feel real while still trying to accomplish what I wanted to accomplish with it
Alas ... I am afraid that I will never be able to play the rest of the game, then I cannot spend so many hours waiting for the download to be finished ... - since the download of the folder/ZIP file takes at least around two hours for it to be over ...
Then for me, in my profession, time costs money unfortunately ...
Yo this game is killer I'm not finished with it yet but, I'm super stoked to continue with it. And the fact it's NOT done that's super crazy you can tell a lot of time has been put into this and I appreciate! Any chance they'll eventually be voices for the characters? Super hyped to see this game continue to develop :)
Thank you for the kind words and excitement. Keep in mind this is still pretty much pre-alpha since we learning as we go. New update just dropped yesterday on the Patreon and i'll post it here in 3 weeks for free. I'm not sure about voices. Given the amount of dialogue in the game, it would be an insane amount of voice recording unless we all just did it ourselves and didn't hire any actors or anything. But time will tell, we're still trying to work on things as we go
Hi, I'm one of those people who created an account to comment.
Also, spoilers ahead!
I really love the story and I already finished it in 3 days. I can relate a lot, probably to all the characters a little bit but especially with zack cause I've also had that feeling that being bi or anything just not gay would make it better for me. I'm still not sure if I'm 100% gay but probably like 99,9% so I figured that label fits me. I also have anxiety and overthink a lot and I've also never had a relationship but I'm really wanting one right now, let's hope I get lucky to find a bf.
I also relate a bit to bradens fear for water even though I think I actually enjoy swimming. But I'm scared to do it in deep places where I can't stand.
Also to Max not liking his name. I'm not named like a girl but still, I've always had an aversion to my real name.
Chapter 7 and 8 felt a bit slow going and frustrating tbh but I mostly enjoyed the rest so far.
In the end this game made me reflect a lot on my own life and also made me burst out in chuckles sometimes cause it was too damn relatable. Kudos for the story and everything, this is extremely good for being available for free and I definitely want to donate at some point. Also looking forward to what is going to happen next, that stuff got really intense in that latest chapter.
I also appreciate these posts where people had to create accounts to actually comment. Making accounts is annoying so i just really appreciate you taking the time to do that. I've taken a lot of liberties with labels and stuff in the game and i still appreciate that perspective. I will note that there are frustrating points in the game and that's the point. What may individually speak or convince us, can be completely different than what would motivate or convince another. Part of that is the point to this game. Zack, like a lot of people, fights this process every step of the way and it's not one particular thing that ever really moves him. it's cumulative. In the later chapters, there's consequences for that--just like there may be irl.
I'll also say the next update that just came out is still pretty intense too
I love this game. The story. The relationships. The characters. EVERYTHING. I have an issue with the sound. Is there music? Voices? or something? I got nothing. :(
thanks for the love and I'm glad you're enjoying it. Unfortunately, there's no sound yet. The game is still very much a wip and I've never done this before so i'm learning as I go. Sound is a very fickle thing and i had very high expectations with music--including having an actual game soundtrack because i really wanted an emotional kicker to it. However, that costs hundreds of thousands to do so we're still looking at alternatives. I'm going to complete the writing and end the game and then go back for a full revision, which may or may not include sound depending on how things are looking. We still have options though. Consider the build you're playing now very very pre-alpha and i'm amateur af :p
i still love getting messages like this. I hate making new accounts so i take this as a huge compliment. Glad the game had an impact. that means a lot to me. Next segment is coming pretty quick here. It's been a long time in waiting. hoping it lives up to the wait
I just finished and I can't WAIT for an update! The cliffhanger was perfect, and I already see how it would go down if Zack responds the way I imagined.
:) thank you. I'm hoping to surprise a few people with the next update. One thing that I've fairly consistently gotten feedback on is that the story goes in unpredictable directions. Just hoping we can keep that momentum going all the way to the end
awww, thank you. that really means a lot. Even after a few years of working on this, i still feel very new at it. I got some food help with me though. Helps when you're working with friends you really care about. I'll give them the credit for keeping me motivated and making me look good :)
Tried to avoid any spoilers but avoid if you are over sensitive to spoilers!
I made an account just to thank you for this game! You will definitely be getting my support on patreon. I connect to this on a whole different level than I expected. I actually care about the characters and I definitely wasn’t expecting that when I was just looking for a dirty game to play. I connect with Braden on a level I didn’t anticipate. It took a few years to finally understand my sexuality. I don’t openly advertise it, but I think it is very similar to what is going on with Braden. I thought I was just straight maybe bi-curious, but I now define my sexuality as pansexual. I don’t usually have an initial attraction to people (sometimes I’ll get a good vibe from someone and I’ll notice them), instead it’s a slow burn and I grow to care about people way too much and that’s when I start to recognize how attractive they are. Lord knows I’ve grown huge crushes on my best male friends that I’ve never acted on. Thank you for all the time and effort you and your team have put into this game. It’s very impressive! I can’t wait for the update!
heya. I always enjoy feedback from people that weren't necessarily in the target audience. I think a lot of people just assume the game will only appeal to a gay audience and it's nice to see when it breaks down those walls and others find it appealing as well. I like that you're able to identify with Braden. It's interesting to see a lot of early gay community feedback in that a certain segment were vehemently demanding that Braden accept his sexuality as gay when in reality that isn't who he is. There's a few things in the story that i'll never confirm, one of which is Braden's sexuality. I'm not one for labels anyway. I'd rather like what I like when I like it and that just be the end of it. I've also refrained from labels here because some people loooooove to debate the technicality of labels and that isn't the point here. It's for the characters to be who they are, even if there isn't a label for that yet.
I'm glad the emotional side of things hit you, though. it's something that i was really going for here and i think the genre of adult games is lazy with character development and actual story so I wanted to do something different.
New update is coming shortly. trying to finish it up pretty quick here :)
Thank you for the thoughtful reply, it’s very kind of you to take such time in responding to your community. I appreciate that outlook on life to allow yourself to like what you like when you like it. For many people it takes a long time and a lot of self reflection to allow yourself to really understand what you like and what you are making yourself like due to social norms. I also appreciate you sticking to your guns and really owning your characters. (Not allowing fans to sway you in a direction with them). You have amazing talent and I look forward to seeing more from you. I also loved seeing the evolution of your work you have made such amazing strides in your storytelling and artwork, I can’t help but think the fire was to help erase some of the old sets and bring in some new stuff you have learned, and if that is the case I love that you tied it in with the broken thermostat, so clever.
Out of curiosity, how much more story do you think there is left to tell? I can’t decide if I want it to go on forever or if I want to get to the end and be at bliss with whatever you/they decide will happen! Thanks again!
oh sure thing, i try and reply to every message although i've been upset that i didn't get notifications on a few over the years and they slipped through the cracks. But for the most part, i try and stay active with everyone. I'm honestly glad that i stuck to my guns too. The community was in an uproar around chapter 6 and they were pissed at some of my decisions there but then i later got messages from those people apologizing becuase they saw the purpose in it. There is a lot of symbolic things in this story specific to me in addition to the story i'm trying to tell and the impact i'm trying to have on people that struggle with the same apprehensions that Zack does. But at the end of the day, i guess it's always up to the reader on what they decide things mean.
So in terms of how much is left, v019 is gonna drop pretty quick here when i get the finishing touches on it. It's long as hell and concludes chapter 9. After that, we have one chapter left--so probably 2 updates left after v019 'til the final fade
Well, to be frankly honest, what the audience wants is more often things they have already seen time and time again in movies and TV shows. I like the author to stick true to their vision and really deliver their masterpiece as intended. After all, you know your material the best, the rest of us just know the characters from what you have decided to let us know about them.
I never felt in an uproar during any of the story so far. However, I definitely felt my heart break a few times in there, damn you for pulling at my heart strings the way you did, and you can probably guess where (hint: as mentioned I relate most with Braden).
I’m not sure if I’m upset or excited that this will be wrapped up soon, but I’m ready for the journey! Are you planning to do more novels like this in the future? If so, are you thinking clean slate or are you expanding on other characters with the already established characters being the background?
Also, don’t let me take too much of your time, I understand you are busy, I just can’t help but probe for more. Lastly, I hope you are doing well and staying safe during this crazy year we’ve had. You genuinely seem like a good, kind person, and I hope the world has been kind back to you!
