i'm not sure how far this criticism will go but its about Luke. i feel like Luke comes on too strongly and i know that's his character but he feel like the "AMERICA, FUCK YEA" meme on steroids. I like that he is a sexually open character but again it feels slightly exaggerated like I think he's one beer away from humping the fridge exaggerated. these quirks of his are so apparent you can describe him in 2 words "Sex and Patriotism ". I love your work and I love every other character a bunch but Luke is one of my main issues in terms of character. one other small thing is the fact that some options are locked behind MC interest the player picked at the start of the game. If one didn't pick the art path they can't get the best title in this current update. if its possible I think it might be a good idea to give the player the ability to learn some facts before the special options come up which allows players who did not initially take certain paths to not miss out on the options.
Viewing post in [Build 0.2] Feedback and Criticism
Hello! Responding first to one of your first points ("i'm not sure how far this criticism will go"), we always try to keep an open mind when we receive feedback. We want to make the best game we can.
Now, before I write an answer to your post per se, would it be ok if I posted a screencap of what you said on Twitter? I would like to have other people see it to give their own perspectives -- see how many share the same point you expressed. If you are ok with that, after we get more input I will explain a bit of how we are writing Luke and what role the backgrounds play in the game.
While Minoanon is addressing the Luke kerfuffle I'd like to go over the second half of your post. I'm juggling the idea of making a more detailed screen for choosing your player background considering the features we're going to add to build 03 (for example, your background giving you passive bonuses, tweaking some of the mechanics, giving you access to different guests, or exclusive dialogue choices)
I think it might be distracting if in the middle of the introduction of the game where we're trying to set a mood, we were to frontload all this information about the rest of the game. I get where you're coming from, there's value in making an informed decision, but it kind of ruins the mood that scene is trying to set and spoils some of the things to come.
But hey maybe I'm alone in this, so this is something I'd like more people to weigh in on. Should I add a screen giving a small description of the different backgrounds, or should I leave it as it is to not ruin the mood?
(Also, I feel like I should clarify that ideally no background will be better than the other, especially on the subject of Asterion's affection). Player characters of different backgrounds should be able to win Asterion over in their own ways, so while the current maximum affection is only attainable by players with the arts background... who knows? Maybe on the next build the tech players have a chance to do something that really impresses him. We want to validate player choices and make sure everyone gets their chance to shine so this is not something you have to worry about.)
Thank you for bringing this up, we found it honest and constructive.
Hey kingyokai. nanoff addressed the matter of the player backgrounds. Now, regarding Luke... In a way we made a bet with him. He has a very hard-hitting first chapter, we could say, that indeed constructs him as the loud, tactless American stereotype. Our plan -- and perhaps I am revealing a small spoiler here -- is to subvert some aspects of that as his character arc progresses.
This discussion was productive to me. For now I'm going to incorporate some of this back into what I was planning for Luke -- mainly, I think I'll expedite some of his character development over his next pieces of content.
After Build 0.3 is out I'll look back into this issue, and if you want it'd be great to hear back from you about what you think then.
Thanks for the feedback!