I'll take it under consideration. I had been told that we can skip it and just import into Interlude, then save it and then import that save into the new version. If that doesn't work, fine, I'll just use skip through it and do as Arctic recommended.
[Status Updates]
[Cosmetic Polls]
[Rooster Collection]Clone Series Directory
#01 Sally
#02 Elena
#03 Sarah
#04 Camila
#05 Envy/Nicole
#06 Melanie
#07 Cathy
#08 Zoey
#09 Heather
#10 Jade
#11 Sandy
#12 Riona
#13 Nora
#14 Lily
#15 Quinn
#16 Maya
#17 Josy
#18 Sage
#19 Jill
#20 Isabella
#00Isabella
You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.
[QnA]
You must be registered to see the links
Thanks for all of the questions! Like last year, I didn't expect you guys to come up with this many new questions, but you keep surprising me.
I've read all of them and can’t answer everything due to spoilers. Some questions have already been answered in previous years' Q&As, and the answers haven't changed much.
You can read about all past Q&As here if you're interested.
You must be registered to see the links
You must be registered to see the links
You must be registered to see the links
You must be registered to see the links
In part 1, I will answer your questions about Being a DIK.
In part 2, I will answer your questions about game development.
There might be some updated answers to repeat questions in the mix. Enjoy the reading!
If you haven't played episode 9 yet, this post has some potential spoilers. Read at your own risk.
Being a DIK
Any new thoughts on who your favorite characters to write are?
In 2020, I said Derek, Quinn, Isabella, and Jade were my favorite characters to write. I still enjoy writing for them, but I'd like to add that I love writing Lynette and Neil. I think what I enjoy the most about it is the creative freedom their story has. While I know what it will be, it isn't as restricted by other characters as the main story is. And it's always fun to flesh out a "new" character, and Lynette is just a blast to write. For the same reason, I loved writing the Interlude.
Tommy should also be added to this list of favorites. What I love the most about him is that he can dare to be different and brutal in his comments and still come off as likable (at times). I think the scene I enjoyed writing the most with him was in episode 8 during the breakfast conversation. I loved how he interacted with the group.
How many episodes are planned?
This answer gets fine-tuned every year as development progresses. Nothing is set in stone yet, and my estimation is subject to change. My best estimate is four seasons and 15-17 episodes. We are past the halfway point now.
When Being A DIK is completed, will you release a Director Commentary, concept art, or any "behind the scenes" content?
I've thought about this idea, but I haven't decided yet. It would be fun and nostalgic to provide some behind-the-scenes content with early sketches/art/doodles, etc. I have material and ideas for it, and I think it could be made into something enjoyable for the hardcore fans of the game.
What was your favorite scene to make in Episode 9?
Four scenes come to mind for different reasons.
1. Art-wise - The best costume competition. The number of characters that fit into a single render is a record for me, and the first render overlooking the main party room took me multiple days to create. It also reflects a big part of the underlying work for the costumes. This episode was a mountain to climb.
The game has over 100 named characters, and this render made me grasp how many different characters there are in the game, even though many aren't in the picture. It's weird looking at it, inspecting everyone, and knowing who they are on a deeper level, how they have personalities, motivations, and their own stories. It's my favorite render from episode 9 for these reasons.
2. Lewd-wise - Sage's anal scene. Barring shorter scenes, this was the first big anal-only scene I made for the game. I spent a long time on it, trying to make it perfect with the build-up, teasing, and payoff.
I'd like to highlight a few new firsts for me in terms of animation. There is a looping 41-second animation when MC teases her and inserts his dick the first time. That animation took me 34 days to render and a full day to pose. It was among the trickier animations I've done so far. Because of its duration, I had to ensure it was perfect before I even started rendering it.
The animation where MC creampies Sage from a standing position is something new too. I haven't made a creampie animation that way before, and I'm very pleased with the result. From a creative standpoint, it was my favorite lewd scene to create for episode 9.
3. Story-wise - Zoey's park bench scene. This was the scene I enjoyed writing the most. I wanted it to pack an emotional punch, and it makes me teary-eyed every time.
4. Humor-wise - Every single scene with Arieth in episode 9. Her furry buttplug and how she announces her pregnancy in front of everyone make me laugh hard. I love the dynamic between Quinn and Arieth. Not many people can leave Quinn at a loss for words.
Are there any side girls you wished were main girls now that you are in Season 3? Episode 9 pushed forward a few side girls, such as Nicole, Lily, Rio, and Quinn, when it comes to romance development. Can we now label these girls as the important side girls, and can we expect them to be part of every episode from now on? The same applies to Zoey. As a long-time Nicole fan, I am overjoyed, so thank you.
Every character is important in their way, and they all serve a purpose. Their screen time will depend on what the episode is about. I am happy with how I've described the main girls since day one. It indicated which girls would receive the most focus in the story, which still stands.
Some players get too hung up on the meaning of main girl versus side girl. I don't think preferring a side girl over a main girl makes the gaming experience anything less. However, the content will likely be less than that of the main girls.
You'll have to see where the story takes you. You might be happy or disappointed, but I'm happy with the stories I have planned for all the characters in the game.
What made you pick Jill's costume (if you are on her path) for the Halloween party?
I love the contrast of it compared to most of the other girls' costumes. Like MC says, before meeting Jill at the party, everyone's dressed hot and sexy. There's this stereotype about how girls have to dress hot and sexy for Halloween parties, and I like to play on that stereotype. So, BAM! there is Jill dressed as a banana.
To me, it showcases her personality, humor, and spirit. It's one of my overall favorite costumes. I know you didn't ask, but as for her bee costume, it was a bit spicier to make players feel like they missed out on her by not being on her branch. Evil, I know, but the episode was called Vixens, after all.
Has the development of episode 9 influenced how you are planning to approach the subject of branching in future episodes?
Did you run into any problems that made you realize you'll have to change a few things, or does it seem like the approach you've chosen is the right one and will work out? Would you like to expand it, limit yourself more, or keep it the way you've planned so far (all within the constraints of the planned story, of course)?
Episode 9 was the first episode with severe branching, and it was challenging to make it work. It made me realize how my workflow will have to be in the future and how I can and cannot use the branching.
It caused some scenes to have multiple variations that I didn't plan for originally but had to happen to make sense for all branches. It also made me realize how quickly it can get out of hand unless I plan the choices in the branches even more meticulously.
