The Proteus Effect - A Lighthearted RPG Maker H-Game [10.0 Patron / 0.9.8 Public]

[lostone2]

I just finished playing the 0.4.2 version (it's never too late and all of that *lol*). It feels a little like a breather, after the adventures of 0.3. part. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it's not something that I want to see in all the updates. The story advances a little and there are no big challenges. On the other hand the freshness of the game hasn't dimmed a bit and the sex scenes are getting hotter. Not only they are well designed and written but you art is so f***ing great and beautiful. Also it's pretty nice that, so far, you have been able to make the transition between releases so smooth and trouble free. It's a joy to be able to carry on with just copy/pasting the the save folder (why it's not the saves folder is beyond me).

Just to add a minor gripe of mine: in the tent scene there seem to be two variants. That is great because it adds replayibility to the game, but it would be neat if you could add a prompt to save (I'm not sure if is possible in MVbut I had seen it on Vx Ace) just before the start of the scene. Not a big thing in the great scheme of things.

Also, it would be kind of neat to have a list of the H-scenes as I have only found 2 scenes: the one with the guards (pretty, pretty hot) and the tent one.

 

[Jash]

Not only they are well designed and written but you art is so f***ing great and beautiful.

It's alright, you know, you're allowed to say "fuck" on this forum. I don't think anyone will be too offended by a bit of salty language.

And if anyone is, they're probably a cunt. So fuck 'em.

 

[Proxxie]

I just finished playing the 0.4.2 version (it's never too late and all of that *lol*). It feels a little like a breather, after the adventures of 0.3. part. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it's not something that I want to see in all the updates. The story advances a little and there are no big challenges. On the other hand the freshness of the game hasn't dimmed a bit and the sex scenes are getting hotter. Not only they are well designed and written but you art is so f***ing great and beautiful. Also it's pretty nice that, so far, you have been able to make the transition between releases so smooth and trouble free. It's a joy to be able to carry on with just copy/pasting the the save folder (why it's not the saves folder is beyond me).

Just to add a minor gripe of mine: in the tent scene there seem to be two variants. That is great because it adds replayibility to the game, but it would be neat if you could add a prompt to save (I'm not sure if is possible in MVbut I had seen it on Vx Ace) just before the start of the scene. Not a big thing in the great scheme of things.

Also, it would be kind of neat to have a list of the H-scenes as I have only found 2 scenes: the one with the guards (pretty, pretty hot) and the tent one.

Glad you've enjoyed it!

Sounds like you've missed a lot of H-scenes. This is a pretty common issue, so I'll be redesigning how they progress in 0.6 to make them easier to find. 0.6 will also introduce a "recollection room", a quick way for the player see H-scenes that they've already discovered. I haven't entirely decided how I'm going to handle scene variants there, but I may end up letting the player see variants they missed there. Maybe.

To answer your question, the H-scenes are as follows:

1. Company game masturbation scene
2. Company game tavern scene
3. School dream
4. Tent scene 1
5. Camp scene
6. Tent scene 2
7. Ogremarsh inspection
8. Lake confrontation
9. Inn scene
10. (0.5) Sharing room
11. (0.5) Talent show

0.4 was kind of a small update, but 0.5 is rather long if you do everything there is to do (still not much combat in it, tho). The main focus of 0.6 is a new dungeon, so there'll be more challenges there! Also, the art will probably improve a bit in 0.6, so that's something to look forward to if you like it now

 

[lostone2]

I mean that I missed one of the new scenes (as it seems that the 0.4.x version has three, I think that is the Inn scene: there is no reason to use either Inn in this update). I think that I have seen all the previous ones. Any plans for making some of the future scenes unmissable (I think that you can miss all the scenes so far)? In any case, I think that you're on the right track making them easier to find.

Some sort of gallery will be a great addition, though.

I have read that you're using new techniques for the art, so that is another thing to look for in future updates.

 

[Tankred]

So it's been a few months now. How's the game turning out?

 

[Proxxie]

So it's been a few months now. How's the game turning out?

Oops, I guess I forgot to post here last update. 0.5.2 is the current public build, and 0.6.3 is the current patron one. I'll probably have 0.7 out this month, at which point 0.6.3 will go public.