I'm finishing it up now. It'll drop on the Patreon site first for 3 weeks then I'll post it over on there and over here for free. I give the Patreon donators first dibs cause that's how I'm able to fund the project
Hey i love your novel and it got me insired to make one myself i have everything done exept images, do you have tips how i can easely crate some? i have no drawing skills whatsoever.....
I used 3D art for all the game images for the same reason. On average, it probably takes me about 2 hours per picture right now but that really depends. The program is DAZ3D and is free but all the art packs cost money and can easily cost you thousands to get enough assets to do much with. It's partially why the game has slowly gotten better and more full with other characters. I could slowly add more people into the game with better hardware and after more people donated to the project. You can check out Daz though if you want. There's also YouTube videos on how to use it. Very steep learning curve though if you've never done it before. I'm pretty rough at it
omg i had so much fun with this game, i totally finished it in 3 days, i love the characters, the story, and honestly don't really mind the nsfw scenes not being the main focus, of course i want to see more of that but i just really wanna see where the story goes. In conclusion, cant wait for the update.
Whenever I played the romance option in a rpg, I always wanted to see more. Who doesn't, honestly? But alas, fade to black is all we get :-)
With Str8 it's different, because of the strong sexual tension between the characters. You don't see many actual sex scenes, but the tension is always there. It's a much more satisfying experience, actually.
Hi, I'm no expert, but it looks like you used DAZ 3D software to render your images. Is this the case? If so, could you let me know how you learned to make them (like what learning resources/sites/tutorials did you use)? I love this game and the creative storytelling! Thanks a lot for making it!
So yep, the majority of the art is done with DAZ3D except for a few of the flyover animations that are in the game--those were done with Blender (of which I don't have any experience with. One of the other devs named Lazy Jayke did those for me). So I kinda learned Daz on the go. I sorta just started writing stuff and then tried to google how to do what I actually wanted to do. So you can imagine I did a lot of googling. Basically, you can find a lot of tutorials on youtube for Daz. I would say focusing on positioning and lighting are the majority of the time consuming stuff that requires more skill and competency with the program than anything else.
I created an account just to comment. I started playing LGBT visual novels here on itch.io just for the 18+ sex content. I still play some games by the same reason duh
BUUUT... One day I found your game and downloaded with the same purpose in mind. Oh boy, I wasn't ready. This game GOT ME for real. I started playing i, and when I realized I was 4 hours in the game, sun almost rising!
I've always been an avid reader, but somewhere in my adult life I lost this addiction. "Straight!?" kinda relived this long lost hobby because it has a really good writing and complex characters. Now I'm not enjoying "bland" games anymore (which is good!) and I also keep coming back here for updates, just like I keep searching updates on George Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novel lol
Keep up the good work.
(sorry if I wrote something wrong, I'm brazilian and my english is not perfect)
:) You're English was great, no worries. I really appreciate your thoughts. So first I want to thank you for making the account just to comment. I despise making accounts so it really means a lot to see that the story moved you enough to actually go through the ordeal just to leave a comment about your experience.
Your thoughts hit on some of my favorite things about the experience of some people: when they download the game because of the "adult" tag but then forget about the adult content and just get lost in the characters. I definitely wanted to do something different here. It's an adult game for those with a grown-up mentality and I like that.
However, unlike George Martin, I'm gonna finish this :p
I tend to like longer stories so I like the length of it. I'm not really a fan of a game that you can burn through in an hour or two. There's not enough time to get to know the complexities of the characters. Plus, the purpose of the game is to confront deeply ingrained feelings from the MC; to overcome those in a quick story would defeat the purpose
Str8 is not so much about entertainment or getting a quick fix but rather about telling a complex story with deep characterization. This takes time. It's also the type of story I like most :-)
Hi! Firstly, I love this game. This plot, this story ... they are incredible. Many thanks to the creators. And I would like to offer my help in localization and start translating the game into Russian :)
Hey, thanks a lot for the love. I've been holding off on translations because the game needs reworked; specifically the beginning. I was very new to everything required for the project and I've been learning as I go. So i'm going to finish the first draft of the game and then go back and rework the beginning. After that's complete, I'll probably look at translations--a lot of people have been interested in translations
I absolutely love the story line, honestly one of the best I've ever played through. In some sense I really feel Zack's character speak to me because I'm also spacey and afraid of being out and honestly his high school experience is damn near similar as mine when it comes to my social experience. I started out watching chrizstorm sometime a year ago and going through this game myself, it's really was inspiring. I can't wait for the next updates !! Keep up the good work !!
Thanks a lot. You been around for awhile then if you date back to Chris' earlier videos. Glad you're still hooked. It means a lot that you think it ranks up there among the best you've seen. Thank you :)
OMG I haven't even beat the game and I want them to make a 2nd. I love how the story line is, and the people, and EVERYTHING!!!!!! I hope when you guys are done with this game you make a 2nd like where they are now adults or maybe do the same thing with new people or new people with a new setting! I really wish you best of luck on this game!!!! I'll be praying for the next!!!!!!!! (If there is one lol)
finally taking some time for VNs again, and i noticed that YAY, v.18 is here! (i had v.17 with the “hot” ending…) ~
looking forward to play - but just a question: some games here, when you update them, your saves or pretty much everything you had goes down the drain. how is it with str8, no danger of annihilation if i install the zip?
ah and i just got a warning from chrome, doesn’t wanna download the zip cuz insecure. guess it’s just because it’s an exe, hence false warning (chrome hasn’t done this on me yet, i only use it since last year when FF went 57… and my 56 started displaying wonky sites) - still, how comes?
So yes, using old saves will completely wreck the game and you'll get error messages. There's a warning screen when you boot the game up that says not to use old saves and there's definitely a reason for that. That's the most common bug report I get. Basically, if you get an error messages that has "not defined" in it somewhere, that's the old save error. Basically just click new game and then you'll see an "update" spot there. Answer a couple questions which will reconfig your previous choices then it'll drop you at the end of the last update .
And yeah, that google thing is a false warning. it does that with a lot of indie VNs like this
ok, i’ll try to answer so i’m kinda back “to where i was” with my choices..
and yeah i just got another warning about a zip from a site - not VN - where it didn’t do this like 2-3 weeks ago. must be some “improvement” from a recent chrome update :/ - nothing to do with your files
so… didn’t even manage to play or even install my last update, and yay, there’s a new one! RL tends to come in the way of my gaming these days, lmao. anyways, i guess i can just dump the last update and DL this one here?
yep, you can probably do that although if you start a new game and hit "update", it's gonna drop you at the end of the last update so you'll miss content. You may wanna start chapter 8 from the start then
I like how the characters are unique and not cookie-cutter gay stereotypes. They are pretty relatable. I also really like how you didn't rush to the erotic stuff.
The one issue I have with the game is Max. I don't think he has ever done anything to anger/annoy Zack. The only thing I remember was when he shoved him while entering the swimming locker room. But does that really warrant Zack's outlook of him for the first half of the game? I honestly don't think so.
I'm a broke college student so I really cannot pay for this right now. But really, this game is worth it.
thanks for the....kinda... nice words. Having a hard time figuring out whether you're complimenting the game or criticizing it. I assumed that you played until the end of the current build so I'm not really sure what "outlook" you're talking about with Zack towards Max because there wasn't much of that in the last update. There's been a pretty consistent impression of Max throughout the story based on the way Max carries himself. Sure, he shoved Zack that one time but there's been about a dozen other instances of interactions throughout the story where the audience mostly believed Max to be a dick. Overall, the feedback indicated that most people thought Zack justified. In fact, this is the first time I've ever heard anyone say otherwise so I guess I was confused what you meant from this update that was so bad and changed your outlook. I probably got the most praise in the game's history for Max's character arc in this update and honestly I'm pretty proud of it because I think it was unpredictable in every way. The people who liked Max before were mostly attracted to his "bad boy" attitude--which very much contradicts Zack who is much more empathetic. You just totally lost me with the "amazing until now" comment because I'm not sure what outlook you're talking about that occurred "now."
But, just to clarify: the game is free and will always be free. You dont have to pay for it. It's run entirely on donations so feel free to download here for free or from the Patreon site for free. Hopefully, you didn't pay for it on accident. The website here just asks for donations but shouldn't bug you too much. There's no obligation.
Max was indeed portrayed as a dick most of the time in the first half and I guess Mikhails introduction of Max as someone who sold secretly made videos of his mother and sisters didn't help much either :-). Although I think that the plotline "Total dick with hidden depths" isn't completely unique, it was well written and his development felt very natural. I thought that his lack of social skills might even be a side effect of him sharing some traits with his autistic brother?
