I always have time for feedback, both the good and the bad. I'll fight my corner when it comes to my commitment to the world and story, but other than that, I try to keep an open mind to others' views and opinions of what I'm offering to the narrative.
A little about the direction I have taken the game in and why.
When I took over Lust Theory, the opening section and introduction with Alice was already done and released. So too were the parts with the new characters, Rachel and the Hospital nurse, Gwen. Inheriting the writing at this point left a lot of things already baked into the narrative, and something I had to work with one way or another. In fact, one of my first major updates - (the second half of Amy's story) I actually took pains to make Amy the center of the show and explore more of her story after the Rachel dating interview sequence, (which released just before I took over.) Since taking over, I have tried to keep the focus on the main cast from S1 & 2 as much as possible, with the only real new inclusion being Stephanie, whom I included as a crossover character for Mia.
This is not to wash my hands of this issue, but I do wish to stress that some of the parameters of writing, as they were at the point I took over, were beyond my control.
As to the problem you described of the game losing some of the magic from Season 1, this is a tricky one. I definitely understand how anarchic and fun Season 1 was and how original it felt. However, 2.5 seasons on, it is hard to maintain that same level of magic with the story and situation presented.
Again, quite a bit of this comes down to decisions and story points inherited before I took over as writer, but I think the ability to return fully to the carefree magic of season 1, and using the time loop to make otherwise impossible sexual hi-jinks possible was lost when the looped day progressed to Friday and then finally skipped again to Season 3 and the revelations of the loops source and established narrative of the loops being closed permanently.
As soon as the notion of the loops being brought to a close came into effect, and with a raft of problems presented to the MC regarding his actions during previous loops, it became more or less impossible to believably focus the narrative on trying to score in new ways with hilarious misfires. Perhaps, the hero could have taken a darker turn and just used the time loops left till a fix comes to go balls out insane and try and complete a bucket list of sex challenges to end the loops on, but with the messes MC had put himself in over the start of the game, I didn't see this being a good fit for the narrative.
I have spoken before in this channel that I am quite passionate about leveling up the wider interpersonal connections in Lust Theory since taking on the writing. I have wanted to see MC's relationships with the girls explored deeper, and to give him a leveling-up moment where he becomes more of an active hero figure of the narrative. Aside from being how I personally wished to push the narrative, it also felt like an essential move based on another issue the game has (as I see it) after 3 seasons.
The Limited Wellspring
In terms of spaces left to take the sexual hijinks of the game, there was not all that much more space to 'logically' explore within the narrative.
Thanks to bonus events in seasons 1 & 2, scenes exist for most possible arrangements of girls, and within the main story, there is not much farther left to take the stakes.
By Season 2, Elizabeth, for example, was pretty much on board for the ride when it came to sleeping with MC. By the end of the season, MC also had ironclad ways of getting with most other girls, with the only real possibility for a new direction being toward more variations of threesomes, foursomes, etc.
With all girls pretty much fully on board and committed to MC by the end of S2, it left little challenge for him to make new situations in seasons 3 (especially as so many of the cast are already established as being at least comfortable with threesomes and sharing.) In many ways, (without the inclusion of the Screw up Friday, where he tanked his approval with every girl he knew), he might well have gone into the next day able to just say - 'Yo, let's bang' to almost any LI and reasonably expect a yes.
With this in mind, I think the previous writer needed to include all the complexities and fallout MC's experiences at the start of S3 with the girls in his life. Without it, there would be almost no stakes at play. BUT those same fallout moments from his forgotten Friday were also of a kind caliber that necessitated (at least to my mind) going deeper emotionally with the girls in his world. And then, when Alice's plot arc and dissolution of the time loop are added to the mix, the need for MC to ground himself and get ready for a return to normal living becomes even more of a priority.
This is not to say I did not want to take the path I have chosen. I have made no secret of the fact that I felt deepening interpersonal relationships and emotional connections in the story was something I really wanted to explore with S3. But, aside from being something I wanted to bring to the table, it is also something I felt was pretty much imperative and unavoidable within the context of the story, as it was left with me at the time of my takeover.
If there is one thing I've learned from following and reading all the reviews, thoughts, and opinions here, it is that it is impossible to walk a line with Lust Theory that perfectly satisfies every element of the fan base. I know there are many who are happy with the direction I have been taking and the emphasis on strengthening emotional ties and exploring character relationships more deeply. I think a solid proportion of the player base has wanted to see this for a while.
At the same time, I know I have seen a handful of comments wishing the game would return fully to its Season 1 roots and concentrate more on the hilarity, sexy hijinks, and impossible situations the hero winds up in.
Believe me, I want nothing more than to write a game that EVERYONE loves. I try my best to balance deepening the story and relationships, keeping the humor and sexiness, all while working within the confines of the narrative I inherited when I took on the story.
I care about Lust Theory, and Lust Bound. I care about the characters and story I'm putting out into the world, and while I want players to always be open and honest in their critiques with me, I assure you I agonize and worry and do my best to reflect on every message of critique.
I'm always in the comments section here and on the Inceton discord, so please keep voicing your thoughts and opinions. While I can never hope to promise to pivot to make every fan's vision for Lust Theory a reality, I will at least listen and try to take on board critique with humility, and do what I can to adjust the scales.
A few weeks ago, one player noted feeling that humor was starting to dip in the season, something I have tried my best to listen to, which led to the inclusion of the Shrodinger's Cat scene and a few other hijinks scenes in the National Park.
This has become a bit of a ramble, something I am becoming pretty famous for on here, so I'll wrap things up here. I hope explaining my thought processes for why I have made the creative decisions I have, and more of the story of how and when I came to the series helps a little. Of course, you don't have to approve of those decisions anymore. If you still do not like the direction I am taking, I will understand. Still, I hope explaining has at least given you a better idea of my goals, the limitations I am working with, and the reasons for taking the narrative in the direction I have.
