New guy asks people to be calm and answer his question..... welp that escalated quickly.
1) Zoomers and assumers
As to
diebesgrab's point as to why it has become a hot topic lately - I have my own theory.
TL/DR: I suspect its that the mainstream that showed up late to the porn-game scene and not the Zoomers- and they complain about what they don't like and invest in what they do- just like most people.
[Skip to 2) if you just want to read some leading questions about the new update ^_^.]
I'd posit it likely relates more to porn games becoming more normalized in our cultures. I'm no zoomer- but I didn't even think about playing them until they randomly started popping up in my Steam queue a couple years back.
Perhaps before the ramp up of porn game awareness - porn games were more of a Mecca for people who were searching to experience certain more niche kinks- (since a game allows you to cover content types which are not allowed or not able to be realized in actual porn- until daddy Patreon says no at any rate)
As more and more members of a more mainstream culture recognized and started to enjoy porn games the ones which favor more tradition kinks blew up big time and some of the less traditional more nitche kinks hated on more or haven't grown in a comparably dynamic way.
Beast, incest, rape, loli, and NTR all make large swaths of folks feel disgusted- and you see a fair amount of hate about them in various forums, but not nearly as much as you see about NTR. And while the other kinks are obviously more egregious I think the way NTR needs to insert itself into narratives is what makes it more vocally hated.
It is totally understandable that NTR would make some people feel disgusted as.....isn't it specifically designed to do that?
I suspect the main thing about it that makes it particularly abrasive is that it is a Kink which requires a lot of narrative build up and attention to be done compellingly; so even if the sex scenes are avoidable it can easily extend beyond the scope of those scenes in a myriad of ways.
But yeah....if you look at the large mainstream markets like Steam the top selling games are not like SoC at all.
They tend to be feels good harem games like Nekopara, Being a DIK, Treasures of Nadia ect.
Then compare them to how SoC is doing on steam (like ~400 reviews or something, oof- critically underrated). It is objectively a better written game- with better game-play, and higher quality art; so why is it doing so, so, so, so much worse in those markets?
None of those stories hold even the tiniest flame in comparison to SoC. But their content menu's are a buffet if you are a typical porn consumer (a heterosexual male).
Just like Rance would be a buffet if you like hetero rape fantasy content.
Or Tits / CoC1 and CoC2 are a buffet if you like big futa cock on everything.
SoC is a buffet if you are a bi-sexual, NTR enthusiast, rape fetishist, mostly sub but sometimes dom switch. Who also likes a bit of vanilla and enjoys tons of narrative where their character is degraded or abused.
There is a lot of content on the SoC menu, but depending on how you slice it its going to have a hard time competing with something like Summertime Saga or the other game's I mentioned in a more mainstream market. It keeps a strong hold on niche content for smaller % demographic players; but its going to have a hard time ever really blowing up- because at the end of the day for a non-insignificant portion of potential porn game consumers the sexual menu is like eating at a buffet with some of the most delicious food you ever ate but also toxins and dirt in many of the dishes if you aren't interested in a few specific kinks.
Only around 3% of the population is bisexual or gay and that is just the 1st layer of that content shrinkage.
I love SoC for its story and for how good the routes I do care about are. I'm sure there are lot of other people who like it for other reasons- but the breakdown of sexual content is really quite disappointing for my tastes and I suspect the NTR flame-wars is a result of the main-stream stopping by and maybe having a similar perspective?
Who knows; correlation ≠ causation. Still..... there is definitely something or more likely some things going on to have escalated the situation to this point.
2) Tell me more about the plot??!
Anyway...can we get back to talking about the release? I've been really looking forward to some more perspective on the events or in game theories. I read all the new events and they were all really nicely done. Wasn't into the gay ones- but I can still appreciate the good writing and Greyhide is a good Waifu if you like being tiny af compared to your partner. So here are some questions to get people chatting hopefully
a) What content do people think we will get next release?
b) Why was the rewrite of the Liurial x Alexia x Rowan 3-some event so fucking great?
c) Did the maid gossip make anyone else chuckle?
d) At what point will Nasim do a fertility treatment that isn't big-booba bimbo times for Lexi?
e) When will Rowan get to be in a transformation scene? Or is he condemned to his boring vanilla body for eternity?
(Alexi is up to what 4 or 5?)
f) When will the updated Dev map come out?
g) Did anyone else think Alexia was portrayed more romantically / empathically than she usually is the release? Often she is just written like a petty bitch towards Rowan even at low corruption. I enjoyed that part. Maybe.....one day in the future I'll actually truly like her.
h) Has anyone cracked the code as to what the finale with Liurial will be. Are we going to remove some Elves from the castle census? Is Jezera going to make a play?
i) Romance vs dom route with Cla min? Which did you enjoy more? (Obviously both....both is best- but if you had to choose
?)
Praise the dev who decided we could enjoy both on the same play-through
j) Why is Cla-min's route so fucking good despite the writing quality being a little more awkward than some of the other paths?
k) Which scene with Cla-min's family members is your fav and why is it the seamstress scene
(The answer is obviously 1/1 Sommlier)
l) Will X ever be topped or put her dick away?
m) And most importantly when will the new Liurial line art be released to Patreons?