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

[Train of Thought]

Clearly you don't know me very well!!!!
By the way, I actually own the game, not just a pirate board lurker. I am a fan, but I also am a realist. (fan of renders and animations, NOT his writing or the overall story)
Too many characters leads to burn out.
Intro of new things at this point, was just like his DnG, he is bored.
I hope it ends better than burning dorm rooms, but if so, fear not, I shall ensure that Zoey is the one left behind!

Alright, bet!

 

[fasdfaq123]

Poll news
In this week's poll, option 4 was the winning option and will be featured in episode 9 as Riona's Halloween costume.

Certainly the patreon of DPC do not know how to choose neko-kawai-desu ne.

all of the above simply illustrates a point.
DPC has painted himself into a corner.
He has too many characters.
It is unreasonable to keep them all going indefinitely.
The story is ungainly and not gaining in quality.
His writing is frayed.
His renders are going to require too much time to maintain this mess much longer.
He will be ending the story soonish, and not very satisfactorily.
Whether he spends time with new development of things or focuses on the MC and his canon of girls, all the lot of you should pay attention.
He introduces things when he is bored. He is bored. That means this story is going to conclude. Will there be another year at B&R? I don't know. Maybe he will do a fantasy AVN or take the break he has talked about.
Chapter 10 and done.
Peace

Badik becomes an isekai, as an endgame.

 

[nyrek]

Certainly the patreon of DPC do not know how to choose neko-kawai-desu ne.



Badik becomes an isekai, as an endgame.

can you write a not-a-virgin version of this?
much appreciated

 

[PashafromRussia]

The animation varies from a sex-scene position to a camera movement during cutscenes. I understand why Dr PinkCake weighs for each ones their benefits over the amount of work they involve. Many adult visual novels do the minimum and are satisfied with static renders.

How encouraging it is to read that he evaluates his workload throughout the making; this implies that he sets goals with perhaps a maximum development time per episode, so as not to be overwhelmed in his job or anger the contributors. Without any irony or excessive flattery, I think a lot of game creators on Patreon could learn from Dr PinkCake.

I think some slowdown in the production of renders is caused by the fact that he began to use the blender more often and generally improved the skills of the artist (these damn geometry nodes will kill me!). DAZ is simpler engine that gives the same simple result. Whereas a blender requires finer work with texture, camera, light, geometry and it takes more time.

all of the above simply illustrates a point.
DPC has painted himself into a corner.
He has too many characters.
It is unreasonable to keep them all going indefinitely.
The story is ungainly and not gaining in quality.
His writing is frayed.
His renders are going to require too much time to maintain this mess much longer.
He will be ending the story soonish, and not very satisfactorily.
Whether he spends time with new development of things or focuses on the MC and his canon of girls, all the lot of you should pay attention.
He introduces things when he is bored. He is bored. That means this story is going to conclude. Will there be another year at B&R? I don't know. Maybe he will do a fantasy AVN or take the break he has talked about.
Chapter 10 and done.
Peace

No matter how it ends and no matter how it sounds, Being A Dik is a great game and a whole phenomenon in the avn genre. The scale of the game grows with each episode. I do not know of any game that could boast of such inclusiveness and scale. It's the whole damn universe. Whatever Pink does, I like it. But I hate waiting.

 

[Casiope]

With such an imposing cast, I wonder: are new characters a way to easily renew the players' attention? A new female face makes us curious about who she is, and of course if we will sleep with her.

It creates an appeal for anyone who is tired of love interests, or who has already "experienced" other side girls. A furtive glimpse of a brunette in a dorm room during the last party was enough for the fantasies to be unleashed, even though her name was unknown. This assumption lowers these new characters to collectors' items that are arguably of little value to the main story given when and how they are introduced.

But isn't this lust call an ingredient for a successful porn game?

Beyond the fans who ask for more backstory, or those pleased by sentimental relationships, there are also many who expect more sexual partners for the main character to the point of making Casanova look like a prude one.