Hello Aaryn! Love your game so much. The characters feel so real to me. Aaand they are gorgeous on top! Kudos to you and your artists.
I was so shocked when Zach lied to Mikhail in the locker room. Story of my life, really. I was about 14 years old when it struck me that I'm gay. My next thought was "No one must know, ever!", sadly. I never hated being gay, though. I mean, how can something that makes me feel so good be a bad thing? But my fear of rejection was too strong. So I avoided the issue or lied outright.
Then there was this boy in my class. I liked him a lot and probably ogled him a bit too obvious :-). One day he confronted me during handicrafts lessons and asked me if I liked him. I said yes, but it came out like "Yes, but not the way you want it". There was someone actually interested in me and I couldn't bring myself to admit openly that I was gay. Not in front of the others. Your game brought all this back and I thought how my life could have changed if I where open with him then.
I was well in my thirties when I finally came out to family and friends. It was a big thing for me then, but most people where like "So what, we suspected it all along!". Funny thing is, I never faced open rejection, it was all in my head. I had my "Years of service" in the gay community, the marching, the partying, working in the gay association. People think usually that I'm fun to have around, but inside still this little voice whispers "No one must know!" and it's so damn hard for me to be open and really close with people.
P.S. If you need any help with translations, spell checking or coding, I'm game :-). I'm German btw. and have some experience with coding projects, published some myself on Nexusmods.com
Wow. I keep coming back here for players' real-life experiences. I'm glad that you finally confront your inner fear and live the life you want. That's my fight too. Btw, I'm not in the development team but you can reach Aaryn - the developer via Twitter for instant reply.
My last reply was somewhat generic and I felt a bit guilty about it :-). I've just read your other posts and how much you had to work through. I'm so happy for you that you have this much psychological insight at your age and good friends to talk to. When I was 21 I had not the faintest inkling of how to handle my feelings and I felt like there was no one I could talk to about it. It took many years for me to work through all this and confront my fears. Times were different then, almost 40 years ago, and information was hard to come by.
I'm so glad to know that you read my story so no need to feel sorry about that 😙 In my darkest days at highschool, I had to deal with my parents, lovers, friends and studying at the same time all by myself, which was way too much for a teenager. Parents checked all my messages without my consent and threatened my boyfriend and me, my boyfriends ditched me 3 times, friends at school verbally harrassed my sexuality (I realize I have that internalized homophobia too) At least, I have been through the worst situation so what could be worse :)))?
I can completely sympathize to your situation when being gay was treated as a sin. In Asia, people are still judgemental about this subject so coming out is always a long story. I even have to make a plan for this :)))) and the worst scenerio might be me being kicked out of my own family 😔
No, thanks for the story. I love people sharing like this. Usually when people complain about the lack of porn in the game, I usually point to messages like this and remind them that I didn't make the game to make them bust--i did it for reasons like this. i wanted people to see a realistic coming of age tale that's really hard for the MC to accept themselves. I wanted to show that sexual journey and ways that someone could overcome internalized homophobia--kinda like what you're talking about. Glad you appreciated it. I def appreciate the story and just hearing that it had an impact on people :)
Just finished Chapter 9. I like the "brotherly love" / more than a friendship Scene with Zach and Mikhail at the pool. You took a page from Aristotle's philia concept? :-). Regarding porn scenes: there's no end of that on the net, really. But a good story that tickles your imagination is hard to come by. And you got a lot of really strong scenes in the game that left my imagination running wild :-). I made a small contribution on your Patreonsite just to be part of this effort.
Thanks a lot for the contribution but even more thanks for the kind words. It means a lot to me. Comments like this are really validating. It's interesting to see how the market has changed from people demanding porn in the game to that now being the minority opinion--which is exactly what i wanted :)
I spent 6 hours straight playing this game yesterday and now I'm at chapter 3. I create this account just to give some comment.
This game hit me so hard on the story plot. So far, I love how all characters are portraited as unique but still relatable types of people when facing sexuality-related issues. I find parts of me in every character here: denial in Braden, confusion in Zach and confidence when solving others' problems in Mikhail. I am so surprised to see how character development is so well-built here unlike the majority of NSFW game filled with pornographic stuff. Can't wait to see how far this story goes. Great job.
Update: I have just finished the lastest chapter. I must say I taste my own tears this time. I love every single bonding moment here, not just the stuff between Zach and Braden. The hidden messages behind every twist are so relatable and meaningful to me as a teacher craving for inspirational stories. I used to be the golden child so I know the burden when being highly expected by my family. I used to be labelled, discriminated and made fun of at highschool. I used to be afraid of myself and hate myself for being who I was. I can all feel that just in a chapter itself. It's not that easy to overcome these but thanks to my priceless friends, I embrace my value and love myself in a more proper way. I am looking forward to observing how far these wholesome dudes will reach. I'm a big fan of you now.
I know exactly how you feel. I grew up with a father who was homophobic due to having been sexually assaulted as a teenager, which made even talking about how I feel nearly impossible and a high school that, charitably wasn't the most socially progressive in the world. All the loneliness Zack feels is exactly how I've felt for much of my life. Reading/going through this story is very cathartic and helpful, fiction or not.
Wow. I feel so sorry for your experience. Is everything alright now?
For the family part, my parents made me think of suicide as they knew about my relationship in highschool. I struggled to discover myself and confront my family at the same time. I had no one to ask for help or talk to. I completely feel you bro.
I think, we don't have the right to choose where we are born but we do have the right to choose the way we live. Maybe it's not an easy path to walk through but we still survive and become who we are today. At least, we can be sympathetic to others and even our own children if one day they come out of the closet. (Trust me I really want to have kids around 👨👧👦 ) Now, being about to graduate from college as a teacher, I am trying my best to help my students having problem discovering their sexuality. We can't change the past but we can make an impact for a better future.
For all the things we have been through, we all deserve a Zach or Braden in our life.
Things are better now. One of the biggest additional problems in the day is, that my first language is English and I live in Quebec, Canada. I grew up during the height of the nationalist era there where the English were absolutely hated on by a large chunk of the province (to the point that I was assaulted more than once). I could only really deal with 1 crisis at a time and that one went on for years. It's better now, and I have a good friend I can talk to about things, but I have an empathy for what others go through with discrimination and overthinking (as I do it all the time). I think that, more than anything is what I empathise most about the Zack character; what he does is something I've been doing for most of my life.
I'm just glad to hear that you are doing ok now. We all have the part of Zach inside where we collect all the thoughts and start digging around. Sometimes we make things even more complicated than they truly are. For me, having someone to talk to is a great way as they are your anchor whenever you are submerged in the train of thought. I'm trying to think simple and listen to my inner feelings more so I can help myself even when there's no one beside. By the way, I'm just 21 but I have to think twice more than others being at the same age. Thanks for sharing your story even you don't know me. That means a lot to me.
This game really is amazing. I very much enjoy how much depth there is to every character, rather than them just being 2D stereotypes.
Also, are we going to see more of Cody? 'Cause man he's so cute and innocent, I love him already (plus he's well fit and my type XP)! I wonder what him and the other wrestling guys get up to in the showers and sauna after a hard training session...
Might we at some point even get the option to move in with him instead of Mikky and Mash?
Seriously well done on both the writing and the character design! I'm already excited for the next update!
On a side note, are there any differences thus far between the pervy and respect route? Cause I havn't found any yet, though I might just be missing something.
So no comment about Cody because I want to avoid any spoilers for people. But I will confirm there's only one "route" in contrast to many other games. This game has more of a purpose to it than it is based on the selection of romantic routes.
I do appreciate the support and I'm glad you like the writing. It continues to be humbling to get compliments like this.
There are subtle differences between the two routes :)
I can't really add anything like that in the game because it would break the story completely from where we are right now. As you probably know, if I write something into the game, it has to have consequences and something that drastic would be fairly detailed. To add something like that into the already established game would most likely end up being one of those "game over" scenarios and I"ve sorta avoided game overs. Juggling multiple choices in hard to keep track of an organize. I'm not very good at that stuff. So that's why I just chose to do 2 stories well rather than half ass like 7 different routes
Aaryn! Love the story. I appreciate all the hard work you put into this. Do you have any social media sites where you post updates on how the writing is going or anything like that?
yep, so the main page we work from is www.patreon.com/aaryn. That's where the updates go first. It also has Discord links on the site if that's something you're interested in.
