I don't know if I'd count variations of a scene with different characters as bloat; it's an important investment in the choices the game allows us to make. One might as well say the images of the MC hanging out with Mina if he doesn't make a move on her is bloat. Most people won't see that content, right? (...)
In case of Mina, these are the same characters in a different situation so it doesn't fit with what I was saying (although I probably wasn't clear enough). For PC analogy more fitting would be the 1st exhibition's 2nd and 3rd 'games' where the scenes were the same but with different characters (so basically it was just a flavour change, you could say these were the same models with different "skin" having double dildo or getting bukkaked). It's still not that bad though due to long-term consequences this will have. I actually really appreciate that (continuing Mina analogy) we can learn about Mina's archery club or her parents or her travels or during "never have I ever" game some more wild things she does. This actually adds to replayability. There are games however were devs take pride in the number of renders even though when you look closely it's quantity over quality.
Anyway, I haven't said that
same scene with different character <=>
bloat since I was aware that even in PC this happens too (although it's rare and it always offers something interesting) and I was expecting someone to bring up the first exhibition. I agree with you that seeing the same scene in a different angle, with different questions being asked and answered is fun. Actually, my favourite RPG of all time is
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where we're seeing the same scene play out but from a different perspective (so if you're playing a thief you will rob a local lord, if you're a praetor you will be lord's special agent that will advise him and protect him from thieves and if you're a mercenary you will fight for him and get rid of such filth directly).
(...)
I will agree that Pale Carnations doesn't feel padded the way some game have, but I think that comes down to narrative momentum more than it does render counts. (...)
Forget render counts. The point I was making was that in PC the fun is condensed and GIL and TD don't waste time on pointless things,
everything here is deliberate and I can't think of filler scenes here. I can however think of such in overrated Being a DIK (whole previous update was one huge filler, with characters I don't care even one bit, a total waste of resources if you ask me).
BTW, Being a DIK's sheer numbers while impressive are considerably smaller than Defending Lydia Collier's where a single guy produced 5335 renders in 189 days (or 188 days, less even since it too khim some time to upload it), i.e. over 28 renders per day. The thing is, this requires different amount of work than what GIL does and is highly dependent on the hardware you have (the better GPU and the more you have the faster you can deliver, I'm not sure it's the same using Honey Select).
Anyway, IMO what GIL does is something special, something that no other dev has managed to replicate, i.e. he can really make the scene alive. The facial expressions, gestures, pose, all of it is set up perfectly. Until this game I've been mostly ignoring Honey Select games, GIL has shown that this "engine" (or however should I call it) is capable of creating more vivid scenes than any DAZ game I know.
(...)
We haven't taken time out to start an unrelated subplot, and we haven't had to stall developments in the main plot to keep it simmering longer. (...)
Yes and no, besides what you've mentioned there is Victoria's sub-plot (or Kat's who is doing shady deals with Abel or Rose's problem with Oliver or Veronica being screwed by Samson or Felicia not having her art school financed) but again, it's all connected and we learn about her from the very start of the game. Take another game (you know which one I'm talking about) and we have subplot after subplot, character #1 has some tragic past, character #2 does too, character #3 and ever other too. We also skip in time forwards and backwards. have some stupid plot-twists at the end of each update, etc. It becomes soap opera that way and everything is watered down. Personally I don't like it and prefer much more that clear focus that PC has.
