Wednesday 8 November 2017

Raaaaape!

Hi all,

This is a post I've had sitting on my hard drive for over a month - I anticipate it might lead to a lot of typing for me so I've been reluctant to post it while my keyboard time was limited. 

I feel that I'm getting better day by day though so I'm posting it now before I forget about it completely. Just remember that I'm still not 100% so don't expect me to be getting into long written discussions!


I'd like to talk about a rather divisive fetish: non-consent.

Nonconsent is a popular fetish that's often requested by players. However, it has some key issues that prevent it being part of the main Newlife release. I'm going to put them in a bullet-point list, because I love bullet-points so much that I might put a path into the wedding scene where the player gets to marry one.

  • Firstly, while it's often requested I also often hear from people who are happy it isn't included. While it could be gated behind a trait similar to block_rough, it's questionable whether it's a good idea for me to be dedicating my development/writing time to content that I know a significant number of players actively dislike.
  • Secondly, "glorification of rape and sexual violence" is forbidden under Patreon's community guidelines. This seems like it would block a lot of potential nonconsent content.
  • Third, it's legally questionable for a UK-based developer. While writing the guides for the user-submissions content I found the Crown Prosecution Service's guidelines on the Obscene Publications Act, a law which has been used to arrest people for text-only content in the past. This has a section on content most commonly prosecuted which includes "realistic portrayals of rape".

In summary: Non-consensual content can never be featured in the main Newlife release. It isn't something I'll be working on and it also won't be allowed on the PMW voting list or accepted in scenes submitted for inclusion.

However, with the addition of user-submissions, there may be avenues for it to be included as a separate add-on that wouldn't be affected by the above:
  • The first issue is essentially a problem with the efficient use of my limited development time. However, if the nonconsent content is principally written by a team of volunteers then it wouldn't affect other content
  • The second one is only an issue for content on Patreon. If it's an add-on distributed separately then that shouldn't be a problem
  • The OPA only applies to people who publish content. If I'm not directly involved in creating this add-on and I'm not the one who distributes it then I think that would be safe for me. For example, the team creating it could host it on a blog that they control, and I could simply have a link to their site from this blog here. Of course the people who do make the non-consent addition might have to worry about the OPA, but that wouldn't be a concern if they aren't based in the UK.


I've set up a discussion board on Discord to allow volunteers to contribute towards a community-created rape add-on for Newlife.

This will be a sort of semi-official project that won't be written, edited or distributed by me but that I will link to from the blog so players have an easy way of accessing it.
It'll also need a way of hooking into the main game without being restricted to the testing scene, but that needn't be an insurmountable problem – I'll discuss this further with the NC writers when/if a group of them have got together and figured out what sort of NC content they want to add.


There are some ground rules I want to put in place. These should all be common sense, but my time on the internet has taught me to never assume common sense from every member of a group of random online strangers!

  • First, the NC add-on absolutely must not risk legal consequences for players. As such, it must not include any sexual content involving under-18s, including sexualised descriptions of them or them being present while someone else has sex.
  • Second, if I'm going to link to something and help it connect up to my work then it shouldn't risk negative consequences for me, be they personal, financial or legal. This shouldn't be an issue, but don't do anything dumb like using the add-on to rile up easily-offended people who are likely to form an online hate mob.
  • The add-on should be the volunteers' own work and should not include any copyrighted characters or real-life people. I don't want to have to deal with people sending in cease-and-desists or plagarism lawsuits.
  • The add-on should focus on nonconsent and related content only. Consensual content should be submitted for inclusion in the main-game, as this lets it also be enjoyed by people who aren't into rape.
  • Extreme fetishes other than nonconsent shouldn't be included in this add-on. It's supposed to be the rape add-on, not the "every fetish imaginable" one! If the NC add-on is successful then I'm open to starting similar projects for some other extreme fetishes but the aim is that they would have separate downloads so people could pick and choose the ones they're interested in.
  • Distribution will be something I'll discuss in more detail with the NC team: probably they'll need to set up a blog or something, but that can wait until something's ready for players. However, any distribution must be gated behind an "are you over 18" interstitial and it must make clear to the player what sort of content it includes (i.e. rape) before they download and play it.
  • The add-on should be playable before being released. Something that crashes all the time or runs into a bunch of "to be continued" dead-ends isn't really suitable for Newlife.
  • As I'm not involved in the add-on's development I also won't be able to help with bugfixing. As such, the people who make it should be prepared to take error/typo reports from players and fix them.


