I try to figure out if you even played the episodes before, cause it doesnt look like it. Cause everything what bothers you is the whole game since episode 1.
There are many post like this (well, way shorter) where some guys complain about this and that and that the game is changing for the worse... like, why the free roams or minigames... well, they are there since day one? Why is it a problem now? EP9 was made in one huge free roam, but it was the exception... episode 10 got back to how it was before, like 2-3 free roams, 1 a little bigger than the rest, nothing new here, it was the same in every episode before too.
The main aspect of the game was NEVER a dating sim, why do you think that? Its a soap opera in college setting first of all. Never was something else. The porn is just an "extra" not the main thing, and the dating? There are way to many girls involved to focus only on that if the mainpart is the drama of the "soap opera" and that was the case since day 1 too. So its impossible to put more than 2-3 scenes for each girl in a episode, and this was always the case too... no episode focuses "only" on the dating or a specific girl. Most girls got 2 scenes per episode, sometimes 3, including 1 lewd scene, maybe a second one... that was never different. (well, besides episode 1 i guess, cause it was the introduction)
The "dating" went on too long anyways... the decision in episode 8 should have been made at the end of ep 6 or maybe 7. It was never intented to be a harem game, it was never intended that MC will end up with multiple girls (excpet the throuple with J&M of course) its the average F95 user that thinks that way. "harem here, harem there, why is there no incest? And i dont care for story, i wanna bang every girl" Thats not being a dik.
And that the update was short... are you for real? Its in fact the longest episode of the game so far. The numbers of the dialoge lines alone show that. Of course, if you play only one route... thats another deal, than its ep 9 cause there are only a few differences between the routes. If you play one route alone, you kinda only see 25% of the whole game including episode 10. But thats again... the case since day 1. You want the whole experience with 20 hours per episode? Well... you need to play different playthroughs... otherswise its 3-5 hours per episode, which btw is by far the longest playtime any DEV around here puts out per update. Nobody comes even near it.
12 months was long, yep... too long even i agree... and yet... still DPC delivered more content here than any other DEV or even bigger DEV Teams were capable off in the same time. It might felt short to you, but it wasnt, thats not a "subjective" opinion, its just a fact. I sincerly hope that DPC cut out on animations, cause they were the sole reason why it took so long, everything else of the episode could have been done in 6 months. But he planned so many animations from day one, so... he knew they would took about 10-12 months to render anyway,he can render about 1 animation per day... 335 animations total... well you dont need to be a genius to figure out why it took 12 months to be finished, and its annoying cause half of them are not neccessary.
Regarding "immersion" and irrelevant text or distractions... again, did you even played episodes before? It had more rooster posts than any other episode so far. The characters talked all the time about this and that, ep9 was kinda a whole episode with ONLY irrelevant talk, and that was the biggest issue for most people. In fact, you could skip ep9 entirely and it wouldnt even make a significant difference. With epiosde 10 DPC found the way back how it was before in episode 1-8. 50% fun and distraction, 50% meaningful talks/scenes/plotprogression which again... is how most episodes were before too + - some percentage. EP9 was 95% irrelevant talk and fun... which was just awful, especially considered that everything happend at one day ingame and in one free roam. I guess ep9 is your favorite than. But its a exception, thats not how being a dik was or ever supposed to be.
Overall, you expectation doesnt match with the game at all, and i cant shake the feeling off that you either didnt played 1-8, or didnt pay attention to them... dont know. But everything that bothers you is pretty much the same in every episode except episode 9 (and the interlude if you want to count that)
There is nothing wrong with it if the game isnt for you... but you complain especially about episode 10 what it does wrong... and all the things are pretty much the same in episode 1-8 too. Which is REALLY strange. So overall, the whole game is not for you, not just episode 10.
And finally "But the fact of being a playboy was essential" And thats where you and many others are wrong.
Being a playboy is ONLY for the "others" route (and even there you cant be with many girls anymore). And was never the "essence" of the game. The essence of the game is a normal dude before adulthood comes to college and get the whole college experience and a lot more plotwise, and maybe finding a girlfriend along the ride, not fucking around every pussy on campus the whole 16 episodes long.
That said, its okay that you dont like the game, many dont like it, which is more often than not reasonable too. But you complain about things in episode 10 which is practically in every episode before the exact same. So... you didnt liked episode 1-8 too, or if you did, its really really strange, cause episode 10 delivers the same as those, just more of it... with... well, way to many animations.
Let's take it step by step. First, thanks for "respecting" my opinion. However, the respect you've shown me basically boils down to not outright insulting me or explicitly saying my opinion was crap. But apart from writing arrogantly and like a DrPinkCake fanboy, you've essentially labeled me as ignorant. To top it off, you've questioned whether I've played the previous episodes. Allow me to laugh.
Now that I've made that clear, let me continue with my response without disrespecting you.
