A 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.