Stories that left you disappointed for a reason

[cloudyday]

This is really disappointing. Both because the friend (I assume you mean the one who had been super nice to us since the start?) always seemed to have feelings for the MC and not Ruben. And Ruben already is a very difficult RO to stomach because he's so needlessly cruel to a heavily abused MC that he is actively using--that there's really no need to bring another messy thing into it, like an established partner/lover. Especially since there was the whole "mates" thing dragons have?

Also, that damn IF just needs to get published after 4 years. As do all the rest of the authors IF's. They're already rewriting Superstition 1, 2 & 3 (the demo, which isn't finished yet). And then they have Sea of Stars, an unpublished game called Riders of Abauruth they're working on--and already dropped Dragon Racer 2 and For the Crown.

They had a fling or something in the past and both still have feelings for each other, it's possible to turn it into a poly relationship, but I do not think that one is a good thing, like you said it's already hard stomaching the dude, but whatever, I'm just over her content tbh. She keeps starting stuff over and over and never finish

 

[cloudyday]

I'm not usually a fan of amnesia in stories either, but in Perfumare, it's short-lived, so it didn't bother me much. What I don’t quite understand, though, is why the author decided to turn the visual novel into an interactive fiction. I remember she said the VN was just a glimpse of the IF, but now that I’m playing the IF, it doesn’t feel all that different. Aside from a few new passages and some added choices, nothing really feels new, we’ve only lost the visuals. Maybe because it's been a long time since i played the VN, or because that it is the original experience that it feels better.

I thought without the art it would be finished earlier, but it doesn't seem to be the case.
Fool me once was very promising, but I think it needed way more chapters, it sounded intriguing, but it ended so abruptly probably because she's working on a new story in the same universe

 

[Ireth313]

My disappointment of the day is Bacchanal. It seemed to be like such a fun concept, but the author has been writing hobbytime scenes for what, half a year? And today they announced that they've started to conceptualise another game... Like why... You haven't even finished chapter 1 of the first one. Sigh...

I was really looking forward to seeing how the love triangle between Rez and Ren would unfold, especially during the story’s climax

It fell really flat to me, as well. Doubly so for Rez and Ren, and noticeably enough for Lotar and Mal. My initial pick was Lotar (and then Mal) and even though I liked it, I feel like it lacked emotional depth. For Lotar the author could fall back on 'oh yeah they know each other already', but for Mal there really hasn't been enough of establishing the relationship except

Spoiler

'whelp, you are soulmates'

I feel like the culprit is the 2nd part of the game where you get only 2 measly scenes per RO, and if you are on a triangle route, you don't even get proper one-on-one scenes.

 

[LosLorento]

My disappointment of the day is Bacchanal. It seemed to be like such a fun concept, but the author has been writing hobbytime scenes for what, half a year? And today they announced that they've started to conceptualise another game... Like why... You haven't even finished chapter 1 of the first one. Sigh...

Previously the Bacchanal writer did a whole-*** marketing campaign on Tumblr for like half a year (possibly longer - I don't recall the exact time frame just that it was definitely a minimum of a few months) for the release of the demo only to just release a short prologue. The way they were talking about it I thought they'd definitely have a good-sized demo to put up for pre-order (and then possibly the full game in a reasonable time-frame after) but yeah... guess I was a bit too optimistic at the time.

 

[seneya]

Fool me once was very promising, but I think it needed way more chapters

I thought I was halfway through the game when it just ended lmao

 

[SasariRomanii]

Previously the Bacchanal writer did a whole-*** marketing campaign on Tumblr for like half a year (possibly longer - I don't recall the exact time frame just that it was definitely a minimum of a few months) for the release of the demo only to just release a short prologue.

Sadly such thing has become rather common with new IFs, especially those with a long-running Tumblr page.

To the pathetic MCs you can add the one from Lost in your eyes. It seems like you can play badass, but then you are forced to grovel and blush in front of the healer. I would understand if it was optional if someone likes that kind of content, but I wanted to beat the **** out of that son of a *****, not cower and apologize!
There's nothing I hate more than being forced to play a submissive wimp because the author has some fantasy about how that RO will be dominant and commanding - I don't care, I want to turn them into a bleeding and begging pile. If for plot reasons they can't be killed then give any intimidating option that will actually have an effect and fit MC's personality. This supposed to be interactive fiction.

Every demo I've checked lately is worse than the last one I can list games that I like almost 10/10 on the fingers of one hand. But reading the same things over and over gets tiring after a while...

This also applies to platonic relationships. Many IFs have a BFF-at-first-sight trope that is so goddamn frustrating to read. There is always that one obviously "friend" character (which can be an RO) that we can't escape whatsoever. We can't be indifferent to them, let alone full on reject them. No, we have to like them. Example: Fadiya from Crown of Ashes and Flames, Arthur from Adoriel's Tears (granted we can be hostile to him), Gawain from The Bastard of Camelot, Dante and Bianca from OMWAT, and many more.

 

[Ireth313]

Fadiya from Crown of Ashes and Flames

That one is my true nemesis because it breaks the narrative of MC being 100% bitter about what is happening to them and wanting revenge. MC even can't mistrust her on a very simple obvious grounds of her being friends with a son of the man who brutally murdered MC's parents And somehow you have to like not only Fadiya, but her frog as well...

 

[seneya]

That one is my true nemesis because it breaks the narrative of MC being 100% bitter about what is happening to them and wanting revenge

Dropped my vengeful playthrough when the MC kept going from ">:|" to "" around Fadiya
le sigh

 

[God]

This. If you are charging monthly and not delivering monthly, you’re not running a Patreon, you’re running a scam. And worse, you are ruining it for the creators who do take it seriously.

If you bring this up anywhere else you’re getting hate on and stuff. I remember bringing this up on Reddit saying allowing it to happen will take the IF community down the path of the VN milking creators and being downvoted. We’ll see the rewrites and excuses, 1 small update a year, the abyssal already figured it out. Like most new IF creators are in it thinking it’s easy quick cash and you’ll see stories abandoned quick when they realize it’s not like the VN community. I’ll give it another year or two before it’s rampant.

 

[seneya]

Like most new IF creators are in it thinking it’s easy quick cash and you’ll see stories abandoned quick when they realize it’s not like the VN community

I think we'll see - as we're already seeing - a pivot to RO/NSFW content, as this seems to keep folks engaged even if the story itself is not progressing anywhere, and well, s e x always sells.
At this point if you want to make money might as well bite the bullet, since audiences themselves are encouraging this.
There is a difference between people there for the story and those there for wish-fulfillment, and the latter just so happen to be more numerous