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

[Holy Bacchus]

Back in May, I posted list of all the scenes, variations of scenes, other moments, and RP you can obtain or not obtain by being a certain status and/or affinity.

So, for those wondering whether it's better to DIK, CHICK, or Neutral I will post it here again and have updated it with the content from episode 5.

Spoiler

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[Lightaces]

It fits the stern and all-business image she wants to show outwards, though. She probably doesn't want to be perceived as a beautiful woman but as a boring librarian instead. I mean she's failing at it horribly, she's an absolute smokeshow but that's the intention.

With that cleavage? I mean, you’re right, but…

 

[Razrback16]

I really hope to see Bella’s smile in the game sometime.

Ya I think it's the complete lack of her smiling, ever, that's kinda turned me off to her at this point. If she'd start smiling more she'd get my attention - just have a difficult time getting the feels for a character who just looks like a robot all the time.

It's probably just me, but I find Bella's in-game primary hairstyle really suck. Both her bedtime hairstyle and this beach hairstyle makes her 10x more beautiful.

Absolutely. Her normal hairstyle in-game is terrible.

 

[Sorrow85]

Back in May, I posted list of all the scenes, variations of scenes, other moments, and RP you can obtain or not obtain by being a certain status and/or affinity.

So, for those wondering whether it's better to DIK, CHICK, or Neutral I will post it here again and have updated it with the content from episode 5.

Spoiler

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This may just be me but I feel like the end of the game is targed at:
DIK President and Sage(DIK side)
Vice President and other girls(Neutral or Chick side)

The president or vice president is affected at the end of the game.

 

[imfedupdawg]

Speaking about end game I've always wondered how big of an impact our AFFINITY will have compared to the choices we've made in determing the endings we get.

 

[lemonfreak]

Speaking about end game I've always wondered how big of an impact our AFFINITY will have compared to the choices we've made in determing the endings we get.

It's hard to say because my understanding is that DPC is cagey about revealing how the systems work (this is why RP is a hidden stat). My best guess is that each LI has their own Affinity bar which is hidden from the player and the MC needs to have a corresponding level to match up with them; failure to line up with your target girl would lead to a sad end.

 

[Gh0st_Harambe]

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4k
View attachment 754222
1080
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Bella is relaxing with some wine and a good book at the beach.

4k and full HD versions in the attachment of this post.

Enjoy!

Dr PinkCake

Good finally Bella wallpaper is here !!
This hairstyle looks much better than the one in the game.

 

[mindern]

It's hard to say because my understanding is that DPC is cagey about revealing how the systems work (this is why RP is a hidden stat). My best guess is that each LI has their own Affinity bar which is hidden from the player and the MC needs to have a corresponding level to match up with them; failure to line up with your target girl would lead to a sad end.

As long as these are telegraphed and a culmination of prior events I'll have no issue with it. If, for sake of argument, Sage ends up with a choice in endgame that requires a high DIK affinity to keep the relationship going the build up to that needs interactions with Sage to have a lot of DIK choices. Clear cut situations where she expects you to be a DIK.

Basically the game would start having Sage be disappointed by CHICK actions, and happy with DIK ones so when this hypothetical DIK requirement turns up it isn't entirely out of the blue. I don't want to be able to have a happy relationship with her as a CHICK just for an arbitrary DIK check to end things.

If it introduces hard affinity checks for relationships I want to actually see the girls respond to their affinity and reject the other so it isn't just an arbitrary check. The game doesn't have the girls push their affinity enough for DPC to use it as he intends.

 

[lemonfreak]

As long as these are telegraphed and a culmination of prior events I'll have no issue with it. If, for sake of argument, Sage ends up with a choice in endgame that requires a high DIK affinity to keep the relationship going the build up to that needs interactions with Sage to have a lot of DIK choices. Clear cut situations where she expects you to be a DIK.

Basically the game would start having Sage be disappointed by CHICK actions, and happy with DIK ones so when this hypothetical DIK requirement turns up it isn't entirely out of the blue. I don't want to be able to have a happy relationship with her as a CHICK just for an arbitrary DIK check to end things.

