VN Ren'Py Being a DIK [v0.10.1] [DrPinkCake]

[Cabin Fever]

With this picture I always ask myself, what the hell is Arieth doing here?

Somehow I always think that she is eavesdropping on the MC and when he is talking to Isabella she goes around the corner to avoid being discovered.

View attachment 1710561

It's been a long while since I played that scene but I don't recall Arieth being in that scene at all?

 

[sixart]

Maybe it's Beth, too?

It's the cafeteria worker or some rando... if the cafeteria workers name is Beth then YAY ! if not then doom and gloom NOT !

 

[sixart]

The fact that mc just made an important relationship decision doesn't help with Zoey popularity.
Around 70 percent player like sage and Jill. 10 percent like bella and the remaining players either like other Li or play a dik path with no commitment.

Not so sure this was a popularity rally... But am damn sure if DPC wants to stay true to himself and simply tell his story then these polls are absolutely waste of time activities by the fans since it can't have affect on the plot... only way that these can weight-in is for extra renders which is... good if there are but WTF do they have to do with the story ? Not much... just a little thank you for your support from development !

Secondary... I don't think that these percentages should be taken too seriously since they only can represent a hardcore fan... any decent being is trying to complete this product to the best of his/her abilities to make it a 100% which means that you can't divide it to LIs since you will do ALL routes there is... It only serves one purpose and that is to pit against fans or simps against each other and let the war begin !!! Pretty childish and immature but.....

 

[mindern]

For Sage MC is clearly more than a friend and perhaps she is already in love with him, but does not understand it. The relationship between MС and Zoey is really very similar to the relationship between MС and Sage, with the only difference that MС and Sage started dating.

You correctly said that Sage knows how to separate feelings and just sex, but gradually it gets more complicated, which you can see if you follow the path of Sage. Starting with the fact that it was MС she called after break up with Chad and that it was Tremolo who Sage allowed to take care of herself when she got sick.

At the end of Сrossroads, Sage is sincerely glad that the MC asked her to date. It feels like she was waiting for this, but was afraid to take the first step for fear of losing her friendship with MС. For her, such a relationship is new, which can be seen from her SMS messages. Well, the most obvious proof is that Sage agrees to wait for MС even if he is dating other girls.

I would like the DPC to pay more attention to Sage's transition from fack buddy to a full-fledged relationship or at least feelings, because even in the University of Problems it is shown better than in this game.

I’ve said it a few times but Sage would be by far and away my favourite character if she was consistently written.

She’s supposed to be DIK leaning and liking a “bad boy” but doesn’t give a flying fuck if you’re pure Chick. Her choices are largely Chick barring maybe some adventurous sex (stuff Maya and Josy manage to do too). She claims to have never seen the MC “that way” but holds hands under blankets, cries in his arms as he nurses her back to health.

Sage was a DIK character for maybe one episode and her characters been wearing that anchor ever since… along side the standard issue all characters have which is DPC stalling all the relationships so they don’t get serious before Ep8 making them inconsistent.

I don’t think there’s some grand character trait in Sage that caused any of this, no “confusion” about how she felt. I think DPC slightly shit the bed with her affinity and hamstrung the natural progression of the relationship to stall until episode 8. The exact words I’ve used before is Sage as a character is an awesome Lego Star Wars set someone turned into a medieval castle. It works… well at times with some odd choices here and there but ultimately you can tell those torches are actually lightsabers despite claims to the contrary.

 

[Cabin Fever]

I’ve said it a few times but Sage would be by far and away my favourite character if she was consistently written.

She’s supposed to be DIK leaning and liking a “bad boy” but doesn’t give a flying fuck if you’re pure Chick. Her choices are largely Chick barring maybe some adventurous sex (stuff Maya and Josy manage to do too). She claims to have never seen the MC “that way” but holds hands under blankets, cries in his arms as he nurses her back to health.

Sage was a DIK character for maybe one episode and her characters been wearing that anchor ever since… along side the standard issue all characters have which is DPC stalling all the relationships so they don’t get serious before Ep8 making them inconsistent.

I don’t think there’s some grand character trait in Sage that caused any of this, no “confusion” about how she felt. I think DPC slightly shit the bed with her affinity and hamstrung the natural progression of the relationship to stall until episode 8. The exact words I’ve used before is Sage as a character is an awesome Lego Star Wars set someone turned into a medieval castle. It works… well at times with some odd choices here and there but ultimately you can tell those torches are actually lightsabers despite claims to the contrary.

