Imo that makes a big difference since all the others happen before "we" (the player) are the characters. It's werid to give choices then not give one then go back to giving them. This game isn't years old they could have easily added it at the start/done a flash forward at the start of the game. There is a reason many people don't like kinetic novels after all ...
I personally didn't even finish this update because it became pretty clear what all this game has to offer so I don't even have proper context for how non consensual the scene one.
You want to be deep and realistic? Why doesn't this turn ashe away from sex? Not much different from if she was held down and forced by the token rapecop she has the same amount of choice in either situation right? (If non consensual)
Do people not actually understand the term Visual Novel? You, the 'player' are being told a story by the dev. Same as if you watched a movie or read a book. It's a story told via words accompanied by images. Choice is not an intrinsic part of the form of media. It can be, but at the end of the day, it is still the dev's story. If they want it to go in a specific direction, that's their prerogative. And if they don't want to deal with endless constantly branching paths and narratives, that is also their choice.
Having played both versions of the scene with Zoey, Ashe is in no way coerced. She could have said no and walked away. But the story being told has her want this. The only hold-up she has is to not reveal her secret to Zoey. It is absolutely nothing like the scene with the cop. But she has been perving on Zoey all evening, and both gave indications they found one another attractive. They're both horny and drunk, and are attracted to one another. Why not have sex there? Ashe is not some paragon of virtue holding her V Card for that special someone. So it doesn't remotely go against Ashe's character to bed her down.
Just because you can make some choices in a game does not mean you get to make all the choices in a game. Technology has not reached a point where that is remotely feasible for a dev to implement. Infinite options means infinite development time. And at that point they have ceased to tell you their story and are just facilitating you living out whatever fantasy you want. If such a thing did exist, it would be the only one. As it would tell every story imaginable so no one would ever need to make a different one.
At the end of the day, any VN is the story the dev wants to tell. If you like it, great. If you don't there are other stories available. You liking something in their work does not mean they now need to corrupt their story to meet your exact standards and desires. And your dislike of something doesn't mean they should remove or alter it to make you happy. It's their story. Read it if you like, leave a review if you had thoughts on it. But be reasonable about the form of media you are consuming.
