VN Ren'Py Being a DIK [v0.11.1] [DrPinkCake]

[ename144]

I don't know if I'd say I hate her but she's pretty far down my list.

I think she was definitely presented has the main LI in episode 1, but from episode 4 onwards she's been at best a side character. I care more for John Boy and Elena than I do Maya and Josy because I feel they are more relevant.

If DPC intended for Maya to be the main LI, I have no idea why he would lock her up so early. And even her lewd scenes in episode 2, you have to turn down hotter girls and better scenes to even get them.

If you play this game without the end of episode write ups on the 5 main girls, you wouldn't even think half of them are main girls.

I don't know, I thought her lewd scene in Episode 2 was very hot and quite sweet. It also has one of the few instances where the DIK/CHICK system actually feels like a representation of the MC's personality rather than a game mechanic. A pretty solid win there, IMHO. I agree with others that Maya's problems begin in Episode 4. First, her misleading of the MC is never properly addressed, and second she remains too central a character even if she flat out rejects the MC.

But I disagree about main girls: Maya, Josy, Sage and Jill are all pretty clearly main girls. They have obvious sub-plots, thematic music, spend a lot of time with the MC, and as of Episode 6, Hangouts. The only one who feels extraneous is Bella, who would probably feel like another version of Jade or Cathy without the title cards. Likewise, I think Quinn is the only one of the side girls who might be mistaken for a main character, given how much time, focus, and led content she gets.

I think DPC definitely misjudged his characters and patrons because I agree that the response to Maya and Josy has been mixed at best. While polls aren't always the best judge of a character's popularity, it is no accident that Maya and Josy are almost always dead last in votes. It seems that the majority of players don't like them (or at least don't prefer them) and the players that do like them are split 50/50 on which one they prefer. This gums up the works because I really do agree that Maya and Josy are clearly supposed to be the main LIs. As horusxcaen82 said, I think Jill has been elevated to #3, but to me it feels like she's been a bit shoehorned in. And as well as that shoehorning has gone, I don't think it has been the easiest transition. Bella and Sage are distant numbers 4 and 5, to the point where I almost have a hard time believing that they're intended as primary LIs. I can't speak for Bella, but I was surprised how early and easy it was to close the Sage romance story line. When I closed it I didn't do it intentionally to end any future chances with her, but that's how it worked.

I think it's important to remember that the game isn't close to ending yet. The MC can't resolve all the problems with his favorite LI yet, because if then they would be free to live happily ever after and the game would effectively be over. So girls like Jill and Sage* are still peripheral because they need a slower romance to keep pace with the overall story.

I think the reason the Maya and Josy tangle was 'resolved' so early was specifically so that DPC could introduce each character separately, then introduce them as a couple/thruple, then give them a normal helping of relationship-threatening drama. He wanted players to be invested in Maya & Josy as a couple but still see them as individuals, and he thought a surprise tragic love story would be the best way to do that.

The real obstacles to M&J begin now, and it will be up to the player to either keep the trio going/put it back together (if possible) or pursue one of the girls and deal with the fallout to the other. So in that sense, Season 1 is a prologue that sets up M&J. Season 2 will be about the MC actually pursuing his preferred romances in the face of obstacles, and presumably Season 3 will be about removing those obstacles and letting go of unchosen girls.

I do think DPC miscalculated by allowing M&J to remain a central focus of the game after they reject the MC. And he definitely underestimated the amount of work he needed to do in Episode 4 to make up for the way the MC was treated. So the execution was poor. But the basic idea has some potential, IMHO.

*With Sage in particular, I don't think being her fuck buddy is the only way to romance her. So you haven't closed her off as a romance option just yet, you've only closed off one avenue to it. Getting rejected by M&J may be similar, with individual routes opening up again after the break-up in a future Episode.

If it looks like a foursome, then it probably is a foursome

Yeah, if there's one thing we know about DPC it's that he never tries to trick or mislead us!

 

[Deleted member 506935]

here is my tier list, I wanted to do a joke one at first but I decided against it... well I did actually kind of made a joke on this list see if you can spot it :



some of these are based on my interactions with them and how much time I spent as a player getting to know them some are place because of my likes and dislikes.

