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

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ename144

ename144

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sorco2003 said:
I understand that a large player base (especially Jill's fans) will not even notice if there are temptations along the way, they will just walk right on by. But I have also seen in this thread pages and pages about Carolyn (not you Carolyn ) and we are talking about a character of one or two images, where in one she is in a threesome with two men.
The story itself is going to weaken? most likely yes, but at the same time it will generate much more playability, since at least to me (and I do not think I'm the only one) the different combinations of LI and temptations lend themselves to see the results (where it is clear that in principle we know the outcome hehehe).
And on the other hand, if we pass without looking at the temptations, there is still the work of convincing our LI that nothing is happening, building that loyalty is as hard as falling into all the temptations.
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I wish I could agree, but I'm not confident about it. Adding options only enhances playability if I care to see the outcome. If the additional options themselves are just weak, or worse yet, if none of the options give me what I'm actually looking for, all you've done is make the game a much bigger pain in the ass to play.

I had a large number of save paths in BaDIK and was planning even more. But after the crossroads it just didn't feel worth exploring extra options; I didn't even bother importing all of my routes. It felt like the only choices DPC cared about were trivial ones; the rest were either ignored or endlessly stalled to keep the game on the rails. I want to be excited about Season 3, but Season 2 ended very badly (IMHO).

'Carolyn' is intriguing when she's harmless, but outside the 'Others' branch, the time for harmless fun has ended (and the Others branch is already very crowded). If the MC is allowed to develop his relationship with the main girls, Carolyn et all will be no threat; if the relationship with the main girls is stalled, Carolyn et al will be no salve. So why add her? Sure, maybe there will be a misunderstanding and we'll need to work hard to reassure our chosen girl even after rejecting temptation, but is that really a fun way to play? Temptation is only an effective theme in a game if it tempts us as players. Otherwise it's just frustrating. Season 3 needs to be more than a series of traps that pad out the game.

That's why I think it's important to keep the temptations small and focus on good times with our chosen branch - at least for now. Give us the sense of genuine progress that the Crossroads so conspicuously lacked. That way when the temptations finally build to the point of crisis it will feel like a new situation rather than the exact same situation but with more angst. Unfortunately, between Zoey's flashy Interlude and naming Episode 9 after the vixens, I see no reason to think DPC is going to build the drama slowly. That makes me extremely worried - which sucks, because I'm almost certainly going to stay worried for several months more before I finally learn if that worry is justified. :(
 
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felicemastronzo

felicemastronzo

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ename144 said:
Please! The question is if we'll hit 11,000 pages before Episode 9. :cry:



I want us to have the time to enjoy whatever the MC chose before DPC starts lobbing hand grenades.

Maya and Josy have been stuck on hold for a solid season, and the MC still hadn't quite committed to them when Maya's latest tuition crisis kicked off (again). We supposedly have a big conversation with Bella to clear the air, yet we have absolutely no idea if her husband could show up at any moment. Sage finally agrees to date the MC and suddenly we're panicking over Jade being her mother for reasons that may or may not exist. Jill... well, in theory everything is fine with Jill, but it's unclear how much of the brain damage she suffered from in the blackmail subplot will bleed into the rest of her branch. And of course there's Zoey, lurking in the water like a comely, blue-haired shark.

It just feels like too much at the start of a new season. We finally picked a girl after 8 episodes (or declined to pick for those 'Others' fans). We deserve a chance to sample the fruits of our labors before DPC renders them down into his trademark extra sticky jam. As long as we get that respite, I think I'll be okay with whatever drama besets us in the latter half of the season. But if we skip straight to the drama then I'm really not sure I'll make it to Season 4. You can only chase the carrot for so long before you either get a bite or just give up.



Honestly, that's one of my big fears. Temptation sounds great on paper, but it's not going to work well. We just picked our favorite girl; the idea we're going to cheat on her right out of the gate is misguided. We picked our favorite for a reason, and while Zoey is nice she's only going to be a viable threat for a minority of players (especially since she's had much less screen time). The only way we're going to give in to temptation is if we spend enough time with our girl to grow complacent... which then risks boring the audience who now have to skip 'better' content for the sake of the endgame.

