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

[Geralt From Rivia]

I think the option where MC failed to steal Patrick's documents should be a separate route that leads to the failure of Maya's route and a bad ending to her story. Game should have bad endings if MC played stupid games - this in DPC's style.
Increase in the size of the game, further branching suggests that this is most likely true: it is difficult to write, it leads to an increase in development time, but it is possible. Sooner or later, most likely in the endgame, we will get real consequences for our bad decisions and will no longer get away with it, another FUCK FUCK FUCK moment that we will laugh at, will eventually cause another PTSD. Not as dark as in Acting Lessons, but it will be: "This game is not only about fun and good times"

 

[hakuna-matata]

It's still a month later, and there's no good reason for the documents to be there. For one, they could just make copies and give that to the Royce family lawyer, while returning the originals back to Patrick's office, so no one's the wiser.

If it's just a matter of tracking Maya there during Christmas dinner, this fucking guy is gonna bust up the place and demand the documents? The guy who definitely can't take MC in a fight? Small chance he has a gun, and that would escalate things even further and likely involve the police. In the grand scheme of things, this whole thing does not warrant the grim scene that's in the flashforward. That cunt Vinny showing up and wrecking dinner makes more sense—atm not a lot more, but I can see it as more likely.

My theory mostly works if it's still Thanksgiving dinner that night. I know a lot of people who start putting their Christmas decorations starting November 1st. The snow storm is legit.

I didn't mean a literal fail state, but a fully developed branch where we didn't get the documents is not feasible.

I only have one save with a fail. I want to see what happens.

 

[KАRАMBA]

I think the option where MC failed to steal Patrick's documents should be a separate route that leads to the failure of Maya's route and a bad ending to her story. Game should have bad endings if MC played stupid games - this in DPC's style.
Increase in the size of the game, further branching suggests that this is most likely true: it is difficult to write, it leads to an increase in development time, but it is possible. Sooner or later, most likely in the endgame, we will get real consequences for our bad decisions and will no longer get away with it, another FUCK FUCK FUCK moment that we will laugh at, will eventually cause another PTSD. Not as dark as in Acting Lessons, but it will be: "This game is not only about fun and good times"

Fuck it, "game not about fun and good times" we have outside our window.
Here we want a happy ending.

 

[Znar26]

(That's it....Lt...Bella.... let it drop to the floor....now bend over, pick it up and toss it on to your bed....hmmmmmmmmmm....yes..Yes...)...."Yes!"....

Ensign Derek: "Did you say something Mr. Spock?"

 

[hakuna-matata]

I think we can all agree, we hope the "loan" storyline ends. Enough is Enough! I have had it with these motherfucking loan storyline in this motherfucking game!

 

[godkingxerxes]

I think the option where MC failed to steal Patrick's documents should be a separate route that leads to the failure of Maya's route and a bad ending to her story. Game should have bad endings if MC played stupid games - this in DPC's style.
Increase in the size of the game, further branching suggests that this is most likely true: it is difficult to write, it leads to an increase in development time, but it is possible. Sooner or later, most likely in the endgame, we will get real consequences for our bad decisions and will no longer get away with it, another FUCK FUCK FUCK moment that we will laugh at, will eventually cause another PTSD. Not as dark as in Acting Lessons, but it will be: "This game is not only about fun and good times"

But a bad ending for Maya is a good ending for Fuckface.

 

[BeingADikDik]

Guys, I think I figured it out.

The documents aren't a student loan. That's just a ruse from Patrick in desperate attempt to get Maya to have kids before it's too late. Not too late for Helen to see her grand child (heck, Derek might have already solved that) ... but too late for Maya to have them because she has the same disease as Helen. The documents are the medical test that shows her diagnosis. Patrick's devastation that Maya also has it turned to anger and abuse towards her (and not Derek). There will be no throuple ending because Maya won't make it to graduation. DPC loves his drama ...

 

[Lagunavii]

I think the option where MC failed to steal Patrick's documents should be a separate route that leads to the failure of Maya's route and a bad ending to her story. Game should have bad endings if MC played stupid games - this in DPC's style.
Increase in the size of the game, further branching suggests that this is most likely true: it is difficult to write, it leads to an increase in development time, but it is possible. Sooner or later, most likely in the endgame, we will get real consequences for our bad decisions and will no longer get away with it, another FUCK FUCK FUCK moment that we will laugh at, will eventually cause another PTSD. Not as dark as in Acting Lessons, but it will be: "This game is not only about fun and good times"

I did think about this as an option and discard it, but ultimately as I thought about it more and we are getting closer to endgame I've started to think about it more.