The first stage towards this is for NC volunteers to get together on the discord, talk about what they want to work on collaboratively and maybe start prototyping outlines for a scene or two. I won't be organising the group or working as part of it, but once they've got an idea of what sort of scenes they want to add first then we can discuss how they can connect into the game.

If you want to be part of this group and work on NC content then head to the Newlife Discord and check out the nc-discussion channel under the "Nonconsent Project" category.

Have fun, and remember, Newlife is entirely fictional and I do not condone using it as a guide on how to behave in real-life!

14 comments:

  1. perhaps script it so you always have a way out, and in a way you can fall victim to it by having the option of 'succumbing' to the situation presented...

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  2. That missed heartbeat while thinking it would be a new addition...
    ...and the kinkyness falling miserably...

    Oh well...

    ...because the lowlives are not considered rape? ;)

    ...or in bed... a strong man pins us on the bed, opens your legs, tells you to squal like a bitch... you "push him off"...fail... and sex occurs.
    Veeeeeery consensual.

    This really seems a thin THIN wall we're hiding from...

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    1. I'm sorry, but there is clearly no noncon content in newlife. Stop trying to make it seem like there is.

      There are chains where you, the PC, can take actions repeatedly which can limit your range of responses. by getting drunk/etc enough that you cannot say "stop". Are you really going to say that the lowlives, WHICH CAN BE AVOIDED SEX 100% is noncon?
      :rolleyes:

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    2. So, by your defintion, if I go on a date with a guy, we come back to my place and watch a movie, I make a cup of tea, and then he pulls me into the bedroom and throws me on the bed, climbing on top of me without giving me a chance to react or respond.... And from then on, my actions are to try, and fail, to push him off me, and he penetrates me.... That, mysteriously, is "Clearly" not a violation of consent? That's honestly your opinion on the matter?

      I'm a big supporter of the game, and I understand the incredibly thin wall that SO works behind, and legally feels that they necessarily must... and it's fine! It's great, and I love this game... however, I can say, without any shadow of doubt or question on the matter, that there are a lot of situations in the main game where, legal definitions aside, were I in such a situation I would absolutely feel as though I had been raped and my consent violated.

      To be completely frank, anyone who says blithely that there is "Clearly" no NC in the main game is someone that I would not want within a mile of me, in terms of sexual situations.

      By careful definition and careful argumentation, and careful apologetics, there is "Technically" no NC in the main game... IF you make excuses for the actions of Impregnators, which, honestly, you cannot, and their actions are consent violations with no defence... but if you DO make excuses for them as well, and get your "Technically", it's still by no means a "Clearly" case, unless you are a sociopath.

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    3. Honestly I'm more worried by the people who seem to genuinely believe that there is no consent violation in the main game, than I am by the people who want to put more over stuff in there...

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    4. I have tried to write a few long posts here, but due to some executive function issues, I Feel they are unclear. I can attempt to rewrite than if you would like, as I mean this as a reason this will be fairly simple a "rebuttal" instead of a more complex statement.

      It simply comes down to how one things on noncon in different formats of things.

      In real life, I agree.
      In a game where there are clear systems in which choosing to enter a scenario (a date) had multiple outcomes which the Player could control regardless of the NPC's (attemped) actions in which what you state above or variations of it are not the end result. Hence not non-con.
      In such a scenario (Date vNC) where any actions after embarking on said date the player was forced into such a scenario with the NPC I would label Nonconsentual content.

      I fully believe, based on personal experiences, there are very clearly events/things/etc in life where "no" is not a response you can process or express due to positive feelings. The PC that was created by you clearly felt everything was wonderful.

