What are your thoughts on Berwyn being removed from the party?

[BadDragoon]

The more I think about the reasonings for removing Berwyn as a companion the more I can't wrap my head around it. So one reason and the only one I really get is that B wouldn't be overburdened by writing for 2 companions. Now if that was the case wouldn't the logical next step be to look for someone else to continue writing for Berwyn?

I thought that it would be difficult to keep him as a companion and continue expanding upon him but then I'm told that there is Viviane in line ready to replace him. Just like that. It really doesn't make sense to me how keeping writing for an already established character and party member would be more difficult than introducing and writing a merchant NPC into a companion.

Granted, there might be other reasons that have to do with Berwyns original author but since I don't really know much of anything regarding that I'm not going to dig that up.

 

[TheIrishOtaku]

I'm really upset and feel slightly betrayed, yay there was an announcement for berry getting stuff; Then it drops and they cut the companion. This is my first post and I'm so annoyed it's a plain ol' fashioned rug pull and it's disingenuous how they went about it.

There should have been a preamble statement that he's being dropped as a companion; I thought he was just gonna be B's now as an exception. Instead, I lost my favorite champ, lost my favorite healer, lost content, and I'm now forced with 2 champs I don't like for heals for the majority of the game. I feel just great.

I'm stuck with either an incompetent wet noodle that can't even feign her own confidence and steals mine and is guaranteed to cause the fall of a nation or a hypocrite that runs BACK to an organization that destroyed her uterus and ignores ALL history cause 'mine will be different.' Just deal with someone that definitely acts like my actual psychotic sisters, flip flopping on an extremely serious issue for a personal selfish whim that only benefits them, or the other one that just mimics everything you do because her ACTUAL father figure isn't good enough, I guess, and hides from her duties.. or I can play boring af heals or better yet, I can just have my characters get raped over and over as well as lose content.

At least I still have Antigua to fall back on and help cut them out of my parties.. until they make her a bimbo in her main quest or something because can't have a smart AND strong woman, that's just the most generic Newgrounds flash fap game thing I could think of.

It honestly sounds like Berwyn was the only reason you played this game, given how harsh you're being to the rest of the companions. Or you're just speaking out of anger/sadness which is causing you to be uncharitable. Either way I think you're being a tad melodramatic man, it sucks that Berwyn is no longer a companion and you have every right to be mad or upset. I'm not denying that. This is just a little over the top in my view. I personally agree that they should have announced this before hand, yes it would have been annoying as all hell to deal with the fallout but it would have been a lot more honest and fair to the fans of the character. If it was up to me the companions would have a much more even split between guys and girls, I'm bisexual and I love both, and I also have a thing about equilibrium. So believe me I get your feelings and sympathise/empathise with you. That being said, this is not a rug pull and I'm confused why you're using that term in this context. That would imply they never planned on him being a companion to begin with, that they were gonna lie, get people invested and then drop him, which is untrue. They fully planned on him being a companion, its the fact that the original writer of the character left due to drama that he was dropped, they don't think its fair to saddle another writer with the character when they already have so much else to do. Now, could they get another person to pick up the mantle? Maybe there are probably plenty of volunteers but not sure if they would be up to the standard required. Do they want to? No, due to personal preference and the fact that they wanna stick to introducing Viviane as one .I'm not trying to be mean, but I'm not sure you understand what a rug pull actually is, or you're using it incorrectly because you're emotional or you literally just heard this in a different context, say regarding NFTs (that's where I hear it the most often) and used it here while not understanding it doesn't fit the context.

 

[Bast]

It honestly sounds like Berwyn was the only reason you played this game, given how harsh you're being to the rest of the companions. Or your just speaking out of anger/sadness which is causing you to be uncharitable. Either way I think you're being a tad melodramatic man.

That person might be the worst offender yet but if you read some of the other comments regarding "new" Berwyn in this forum or on the fenoxo page, you get the impression that SavCo just must've murdered someone.

I too am part of the faction of players that dislikes that Berry isn't a companion anymore and that some of his old stuff is gone (for the moment) after finishing their new content, but holy shit, dude..
These people are so emotional.