I've always maintained that the plot needs to go on regardless of retrieval so it's either not important or it is and someone else gets it.

If its not important, happy days our scooby gang finds another way, which they'd have to do anyway if they didn't get it. Paths are aligned plot goes on.

But it could very easily be not getting means you've just written Maya out of the story. Which we all know is a DPC thing to do. Especially given the scoring for success or not begins way back when you meet Patrick, which is again another DPC thing to do.

I'll laugh my head off if the splitting of the throuple, specifically getting Josy over Mays is dependent on this contract or not.

 

[Blue Milk]

Agree, too early for James in S3, when Bella is the Steam cover for S4.

"Too early"? It's honestly getting to the point where it's feeling too late. S4's only probably going to have 2 proper episodes, as in episodes where we have choices, minigames, parties, etc, before Eps 15 and 16 are basically just linear and play out the results of the choices we've made along the way through the finale and epilogues.

So if this is the case, then James returning and creating drama needs to be sooner rather than later and I'd say it needs to be in this episode, even if it's only as a cliffhanger moment at the end. 2 episodes in S4 surely isn't enough. 3 still doesn't feel enough but still better than him only being a factor in S4.

 

[Geralt From Rivia]

I think we can all agree, we hope the "loan" storyline ends. Enough is Enough! I have had it with these motherfucking loan storyline in this motherfucking game!

And after that is new papers story begins:
Maya sues Patrick for harassment and blackmail. Next comes a traditional American courtroom drama spanning several years. All subsequent episodes will be about this case. You, as a player - the witness and your task is to successfully complete mini-game “working with court documents”, bringing this case to the Supreme Court and help MC to start his career as a lawyer in the ending. Good luck, and I hope you enjoy the new mini-game mechanics at Season 4!

 

[Blue Milk]

I'll laugh my head off if the splitting of the throuple, specifically getting Josy over Mays is dependent on this contract or not.

I'll laugh my head off if they still don't split even if you fail to get them, because Josy doesn't have the heart to leave Maya after yet another setback because it would add to her hurt. Give me those delicious solo stan tears

 

[funkymonkeyjedi]

I think we can all agree, we hope the "loan" storyline ends. Enough is Enough! I have had it with these motherfucking loan storyline in this motherfucking game!

Guys, I think I figured it out.

The documents aren't a student loan. That's just a ruse from Patrick in desperate attempt to get Maya to have kids before it's too late. Not too late for Helen to see her grand child (heck, Derek might have already solved that) ... but too late for Maya to have them because she has the same disease as Helen. The documents are the medical test that shows her diagnosis. Patrick's devastation that Maya also has it turned to anger and abuse towards her (and not Derek). There will be no throuple ending because Maya won't make it to graduation. DPC loves his drama ...

I agree to some extent.
Personally I think things are going to go to hell in ep 11, where Helen dies, Patrick loses hope, and while he goes through the life insurance paperwork, he discovers that Maya's binder is missing (if MC successfully got them, if he didn't leave it to DPC to figure that one out) and figures out where they might have gone after figuring out they vanished after Derek brought his scum friends over for thanksgiving. Then checks the cars' GPS info to see where Derek drove off too and from that, is why I think it's Patrick that breaks into Bella's house and causes a scene by wanting to grab Maya away and beat up the MC.

*set director*---- Aaaaand, CUT! That's our scene folks! Good job everyone, that's it for today, go home have a good rest and we'll continue tomorrow with another 16 months of writing and new set building, perhaps hire new actors or stand-ins for Ep12.

I said it first!

 

[Blue Milk]

I think we can all agree, we hope the "loan" storyline ends. Enough is Enough! I have had it with these motherfucking loan storyline in this motherfucking game!

As a MJ stan who loves both these girls, I don't care. I get to spend time with my girls even through this whole thing and I don't mind him being a good friend to them off path by helping them and caring about them.

Stretch it out more, DPC. Make the haters seethe.

 

[Znar26]

Possibility....?

Where at the prep party you tell Derek you have feelings for either Josy or Maya.... if all the game path events align....whomever you do not pick.....an event happens where they leave the game permanently....or better yet...get a job at the Pink Rose.

This last bit might break the theory. Example: you say you have feelings for Josy...much later if game path events align...Josy breaks up with Maya....Maya goes off and works at the Pink Rose. The idea of Maya working for a living would press believability.

 

[funkymonkeyjedi]

Maya goes off and works at the Pink Rose. Then the Pink Rose goes out of business.