 

[nyrek]

With such an imposing cast, I wonder: are new characters a way to easily renew the players' attention?

not for me. I did not care for zoey at all and could have been just fine with her just staying MC's story from the past. an important factor in all of this was the time that could have been spent continuing the main plot was spent on introducing a new possible LI after 2 seasons.
after playing the interlude for the second time, I've seen what shazba's been on and on about earlier - zoey's model in fact looks really nice. the scene when she's getting her first tattoo that focuses on her face makes you think that you might actually give her a chance if she will be an LI option. but that's just because it's an option. otherwise, wouldn't really care for her as a new character.

even with a cutie like zoey entering the story, I can still say that there are a lot of things that have my primary interest - things that have been unsolved for episodes, some of them going through both seasons. those situations still make me want a new episode out as fast as possible because I want to see those situations resolved.
I want to see where the entire maya/josy situation leads us - do they break up? how does one of them react because you picked the other?
does maya get the courage to deal with her father?
does derek get a brain?
does quinn get a heart?
...

in all of the story that happened through the 2 seasons, I see zoey coming back as... I don't know, a bit more interesting than magnar and that chick of his. meh.

 

[Kellermann]

Yes, the second season was better than the first. Facts.

Disagree. Season 2 got worse as it went along. By episode 7, it hit a wall. Now if the metrics you are using is just renders and lewd scenes, then yes season 2 is better, but in terms of story logic and just plain fun, then season 1 is the clear winner. Parties were interesting and fresh, Hell week with your new bros was a damn good adventure, conflicts with the jocks were gratifying, and learning the ropes at B&R was entertaining. And that is not even counting any lewdness. Then the tone shifted in season 2 (and characters started acting...well, out of character). Season 1 had sad drama yes, but season 2 went full bore overkill with it.

For example with ep. 8, if you aren't on Josy's path especially then the entire first act is astonishingly morose. Almost every scene is people crying and moaning about feelings. I know the game needs some of that good old fashioned DPC heaviness, but jesus that was giving me flashbacks to (*shudders*) Acting Lessons style of game. Just a dark, depressing cloud of melancholy. Fortunately, ep. 8 got better later on, but not enough to make it more enjoyable than the general vibe of season 1.
I really hope DPC doesn't go back to his AL ways.

 

[Arigon]

With such an imposing cast, I wonder: are new characters a way to easily renew the players' attention? A new female face makes us curious about who she is, and of course if we will sleep with her.

It creates an appeal for anyone who is tired of love interests, or who has already "experienced" other side girls. A furtive glimpse of a brunette in a dorm room during the last party was enough for the fantasies to be unleashed, even though her name was unknown. This assumption lowers these new characters to collectors' items that are arguably of little value to the main story given when and how they are introduced.

But isn't this lust call an ingredient for a successful porn game?

Beyond the fans who ask for more backstory, or those pleased by sentimental relationships, there are also many who expect more sexual partners for the main character to the point of making Casanova look like a prude one.

our boyo is already shaming Casanova.
It is silly now really. I think the whole story would have been better if the MC had been part of the whole DIK Frat, and we follow that frat with stories about the brothers, and their sexual antics, along side the MC with his. Sure give our guy a couple of girls or whatever, but this won't be a harem ending. DPC will fuck with that. He killed off one of a thruple his first time out, and did it stupidly without logic. Just as some of his story elements here are stupid and without logic.

He has started paring down our love interest field. Introducing Zoey now, instead of say back during Hellweek when she could have been some sort of support and influence, makes her an unwelcome bag. I really am not a Zoey fan. As he pars down the love interests, bring back his best friend to do what? Unseat Derrick as an epic wingman? Replace one or more of our current girls? Become a hooker in the Restaurant or at the club?

He has to start wrapping up his dangling issues, and introducing Zoey now, will just add some shit to the pile that he has to shovel. It is already too ungainly. He will reach a point of no sleep, and mega frustration if he keeps this up. So for you mega fans, don't treat Zoey as a welcome prize, treat her as a distraction just like DnG. DPC is going to need his break sooner rather than later at this pace.
10 and done, that is all I am saying, and it will be a dramatic gut wrenching finish.
Peace

 

[PashafromRussia]

With such an imposing cast, I wonder: are new characters a way to easily renew the players' attention? A new female face makes us curious about who she is, and of course if we will sleep with her.

It creates an appeal for anyone who is tired of love interests, or who has already "experienced" other side girls. A furtive glimpse of a brunette in a dorm room during the last party was enough for the fantasies to be unleashed, even though her name was unknown. This assumption lowers these new characters to collectors' items that are arguably of little value to the main story given when and how they are introduced.