In terms of social media, both me and my co-writer have twitter accounts if you wanna check us out.
Oh my gosh! I can't believe I finally found your page, I love this game! but as i'm brazilian i don't understand much of english hahaha, if you could do a translation into portuguese i would appreciate it very much! Thanks for showing me this amazing game! Kisses and see you soon!
I can't believe you got that excited to find the page. lol. This is a rough game to try and translate because it's written with a ton of American slang that spans multiple generations. I think we'll translate it eventually but I want to wait until it's done. Translating it right now is just too much work considering the beginning of the game will likely change. I dont want to have to keep updating translations over and over again. Hopefully, you can wait that long. I know a few others have expressed interest in Portuguese as well
You can check on the patreon site for the most up to date stuff. Just released the newest update to those who donate to the project on Patreon, however that update will go free to the public on Aug 22. You'll probably want to download it straight from the patreon site then because this site is one of the last ones I usually update just because it's really confusing to me
I get a crash shortly after they get to coffee shop and start talking to the guy from Braden's wrestling team about where Braden is staying. If you ignore it - it cycles you back to where Braden is introducing Zach. And on in a loop same crash point - same fall back.
I recorded the error message.
(and I want to say before i forget - you writing keep improving; I can feel their anguish - intense work - VERY impressive!!)
``` I'm sorry, but an uncaught exception occurred.
While running game code: File "game/script.rpy", line 36114, in script menu: File "game/script.rpy", line 36115, in <module> "How's the job?" if CodyJob1 == False: NameError: name 'CodyJob1' is not defined
-- Full Traceback ------------------------------------------------------------
Full traceback: File "game/script.rpy", line 36114, in script menu: File "C:\Users\kruegerm\Downloads\mk\Str8-v0.18-pc\renpy\ast.py", line 1609, in execute choice = renpy.exports.menu(choices, self.set, args, kwargs, item_arguments) File "C:\Users\kruegerm\Downloads\mk\Str8-v0.18-pc\renpy\exports.py", line 943, in menu condition = renpy.python.py_eval(condition) File "C:\Users\kruegerm\Downloads\mk\Str8-v0.18-pc\renpy\python.py", line 1961, in py_eval return py_eval_bytecode(code, globals, locals) File "C:\Users\kruegerm\Downloads\mk\Str8-v0.18-pc\renpy\python.py", line 1954, in py_eval_bytecode return eval(bytecode, globals, locals) File "game/script.rpy", line 36115, in <module> "How's the job?" if CodyJob1 == False: NameError: name 'CodyJob1' is not defined
heya. Thanks for the love on the writing. That game error is because you used an old save game. If you're gonna start that chapter, hit New game and choose the chapter again and you should be good
DOH. Now I feel like an idiot, LOL. You HAVE said that before, I don't know why I missed it. Thanks - that fixed the issue.
And more "love on the writing" -- your development of characters is awesome this chapter. ALL characters. I'm beginning to wonder how much of YOU is being exposed here :) Truly a great work! Now ... about cliff hanger endings ....
i just created an account so i could comment on how well the storyline and game play is.
lowkey sad i kinda want what they have haha... usually i dont bother to read the story but im very much into it. i cant wait for more updates and im only in the middle of it, not wanting to end the chapter.
aw, thanks a lot. Hopefully, you realize the game gets better as i figured out what i was doing. Good news is this is still the free version and we just dropped an update on the Patreon site that adds another 2 hours of gameplay on. That will be free here in 3 weeks too if you dont wanna donate to get it earlier. lemme know what you think as the story goes on more :)
Nope, there's a Mac build. itch.io, only let's me upload one file so I only post the PC build. You can download the MAC version for free over on the Patreon site here https://www.patreon.com/aaryn
Hello Aaryn, Str8 is one of the best animation novels I have come across. I have just joined as an Elite member of your Patron. Can you let me know when the next chapters will come out and where I can download them? I was gutted after chapter 8 finished as I wanted more
aw, hey thanks Paul. The next part should be done before long. I've been working on it. There's also a pretty lengthy write up on the Patreon to give you an idea of what to expect for a timeline as well as content.
Yeah, sorry. I havne't done any translations right now becuase this is still the rough draft of the game. No reason to translate until it's finished. Then I'll prob take a look at translations
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good stuff! this is definitely in my top 3 along side with deluca family and leap of faith when it comes to story!
appreciate it. it's still really cool to see such a large audiance appreciating the story in an adult game
This is my favouritve game of all time. I never had more fun and I was never more emotionally touched like this by a game before. I love this game and I will support it with everything. I look forward to playing more chapters and updates. This game has so many twists and thats what I love about it. As a patron I will support you and play this game that I cant get enough of. Great work you guys!
hey, thanks for the support. I'm glad you appreciate it and glad you liked some of the twists. I wanted to keep it fresh and sorta always going in a new direction.
yall are flattering with the "favorite game of all time" stuff tho :p
Thank you :)
It's because this game never gets boring. Theres always new stuff coming and more drama happening. Thats why I love this game so much.
and Thank you for creating this game :)
Newest update drops the mic in a completely different way so hopefully you enjoy that one just as much
Well, I'll look forward to that :D
This is probably my favourite game of all time. The characters that have their own stories, which are exceptionally relatable, and the storyline that does not rush things made this game a hidden gem. I can't thank you enough for not going with the usual gay games route, instead going for a more realistic side of things in which I can sadly still relate to. I'm definitely donating as soon as I have some spare cash :D
thank you. i appreciate that. I've had a few naysayers that thought the game was going in the "wrong direction" but I still disagree with them and I love the approach take here. So thank you for appreciating that. And dont worry about the donations and stuff, I'm appreciative either way
No worries here. I'm just glad you went with your intuition instead of letting others dictate your work. A dollar is not much at all, but I hope it helps. Can't wait to see how the story develops from this point onward. Keep up the good work and take care of yourself as well!
you too! the world is crazy and has been for awhile so stay safe. I appreciate the support, the amount isn't that much of a focus to me. I just appreciate the notes and time people take to type or even throw a buck in the pot to help with this thing. So thanks :)
No worries. I hope everything goes well for you :)
I honestly made an account purely so I could comment, this story is amazing and has so much depth to it and I really wanna see you guys succeed! I love the characters so much and the latest chapter was so heart warming, thank you for the effort you put in!
There's been an army of new account people lately. it's crazy! thanks a lot. glad you appreciated the depth. Next update goes a bit deeper still and there's still plenty of feels left :)
Hey so, I am not sure what I identify as...
I thought I was bisexual, but I am not really feeling women 'sexually' but guys are really cute and all that. it has been a really, really wild wide. And I discovered your game and thought this looks interesting and it has REALLY resonated with me well.
I consider myself the very same boat as Braden (who is pretty hot btw) and for someone to really understand that is impressive and really, really mind blowing. So thank you, thank you so much for making a game that I can finally relate to the main character!
I am still on my road to sexual discovery, but I feel with this game, I can at least tell myself I am not 100% straight. And I am so grateful for that.
I've been on my road to discovery for a long time myself and it continues to evolve. This is a journey for me too so I can appreciate yours. I hope you find yourself and I'm honored the game was a part of that journey. Thanks for the support and for checking in with such a personalized take on it. i love stories like this
Ever since I stumbled upon this game last few months ago, I'm eagerly waiting for its updates (excited for the next content within 3 weeks or so!) because the characters are so well-written, root-able, and I just want to hug them all! The plot's pace is also nice (I love me some slow burn) and I can only declare this to a handful of visual novels I have played over the years. Hope the developers have a nice day ahead 💖💖💖
Thanks a lot for the support. New version (v0.19) has been pretty popular so far and should keep up what you've been expecting so far so stay tuned. It usually goes live here after the Patreon site so keep an eye out on 1/29 over on the patreon to get it a little faster. The itchio UI is just a little funky over here so I usually put off doing updates over here until last. Hope you have a good day too
The game is well-written, even from its early stages. If you get someone hooked from the start, you know you're in for a treat. It's the kind of writing I don't see in a lot of other dating simulators so I was pleasantly surprised the first time I touched on the game.