 

[TheIrishOtaku]

That person might be the worst offender yet but if you read some of the other comments regarding "new" Berwyn in this forum or on the fenoxo page, you get the impression that SavCo just must've murdered someone.

I too am part of the faction of players that dislikes that Berry isn't a companion anymore and that some of his old stuff is gone (for the moment) after finishing their new content, but holy shit, dude..
These people are so emotional.

Yeah, I get being invested in a character, believe me there are characters in fiction who I have a real emotional attachment to and ones that I have created for tabletop roleplaying campaigns that I feel just as strongly about. But honestly some of the people complaining have crossed the line from understandable sorrow and anger, to touch grass territory.

 

[CboyC95]

I'm still upset even furious about it since he was another party member I used most of time behind Cait and Etheryn, plus I miss his summoning ability.

 

[TheDevilYouKnow]

The more I think about the reasonings for removing Berwyn as a companion the more I can't wrap my head around it. So one reason and the only one I really get is that B wouldn't be overburdened by writing for 2 companions. Now if that was the case wouldn't the logical next step be to look for someone else to continue writing for Berwyn?

I thought that it would be difficult to keep him as a companion and continue expanding upon him but then I'm told that there is Viviane in line ready to replace him. Just like that. It really doesn't make sense to me how keeping writing for an already established character and party member would be more difficult than introducing and writing a merchant NPC into a companion.

Granted, there might be other reasons that have to do with Berwyns original author but since I don't really know much of anything regarding that I'm not going to dig that up.

I think your post highlights the fundamental misunderstandings that arise from players who haven't been around for a long time and that don't dig particularly deep into the forums.

For finding a new writer there really aren't any particularly well established writers in the community that don't already have a companion. The two newest writers who have companions are Balak (and possibly SKoW) and Bubble both of which have been a part of CoC 2 since its earliest days. Honestly, I can only think of three or so writers with the necessary time in the community that would even begin to fit that bill. One of whom missed the deadline for their own companion and the other hasn't expressed any interest in CoC2. It's a fairly large undertaking especially for those who write for the game as a hobby and not a job.

As for Viviane, she isn't a replacement for Berwyn. Unless for some weird reason Savin told their writer to write a companion solely to replace Berwyn, which would run contrary to his reasoning for removing Berwyn as a companion in the first place. Viviane is going to be a companion because her creator wanted her to be and demonstrated their ability to both write and actively contribute to the community.

Edit: Minor changes since I'm not totally sure if Balak is collaborating with SKoW on Viviane since most of her sex scenes are written by SKoW.

 

[WolframL]

I'm stuck with either an incompetent wet noodle that can't even feign her own confidence and steals mine and is guaranteed to cause the fall of a nation

If your Ryn has no confidence in herself, perhaps you should try treating her better? Because she is dramatically different at high-Con than she is at low or even medium-Con.

or a hypocrite that runs BACK to an organization that destroyed her uterus and ignores ALL history cause 'mine will be different.'

Not destroyed, just temporarily rendered nonfunctional at her own choice, and she's not in a hurry to undo it (which she knows how to) because as she'll tell you if you ask, she has better things to do right now. And building Catte Temple is entirely optional and we have no particular reason to think that it won't turn out differently at this point even if you do build it. Or if you don't want to go that route, you just don't build it and it's really as simple as that.

At least I still have Antigua to fall back on and help cut them out of my parties.. until they make her a bimbo in her main quest or something because can't have a smart AND strong woman, that's just the most generic Newgrounds flash fap game thing I could think of.

Bimbo Atugia, if that ends up happening, would be optional in the same way that Bimbazzy is entirely optional. Don't want to see it, then don't do it.

Look, I get that you're upset about Berwyn but you don't have to take it out on the entire rest of the game.

 

[Alypia]

The more I think about the reasonings for removing Berwyn as a companion the more I can't wrap my head around it. So one reason and the only one I really get is that B wouldn't be overburdened by writing for 2 companions. Now if that was the case wouldn't the logical next step be to look for someone else to continue writing for Berwyn?