The perceived length of the episode is the biggest impact the branching has on the game in the future. As content gets tucked away into branches, episodes will feel shorter when they - on paper - are longer. I can't do much about it; we all must accept it.
Will we be able to start a new update with defined relationships? So we don't have to play the whole game again.
No. I have thought about it but realized it's impossible with what I'm aiming for. The game has thousands of variables, and if you could simulate a save like that, you would ruin all the intricate details I have planned for your game.
I want each game you play to feel different and offer you different opportunities and variations. I know that this game might end up being a completionist's nightmare, but the great replay value is what I want for the game. I want to create an epic adventure that you can play repeatedly and where choices matter.
Would you be willing to speak about the Others branch? Obviously, this dips into the spoiler realm, but you've hinted that something is there, and I'm interested in what you are willing to share. One burning question... is if the Others branch is primarily a DIK path or if it is open for CHICK/NEUTRAL too?
I don't view the Others branch as a branch you default into when you strike out with the main girls; I view it as a different way of playing the game. You can play it in any way you like; there will be stories in it for you. I intend to give the Others branch as much love as the rest of the branches. And I hope it will feel rewarding regardless of affinity, too. It all depends on what you like as a player. Overall, it’s the branch with the biggest variation.
Can we get measurements of the main girls, please?
I don't have any intention of providing that. The best I can do is MC's length in cocks.
View attachment 2674026
He is 8 MC's cocks and 1 Dawe long.
Would we get more phone wallpapers, like multiple wallpapers to choose from for a specific girl instead of one each? Have you thought about making the nude versions of the 2D art selectable for your phone wallpaper or the picture frames?
While I am happy with the current wallpapers, I can't say I'm perfectly happy with the selection and the wallpaper app. I have been thinking about improving it for quite some time, so I'm not against adding more wallpapers.
I regret not being more forward-thinking regarding the wallpaper app code, and I would likely have to rewrite it to make it work better. We'll see what the future holds for it. It's not a top priority but something on my potential to-do list.
As for the nude versions of the art, I chose to have the wallpapers more SFW than not, and I think I will stick to it.
My question is about the nature of storytelling with branching paths.
As time progresses, and you have to contend with each outcome of each potential choice from every previous decision a player has made, I suspect it becomes increasingly difficult to make episodes feel long rather than wide with various distinct playthroughs.
Is the "party planning" structure we saw in the previous episode your solution to that issue, given that it is a narrative reason for each character to be in one place simultaneously?
I assume it's easier to make each player's story feel more tailored to their choices and personal "timeline" when you don't have to have the MC running off to go and have many 1-on-1 interactions when all the characters instead come to him.
And if so, are we going to see a lot more parties being thrown? I hope so; I thought the episode was great, to be honest. Thank you
I see that you understand the issue and my solution for episode 9. As mentioned earlier in this Q&A, branching is an episode-length killer. But to make this answer spoiler-free, it's not going to be my go-to solution to have everyone in the same place. It was perfect for episode 9, but it won't always be the case. I have other ways of solving it.
At this point in the game, I'd much rather have meaningful branching than a single storyline. Even if it will make the episodes feel shorter, it's not something that will be noticeable when you're playing the entire game once it's finished. And regardless of what you do as a developer, players will always say your episode/game/update is too short - yes, even when you have 5000+ renders and 300+ animations, you will hear it. What you learn with time is what they mean is that they just want more, and that's a good sign.
I have noticed that for episode 9, at least 75-80 (or more) individual costumes were used for all characters. How long did it take you to assemble all of those costume resources? Also, was there a costume(s) you wanted to use for a character(s) that you couldn't find an asset for or couldn't make presentable with a character?
It's crazy when you think about it. Acquiring costume assets for this episode was a tremendous task. The hurdles included ensuring that the costumes were unique, looked good, fit a character's personality, meshed well with the story, etc.
The difficulty was why I didn't have many cosmetic polls for episode 9. I was very smart with how I worked by dressing every character in the episode early and preparing every room of the mansion to make it feel like Halloween. That way, working with the characters became a simple import operation when creating the art.
I don't know how many hours I spent on this, but an unhealthy amount. I had multiple options on paper for the costumes before I went looking for the assets. I'd rather have an idea for a costume and see it fail than base my ideas on the available options.
It caused me to improvise and make some custom stuff to make it work. I'm very pleased with the result, but what I'm most happy about is that I don't have to fiddle with the placing of that fucking gladiator sword in MC's hands in every single render from now on. LOL! Some costumes were a nightmare to work with. It reminded me of the days of the DIK helmet, where I had to make extra renders to make Derek's hair look good while wearing it.
You have introduced some of your own songs with the release of ep9. What led you to do so, and can we expect more of your music in the future? By the way, the songs fitted perfectly, especially Tremolo.
Thank you. It was because of multiple reasons. I've always wanted to do it, but I wasn't sure if they would be good enough or if I would have the time for it. Secondly, sometimes it's hard to find fitting music; this way, I could set the mood I wanted more accurately.
I'll likely add more of my songs in the future, but I don't think it will happen in every episode. It all depends on what I need. If a song with the mood I have in mind is available for purchase, I will opt for that rather than wasting time creating it myself.
The Tremolo song was needed because it's hard to find suitable songs with only an acoustic guitar.
As a developer of a game this large with over 60 characters, how do you manage the script? With many unique personalities, how do you come up with what the characters say to one another, both in person and on other devices like Rooster?
One would think it could be overwhelming at times, and I'm curious about what strategies you employ to help you keep track of it all, so you don't lose your sense of direction.
I haven't counted how many characters there are, but it's 120+; maybe someday I'll count it. Managing it is mostly intuition. I think even players know what the characters sound and act like by now. Try to insert yourself as a given character, look at any cluck in the game, and imagine how they would react.
That's basically how my writing process works. Let's say I have a scene on campus with MC sitting on a bench playing guitar in the open. People walk by and hear him play. Now imagine that Quinn, Tybalt, and Dawe walk past him - one at a time - what would they say and/or think?
In my mind, Quinn would most likely make a jab at MC's attempt at trying to score pussy or call him a hippie. Tybalt would think MC is a beggar wanting his coin. Dawe would think MC is gay for doing something he never could or dares to do.
