Reality on the Norm: Au Naturel
Download installer: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?action=download&game=1025&mirror=1
Download zip archive: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?action=download&game=1025
RoN: Au Naturel takes place, as the name suggests, in the universe of Reality on the Norm. (If you have not played any of the RoN games, have no fear -- the necessary back-story for this game is covered in the introductory cutscene.)
The premise: Photos of Mika Huy in the nude have fallen into the hands of Mayor Gower's campaign manager, Death. You play Gower as he strives to undo this injustice and return the photos to their rightful owner. Actually, he's just trying to see Mika naked.
WARNING: In addition to this tasteless premise, the game contains a lot of blood and full frontal nudity (both sexes). If you are already offended, please don't waste your time downloading and getting angry at this game. But if that didn't scare you off, all aboard!
Features:
--> about 1 hour of game play
--> 45 minutes of midi magic from John Philip Sousa
--> A vast world of rooms and characters to experience and explore
--> New Geoff walk-cycle
Screenshot:
(http://www.boyinthebasement.com/scrnshot.gif)
Download installer: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?action=download&game=1025&mirror=1
Download zip archive:http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?action=download&game=1025
Very very fun and well written game so far! I'm on my 3rd task right now, and I must say this game is one of the funniest I've played in a while. Dialogue is very well written. This game somehow gives me Discworld vibes...looking to finish this one today. :)
Did you enjoy animating the massive floppy penis of guido's?
Nice game, its great to finally see a decent RON game
I agree the dialogue was hilarious and it was one of the best games to come out of the RON scene in quite a while...
...but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't semi-disturbed by seeing Guido's man-parts.
@MichaelS: Thanks! I didn't have Discworld in mind at all. Is it because the dialogs are long-winded?
@Layabout: Yes, actually. It was a lot of hard work getting the flop just right and took several versions to achieve sufficient massiveness, but I think it was worth it.
@wavigravi: I think that's a touch unfair to other RON games, but I'll take the compliment! Thanks!
@Grundislav: I'm sorry. I really should have asked you first before doing that with a character you invented. It must be like seeing your adult child naked. That is disturbing.
yer it was when i reread it :o i meant to say it's the best RON game ive played in a very long time tho there are some other very good ones
Actually, I'd agree, it's the best written ron game for at least a few years. I was just quite perplexed by the penis animation...
Reality on the pRON!
The game was funny! And Mika, hot as usual! Well done!
Thanks for the positive feedback, everyone. If you liked the game, please don't forget to rate it on the games database. If you didn't like the game, please don't think of something really distracting right now, like that important thing you forgot to do today.
I like how you showed Mika's 'development' over time. The only thing I thought a bit odd were the statements that the 3Spy version was superior, yet you used her original sprite in the game.
Nice work all around, and the whole penis thing didn't bother me in the context of a 'nudity' option. All's fair when you choose something like that, I guess!
Downloading ;D
Funny game - I particularly liked the sound effects!
Quote from: ProgZmax on Sat 24/05/2008 18:07:04
The only thing I thought a bit odd were the statements that the 3Spy version was superior, yet you used her original sprite in the game.
Hotter, not superior. I kind of regret Mika's makeover now. Good to see someone making fun of it!
Finished it! Excelent Game!!! I´m new in this so this is my first Ron Game. I will check out the others :)
Aside from the fact that we have probably all wanted to see either Mika or Guido in the altogether, this was easily the funniest RON game in the whole series. I didn't stop laughing.
Any chance of more RON games from you? There doesn't seem to have been much interest in making them recently.
Hotter isn't superior? :(
Don't regret giving her massive calves, Steve. Don't!
Perhaps one day someone will use the generic remakes I did of most of the RON's in a game, provided they feel like giving them animations ^_^.
@ProgZMax&SteveMcCrea: I think the III Spy Mika sprites are hotter AND superior. I didn't even notice the big calves. Must have been distracted by other prominences.
@pepetwingo: Thanks! If you're interested in RoN, I would start from the beginning: Lunchtime of the Damned.
