VN Ren'Py Our Red String [Ch.13.3.6] [Eva Kiss]

[jd8097619]

Think the recent updates typify the problem that this game has too many characters to keep track of, especially when so many of them seem to be functionally the same trope.

Stan, Robert, and Perry are basically all Nice Guys, but one is potentially more interesting because of the "redemption" stuff. Seymour and Axel are both the same "dom photographer" character except the latter is far, far more interesting because of the history with Lena. Cindy and Holly are basically just Lena with different hair colours but you don't play as them (i.e. sweet love options or "fallen angels").

There's enough character traits and writing quality to have 6 or 7 really good characters but instead we have closing on two dozen now and the result is most are threadbare, lesser versions of others, or just plain forgettable.

And related to this I think it's clear EK is struggling to allow routes to work with stats, hence why there's now a "cheat" version where they just don't matter because otherwise exploring different routes is a ballache as you try to remember the 50 or so minor buttons to press to hit an arbitrary stat level.

 

[Skylark21]

I'm hoping when we do jump back to Ian in this chapter, we get more content with the non beach trip girls. I want some Cindy, Alison, Louise, Ivy, and Gillian content and progresion. I also wouldn't mind Lena and holly throuple stuff.

You shouldn't get your hopes up though. Ian will get a POV shift in chapter 13 but it'll be mostly a short one, something similar to Lena's pov in ch 12, although it'll probably advance some of his storylines, don't expect it to be content heavy.

 

[Lorenz1]

The amount of Cindy content in the last updates is hilarious, considering how she's the most popular girl bar none.

 

[Blurpee69]

The amount of Cindy content in the last updates is hilarious, considering how she's the most popular girl bar none.

She had almost a full chapter and a half dedicated almost exclusively to her storyline before this last chapter, and there was two not insignificant scenes with her in this chapter too. Perhaps pay a little more attention before you complain about one of the most prominent characters not getting enough screen time?

 

[Xupuzulla]

She had almost a full chapter and a half dedicated almost exclusively to her storyline before this last chapter, and there was two not insignificant scenes with her in this chapter too. Perhaps pay a little more attention before you complain about one of the most prominent characters not getting enough screen time?

At least Cindy fans got text messages recently,meanwhile we Alison fans the last updates....

 

[yyyyyy000666]

meow meow

 

[SearingFive]

At least Cindy fans got text messages recently,meanwhile we Alison fans the last updates....

Alison was busy getting railed by Jeremy, while you were waiting for her text messages.

 

[Xupuzulla]

Alison was busy getting railed by Jeremy, while you were waiting for her text messages.

I dont know what you guys do in your saves but my Alison is pure and shes in love with Ian

 

[notstaged]

Ian fans after getting a whole year of that dwarf content "WE WANT MORE "

I have to ask, you keep you using that word, instead of, say, midget, gnome or a stumpy. What exactly is at the source of this animosity? Is there a secret war between Scandinavian nations and some rogue dwarven kingdom going on, hidden from the world at large? Do the Duergar continue opening portals from beneath the earth, threatening the sanctity of King Harald's final resting place?

 

[Xupuzulla]

I have to ask, you keep you using that word, instead of, say, midget, gnome or a stumpy. What exactly is at the source of this animosity? Is there a secret war between Scandinavian nations and some rogue dwarven kingdom going on, hidden from the world at large? Do the Duergar continue opening portals from beneath the earth, threatening the sanctity of King Harald's final resting place?

I called him hobbit and garden gnome in the past too through?

 

[varpep]

I have to ask, you keep you using that word, instead of, say, midget, gnome or a stumpy. What exactly is at the source of this animosity? Is there a secret war between Scandinavian nations and some rogue dwarven kingdom going on, hidden from the world at large? Do the Duergar continue opening portals from beneath the earth, threatening the sanctity of King Harald's final resting place?

Nah man. He's just mad his queen can't take it up the pooper. So he takes it out on Ian

 

[MaliPizdek]

Don't worry Cuck-kun, that second pic can be avoidable

how? this is the love path
i wonder how is she going to explain the ass grab

 

[NewSeal]

Because it's bad storytelling. and the game is languishing.

Women can have shitty jobs and have men pursue them.

Men do not get this luxury.

Further, my issue isn't just that he is writer, it's that that specific profession, to engage as a writer, pulls away from the rest of the engagement of the story. It's a FUNCTIONAL argument.

A sci fi writer can be a catch, have women date them, sure. But to create a game like this where all of the work of being writer is totally separate from the game play is the issue. Lena's work as a model is directly related to her game play. This is not the case for Ian.