It's all about putting yourself in the character’s shoes and reacting accordingly. Even with this many characters in the game, it's not that hard for me to do on the fly, and I think many of you would be able to do a great job at it as well. It's also very fun to do, and it's why I enjoy writing in general.
How did you come up with the idea for the game?
I’ve watched many college movies in my life, but my first idea for Being a DIK came many years ago. In my head, I called it "Life", and it was a simulator of school/college and how awesome it would be to get another shot at it by playing an avatar of yourself, going down a different route than you did. It would be a game about daily interactions and activities while being able to do almost whatever you wanted. That's the seed for the game, and I've kept it with me ever since. I never thought it would be a game since how the hell would that even be possible? It felt too far-fetched.
But during the development of Acting Lessons, I realized that I wanted to revisit that idea, which became the start of Being a DIK. Being a DIK was originally intended as a prequel to Acting Lessons, but I scrapped that idea. I thought about the main girls and their individual stories, laid the groundwork for the entire game, and the rest is history.
If you could pick 3-5 more famous songs for the BAD soundtrack, what would they be, and what would they be used for?
Last year I picked "Sum 41 - Rhythms" and "Millencolin - Farewell My Hell".
If I could add five more songs to that, off the top of my head, they would be "Andrew W.K. - Party hard", "The Offspring - Want you bad", "Simple plan - Addicted", "+44 - When your heart stops beating" and "Blink 182 - First date".
They would be used for parties and cutscene-like intros of scenes to set the college genre mood.
Now that the game has split into routes which routes come the most naturally and which are harder to write?
They all have pre-defined stories, so they all come off naturally to me. The hardest one to write is the Others branch as it is the most versatile one, and there are more variables to consider than in the main girl branches.
With the amount of branching happening in season 3 of Being A DIK, are you concerned about dividing your energy and attention between so many branches and ensuring that each one gets an adequate amount of effort put into it? Is there any particular system you use to address this during a dev cycle?
It's concerning because it's new, yes. But, like with everything else, I will make it work because it's what I've planned for the long haul. It's something we will have to get used to; the game is evolving as we head toward the end of it.
The system I have for it is the same one I've had throughout development - planning and writing notes, flowcharts and spreadsheets. Ensuring that the render count and dialogue/code are comparable in size for the different branches is a good way to ensure you're treating all branches fairly.
It will vary with each episode, though. Sometimes one girl gets more attention in the story or lewd scenes, and in the next episode, it may be different.
For most of this game, the events have been day-to-day, with some days being busier than others, but the last three episodes have all employed time skips of varying lengths.
Are time skips something you find to be beneficial to help move the story along and something you may utilize more of, or do you prefer, and are planning, to move the story along on a day-by-day basis and explore and develop things at that pace?
Time skips are good to advance the story, wardrobes, and environmental settings, but if I use them too often or at the wrong moment, there is a chance that the story will feel choppy.
Imagine that something big happens in the story; skipping a month in-game would make it feel weird, and I'd rather stay in that week or how long it takes to solve and flesh out the event. I know which time skips are needed for the rest of the game, and I feel confident that I will be able to show the planned timeframe in the remaining episodes.
Is there anything from Episode 9 that you initially really wanted to do but scrapped from the story completely because it didn't work? Maybe because you couldn't get it to render right or didn't feel it would ever fit the story once you started to see it come together.
No, I believe I went over and beyond with the content I wanted for episode 9. Sometimes the content I plan doesn't fit a certain episode. I usually don't scrap that content, but I plan for it to appear in an upcoming episode instead. You don't have that luxury with a thematic episode like a Halloween episode. That’s why I kept creating content until I put everything I wanted in the episode. I would have hated it if I had rushed through it after waiting years to make that episode.
What are your reflections on the change in the balance between free roam events and narration? In Season 1, it felt like the free roams mainly complemented the story, whereas they now dominate the story, with each episode essentially being centered around one or two huge free roams. Was this always the plan? Do you feel like your focus has shifted from mainly on storytelling/narration, to gameplay (free roam + mini-games) and technical aspects such as animations?
I don’t feel like they dominate the story, but they have become much more elaborate as my skills developed over the years. When I started doing them, I was testing the water and figuring out what I could do with them. Even a small free-roam event back then took a long time to create; my system for them now is fast and streamlined, allowing me to go bigger with them. I have realized that longer free-roam events are excellent for many reasons.
I love to have a mix between the normal VN style and the free-roam event style. So far, episodes 5 and 9 have been the only two episodes focusing heavily on free-roam events, but the rest of the episodes have a healthier mix. I’ll likely do at least one big free-roam event per episode for the rest of the game.
- They let you dig deep into a specific point in time and thoroughly explore it in a way that normal storytelling doesn’t allow.
- They give more choices and feel more like a game than a visual novel, which can be a con, too, depending on your preference.
- The MC can naturally interact with a large portion of the cast, as many characters as needed or desired. And the phone and its apps can be thoroughly used.
- Side characters get more spotlight as a result of the free-roam events.
- Story direction and plot points can be introduced and discussed.
- Just because it’s a free-roam event doesn’t mean the story can’t evolve within them. This is something I’ve used more and more lately with longer scenes within free-roam events. The longer events could just as easily have been viewed as normal storytelling, but since they appear within a free-roam event, the player will view them as part of the free-roam event.
I don’t feel that my focus has shifted. The episode content will decide the pacing and what’s needed from the storytelling. There will be a constant mix of driving the story forward and settling down to focus on some event.
I can feel that some players want the story to progress faster, to get to the end – I understand the desire to learn the answers to all questions. But I also know that if things move too fast, the answers won't be set up properly, and more importantly, you’ll realize that the journey was the best part and wish it was longer. That influences my choice of storytelling a lot. I want to explore the characters more and believe the free-roam events are an excellent tool for it.
That's it for the first part of the Q&A. I hope you enjoyed it. Stay tuned for the second part, which will cover your game development questions.
Love,
Dr PinkCake
Q&A Session - 2023 - Part 2/2
Q&A Session - 2023 - Part 1/2 - Previous Q&A Session
my bad it was sneaky posted before by A360
WeSeeingTheLight!
- With the 6 Animations left, should be complete next week with previous average saw at 6.+/Week
- The next week locked for animation, then 2 weeks of intensive testing, it's December for sure.
- EP10 might still orbiting for a painful 365 days of Development Time threshold.
- If no more expected, there will be 30 Preview and 8 Rooster. Versus 22/6 for EP9.