If it introduces hard affinity checks for relationships I want to actually see the girls respond to their affinity and reject the other so it isn't just an arbitrary check. The game doesn't have the girls push their affinity enough for DPC to use it as he intends.

1 - At the end of each chapter we're presented with a summary of how we're doing with each LI. This varies depending on your choices.

2 - RP, the hidden stat, could very well serve to soften Affinity checks by letting you get the good ending with an LI if you are 1 mark out. For example, if Sage requires Major Dik (or positions 5-8) then a high RP would allow you to get her good ending with an Affinity of 1-4 or 9-12.

3 - The choices you make should naturally lead you to the best girl for your version of the MC; conflict should only arise if you, for example, pick Maya as your preferred then make mostly Dik choices which rule her out as the final girl.

I have to concede that I'm making a lot of assumptions here.

 

[Holy Bacchus]

It's hard to say because my understanding is that DPC is cagey about revealing how the systems work (this is why RP is a hidden stat). My best guess is that each LI has their own Affinity bar which is hidden from the player and the MC needs to have a corresponding level to match up with them; failure to line up with your target girl would lead to a sad end.

Honestly, if that happens then it will suck.

Imagine what it would be like if a player who has set their sights on Sage and maintained either a Neutral or CHICK affinity right on through until the end, gets reject by her because she's basically just like, "nah, I'm DIK affinity and you're not so I'm ending this relationship". It wouldn't make sense because, even if there are certain things which might make her seem like she's on that side of the scale, players can still do pretty much everything with Sage, including being FWB, whilst having those other affinities. There so far hasn't been any indication she wouldn't want a guy like that, so a player getting rejected at the end over that would be a terrible way to end the game for those players.

 

[Bolero]

I prefer Bella with her hair when she is in the library, or her hair when she is sunbathing near the pool, or her hair when she is showering, or her hair from her college days, or her hair in that beach fun series.
Also i prefer her boobs when she is wearing her business outfit and you can only see the shape of them, or her boobs form the pool scene, or her boobs from the shower scene, or her boobs when the Mc stayed at her place for the first time when he was drunk and he managed to squeeze one of them, or her boobs in the sauna.
Overall there is no scene where she does not look both cute and sexy, no matter her hair style, and her boobs are always very sexy, number one in the game, at least that is my opinion.

 

[Conklingc]

Honestly, if that happens then it will suck.

Imagine what it would be like if a player who has set their sights on Sage and maintained either a Neutral or CHICK affinity right on through until the end, but then gets reject by her because she's basically just like, "nah, I'm DIK affinity and you're not so I'm ending this relationship". It wouldn't make sense because, even if there are certain things which might make her seem like she's on that side of the scale, players can still do pretty much everything with Sage, including being FWB, whilst having those other affinities. There so far hasn't been any indication she wouldn't want a guy like that, so a player getting rejected at the end over that would be a terrible way to end the game for those players.

I agree with you, but also feel that's exactly what the affinity system is (it was already used that way at the end of episode 4). Beyond being rejected/accepted it can block from even making certain choices. I don't like the system, but it's part of the game and some people may have to go back and run from different saves making out of character choices to get to a desired result.

 

[lemonfreak]

Honestly, if that happens then it will suck.

Imagine what it would be like if a player who has set their sights on Sage and maintained either a Neutral or CHICK affinity right on through until the end, but then gets reject by her because she's basically just like, "nah, I'm DIK affinity and you're not so I'm ending this relationship". It wouldn't make sense because, even if there are certain things which might make her seem like she's on that side of the scale, players can still do pretty much everything with Sage, including being FWB, whilst having those other affinities. There so far hasn't been any indication she wouldn't want a guy like that, so a player getting rejected at the end over that would be a terrible way to end the game for those players.

Several points

1 - We're on 5 of (probably) 16, there is plenty of time for the routes to begin narrowing.

2 - I did imagine your scenario, how do you think I formulated my hypothesis?

