dobzzz

Active Member
Feb 7, 2018
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I tried to play this game but unfortunately my potato cannot run it well :FacePalm:, I have input lag of more than 3 seconds which prevents me from responding to time-limited events and I have to load a save every 10 minutes because the dialogs start to run slow. In the 20 minutes I was able to play I hated the MC boss, the one who gets angry about the books reviews :KEK:.
Use an android phone even a mid tier phone can run this vn easy.
 

fatpussy123

Active Member
May 9, 2020
684
2,039
Yes, but it doesn't change the fact that's what Ian is potentially like, and so it's somewhat silly to describe such man as "average". The player certainly can have Ian act somewhat average -- that is, pick poor options in dialogues, underperform in bed, don't put effort in his book, lazy around and wank for hours. But, surprise, if Ian acts this way then he generally fails to impress girls enough to establish relationships with them, or finds himself dumped.


If by this you mean the game then we have zero idea what Ian was actually like before it. All we know is that his long time friend Allison has been crushing on him, while he formed relationship with Gillian that lasted years, until it eventually broke down.


It's hardly conjecture when normally Ian is capable of regularly satisfying every woman he gets in bed with. That this is up to the player it's meaningless argument -- average guy doesn't have choice of being excellent or poor performer, he will be at best mediocre because he doesn't know any better.


There's only one small problem with reading these stats in such manner. You know who else is "distinctly average" or just tiny bit above average by this metric? These girls:

View attachment 2667521 View attachment 2667523 View attachment 2667525

Now, don't get me wrong, am fine with the idea of Ian being "just as average" as Lena or Cherry. But i suspect these same people who are fast to call Ian average would scoff quite a bit if you told them any of these girls is "just disctinctly average", too. :sneaky:

edit: to put it differently, i think what we have here is the same effect TVTropes lovingly puts as "Hollywood Homely" i.e. the baseline being drawn so high that character which is supposed to be unattractive would in reality turn men heads as she walks by, because she's gorgeous compared to what actual average (nevermind homely) is like. Ian (and Lena and Cherry etc) are "average" in this sense, but their "average" has very little to do with actual human average, which is considerably lower than what these characters demonstrate.
Dude yes these girls are average by these metrics. Their intelligence and their social charisma is nothing to write home about. What makes them above average and attractive is what is not measured, like their sex appeal, relation to Ian, and their general character. YOU gave the metric of charisma and intelligence which Ian and these girls fall average on. If we want to add other metrics like the sex appeal of their bodies sure they'd be 8-10s but even then Ian would not rank that high.
 

BloodyMares

Well-Known Member
Dec 4, 2017
1,458
7,018
I tried to play this game but unfortunately my potato cannot run it well :FacePalm:, I have input lag of more than 3 seconds which prevents me from responding to time-limited events and I have to load a save every 10 minutes because the dialogs start to run slow. In the 20 minutes I was able to play I hated the MC boss, the one who gets angry about the books reviews :KEK:.
Chapter 11 will make add the setting where you'll be able to disable the timed choices.
 

PickerLewd

Active Member
Dec 22, 2022
875
924
Use an android phone even a mid tier phone can run this vn easy.
Maybe, I haven't played on cellphones for more than 15 years, I never adapted to playing on a touch screen and want the buttons era back, a total boomer :LUL:.
Chapter 11 will make add the setting where you'll be able to disable the timed choices.
Great, maybe a lot of people don't like that mechanic? In my case it's only because of my hardware problem.
 

Gicoo

Active Member
Feb 18, 2018
909
2,312
edit: to put it differently, i think what we have here is the same effect TVTropes lovingly puts as "Hollywood Homely" i.e. the baseline being drawn so high that character which is supposed to be unattractive would in reality turn men heads as she walks by, because she's gorgeous compared to what actual average (nevermind homely) is like. Ian (and Lena and Cherry etc) are "average" in this sense, but their "average" has very little to do with actual human average, which is considerably lower than what these characters demonstrate.
It's the reverse. Holly, Alison, Emma and Gillian are stated to be decent but plain and homely compared to the model-like Lena, Cindy, Cherry and Ivy. But they are all drawn so gorgeous thats their sexiness is indistinguishly from each other.
 

BloodyMares

Well-Known Member
Dec 4, 2017
1,458
7,018
Great, maybe a lot of people don't like that mechanic? In my case it's only because of my hardware problem.
It's also an accessibility issue. Some people have challenges that prevent them from reacting fast. This way, it won't be a problem anymore for those who struggle.
 
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ffive

Forum Fanatic
Jun 19, 2022
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Dude yes these girls are average by these metrics. Their intelligence and their social charisma is nothing to write home about. What makes them above average and attractive is what is not measured, like their sex appeal, relation to Ian, and their general character.
I'd say the sex-appeal is combination of charisma and lust, not anything that's not included here. Relation to Ian is supposed to determine whether a girl is average or not? Come on, that's nonsense. "General character" is equally vague: what's supposed to be the "general character" of these girls that makes them above average in your eyes, and what do you think is general character of average person?

