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

[bauman]

Personally, I find Lena's path more interesting. A young girl who can go wild. Probably I was influenced by GGGB.
I like Lena's friends more than Ian's - most of his environment is annoying (Perry, Wade, Alison)
Lena faces much bigger challenges than Ian. She loses her job and money to live on, her parents are seriously ill, her ex-boyfriend is a stalker and a psychopath. Lena's antagonist is a very dangerous and powerful person. Seymour can really ruin her life. And I am very interested in how Lena's path will develop in the future.

Ian? He's doing well so far. And calmly. The conflict with Minerva is easily resolved, drama is possible in the future if your Ian fucks everything that moves, drama is likely due to cheating with Cindy ... and that's it.


The problem with the corruption path in GGGB. I played and did not believe what was happening. Shy and well-mannered Ashley suddenly becomes a whore? Have you seen a lot of girls IRL go from cute girl with one sex partner to gangbang with black rappers in a few months? And being in a street gang. I did not see the motivation that would change Ashley so much. Didn't see realism. "I want something different in life" is not motivation. It's pretty fake and was only meant to jerk off for the gamer on the other side of the monitor. The game was good, but I wouldn't call it a story masterpiece.
. In the ORS, Lena faces financial challenges, low income, and a father with cancer. She is already a relaxed, open girl, with extensive experience in sex. Lena is not shy and has done wild things in her life. Lena likes modeling and is not shy about showing her body. We have a formed personality with character and motivation. And here corruption successfully enters the plot - the opportunity to earn big, easy money just by showing your body.
As well as an asshole sex partner she can have some fun with to get over her toxic relationship with Axel.
Instead of the long road of a good girl, in which Lena takes a detour to success, becoming a musician and dating Ian. But there is no black and white in ORS, you can easily go in a mixed way. The game has a lot of gray morality, unlike GGGB.

I suppose it depends on what you want from your smut. I like good stories, but I don't prioritize them because a good porn game needs more than a story to be 'good.' I think GGGB works because the story is good enough to be semi-believable and push the plot forward, and it's better than your average porn game, but it's not the whole picture. ORS has a more grounded in reality storyline compared to GGGB, but I feel it's too stuffed while, at the same time, it's not good enough for me to take it seriously either. That's why I think the story in GGGB, although comically exaggerated at times, works better in the porn game setting than the one in ORS (at least for now).

Also, I liked the 'sandbox' approach GGGB had to storytelling. Ashley wasn't a blank slate, but she was easily shaped to whatever version the player wanted, while Lena and Ian feel too much like pre-made characters, which somewhat limits what the developer (and the player) can do with them.

An example: a few updates back, EvaKiss added a scene in which Lena steals from the cash register at the coffee shop. Then she cut it out because people complained, and she realized that Lena is not the type of character who steals money from her lovely employers.

Have you seen a lot of girls IRL go from cute girl with one sex partner to gangbang with black rappers in a few months? And being in a street gang.

I knew a few in college, but they weren't fucking any rappers -- they were fucking their drug dealers. One of them ODd on fentanyl a couple of years back, and she was the preppy upper-middle-class A+ student type you find in most corruption stories.

 

[reyir]

If this would have had only 1 MC, which would you prefer? Ian or Lena?

I will go with Lena, most of the game in this site is male protagonist, and female protagonist is kinda rare if we compared it to male protagonist, IMO female protagonist only became booming, i think when GGGB blow up, but before that, its really rare to see female protagonist game in this site.

If i rank all of female protagonist game in this site, GGGB will became my number 1, cuz it had a ton of content and the story itself is also great, and thats rare for female protagonist game, thats why if i need to choose between Ian or Lena, i will definitely choose Lena, Eva writing female protagonist game, its just too good for me

 

[Geralt From Rivia]

I suppose it depends on what you want from your smut. I like good stories, but I don't prioritize them because a good porn game needs more than a story to be 'good.' I think GGGB works because the story is good enough to be semi-believable and push the plot forward, and it's better than your average porn game, but it's not the whole picture. ORS has a more grounded in reality storyline compared to GGGB, but I feel it's too stuffed while, at the same time, it's not good enough for me to take it seriously either. That's why I think the story in GGGB, although comically exaggerated at times, works better in the porn game setting than the one in ORS (at least for now).