I'll have to disagree with you. Sage is really the only realistic and non-one-dimensional main LI and is the best written character in this game.

 

[N7]

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Being a DIK - Season 3: Interlude
The Interlude is now available for the Mini DIK tier ($5). Get it

You must be registered to see the links

.

It's a limited offer on Patreon to get the base Season 3 game that you can patch with new episodes in the future. After episode 9 is released, only patches will be available in the Mini DIK tier, and the Season 3 base game will be available from the DIK tier.

You can continue Season 3 using Steam, GOG, and Patreon saves from the end of Season 2.

Development news
This week I mostly spent on creating art and writing dialogue.

Based on last week's survey, it's clear that you want a poll in the lewd scene area first, so I've designed a poll that will be live tomorrow for the $10+ tiers.

Last week I talked about the episode 9 development, and today I wanted to say some words about development that reaches far beyond episode 9, which I need to start working on right now.

No story content will be spoiled in this post, but there will be minor spoilers for an upcoming mini-game, so you shouldn't read further if you want to avoid that. If you're ok with looking at previews for the upcoming episode, you should be ok with reading further.

When you create a game like Being a DIK, you need to have it planned. But some things you can't plan for, and sometimes plans change and get updated as the game develops. The creation process gives birth to new things you didn't plan for with time.

For me, mini-games grow organically as the game develops. As a perfect example, for Season 2, I knew what the storyline would be, but the actual mansion mini-game wasn't planned until before episode 5 development started.

To see if it would work and fit Season 2 gameplay, I created the entire mini-game ahead of time and simulated the rounds so it would make sense even when the rounds were spread out through episodes 6-8. I could spot potential issues by isolating the mini-game and playtesting it early. It also allowed me to balance the mini-game, ensuring that players could complete it during Season 2.

From a developer standpoint, this meant that the mini-game and the truckload of work that came with it were completed when episode 6 was released. Only small touches, bug fixes, and some synchronization with free-roams were needed after this during the development of episodes 7-8.

This entire concept of developing a feature ahead of time is something I will apply again but to something new and fresh. Meaning that the code I write during episode 9 development will have to work for future episodes and the planned duration.

This might sound like I will be spending a long time creating a new mini-game, but since I'm part human and part machine, I've already finished ~90% of it. And to me, it's the most fun, challenging, and intricate mini-game I'll probably create for this game... Probably... I fucking love creating these things.

I'm aiming to set up the framework for the mini-game so that development after episode 9 will be a breeze in this area. The mini-game will be about something the game has hinted at during episodes 7-8, namely party planning.

I'm still polishing and balancing the mini-game, but I'm confident that any player who likes thinking, planning, and strategy will enjoy it. The choices and how you play the mini-game will also shape your game in different and exciting ways.

For non-mini-game players, there will be choices instead of the mini-game, allowing for similar outcomes.

While I'd love to show you the main mini-game GUI, I don't feel comfortable doing that due to spoilers and design. I will, however, show you the perk screen, which in itself might not say much about the mini-game, but it can give insight into how versatile your strategies will be this time around.

The perks and the design are subject to change as this mini-game is still a work-in-progress.

Something I wish I did more of with the mansion mini-game was the perk system; it's something I enjoy a lot in RPGs and character building.

So, this time around, I spent time designing a perk system that offers versatility in how you approach the mini-game. I won't spoil more than this, but I hope you look forward to the future of the series in this regard because I sure do.

Thanks for reading! Have a nice weekend!

Dr PinkCake

 

[PashafromRussia]

I’ve said it a few times but Sage would be by far and away my favourite character if she was consistently written.

She’s supposed to be DIK leaning and liking a “bad boy” but doesn’t give a flying fuck if you’re pure Chick. Her choices are largely Chick barring maybe some adventurous sex (stuff Maya and Josy manage to do too). She claims to have never seen the MC “that way” but holds hands under blankets, cries in his arms as he nurses her back to health.

Sage was a DIK character for maybe one episode and her characters been wearing that anchor ever since… along side the standard issue all characters have which is DPC stalling all the relationships so they don’t get serious before Ep8 making them inconsistent.

I don’t think there’s some grand character trait in Sage that caused any of this, no “confusion” about how she felt. I think DPC slightly shit the bed with her affinity and hamstrung the natural progression of the relationship to stall until episode 8. The exact words I’ve used before is Sage as a character is an awesome Lego Star Wars set someone turned into a medieval castle. It works… well at times with some odd choices here and there but ultimately you can tell those torches are actually lightsabers despite claims to the contrary.