 

[felicemastronzo]

I don't know, I thought her lewd scene in Episode 2 was very hot and quite sweet. It also has one of the few instances where the DIK/CHICK system actually feels like a representation of the MC's personality rather than a game mechanic. A pretty solid win there, IMHO. I agree with others that Maya's problems begin in Episode 4. First, her misleading of the MC is never properly addressed, and second she remains too central a character even if she flat out rejects the MC.

But I disagree about main girls: Maya, Josy, Sage and Jill are all pretty clearly main girls. They have obvious sub-plots, thematic music, spend a lot of time with the MC, and as of Episode 6, Hangouts. The only one who feels extraneous is Bella, who would probably feel like another version of Jade or Cathy without the title cards. Likewise, I think Quinn is the only one of the side girls who might be mistaken for a main character, given how much time, focus, and led content she gets.



I think it's important to remember that the game isn't close to ending yet. The MC can't resolve all the problems with his favorite LI yet, because if then they would be free to live happily ever after and the game would effectively be over. So girls like Jill and Sage* are still peripheral because they need a slower romance to keep pace with the overall story.

I think the reason the Maya and Josy tangle was 'resolved' so early was specifically so that DPC could introduce each character separately, then introduce them as a couple/thruple, then give them a normal helping of relationship-threatening drama. He wanted players to be invested in Maya & Josy as a couple but still see them as individuals, and he thought a surprise tragic love story would be the best way to do that.

The real obstacles to M&J begin now, and it will be up to the player to either keep the trio going/put it back together (if possible) or pursue one of the girls and deal with the fallout to the other. So in that sense, Season 1 is a prologue that sets up M&J. Season 2 will be about the MC actually pursuing his preferred romances in the face of obstacles, and presumably Season 3 will be about removing those obstacles and letting go of unchosen girls.

I do think DPC miscalculated by allowing M&J to remain a central focus of the game after they reject the MC. And he definitely underestimated the amount of work he needed to do in Episode 4 to make up for the way the MC was treated. So the execution was poor. But the basic idea has some potential, IMHO.

*With Sage in particular, I don't think being her fuck buddy is the only way to romance her. So you haven't closed her off as a romance option just yet, you've only closed off one avenue to it. Getting rejected by M&J may be similar, with individual routes opening up again after the break-up in a future Episode.



Yeah, if there's one thing we know about DPC it's that he never tries to trick or mislead us!

for the bold part: perfect

but I too see a certain difference between the centrality of LIs at present.

it's too, too easy to be free of Sage and Bella already.

with Bella you already have two key moments in which you can push her away.
with Sage you have one really early in the game and one maybe now in the sixth chapter.
Jill is in a similar situation, but without a key choice, but still remains involved in the story (it seems impossible to me that Tybalt's blackmail doesn't ultimately involve MC regardless of his relationship with Jill)

then no one can say about the future of the game if there will be a chance to recover, but the famous choices lose a lot of importance if it will be easy to get back into the game, it will take an important gesture.

 

[DavDR]

I've put this off for a while but, here it is . . .

 

[Deleted member 506935]

ok so, I think I might have asked this before, but what really justifies Bella being one of the 5 LI's she seems like more of a side character in some aspects like Cathy/Jade, I can't quite put my finger on it, my honest DIK opinion is that shes a hard nut to crack so the MC has to bust said nut to get her out of her funk, I'd like to hear peoples opinions on how their relationship could work, lol that scene of her walking out of the DIK frat were she gives them all the death stare was hilarious.

 

[Deleted member 3006697]

My tier list

 

[felicemastronzo]

ok so, I think I might have asked this before, but what really justifies Bella being one of the 5 LI's she seems like more of a side character in some aspects like Cathy/Jade, I can't quite put my finger on it, my honest DIK opinion is that shes a hard nut to crack so the MC has to bust said nut to get her out of her funk, I'd like to hear peoples opinions on how their relationship could work, lol that scene of her walking out of the DIK frat were she gives them all the death stare was hilarious.

purely a choice of DPC

compared to the other teachers (who in my opinion would still have a greater simplicity in reaching a happy ending) the only real difference is that Bella is closely linked to another LI

and this situation with pairs of LI is very comfortable from a narrative point of view (even if not really a Li I consider as such also the couple Sage - Quinn)