But isn't this lust call an ingredient for a successful porn game?

Beyond the fans who ask for more backstory, or those pleased by sentimental relationships, there are also many who expect more sexual partners for the main character to the point of making Casanova look like a prude one.

I think the new characters will only be interesting to players on the path of Others. After all, the main players will follow the path of the main girls and build relationships with them. And new girls will be interesting only for huge diks.

 

[Arigon]

I think the new characters will only be interesting to players on the path of Others. After all, the main players will follow the path of the main girls and build relationships with them. And new girls will be interesting only for huge diks.

I think you nailed this one.
However, this does not invalidate (for me anyway) my point of any new characters representing some boredom and bogging down a bloated beast. The end is nearer for every new mega project he starts, because he already has too much to do.
Peace

 

[OnY0ur6ix]

Save your game at the end of season 2, then import it in the season 3 client. It's like 3 mouse clicks.

I did that...I got this

 

[Green Isosceles]

I did that...I got this

View attachment 1821147

You using mods or cheats, b?

 

[sixart]

You using mods or cheats, b?

Neither... he's a genius !

 

[Master5043]

Disagree. Season 2 got worse as it went along. By episode 7, it hit a wall. Now if the metrics you are using is just renders and lewd scenes, then yes season 2 is better, but in terms of story logic and just plain fun, then season 1 is the clear winner. Parties were interesting and fresh, Hell week with your new bros was a damn good adventure, conflicts with the jocks were gratifying, and learning the ropes at B&R was entertaining. And that is not even counting any lewdness. Then the tone shifted in season 2 (and characters started acting...well, out of character). Season 1 had sad drama yes, but season 2 went full bore overkill with it.

For example with ep. 8, if you aren't on Josy's path especially then the entire first act is astonishingly morose. Almost every scene is people crying and moaning about feelings. I know the game needs some of that good old fashioned DPC heaviness, but jesus that was giving me flashbacks to (*shudders*) Acting Lessons style of game. Just a dark, depressing cloud of melancholy. Fortunately, ep. 8 got better later on, but not enough to make it more enjoyable than the general vibe of season 1.
I really hope DPC doesn't go back to his AL ways.

I understood what you mean. You don't like the genre change in the second season. Well, this is subjective and depends on the taste of each individual. In my opinion, a change in the plot direction is necessary and important. Look, the first season was a lot of fun - an American Pie-type comedy. Hell week, pranks, laughter. If things continued like this, we'd end up with endless American Pie sequels and it's... boring. Several seasons are the same, like chewing the same gum many times. Have you heard that the last parts of American Pie were successful? Exactly. People remember the first part the most, which is gold.
The drama and melancholy in the second season brings the characters to life. Maya, Jill, Sage... - I haven't empathized with a game NPC in a long time. This gave the project a fresh breath, allowed to look from the other side. That in addition to wild fun, there is also a dark side. A change of scenery is important for such a big project. The creator did not forget about the fun, it is worth remembering the sabotage in the snob house, Tybalt's cock, the fun in the nursing home, for example. A perfect balance between drama and comedy and I gave the second season a well-deserved 10/10.
This is not Acting Lessons, the dev has mentioned this many times. Don't worry, the college won't burn down at the end of the game. But the consequences of the decisions taken will be, otherwise the DPC would not be itself. In my opinion, the consequences are important for the creation of a living world, if you do not want to get Fallout 4 or ME Andromeda in the end. Because we are playing an RPG game. And that insanely cool cliffhanger at the end keeps you looking forward to Episode 9. The return of Zoya is a very good plot twist that will bring freshness to the project. How it sparked discussion: People are arguing hundreds of comments about the need to add her to the story. I am very interested in how the drama will develop in this triangle between MC, the girl you chose (if you chose) and Zoe. In any case, I will reserve a separate walkthrough for her.
That's was my point of view. Speaking for others, for the gaming community - as I said, the second season received 96% in Steam. The vast majority believe that the second season is not worse than the first.

 

[den_tiger]

So is there a chance that she will come back?
View attachment 1820996
View attachment 1820995

Yes please!

 

[BorgiaBou]

You'll likely be very happy if you wish for a content-filled episode that requires more than five playthroughs to see everything.

