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C7 post mortem, part 2: opting out is missing out
🕑 Added 2023-10-18 21:08:36 +0000 UTCA few posts back a did a little post mortem and in it, I mentioned I had omitted the write-up I'd made about feedback I received with regard to issues people had had with the content and story development of chapter 7. I left a little poll up asking if you'd be interested in that.
I must admit I'm still having some reservations, as I don't feel this is really worth publishing on its own. It's very much navel staring. It's the author rising from his grave to berate the reader for daring to question their work. At times, it's coming up with excuses, being argumentative, and petty.
So I'm going to be mulching on that for a little bit more, to find a way to present it but not get into instant arguments about it, but I wanted to share one observation that came out of that process today.
All choices are not equal
I've always set out to make sure every intimate relationship in the game is optional, as I feel there's nothing worse than having a character foisted upon you that you really dislike. But that's not the same as saying that, on the whole, all choices are equal.
The love interests (both side and main) in Light of my Life do not live in separate compartments. They are not completely isolated from each other, only connected by their acquaintance to the MC. There will be moments when not being on a character's path means events on the story line of another character (even the main love interests) are affected by that, and the player gets a lesser version of the full house alternative.
That could be less content, a scene cut short, but it might also seem the scene is awkward, a story development feels out of place, or a character gets injected into a moment for what seems like no good reason. But that cannot be helped, because getting intimate with any character always needs to be optional, and the fact that some scenes are lessened when they are opted out is collateral.
I personally feel the best version of the story will be the one involving all girls, often only by a very small margin, but sometimes by a larger one. But that doesn't mean I don't understand the reasons to opt out. Some feel a strong dislike or turn-off for a particular character. Some don't engage because it feels like they're cheating, technicalities be damned. Some just prefer to concentrate on a specific character or characters.
And I will try to accommodate that, even if I don't always have a lot of space to maneuver.
Self inflicted
And, that also leads to another thought. More often than not, poor reviews for Light of my Life mention the player emphatically not going anywhere near the side girls, before complaining about the game taking itself too seriously, being overly dramatic without letting up (imagine that, no moments of comedy relief, where did those go?), or being dull, with nothing at all of consequence happening for long periods (almost as if there were moments where things could have happened, but didn't). By opting out of optional parts, the player's allowed to self-inflict a lesser balanced and paced version of the game onto themselves.
And in a way, those reviews are self-inflicted on my part too, by making those encounters optional. But if they weren't, there would no doubt be poor reviews lamenting the unavoidable encounters, so optional they will remain.
Opting out is missing out
A part of me figures it would be self evident that opting out of side characters means missing or reducing any content that involves them (even if it involves other characters too).
But on the other hand, many VNs feature locking out characters as you hone in on your love interest, and some do a really poor job of telegraphing those lock-outs, so it shouldn't be a surprise that some players feel inclined to cull their options quickly, rather than risk exploring too much to find they're locked out of their preferred path, for the sin of playing the field.
And I still find many players are under the impression that opting out of characters gives them alternative content for other characters.
Perhaps it needs to be communicated clearer that you're only ever opting out of content, and never into alternative content, as well as the fact that you won't be punished for not opting out, and neither will you find yourself in a situation where you're cheating on anyone, so I'll be looking to add that to the game.
Comments
Rich Spencer
People have expectations from playing open world games and the like, where you end up trying to have a life beyond the "plot" and expect their choices to create an alternate universe - without really giving any consideration to the fact that in a scripted game, that universe is gonna get pretty dull pretty quickly. Honestly I know these keep getting referred to as "harem" games, but I'm personally glad to see something that's amounting more to a representation of ethical non-monogamy (even if the - supposed - familial aspect entirely rests in the realms of fantasy), where you have an MC who's conscientious about those he's involved with, even if he's not entirely open about all sides. 👀 I think the decision to make the impact of your choices explicit in dev messages is good because it saves people umming and ahhing too much and get on with just enjoying the lovely content!
