How far to go with insults in a ren'ai game ?

[BlackSpider]

I was just wondering how _far_ should I go with my script when the player decides to be really bad and mean to other characters. Recently I decided to delete a large part of my script because it got bad opinions. After all it's supposed to be a nice ren'ai game.

As an example let's take this sentence:

"You know Reiko, when girls are stupid, they should at least be pretty."
And it got much worse afterwards...

I'm curious what you guys think this limit should be.

[Blue Lemma]

I think you can take insults about as far as you like, as long as it doesn't cause plot/dialogue inconsistencies. For instance, let's say the player has been really nice and considerate towards Reiko before. He wouldn't just say something like that to her for no reason. It would be way out of character. However, if he's been kind of a jerk, it would make more sense. One thing I do in Tales of Lemma is keep track of the player's personality (specifically how nice he is and how horny(?) he is.) This way I can keep things going on a more consistent path. Also, if the player said something like you described, Reiko shouldn't act like nothing happened unless it's in her character. If the argument gets particularly nasty, I think you need to create a whole new plot branch.

Another thing you can do is have other characters let loose with the insults. Nothing like a good catfight!

[BlackSpider]

It looks like it's a good idea to provide additional paths available only when the player stats reach a specific level. If somebody wants to be a jerk let him be a jerk . Anyway, I know I should try to avoid dirty language. After all some minors could also play the game.

Although the example sentence was about Aki (not Reiko) Reiko's reaction is adequate . If this doesn't help, Reiko's going to hit the player really hard . And here goes another dilemma :

Whether to allow the player to hit back or not. After all it's a girl character and IMO no men should do this even when playing a computer game. They may later react the same way in real life .

[Blue Lemma]

Whether to allow the player to hit back or not. After all it's a girl character and IMO no men should do this even when playing a computer game. They may later react the same way in real life .

Hmm... I'd say if you allow the player to hit back, there should DEFINITELY be another plot branch. The player should see that his actions hurt things a lot. As long as you don't condone it and have the girl fall into a pattern of abuse with the guy enjoying it, I think it's ok to put the option in. It IS a game, after all. If the player sees that his inappropriate actions only make things worse, I think it would help him see that it's not a good idea in real life. Of course, putting in such paths can darken the game's atmosphere. If you want a lighter game, I'd say leave stuff like that out.

On a separate note, I think you should only hit people in self-defense or in physical defense of another, whether the person you hit is a girl or not. If a girl was about to shoot my sister, and the only way to prevent it was to hit her in the back of the head, I think it would probably be justified.

[BlackSpider]

Well, after considering once again both options, their consequences, and how the plot is evolving, I think I'll not allow the player to hit back. All girls will be safe this time .