Oh, I don't know how everyone else does it but I just highlight the part I want to reply to, right-click, then it'll give you the option to either "quote" or "reply" to the highlighted part. Choose reply.
It's actually the opposite for me. I started playing the ones with Daz and it was the Honey Select stuff that felt weird to me at first. In fact, my preference for Daz really displays itself when I'm willing to break my personal rule of not trying an Early Dev VN until at least "1,000 renders" or 4 updates because well ... shit like this happens. I broke my rule for Acquainted because it looked so good and it was a time where other VNs either were still in their dev cycles or everything else just looked so unappealing in terms of render models and overall render quality.
(Edit: Oh yea, one more thing. I actually enjoy sandboxes ... which really says a lot when I say I didn't like how Ep 9 was just a giant free roam. And yea, haha BADIK's counter-intuitive map navigation is well-known. There are some sandboxes that I just dislike because the dev confuses difficulty with hellishly tedious by leaving out basic QoL features but yea, sandboxes are never usually a minus for me.)
I actually had a conversation with someone else on this site and DPC's writing was briefly mentioned. Basically, DPC is a GREAT writer for self-contained scenes. "Moments", I guess. He really knows how to bring it all together with the dialogue, render posing, music, etc. It's just that in terms of character writing and overall plot, not so much. Honestly, I think one of the major reasons why BADIK is so popular is that it's so nostalgic for a lot of people who've watched American Pie, played games like Bully, and even the tried and true tropes from the late 90s to the early 2000s. (Just look at those old Disney Channel original movies and all that classic whiteboi rock stuff, man the nostalgia hits hard lol). Doesn't have to be too deep but has a certain charm to it that people just don't really see these days.
He makes some pretty questionable decisions when it comes to writing characters and presents an illusion of choice with all the "hidden variables" you can get that don't really change the story but sometimes have a separate render or two. Only to be forced along the predetermined path. The reason why it worked is because he was so good at perfectly writing those old tropes we all like. Even then, it just kind of feels like he phoned it in a little bit for Ep 8 and 9 for some parts. It's a contentious topic so I won't get into it but I hope it doesn't become a trend. It just reminds me of some hack writer for some Netflix show that just inserts pop culture references or current social "blah blah blah, I don't care. I don't want to think about it right now" that makes you roll your eyes.
I don't think the writing got "dumber" regarding what you're referring to. If you really think about it, that's just how he writes in general. LOL. He'll write in a way that makes things feel contrived either for the sake of convenience or because he doesn't know how to create natural conflicts. It's understandable. Too many routes for him to make it something perfectly cohesive. Bella can't have a conflict with MC and Jill if the player isn't playing on MC's route. That's pretty much the problem with what happened at the end of Ep 8 and a little bit into Ep 9. Stuff happens that doesn't really make sense relative to the importance based on what path you're on and DPC just kind of does an ass pull to cover it up. Just to be clear. I really don't mind it. I don't care about the soap opera-level writing because 1. it'd be incredibly difficult to write something different for all the intertwined variables and 2. as long as it still has that fun theme and he just keeps it going rather than taking a year or longer to do it, I'll be too distracted to care.
Instead of "Bella's date sucked and now I have to wait another year at the least for some kind of resolution or excuse for why it sucked" it could be "Bella's date sucked but at least we'll get another episode sometime in the summer with some more distractions and maybe an ass-pulled explanation for what happened". The distractions really aren't as effective when they're so far apart.
Yea, again. I think that's just how he writes, lol. I don't assume he thinks that he needs the cliffhangers. It's just that he wants them lol. It's not so much a habit but rather his core as a writer is being melodramatic. He can't help it. Again, which is fine. It's just, you know, keep em coming damn it. No one's waiting around for some half-assed excuse for what happened to Character B in the last episode. We just want to see the next sparkly thing. It's not a secret that's how he writes. Just look at how he ended Acting Lessons
.i wanted to give yuno the benefit of the doubt as well, i was interested in seeing what came next and meeting the characters that were presented in the art, but not yet introduced in-game. the reason i've really been going so hard on the dev is really due to the neglected opportunity. i also feel that a first time developer may not be great at rendering, coding, music or sound design, but if you're gonna be making a visual NOVEL....come on man....take a class in writing
i'm loving these recommendations btw lol. i find it easier to start something entirely new, than to continue a game that i've neglected for a while. i also find it easier to consume content that doesn't take itself too seriously. i mean, i do profusely enjoy literature that presents itself in earnest, but in order to truly affect me, it has to be good. often times, what you get from these devs is barely (if ever) good enough.
Meh, I don't knock him for the writing so much. From what I've seen, Yuno was already well-known for his Daz renders or something (I don't really know. Literally anyone else probably does) and he just thought to make an attempt at a full-blown VN. I'm guessing he took so long because he kept the same hobby-mindset for making 3D renders. Go to work, come home, maybe work on it for an hour, maybe work it on the weekend. I can imagine all the time he wanted to put into it went into working on it. Not so much improving his skills. Honestly, that's fine. If an update suddenly comes out after 2 years or something, I'll still play it (if I'm still playing VNs at that time). It's good as a hobby for him and to make a little beer money from people who make questionable decisions with their money but as a project and potential full-time thing, it's dead in the water. I wouldn't feel guilty about it. It just kind of is what it is. It kind of goes back to judging based on a case-by-case basis. Just change the perspective on to view the project, I guess. Rather than a project someone seriously wants to make into an ongoing thing, it's more like a hobby someone does whenever he has the mind to work on it. This is all my own assumptions, btw. Don't take my word for it. He could be dealing with an 80 hour work week for all I know and really wants to make this work. I'm just assuming based on what I've seen.
Luckily(?), Yuno didn't really put out enough shit yet for me to make an accurate judgement on whether he's a milker. The whole vibe just feels so "casual" for it to feel like milking. Although, it doesn't help his case that he hasn't paused Patreon payments. If he was smart about it, at least. He would've rushed something out and make a post every 3 months but this feels like something else.
I'm honestly not sure about how many devs are milkers. I'm just usually averse to calling devs milkers. They might be, I don't know for sure. It's usually just more like a personal assumption I make than something objective. I admittedly just don't pay attention to most games that don't update often. I'm saying this after seeing tens of VNs just sputter out and go into development limbo (which is probably why I'm burnt out). For the ones I do follow, it feels like most of them are making an effort. At least half of them are even decently active on this site.
I think there a handful of devs that I've seen that just go full-blown milking. I'm not talking about the ones that start out with the ambition but whose initial enthusiasm eventually peter out (I feel like most don't know where to take the story after so long). I'm talking about "Yea, we just hired 1000 people!" then take a year to put something out, give an excuse about working with a new "something-or-other" but say they've got the hang of it now, and then still take just as much time even though there's apparently a whole-ass team working on it.
Yea, if a dev really shows passion. You really can't help but root for the game and the dev. I'm also kind of the opposite. I don't really like trying anything new. Especially if it's early dev (which is why I usually wait). 9 out of 10 times, it usually has terrible or no proofreading. A few updates come out and then ... it's abandoned.
Also, ay yo! Another fan.
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