- ElectronicRoberts did an interesting mapping of all the various teasers giving an idea of EP10 content.
- Release could be 7th December (356 days / 11 months, 21 days / 51 weeks projection). 92% complete.
Complete Table with the idea of Holy Bacchus† original post — Being a DIK in development since 4 years, 9 months, 25 days (57 months / 248 weeks / 1737 days / 41,688 hours)
EP Renders Animations (min) Music* Δ Size_GB Release Development Time Ratio* R/W sA/W EP1 1301 (+00%) 51 (+000) 3:29 — 7 1.1 (new) 07 Feb, 19 — days — — — EP2 1709 (+31%) 77 (+026) 3:36 — 8 2.3 (+1.2) 04 May, 19 087_ (2 months, 28 days |≈12 weeks) 155 138 17.4 EP3 2289 (+34%) 99 (+022) 4:42 — 10 4.1 (+1.8) 16 Aug, 19 105_ (3 months, 13 days |≈15 weeks) 177 153 18.8 EP4 2532 (+11%) 134 (+035) 7:57 — 15 6.1 (+2.0) 10 Jan, 20 148_ (4 months, 26 days |≈21 weeks) 142 120 22.6 EP5 2456 (-03%) 157 (+023) 8:35 17 (3.4K$) 11 8.0 (+1.9) 29 May, 20 141_ (4 months, 20 days |≈20 weeks) 147 122 25.6 EP6 3336 (+35%) 162 (+005) 8:33 24 (4.8K$) 19 11.1 (+3.1) 13 Nov, 20 169_ (5 months, 16 days |≈24 weeks) 159 138 21.2 EP7 3723 (+12%) 250 (+055) 18:14 18 (3.6K$) 15 14.5 (+3.4) 23 Apr, 21 162_ (5 months, 11 days |≈23 weeks) 208 161 47.3 EP8 4158 (+12%) 358 (+108) 26:21 34 (6.8K$) 16 19.5 (+5.0) 19 Nov, 21 211_ (6 months, 28 days |≈30 weeks) 190 138 52.5 EPI 0794 (+00%) 36 (+000) 4:36 19 (3.8K$) 2 2.6 (new) 4 Mar, 22 105_ (3 months, 13 days |≈15 weeks) 71 53 17.7 EP9 5037 (+35%) 303 (-055) 26:08 21 (4.2K$) 18 7.3 (+4.7) 16 Dec, 22 287_ (9 months, 12 days |≈41 weeks) 161 123 38.2 EP10 5725 (+14%) 331 [337] 26 (5.2K$) — — in dev .329_ (10 months, 25 days |≈47 weeks) — — —
*You must be registered to see the links| Total: 31,641$ — Δ=Scenes — Ratio = (Renders/Weeks + secondsAnimations/Weeks) | Renders/Weeks | secondsAnimations/Weeks
| Casiope's DIK Walkthrough | AchedCroissant's EP10 Preview Collection | Extra: EP10 Rooster Collection | Clone Series Renders
| shazba's Q/A Story Summary | F4iunyl3x's 60 FPS Animation Mod | ElectronicRoberts's Data Infographic Compilation, Words Cloud
| Holy Bacchus 's Story Timeline | DrPinkCake's Q&A Session | RPDL'sYou must be registered to see the links
Leave the orginal posters a like if you can!
I hope I can speak for everyone when I say we appreciate the breakdowns. Really interesting stuff.
WooHoo, thx for reading, at first
I warned that I was going to express my personal vision of the importance of someone, their role in the plot, and so on. And also the fact that I do it in an unusual way, firstly through comparison with author's previous game, and secondly through the prism of the author paying attention to certain characters more than others; through the use of narrator's replicas for some characters and in certain situations; through the creation of variability for certain characters and options for interaction and development of relationships with them. If a couple of characters get all this at once, but others don't, this is a reason to think about why this is happening. That was the main idea of the post and the angle the conclusions were drawn.
Therefore, I would prefer criticism and arguments about the coherence of some points and facts with their supposed importance, but not criticism of my approach to analysis in general and view angle on particular things.
This is counterproductive and it looks like a dispute for the sake of a dispute. I.e., I propose to accept my approach and my method of investigating the importance and priority of something as my personal view, and even if you disagree, then let's discuss it from my point of view, disputing the facts and their importance as arguments and justifications for the importance of something. Rather than trying to neglect or criticize my approach in general. So if the idea and target of your post to refuse me or anyone else to try to have a look at the game aspects from such angle, then I should allow myself agree to disagree.
So, I'll try to skip the parts where and which you considered as an incorrect approach to analysis on my side or it will be an infinite arguing for the sake of arguing. I will try to reply on the parts in which you underestimated or tried to lower the role or importance of some facts and their coincidence as a proofs of something.
And since english is not my native language too, I'm sure and I'm bet that I fucked up the right expression of my real thoughs into the words several times at least. A little typos or using an incorrect word in particular phrase may distort the meaning a lot or less. I did my best to correct typos and express my thoughts in a simpler way and words to avoid misunderstanding. But I know it's not enough. So, finally, my usual options is to shut up and just read others posts or post something I have on my mind and hope that most of people would understand it right.
I have pointed out the reasons that make me think so, and it's your right to disagree with it. My opinion and your opinion do not change anything. We are here to discuss the game, theories, preferences and various aspects of all this from different points of view. And the more approaches are used, the better. Even if some of approaches seems wrong to you. After all, it's better than looking at everything one-sidedly. Even Dalli-x brings up something interesting and valuable from time to time. This is one of the reasons, after the game itself, why we are on almost 20k page number. It's like the books, the writing and writing style of some books can be off-putting in essence and implementation for some readers. Or like a critics reviews. Different critics use different approaches for evaluating a product, its advantages and disadvantages, pros and cons. People prefer different reviews for this reason. Everyone likes various styles or approaches.
A huge part of the plot and story are built around their characters, their problems, their relationships (with MC and between each other).
While most of other characters and MGs/SGs have their own and independent parts and role in the plot and story, you may easily find the proofs that most of MGs/SGs are also heavily involved and intertwined with J&M here and there. The one of main reasons, which pushed MC to select a single love interest in EP8 was the fact, that he finally realized that "everyone knows everyone here", including MGs, which became friends with each other as well. And how badly things turning out over time if he date them all at a time (but even this is an option of how to play - honest and faithul to one LI or pursue several MGs at a time).
