Just read through what DPC wrote a few days ago. Do you see what DPC is up to?
"Yes, you are correct about how branching works. I view it as looking at a tree and Episode 1 is at the bottom of the tree. As you move up along the tree, you see branches, and when you've reached the top of the crown, you're at the end of the game.
The further into the game we get, the longer it takes to account for all branches and choices, and that's indeed the main reason the episodes are this big by now. I must be mindful of how choices affect the story and where to restrict player choice/freedom, but I also had the vision of making a game where choices truly matter."
He said choices, not the mini-games outcomes. Winning or losing the mini-game is not a choice. It's definitely a material for some cosmetic differences throughout the playthrough - more or less (tennis - less, mansion restoration - more). But it would be ridiculous if this somehow affects the plot and the canon story. For example, with mansion mini-game and outcome, DPC would have to create a major branching for EVERY current one. But we already seen very minor effect of this mini-game outcome in EP10.
What do we learn on the first pages of the game in EP1? So that the MC tells us his story. The only question is, what does his story include? We play that out to a certain extent through our decisions.
You write so that the mini-game doesn't influence the background story and the story, but you actually provide proof that the mini-game has changed something in the story. Your words "Jill is only impressed if you win. And she reassures you if you lose.".
DPC can't technically branch the plot and story core for such minor stuff and moments. It would result in multiplying everything else by such particular sub-branches count. It's impossible and not needed as well. LI branches and different permutations between them as well as some of the major/minor choices - yes, that's what you will probably get and will be able to mix and should get a particular result in the end. Game LI branches and their interference is already quite complicated, why you think he will multiply it all with something insignificant like mini-games outcomes?
Why? All branching and outcomes as well as future potential endings - all based on variables. It's how games and other similar software works. You can only check what game remembers and what not. But you can't tell what is significant and may turn the story in one or another way or just have some major consequences, or it will be used just for cosmetics and so on (like changing a couple of lines in dialogue here and there or/and a couple of renders).
Both tennis matches (in EP4 & EP7) outcomes are recorded (win/lose) and transferred into Season 3:
ep4_wonTennis
ep7_wonTennis
But it doesn't mean that it may become a serious point and could turn the story in 180 degree at some moment. Most probably it will be used as dialogue/render changer in some future episodes, where MC would play tennis again (or maybe talk about it with somebody - girls, their parents, his friends, whoever else). Nothing more here. Same goes for fights. But here you can choice to fight or not to fight (not always, but in half of situations) and fights have 2 outcomes - you win or you lose. This is also recorded in different variables.
Just don't separate all this, your theories, etc from game engine, programming language and other limitations and so on.
Neil asks his son if he remembers, giving his son's age as a prefix. However, the MC remembers that he was almost 15. The only question I have is whether Neil remembers correctly or the MC.
In EP1 MC mentioned that his father doesn't have a very good memory. So in this example - MC remember when it happened while his dad is not.
