itch.io

"It's so easy/frequent to influence the game that almost no two playthroughs are likely going to be exactly the same."

Yes, but as far as I can tell plotwise the result is still the same. Imagine that there is kinetic VN game in detective genre. Now suppose the developer gave the player ability to customize what the detective drinks, coffee or cocoa, and what color of the tie that they wear, black or dark-blue, thus allowing for more of self-expression of the player. Will the game stop being kinetic? From point of view of my understanding of what kinetic novel is - no. I understand kinetic novels to be visual novels where the player can't influence the plot, even temporarily. Let's me emphasize the ending doesn't need to change for non-kinetic novel. Consider this alternative: the player is given a choice somethere in mentioned above hypothetical detective game that either will lead to folllowing a false lead or following the right lead. If they follow the false lead, then the criminals will have time to track down and muder the key witness, thus leading to a substory where the detective does much more of research and deduction to compensate for missing info. If they follow the right lead, then it will lead to adrenaline-filled substory about race against time, where the detective will rush to reach the key witness before the criminals and then transport them into a safe place in one piece. Will it still be a kinetic novel? Not from my perspective because the player can get two different plots, based on if they follow the right or the false lead, although both plots have the same ending (the criminals get caught).

"Yes, the many alterations are fun and pleasant rather than only some being good and some being bad, but that doesn't make them pointless choices- they're still fun and pleasant"

I'm afraid you misunderstood me here. I don't believe that choices are meaningful only if some of them are good and some of them are bad. Far from it. For me choices are meaningful only if they can influece the plot, even temporarily. Whatever whey would bring good or bad consequences is another question. You seems to interpret "meaningful choices" differently, as any choices that let the player to express themselves.

"This game simply isn't gonna punish players for creating the unique, highly customized life that they want to live."

Ah, I see your game design philosophy now. Your taget audience are people who value choices as way of self-expression and who, at the same time, like wholesome gameplay. You give them choices that are inconsequent plot-wise and ending-wise, but that allow them to express themselves. (The pinnacle of this approach is main character appearance customization screen. It's not only inconsequental plot-wise, the player literally can't see results of this customization for 99.99% of the game) People who mainly value choices as a tool for ends different from self-expression (like me. Seems like I just wasn't your target audience, pure and simple!) will likely feel like they have many choices that don't matter, thus not willing to make them in the first place. Also, they wouldn't mind to get some narrative setback for their choice, while self-expressionists would feel punished for their self-expression, even if this affected neither plot nor the ending.  

"People who want to ruin everything will instead have their plans ruined, and I'm sorry that's the case for you."

Just clarification, I tried to ruin everything not because I wanted to make the main character suffer, but because it's the easy and sure way to test how consequent choices are. It's far easier to break status-quo by making a bad choice rather than making a good choice.

"If you don't think that's true, please read the comments of other people on this page. "

When I commented about your "Meaningful choices" tag I didn't imply some kind of objective meaninglessness. I meant that this tag is a lie for me personally. I simply don't value self-expression enough for incosequent choices to be meaningful to me. But again, I'm not a part of your target audience.

Have a nice day!