I can tell it's just gonna get better and better. 😁
thanks man. If you were already hooked, I'm optimistic it'll get better. I still think the beginning is trash compared to where the current story is at
honestly, i don't think the beginning is trash but a little awkward however it kind of fit the story, it shows the character development of the two characters. First, starting off a little shy and awkward but through out the story, they slowly warm up to each other and i like that.
oh yeah, that part will stay. The writing and art is just inferior. I think once I got going and actually realized people were invested in this, it sorta empowered me to do it better and things started to come together. I'm very much amateur. While i have my own motivations to complete this project regardless, I'm still very codependent with my audience because I'm just so new at this. So a lot of the time I'm like the guy on stage feeding off the energy of the crowd. That effects me rather than having my own internal fire regardless of the audience. But yeah, as that grew, i think I started to take more risks. Then I got a couple buddies that I love to death to have my back on this, bounce ideas off, and just help me polish or create things that enhanced the story and it sorta took off. I wanna apply that energy to the beginning tho--that quality, i guess
I can't help but play, play again, and again ... - from time to time, then in its entirety it's a very beautiful story (especially a very beautiful love story between two young men), of course it There are ups and downs, but between the visual side that is so realistic, and its beautiful story, it's impossible to resist.
I can't wait to play the sequel.
I leave you a big hug from Paris.
Take good care of yourself.
LOVES
And I wish you a Happy New Year.
John
Thank you, It's always cool to hear people have gone through it multiple times. That seems to be even more true after v019 hit. Despite it being fictional, I tried to make it feel real while still trying to accomplish what I wanted to accomplish with it
Alas ... I am afraid that I will never be able to play the rest of the game, then I cannot spend so many hours waiting for the download to be finished ... - since the download of the folder/ZIP file takes at least around two hours for it to be over ...
Then for me, in my profession, time costs money unfortunately ...
well, you have plenty of time before the next update. usually takes me a few months to get the next chapter done
Yo this game is killer I'm not finished with it yet but, I'm super stoked to continue with it. And the fact it's NOT done that's super crazy you can tell a lot of time has been put into this and I appreciate! Any chance they'll eventually be voices for the characters? Super hyped to see this game continue to develop :)
Thank you for the kind words and excitement. Keep in mind this is still pretty much pre-alpha since we learning as we go. New update just dropped yesterday on the Patreon and i'll post it here in 3 weeks for free. I'm not sure about voices. Given the amount of dialogue in the game, it would be an insane amount of voice recording unless we all just did it ourselves and didn't hire any actors or anything. But time will tell, we're still trying to work on things as we go
Hi, I'm one of those people who created an account to comment.
Also, spoilers ahead!
I really love the story and I already finished it in 3 days. I can relate a lot, probably to all the characters a little bit but especially with zack cause I've also had that feeling that being bi or anything just not gay would make it better for me. I'm still not sure if I'm 100% gay but probably like 99,9% so I figured that label fits me. I also have anxiety and overthink a lot and I've also never had a relationship but I'm really wanting one right now, let's hope I get lucky to find a bf.
I also relate a bit to bradens fear for water even though I think I actually enjoy swimming. But I'm scared to do it in deep places where I can't stand.
Also to Max not liking his name. I'm not named like a girl but still, I've always had an aversion to my real name.
Chapter 7 and 8 felt a bit slow going and frustrating tbh but I mostly enjoyed the rest so far.
In the end this game made me reflect a lot on my own life and also made me burst out in chuckles sometimes cause it was too damn relatable. Kudos for the story and everything, this is extremely good for being available for free and I definitely want to donate at some point. Also looking forward to what is going to happen next, that stuff got really intense in that latest chapter.
Have a good day and thanks again for this!
I also appreciate these posts where people had to create accounts to actually comment. Making accounts is annoying so i just really appreciate you taking the time to do that. I've taken a lot of liberties with labels and stuff in the game and i still appreciate that perspective. I will note that there are frustrating points in the game and that's the point. What may individually speak or convince us, can be completely different than what would motivate or convince another. Part of that is the point to this game. Zack, like a lot of people, fights this process every step of the way and it's not one particular thing that ever really moves him. it's cumulative. In the later chapters, there's consequences for that--just like there may be irl.
I'll also say the next update that just came out is still pretty intense too
i can't wait for this game to be finish, it going to look beautiful.
god, i hope so :)
I know so, no matter how long it takes. i will be right behind you.
I love this game. The story. The relationships. The characters. EVERYTHING. I have an issue with the sound. Is there music? Voices? or something? I got nothing. :(
thanks for the love and I'm glad you're enjoying it. Unfortunately, there's no sound yet. The game is still very much a wip and I've never done this before so i'm learning as I go. Sound is a very fickle thing and i had very high expectations with music--including having an actual game soundtrack because i really wanted an emotional kicker to it. However, that costs hundreds of thousands to do so we're still looking at alternatives. I'm going to complete the writing and end the game and then go back for a full revision, which may or may not include sound depending on how things are looking. We still have options though. Consider the build you're playing now very very pre-alpha and i'm amateur af :p
amateur?? It's amazing man. Keep giving us fun with your work!!!
giving it my best :)
I made an account just so i can comment! I love this game and honestly cant wait until its updated :) Keep up the good work and amazing art skills <3
i still love getting messages like this. I hate making new accounts so i take this as a huge compliment. Glad the game had an impact. that means a lot to me. Next segment is coming pretty quick here. It's been a long time in waiting. hoping it lives up to the wait
I just finished and I can't WAIT for an update! The cliffhanger was perfect, and I already see how it would go down if Zack responds the way I imagined.
:) thank you. I'm hoping to surprise a few people with the next update. One thing that I've fairly consistently gotten feedback on is that the story goes in unpredictable directions. Just hoping we can keep that momentum going all the way to the end
With skills such as yours, there's no doubt that the ending will surely be worth it. No matter how you choose to have it go. Your work is amazing.
awww, thank you. that really means a lot. Even after a few years of working on this, i still feel very new at it. I got some food help with me though. Helps when you're working with friends you really care about. I'll give them the credit for keeping me motivated and making me look good :)
Thumbs Up!! x 100
Tried to avoid any spoilers but avoid if you are over sensitive to spoilers!
I made an account just to thank you for this game! You will definitely be getting my support on patreon. I connect to this on a whole different level than I expected. I actually care about the characters and I definitely wasn’t expecting that when I was just looking for a dirty game to play. I connect with Braden on a level I didn’t anticipate. It took a few years to finally understand my sexuality. I don’t openly advertise it, but I think it is very similar to what is going on with Braden. I thought I was just straight maybe bi-curious, but I now define my sexuality as pansexual. I don’t usually have an initial attraction to people (sometimes I’ll get a good vibe from someone and I’ll notice them), instead it’s a slow burn and I grow to care about people way too much and that’s when I start to recognize how attractive they are. Lord knows I’ve grown huge crushes on my best male friends that I’ve never acted on. Thank you for all the time and effort you and your team have put into this game. It’s very impressive! I can’t wait for the update!
heya. I always enjoy feedback from people that weren't necessarily in the target audience. I think a lot of people just assume the game will only appeal to a gay audience and it's nice to see when it breaks down those walls and others find it appealing as well. I like that you're able to identify with Braden. It's interesting to see a lot of early gay community feedback in that a certain segment were vehemently demanding that Braden accept his sexuality as gay when in reality that isn't who he is. There's a few things in the story that i'll never confirm, one of which is Braden's sexuality. I'm not one for labels anyway. I'd rather like what I like when I like it and that just be the end of it. I've also refrained from labels here because some people loooooove to debate the technicality of labels and that isn't the point here. It's for the characters to be who they are, even if there isn't a label for that yet.
I'm glad the emotional side of things hit you, though. it's something that i was really going for here and i think the genre of adult games is lazy with character development and actual story so I wanted to do something different.
New update is coming shortly. trying to finish it up pretty quick here :)
Thank you for the thoughtful reply, it’s very kind of you to take such time in responding to your community. I appreciate that outlook on life to allow yourself to like what you like when you like it. For many people it takes a long time and a lot of self reflection to allow yourself to really understand what you like and what you are making yourself like due to social norms. I also appreciate you sticking to your guns and really owning your characters. (Not allowing fans to sway you in a direction with them). You have amazing talent and I look forward to seeing more from you. I also loved seeing the evolution of your work you have made such amazing strides in your storytelling and artwork, I can’t help but think the fire was to help erase some of the old sets and bring in some new stuff you have learned, and if that is the case I love that you tied it in with the broken thermostat, so clever.