The game is supposed to be exactly about your average guy with a generic everyday job, what happens from there on is up to the player, it is a corruption/ascension game after all. That's like asking for GGGB to start with Ashley already being a pornstar doing gangbags. If the game already started with Ian being a chad playboy photographer/club manager etc who makes girls cum just by looking at them, it wouldn't fit the narrative at all.
If all you want to experience is a power fantasy where MC is a pussy magnet from the get-go, there are literal hundreds of games on this website that present exactly that.

 

[MagicMan753]

how? this is the love path
i wonder how is she going to explain the ass grab

On the romance route, you have to choose play it cool, than you're playing me to avoid ass grab.

I view it in two ways, if you call her out about not taking relationship serious, she will avoid the ass grabbing and start taking it serious and avoid interactingwith other men in inappropriate ways, but if you go with I trust you, I see it going with Ian and cindy be comfortable that they won't let some touching from others get in the way of their love, since they trust each other, they won't let things go too far in a sexual way.

 

[MaliPizdek]

On the romance route, you have to choose play it cool, than you're playing me to avoid ass grab.

I view it in two ways, if you call her out about not taking relationship serious, she will avoid the ass grabbing and start taking it serious and avoid interactingwith other men in inappropriate ways, but if you go with I trust you, I see it going with Ian and cindy be comfortable that they won't let some touching from others get in the way of their love, since they trust each other, they won't let things go too far in a sexual way.

doesn't she get mad when you call her out on her BS? like this "relationship" is over type of thing?

trust/love = ass grab
fuck you Cindy = good girl Cindy and no ass grab

makes sense

 

[MagicMan753]

doesn't she get mad when you call her out on her BS? like this "relationship" is over type of thing?

trust/love = ass grab
fuck you Cindy = good girl Cindy and no ass grab

makes sense

Yeah, there is a small argument,but if you buy her the gift and leave, you can see concern and sadness about you caring. Also if you call her out, I am pretty sure she is the one to text Ian first in ch.12, so she takes the initiative, instead of Ian having to text first.

I think in her mind, she isn't viewing the realtionship as a full relationship yet, cause she is still technically cheating, so calling her out, shows you care seriously about her, and gets her ro reexamine things a little.

 

[lucasreisum]

There are any walkthough ingame mod ?

 

[MaliPizdek]

Yeah, there is a small argument,but if you buy her the gift and leave, you can see concern and sadness about you caring. Also if you call her out, I am pretty sure she is the one to text Ian first in ch.12, so she takes the initiative, instead of Ian having to text first.

I think in her mind, she isn't viewing the realtionship as a full relationship yet, cause she is still technically cheating, so calling her out, shows you care seriously about her, and gets her ro reexamine things a little.

yeah you are right i just went back and choose the play it cool part and yeah no ass grab pic
but i have to say i can't wait to hear what she has to say about letting him grab her ass
maybe she didn't let him, he just did it and she got mad at him and slap him who knows

 

[fatpussy123]

doesn't she get mad when you call her out on her BS? like this "relationship" is over type of thing?

trust/love = ass grab
fuck you Cindy = good girl Cindy and no ass grab

makes sense

On the trust/love path that you're describing what's actually happening is Ian is very concerned over Cindy taking too long to break up with Wade and thinks she doesn't take their relationship as serious as he does. Calling her out while playing cool makes him momentarily argue with Cindy, but also forces Cindy to critically think about their relationship when Ian tells her he wants clarity from her.

Cindy's reflection on the relationship can be seen by her being the one to text Ian, while Ian gives her the cold shoulder by not texting first until she gives clarity. In this path it's also likely she tells Axel to keep his hands to himself because she is thinking more about what that could mean for her relationship with Ian.

In other words the "trust" path Cindy isn't thinking as much about their relationship and Ian is ignoring the problems in it. The call out path is Cindy being forced to reflect on the relationship, which in the long run will strengthen their bond.

 

[Renonymous]

I kind of enjoy what Ian's job brought to the "life simulator" layer of this game. I think it can be a cool gameplay mechanic to have the player shape their own book. From a literary perspective, I also think it's been a solid source of motivation and conflict due to Ian's job as a reviewer foreshadowing how hard it is to get published even with a good story. And I think it has a solid place in the story as both the creative parallel of Lena's songwriting and an overarching conflict within the story--just as the city is fighting to keep its authenticity while facing soul-crushing influences, Ian and Lena are also facing the struggle of following their own dreams or giving them up for a safer route.

I am, however, getting a little worried about the payoff. First, it seems like a nightmarish headache for EK to write a satisfactory conclusion to this mechanic (writing a book synopsis for each combination that makes the player feel like these choices mattered, figuring out how they'll interact with other dialogue throughout the game, making certain combinations more or less successful, etc.) But secondly, we're spending an awful lot of time away from the mechanic, such that players might not care about the outcome when it finally comes, and will definitely face difficulty in seeing alternative endings without a save editor.