3 - My hypothesis depends on the player having enough self-awareness to recognise that their choices are leading them towards a certain LI; there will be people who target Maya while selecting the Dik option every time and those people are idiots who deserve to be punished for being idiots.

 

[mindern]

1 - At the end of each chapter we're presented with a summary of how we're doing with each LI. This varies depending on your choices.

2 - RP, the hidden stat, could very well serve to soften Affinity checks by letting you get the good ending with an LI if you are 1 mark out. For example, if Sage requires Major Dik (or positions 5-8) then a high RP would allow you to get her good ending with an Affinity of 1-4 or 9-12.

3 - The choices you make should naturally lead you to the best girl for your version of the MC; conflict should only arise if you, for example, pick Maya as your preferred then make mostly Dik choices which rule her out as the final girl.

I have to concede that I'm making a lot of assumptions here.

Yes but the being hard locked out due to affinity changes things. If you need a certain affinity for someone it can't just be arbitrary or it renders the entire system moot. We're dealing with an imperfect system here... heavily criticised on this thread. If he's going to have a system that hard locks you out of saying something based on prior actions it needs to have some way of predicting that. Consistency before the hard choice is one way of doing it.

Currently Maya/Josy are an actual example of this system falling apart. You can make all the right choices, have RP through the roof with them and be rejected because off screen you were a DIK. You're arbitrarily locked out of their route with the only punishment for not being similar affinity (I actually think it's an RP check) being you can't finger Maya during the sex scene. Sure they gain/lose RP based on DIK/CHICK choices but they don't show any excessive problem with you being a DIK until it's too late.

In my hypothetical Sage would have a lot of DIK choices and like the MC for being a DIK so that it was natural when this hard locked DIK choice rolled around. The game would give you the chance to be the man she wanted and indicate when you were being the kinda guy she likes. As you put it choices would naturally lead you to the best girl for your MC. Instead you can basically behave however you like with girls and the story chugs along with zero consequences (EP5 had Bella 180 on a DIK MC almost entirely) and hard checks materialise out the ether. This should all be carried by the RP but isn't.

Personally I'd scrap the entire DIK/CHICK checks and just base it all off RP. But I'm discussing adapting the DIK/CHICK system because DPC seems to be married to the idea of that playing a role in whether you get girls.

 

[Minion_of_Luna]

What the heck did you guys do to Bells!? She's starting to look like a sucked up meth junkie.

LOL apparently I offended meth defenders.
Forgive me for being the one guy who preferred her before like so As opposed to the above where she looks like a bulimic crack head.

 

[AvatarStormBringer]

All parts of quinn cloud my judgement.

They all cloud my judgement, except for Arieth. Come to think about it, I'm fearing the last day when Arieth might be the finale to the beach series.

 

[Holy Bacchus]

I agree with you, but also feel that's exactly what the affinity system is (it was already used that way at the end of episode 4). Beyond being rejected/accepted it can block from even making certain choices. I don't like the system, but it's part of the game and some people may have to go back and run from different saves making out of character choices to get to a desired result.

And if the game does indeed "hard lock" (as mindern puts it) players out of an ending with a certain character just because of an arbitrary hidden affinity check that seems to make no sense based on past actions and RP, then it will be as The Architect said in The Matrix Reloaded;

"Which brings us at last to the moment of truth, wherein the fundamental flaw is ultimately expressed, and the anomaly revealed as both beginning, and end."

 

[Maviarab]

Personally I'd scrap the entire DIK/CHICK checks and just base it all off RP. But I'm discussing adapting the DIK/CHICK system because DPC seems to be married to the idea of that playing a role in whether you get girls.

This is part of the problem. The system just doesn't work. massive dik but chick affinity etc. So far, with the exception of the picnic scene alone (to my knowledge), RP has not had an effect. So what's the point of it? it's like the whole system, remove it or it needs implementing properly.