Out of curiosity, how much more story do you think there is left to tell? I can’t decide if I want it to go on forever or if I want to get to the end and be at bliss with whatever you/they decide will happen! Thanks again!
oh sure thing, i try and reply to every message although i've been upset that i didn't get notifications on a few over the years and they slipped through the cracks. But for the most part, i try and stay active with everyone. I'm honestly glad that i stuck to my guns too. The community was in an uproar around chapter 6 and they were pissed at some of my decisions there but then i later got messages from those people apologizing becuase they saw the purpose in it. There is a lot of symbolic things in this story specific to me in addition to the story i'm trying to tell and the impact i'm trying to have on people that struggle with the same apprehensions that Zack does. But at the end of the day, i guess it's always up to the reader on what they decide things mean.
So in terms of how much is left, v019 is gonna drop pretty quick here when i get the finishing touches on it. It's long as hell and concludes chapter 9. After that, we have one chapter left--so probably 2 updates left after v019 'til the final fade
Well, to be frankly honest, what the audience wants is more often things they have already seen time and time again in movies and TV shows. I like the author to stick true to their vision and really deliver their masterpiece as intended. After all, you know your material the best, the rest of us just know the characters from what you have decided to let us know about them.
I never felt in an uproar during any of the story so far. However, I definitely felt my heart break a few times in there, damn you for pulling at my heart strings the way you did, and you can probably guess where (hint: as mentioned I relate most with Braden).
I’m not sure if I’m upset or excited that this will be wrapped up soon, but I’m ready for the journey! Are you planning to do more novels like this in the future? If so, are you thinking clean slate or are you expanding on other characters with the already established characters being the background?
Also, don’t let me take too much of your time, I understand you are busy, I just can’t help but probe for more. Lastly, I hope you are doing well and staying safe during this crazy year we’ve had. You genuinely seem like a good, kind person, and I hope the world has been kind back to you!
I'll probably work on some more stuff but nothing is finalized yet. There's been some interesting ideas thrown around
When there will be the next update? 😊
I'm finishing it up now. It'll drop on the Patreon site first for 3 weeks then I'll post it over on there and over here for free. I give the Patreon donators first dibs cause that's how I'm able to fund the project
Hey i love your novel and it got me insired to make one myself i have everything done exept images, do you have tips how i can easely crate some? i have no drawing skills whatsoever.....
I used 3D art for all the game images for the same reason. On average, it probably takes me about 2 hours per picture right now but that really depends. The program is DAZ3D and is free but all the art packs cost money and can easily cost you thousands to get enough assets to do much with. It's partially why the game has slowly gotten better and more full with other characters. I could slowly add more people into the game with better hardware and after more people donated to the project. You can check out Daz though if you want. There's also YouTube videos on how to use it. Very steep learning curve though if you've never done it before. I'm pretty rough at it
omg i had so much fun with this game, i totally finished it in 3 days, i love the characters, the story, and honestly don't really mind the nsfw scenes not being the main focus, of course i want to see more of that but i just really wanna see where the story goes. In conclusion, cant wait for the update.
Thanks. I appreciate the openness to the approach here. Still working on the next update now
Whenever I played the romance option in a rpg, I always wanted to see more. Who doesn't, honestly? But alas, fade to black is all we get :-)
With Str8 it's different, because of the strong sexual tension between the characters. You don't see many actual sex scenes, but the tension is always there. It's a much more satisfying experience, actually.
Hi, I'm no expert, but it looks like you used DAZ 3D software to render your images. Is this the case? If so, could you let me know how you learned to make them (like what learning resources/sites/tutorials did you use)? I love this game and the creative storytelling! Thanks a lot for making it!
heya,
So yep, the majority of the art is done with DAZ3D except for a few of the flyover animations that are in the game--those were done with Blender (of which I don't have any experience with. One of the other devs named Lazy Jayke did those for me). So I kinda learned Daz on the go. I sorta just started writing stuff and then tried to google how to do what I actually wanted to do. So you can imagine I did a lot of googling. Basically, you can find a lot of tutorials on youtube for Daz. I would say focusing on positioning and lighting are the majority of the time consuming stuff that requires more skill and competency with the program than anything else.
Glad you're enjoying the game so far though :)
I created an account just to comment. I started playing LGBT visual novels here on itch.io just for the 18+ sex content. I still play some games by the same reason duh
BUUUT... One day I found your game and downloaded with the same purpose in mind. Oh boy, I wasn't ready. This game GOT ME for real. I started playing i, and when I realized I was 4 hours in the game, sun almost rising!
I've always been an avid reader, but somewhere in my adult life I lost this addiction. "Straight!?" kinda relived this long lost hobby because it has a really good writing and complex characters. Now I'm not enjoying "bland" games anymore (which is good!) and I also keep coming back here for updates, just like I keep searching updates on George Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novel lol
Keep up the good work.
(sorry if I wrote something wrong, I'm brazilian and my english is not perfect)
:) You're English was great, no worries. I really appreciate your thoughts. So first I want to thank you for making the account just to comment. I despise making accounts so it really means a lot to see that the story moved you enough to actually go through the ordeal just to leave a comment about your experience.
Your thoughts hit on some of my favorite things about the experience of some people: when they download the game because of the "adult" tag but then forget about the adult content and just get lost in the characters. I definitely wanted to do something different here. It's an adult game for those with a grown-up mentality and I like that.
However, unlike George Martin, I'm gonna finish this :p
Is a nice story, a good idea. But it's excessively long. Finally, it get me bored.
I tend to like longer stories so I like the length of it. I'm not really a fan of a game that you can burn through in an hour or two. There's not enough time to get to know the complexities of the characters. Plus, the purpose of the game is to confront deeply ingrained feelings from the MC; to overcome those in a quick story would defeat the purpose
Str8 is not so much about entertainment or getting a quick fix but rather about telling a complex story with deep characterization. This takes time. It's also the type of story I like most :-)
Hi! Firstly, I love this game. This plot, this story ... they are incredible. Many thanks to the creators. And I would like to offer my help in localization and start translating the game into Russian :)
Hey, thanks a lot for the love. I've been holding off on translations because the game needs reworked; specifically the beginning. I was very new to everything required for the project and I've been learning as I go. So i'm going to finish the first draft of the game and then go back and rework the beginning. After that's complete, I'll probably look at translations--a lot of people have been interested in translations
theres only one route right
yes...ish. There's some multiple choices here and there and there's 2 perspectives on the route that will play out later
I absolutely love the story line, honestly one of the best I've ever played through. In some sense I really feel Zack's character speak to me because I'm also spacey and afraid of being out and honestly his high school experience is damn near similar as mine when it comes to my social experience. I started out watching chrizstorm sometime a year ago and going through this game myself, it's really was inspiring. I can't wait for the next updates !! Keep up the good work !!
Thanks a lot. You been around for awhile then if you date back to Chris' earlier videos. Glad you're still hooked. It means a lot that you think it ranks up there among the best you've seen. Thank you :)
OMG I haven't even beat the game and I want them to make a 2nd. I love how the story line is, and the people, and EVERYTHING!!!!!! I hope when you guys are done with this game you make a 2nd like where they are now adults or maybe do the same thing with new people or new people with a new setting! I really wish you best of luck on this game!!!! I'll be praying for the next!!!!!!!! (If there is one lol)
haha, thanks for the love. glad you're enjoying it. Curious to see what you think when you get done with the current content
But I think you badly need a break after you finish Str8, before you even think on making a 2nd one, Aaryn :-))
this is very true
Indeed lol, I also go to the end of chapter 9. I can't wait to see what happens next though!!
But I was kinda shocked of what happened though ;-;
yeaaah... i think most of the people that have been around for awhile are used to the cliffhangers by now :P
finally taking some time for VNs again, and i noticed that YAY, v.18 is here! (i had v.17 with the “hot” ending…) ~ looking forward to play - but just a question: some games here, when you update them, your saves or pretty much everything you had goes down the drain. how is it with str8, no danger of annihilation if i install the zip?
ah and i just got a warning from chrome, doesn’t wanna download the zip cuz insecure. guess it’s just because it’s an exe, hence false warning (chrome hasn’t done this on me yet, i only use it since last year when FF went 57… and my 56 started displaying wonky sites) - still, how comes?
heya:)
So yes, using old saves will completely wreck the game and you'll get error messages. There's a warning screen when you boot the game up that says not to use old saves and there's definitely a reason for that. That's the most common bug report I get. Basically, if you get an error messages that has "not defined" in it somewhere, that's the old save error. Basically just click new game and then you'll see an "update" spot there. Answer a couple questions which will reconfig your previous choices then it'll drop you at the end of the last update .
