... it may be worth thinking about another option to access Lois' alternate path later. For now it requires a non-obvious, slightly arbitrary dialogue choice for it to be available at all (telling her she looks nice rather than beautiful at the party). There's not much to indicate to the player that her character path hinges on the choice.
Again, I didn't want it to be a foregone conclusion. In an ideal world (to my mind), players wouldn't see the stats/variables and wouldn't play to them. So I didn't
telegraph it, but I think the difference in the possible responses is reasonable and I would say it's exactly the kind of thing that can seem innocuous to (some) guys and a big deal to (some) girls.
It's not an all-or-nothing. It seemed to me that the London trip was an opportune moment for something to happen. In this case it did come down to a simple choice of dialog, but it felt reasonable. Their relationship has been flirtatious from the outset - she goes all out with the dress (presumably a significant expense for her) and she gets a "you look nice". So she gets pissed (in both the British AND American sense). That and MC's flirtation with Vanessa are
potentially a tipping point, depending on previous events.
But I feel like I'm repeating the same things over and over. I've tried to make it clear that I don't look to cut off entire possible story lines over one decision. As I said in a recent post, not going the sugar daddy route with Ashley doesn't mean there won't be other possible paths to a more intimate relationship with her.
I would also say that with the expanding "talent pool", there's no way MC can conduct sexual affairs with all of the girls simultaneously. So maybe he enjoys a period of time with one of the receptionists, for example. That perhaps plays out, now we find he has some time on his hands and (lo and behold) Vanessa calls about how she still wants to come work there, or maybe it's the other way around and he thinks of her for a position that's opened up. Who knows? For right now there are more possibilities than I can do justice to immediately, but I think it's useful to bring in guest stars with the potential for recurring roles, depending on what sort of response they get from the audience (you guys).
Finally, he's (relatively) rich and powerful. I think there may be examples in the real world of those kinds of guys having some remarkable luck with women.