That's not to say that effective temptation is impossible, but I don't think it can be *THE* theme of the season. It needs to be kept small scale, a side-dish that looks to spice up the main branches without completely supplanting them. Sure, if we keep pigging out on the sides we'll ruin our appetite, but in moderate doses everything should be fine, right?

Alas, that sort of subtlety isn't exactly DPC's calling card, so I haven't been feeling too enthusiastic since we learned about Zoey's much heralded return. :(
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The next one is the first chapter of the season, so I don't expect any major plot breakthroughs, a bit like in the fifth.

The meeting with Burke will probably end with a 'we'll let you know' regardless of his intentions.
I also doubt that the eventual triangle with Sage and Jade will explode right away.
Then there will be the mega free roam of the Halloween party, the meeting with Zoey, plus the ones with the chosen LI.

I hope there will at least be the clarification between Jill and Bella, even if it's a story about few players.
 
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mightybored

mightybored

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Has DPC said for sure that we're getting the Halloween party in Chapter 9? Because the teaser at the end of Chapter 8 doesn't really confirm it, just that it's happening eventually.
 
DarkKiller

DarkKiller

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felicemastronzo said:
I hope there will at least be the clarification between Jill and Bella, even if it's a story about few players.
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How much time was left until Halloween by EP8's end? In just a couple of days Bella was worried because she hadn't seen Jill yet, there's no way she'll rest before she sees her.
Unless DPC comes up with some bullshit excuse for Jill to avoid Bella and MC for weeks, there's no way some kind of confrontation won't happen in EP9.
 
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felicemastronzo

felicemastronzo

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DarkKiller said:
How much time was left until Halloween by EP8's end? In just a couple of days Bella was worried because she hadn't seen Jill yet, there's no way she'll rest before she sees her.
Unless DPC comes up with some bullshit excuse for Jill to avoid Bella and MC for weeks, there's no way some kind of confrontation won't happen in EP9.
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But if Jill keeps avoiding her, it's not like Bella can do much.

Besides MC might be busy organising the party.

However I'm quite optimistic that at least this point should be closed for better or worse.
 
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DarkKiller

DarkKiller

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felicemastronzo said:
But if Jill keeps avoiding her, it's not like Bella can do much.

Besides MC might be busy organising the party.

However I'm quite optimistic that at least this point should be closed for better or worse.
Click to expand...
Watch Bella turn every stone until she finds her :Kappa:

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Lostanddamned

Lostanddamned

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felicemastronzo said:
I wish it could be like that. In reality Bella really risks a lot, with Jill she honestly behaves like a bad friend, and we still have to find out what happened to her husband

Bella is only for the strong-minded
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Bella is only for men of culture. She's also the only one that offers reasonable and helpful advice if MC picks to stay over at her house. What left me a great impression was how willing she was to listen to the MC, even if she didn't have to do it.
 
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felicemastronzo

felicemastronzo

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Lostanddamned said:
Bella is only for men of culture. She's also the only one that offers reasonable and helpful advice if MC picks to stay over at her house. What left me a great impression was how willing she was to listen to the MC, even if she didn't have to do it.
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It may be but I don't know of any... :unsure: :unsure:

Bella is the LI with the most real obstacles (Josy, Jill and Sage have almost none at the moment) plus she has a prophecy of disaster about her.

Let's hope for the best but prepare for the worst (not for the next chapter but in general)
 
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DarkKiller

DarkKiller

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felicemastronzo said:
I wish it could be like that. In reality Bella really risks a lot, with Jill she honestly behaves like a bad friend, and we still have to find out what happened to her husband

Bella is only for the strong-minded
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Yeah, she's very mature until her own emotions come into play, then she goes rogue...
But then again, that's why I find her route so interesting.
 
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4.70 star(s) 1,728 Votes