@paolo: Thanks! I was thinking about making a second RoN game -- the sequel to this one -- but since Au Naturel was turned down by the RoN website due to it's content, I think I'll focus on something else. It seems like a waste of time to make a sequel to a game that was rejected.
They rejected it? The fiends!!! It's by far more entertaining than most of the others released lately!
That's rather odd, imo. The games have typically had tons of violence, but optional nudity is forbidden? Oh well, I agree with Layabout that it was more entertaining overall than many of the more recent RON games and it's a shame they won't accept it.
I think it's ridiculous. If they allowed Davy Jones C'est Mort and Mika's Surreal Dream (which I seem to recall depicts a stick figure urinating) they should allow this...
Well its not helping RON's future if there not willing to except a gem such as this. RON games of decent quality are very rare over the past few years so they shouldnt nitpick on the point of a bit of nudity.
Contemplation required... (http://www.boingboing.net/2008/05/27/games-need-more-sex.html)
Quote from: LimpingFish on Sat 31/05/2008 23:18:15
Contemplation required... (http://www.boingboing.net/2008/05/27/games-need-more-sex.html)
funny how that video is not available anymore...
Wow, that is weird. :-\
Basically the video contained the following points:
1. No overtly violent game will be awarded an "AO" (Adults Only) rating, providing is has no nudity or sexual content. From the list of the 25 games which have been rated "AO" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AO-rated_products), 20 are pornographic titles. Of the five "mainstream" games that received the rating, one was canceled, and the others have since been re-classified "M", after minor alterations. In the cases of GTA: SA, and Indigo Prophecy, these cuts related to sexual content.
2. Sex in games is portrayed in such an immature manner, that a serious debate on the subject is currently impossible. The video doesn't condemn sexualized imagery in mainstream games; indeed, it more or less agrees that it's to be expected. But until developers, who wish to address sexuality as part and parcel of the stories they tell, depict it in such a tacky manner, we really won't see any change in how these games are perceived.
3. Games are still largely seen as the exclusive domain of children.
Violence in video games will always come second to sex/nudity in our current social climate. People are far more likely to be "offended" by perceived sexual content in video games, than mass gratuitous violence, and far more interested in "protecting" their children (themselves?) from exposure to such.
I think RON: Au Naturel has simply fallen foul of this double standard.
The video that Limpingfish was trying to link to has been re-posted
here. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFywW99Uvwc)
Interesting stuff, I think. Makes me wish I had made a video game with a mature representation of sexuality.
Oh well. Maybe next time.
After some delay, I finally played and finished it! Laughed my ass off and guido's floppin' cod. Hilarious!
I might, make a RON game, myself... this one has inspired me :P
Quote from: SergioCornaga on Fri 30/05/2008 09:50:54
I think it's ridiculous. If they allowed Davy Jones C'est Mort and Mika's Surreal Dream (which I seem to recall depicts a stick figure urinating) they should allow this...
There is more precedent. There is a RoN game that features the chef, Lucca, naked, but with his naughty bits pixellated out. (You'll have to play the game to see why, and it's such a long time since I played it, I don't remember which one it is, so you'll have to play them all to find out!*) Of course, that's all in fun rather than for titillation, so probably that's why they have an issue with bitby's game. But as has already been said, it's a sad double standard that people think there is something shocking about the naked human body that people need to be protected from (like they've never seen one before) whereas decapitations, dismemberments and disembowelments are just fine for us to watch.
* According to the RoN site, Lucca is in
The Chef,
Purity of the Surf,
MI5 Bob,
III Spy,
Major Bummer Dude: Lassi Quest RON and
Root of all Evil. My money's on the first one.
Bitby, congratulations on making the first worthy RON game since 2005! It's been a long time since I enjoyed RON and its wacky denizens, so you are to be applauded and thanked. The characters stay true to form, the dialog is great, and the puzzles are nice and clever. It was funny and charming, and the fact that it wasn't allowed on the RON site is a crime against everything RON stands for.