Also, I liked the 'sandbox' approach GGGB had to storytelling. Ashley wasn't a blank slate, but she was easily shaped to whatever version the player wanted, while Lena and Ian feel too much like pre-made characters, which somewhat limits what the developer (and the player) can do with them.

I see that we have different requirements for adult games. I put a good story first, but it shouldn't completely replace sex. There must be a lot of sex. I love games like Our Red String, BaDIK, Acting Lessons, Become a Rock Star. Story oriented. ORS has a very cool story with real characters and I love that. Such ABNs are like a breath of fresh air after the sterile and too politically correct AAA video games from large companies. Now there is really nothing to play.

An example: a few updates back, EvaKiss added a scene in which Lena steals from the cash register at the coffee shop. Then she cut it out because people complained, and she realized that Lena is not the type of character who steals money from her lovely employers.

YES. This is true. Eva's serious problem is that she listens to subscribers too much, reacts to the smallest whining and runs to fix it. This increases development time. It turns out that this is no longer her game, patrons.

I knew a few in college, but they weren't fucking any rappers -- they were fucking their drug dealers. One of them ODd on fentanyl a couple of years back, and she was the preppy upper-middle-class A+ student type you find in most corruption stories.

Yeah, college in your country is crazy. Probably a lot funny stuff, but crazy. I couldn't even find cannabis in 5 years of college. What is fentanyl no one can answer in our region.

 

[Gato21]

Ian for sure. Lena's POV is still more about corruption and flings, while Ian's POV focuses on his creative struggles and career, as well as helping his friends, which itself is much more interesting.

I feel like when Lena's music career path is more fleshed out, assuming you can avoid all the pitfalls along the way, it will mirror Ian's path, providing a more creative and fulfilling path for her self-actualization. Essentially a GGGB "good ending".

 

[BloodyMares]

Both Ian and Lena face risks (hurt feelings and STDs, to name two) as they get more careless with sex, but otherwise there's nothing inherently wrong with Lena having and enjoying sex as much as Ian does. At any rate, Lena's path is more erotic to me.

I'd say Lena's corruption is not the promiscuity but the more explicit options to sell her body and moral decay. Compromising her ideals and aspirations for money and instant sexual gratification. Seymour being an endgame of corruption of course. It's not corruption yet if Lena begrudgingly agrees to work for him if she feels like she has no choice. Corruption starts where her sexual fantasies and arousal get the better of her and she starts enjoying all this objectification and wanting Seymour's approval.

Ian gets corrupted mainly by Minerva and indirectly by Axel (triggering jealousy and competition for Lena and Cindy). Alison route also corrupts Ian since he starts treating her, his childhood friend, like some cheap slut, disrespecting her limits and manipulating her desire for him to make her consent to his sexual whims.

 

[BloodyMares]

An example: a few updates back, EvaKiss added a scene in which Lena steals from the cash register at the coffee shop. Then she cut it out because people complained, and she realized that Lena is not the type of character who steals money from her lovely employers.

It wasn't cut, the conditions have changed. She only steals the money if she's certain the cafe can't be helped and has a grudge on Ed for giving her 2-week notice. To trigger that, don't ask how you can help save the cafe. It's just, the plot with thief Lena was kinda left behind, Lena's efforts to help the cafe became a priority in writing because it provides most content (singing / life drawing).

 

[alex andrews]

Eva milk, kiss*

 

[alexferno]

If this would have had only 1 MC, which would you prefer? Ian or Lena?

