Brainstorming Solved (Probably)

Okay, I think I've figured out the new structure for the game.

Spoiler protection whitespace follows.

Seriously.

I mean it.

I was pondering "Can I do all the episodes in one playthrough, with a 4/4 balance ending?" and then JamesUsername in Discord quoted this:

"Oh god, it would be like that scene in enterprise were the captain says vulcans, you're working with me, andorians, you're working with me, not each other, now stop arguing and do what I tell you to do."

Yes. Right there. That's the GAMER ENERGY.

I've been studying how people play my games for tend years. I know what they want and what they choose and why. If you sit down a gamer in front of a multiple choice quiz (which to be honest is basically the core of a visual novel) they will optimize the hell out of that quiz in favor of the grade they seek. But they want agency -- they want to feel like it was their plan all along, even when you're only giving them multiple choice questions with little freedom. They want to feel like they had control.

That makes this a matter of recontextualization. You have two factions, Farsight and Infinity, pushing you this way and that. Management pushing as well. Originally you were going to go through multiple timelines of complying with their demands before you sneakily supply Farsight with the ability do achieve all your goals. Which is OKAY, but it requires so much legwork under the banner of others that it feels like busywork, it feels like burning time until you get what you actually want.

So, picture this. You have eight episodes in front of you. Farsight's demanding low ratings, Infinity's demanding high. Eventually they both meet and argue in favor of their perspectives, treating the player like a means to their own ends. And then the player says:

"If you two could cooperate just this once, you could both win."

Oh, they argue, they complain. But the player puts their foot down. I'm not working for you, you're working for ME. You can't do this without me and I'm taking the approach I want to take. And in the end, these two powerful factions have to comply with your demands if they want to achieve anything.

This puts the power in the player's hands. A 4/4 ratings balance gives both of them just enough time to achieve their goal, and the player then has to strategically decide which episodes to assign which ratings, giving them more power over the process.

In the end, it could be the player is uncompromising, deciding NO cooperation with Infinity is acceptable. And that's fine! It's an ending with a drawback, but it's an ending. Same goes for those who refuse Farsight's idealism. But if you DO balance 4/4, you can have both... with its own unique drawback I won't go into.

This is about putting the player in the power seat. Flip the dynamic around. Make it clear that the player is choosing. And if 90% of players pick the 4/4 ending, similar to how almost everyone went Kindly in Arcade Spirits or forged the alliance in Shadow Over Cyberspace... that's fine because development time for the other endings on my end isn't extreme. If I was doing multiple timelines, it would be. Now it's all one unified experience.

I think this could work. And if you think "Oh jeez, you spoiled everything!" trust me... I have some twists in store. And hey, the sitcom episodes are still gonna be fun.