Since I want to discuss and pay attention to the facts, here it is:
Sage involvement:
- she convinces J&M to return to HOTs and since then their close interaction and friendship begins;
- she learns Maya's secret and shares her own with Maya, she also learns about J&M relationship;
- she is trying to help Maya with her student loan problem;
Bella involvement:
- nothing significant until EP9, but while playing the Bella branch, we learn that that she is well aware of J&M;
Jill involvement:
- she became Josy's friend early;
- she is a Maya's second chance to solve the problem and, obviously, they also became friends and get along;
Quinn involvement:
- she was a Maya's "mother";
- she was the one, who accepted Josy's pledge on purpose to fuck with Tommy's buttons a bit;
- she was a reason of J&M drama with them leaving the HOTs;
- she is an unavoidable source of futher troubles to them, which also means a reason for additional scenes as well;
MC involvement:
- it's easier to say where they don't interact than the other way around; even on friends path we are mostly miss only a lewd scenes with them, while most of the rest scenes remains intacted, even some of lewd scenes gets a special "non-lewd" replacements sometimes. So it's another unique J&M feature that no other MGs has and that no one else can offer.
I don't want to spend time on side characters and other SGs which also interacts and intertwines with J&M, it's not worth it. But it's safe to say, that there is a lot to list to.
Now compare the above with situation, when MC on any other MG path or vice versa. You will always get a lot of J&M scenes, because according to the game plot they are very good friends with MC and he supports and helps them from the beginning, and, which is most important - he want to. You may like it or not, but it's how DPC writes his story. MCs interactions with J&M are mostly unavoidable. Since most of other MGs content becomes very limited and optionable or just cutted off in case you're not on their path/branch. I'm talking now mostly about the first two seasons, since Season 3 begins with new branching system. But I'm sure and I bet that J&M will still have their "canon" scenes - common and ones which shared among the all branches, as usual and will still occupy a big part of plot, story, renders & "screen" time in different scenes. MC himself (which also reflects author view) consider them as his good friends, which means that he supposed to help them from time to time here and there. This adds additional content with them despite the selected branch or path and extends the interaction time and the number of common (canon) scenes. What does it mean? We have their own individual branch which occupy some space and part of the game. And, additionally, we have a lot of their content that is shared between the rest of MG branches as well. And finally, J&M branch and Josy and Maya as an individual characters offers the largest number of relationships permutations with them & MC, which also adds an additional content for all particular variations accordingly. Let's take a look of most fresh episode 9. If we play with a break up sub-branch/permutation, then each MG branch in this episode have to show us a bunch of scenes, renders and dialogues here and there during the whole episode. It's just a one of examples, but from a fresh Season 3. It's still there, and DPC has to reflect each outcome and permutation with them through scenes, renders and dialogues. It means "additional screen time".
I consider the narrator part and MC inner thoughts as one the most important and valuable proofs of attitude, level of affection, crush or love to a particular girl and so on, according it's a reflection of author position and view. On the other side - we can compare how many times this technique and method have been used for each MG.
I wrote enough lines from different part of the game in my post.
J&M part:
- at the beginning of the game, Josy literally opens it with MC dreams which are comes to true later;
- she is the only one, who MC talks about with his dad, and later MC also implies Maya too, when he have a phone call with dad; - Even Jill didn't awarded this, which is quite weird, right?
- reread the conversation of Elena & JB at the dorm party regarding MC & Josy;
- MC expresses his feelings of how it's good to be with Josy, how does he feel good around her, etc several times. She also expresses her feelings in the same way several times. EP5 - choice her to follow with to Maya dorm, while she want to keep it slowly, both of them can't help so the brakes don't work. EP7 - night in MC room after leaving Maya dorm & Patrick, read the whole dialogue after lewd scene, what they say to each other. EP8 gym lewd scene, short dialogue after, EP8 dorm party dance. No words needed, emotions through renders shown to us and Elena & JB conversation as a bonus. Even side people see "something" between them. The closest competitor here is only Jill. We can't predict what will happen in next episodes, but it's important to notice how deep & fast J&M relationships and their affection to each other grows. Now check the dialogues with other MGs in lewd scene and after them and in some particular moments, when they discuss or express feelings. Compare numbers, compare words said, compare emotions and a feeling of reciprocity and confidence in words, their sincerity, if you like. Only Jill's late EP8 scene could be a competitor here. Why you think Sage & Bella was made as an optionally "rejectable" MGs? Because MC & girls themselves are not sure where are they going and how it will turn. Both, for obvious reasons which they frankly discuss in some of the scenes. The same goes with rejection. Sage & Bella the ones who get easy rejects with a very less regrets from girls and MC sides. It all takes only a few short scenes with a pair of renders and dialogue lines. There're zero consequences for us after that, with an exception of Bella & Jill permutation.
Because a lot of signs of this accumulated already and awaits to unfold. It's your problem that you don't see it or don't expect. The main evidence with points of importance for our previous choices and decisions - when some particular previous MC action or decision are shown in a recap when fresh episode starts. In EP9 we seen a recap with "feelings for Josy" or "Maya" which was selected (or not) looooong ago in EP5. While DPC brings back this MCs decision and puts this into EP recap, and some things start to happen in same episode, then it's a hint for potential break up and separation to happen soon. Probably in EP10, maybe 11 or 12. But it's very close. It's a not a question of their conversation. It's a about their relationship which works quite poor w/o MC. We have an options to help them and cool down their fights and arguing, the particular variables are stored. It also gives us a clues for possible outcomes. MC may help them by supporting them and act as a their real friend, or he can start to sabotage their relationship silently by distancing from them and not interfere. Depending on selected "feelings for" option previously it could open a single path to one or another girl after their relationship collapses finally. Being on some MG branch and having that "feelings for" option could open a cheating variations with them.
Speculations vs facts. MC calls Josy "my girl" before they become official and long before they committed to each other in EP9. And at the EP9 end he calls them both "my girls". He also have an opportunity to say to Maya that he like her openly - twice. Jill - after fully commiting to her in EP8 scene (boyfriend/girlfriend words), while not being official at that moment, Sage & Bella are still in it's infancy, even in episode 9. "My girl" expression is the most sincere one. Because it means and expresses something very special and dear, rather than a trivial "girlfriend".