And yeah, that google thing is a false warning. it does that with a lot of indie VNs like this
ok, i’ll try to answer so i’m kinda back “to where i was” with my choices..
and yeah i just got another warning about a zip from a site - not VN - where it didn’t do this like 2-3 weeks ago. must be some “improvement” from a recent chrome update :/ - nothing to do with your files
gotta love updates, right /sarcasmoff
hope you enjoy it tho :)
so… didn’t even manage to play or even install my last update, and yay, there’s a new one! RL tends to come in the way of my gaming these days, lmao. anyways, i guess i can just dump the last update and DL this one here?
yep, you can probably do that although if you start a new game and hit "update", it's gonna drop you at the end of the last update so you'll miss content. You may wanna start chapter 8 from the start then
The game was amazing till now.
I like how the characters are unique and not cookie-cutter gay stereotypes. They are pretty relatable. I also really like how you didn't rush to the erotic stuff.
The one issue I have with the game is Max. I don't think he has ever done anything to anger/annoy Zack. The only thing I remember was when he shoved him while entering the swimming locker room. But does that really warrant Zack's outlook of him for the first half of the game? I honestly don't think so.
I'm a broke college student so I really cannot pay for this right now. But really, this game is worth it.
[Vague Spoilers]
thanks for the....kinda... nice words. Having a hard time figuring out whether you're complimenting the game or criticizing it. I assumed that you played until the end of the current build so I'm not really sure what "outlook" you're talking about with Zack towards Max because there wasn't much of that in the last update. There's been a pretty consistent impression of Max throughout the story based on the way Max carries himself. Sure, he shoved Zack that one time but there's been about a dozen other instances of interactions throughout the story where the audience mostly believed Max to be a dick. Overall, the feedback indicated that most people thought Zack justified. In fact, this is the first time I've ever heard anyone say otherwise so I guess I was confused what you meant from this update that was so bad and changed your outlook. I probably got the most praise in the game's history for Max's character arc in this update and honestly I'm pretty proud of it because I think it was unpredictable in every way. The people who liked Max before were mostly attracted to his "bad boy" attitude--which very much contradicts Zack who is much more empathetic. You just totally lost me with the "amazing until now" comment because I'm not sure what outlook you're talking about that occurred "now."
But, just to clarify: the game is free and will always be free. You dont have to pay for it. It's run entirely on donations so feel free to download here for free or from the Patreon site for free. Hopefully, you didn't pay for it on accident. The website here just asks for donations but shouldn't bug you too much. There's no obligation.
*Heavy Spoilers*
Max was indeed portrayed as a dick most of the time in the first half and I guess Mikhails introduction of Max as someone who sold secretly made videos of his mother and sisters didn't help much either :-). Although I think that the plotline "Total dick with hidden depths" isn't completely unique, it was well written and his development felt very natural. I thought that his lack of social skills might even be a side effect of him sharing some traits with his autistic brother?
Hello Aaryn! Love your game so much. The characters feel so real to me. Aaand they are gorgeous on top! Kudos to you and your artists.
I was so shocked when Zach lied to Mikhail in the locker room. Story of my life, really. I was about 14 years old when it struck me that I'm gay. My next thought was "No one must know, ever!", sadly. I never hated being gay, though. I mean, how can something that makes me feel so good be a bad thing? But my fear of rejection was too strong. So I avoided the issue or lied outright.
Then there was this boy in my class. I liked him a lot and probably ogled him a bit too obvious :-). One day he confronted me during handicrafts lessons and asked me if I liked him. I said yes, but it came out like "Yes, but not the way you want it". There was someone actually interested in me and I couldn't bring myself to admit openly that I was gay. Not in front of the others. Your game brought all this back and I thought how my life could have changed if I where open with him then.
I was well in my thirties when I finally came out to family and friends. It was a big thing for me then, but most people where like "So what, we suspected it all along!". Funny thing is, I never faced open rejection, it was all in my head. I had my "Years of service" in the gay community, the marching, the partying, working in the gay association. People think usually that I'm fun to have around, but inside still this little voice whispers "No one must know!" and it's so damn hard for me to be open and really close with people.
P.S. If you need any help with translations, spell checking or coding, I'm game :-). I'm German btw. and have some experience with coding projects, published some myself on Nexusmods.com
Wow. I keep coming back here for players' real-life experiences. I'm glad that you finally confront your inner fear and live the life you want. That's my fight too. Btw, I'm not in the development team but you can reach Aaryn - the developer via Twitter for instant reply.
Thank you for your reply and all the best wishes for you on your way. We are all in this together, and we don't walk alone!
Thank you so much. The same to you.
My last reply was somewhat generic and I felt a bit guilty about it :-). I've just read your other posts and how much you had to work through. I'm so happy for you that you have this much psychological insight at your age and good friends to talk to. When I was 21 I had not the faintest inkling of how to handle my feelings and I felt like there was no one I could talk to about it. It took many years for me to work through all this and confront my fears. Times were different then, almost 40 years ago, and information was hard to come by.
I'm so glad to know that you read my story so no need to feel sorry about that 😙 In my darkest days at highschool, I had to deal with my parents, lovers, friends and studying at the same time all by myself, which was way too much for a teenager. Parents checked all my messages without my consent and threatened my boyfriend and me, my boyfriends ditched me 3 times, friends at school verbally harrassed my sexuality (I realize I have that internalized homophobia too) At least, I have been through the worst situation so what could be worse :)))?
I can completely sympathize to your situation when being gay was treated as a sin. In Asia, people are still judgemental about this subject so coming out is always a long story. I even have to make a plan for this :)))) and the worst scenerio might be me being kicked out of my own family 😔
No, thanks for the story. I love people sharing like this. Usually when people complain about the lack of porn in the game, I usually point to messages like this and remind them that I didn't make the game to make them bust--i did it for reasons like this. i wanted people to see a realistic coming of age tale that's really hard for the MC to accept themselves. I wanted to show that sexual journey and ways that someone could overcome internalized homophobia--kinda like what you're talking about. Glad you appreciated it. I def appreciate the story and just hearing that it had an impact on people :)
Just finished Chapter 9. I like the "brotherly love" / more than a friendship Scene with Zach and Mikhail at the pool. You took a page from Aristotle's philia concept? :-). Regarding porn scenes: there's no end of that on the net, really. But a good story that tickles your imagination is hard to come by. And you got a lot of really strong scenes in the game that left my imagination running wild :-). I made a small contribution on your Patreonsite just to be part of this effort.
Thank you for taking us along on your journey!
Thanks a lot for the contribution but even more thanks for the kind words. It means a lot to me. Comments like this are really validating. It's interesting to see how the market has changed from people demanding porn in the game to that now being the minority opinion--which is exactly what i wanted :)
I'm glad i could help :-). It never gets old to get constructive feedback on your projects, right?
Can you come over now and hold me tight, please? No? Oh well, I'll have to use my imagination than :-))
I spent 6 hours straight playing this game yesterday and now I'm at chapter 3. I create this account just to give some comment.
This game hit me so hard on the story plot. So far, I love how all characters are portraited as unique but still relatable types of people when facing sexuality-related issues. I find parts of me in every character here: denial in Braden, confusion in Zach and confidence when solving others' problems in Mikhail. I am so surprised to see how character development is so well-built here unlike the majority of NSFW game filled with pornographic stuff. Can't wait to see how far this story goes. Great job.
Update: I have just finished the lastest chapter. I must say I taste my own tears this time. I love every single bonding moment here, not just the stuff between Zach and Braden. The hidden messages behind every twist are so relatable and meaningful to me as a teacher craving for inspirational stories. I used to be the golden child so I know the burden when being highly expected by my family. I used to be labelled, discriminated and made fun of at highschool. I used to be afraid of myself and hate myself for being who I was. I can all feel that just in a chapter itself. It's not that easy to overcome these but thanks to my priceless friends, I embrace my value and love myself in a more proper way. I am looking forward to observing how far these wholesome dudes will reach. I'm a big fan of you now.
I know exactly how you feel. I grew up with a father who was homophobic due to having been sexually assaulted as a teenager, which made even talking about how I feel nearly impossible and a high school that, charitably wasn't the most socially progressive in the world. All the loneliness Zack feels is exactly how I've felt for much of my life. Reading/going through this story is very cathartic and helpful, fiction or not.