Sure, it's got nudity. But the RON website allows you to set a warning flag for adult content and the game itself allows the nudity to be turned off, so I don't see the problem. Heck, any argument against adult content was destroyed in 2001 when "Davy Jones C'est Mort" was allowed on the site. if a scene of Davy Jones getting raped by a cow was allowed, then there's no reason why this shouldn't be.
Anyway, great job Bitby! I had a great time playing it.
@The Suitor: Thanks! Good luck with your RON game. Despite my disappointment over Au Naturel being rejected, I still think making a RON game is a great way to dive into AGS and adventure game design in general. All the free sprites and backgrounds save you a lot of time and let you concentrate on story, puzzles, characterization, etc -- all the important stuff.
@paolo: Too bad more people aren't as inhibited and grossed out by violence as they are by sex.
@Dave Gilbert: Thanks for the praise and encouragement. Coming from someone who made so many fun RON games, it means a lot. Also, thanks for posting on the RON forum. I'm still guardedly hopeful that the administrator will change his mind.
Hey Bitby. No problem. :) No reaction from admin on the RON forum yet but we'll see.
I concur with the above sentiments that it's ridiculous to ban adventure games from the RON site on grounds of nudity. What's next, Jack Thompson suing AGS for depravity?
This whole controversy on the RON forum has to be the craziest, most engrossing and addicting to read forum thread I ever read recently.
Is RON a company, a franchize, a commercial product? Why all this corporate speak about administrative staff, copyright, legislation and lawyers and what not? Isn't RON a community effort? Who these people are to decide which game is accepted and which game isn't? Isn't that the role of the big RON rules and the community (by referencing to past chapters in future games, de facto canonizing them)?
That may sound as harsh and/or completly out of line, and I apologize in advance in case it is, but as an outsider and totally ignorant of RON community's politics and history, I have two questions:
One: If RON is a community thing, what prevent anyone, who disagree with the current "administration" from creating their own RON games database, including all games, even those banned for trivial and/or hypocritical and/or pseudo-administrative reasons? (as long you get the permission from the creators to put their games on this second database)
Two: You're probably trying to solve this matter diplomatically right now, but where is the "Either you keep Au Naturel, either you remove my games from the database as well" solidarity?
I thought community projects like could be a kind of asset, but when I see the amount of red tape and hypocrisy involved in the current situation, I'm wondering if it's such a good idea after all.
I don't know any of the RON people, but maybe the person in charge is just a stubborn git.
Just a thought.
All I can say is that none of the originators of RON seem to have any published objections, so why should someone that just maintains the library?
>where is the "Either you keep Au Naturel, either you remove my games from the database as well" solidarity?
I actually went as far to request this exact thing yesterday (I'm 'Turquoise Daffodil', I made the game 'Defender of RON' six years ago). I'm astonished by the fact that this game even sparked such a debate. I can't see any harm in it whatsoever.
People who are interested in this issue should really read the thread about this on the RON forum (http://ron.the-underdogs.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7=670&st=0&sk=t&sd=a). Apparently, the admins are afraid of legal action in the light of an upcoming law regarding copyright issues. And they're of the opinion that Au Naturel counts as porn, and could eventually brand them as criminals.
(Wow, this sounds like a plot for a game by itself..!)
You know the irony of all this?
The RON administration is afraid of copyright issues (which are, I'm afraid, mostly based upon hearsay rather than actual law). And yet, the entire RON site is hosted on The Underdogs, which is a site that hosts "abandonware" games to be downloaded for free. And as anybody remotely versed in law will tell you, "abandonware" is in almost all cases in violation of copyright.
Quote>where is the "Either you keep Au Naturel, either you remove my games from the database as well" solidarity?
I actually went as far to request this exact thing yesterday (I'm 'Turquoise Daffodil', I made the game 'Defender of RON' six years ago). I'm astonished by the fact that this game even sparked such a debate. I can't see any harm in it whatsoever.
Yes, but you are the only one who proposed that. Would 7 or 8 more persons follow you and surely the idea that their database become as holey as a swiss cheese would make them reconsider.