Indeed, in the first two or three episodes, she behaved like a DIk character. I think initially Sage was supposed to play the role of Quinn, to be an aggressive girl, but because of the popularity of Sage and Quinn, he decided to make Sage's path the easiest of all.

It seems to me that at the end of episode 8, Pink separated the two ways of Sage. Sage Dik and Sage Chick. Sage Dik participates in group sex with Quinn, communicates more aggressively and says she is ready to try anal, but later. Sage Chick is nervous and more focused on deep and sincere feelings. So I'm interested to take a look at Sage on Chick Affinity as far as it goes. Maybe Sage will become new Jill.

 

[PashafromRussia]

I'm aiming to set up the framework for the mini-game so that development after episode 9 will be a breeze in this area. The mini-game will be about something the game has hinted at during episodes 7-8, namely party planning.

I'm confused. What is the point of this mini-game if, according to DPC, Halloween will be already in the next episode? Or will the whole season consist of Halloween, as we feared, and we will prepare for it for three chapters?
Oh shit...

P.S. Maybe I'm panicking too much and this mini-game will concern all future DIK parties, not just Halloween.

 

[always86]

I'm confused. What is the point of this mini-game if, according to DPC, Halloween will be already in the next episode? Or will the whole season consist of Halloween, as we feared, and we will prepare for it for three chapters?
Oh shit...

I’d guess we will get the intro and maybe one round in advance of Halloween and then there will be a party every weekend at the DIK mansion. Some of those parties could happen off camera to allow time jumps but you still have to prepare for them.

Alternatively might be we have to do some prep every in game ‘day’ for the next party. Something like that

 

[BorgiaBou]

Wow this was a sad status update, yaaay more mini-games that's exactly what we wanna see from a status update...

 

[icloutshit]

So hyped for this mini-game, love how branching is getting bigger and bigger. But I fear that development time will increase, who really cares tho if the episode quality isn't suffering.

 

[ChipLecsap]

P.S. Maybe I'm panicking too much and this mini-game will concern all future DIK parties, not just Halloween.

Exactly. I guess you thought that Halloween would be the last party in the game ever huh?

 

[PashafromRussia]

I’d guess we will get the intro and maybe one round in advance of Halloween and then there will be a party every weekend at the DIK mansion. Some of those parties could happen off camera to allow time jumps but you still have to prepare for them.

Alternatively might be we have to do some prep every in game ‘day’ for the next party. Something like that

It damn well contradicts his own words and it's embarrassing

Ever since day one of this project, I've wanted to create the Halloween episode, and I'm euphoric right now as I'm doing it.

 

[PashafromRussia]

Wow this was a sad status update, yaaay more mini-games that's exactly what we wanna see from a status update...

He has already made a mini-game. If you've done coding at least once, you have idea how difficult it is, especially with a perk system like in this mini-game. Still, Pink is an excellent coder.

 

[Walter Victor]

Exactly. I guess you thought that Halloween would be the last party in the game ever huh?

Thankfully, this affirms that parties will be a feature in each release of Season 3. However, that will also mean more free-roams... oh, well.

 

[mpa71]

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[...]I'm still polishing and balancing the mini-game, but I'm confident that any player who likes thinking, planning, and strategy will enjoy it. The choices and how you play the mini-game will also shape your game in different and exciting ways.[...]

Well I myself love the mini-games and i'm glad we get a new big piece like the Mansion Renovation.
Judging the perks I wonder if we gonna have a mini-game as addictive as the Yakuza Cabaret Club or a Dinner Dash. But DPC didn't mention time management.
I would love if it could be an endless mode, so when we wait episodes you can play it from the main menu as standalone.

 

[ChipLecsap]

I like the mini games, but I would love if DPC change it a bit however. Namely, those who don't play it should not get any reward at all . For example, those who not play the mansion mini game, should atomaticly lose it, and they would get the " bad ending " storyline, where Rusty sell his car, etc.
Of course people bitching about the mini games if they don't have to play at all, to get everything, while those who are investing in it, barely gain anything different. Kind of killing it the whole idea of DPC investing so much to these games

 

[always86]

It damn well contradicts his own words and it's embarrassing

I don’t understand where is the contradiction?

