That Cheap and Sacred Thing - Drama/Sci-fi

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Camille
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Re: That Cheap and Sacred Thing - Drama/Sci-fi

#46 Post by Camille »

Even though I generally don't like science fiction that much, I decided to give the game a try since everyone was saying great things about it. I'm really glad I did. While I didn't cry at the end (I usually am pretty emotional, but I think it's because everyone said they cried, so I was already ready for it XD), it was really touching. The whole story tugged at the heartstrings and I got attached to Autumn and Jude and Elly so much that I really wanted to finish and see what happened to them. That and I loved the movie AI, so I thought that the parallels were great. (:

I hope that you do write a sequel at some point, but the story really doesn't need one. If not, I can just pretend that
Autumn saved up money, got two of those EternaLover androids to upload Jude and Elly into, and was able to live happily with both of them again
and that would make me a happy fangirl.

I'm looking forward to your future works! :D Great job on TCAST.
Last edited by Camille on Fri Jun 03, 2011 3:07 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: That Cheap and Sacred Thing - Drama/Sci-fi

#47 Post by carosene »

EternalDream wrote:Oh my god, that was such a nice read *v*
The ending and everything was very powerful. To me, it wasn't that sad, but it left this heavy feeling in my chest...
especially when Jude and Autumn were having their last moments together ;A;
Doesn't help that Jude is actually my type... :'D

I think you did a very good job in writing it. :D I really liked the pacing and the amount of information you gave, which was just the right amount. There were no info dumps and yet there was enough that I understood what was going on. I'd definitely play your next game, if you are making another one xD
Thanks so much for your comments! :D I'm especially glad to hear it didn't feel like there were info dumps. ^-^;; *got criticized about that in early drafts*

I'm totes making a new game! XD The Darlings Lost WIP thread is here if you want to see about the same information that was in the game. XD

If you mean a sequel for TCAST, you're right, I haven't decided whether that's happening yet. ^-^;;
PyTom wrote:So, I went into this somewhat predisposed against it. While I generally like science fiction, I had been worried that this was hewing too close to the movie A.I. - and generally, I stay away from a female point of view. But based on the wonderful reviews this has been getting, I tried it anyway.
Camille wrote:Even though I generally don't like science fiction that much, I decided to give the game a try since everyone was saying great things about it. I'm really glad I did.
Thank you guys so much for stepping out of your boundaries and giving the game a try. :D (Also thanks to everyone who gave me positive reviews! XD) Hearing that you guys liked it is probably a bigger compliment than others. :)

Very glad to hear you liked it, PyTom! I'm kind of honored. XD And thanks for the recommendation.

Thanks Camille, for your thoughts on a potential sequel. :) And thanks for looking forward to future games! I hope you'll enjoy whatever I make next. XD
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Re: That Cheap and Sacred Thing - Drama/Sci-fi

#48 Post by Snow Blossom »

I don't like kinetic novels very much, and at first, I got kind of disinterested by the whole robot plot. But I decided to give this a try anyway, since good reviews about it were popping up everywhere. And I have to say: I loved it. The artwork was beautiful and the plot was so touching! Though it didn't need any extra scenes, I wished it could have been longer just to give the characters more screen time, cuz I loved all of them (well, except for the nasty mother) :P I also liked the bonuses; they gave me a good look into the deeper meanings of TCAST. I love it when stories have multiple layers and symbolism.

As for a sequel: YES. PLEASE. I'd really like to see how all the characters turned out, especially since I liked them so much ><

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Re: That Cheap and Sacred Thing - Drama/Sci-fi

#49 Post by GeneDNC »

Okay I've stopped reading through all the comments because I'll have nothing more to say and won't be able to express how awesome your game is.

I can see why people compare it to A.I. but honestly I'm not a huge fan of that movie and this is about a bazillion times better! I wasn't that interested in it in the beginning, I was kinda put off by the title, I don't know why. But I am SO glad I played it, and for the record the title seems so much more meaningful and fitting now. I really enjoyed your comments on innocence and sexuality too. If there is a sequel (which I will root for) I'd like to see those themes explored, but still keeping the status quo intact. Does that make sense? I think I am rambling.

Anyway, thanks for the amazing art (to the artists) and the fantastic story. You really made me care for the characters, and in such a short time too!

