With fetishes, density of normal/H-content and (corruption) aesthetics, there's no pleasing everyone. I am therefore not surprised new route didn't hit right with everyone. Back when I was making The Dark Lord Rises - my very first game - a surprise gender-bender scene has almost cost me most of my few players. Back then, I've took it too much to heart and the quality of the game (as well as the sequel) suffered for it. Fortunately, I've come to accept this fact and move on. Story takes priority to me, and I am not above introducing some elements others would find not to their taste if it is to plot's benefit.
Now, will "emotionless terminators" now become staple of my stories? No. See, my work process is actually quite strange. 2.0 was not written over the course of four months (I started working on it mid-december). Vast majority of the script was actually written during two weeks around Christmas (basically everything from the start to Audrey's h-scene). It was a flash of inspiration, followed by intense work, until that inspiration wore off as the flaws in the original idea (which at the beginning was basically: make Victorica first one to fall + make her conquer her own planet - inquisitor was justa "means" to get her to that state) became apparent. New MC's "sexlessnes" was obvious to me from the start, hence attempts to introduce justifications for H-content in the plot, which unfortunately turned to be too flimsy. Around time I hit the Cassandra's corruption, those flaws became too much, and my enthusiasm for "drones" cooled off. At that point, I almost dropped the script into the bin - as I actually do with many of my writings (did I ever mention I have 10-15 abandoned projects in Renpy alone?
)
Alas, I made a mistake
of teasing the update on this forum, so after meandering, playing with AI/Twine/other ideas for two months, I finally buckled up, hit my stride a few weeks ago and managed to finish the game using new corruption as a clutch. Making the last corruption scene was a blast and something I want to do more often in the future, provided I stay on Honey Select 2.
Is 2.0 storyline better than original one? No, I will be first to agree that agree it is not. But it fullfills all the goals I placed before it: it gives previously neglected characters more chance to shine; it offers vastly different experience; finally, it expands the world of "The Fall" series with elements I might return to in the future. So, I'll still label it as a success.
Now, there's one thing I need to apologize for: those shameful typos that I failed to exterminate in the rush. Since Isis, I've learned to put my script at least two times through Google's grammar/spelling checker, but it's apparently not enough. I'll try to work on it more in the future.