1. Maybe I didn't express myself well with "dating sim," perhaps it's not the most accurate definition for Being a Dik. But I believe that for those who understand, few words are enough. The game, until you make the big decision, is based on two options: being a playboy or a loser (chick). Therefore, freedom of action allows you to take a more romantic path with one or several girls, or be a womanizer; or even a combination of both, as was my case, which is clearly lore-friendly given the MC's personal moment. So, what are you telling me about episodes 9 and 10 being the same as before the decision in terms of being a playboy? I don't deny that I might be analyzing episodes 1-8 together since I clearly don't remember in which episode you hook up (or can hook up) with whom. However, it's evident that from the big decision, the single path feels very empty. And that's not just my opinion; many people with a mindset similar to yours share the same view, not just me. The final scene of the Halloween party (I chose Sarah and Mel), followed by a blowjob from Lily, a romp with Nora, and another with Riona— that sums up episodes 9 and 10 in the sexual context. It might not seem so little when you look at it that way, but when you see so much unnecessary nonsense and realize that, aside from the sexual scenes, the relationships on this path are empty and hardly progress (with Lily, the "relationship" is almost devoid of content, and reducing Heather's part to a simple chat in the gym during the yoga class is completely ridiculous).
2. You talk to me, clearly based on intuition and without any idea about me, implying that I play Being a Dik for the sexual part. Would you play it if there were no sex? I emphasized in my original post that the plot, the essence of the game itself, and the complexity that DrPinkCake brings to Being a Dik make the sexual content not only beneficial but also give it a reason to exist. A game with only sex and a simple or empty story gets boring because the sexual scenes would have no motivation from the character or the story. The entire plot, well-defined characters, etc., give the game a fantasy that no other has. In fact, I pointed out that it's practically the only visual novel I play. So, your opinion on this aspect about me is clearly biased and influenced by the opinions of a sector of f95zone that wants this game to be solely about sex and a harem. I haven't said I don't like the game, just that the wait for an annual episode is starting to get tiresome, and it falls short.
3. To each their own. I lean more towards the playboy side, but without forgetting, speaking "in-game," my feelings for Sage and my spiritual attraction to Josy. I also get into the role, man, I don't play this game for sex. In this sense, I don't understand why you can't comprehend that I think it's crap that I can't be the same character as before from the big decision, not maintaining a relationship with Sage while messing around with everyone else. There are many paths, and you may not realize it, but indirectly, you're criticizing a lore-friendly way of playing by belittling those of us who want to hook up with every girl who crosses our path. It's a legitimate way, just like any other, to interpret a university character (in the context of what you say about it not being a dating sim but a story about a lower-class youth entering college, etc., etc.). Just because we want to be a natural womanizer doesn't mean we're playing the game wrong, I believe, right?
4. Are you seriously going to tell me that there's a lot of Rooster? I think, without exaggeration, there are 2 posts where we can respond through comments. And what about the SMS/WhatsApp? Are you going to tell me there are many of those too? I can somewhat understand that you might be critical of my opinion on the sexual scenes or the "harem" aspect, but what you can't do is go on the defensive against practically every criticism made about the game. In this context, I assure you that there are many people close to your opinion who think that DrPinkCake is neglecting certain aspects like Rooster or SMS. On the other hand, regarding the irrelevant conversations I mentioned that seem super necessary, DrPinkCake has taken the word irrelevant too literally because they are boring and unimportant. There should be more roleplay through Rooster, SMS, and in-person with Lily, Heather, or any girl with whom there's at least something.
5. I understand that you like playing the same game 10 times to explore all the paths, but I, like in a game such as Fallout, Skyrim, Cyberpunk, or the like, where decisions are crucial, play one complete, long playthrough. Then maybe I'll do another taking different decisions. It's clear that this comparison might be absurd, but the short duration of visual novels makes it necessary to replay with a different roleplay, even though personally, and precisely because they are short games, I don't like replaying a story that I just experienced in a different way a few hours ago. Let me explain: I have my character, their defined way of acting, and their created personality, always within the limits of freedom that DrPinkCake offers us. Therefore, repeating the game a thousand times to try all the paths means that the initial (and, for me, primary) character loses identity, becoming just one more in one of the multiple parallel realities that each playthrough would be. And shortly after finishing the episode. Besides, logically, if I chose a path, it's because the others don't appeal to me, theoretically. Maybe I'm going a bit overboard, but that's how it is, and it's my opinion. And as I said, to each their own: personally, I don't like having 6 paths and, consequently, 6 different storylines, having to play 6 times. It's much more complete and gratifying to have fewer, longer paths. But that's my OPINION, and it seems you don't respect it in this aspect of the matter. I believe I have the right to express that I DON'T LIKE that with the progress of the episodes, it's becoming increasingly necessary to replay the game with each path to make the most of it for more hours.
I don't know, I see that many here (a true reflection that there are always fights in the comments) jump down your throat when they hear something they don't like, generally against the game or the developer. But not everything is black or white, guys. I love the game, and that's why I've taken the trouble to express my irrelevant and super long opinion. But there are things that, in my taste, and for many others, DrPinkCake isn't doing well. Imagine, Hahn, as much as you like the idea of having to replay each path, having fewer paths and adding the content from those removed ones to your favorites. Clearly, we won't be the ones to tell DrPinkCake how to do everything, but he's making a mistake by dividing the game into so many storylines, considering that it's making the game really short per path. Also, what seems like you don't realize is that, explained simply: if there are 6 paths and there's 5 hours of content for each one (30h); if there were 4, it wouldn't be 30h in total, but maybe 40 or 50, because creating and coordinating each of the 6 paths takes much longer than continuing the line of 4 paths.