 

[Tankred]

Nice!

I've been sitting here playing it over the past day and I have to say I really enjoy it. The pacing is nice and the H-scenes feel more... natural than compared to most of the games you find. Just like someone said earlier in this thread though, managing to find them all is a bit tricky and it's really quite easy to miss them completely. Might I suggest adding some kind of skipping function, or at least the option to skip the prologue entirely up the to point where you get in the pod?

 

[Proxxie]

The scenes will be a bit easier to find in 0.7, but not putting them in the player's face all the time is definitely intentional. The porn in this game is meant to be optional.

I had an intro skip feature in some earlier versions, but I've since removed it. The intro is a small proportion of the overall game time now, and I don't want new players who are just looking for bewbs to skip it, since it sets up the protagonist and his situation. I will be looking to revise the intro so that it's more engaging to new players in a future release.

 

[Tankred]

I can understand that, but I'm just saying I basically spent 15 minutes just repeatedly clicking to get past the intro on my second playthrough. I guess you could make it so that it's skippable only for people who have gone through it once?

 

[Tankred]

Ahh, finally! After what feels like ages running around doing nothing to very little, I FINALLY managed to get in the sack with Ana, and boy was it sweet!

Hmm.. would you mind if I came with some suggestions for future H-scenes?

 

[Proxxie]

0.7 is now out for Patrons, so 0.6.4 is free to the public!

0.6.x adds the first part of a dungeon, 2 H-scenes (with different branches and segments), new skits, and quests to give the protagonist and Ana new abilities.

0.7 adds the rest of the dungeon, 1 H-scene with 2 paths (one of which is futa on male), and various quests and skits.

You can check out the public version here:
The Proteus Effect 0.6.4 is Now Public!

 

[Retromancer]

There's a lot of noise when it come to adult games, but if you are thinking about checking this game out, you definitely should. The writing is fantastic - it reminds me of Terry Pratchett, which is a high bar I know, but damn this game is so fucking funny. If you come into it expecting lots of H-scenes, everywhere, you'll be disappointed, but the plot, writing, and art (especially the facial expressions of the MC) are fantastic. Think of it more as a game or story with some adult elements rather than a fap-fest, and try it. It's great.

 

[Pugiron]

The gimmick puzzles suck as much as any gimmick puzzles

 

[Proxxie]

0.8 is finally done for my patrons, so 0.7.2 is free to the public!

0.7.x follows Alex, Ana, and The Bunnies as they finish the Dark Pits dungeon and encounter cute (and infuriating) allies. It also features an H-scene with the succubus from the party, and has both futa x female and futa x male variants.

A word of warning, though - this release has a bit of action gameplay! I've toned down the default difficulty, so it shouldn't be too bad now for casual players. But if you're looking for a challenge, try hard mode!

0.8 involves the player trying to get the Bunnies' support for a fight against the dragon; you can perform quests for your guildmates to achieve this, and each one is a (hopefully!) interesting little story. I also really like the H-scene in this one

Anyway, here's the public build!
The Proteus Effect 0.7.2

 

[Nnxx]

Came back after a 2 year pause, this game has grown quite a bit, I really like it.

But... Did.. Did I just get rickrolled in a porn game?

 

[Nnxx]

So... Do you just need to wait for the night to come or...? How will I know?

EDIT : Ok got it, buy a coffee to stay up at night.

 

[Proxxie]

Came back after a 2 year pause, this game has grown quite a bit, I really like it.

But... Did.. Did I just get rickrolled in a porn game?

Haha, yes you did get rickrolled! I'm glad you got that scene, it's one that people frequently miss.

 

[shrikes]

Saw your game here and just tried it out: It's Hilarious! I end up playing the game for your story and the lewd scenes being an added bonus. I get a little frustrated that I can't spend TP on combat skills - until I attempt to select skills in combat and see the passive milking skill (which always makes me chuckle). I've also decided to support you on patreon, so keep up the good work! =D

Edit: Also, thank you for including support for Mac. I normally have my Macbook with me and it's always nice to have games on it. =)

 

[Proxxie]

Saw your game here and just tried it out: It's Hilarious! I end up playing the game for your story and the lewd scenes being an added bonus. I get a little frustrated that I can't spend TP on combat skills - until I attempt to select skills in combat and see the passive milking skill (which always makes me chuckle). I've also decided to support you on patreon, so keep up the good work! =D

Edit: Also, thank you for including support for Mac. I normally have my Macbook with me and it's always nice to have games on it. =)

'Play it for the story; have some porn on the side' is very much the spirit I hope people approach it in.
I'm glad you enjoy it, and thank you for the support!