The list of people who can meet the criteria is vanishingly small. They would need to have a reputation for submitting CoC2-appropriate content consistently and at a high level of quality, they would need to be interested in writing a male character, they would need to be okay with stepping into the boots of another writer with that writer's character, and they would need to not already have a companion-level project to cope with. Count off the names on that list if you like.

This game's writers come from the fandom. From Savin on down, we write for these games because we've been part of the community and we want to see the kinds of things we enjoy in the games. Some of us are more willing to accommodate other fetishes - ones that aren't our favorites - than others, but we all have our interests and we all have our blind spots, and there are always things that we don't write very well because we can't get into that headspace. That doesn't mean we never reach outside our comfort zones - far from it - but it does mean that some kinds of content just don't get served as well as others. It's fair to point that out, too! It's not unreasonable to complain about such things, and I feel for you if you feel like you've lost something that you really enjoy. But they are what they are, and there's only so much one can change that without volunteering one's own writing.

 

[BadDragoon]

For finding a new writer there really aren't any particularly well established writers in the community that don't already have a companion. The two newest writers who have companions are Balak (and possibly SKoW) and Bubble both of which have been a part of CoC 2 since its earliest days. Honestly, I can only think of three or so writers with the necessary time in the community that would even begin to fit that bill. One of whom missed the deadline for their own companion and the other hasn't expressed any interest in CoC2. It's a fairly large undertaking especially for those who write for the game as a hobby and not a job.

As for Viviane, she isn't a replacement for Berwyn. Unless for some weird reason Savin told their writer to write a companion solely to replace Berwyn, which would run contrary to his reasoning for removing Berwyn as a companion in the first place. Viviane is going to be a companion because her creator wanted her to be and demonstrated their ability to both write and actively contribute to the community.

Edit: Minor changes since I'm not totally sure if Balak is collaborating with SKoW on Viviane since most of her sex scenes are written by SKoW.

I see well that makes a lot of sense, thanks for clearing that up.

I'm really upset and feel slightly betrayed, yay there was an announcement for berry getting stuff; Then it drops and they cut the companion. This is my first post and I'm so annoyed it's a plain ol' fashioned rug pull and it's disingenuous how they went about it.

There should have been a preamble statement that he's being dropped as a companion; I thought he was just gonna be B's now as an exception. Instead, I lost my favorite champ, lost my favorite healer, lost content, and I'm now forced with 2 champs I don't like for heals for the majority of the game. I feel just great.

I'm stuck with either an incompetent wet noodle that can't even feign her own confidence and steals mine and is guaranteed to cause the fall of a nation or a hypocrite that runs BACK to an organization that destroyed her uterus and ignores ALL history cause 'mine will be different.' Just deal with someone that definitely acts like my actual psychotic sisters, flip flopping on an extremely serious issue for a personal selfish whim that only benefits them, or the other one that just mimics everything you do because her ACTUAL father figure isn't good enough, I guess, and hides from her duties.. or I can play boring af heals or better yet, I can just have my characters get raped over and over as well as lose content.

At least I still have Antigua to fall back on and help cut them out of my parties.. until they make her a bimbo in her main quest or something because can't have a smart AND strong woman, that's just the most generic Newgrounds flash fap game thing I could think of.

Damn, mans going through the whole 2nd stage of grief over Berwyn.

 

[Alypia]

As for Viviane, she isn't a replacement for Berwyn. Unless for some weird reason Savin told their writer to write a companion solely to replace Berwyn, which would run contrary to his reasoning for removing Berwyn as a companion in the first place. Viviane is going to be a companion because her creator wanted her to be and demonstrated their ability to both write and actively contribute to the community.

Correct. Viviane's not meant as a Berwyn replacement. She can fill his combat role as a black mage/summoner, but that wasn't a factor in either Balak choosing to write her or Berwyn being made not a companion anymore. (Edit/addendum: And Viviane's a black mage/summoner because that's what her character has always been like.)

AFAIK, all of Viviane's new smut scenes in her companion expansion are by Balak, save one that I contributed to.

 

[Alicorn]

I'm saddened that we've lost a male companion on principle, but in practice a bitchy femboy with a hyper dick won't be missed. That's before you consider the Hugs dynamic.