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Re: That Cheap and Sacred Thing - Drama/Sci-fi

#50 Post by PyTom »

I really don't think this story needs a sequel. I'd have no problems with another story in the same universe, but right now, I feel like I know, fairly well what happens in the future:
Autumn works hard enough and eventually gets enough money to buy two EternalLover robot bodies, which she loads the two AIs into - I'm assuming (handwaving) that there aren't many moral qualms in doing so if the personalities residing in those bodies haven't been initialized yet. They all live happily ever after - even more happily once Proposition Infinity gets passed.
At least that's how I want it to end - and you should weigh if making a sequel would give the audience more happiness than letting them choose what they want. Ambiguity can be good.

While the androids don't appear to be Asimovian, if they were, I could come up with a guess as to what was happening:
For whatever reason, they saw Autumn as the only human, so the first law would only kick in to protect her, and would cause them to over-react to protect her. The second and third laws would be operating normally.
Of couse, the robots aren't Asimovian, because:
One of the purposes of the androids is to protect humans, perhaps harming others - and that's not something an Asimovian robot can do.
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Re: That Cheap and Sacred Thing - Drama/Sci-fi

#51 Post by Watercolorheart »

Since your previous artists are mostly unreachable, I have a feeling that you and I are going to be signed up for a direct sequel release, carosene...
I'm not even the same person anymore

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Re: That Cheap and Sacred Thing - Drama/Sci-fi

#52 Post by carosene »

Snow Blossom wrote:I don't like kinetic novels very much, and at first, I got kind of disinterested by the whole robot plot. But I decided to give this a try anyway, since good reviews about it were popping up everywhere. And I have to say: I loved it. The artwork was beautiful and the plot was so touching! Though it didn't need any extra scenes, I wished it could have been longer just to give the characters more screen time, cuz I loved all of them (well, except for the nasty mother) :P I also liked the bonuses; they gave me a good look into the deeper meanings of TCAST. I love it when stories have multiple layers and symbolism.

As for a sequel: YES. PLEASE. I'd really like to see how all the characters turned out, especially since I liked them so much ><
I love stories with layers and symbolism too. X3 I'm very glad that you saw that in TCAST. And also that you loved the characters! XD
Duly noted about the sequel. ;) We'll see what happens.
GeneDNC wrote:Okay I've stopped reading through all the comments because I'll have nothing more to say and won't be able to express how awesome your game is.

I can see why people compare it to A.I. but honestly I'm not a huge fan of that movie and this is about a bazillion times better! I wasn't that interested in it in the beginning, I was kinda put off by the title, I don't know why. But I am SO glad I played it, and for the record the title seems so much more meaningful and fitting now. I really enjoyed your comments on innocence and sexuality too. If there is a sequel (which I will root for) I'd like to see those themes explored, but still keeping the status quo intact. Does that make sense? I think I am rambling.

Anyway, thanks for the amazing art (to the artists) and the fantastic story. You really made me care for the characters, and in such a short time too!
Whew! XD Glad to hear someone who doesn't like AI likes TCAST.
Psht, I love rambles! I'm not sure what you which status is the status quo though, if you could explain that. :)
Thank you for your comments and thanks for liking the characters. :D
PyTom wrote:I really don't think this story needs a sequel. I'd have no problems with another story in the same universe, but right now, I feel like I know, fairly well what happens in the future:
Autumn works hard enough and eventually gets enough money to buy two EternalLover robot bodies, which she loads the two AIs into - I'm assuming (handwaving) that there aren't many moral qualms in doing so if the personalities residing in those bodies haven't been initialized yet. They all live happily ever after - even more happily once Proposition Infinity gets passed.
At least that's how I want it to end - and you should weigh if making a sequel would give the audience more happiness than letting them choose what they want. Ambiguity can be good.
Thanks for your input.
You're totally right and I totally agree with you. It doesn't need a sequel, and I do like the ambiguity. That's what I originally thought when I wrote TCAST so long ago.
(And everyone seems to like it and I'm afraid to screw that up. XD)

However, I do have some ideas, and there is some demand for one, so I feel that there is a possibility. It will probably be a visual novel rather than another kinetic novel. But if it happens, it is a long way off in the future. ^-^;;
BCS wrote:Since your previous artists are mostly unreachable, I have a feeling that you and I are going to be signed up for a direct sequel release, carosene...
What do you mean a direct sequel release? XD
There's always recruiting new people. XD And like I said, it's a long way off. I'd want to have a draft of the script before I even start talking to artists. That's how I roll.
And I'm working on Darlings Lost right now. ^-^;; I'm not even going to make up my mind about a TCAST sequel until Darlings is heading toward completion.
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Re: That Cheap and Sacred Thing - Drama/Sci-fi