 

[Jash]

So, I finally got around to giving the game a bit of a go and, well, mixed feelings so far (haven't gotten that far into it, but there's a reason for that). The opening of the game went on for a bit TOO long with hammering home what a stupid, pathetic, gullible, embarrassing, slacker dork virgin the MC is- the entire job application at the wrong company and phone call bit could have been dropped from the game entirely without losing a thing, and it leans a bit too far into cringe comedy for my liking. Yeah, I get it, he's a loser. Once I end up in the game the concept is interesting, although the pacing is still kinda slow. The combat system is smooth enough, although combat feels inherently pointless so far because enemies don't give EXP, only gold, and as of yet the only thing I've found that I'm able to spend gold on is the beers from the tavern. The 3D models in the scenes are really awesome and the two scenes I've gotten so far (bed masturbation and tent jerkoff) have been pretty good. However there's the reason I can't give feedback much further than this:

The gimmick puzzles suck as much as any gimmick puzzles

This. The chickens vs frogs minigame wasn't TOO bad, although I found the controls incredibly infuriating because I play all RPGmaker games with my control pad, and the controls weren't configured for the control pad at all, forcing me to switch to the keyboard instead. But when I got to the mandatory stealth segment in the caves where enemies even getting a glimpse of you sends you back to the beginning of the entire section... well I just threw in the towel. The only real way to proceed is trial and error, and the lack of checkpoints just makes it insufferable. I guess I'll go back and have another go some time later on, but it really damaged my enthusiasm for the game. Not even the option of being able to reduce the difficulty of these minigames helps, especially with the pointed warning that taking it might cause you to miss out on content. Also I'm pretty sure you have to make the decision to reduce the difficulty before you even know what the minigame IS, so if you go into it and find it too frustrating the only way to make it easier is to quit and start from your last save again. And looking back at the previous 2 pages of feedback, this seems to be THE single most-recurring issue people have with the game.

Also if I have another criticism, it's that the game is (so far at least) full of nothing. Long, empty screens with nothing on them that I have to run through to get to the next story event. It's not like I want to be snowed-under with random encounters, but honestly a lot of the transitional screens could be halved in size or even deleted altogether.

 

[Proxxie]

Aside from a small handful of required battles, combat in this game is avoidable. Combat doesn't really reward the player, either; this is intentional, and is part of my overall effort to avoid either requiring or rewarding repetitive activities (i.e., grinding.) Instead, this game's challenge comes from its minigames and puzzles.

Some people really like the minigames. Other players enjoy some minigames but not others. The folks who really hate them usually figure this out by the first dungeon and stop playing around then. This is for the best, since there are a lot more minigames ahead.

I do think that many of my earlier maps look boring. The newer ones look considerably better. My mapping skills - like most of my other skills - have improved over time.

 

[savagesix]

Yes, it's a necro bump. Seems like Proxxie isn't updating here anymore (last seen over a year ago) but the Patreon link shows there's been steady progress as time's gone on. Wondering if there's a better place to talk about this game than here? It was rather entertaining and cute from what I played and it is still getting updates- just radio silence here, is all.

 

[To&Fro]

I was able to play it through to current public release, so it's still a valid game. It's actually well done and quite interesting. I didn't really have much difficulty with it, though I would suggest that as with the usually RPGMaker stuff, you turn always run = on. The minigames would be really hard if you were trying to keep shift held down all the time.

I hope it continues to be developed, It feels closer to complete than not. I think it really sucks when games pack it in just as they are winding up to their finale... (or chapter end, etc.)

It's possible that Proxxie just forgot about this outlet for the game. That might be an issue when the developer starts focusing on the Chat inside Discord or Patreon, etc.