Perhaps you misunderstood what I meant. In the first episode we have the mansion mini game we get the tutorial and then one or two proper turns (I forget as the episodes merge into one in my mind).

I think in episode 9 we’ll get the tutorial and maybe one other session to plan the party. Then we’ll get a score after the party happens. Then we’ll do the same again for the next party with one or two ‘planning’ sessions and then a score after the party.

We might have to send the DiKs to work to earn money for example. Then we can spend the money to make the party better. After this we get a party score that allows us to increase motivation, which improves money earned to make the next party better. Rinse and repeat.

 

[hakuna-matata]

Wow this was a sad status update, yaaay more mini-games that's exactly what we wanna see from a status update...

I actually agree. I don't play with mini games. I played with mini games once and that was it for me. It becomes tedious and annoying after you've done multiple playthroughs.

 

[crabsinthekitchen]

You must be registered to see the links

Being a DIK - Season 3: Interlude
The Interlude is now available for the Mini DIK tier ($5). Get it

You must be registered to see the links

.

It's a limited offer on Patreon to get the base Season 3 game that you can patch with new episodes in the future. After episode 9 is released, only patches will be available in the Mini DIK tier, and the Season 3 base game will be available from the DIK tier.

You can continue Season 3 using Steam, GOG, and Patreon saves from the end of Season 2.

Development news
This week I mostly spent on creating art and writing dialogue.

Based on last week's survey, it's clear that you want a poll in the lewd scene area first, so I've designed a poll that will be live tomorrow for the $10+ tiers.

Last week I talked about the episode 9 development, and today I wanted to say some words about development that reaches far beyond episode 9, which I need to start working on right now.

No story content will be spoiled in this post, but there will be minor spoilers for an upcoming mini-game, so you shouldn't read further if you want to avoid that. If you're ok with looking at previews for the upcoming episode, you should be ok with reading further.

When you create a game like Being a DIK, you need to have it planned. But some things you can't plan for, and sometimes plans change and get updated as the game develops. The creation process gives birth to new things you didn't plan for with time.

For me, mini-games grow organically as the game develops. As a perfect example, for Season 2, I knew what the storyline would be, but the actual mansion mini-game wasn't planned until before episode 5 development started.

To see if it would work and fit Season 2 gameplay, I created the entire mini-game ahead of time and simulated the rounds so it would make sense even when the rounds were spread out through episodes 6-8. I could spot potential issues by isolating the mini-game and playtesting it early. It also allowed me to balance the mini-game, ensuring that players could complete it during Season 2.

From a developer standpoint, this meant that the mini-game and the truckload of work that came with it were completed when episode 6 was released. Only small touches, bug fixes, and some synchronization with free-roams were needed after this during the development of episodes 7-8.

This entire concept of developing a feature ahead of time is something I will apply again but to something new and fresh. Meaning that the code I write during episode 9 development will have to work for future episodes and the planned duration.

This might sound like I will be spending a long time creating a new mini-game, but since I'm part human and part machine, I've already finished ~90% of it. And to me, it's the most fun, challenging, and intricate mini-game I'll probably create for this game... Probably... I fucking love creating these things.

I'm aiming to set up the framework for the mini-game so that development after episode 9 will be a breeze in this area. The mini-game will be about something the game has hinted at during episodes 7-8, namely party planning.

I'm still polishing and balancing the mini-game, but I'm confident that any player who likes thinking, planning, and strategy will enjoy it. The choices and how you play the mini-game will also shape your game in different and exciting ways.

For non-mini-game players, there will be choices instead of the mini-game, allowing for similar outcomes.

While I'd love to show you the main mini-game GUI, I don't feel comfortable doing that due to spoilers and design. I will, however, show you the perk screen, which in itself might not say much about the mini-game, but it can give insight into how versatile your strategies will be this time around.

The perks and the design are subject to change as this mini-game is still a work-in-progress.

Something I wish I did more of with the mansion mini-game was the perk system; it's something I enjoy a lot in RPGs and character building.

So, this time around, I spent time designing a perk system that offers versatility in how you approach the mini-game. I won't spoil more than this, but I hope you look forward to the future of the series in this regard because I sure do.

Thanks for reading! Have a nice weekend!

Dr PinkCake

I think I like that minigame. Drawing was meh

He has already made a mini-game. If you've done coding at least once, you have idea how difficult it is, especially with a perk system like in this mini-game. Still, Pink is an excellent coder.

He said he finished 90% of it, which means around the same amount of time is left until it's done