DPCs duality mechanics in action. But still, MC only mentions/ask for help/involve his dad only with J&M.
You mention EP7 (you forgot about EP5) and say that feelings would probably fade. But you mention the EP9 first. Then you mention 1 week distance (EP7 conversation) as a potential reason for not fading feelings, but doesn't mention that EP9 events is about 2 months later and Josy's feelings are clearly at the same place. Re-read the dialogue in EP7 on the friends path with feelings for Josy picked before, she says that she supposed that feeling will fade, but admits that it doesn't happen. Obviously it's the reason why we see and have that EP9 scene during a photoshoot. Finally, answer the question, with what purpose did the DPC made that variations with feelings left for one of the girls in the EP5 at all and why does it leads to a different consequences. Game remembers this choice and transfers all the variables that relate to aspects of the relationship with J&M into the 3rd season in full. I already mentioned above the EP9 recap scenes based on that variables, now it's time to figure it out by yourself. It's 1+1, not even a 2+2 thing.
I have to agree with you here. It's silly to call dad and ask him each time when MC faces relationship problems with another girls after he already got that single and good advice to follow his heart. Also he have DIK brothers (Derek especially) and Elena to pour his soul, discuss something and ask for adivice if he want to. But it doesn't cancel the scene with dad & Josy.
And since we are talking about families, Josy is the first, whose dad MC want to meet himself. Jill makes an offer to meet her parents and dialogue options let MC to doubt the necessity of this. It doesn't change a lot, but shows the MCs attitude in similar situations, but with with different girls. We doesn't have such options and opportunities with Bella & Sage for obvious reasons.
I don't want to repeat and copy-past replies, reasons are mostly here:
https://f95zone.to/threads/being-a-dik-v0-9-1-dr-pinkcake.25332/post-11097969
I never told that some girls bad, some good, other is better, etc. I tryed to find out why DPC pays so much attention to every little details with J&M, why they use RP system, while the rest of MGs are not, etc. Should I mention all that again?
It was meant that some characters received their imagery and appearance at the very beginning of development and did not change at all, which indirectly emphasizes that the DPC was satisfied with them and did not change or improve anything over time. For example, Jill was not originally planned at all and was added at the very last moment. What does it mean? That a bunch of scenes and dialogues had to be completed so that the character "integrated" into the plot and doesn't seem a hastily sewn on. According to DPC about a pre-worked out story and plot, then just adding a whole new character, and even MG, is a non-trivial task.
It's doesn't explain why the other MGs collects and gains / loses RPs as well, stores them as a variable, but never uses. At least in 1-9 EP, so far. RP checks in J&M case was always used "for fun", at least for today. You get nothing else than different renders so far. So what is it? It's just DPCs affection to bringing up all this little things or it mean something more? What's the purpose of collected and stored RPs for other MGs and it's further use?
While you're trying to substantiate every fact or little details I mentioned regarding J&M and most of your arguments are logical and reasonable, you forget about the very essence of the reason why all these details and facts appeared in principle. You know my position. I consider J&M special and unique in compare to other MGs and since it's DPC, who creates the game, it's characters and all these details, I assume that he have a some kind of affection/attitude whatever else it is for J&M or for Throuple/poliamoric relationships as is, since AL had shown similar patterns. There're a lot more characters in BADIK and this helps to dillute and hide a bit the signs of this among all this characters, but compairing 1 by 1 each MG with J&M it's safe to say that J&M receive much more attention from DPC. Each particular detail it's not an innocent renders, you have also implement all of it in code and game script, store and trace all variables, which allows to call for previous circumstances, MC choices and decisions to be able to reflect all this variativity, etc. It may look innocent or simple, but take a look at the game code. Some variables and our choices come to play after several episodes only. One thing is to trace and work with variables, which linked with something significant and directly affects the story and playthrough, the other thing is to trace purely cosmetic stuff intended to show player some details, which not every player could notice w/o compairing renders 1 by 1. You could say that's bc DPC likes such details, likes to point out some clue or hint to player through them, and you would be right, but you are in trap now, bc you will not find nothing similar for any other MG. What's prevented DPC to put such little things into every MG path & scenes through the all episodes we already played? Reason --> Consequence.
You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.
Now let's remember that DPC is not lazy when it comes to such moments, so it's not like a "I will use the same render, nobody will notice", since he proofs each time and do a very well with characters emotions through facial expressions and minimal adjustments to reflect particular emotions or changes in mood. Check some renders, sometimes only the position of the character's eyeballs may change there, or an eyebrow or lip may shift by just a couple of millimeters, but this is always a reaction to something - a phrase, an event, or an expression of mood and feelings.
In this particular scene DPC showing us the same render in all circumstances - when MC have feeling for Josy, when he haven't and despite he said to her (think about her all the time, from time to time or that they were doomed to fail). Imo, this means that MC have concern and he always in doubt regarding Josy. It doesn't happen in J&M branch, obviously.
differences in words are quite noticable
The effort DPC put in both break up scenarios is not comparable. Like you this or not, I consider it as a major indicator of event importance and adjustments for players feelings and emotions. I didn't meant that Jill scene is not sad. It also severe, but compare of how it's goes with her and with J&M.
Jill joins the the party, they figured things out and while it's hard to say MC & Jill are ok, but she mostly forgive him already and they talked a little. Scene is not small, but made via flashback, party is not affected at all, MC doesn't suffer and torture himself with thoughts.
J&M on the other hand. DPC constantly makes MC to have some inner thoughts and concern. This ruines party mood and expected fun. Interaction with J&M is minimized and some of the scenes altered in the way to remind of inevitable drama to unfold. You will not find any symbolism in Jill's scene. It's just good and heartbreaking scene with a sincere dialogue, but that's all. Symbolism here in there in J&M break up scenes and preparations for it is the same little details and attention to them that we seen before. And finally, this break up is not over. It's just begun. It's safe to say that we will have similar to Jill scene(s) with Josy. So, it probably should last for 2 episodes at min, and we have to learn the consequences as well.
You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.
I can't help if you don't see the reasons. And what's the point of ranting of how it WOULD be if DPC WOULD do it in one or another way? He did it as he did, it's a fact. You have to work with fact, since episode released and think of reasons why it was made in this particular way rather that theoretise of how else it would be done.