And well, alright. If we're going to conclude these girls are "nothing to write home about" and completely average, then am not seeing why anyone is acting as if it's unrealistic for Ian to have relationship with any of them. Average girl and average guy get together, why is it supposedly such an unbelievable achievement for the guy, again? /s

It's the reverse. Holly, Alison, Emma and Gillian are stated to be decent but plain and homely compared to the model-like Lena, Cindy, Cherry and Ivy. But they are all drawn so gorgeous thats their sexiness is indistinguishly from each other.
It's not reverse, it's exactly how it works -- very attractive actresses are hired to play roles of "homely girls" . Exactly what you have here, supposed "average people" are drawn highly attractive and act perfectly socially competent, i.e. nothing like actual average.

And i have yet to see anyone in game say that Gillian was "plain and homely". Much like the others, for this matter: if Holly is supposed to be plain and homely, how comes Lena thinks she is beautiful and pretty enough to be a model?
 
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SerHawkes

Engaged Member
Oct 29, 2017
3,061
14,198
And i have yet to see anyone in game say that Gillian was "plain and homely". Much like the others, for this matter: if Holly is supposed to be plain and homely, how comes Lena thinks she is beautiful and pretty enough to be a model?
Beauty is subjective. In Lena's case, thinking that Holly is beautiful and pretty enough to be a model maybe very well be true in her method of thinking. Holly is timid, does have a natural appeal to the eye type of body. While typically, you would think that modelling agency would go after the Ivy's and Lena's of the world yet thats not alway the case as we see with Cinders getting a possible modelling gig down the road, who has little tits and no ass to speak of. Also, there are variety of models in sizes and shapes that work in different fashions and gigs.

So, in theory, Holly being a possible model, is semi valid. Maybe not a main stage act, in comparing to Lena or Ivy but perhaps a small time gig and clothing.
 

fatpussy123

Active Member
May 9, 2020
684
2,039
I'd say the sex-appeal is combination of charisma and lust, not anything that's not included here. Relation to Ian is supposed to determine whether a girl is average or not? Come on, that's nonsense. "General character" is equally vague: what's supposed to be the "general character" of these girls that makes them above average in your eyes, and what do you think is general character of average person?

And well, alright. If we're going to conclude these girls are "nothing to write home about" and completely average, then am not seeing why anyone is acting as if it's unrealistic for Ian to have relationship with any of them. Average girl and average guy get together, why is it supposedly such an unbelievable achievement for the guy, again? /s


It's not reverse, it's exactly how it works -- very attractive actresses are hired to play roles of "homely girls" . Exactly what you have here, supposed "average people" are drawn highly attractive and act perfectly socially competent, i.e. nothing like actual average.

And i have yet to see anyone in game say that Gillian was "plain and homely". Much like the others, for this matter: if Holly is supposed to be plain and homely, how comes Lena thinks she is beautiful and pretty enough to be a model?
I think you might not be very literate. I said they wouldn't be anything to write home about based on the narrow standards that are intelligence, charisma, and wit. Obviously they are above average women, nowhere did I claim otherwise.

The standards for attraction I gave were vague because attraction is always vague. You took issue with general relation to Ian as a reason for someone to be attracted to him, but that is precisely one way in which attraction can come from. If Ian met Holly at a bar or something he most likely wouldn't pick her over someone like Lena, but in the Holly route they have a connection through their job which spirals into shared interests and this leads to Ian picking Holly over anyone else. Of course the way in which you interact with someone influences how you see them, I don't know why you're acting like that is a foreign concept.

What I meant by general character is all of the attributes that do not fall under charisma and intelligence. Yeah it's vague but there must be an infinite list of character attributes that could lead to someone being attracted to somone else. To list a few, attitude, interests, confidence, honesty, responsibility, open-mindedness, how career focused someone might be, yada yada yada. Point is that there are a wide range reasons why the women in this game and women in general might be attractive to guys.

Ill restate what I meant about Ian being slightly above average as a guy at the start of the game. Ian works a decent but not great job, he was in one relationship that we know of that ended with him being cheated on. His friend circle is strictly his high school friends. He hasn't been successful with women after his break up and at the start of the game he has average stats in intelligence, fitness, and charisma. These stats are necessary for him to improve upon for him to be successful with women and for him to be the witty, intelligent, charismatic person you claimed him to be, implying that he wasn't that before.

Lena on the other hand is similarly average in intelligence and charisma, but those are not always the traits that make her attractive to the men in this game. Axel is attracted to her most likely as a result of her attractive body and submissive nature. Jeremy is purely interested in her by her looks, stating how he is attracted to her after only seeing her picture. Seymour has an unexplained obsession with Lena that probably has more to do with his own fetish than Lena herself. Mike and Mark are attracted to her physically but only pursue her after she flirts with them. This flirting can only be done after the lust that has been raised. So Lena's seductive nature which is acquired by the player is what ultimately draws them in.