I just want to say that I wanted to play this game before the RON admins went crazy and decided that they were the morality police. I would hate for this game to be popular not because it's a good game but because of the controversy.
I also want to second blueskirt's suggestion and ask that anyone who disagrees with what the RON admins are doing, asks to have their game pulled from the RON website. Dave Gilbert, Grundislav, Creed Malay... I am going to have my demo and all images I drew removed from the website and I ask that you do the same.
I'm on for this. Check RON forum thread for reasons.
Well, I made a rather lengthy post on the Au Naturel thread a few hours ago that I hope the local administration would be willing to respond to. I suppose I'll give them some more time for that; but unless I get a reasonable response on that thread I'm strongly inclined to follow suit and have my game removed as well.
Renegade Implementor has responded,
"I've had time to reevaluate things, had already made a decision and was waiting for a reply from bitby when the above situation unfortunately happened on the forum. I'm sorry that I wasn't in a position to deal with it earlier today, but it's the first thing I set upon the moment I got home.
So, yes the game has been added to the site. To anyone who has been under stress during this time, I apologize. It was never my intent to act as some sort of morality barometer or cause anyone duress."
So that's a definite improvement :)
Yay, the democratic process combined with peer pressure prevails!
This is a copy of my post to the RON forum:
Wow.
Thanks to RI for reconsidering (and reversing) his initial decision. I think that while it may or may not have been a mistake to initially turn down the game, RI took a reasonable approach to a difficult situation -- he listened to my appeal, sought a second opinion, allowed the game to be posted in the Game Announcement forum, listened to community feedback and every step of the way did what he thought was best for the community.
Thanks to Brentimous, Orange, Dave Gilbert, Creed Malay, Turquoise Daffodil, SSH, Trovatore, Duchess, Radiant, Mr. Colossal and Grundislav (and sorry if I forgot anyone) for supporting my game and putting so much energy and time into advocating for it. It has been amazing and deeply gratifying to read your posts in support of Au Naturel. Thank you.
Oggdaughter, thank you for articulating what actually IS offensive about this game, namely, that in it, the player helps the protagonist to look at naked pictures of an established likable female character without her consent. This is, as Duchess says, "mean." I am squeemish about this, I hope people who play the game are squeemish about it. Gower, in this game, is an anti-hero. You are not supposed to admire or emulate his conduct, but to laugh at it. I STRONGLY disagree with your statements that this game is on a continuum with sexual violence or in any way related to child pornography.
Brentimous, thanks again for your really thorough work in betatesting this game, and thanks for all the encouragement. I am certainly more interested in making the sequel to this game after seeing how much people care about what happens to RON. I am thinking about making a full-length follow up to Au Naturel, in which Mika sets sail to avenge herself against Hooky McPegleg. I'm not sure if a big production is realistic for me. Would anyone be interested in teaming up, or helping out with coding, art, music sound effects, etc? If yes, please PM me here or on AGS forum, or post or email bitby@boyinthebasement.com ... or skywrite, I don't care, just let me know.
-Bitby
Having followed this with great interest, I say: "Three cheers for common sense!"
Going slightly off-topic, has anyone noticed you can download and play "Davy Jones C'est Mort" without being warned about it's content?
To quote SSH: "Of course, the whole thing was probably just a publicity stunt to try and kick-start RON." I see the next debate coming ;)
Nice to hear that the episode is part of the site now. :)
Amazing! I'm glad to see that the RON community is still capable of releasing such a quality game!!
I can also recommend it for newcomers since it contains a funny and informative exposition. For now my favorite RON game. ;)
Wait a minute, I never did a nude sprite of Mika...
That said, I thought the game was very funny, and wonderfully tongue in cheek about the many faces of Mika. And yes, she did change her shoes.
I agree with Grundislav that it's a little awkward seeing my spites presented in such a way, but you've got to let them leave the nest eventually.
Good work. It's wonderful to see that RON is still peeking it's head out once in a while.
Does this mean there WILL be a sequel?!