Man I had written a good response to your point but my shitty internet fucked with me, so here it is the short version.
I agree with you but what makes the world feel alive and deep is the fact that we can't be sure if said character will have a role to play in the story or not.
I just haad a thought - Ocean might be planting these characters and having them recognisable, talking with NIka's friends in the background, because they're the ones that carry the gossip.
Think about mysterious stalker Cheeto she's at the shop when Bella's buying Nika clothes. Pizza goth girl is known to talk with Zara, and Nami's shouting about how Nika needs to stop fucking girls in the restrooms, maybe Zara hears this rumour, and doesn't know the full details (she wasn't in on the girl talk from memory). So for some of them, their 'job' might just be to show the walls have ears. And this might play a big role in how jealousy/cheating is uncovered and made plausible.
That is a really great idea. I still think that the Goth Girl and Mysterious Cheeto have a role to play but is a great way to enable this mechanic in a organic way. Somebody always is watching.
You may be right because the rumor about Nika and Nora definitely came from a group of girls in the locker room. I still think the ones who will spread the rumors will be the ones who gather in larger groups of friends. And there are a few cases of these background girls who appear alone. Still, the best place to introduce some of them would be the opening of the bar. And we definitely know from sneak peaks that we will at least learn the name of the mystery red-head when we meet her with Vic at the coffee shop near the college
Yeah, I think Mystery Cheeto will have a role, because we've seen her in Ch2 previews. She's definitely more than a background character. It's like Desiree is watching the reporter after Emilio asks her to do a background check on Nika. All the walls have ears, all the time.
The Robin rumput is an interesting one because the people who could have started it vehemently denies doing so. And I tend to believe them. The question is who them ? I have wondered if Robin herself has not done so, is not a hill I will die on but is a idea that have crossed my mind.
The question is she has a role of her own or she is a support to Sasha role in the story?
While there's focus on the girls spreading rumors, there might be another angle. When you speak with Kate and the twins, who were both present in the toilet stall, They assure you that they didn't spread any rumors, and they talk about being from the "thingy" (whatever it is)
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Also, the goth girl might also be a red herring.
The rumor has reached as far as the book club.
I will be disappointed if tbe Goth Girl is a red herring
The range of background characters in SG is a beautiful thing, not because they are mostly babes, but because many of these characters break the prevailent AVN stereotype that any visible female character in an AVN is present solely to serve as a simp/fucktoy to the MC.
Ocean chooses to constantly and deliberately put focus on some of these background characters (goth girl, for example), so the assumption is that they have a role (even if small) to play in the story. The college rumor mill is a good example of a role they likely play, especially with that reporter looking for dirt (
PS - to be honest, the implementation of the reporter's arc is very weakly implemented IMHO. A TV crew cannot just walk onto college grounds and into hallways to harass students. That reporter would easily be subject to a restraining or trespass order by now).
I really love the premise that, while some of these background characters may be central to the plot, they have absolutely no romantic interest in the MC whatsoever, and never will. I am sure there will be those who throw a tantrum if their chosen background character doesn't get conquered by the MC. Maybe that is where Nadia/Nancy's 18+ roleplaying game comes in - allowing some improbable sexy times with characters otherwise not interested in the MC.
On a different note... We know that Season 2 Chapter 1 will be a big update. I suspect that the playing time of the update will depend on previous in-game choices, because Ocean has reached that point in the game where some serious branching begins in earnest (for example, if not on a Zara path then a player will possibly miss content in the next update. Same goes for Bella. Mila, Nia. Cheeto et al)). As usual, this makes multiple playthroughs on different paths mandatory - not only to savor the entirety of the AVN, but also to discover morsels of new background information only available on particular paths.
I doubt Ocean's new PCs will shorten the time between updates. I suspect they will enable him to implement a complex story with multiple branching (requiring a huge amount of renders). Ocean already demonstrated this in the previews where the clothes Mila wears in a given Season 2 scene depend on previous player choices.