Wow this episode will be a short one for some of us who are only playing one path (Bella my case) and are not curious to play the other 6000 or whatever paths, this is the big problem with this game from now on, if till now you could play the manwhore route and have a lot of content from now on is over, so long update waits for minimal content...

 

[bigdick289]

I hope Kylie is one of the 70+ characters DPC is talking about

 

[BigBlueDude]

I mean, you *can*, but you'd better be prepared for the teller to call security.



Errr, we already know the MC is in Sage's house no matter our path. He's even shitting himself over sleeping with Jade regardless of whether he actually did so.

I'm loathe to be overly critical of DPC's lengthy development time because in general I'm always willing to trade quantity to get more quality. But I must admit I have severe doubts as to whether DPC is really adding quality right now. Prior to Episode 8 I would have been very enthusiastic about needing 5 playthroughs to see everything, as that was my preferred playstyle. But after the disastrous crossroads, I'm just not sure anymore. What good is having distinct branches if those branches come at the price of excluding the differences I really care about?

Is the Maya/Josy branch really going to focus on the MC building a relationship with both girls? Will he actually prioritize solving Maya's problems in a way that might limit the time he has to party (compared to an Others route)? Nothing DPC has done in Episode 8 (much less the Interlude) indicates that's going to happen. I think the MC will remain as aimless as he's always been, just now he'll mope about Zoey from time to time. Oh, and the camera will pan around him slightly while doing so.

This is why I wish we'd skipped the damn Interlude, because I really have no idea how DPC intends to handle the next part of his story and I would much prefer to learn that than to delve deeply into Zoey's backstory. It's tough waiting half a year for content when you're enthusiastic for it, but it's much harder when you're lukewarm on it. Sadly, no such luck.



DPC has an impressive work ethic and he definitely has skill as an artist; any aspiring developer could learn a lot from him on those fronts. But I disagree that he does a good job weighing the benefits of an animation against the time they require.

The Interlude was, IMHO, filled with extraneous animations that did nothing to add characterization or atmosphere. They were the equivalent of shoving objects at the camera in a 3D movie just to prove you could. Likewise, DPC could use a trusted editor. Take Madame for instance (please!). As much as I give her flak, I do appreciate the idea behind her; she adds something to game world. It's just that the marginal benefit she brings cannot be justified given the time he's devoted to her. She should have been sacrificed for the greater good, but she wasn't. And the more that keeps happening, the harder it will be to finally clear the decks on focus on telling the story, which means the strength to weight ratio of the episodes will continue to suffer until we hit a breaking point.

Sorry to be all negativity this morning, I'm just a bit frustrated.

Disagree. Season 2 got worse as it went along. By episode 7, it hit a wall. Now if the metrics you are using is just renders and lewd scenes, then yes season 2 is better, but in terms of story logic and just plain fun, then season 1 is the clear winner. Parties were interesting and fresh, Hell week with your new bros was a damn good adventure, conflicts with the jocks were gratifying, and learning the ropes at B&R was entertaining. And that is not even counting any lewdness. Then the tone shifted in season 2 (and characters started acting...well, out of character). Season 1 had sad drama yes, but season 2 went full bore overkill with it.

For example with ep. 8, if you aren't on Josy's path especially then the entire first act is astonishingly morose. Almost every scene is people crying and moaning about feelings. I know the game needs some of that good old fashioned DPC heaviness, but jesus that was giving me flashbacks to (*shudders*) Acting Lessons style of game. Just a dark, depressing cloud of melancholy. Fortunately, ep. 8 got better later on, but not enough to make it more enjoyable than the general vibe of season 1.
I really hope DPC doesn't go back to his AL ways.

I think the frustration both of you are expressing is fair. Its really hard to see when things get too big to handle and I totally understand why many people think DPC is at or soon approaching that limit.

The game is really big as it is imo. Is it too much for one person in a reasonable time frame? Yes.
Too much for DPC? No idea. Maybe? His track record is still good I think.

Itll never happen but give sidegirl scenes that doesnt have core story interaction to someone else to offload work? Kind of like Madame, Nora, some of the Pink Rose girls etc? That way time and energy could be saved to improve and tighten up the core stories while also keeping the expanded scope of the game going, which is a reason why so many people like the game. People love new things and new things sells. Hence the Vixens, that will add even more complexity. Those could be offloaded as well after their debut after this ep or two, or season, when the novelty have run out. None of the side characters have been dropped of the edge of the world yet. Mona would be the exception to confirm the rule atm but its not set in stone either, could come back to drag shit into the light somehow, who knows?