Wow. I feel so sorry for your experience. Is everything alright now?
For the family part, my parents made me think of suicide as they knew about my relationship in highschool. I struggled to discover myself and confront my family at the same time. I had no one to ask for help or talk to. I completely feel you bro.
I think, we don't have the right to choose where we are born but we do have the right to choose the way we live. Maybe it's not an easy path to walk through but we still survive and become who we are today. At least, we can be sympathetic to others and even our own children if one day they come out of the closet. (Trust me I really want to have kids around 👨👧👦 ) Now, being about to graduate from college as a teacher, I am trying my best to help my students having problem discovering their sexuality. We can't change the past but we can make an impact for a better future.
For all the things we have been through, we all deserve a Zach or Braden in our life.
Things are better now. One of the biggest additional problems in the day is, that my first language is English and I live in Quebec, Canada. I grew up during the height of the nationalist era there where the English were absolutely hated on by a large chunk of the province (to the point that I was assaulted more than once). I could only really deal with 1 crisis at a time and that one went on for years. It's better now, and I have a good friend I can talk to about things, but I have an empathy for what others go through with discrimination and overthinking (as I do it all the time). I think that, more than anything is what I empathise most about the Zack character; what he does is something I've been doing for most of my life.
I'm just glad to hear that you are doing ok now. We all have the part of Zach inside where we collect all the thoughts and start digging around. Sometimes we make things even more complicated than they truly are. For me, having someone to talk to is a great way as they are your anchor whenever you are submerged in the train of thought. I'm trying to think simple and listen to my inner feelings more so I can help myself even when there's no one beside. By the way, I'm just 21 but I have to think twice more than others being at the same age. Thanks for sharing your story even you don't know me. That means a lot to me.
Thanks for listening and responding. It's been nice to chat about these things.
This game really is amazing. I very much enjoy how much depth there is to every character, rather than them just being 2D stereotypes.
Also, are we going to see more of Cody? 'Cause man he's so cute and innocent, I love him already (plus he's well fit and my type XP)! I wonder what him and the other wrestling guys get up to in the showers and sauna after a hard training session...
Might we at some point even get the option to move in with him instead of Mikky and Mash?
Seriously well done on both the writing and the character design! I'm already excited for the next update!
On a side note, are there any differences thus far between the pervy and respect route? Cause I havn't found any yet, though I might just be missing something.
So no comment about Cody because I want to avoid any spoilers for people. But I will confirm there's only one "route" in contrast to many other games. This game has more of a purpose to it than it is based on the selection of romantic routes.
I do appreciate the support and I'm glad you like the writing. It continues to be humbling to get compliments like this.
There are subtle differences between the two routes :)
I love this game😍 Compliments for you.
Request: can you make a secret "scene" between max and zack like a cheating thing cuz max abs dude..
thanks for the support :)
I can't really add anything like that in the game because it would break the story completely from where we are right now. As you probably know, if I write something into the game, it has to have consequences and something that drastic would be fairly detailed. To add something like that into the already established game would most likely end up being one of those "game over" scenarios and I"ve sorta avoided game overs. Juggling multiple choices in hard to keep track of an organize. I'm not very good at that stuff. So that's why I just chose to do 2 stories well rather than half ass like 7 different routes
Okay. I appreciate your answer.
Aaryn! Love the story. I appreciate all the hard work you put into this. Do you have any social media sites where you post updates on how the writing is going or anything like that?
yep, so the main page we work from is www.patreon.com/aaryn. That's where the updates go first. It also has Discord links on the site if that's something you're interested in.
In terms of social media, both me and my co-writer have twitter accounts if you wanna check us out.
https://twitter.com/Aaryn_Str8
https://twitter.com/YBlayke
Oh my gosh! I can't believe I finally found your page, I love this game! but as i'm brazilian i don't understand much of english hahaha, if you could do a translation into portuguese i would appreciate it very much! Thanks for showing me this amazing game! Kisses and see you soon!
Heya:)
I can't believe you got that excited to find the page. lol. This is a rough game to try and translate because it's written with a ton of American slang that spans multiple generations. I think we'll translate it eventually but I want to wait until it's done. Translating it right now is just too much work considering the beginning of the game will likely change. I dont want to have to keep updating translations over and over again. Hopefully, you can wait that long. I know a few others have expressed interest in Portuguese as well
oh my god finally!! the newest version!
yuuuup :) hope you enjoy. i liked it a lot
when will the next update come out?
I really love this game!
You can check on the patreon site for the most up to date stuff. Just released the newest update to those who donate to the project on Patreon, however that update will go free to the public on Aug 22. You'll probably want to download it straight from the patreon site then because this site is one of the last ones I usually update just because it's really confusing to me
I get a crash shortly after they get to coffee shop and start talking to the guy from Braden's wrestling team about where Braden is staying. If you ignore it - it cycles you back to where Braden is introducing Zach. And on in a loop same crash point - same fall back.
I recorded the error message.
(and I want to say before i forget - you writing keep improving; I can feel their anguish - intense work - VERY impressive!!)
```
I'm sorry, but an uncaught exception occurred.
While running game code:
File "game/script.rpy", line 36114, in script
menu:
File "game/script.rpy", line 36115, in <module>
"How's the job?" if CodyJob1 == False:
NameError: name 'CodyJob1' is not defined
-- Full Traceback ------------------------------------------------------------
Full traceback:
File "game/script.rpy", line 36114, in script
menu:
File "C:\Users\kruegerm\Downloads\mk\Str8-v0.18-pc\renpy\ast.py", line 1609, in execute
choice = renpy.exports.menu(choices, self.set, args, kwargs, item_arguments)
File "C:\Users\kruegerm\Downloads\mk\Str8-v0.18-pc\renpy\exports.py", line 943, in menu
condition = renpy.python.py_eval(condition)
File "C:\Users\kruegerm\Downloads\mk\Str8-v0.18-pc\renpy\python.py", line 1961, in py_eval
return py_eval_bytecode(code, globals, locals)
File "C:\Users\kruegerm\Downloads\mk\Str8-v0.18-pc\renpy\python.py", line 1954, in py_eval_bytecode
return eval(bytecode, globals, locals)
File "game/script.rpy", line 36115, in <module>
"How's the job?" if CodyJob1 == False:
NameError: name 'CodyJob1' is not defined
Windows-7-6.1.7601-SP1
Ren'Py 7.2.2.491
Str8 v0.18
Thu Aug 06 18:31:55 2020
```
heya. Thanks for the love on the writing. That game error is because you used an old save game. If you're gonna start that chapter, hit New game and choose the chapter again and you should be good
DOH. Now I feel like an idiot, LOL. You HAVE said that before, I don't know why I missed it. Thanks - that fixed the issue.
And more "love on the writing" -- your development of characters is awesome this chapter. ALL characters. I'm beginning to wonder how much of YOU is being exposed here :) Truly a great work!
Now ... about cliff hanger endings ....
don't hate me :p
i just created an account so i could comment on how well the storyline and game play is.
lowkey sad i kinda want what they have haha... usually i dont bother to read the story but im very much into it. i cant wait for more updates and im only in the middle of it, not wanting to end the chapter.
aw, thanks a lot. Hopefully, you realize the game gets better as i figured out what i was doing. Good news is this is still the free version and we just dropped an update on the Patreon site that adds another 2 hours of gameplay on. That will be free here in 3 weeks too if you dont wanna donate to get it earlier. lemme know what you think as the story goes on more :)
is it PC only i have a mac?
Nope, there's a Mac build. itch.io, only let's me upload one file so I only post the PC build. You can download the MAC version for free over on the Patreon site here https://www.patreon.com/aaryn
Hello Aaryn, Str8 is one of the best animation novels I have come across. I have just joined as an Elite member of your Patron. Can you let me know when the next chapters will come out and where I can download them? I was gutted after chapter 8 finished as I wanted more
aw, hey thanks Paul. The next part should be done before long. I've been working on it. There's also a pretty lengthy write up on the Patreon to give you an idea of what to expect for a timeline as well as content.
And dont hate me for that ending :p
Hello, I wish you had the game in Portuguese :(
Yeah, sorry. I havne't done any translations right now becuase this is still the rough draft of the game. No reason to translate until it's finished. Then I'll prob take a look at translations