 

[Tinman]

Yes, it's a necro bump. Seems like Proxxie isn't updating here anymore (last seen over a year ago) but the Patreon link shows there's been steady progress as time's gone on. Wondering if there's a better place to talk about this game than here? It was rather entertaining and cute from what I played and it is still getting updates- just radio silence here, is all.

Patreon I suppose. I'd assumed this game was dead since neither this thread nor the TFGS page have updated in over a year.

 

[Proxxie]

It's possible that Proxxie just forgot about this outlet for the game. That might be an issue when the developer starts focusing on the Chat inside Discord or Patreon, etc.

I did indeed forget, my apologies. I'm pretty bad at marketing, unfortunately.

10.0 is out for supporters, which means the last 0.9 build - 0.9.8 - is now public. Here's the changelog, as well as a promo image for 10.0:



Changelog 10.0 (patron version):

• 3 (technically 4) new quests
• New puzzle levels
• New sneaking mission
• New dungeon, boss fight and miniboss fight
• New H-scene (25 images)
• New outfit (pajamas) and character view renders
• Added the West Wind (for staff quest)
• New gear
• New special currencies/rewards (that don’t do anything yet)
• Approximate playtime of new content: 6-8 hours

Changelog 0.9.8 (public version):

• New party member
• 2 new H-scenes
• 7-ish quests, depending on how you count
• 1 (small) dungeon
• 2 boss fights
• 1 minigame
• New district
• Added lighting effects
• Added game character view feature (press ‘i’ to toggle. Warning: this feature is a little wonky!)
• Added menu character view feature (on the Status menu)
• Xmog feature (he’s on the 2nd floor of the Sorcerer’s Society)
• Battle action sequences
• New animations
• New ability for Ana
• New equipment slots
• Default items for new slots (old saves should be fixed automatically)
• New boots for completing Celie’s quest (chickens vs. frogs, awarded retroactively)
• Changed the way TP behaves for many characters
• Improved conveyance for cookie quest (there should be fewer ‘WTF am I supposed to do?’ moments.)
• Several new skits
• An autosave feature
• A vast number of fixed bugs
• Improved game performance (hopefully)
• Approximate new content playtime: 5-7 hours

 

[Proxxie]

TPE version 10.1 is now released for supporters!

The game is moving to smaller, more frequent releases, and this is the first of those. The content mainly centers around the arena, but it also introduces some new features and a new UI. The next incremental release, 10.2, will consist of an H-scene.

Back when I was doing large, infrequent releases the public version was 1 big release behind; now that the game has switched to incremental releases, the public version will be 2-3 small releases behind (haven't decided which yet.)

 

[To&Fro]

Well, let me first say that I appreciate developers that use public releases. It demonstrates that they are in it for the games themselves and not for the quick money hit, which is what I feel patreon and other subscription processes encourage.

It's the one thing I really like about Steam or GOG game centers. You pay for the game once and get the updates as they come, a promise by the developer to finish the game for you signing on early. It's not this endless money stream. It is much like the older 'buy at the store' model that built video games. So to keep the developer in cash, you talked friends into joining the bandwagon.

Now it's just meh, moneywise anyway.

So thank you Proxxie for being one of the good guys. I can't wait to see the conclusion of the storylines. You might try to port this over to Steam, you'd probably get some extra $$$ there. I know I'd buy it.

 

[Proxxie]

Well, let me first say that I appreciate developers that use public releases. It demonstrates that they are in it for the games themselves and not for the quick money hit, which is what I feel patreon and other subscription processes encourage.

It's the one thing I really like about Steam or GOG game centers. You pay for the game once and get the updates as they come, a promise by the developer to finish the game for you signing on early. It's not this endless money stream. It is much like the older 'buy at the store' model that built video games. So to keep the developer in cash, you talked friends into joining the bandwagon.

Now it's just meh, moneywise anyway.

So thank you Proxxie for being one of the good guys. I can't wait to see the conclusion of the storylines. You might try to port this over to Steam, you'd probably get some extra $$$ there. I know I'd buy it.

I do plan on releasing a "special edition" version to Steam when the project's done - with a free key for supporters with lifetime contributions over a certain value (probably $20-30, not sure yet.) The plan is to go back and redo a lot of the early art and maps, maybe do some more editing and writing, and try to make it the final, best version.

