If it is a blank slate RPG it is definitely the intention to self-insert. I'm also talking about the context of a RPG porn game, not necessarily all games. I don't think a well defined character stops self-insertion, just makes it harder for some people.
Yeah, that's the subset I'm talking about.
I'm simply saying I personally regard blank slate characters the exact same way I'd regard any other character, which means in my eyes its just a character with no personality. Boring.
If a character is introduced in a sexual way in a porn game, then they should be focused on the player character. I don't think it follows that because in a normal RPG a shift of focus at times to another character can be good means that it is a good idea to shift the focus to another character having sex unless the intention is voyeur, cucking, open, or polyamorous relationship.
Eh, I think this is up to personal taste.
But I will say that in this particular game, pretty much all the relationships are open and polyamorous, because your character is canonically polyamorous.
Stroking the player's ego isn't a bad goal for a porn game. I have different expectations for a porn game. An ignore button is the easy way for the writer to not write a path they aren't interested is doing, which isn't a bad thing. If there are characters that are intended for polyamorous, open, voyeur, or cucking content then that should be made clear early on so that a player is able to invest as little time in them as possible if they aren't interested in it.
I get what you're saying here. I think it all comes down to a push-and-pull between the porn and the plot. I think such options hurt the plot (at least for me), but I can see as to where they'd improve the experience of the porn part. The call would come down to where you want your game to focus on; there are plenty of games on this site where the porn is subservient to the plot, and vice versa.
It's not a requirement for me. Generally, I don't self-insert as exactly me. Sometimes its someone who I wish I could be. I think it depends on the person, though. There is likely variability in ability or desire to self-insert that is affected by similarity of the character. So, the more concrete you make a character, the more you decrease the proportion of people who would self-insert. but its certainly possible.
Like I said, its not something I can quite relate to, but the mechanics of it and how it differs between people is an interesting topic.
I think the bigger issue with those complaints is a lack of build up to the declaring of love. Generally, most players who wouldn't love the character would have stopped pursuing the progression and wouldn't have an issue. If of course, they went through the scenes until the PC declared love and the player was convinced they didn't love them, and then complained, I could see what you mean, but I don't think that's generally what happens.
Yeah, lack of buildup is an issue that I've seen come up a decent amount between this and TiTs.
An example of this specific thing for me is Brienne. After you transform her, if you sleep with her, it pretty much immediately goes full steam into your characters acting very much in love. A bunch of her scenes fire automatically, too, upon stepping into the Wayfort; she'll basically tackle you and get you to knock her up as soon as she's done with her previous litter. My characters had to start taking blank powder to get out of the cycle. She doesn't really have any buildup at all.
Of course, most people do really really like her, largely because Wsan is a goddamn wizard at pretty much anything he does, so its not really a problem that comes up much, but for me personally, it was bit offputting. Evelyn, another Wsan character, also has the issue of a lack of buildup I think, but for a different reason.
I'm not really sure the context of anger you are talking about. For me, when it comes to the PC being angry in responses, the issue I have with it is that theres really nothing you can do. It is actually worse when I'm self-inserting and also personally would be angry, because now I'm resonating with the anger the PC feels and I can't do anything about it. This usually happens in Tobs content for me, and is part of the reason I've not played a single Kinu quest. The big issue with Tobs content is the PC lacks agency because of the linearity of the narrative, which comes out as the player character being weak. This doesn't cause issues with me self-inserting, it just isn't interesting to me. The whole Kinu stepping out of the parents shadow theme doesn't make up for that lack of interest.
Funnily enough, the context was something to do with a Kinu Quest. I don't know what specifically it was, because, again, I've done basically no kitsune content still (lack of interest in Kiyoko, mostly) but it was just something I noted people had opinions about. Sounds like a recurring Tobs problem.
From my understanding, you don't self-insert as the player character, but you disliked the Gweyr scene anyways. Wouldn't this indicate that the issue is outside of self-insertion?
My personal issue with Gweyr was being misled. After she first gives you her story, you basically get to make a judgment call on how she behaved in her tale. You can say what she did was necessary, or you van say she's a monster, as well as a more neutral option.
The issue is that after that, no matter what you pick, as you continue down her questline your character comes down on the side of basically being 100% on her side and convincing her she deserves to go home.
I don't like choices that don't do anything.
Would it make you comfortable to create a single character that you devote only to Brienne then? That way, that PC would be reciprocating and fully focused on Brienne, and there wouldn't be any hypocrisy or unequality?
Eh. You run into a matter of practicality there: Brienne (or any other character} doesn't have enough content to hold up a game by herself. She wasn't designed that way, no character was. I wouldn't devote the time to run through the entire game just for Brienne scenes.
And then, as another consideration, she just doesn't hit any of my buttons. I don't like lactation or pregnancy, and I prefer my PC to play the sub if someone has to.
In a way, the main villain is focused on you because you happened to be in the right place at the right time. But, the reason you are in the right place at the right time is because you do possess a special quality no one else in the tavern does: courage. I would have said empathy as well, but its possible to want to help Cait for selfish reasons (like a reward) if you are playing that kind of character.
Sure, but that just makes you a decent person. There's a difference between a character being particularly brave and a character being The Chosen One. Heck, to bring back my earlier One Piece example that's a huge argument going on in One Piece about Luffy right now; that's he now way too special and it damages the story, despite the fact that he was already pretty damn special.
I don't personally like most stories that cross a certain line in putting the MC on a pedestal, no matter the medium.
I don't think automatic defeat cutscenes are good game design. They might be the best way the writer has of moving the story along, but its more a concession due to limitation of paths.
Oh, I don't either. I'm not saying they're good, I'm just using them as an example of how story trumps gameplay in almost all situations when it comes to characters and story.
I think that story is a more important factor than gameplay for characterization, but an ideal would be to use gameplay to strengthen characterization. Usually though, fun gameplay is more important than that so concessions are made, and the story can make up for any dissonance. Go to far in the gameplay, though, and it can start overriding suspension of disbelief.
Yeah we pretty much agree on this. There's kind of a fuzzy line drawn where story and gameplay affect each other, though, and I think where that line should be is going to be different from game to game.
That worldbuilding has a direct explanatory effect on elements directly affecting the story. They serve a purpose, and as you indicate are usually one liners that aren't overly expositing. The issue with CoC2 is that it has large exposition dumps.
Oh, I think CoC2's worldbuilding could use a lot of work; the Convocation of Mirrors for instance was a really sloppy way to tell an important piece of lore.
My comments on worldbuilding were to point out how it establishes that the Champ isn't the most important thing in the world and that there's other and possibly bigger stuff going on.
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