I liked the bitchy femboy antics

Male tsunderes especially femboy tsundere is a rarity so I'll take what I can get.

 

[RedRoseRequiem]

Correct. Viviane's not meant as a Berwyn replacement. She can fill his combat role as a black mage/summoner, but that wasn't a factor in either Balak choosing to write her or Berwyn being made not a companion anymore. (Edit/addendum: And Viviane's a black mage/summoner because that's what her character has always been like.)

AFAIK, all of Viviane's new smut scenes in her companion expansion are by Balak, save one that I contributed to.

I don't think that stops her from FEELING like a replacement, is the big problem. We lost a male companion, and are getting a big titty female companion who fills the same combat niche. I do think it's a fair criticism when, so far, most of the people you can recruit fill the same body niche as it is. Pretty much the only distinguishing between characters in your party are... Combat roles and basic personalities.

 

[Blueboy]

It feels weird to come back to the game with one less companion. I understand not wanting to push another companion on a writer but was there no way of having him stay as a companion with a cheat or something? Here I was happy about the idea of Berry getting updates and content so it feels a bit bitter sweet getting one and losing the other.

 

[Alicorn]

It feels weird to come back to the game with one less companion. I understand not wanting to push another companion on a writer but was there no way of having him stay as a companion with a cheat or something? Here I was happy about the idea of Berry getting updates and content so it feels a bit bitter sweet getting one and losing the other.

I feel that when the CoC creators grow a little more they will be able to hire writers so as to not run into this problem.

 

[Zavos]

I don't think that stops her from FEELING like a replacement, is the big problem. We lost a male companion, and are getting a big titty female companion who fills the same combat niche. I do think it's a fair criticism when, so far, most of the people you can recruit fill the same body niche as it is. Pretty much the only distinguishing between characters in your party are... Combat roles and basic personalities.

They more or less coincidentially happen around the same time, thats it. If anything, Agni is more of Berry's replacement, though this is all entirely to the discretion of B!. Companions are meant to be a commitment requiring maintenance through the game's development, and entirely up to the discretion of established writers whom their companions would be. (Caveat being that quality needs to be up to par, and companion has to fit into the setting, but this is almost never an issue with well established writers whom are allowed to write a companion to begin with.)

 

[RedRoseRequiem]

They more or less coincidentially happen around the same time, thats it. If anything, Agni is more of Berry's replacement, though this is all entirely to the discretion of B!. Companions are meant to be a commitment requiring maintenance through the game's development, and entirely up to the discretion of established writers whom their companions would be. (Caveat being that quality needs to be up to par, and companion has to fit into the setting, but this is almost never an issue with well established writers whom are allowed to write a companion to begin with.)

Yeah.

And there will never be a new companion after Viv, who is yet another Big Titty Lady. As if we don't have a plethora of that archetype in our party.

 

[TheIrishOtaku]

Yeah.

And there will never be a new companion after Viv, who is yet another Big Titty Lady. As if we don't have a plethora of that archetype in our party.

You have beaten this subject into the ground, we get you're salty and you have every right to be but please just shut up and move on. You sound like a broken record at this point and what happened to you leaving the community due to your displeasure? That sort of rings hollow when you keep coming back to screech about the same shit.

 

[RedRoseRequiem]

You have beaten this subject into the ground, we get your salty and you have every right to be but please just shut up and move on. You sound like a broken record at this point and what happened to you leaving the community due to your displeasure? That sort of rings hollow when you keep coming back to screech about the same shit.

Have you looked at the topic of the thread, maybe? Maybe go click off it. This is about the Berwyn update. I'm keeping it topical. You kinda just want people like me to go away and shut up. Maybe play your beloved porn game?

 

[TheIrishOtaku]

Maybe don't say you're gonna leave and that you're done and then stick around to complain about the same stuff over and over again. It just makes you come across as bitter and lacking follow through. Also this game is hardly beloved, there are plenty of games I prefer over it and I have plenty of criticisms of my own of it. But sure strawman me as a fanboy.