Last year's poll results.

You must be registered to see the links

I enjoy both Lena and Ian - 729 votes
I prefer playing as Lena - 812 votes
I prefer playing as Ian - 145 votes

 

[boulimanus]

Eva milk, kiss*

Dunno if it's milking but either way it seems to be a trend for more and more games to take more and more time.
And personally... I like it.
I like it because it helps me forgetting and getting detached from it. And soon I won't be watching these threads weekly anymore and will use my time differently. Win-Win.

 

[dontcarewhateverno]

The problem with the corruption path in GGGB. I played and did not believe what was happening. Shy and well-mannered Ashley suddenly becomes a whore? Have you seen a lot of girls IRL go from cute girl with one sex partner to gangbang with black rappers in a few months? And being in a street gang. I did not see the motivation that would change Ashley so much. Didn't see realism. "I want something different in life" is not motivation. It's pretty fake and was only meant to jerk off for the gamer on the other side of the monitor. The game was good, but I wouldn't call it a story masterpiece.
. In the ORS, Lena faces financial challenges, low income, and a father with cancer. She is already a relaxed, open girl, with extensive experience in sex. Lena is not shy and has done wild things in her life. Lena likes modeling and is not shy about showing her body. We have a formed personality with character and motivation. And here corruption successfully enters the plot - the opportunity to earn big, easy money just by showing your body.
As well as an asshole sex partner she can have some fun with to get over her toxic relationship with Axel.
Instead of the long road of a good girl, in which Lena takes a detour to success, becoming a musician and dating Ian. But there is no black and white in ORS, you can easily go in a mixed way. The game has a lot of gray morality, unlike GGGB.

The street gang path = terrible. Even if some lily-white suburban girl were to get into drugs/thugs for the visceral and sexual thrill of it, she'd be at best a cracked-out sex-doll they pimp out and pass around. Street gangs don't exactly offer a take-your-daughter-to-work day and some pretty white bitch from the burbs who hadn't so much as drank a beer or stolen a pack of gum from the convenience store four months earlier would not be commanding their respect.

Innocent/cute suburban girl to hood black rapper gangbangs in < 6 months... well, I lived through the late 90's/early 2ks and you'd be surprised what pop-culture zeitgeist can do for dumb, impressionable, directionless teens with no real identity to call their own, in any era. Not saying it's common, but plausible, especially under a bad influence they might seek approval from (Jess). Even more plausible though if Ashley were written as a few years younger.

Most intriguing stories don't focus on the mundane and probable as a general rule, but rather the plausible but highly improbable, since the extremes are what grab our attention. Doubly so in porn. Dog bites man vs Man bites dog. Stories look for the exceptions, not the averages. [EDIT: Noted exception for stories, situations, scenarios that are kinetic, exploring themes that capture the public attention NOW, or the imagination of a small but marketable enclave of the public. In those situations, an element of the story doesn't have to be unusual or improbable. Just dynamic of the current zeitgeist. Though it may not be as interesting 50 years into the future or past if that story is revisited, except for maybe as a history lesson or anthropological/sociological examination. Same goes for all forms of art].

Summary: Street gang leader = bullshit. Thug rapper gangbangs = I'll allow it.

Though, I highly agree, ORS is much closer to reality-based writing in general (key word: "closer". The Seymour shit is sketch). Neither come close to a written masterpiece in any respect either. Near or at the top of the bar for porn game writing, but they're not going to break any pole-vaulting records (unless the "pole-vaulting" is innuendo for something else entirely).

 

[BlandChili]

If this would have had only 1 MC, which would you prefer? Ian or Lena?

Lena. I play female MC games almost exclusively.

 

[Samuel Hidayat]

Not to get political, but why is it normal if Ian wants to chase all kinds of sexual opportunities, but if Lena does it's "corruption"?

Seymour

Simple as.