Girls girls girls galore and the upkeep keeps growing. Its probably ok for now but how long will it last?

Again, I think this is a bit unfair. Obviously adding scenes *for the point* of having more scenes is a bad thing. But that's why discussing a hypothetical, context-free lewd scene between Josy and Lucas is a meaningless exercise. The context is the thing that would make or break the scene.

We need scenes that inform us about the characters, advance their story, or control the 'pace' of the story (meaning you sometimes need intermediate scenes to illustrate a gradual process or lighten/darken the mood). Ideally, each scene would do multiple of those, but they all need to do at least one.

Can a pseudo-NTR scene with a girl serve any of those purposes? I would argue yes, at least under the right circumstances. Bella remains the most obvious example, because it could clarify what the fuck happened with her husband AND raise the stakes for MCs on her path. Zoey is another possibility: as said, if we saw Zoey break up with her new boyfriend because she realized what she lost with the MC, that would drive home how she was changes by her time in San Diego. Sage is yet another example. How much more impact Sage's fury in Episode 6 would have had if we'd actually seen Chad kiss her previously? It would make her sense of betrayal much more visceral because we'd have seen how Chad led her along. As is, feels more like Sage has been deluding herself for months/years.

Of course it's perfectly possible to use those sorts of scenes badly. I'd argue the Emma/Bret scene in the Interlude was a complete waste for all the reasons you say. But that's because it has no narrative purpose: it's hard to care about Emma after the shit she pulled and we're probably never going to see these characters again. All we needed here was to convey how this affected Zoey, and a few quick lines could have done that. So I'm definitely not recommending we delve into the minutiae of every rejected girl's love life just to up the lewd count. I just think DPC has been gun-shy about adding that sort of content even when it could help the story.



I certainly understand where your coming from, but I find it a bit annoying. To me, the game is trying way too hard to make me sympathize with Quinn despite her having done nothing to earn that sympathy. It feels manipulative.

Still, the music *is* very good and I know plenty of people disagree with me on Quinn.

yes yes yes this is all so accurate. Through reading here in this forum ive finally figured out why Chad and Sage story never felt really compelling to me, I now think its the comparative weakness in the story compared to other LIs, lets pick Jills story since i heavily dislike her for trope reasons. Jill is annoying but her story is still more coherent to me. Sage is a great girl but the story beats doesnt land for me.

Emma Bret didnt mean much at all to me, positive to slightly below on those parts, wasnt convinced. But also not entirely let down by their thing as major influence on Zoey despite it was written that way. That Bret was a decent person and to me he came across as "theres something here-it might lead to romance or friendship-let it develop into whatever it was meant to be" in regards to Zoey and I liked that, quite mature. (If i decided Bret was going after Zoey it felt like he was leaning towards it, If I decided he only wanted friendship it all read like a friend to me) Zoey grew from that interaction and that aspect was very well crafted imo. Emma wasnt nearly as well made.

I hate tattoos. Can't you avoid it in Interlude?

That sucks man. Sadly for you they are here to stay.
Strangely the tats on Emma were fine and Zoeys doesnt bother me at all, while i am usually bothered by Sandys, and roughly half of the scenes with Melanie. I dont know why but tats in games almost always feels off to me. Probably a lightning/shadow thing or perspective thing with stuff that pasted ontop of skin.

 

[Casiope]

I think the new characters will only be interesting to players on the path of Others. After all, the main players will follow the path of the main girls and build relationships with them. And new girls will be interesting only for huge diks.

This is an interesting point because if hitherto the protagonist could keep an ambivalence between fidelity and libertinism, the fact of engaging in a serious relationship does not still exclude philandering.

This subject has given birth to many works, from Dangerous Liaisons (adapted in a teen version Cruel Intentions) to Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut.

I don't know what the script of Being a DIK will bring us, but the theme of cheating could provide writing material in the future. Although Sage doesn't deserve to be fooled twice in a row...

 

[AchedCroissant]

I did that...I got this

View attachment 1821147

You did it wrong