What happens after break up, but before episode end? We see a small scenes on Jill and Bella branches. Jill aware that one of the girls MC had dumped is Josy. Bella aware of their relationship and that MC was with them. Only Sage have no clue, bc MC is afraid to kill her mood and become a boner killer again. Even after break up they receive such special attention. DPC may simplify it in a couple of ways, but he doesn't.
I agree with your thoughts here and the way of your thinking.
It's time to think about the meaning of my post and connect all the dots together.
Who has the best chances, who has more potential endings, where the endings can be really good in terms of the future fate of MC and relationships.
Take a look at AL one more time, as is already a finished product with endings and everything else, and think about which endings are "canonical" there and following this logic - which MG/SG are canonical and which are not.
I will not be offended and will not suffer a lot if the DPC will "pull up" the Bella and Sage branches to an equivalent level with J&M and Jill. Equal chances and satisfaction for different players and MG stans would be great. But it doesn't imply enough drama levels then. So MC wouldn't regret and get some happy end with them. At the moment such outcomes are not plausible. It may change, it may not. We are still a few years away from release of the last episode.
I agree on this part, especially with the last sentences.
I'm biased, but I don't hate particular MGs like some agressive and blind fans. I play through all MG and SG routes and paths, while some people here and there are not, bc I find it exciting and the only way to explore and enjoy the whole story, not only the part.
I find my thoughts in that part as quite honest and plausible. Both from game and IRL positions and points of view. I pointed cons and pros and potential outcomes and material for game endings. I never mentioned very personal things and affections such as girls appearance, models, their lewd scenes. College years, age, society status and levels, families, perspectives are more important in terms of relationships success, good or bad endings and plausible outcomes. So, even if you find some biased moments there then I prefer to see you cons and pros for each MG rather than how dare I to think about endings and predict them. What's wrong with that? It's quite more useful than ranting about MG boobs, skin, hair, kinks, etc. it's funny and normal when in moderation, but it becomes terribly tedious when it turns into holy wars. But maybe it's only me.
This is also one of the DPC talents, imo he perfectly matches the music to certain scenes. I noticed it on my first playthrough and I'll never change my mind about it. A decent soundtrack is only half the case, but it is much more important that all the tracks fit into place in each case. I just noticed that Sage doesn't have her "music theme" if you want, since rest of MGs and even some of SGs have their music themes. I'm talking about unique scenes, lewd scenes, hangouts, flashbacks and so on. I haven't meant somebody's personal playlist or preferences.
Great, it took me 3 days - 2 hours per day to reply to your post
I played the pirate copy of S1-2 in Sep, 2022 for a first time. 2 weeks later I bought game on Steam. Then I joined reddit BADIK sub-channel, because I was excited with game and had a lot of questions. Then I joined those waiting of EP9, it's good that when I enjoyed the game enough and went through most of the variations and paths, I was two months away from the release.
I played each route several times for different goals and permutations, affinities, etc. So if you think I'm a crazy J&M stan you're wrong. I like their path/branch a lot, but it doesn't mean that I play only J&M or even I do it more often than other routes.
You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.
I know this game pretty well, better than you might think.
https://f95zone.to/threads/being-a-dik-v0-9-1-dr-pinkcake.25332/post-10648057
Check this one for example, it was one of my the first valuable posts here, when I decided to spent more time here than on reddit.
Except it's not my opinion. It's the fact that if DPC stated it, it is so. He says there's no canonical LI, then there is no canonical LI.
You're not even arguing why they are more important to the main story than the rest of the LI's. You're pretty much just saying they show up more.
I think I know what you meant to say here, so I'll just correct it for anyone who didn't. It's not built around their characters. It's built are MC's relationship with them. MC is, and will always be, what the story is built around (except for the interlude and select few moments like EP4 flashback at the start).
"it's a reflection of author position and view" ???????????????? NO!!!!!!! It's just a perspective of MC's thoughts. You are basically saying that if the MC is pro-slavery, then so must be the author. Or vice-versa.
I'll quote myself for this one "in S1, (...) A lot of time is spent on how MC feels about Josy and Maya, as well as very few interactions with Josy, and A LOT with Maya. They are clearly the most important up to that point. But afterwards their plot barely develops.". So while in S1 it's pretty much about them getting those first few big interactions out of the way, and they can have a (somewhat) normal relationship during S2, all other LI's get that build up in S2.
My guy. The fucking point is about making that choice in EP4! It would be completely fucking stupid for the MC to just go: "Hey. I know you guys just had this really nice moment where you finally opened up to eachother and told the truth, and about how you still love eachother, but I actually want to date one of you... yes, you heard me right. I only want to date one of you. So even though you just got back together, I wanna break you up. Cause that's totally gonna work." and then they would go "Nah. You're stupid. We JUST got together."
Tf do you mean "Speculations vs facts"? I said he also says it to Jill. I even told you exactly when he says it. While it's speculative about Sage and Bella, it's no different from half the shit you did on your original post. At least I stated so, by saying "probably".
"you forgot about EP5". - I didn't, "(...)moments between the two, namely(...)" 'moments' is plural and 'namely' meant I was going to give an example. It's doesn't mean I'll give them all.
MC is talking directly to Peter and was introduced to him by Josy as a friend of hers, not as a boyfriend. He is going there as a friend. Wether they decide to tell him the truth or not changes things A LOT.
Why post this response? I made my case on why the RP system being used on them makes sense, while on other girls not so much. Argue that. Not this. Damn, one of the things you could easily argue as it was all based on my subjective view of the issue at hand, and you don't even argue it and instead act like I didn't get what you meant. I got it! I just argued it wasn't actually a big deal.
Jill was such a good character that he had to completely change his plans to make her fit into the story. Done. Like I said " They can (all) be viewed as positive."
Like you point out. He might just use them later. And even if he doesn't, maybe he meant to use them at some point until he eventually decided not to. I know about that as much as you. Ask DPC.
My dude, it's a threesome!!!!!!!!!!! That is, like, the biggest fantasy for every single guy on hearth. It's the reason why pretty much every other porn game has a possibility for a harem. And DPC wants to make a rather believable game, so a harem is out of the question, but a throuple is way more concievable. But while it's a big fantasy, not everyone actually wants it as a full relationship, or to make that story for the MC.
