As for Absinthe. I will only say that if you think I changed her because of some kind of pressure to increase exclusivity then you're wrong. I'll admit that it's scary right now. I don't have a lot of support and I was tempted. But .. though this game is a harem game. You have a harem. I appreciate that this creates some expectations in a certain type of H-game player. But I've decided I don't care. And I clarified almost immediately that those that hated it because not protag weren't my target audience.
I want to create something DIFFERENT not just a carbon copy of everything people have played before. And if I spend my time chasing after the complaints of people that clearly aren't buying what I'm selling then I'll never make anything good.
And yes we are talking about hivemind stuff. Many bodies one mind. And this is inherently fun to write. I'd even go so far as to say it writes itself. Games like Funbag Fantasy pulled it off pretty well so I don't see why mine can't.
.... you yourself said you are changing it because of negative feedback (which I wasn't saying was pressure... just that I saw it coming, and believe I said as much previous wayy back)... which you likely got because you put in content that clashes with the content you are going for...
Like sure create something different... but you can't ignore the fundamental basics, and expect it to go well. Like the fact: People who like harem, don't like LIs doing other dudes.
Which has nothing to do with being different or unique anyway... it is just clashing genres. Like how you can't have a pure love story when the LI is fucking everyone in town, cause they are polar opposites.
You can't have harem and whore LIs, and expect it to to be good, they just don't work well, and it comes across as stupid, a whore doesn't stop being a whore just cause of one dude.
When you do that you are writing two characters, one that is a whore, and one that isn't, and you perform a switcheroo at some point where they completely change character. (people don't change overnight, it takes years, especially with going against impulse tends to win for those that have already given in, it is why not a whore to being a whore is a believable transition, but the opposite usually isn't).
You want to be create and different, where it matters, and niche sexual content where it doesn't belong isn't the way to do that, you do that through how you present sexual content that compliments you main genre, not antagonizes it.
And for true creativity, and good different that comes in story, and not sexual content anyway.
Sexual content should be complimentary and not the main point of a story, sure you can use it as a fundamental element that is at the heart of the story, but it needs to be in a way that works with your story to make it better, and not actively make it worse.
e.g. harem story, will be driven in a direction you don't want when you add genres that clash, like MMF, sharing, swinging, NTR, gangbang etc. Because they change the fundamental base of your story from being harem, to being those things instead. Even if it is a minor part it changes the view of it anyway. At best it goes from being a harem story to a slave story.
But it will never be viewed as a good harem game no matter how good the story is, when you have such antagonistic genres mixed in. (and I don't mention the order of genres, because it simply doesn't matter)
Another way to put it, you want genres and content that build up the main genre and not tear it down.
Now that isn't to say, every LI needs to be a virgin, but it is poor taste to show them being with anyone but MC. In general no one really wants to hear about their ex's past... least of all when it comes to harem. Those that do want to know and enjoy such things... aren't into harem.. they into sharing/swinging and the like.
To summarize (a tldnr of sorts if you will): It is great that you want to make something unique, different and not just a carbon copy. But you got to make sure that you don't change the genre of what you are making in the process by adding in things that are counterintuitive to your goal.
Like to use absinthe as an example, your change to it being a hivemind clone thing, while the genre still semi-clashes, you have morphed it into something that doesn't go against your main goal, while it will still always clash for some (hence my suggestion to make that scene optional) it ends up still working for you and not against you.
Which honestly is how it should have been in the first place, you original story works against your main story and not with it, you want the stories to all compliment and push forward your main story, not against.
Complimentary sexual content is what you want, not antagonistic. It is good to be unique, but make sure you are still tailoring stuff that works for your story and your target audience.
Also I have been writing this on the assumption that your main audience genre and main sexual theme of the game is harem, if that is not the case then by all means correct that assumption and inform me of what it actually is (if i am wrong).