Surely at some point in time, the RP system has to have some greater effect? Otherwise, really, what is it there for? Hidden yes, but if use the walkthrough, it tells you exactly where all the points are, and said, currently it has no real use. The system is slated for good reasons in my opion. Sure, the entire system can be meta-gamed to hell, I have numerous saves as such, but many people don't want that hassle of micro-managing the system to see/get results they want.

I completely agree it needs scrapping, it hasn't worked (imo) how I quite think he envisioned it to.

 

[mindern]

This is part of the problem. The system just doesn't work. massive dik but chick affinity etc. So far, with the exception of the picnic scene alone (to my knowledge), RP has not had an effect. So what's the point of it? it's like the whole system, remove it or it needs implementing properly.

Surely at some point in time, the RP system has to have some greater effect? Otherwise, really, what is it there for? Hidden yes, but if use the walkthrough, it tells you exactly where all the points are, and said, currently it has no real use. The system is slated for good reasons in my opion. Sure, the entire system can be meta-gamed to hell, I have numerous saves as such, but many people don't want that hassle of micro-managing the system to see/get results they want.

I completely agree it needs scrapping, it hasn't worked (imo) how I quite think he envisioned it to.

Ive said it before, he’s using it in about the worst way possible. The system has potential but it’s ambiguous as balls currently.

Ill keep it brief but my theory before was RP becomes king and decides all relationship outcomes. Affinity changes MC’s tone and how he says things (like it does currently in some ways). Make a lot of DIK choices and you’d start saying DIK things. This would lose/gain you RP with certain girls. You know how in game if you’re DIK or CHICK it changes how a compliment is said and how it’s perceived by the girls? Expand on that.

Spend all your time looking up girls skirts and being a DIK and you’d haemorrhage RP with all the CHICK leaning girls as your compliments and behaviour becomes kinda blunt and overtly sexual. Conversely a CHICK MC being all white knight around Sage and Quinn wouldn’t get RP for being all saccharine with them.

You could still be with these girls but you’d have to pickup the slack RP wise elsewhere.

This way affinity becomes a personality, personality naturally draws you to certain girls but how you actually behave and major choices you make still count and you’re only locked out when RP tanks enough to warrant it.

This method also removes the psychic elements of girls knowing you were a DIK elsewhere magically and condemning you for it. Maya shouldn’t know you looked up Sages skirt when you two were alone.

 

[lemonfreak]

Yes but the being hard locked out due to affinity changes things. If you need a certain affinity for someone it can't just be arbitrary or it renders the entire system moot. We're dealing with an imperfect system here... heavily criticised on this thread. If he's going to have a system that hard locks you out of saying something based on prior actions it needs to have some way of predicting that. Consistency before the hard choice is one way of doing it.

Currently Maya/Josy are an actual example of this system falling apart. You can make all the right choices, have RP through the roof with them and be rejected because off screen you were a DIK. You're arbitrarily locked out of their route with the only punishment for not being similar affinity (I actually think it's an RP check) being you can't finger Maya during the sex scene. Sure they gain/lose RP based on DIK/CHICK choices but they don't show any excessive problem with you being a DIK until it's too late.

In my hypothetical Sage would have a lot of DIK choices and like the MC for being a DIK so that it was natural when this hard locked DIK choice rolled around. The game would give you the chance to be the man she wanted and indicate when you were being the kinda guy she likes. As you put it choices would naturally lead you to the best girl for your MC. Instead you can basically behave however you like with girls and the story chugs along with zero consequences (EP5 had Bella 180 on a DIK MC almost entirely) and hard checks materialise out the ether. This should all be carried by the RP but isn't.

Personally I'd scrap the entire DIK/CHICK checks and just base it all off RP. But I'm discussing adapting the DIK/CHICK system because DPC seems to be married to the idea of that playing a role in whether you get girls.

I didn't lay out an arbitary system, I laid out a system in which ther MC's decisions would match him with the best girl for him; there will be fucking morons who make the fucking stupid decision to target one particular girl based on the initial appearence and those idiots will be punished for their lack of self awareness.

In my hypothetical, RP is a minor check that only comes into play after Dik/Chick Affinity and Dik/Chick Status are taken into account.