"but compairing 1 by 1 each MG with J&M it's safe to say that J&M receive much more attention"
?????? How tf would you even change that expression to make it seem like he complete lost feelings? You could make him seem like he didn't care, but truth of the matter is, he does. Even if he's already lost all feelings, it doesn't mean he doesn't feel shitty for making her feel that way. That specific expression can be interpreted as like a million different things. It may just mean he realized with that conversation that Josy still has feelings for him and he feels kinda shitty that he kind of had to turn her down with his response (if you choose to say you don't think about it anymore). He feels hurt that he kind of hurt her. You know, basic empathy?
No, they are not. Your bias is showing harder than MC's erection under that spartan skirt.
I literally explained why they are different, and instead of tackling the reasoning you just say "naaaaahhh. What I said before, I'll say again." Read, and then come back here. They are different scenes. If they were both the same, it would ruin both. One needed to happen now, as if both did, they would just be too similar. 3 awkward encounters with 3 different girls. He handled the one now so he can handle the other later.
It's like, the most awkward conversation ever. Even Bianca points it out. He'll probably have the same thing happening with Maya, just not with Josy.
It's just a byproduct of delaying it. And barely does anything. There's like 4 or 5 moments where he does that and most of them are when he is directly talking to them.
Tf do you mean doubts himself??????? He feels shitty cause of what just happened. It's the consequences of his actions that make him feel like that. Any expression means lingering feelings to you, I guess.
I didn't.
Read before you post. I didn't. I explained to you why it was done the way it was done. Why one happend in EP9 and the other will happen in EP10. I'm talking about what happened, not what could've.
They get that 'special attention' because MC broke up with them JUST before talking to one of the other 3(2)LIs. He just did it, so it's fresh. He's feeling like shit about doing it, and because it happened just now, he decides to talk to them about it. There you fucking go with the 'details'.
Tf did you just write? Did you slam your face on the keyboard and autocorrect did the rest? Stop talking about canonical endings! You've already been told that makes no fucking sense, even in AL. Most you should be arguing is wether J&M are supposed to be the most optimal branch for the best story.
Agreed. Fuck those people. Criticizing with no solid basis for it whatsoever. But you aren't completely faultless either. You going to these lenghts to support this deranged theory about J&M clearly shows it.
Not gonna read this one either. Even if it's short. My point still stands. Why wonder about the ending when we're only halfway through. IT'S A DPC GAME.
I have almost 400h JUST going through the story in a normal pace. Going through every single line of dialogue without any skips, even if I've gone through them before. Like re-reading a book. You don't just gloss over some words cause you've read them before. If we also count the time I've spent fucking around the game, it's probably closer to 550h, and that's without the almost 50h i spent on the PP minigame to make sure I got a 7.75x multiplier on every save.Great, it took me 3 days - 2 hours per day to reply to your post
I played the pirate copy of S1-2 in Sep, 2022 for a first time. 2 weeks later I bought game on Steam. Then I joined reddit BADIK sub-channel, because I was excited with game and had a lot of questions. Then I joined those waiting of EP9, it's good that when I enjoyed the game enough and went through most of the variations and paths, I was two months away from the release.
I played each route several times for different goals and permutations, affinities, etc. So if you think I'm a crazy J&M stan you're wrong. I like their path/branch a lot, but it doesn't mean that I play only J&M or even I do it more often than other routes.
While you do know about the game, you do need to get better at interpreting it. Instead of looking so much into the future, kind of like you did on your (5) in your original post, and trying to interpret the excel spreadsheet you created as a possible means of figuring out what will happen moving forth, focus more on trying to look at the things you already know from different perspectives. The good and the bad. Even points you know you disagree with, try to see why others might think differently. If you focus on seeing what you already did from a different angle, you will learn about it and appreciate it all the more. I constantly stop to think about it throughout the day. Even at work. I just wonder what things actually mean. All possibilities that come to mind. Good or bad. And hope for the good.
Bro, it's not a big issue since you're getting an update every 10 months or so.
You're posting the wrong meme. I think you might want to post this:
That would be a good investment of money for the Throuple.
You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.
Wait, that would actually make it a foursome, right?
That reminds me of an german language song called
).
I wrote a long time ago to make it appear that DPC wants us players to get involved with an LI as early as possible and in all its consequence. The best example is Jill. If the player is not consistent enough, Jill will reject the MC at the end of EP8.
Seems like 5-6 months is a normal interval for a high quality single developer VN for larger updates. Eternum is in scope much smaller game and the last update was from February with the next being projected for late July or early August. For PC the two developers spit the next update in half to be able to have an earlier release with the first half and those are actually two guys working on it and not one.
Updates are absolutely massive, way bigger than those of almost every VN in existence and almost reaching 5000 renders per episode now, the amount of paths and scenarios DPC has to consider and develop are also getting more and more complicated so the time required to write scripts and set-up scenes to keep them consistent increased.
Regarding content, here's a breakdown of the number of speaking (and thinking) lines the main characters have:
People pick on Jill mostly because it's very funny, but there are other reasons:
You missed the part when Jill catches Bella and MC fucking on Bella’s kitchen table being the best scene in the game.Regarding content, here's a breakdown of the number of speaking (and thinking) lines the main characters have:
Maya dominates (at roughly a quarter of the entire dialogue for the main LIs), and Maya and Josy both sit at the top of the list. Obviously the mc spent a lot of time with Maya in her dorm, so that boosts her dialogue count, and Josy and the mc have a little bit of history, so that gives her an advantage too. But I don't think that makes them canon in the slightest.
- Maya: 3169
- Josy: 2817
- Jill: 2722
- Sage: 2561
- Bella: 2454
- Derek: 2390
- Quinn: 1854
- Zoey: 967
Most people can't separate their emotions from what is objectively the truth. Quinn is canon!
People pick on Jill mostly because it's very funny, but there are other reasons:
I enjoy all the characters in the game, there is such an array of unique people. Some characters interest me less than others, and while Jill isn't my favourite at all, I still play her route and enjoy it for what it is. That doesn't mean I don't like hanging shit on her from time-to-time.
- She has a shocking smile,
- She's naïve to the point of bordering on retarded,
- She publicly dumped the mc,
- She showed up to the Halloween party in a banana suit,
- She always thinks she knows best, even though we've stablished she's retarded,
- She just sits there and cries like a moron when the mc dumps her (not like Josy whose heart we saw breaking); and
- Did I mention she has a shocking smile?
*Security approaches you and holds up his hand* "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave the premises. This is a closed UN council meeting."