 

[RedRoseRequiem]

Maybe don't say you're gonna leave and that you're done and then stick around to complain about the same stuff over and over again. It just makes you come across as bitter and lacking follow through. Also this game is hardly beloved, there are plenty of games I prefer over it and I have plenty of criticisms of my own of it. But sure strawman me as a fanboy.

Act like a fanboy right now, get treated as one, especially when you come into a thread where I'm being topical and you just whine that people dare complain. I keep coming back, because people keep quoting me. Simple as that.

 

[TheIrishOtaku]

I'm not acting like a fanboy, I don't care that you have criticisms, criticise the game all you want. I could list off a number of issues that I have with this game and how its made, believe me. I don't think its perfect, far from it. In fact I wager you've played it more than I have. I'm not calling you out on your complaints because ''REEEEEEE you insulted game I like!'' I'm doing it because you keep repeating the same shit and making no new points. This isn't adding anything to the discussion, its you just beating a dead horse. Also you don't need to respond to people quoting you, exercise some self control and follow through on what you said.

 

[Zavos]

You have beaten this subject into the ground, we get you're salty and you have every right to be but please just shut up and move on. You sound like a broken record at this point and what happened to you leaving the community due to your displeasure? That sort of rings hollow when you keep coming back to screech about the same shit.

This is a thread expressly dedicated to talking about Berry's removal as a party member. There is no reason not to beat this horse ad infinitum as long as the conversation remains polite and toxicity is avoided.

 

[SmithEK]

The only reason I'm getting annoyed with all the complaining is the constant notifications about this thread popping up on my phone. You are all complaining about a made up character in a fictional world.

 

[Kingu2]

The only reason I'm getting annoyed with all the complaining is the constant notifications about this thread popping up on my phone. You are all complaining about a made up character in a fictional world.

just turn the notifications off then.

 

[SmithEK]

just turn the notifications off then.

Or stop complaining over a fictional character.

 

[Kingu2]

Or stop complaining over a fictional character.

Or just turn fucking notifications off and move on with your life. Nobodies Going to stop posting here solely because you're getting annoyed. Nobody else gives a shit. That's entirely your problem to fix.

 

[wery12345]

I mean I'd rather a NPC then a worthless companion who isn't in anything for acknowledgment, whose content is just kinda meh. At least with this he'll actually see content.

 

[Aelana]

Just because it has been mentioned in this thread before: why did most writers leave the forum? I know its due to bad online interactions. But... Mostly I see fairly nice posts. Is there stuff I have missed?

Oh BTW, the main point on why Berry simply cannot be picked up by another writer: B just did that. We saw it. I argue it was good content by a good writer, but if you say it did not hit the spot, then I can totally see that. What you want is for hugs to pick berry back up. But that is not happening.

 

[TheIrishOtaku]

This is a thread expressly dedicated to talking about Berry's removal as a party member. There is no reason not to beat this horse ad infinitum as long as the conversation remains polite and toxicity is avoided.

I have no issues if people wanna do that, my point was that the person who I was responding to was saying the exact same stuff in every thread with no variation and wasn't making any new arguments. It was just ''all companions are big titty waifus'' over and over again. Also when you say ''I'm leaving the community good luck with this'' and then you're still here posting and complaining it just makes you look like an attention seeker. Like put up or shut up is all I'm saying. My issue isn't that they were complaining, as you pointed out discussion about Berwyn, positive or negative, is the point. My issue is that this particular person seems to contribute nothing new to the discussion and if you went back through the things they said its clear that they are just salty. Which is fine, be as salty as you want. But at least make some new arguments so we're not just rehashing the same shit. I have to say I really don't appreciate you implying that I'm saying the topic of Berwyn itself shouldn't be discussed, of course it should. This was a response to one person and it makes sense in context, a context I hope you went back and looked at. Now I'm gonna drop this as this discussion is just gonna derail things even further. I've said my peace so lets just move on.

 

[BadDragoon]

Or stop complaining over a fictional character.

Easy for you to say when it's about a character you are not interested in. I bet 100 bucks if a female companion were to receive the same treatment you and a lot of others would be nonstop conplaining and moaning about it too.