Fixed it for ya.

 

[Lagunavii]

"Too early"? It's honestly getting to the point where it's feeling too late. S4's only probably going to have 2 proper episodes, as in episodes where we have choices, minigames, parties, etc, before Eps 15 and 16 are basically just linear and play out the results of the choices we've made along the way through the finale and epilogues.

This is more closer to home than people realise, our next Q&A might paint this in a different way. But at the last one he stated

I believe we're looking at something like 14-16 episodes total for the game. I know I need up until episode 14,

I know people like to think we are getting at least 16 and by all means we might, but DPC has said at last Q&A he knows he needs 14. So wost case is we have 4 more episodes to go,

He also said that season 4 won't be a typical season as it includes endings and the likes.

Long story short, until we are told otherwise (perhaps in the Q&A) we are closer to the endgame than perhaps some realise. Things are going to start getting tied up now. It's no longer too early for anything.

 

[Geralt From Rivia]

But a bad ending for Maya is a good ending for Fuckface.

Only if you're Josy fan.

I did think about this as an option and discard it, but ultimately as I thought about it more and we are getting closer to endgame I've started to think about it more.

I've always maintained that the plot needs to go on regardless of retrieval so it's either not important or it is and someone else gets it.

If its not important, happy days our scooby gang finds another way, which they'd have to do anyway if they didn't get it. Paths are aligned plot goes on.

But it could very easily be not getting means you've just written Maya out of the story. Which we all know is a DPC thing to do. Especially given the scoring for success or not begins way back when you meet Patrick, which is again another DPC thing to do.

I'll laugh my head off if the splitting of the throuple, specifically getting Josy over Mays is dependent on this contract or not.

BaDIK is written in such way that MC is not the center of the universe and the story develops beyond his influence, MC can touch only certain moments for now, but I would like to see the butterfly effect closer to Endgame.
Maya will remain part of the story, it's just that events will develop worse for her.
But the saving/collapse Throuple is something that MC influences with his decisions. Specially being on the J/M path. Let's say that failure with the papers can be the spark that will set fire to the powder keg of their relationship and the accumulated problems, but here MC, depending on the decisions he makes, can either stabilize Throuple or destroy it. We can choose to focus on one girl and carefully set one girl against the other, or always reconcile them and pay equal attention to each other.
I don't know yet how this works outside of their route. Perhaps MC will just be an observer here.

 

[Bootyman92]

Legit I cried a little when Jill told me to put a condom

Duuuude! I was on some

 

[Lagunavii]

Only if you're Josy fan.


BaDIK is written in such way that MC is not the center of the universe and the story develops beyond his influence, MC can touch only certain moments for now, but I would like to see the butterfly effect closer to Endgame.
Maya will remain part of the story, it's just that events will develop worse for her.
But the saving/collapse Throuple is something that MC influences with his decisions. Specially being on the J/M path. Let's say that failure with the papers can be the spark that will set fire to the powder keg of their relationship and the accumulated problems, but here MC, depending on the decisions he makes, can either stabilize Throuple or destroy it. We can choose to focus on one girl and carefully set one girl against the other, or always reconcile them and pay equal attention to each other.
I don't know yet how this works outside of their route. Perhaps MC will just be an observer here.

Yeah, we are sorta on the same page, when I said you've just written Maya out of the story. I didn't mean instantly. Like one day she's there, the next she's not.
I meant more, you've just set yourself on the path that's not good Maya. Essentially it's nothing good for her here on out and I ultimately leads to her leaving for whatever reason.
Basically, in other words if you're on the Thruple path, failing to get the contract means you no longer get a happy ending with Maya... We still obviously have to get there, but that fares been sealed.

 

[Geralt From Rivia]

Yeah, we are sorta on the same page, when I said you've just written Maya out of the story. I didn't mean instantly. Like one day she's there, the next she's not.
I meant more, you've just set yourself on the path that's not good Maya. Essentially it's nothing good for her here on out and I ultimately leads to her leaving for whatever reason.
Basically, in other words if you're on the Thruple path, failing to get the contract means you no longer get a happy ending with Maya... We still obviously have to get there, but that fares been sealed.

"Bad ending for Maya" in case of failure with the papers, I think it would be like this: Maya can't reconcile with her father and the family will fall apart completely after Helen's death. Having lost his wife and in some sense his daughter, with whom he will break up on a bad note, Patrick will finally break and he will commit suicide or sink to the bottom of society.
The main message of BaDIK is about families and their problems, so I consider this as an option: Maya losing her family.