#53 Post by Boniae »

I feel that it would be over-rated if I completely went on and on about how much I loved and what I loved (And I'm really tempted to do so xD), but I'll just sum it up in a sentence -
By far one of the most beautiful and touching VN's I have ever played. :'D

You should be proud of yourself and your team! It was awesome! And I'm going to play it again because it was so good. ;w;

A sequel would be great - but if you see it fit that it doesn't need one, I wouldn't be sad. :)

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Re: That Cheap and Sacred Thing - Drama/Sci-fi

#54 Post by carosene »

Aww, thanks so much! :D Psht, go on, go on, my ego needs more stroking! XD *cough, that sounds weird*

I am totes proud of the team. XD They did a mega-epic job.
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Re: That Cheap and Sacred Thing - Drama/Sci-fi

#55 Post by Sapphi »

This story touched on a couple soft spots of mine.

1. My name is Autumn.

2. I am guilty of getting very sentimental about machines. (After pulling into the driveway after dark, I run my hand across my Maxima's rear spoiler and say, "Night, Keiko." I know it sounds dumb, but it's true...)

Obviously, I cried, but
when she took that bat to him, I just about lost it. I don't think I could have even written a scene like that without crying.
I'm in the camp that says no sequel. I think you accomplished what you wanted to say very well with this story alone. In mechanic's terms, don't fix what ain't broken. In artist's terms, put down the paint brush and step away from the canvas! :lol:

Thank you so much for writing this. I loved it.
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Re: That Cheap and Sacred Thing - Drama/Sci-fi

#56 Post by carosene »

Oh no! You found out that I secretly wrote the game about you! o.o

Kidding. XD
Actually, that's pretty hilarious coincidence. XD Psht, it's not weird to talk to your car! I named my laptop Jeff and use male pronouns for him. XD
I actually did write that scene without crying. :lol: It didn't become awesome until multiple revisions... and the CGs gave is a lot more emotional impact. It didn't hit me until I beta-tested it, when the CGs and the text and the music all came together, I was like "UWAH... o.o... Wait, WTF, I wrote this! XD"
Thanks for the input about the potential sequel. X3
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Re: That Cheap and Sacred Thing - Drama/Sci-fi

#57 Post by south desert islander »

Well let's get this review off.

Music: Decent but certainly nothing that drags it down or lifts it up. It did it's duty to set the tone for the story and I can't hate or love it. The ending music was perfect, I will say that.

Graphics: Very well done, though some of the art felt mishmashed with different styles, but that's not enough to remove the charm of the game. It felt odd at first seeing a odd looking backgrounds with clear cut faces, but the theme and style are constant straight through the game. Not the highest quality of work that I have seen but it is aesthetically pleasing and that's more important then quality of the artwork itself.

Story: Story is pretty what got me going. It's been a long time since I read a good bot story, but you certainly made a nice little universe here and it can easily be used for many more stories if you so choose. The ending was a perfect way of finishing it. It takes a good story to pull my heartstrings but you manage to do that with this.

Keep up the good work.

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Re: That Cheap and Sacred Thing - Drama/Sci-fi

#58 Post by Cain0425 »

i got done playing the game i and i got say it was really good but i cry at the end when she was beating him with a bat and cry but it she save him in some from i really hope you do make a Sequel i really love this story !

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Re: That Cheap and Sacred Thing - Drama/Sci-fi

#59 Post by Morhighan »

Well, the added images definitely made me cry, my amazing friend.
The first time I read the bare-bones version, I put my head down on the desk and had to remember how to breathe properly, it was that damn good.
This version is fantastic as well and finally made me tear up.
Great job and congratulations!

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Re: That Cheap and Sacred Thing - Drama/Sci-fi

#60 Post by Cerebral »

I finally made an account for TCAST
I really love it and thank you for making such a wonderful VN
Not all stories should have a sequel. Much like HP can't have another book in it's series. But what it does have is and epilogue- short and enjoyable.
And oh my gosh I'll wake up with a swollen face from all this crying T_T

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