Naughty Road
Hey Bob. Thanks, I'm really glad to hear that. :hug:
Naughty Road
It's a deliberate choice for sure. Pre-rendered and character creation don't go together, so it's the next best thing to allow the player to insert whatever they want the MC to be into the game. One of the reasons for that is that I don't want the MC to be too defined as a character, I feel it fits better with the slice of life genre.
Naughty Road
Yeah. There's definitely disconnect there between the need to be able to tell a story in which characters have their own opinions, and the need to communicate to the player that that's okay and roll with it.
Bob
As far as I am concerned Naughty, you cannot improve on perfection. You have hit on a winning combination of a Visual feast, Humor , Storyline, oh the list is endless. It all comes across as a well thought out professional looking game. Even then I dread calling it a game as we all get into it so closely I have to stop myself moving onto the next frame to fast. (sounded better in my head). You literally are head and shoulders above any game presently out there rushing to get updates out and fail miserably with quality and content. I could name one, possibly two that I have any interest with, but even then they still "lack" something. Keep doing what your doing Naughty. I wait with baited breath for your next installment. Cheers big ears.
APatreon
Choices in Video Games and foreshadowing the consequences (or intentional lack thereof) is a problem that even the best developers struggle with. I remember that I've initially got the bad Ending of the Witcher 3 because I was more strict towards siri and had 1 point not enough to unlock the good endings. Personally, I like it when VN's don't punish players for trying to get the most content. But I have to admit that I also most often use walkthrough mods if they are available. It never ruined my experience when the game told me the consequences of my choice. What I wonder though for this game: What is the reason we never see the MC's face? While it wasn't off putting it results in sometimes weird camera angles for the images.
Not YrBroom
Macy's attitude (particularly toward Brooke) helps set that expectation of possible negative consequences.
Blacklabyrinth
Even though I played the field (with no negative consequences) and even though you have clearly stated there are no negative consequences to doing so, I still expect some sort of blow back later. Like you said, I think that is just a product of other AVN mechanics. Keep doing it your way. Also, even though we've seen it before, the art you used in the article is great.
Nic
I played the game in an inclusive immersed manner. I'm still not sure if I did the right thing with Brooke, but real relationships work like that. I had much fun with the witches and considered it a win when that really came together towards the end. Surely it is clear to players that excluding characters is directly equivalent to excluding content, thereby playing only a part of all that has been lovingly created!
Naughty Road
True that, and I don't have any illusions that I can make everyone happy. Tbh, I'm pretty amazed I'm making anyone happy. :D
Naughty Road
LOL.
Naughty Road
cheers, replied at message level to give it a bit more visibility.
Atixes
I think telling a good story and lots of choice often don't go well together. In that sense it will never be perfect. Either fit everyone somewhat or be just the right fit for some. Sure it's good to make it clear who it isn't for, but judging from what I read from most negative reviews some people just like to put expectations on something that they know it was never meant to fullfill. The more people you accommodate the more people will complain.
Naughty Road
Cheers. Right now, I've already added a little tutorial message when the first side character (Brooke) is introduced in Chapter 1, that says something like: feel free to explore all characters, it's risk-free, as well as added a little "this will opt you out of content" note to options that lock you out of the side character (similar to, but less intrusive than the messages with Macy and Denise). I'm still planning to add a bit more, to let people know opting out is missing out, as well as reassuring them they won't be cheating as that's a hard turn-off for some.
HappyHuman
Unsolicited feedback part two: You do occasionally get a game where something special happens if you're faithful (!!!) to one character, or where certain characters are realistically hurt if you're unfaithful, and then of course there are the kajillion other games where you can be The Biggest Slut with no repercussions, and it sure would be nice to know from the outset which kind of game you're getting into...
HappyHuman
I've seen a few games where a little message will come up saying like "a scene with Stacy is available here but you aren't seeing it", and while I'm sure that produces some whines with the word 'immersion' in them, I appreciate knowing. I'd also appreciate messages that went on to "...but you aren't seeing it, click here to see why" in case you aren't sure what you missed. With LoML I have yet to accidentally fall onto or off of a path, but it can happen and it's vexing.
Darryl Williams
An unfortunate "real world" induced expectation. In reality, if you ignore your coworkers and go straight home, you have more time with your family. In VN, the update ends faster.