      Real life, games, video (movie, TV show, youtube video, etc), podcasts, books, etc. All different forms in which things are presented.

      Despite me saying on this 4th (5th?) rewrite that I would keep it simple (and I hope I have) I may have failed. If so, sorry.

      I should also add my understanding is a lot of issues do come down to a large amount of people who don't want the risks/issues/problems/etc that comes with saying no. As this is code, and the PC-NPC reactions involve code, as to PC feelings, I choose to believe any limiting of actions are the result of the PC truly feeling something(s) good/positive/etc in them, as opposed to FEARING the results if they said no.

      That is a person opinion, and one that cannot really be applied objectively as different people will view code/etc the same way.

      I think now a third time I Say I tried to keep it simple....well.... my mind keeps trying to come up with new ways to try to explain what I'm actually thinking.

      I hope I was able to clearly convey my ideas/concepts/etc. If you don't understand any specific thing I am trying to say please ask, it's far more likely I worded it poorly (or outright misworded it) than you misunderstood what the writing stated.

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    5. "You say that you don't want things to go that far"
      ->undresses you
      -> you try to push him away, fail
      -> sex occurs

      Believe it or not, the PC said "no"

      And don't get me wrong.... i LOVE that stuff, but gee... at least recognize that a no is a no even if your PC "likes" that...

      Btw, last post from me. Let's see how that DLC goes.

      Happy saturday, folks!

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    6. There's clearly plenty of sexual assault in the game - notably from the lowlives and the pervy client and I get that it can skirt the borderline with rape sometimes. However, I feel that it stays broadly on the "not rape" line by having penetrative sex gated behind situations where the PC has a clear opportunity to withdraw consent that will be respected.

      Notably, the "hard no" actions ("stop touching me" for makeouts) are always respected. These won't always be available due to the willpower system, but I've said in the past that a willpower failure means that the character is consenting even if the player themselves might not. This is there to support an "accidental impregnation" theme where a character can get carried away in the moment and end up pregnant, not to imply that they're being raped.

      The "push them away" action is not supposed to represent a rejection and even the most tender caring NPC will not treat it as such - perhaps it's badly phrased although I can't off the top of my head think of a clearer re-wording that isn't too long for an action short-description. It's just a repositioning of the characters positions in the bed that slows things down a bit. If the player wants to reject the NPC then they should use the rejection action: I only implemented one clear rejection action as I felt it wasn't really something that warranted multiple options.

      That said, it can be hard to see the wood from the trees when I'm down in the nitty-gritty of writing individual actions. I often won't have a good feeling for how a scene will play out overall until I run tests and even then tests won't always highlight edge cases. If I feel that content has crossed the line, and especially if an authority like Patreon contacted me with concerns, then I'd certainly remove it. I'd rather not do that without a very strong reason though. A lot of development time has gone into the lowlife path and it's also popular with players. I'd find it very frustrating to have to cut it from the game.

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    7. Oh, hoho, absolutely no need to even think cutting content...

      ...it's us "commoners" pestering about it.

      The content is as perfect as it is, SplendiOstrich. Really.... this is the most satisfying erotic/tect game there is.
      And this allowance for things you don't support, shows anyway your care for public opinion....

      Thumbs up and cheers ;)

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  3. As I can see it, contents are contents as long as the word "rape" doesn't show up, all's well. I'd say just go ahead and script something up. It's just something to spice up the game and add kinkyness to it. Just drop the word "rape". We have been using our mind to enjoy and salivate this game for so long, with or without noncon.

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  4. It sounds like you have come up with a solution where everybody wins. It'll take some effort on the NC fans' part, consider that a test on how much they REALLY want it.

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  5. You know, instead of coming up with one formal/legal objection after another, you could just say "I don't like rape" :-)

    It feels very odd, but the message your post is sending (even if you didn't mean to) is "had rape only been less of a legal hurdle I would have done it".

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    1. Broadly correct. Had rape been less of a legal/patreon-TOS issue, I would have allowed it on the PMW voting lists.

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