sproingie, you really need to hang out on #python more.
That is the single most important reason why the game shouldn't include controvercial elements: Because they go against the wishes of some of the community itself.
Now don't go too far with my statement, of course the game cannot be everything to everyone and some things need to be included or excluded even if it would cause the community to lose members.
The two sentiments are pretty incompatible.
How much of an improvement are we seeing with the people who would prefer rape to the people who would dislike it? Then how important to the game is the inclusion of Rape?
Hah, that's a serious question?
Adding rape to DF would be absolutely out of the question, right now. Nobody misses it as a feature, so it's not like people are going to abandon DF as players if it doesn't get added. If it does get added, on the other hand, DF becomes an instant pariah among video games, alienating most of its userbase for the sake of a few. Probably many will soldier on, but the ability of DF to attract new players is compromised. Maybe DF wouldn't die, but it would be set back. Rape is a stupid feature, AFAICT nobody honestly suggested it, and that's not what this thread is really about anyway.
I think any human being must know at some level the reality that men (and people in general) are supposed to protect and serve women (and other individuals in general), not abuse them for their own desires. Any saying to the contrary is simply justification for selfishness.
I think you meant to say that people are supposed to protect people. Attaching genders and then afterward dismissing any possible accusations of sexism with "and people in general" and so on is a cheap trick, and doesn't make your post less offensive. Neither does your simple dismissive attitude towards selfishness, and in particular your dismissal of any opposition ("you're with us or against us", right?)-- a large number of people think that selfishness is in some way good-- it is the foundation of capitalism, the mechanism of evolution, and so on. The trick is that sometimes you can help yourself by helping others.
Most of these options seem like viable plot elements, if the goal is to create an immersive world for the player. I would really hope that no programming goes in to support the player committing sexual crimes, but a world completely lacking them will likely seem a little odd as DF becomes more complete.
For that kind of thing, honestly I think maybe you'd rather play Second Life. DF doesn't have an explicit goal of being a simulator of everything, and from what I can tell Toady has a few times rejected this as a primary goal. Not all simulations need be all-encompassing., nor can they be-- the more DF simulates, the slower it gets, until it's simulating individual particles and quantum effects, and you have 1 frame per 5300 years. If you want an immersive and complete world where any action is possible, Second Life and clones can do that, I think. It doesn't feeel like DF to me, it just feels like fluff. Given how long DF has been in development, it's ridiculous to prioritize something like simulating sex or rape over, say, allowing me to lay siege on goblin forts. You already agree with this, but you insist on discussing further. What more do you need? Obviously rape shouldn't be added to DF anytime soon, if ever, because there are so many more valuable things that allow so much more to be added to the tapestry of the world history.
I mean, sure, if Toady simulated every possible thing that could enhance the gameplay more than rape, maybe that would be an option. But that's enough stuff that I think we can just plain ignore it. For now, suggestions like that are mind-numbingly pointless.