 

[BlandChili]

Not to get political, but why is it normal if Ian wants to chase all kinds of sexual opportunities, but if Lena does it's "corruption"?

It isn't.

Really, Lena isn't a good female subject for "corruption" content, since for it to work as a pornographic category the character has to either have a level of innocence or some reservations towards sexual interactions.

Lena is experienced sexually, bisexual and has kinks of her own (steerable by the player to a certain degree). So her only real "corruption" paths seem to be Axel's and Seymour's, assuming you play her along those lines, because in those you have to choose to make Lena give in to what reservations she does have.

An argument could be made that Ivy is a corrupting influence too, but the player gets to determine how much Lena plays along with her suggestions and to a degree most of her hang-ups about Ivy's suggestions are about heartache from her breakup rather than sexual reservation.

 

[Samuel Hidayat]

It isn't.

Really, Lena isn't a good female subject for "corruption" content, since for it to work as a pornographic category the character has to either have a level of innocence or some reservations towards sexual interactions.

Lena is experienced sexually, bisexual and has kinks of her own (steerable by the player to a certain degree). So her only real "corruption" paths seem to be Axel's and Seymour's, assuming you play her along those lines, because in those you have to choose to make Lena give in to what reservations she does have.

An argument could be made that Ivy is a corrupting influence too, but the player gets to determine how much Lena plays along with her suggestions and to a degree most of her hang-ups about Ivy's suggestions are about heartache from her breakup rather than sexual reservation.

Lena is reluctant about using Stalkfap as a main source of income, so she definitely has sexual reservation.

Also, MC doesn't need to be completely innocent to be a good corruption subject. As long as they can be seduced into liking some things they at first don't, it's good enough in my book.

 

[BlandChili]

Lena is reluctant about using Stalkfap as a main source of income, so she definitely has sexual reservation.

Yeah, that example is fair. Ivy also introduces hard drugs for another.

Also, MC doesn't need to be completely innocent to be a good corruption subject. As long as they can be seduced into liking some things they at first don't, it's good enough in my book.

No, they don't need to be completely innocent but like I said, it's that or a certain reservation for some subjects. For example Seymour making her masturbate, she isn't innocent in that scenario but she sure as shit has reservations about the events taking place.

Like I said, Lena is not the best character for "corruption" material, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist here and there, just that Lena already has wants and desires that the player can choose to emphasise.

 

[Wallsfalldown]

Love all the folk not understanding how complex writing is, and the more complex it gets the more layers you build upon - such as building a VN with choices that change the story. Do I think Eva is out of her league? A bit. I think GGGB was a great start, but I don't think ORS should've been her second game. I feel she would've had greater success doing a 1-protag game again before attempting a 2-protag game. Or even something simple as while working on a simpler game, work on the plotting for said 2-protag game.

I think she's just over-stressed from being too deep in a project too complex for her level of writing, and thus doesn't know exactly the best way to continue.

 

[Ninjaman2]

What a freaken amazing game! Really loving some of the scenes, Ivy dominating Holly... HOLY SHIT AMAZING!!!

 

[sztrb]

Not sure why everyone is on here shitting on this dev, when there are games such as Summertime Saga or Love & Sex, that not only have worse quality updates, but literally make massive amounts of money for basically absolute mediocrity.

 

[Wallsfalldown]

Not sure why everyone is on here shitting on this dev, when there are games such as Summertime Saga or Love & Sex, that not only have worse quality updates, but literally make massive amounts of money for basically absolute mediocrity.

I'm so sad L&S shit the bed as it was one of the games that brought me here way back when. Seeing the buggy, overly complicated mess it's become now is depressing.

 

[CoalPhelps]

Not sure why everyone is on here shitting on this dev, when there are games such as Summertime Saga or Love & Sex, that not only have worse quality updates, but literally make massive amounts of money for basically absolute mediocrity.

Yeah, those are the most clichéd harems in the "lonely teenage boy's dream" style.