 

[Gladheim]

My tier list
View attachment 950160

I'd give you a red heart if Maya and Josy were higher on the list and KRJ much lower xD

 

[Deleted member 2120609]

 

[AchedCroissant]

. For that reason I really don't like how much I have to hang out with Josy and Maya. I don't want to be their emotional crutch, I don't want to have lunch with them, I don't want to study with them, I want to let them go and do their own thing while I do my own separate thing

You're good? because I see you are taking this very personal and it reminds you that some girl in the past rejected you and you were still left with the trauma

 

[Deleted member 506935]

purely a choice of DPC

compared to the other teachers (who in my opinion would still have a greater simplicity in reaching a happy ending) the only real difference is that Bella is closely linked to another LI

and this situation with pairs of LI is very comfortable from a narrative point of view (even if not really a Li I consider as such also the couple Sage - Quinn)

I said this yesterday but I'd love to see a similar set up where if the MC starts dating Sage, and you help Quinn at that point in EP6 they form a Maya/Josy situation but in the sense that its an actual 3 way relationship and not like Maya/Josy plus 1
and seeing how Sage is kinda getting the hint Quinn maybe up to no good, it could lead to some interesting sparks.

 

[freedom.call]

Why am 'I' climbing walls and breaking into the Nu Omega mansion to play guitar for Jill when I have picked negative responses when possible?

Disappointed.

 

[felicemastronzo]

I said this yesterday but I'd love to see a similar set up where if the MC starts dating Sage, and you help Quinn at that point in EP6 they form a Maya/Josy situation but in the sense that its an actual 3 way relationship and not like Maya/Josy plus 1
and seeing how Sage is kinda getting the hint Quinn maybe up to no good, it could lead to some interesting sparks.

I don't think it will go like this. and the more Quinn is shown to have a soul, the more I fear for her life.

soon I believe, however, that Quinn and Sage are destined for a hard fight, at that moment perhaps having been too close to Quinn will become a serious fault in Sage's eyes

 

[Deleted member 3006697]

I'd give you a red heart if Maya and Josy were higher on the list and KRJ much lower xD

Yeah I messed up with KRJ. She is B at best (and D without glasses).
And for MnJ.... after Ep3 their story isn't that good/interesting (for me at least).

And J is a straight up bitch. Why?
Well after being devastated in ep3 I once again did a fresh start but this time I chose to ignore her messages, not bring flowers/chocolate on date, deny sex etc...
Even after all this she blames MC.....
So yeah that was kind of meh and she went from S tier to C tier for me.

 

[freedom.call]

Same reason why i have to deal with Maya even though i don't care about her at all. It's DPC's story so you'll have to cope with this, but you'll probably be able to ditch her later on.

I understand it's his story but I hoped MC going out of his way options like this would be skipped. I can play it again to get Jill's story, it would still be the Dr's story. Seems the story is pretty much on rails with some changed dialogue here and there.

 

[freedom.call]

I was able to skip two scenes with Sage earlier, I guess that's partly why I was disappointed now.

 

[salvac]

does someone have finally a full save ? Im eagerly waiting for this..

 

[shazba]

Yeah the story is pretty much linear and most decisions don't matter. It's basically just renders with dialogue

That's exactly what it is, with some player influenced diverging subplots. All for entertainments purposes, which it's achieving for some and for others not so much.

 

[Holy Bacchus]

My tier list
View attachment 950160

"Who the fuck are these??"

Beth who works in the cafeteria, Ellie who you can chat with on Swyper, and Sandy who works at the Pink Rose and who you can get a very hot threesome with in Ep 6. I'm quite surprised you didn't recognise because even if you didn't get that scene with her, she still very prominently appears in the bar in Ep 6.

Even more surprising that you didn't recognise her yet did recognise the gym receptionist who you put in the B category.

Seems the story is pretty much on rails with some changed dialogue here and there.

Bingo. This linearity also makes those moments where choices are completely out of the player's control all the more startling and baffling because in these moments you'd think/like/expect to be able to make it work, but the game just says, "NO!"

 

[GingerSweetGirl]

You're good? because I see you are taking this very personal and it reminds you that some girl in the past rejected you and you were still left with the trauma

lol no no I'm good, I swear.