The monetization thing is kind of tricky... I think it's important to align the developer's incentives with the player's - the player wants a complete game and the developer wants to be paid for their time. Patreon (and Subscribestar, etc) aren't perfect for this - they can encourage devs to go slowly or draw things out - but they at least incentivize the dev to produce something. Steam Early Access might actually be the worst model, since the dev already has your money no matter what else they do (or don't do.) I also think it would take a lot of marketing and promotion to generate enough money through Steam Early Access to make a big project financially viable - and that means either working with a publisher (who probably won't be interested in an early-stage project) or spending your time marketing instead of developing. In my case, I'm hoping to get a payoff from the "special edition" once the project is complete, and this serves as an incentive to finish it (in addition to wanting to do it both for myself and my supporters.)

I totally feel you on the "I just want to buy it once and be done with it" thing, though. I've done that with a few H-games on Itch or Steam. In most cases they're games I probably wouldn't have supported on Patreon, but if I really really like a project - or if I think it's so quirky and unusual that it probably doesn't have a very big market - I don't mind supporting it. Anyway, thank you, and I'm glad you seem to be enjoying it!

 

[To&Fro]

The monetization thing is kind of tricky... I think it's important to align the developer's incentives with the player's - the player wants a complete game and the developer wants to be paid for their time. Patreon (and Subscribestar, etc) aren't perfect for this - they can encourage devs to go slowly or draw things out - but they at least incentivize the dev to produce something. Steam Early Access might actually be the worst model, since the dev already has your money no matter what else they do (or don't do.) I also think it would take a lot of marketing and promotion to generate enough money through Steam Early Access to make a big project financially viable - and that means either working with a publisher (who probably won't be interested in an early-stage project) or spending your time marketing instead of developing. In my case, I'm hoping to get a payoff from the "special edition" once the project is complete, and this serves as an incentive to finish it (in addition to wanting to do it both for myself and my supporters.)

I can't speak directly to the Steam early access model, but your argument is somewhat strange coming from a developer. The problem isn't really with the model, it's with the developers desire to finish what they start... in other words... something you are in control of. Let me put it a bit differently:

I'm making a game and I decide it's playable at about the 30-40% point. I have made $0 at this point, but Steam Early Access nets me about 70% of what I think the final game might be worth (say $15). Even if I only got 50%, I'd still be ahead of the point the game is at. My promise to the player base is that I'm going to finish the game because we have a contract, they give me their $15 and I give them a work in progress with the promise to finish it. That seems somewhat fair, but if I mis-price the games value, I'm not going to get many takers or I'm undervaluing the game itself. I do think Steam allows you to adjust the price as you go as well so if you are 80% done, you can ask for a little more until you are all done then ask for your final value. Sure, the early adopters get the final version for less but they've waited the longest for you to finish and hopefully they've given you input in the discussions as you've gone- a win/win.

So, I'm not sure if that's a problem or not. Maybe if the dev takes the money and runs, but that's a one and done deal, you try that again and Steam will shut you down so you kill your rep. Yeah, you can retool and try to pull off the scam again but eventually people get wise to it. That's why most early access games are either free or very inexpensive (sub $10) unless they are pretty far down the path. At least it's some more money coming in!

Thanks for the reply, I like it when devs talk to their players, it really means they are committed to their craft.

 

[Proxxie]

Patron version updated to 10.2, and public version updated to 10.0.4.

10.2 (Patrons only):

• A new H-scene with Shiri!
• Minor bugfixes

10.1 (Patrons only):

• Fights, skits, new characters and scenes centered around the arena
• New (hopefully more pleasant) UI
• Gems and enchants: new ways to enhance gear
• New combat info screen
• Approximate playtime of 10.1 content: 1.5 hours

10.0 (Public version):

• 3 (technically 4) new quests
• New puzzle levels
• New sneaking mission
• New dungeon, boss fight and miniboss fight
• New H-scene (25 images)
• New outfit (pajamas) and character view renders
• Added the West Wind (for staff quest)
• New gear
• New special currencies/rewards (that don’t do anything until 10.1)
• Approximate playtime of new content: 6-8 hours