To summarize, Ian is slightly above average at the start of the game in regards to his social standing, financial situation, and his sex life. He is similarly average by the standards you set. The evidence for this is in his stats card and by Eva Kiss saying Ian's stats are average. Lena on the surface is similar, but is judged by different standards and more emphasis is placed on her physical attractiveness by the men in the story. Character traits, like charisma and intelligence, are more often ignored when discussing the attractiveness of women, it's not fair but it is the way it is, and because of that Lena can have low character stats while still being way above average attractiveness.
 

ffive

Forum Fanatic
Jun 19, 2022
5,157
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I think you might not be very literate. I said they wouldn't be anything to write home about based on the narrow standards that are intelligence, charisma, and wit. Obviously they are above average women, nowhere did I claim otherwise.
To be exact, i was being sarcastic. However, the main point was what you've mentioned in this reply -- that you're claiming Ian is average while the girls are not, but you're basing this evaluation on two different sets of metrics.

The standards for attraction I gave were vague because attraction is always vague. You took issue with general relation to Ian as a reason for someone to be attracted to him, but that is precisely one way in which attraction can come from.
I took issue with it because i was under impression we're talking about how different characters are perceived by general public, and whether what the game shows matches what the game (supposedly) claims about qualities of these characters.

To recap, this started with "Ian is average guy and it's unbelievable he'd get together with such hot girls" "No, Ian isn't average guy because he doesn't act like one".

Ironically, if you're now going to state that "it's obvious the way you interact with people influences how they see you" then it's fairly similar to what i was saying in the first place. To tackle it from a bit different angle -- i won't argue that Eva Kiss might have intended for Ian to be average. But if that's the case then they've done a rather poor job of actually portraying that, because i'd never guess it from the game itself and how it shows Ian acting.

Ill restate what I meant about Ian being slightly above average as a guy at the start of the game. Ian works a decent but not great job, he was in one relationship that we know of that ended with him being cheated on. His friend circle is strictly his high school friends. He hasn't been successful with women after his break up and at the start of the game he has average stats in intelligence, fitness, and charisma. These stats are necessary for him to improve upon for him to be successful with women and for him to be the witty, intelligent, charismatic person you claimed him to be, implying that he wasn't that before.
I think you're mixing, admittedly confusing, two different applications of the same attributes -- one was used for "character cards" to show relative differences between the characters, their weak and strong points, while the other is game mechanic which has very little in common with that presentation.

Ian is already interacting in witty, intelligent, charming etc manner from the start of the game, even though his stats begin not even at the average but at literal zeros. He doesn't need any considerable improvement to these stats from their initial (lack of) values in order to be successful with women -- in the beginning it only takes a single point to pass checks which can get him multiple girls in his bed. And while the bar on the checks continually rises and so do the attributes in order to keep passing these checks, it has no actual effect on Ian's behavior. We don't see him becoming any more witty, charismatic etc compared to his early self. He basically maintains the same (pleasant and skillful) personality and level of interactions he presented from the start, whether his stats are at 0 or 10.

Put simply, the in-game attributes and the "stat improvement" are purely a gamey treadmill for the sake of seeing numbers go up, which some players take pleasure in. Again, maybe the intention behind it was indeed what you describe and not to just provide the game with something distinctly game-like. But if that's the actual case, then again the game does very poor job at portraying this and the story we're presented with doesn't really reflect such "Ian's self-improvement arc", either.
 

fatpussy123

Active Member
May 9, 2020
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Ironically, if you're now going to state that "it's obvious the way you interact with people influences how they see you" then it's fairly similar to what i was saying in the first place. To tackle it from a bit different angle -- i won't argue that Eva Kiss might have intended for Ian to be average. But if that's the case then they've done a rather poor job of actually portraying that, because i'd never guess it from the game itself and how it shows Ian acting.
My original point was that Ian 'starts' the story average or slightly above average and through player input rises above that. In the actual game Ian isn't good, bad or average. He is what the player plays him to be. Sure there are solid traits that the player can't change but generally he is very malleable. I would say Eva intended Ian to have been previously been average, evidenced by the stat cards that are based on the start of the game. Your issue with not seeing Ian being average in the game is my point, however you play is how he is.

As an example of Ian being average through player decisions Id say early on the scene at the Shine bar where he first meets Cherry. Ian can end up sleeping with Alison or Cherry. Alternatively he can completely fumble and lose relationship points with Cherry because of the questions he asks her. You can play it in a way where he chats up Alison, but promptly shifts focus and tries his hand with Cherry only to fumble her as well. The night ends with Jeremy taking Alison home and Perry getting close to Cherry. I wouldn't expect an average guy to pull away from this getting action, they could but wouldn't always, not every night out results in action, but a higher tier man absolutely could pull here, evidenced by Ian being more charming and pulling either Cherry or Alison.

In a lesser game the option to choose Cherry or Alison would come down to one decision and regardless of choice the MC would always come out looking like a gigachad. That's the nature of these power fantasy porn games, but in ORS the choices define the character and the interactions. For this to work the game has to start out with the main characters being a little bit bland.
 
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