I think some designers are missing the point of making an erotic game

[Nottravis]

I don't want to end up hijacking this thread with my own silly game but with regards the Strip Poker mini-game, there is a way for the player to stack the deck in his favour (pun not intended) via finding something earlier in the game. If he does then he'll find winning -very- easy! If not, then it's a fair game. Although if he doesn't win the game he still has options of getting the character naked later in any respect - well, if he plays it right that is!

If he doesn't then he may find the tables reversed....

 

[GuyFreely]

@Nottravis Sounds like you are on the right track. The mini-game has immediate rewards, it's optional, there's a way to cheat. Sounds fine to me.

 

[Hentami]

If I have to go to the gym to get buff, put some babes working out in sexy outfits. But, every time I go, there should be something new to see. I don't want to see the same two ladies doing the same two exercises ten times. You might say, but that's a lot of work, rendering ten different workout scenes with different ladies. Well then don't make me go to the gym ten fucking times, how about that?

This quote, was inspiring and personally needed. Thank you.

 

[Deleted member 167032]

Here's the difficult part if you doing what i am attempting to do.

Write and interesting story with characters with soul. The hard part is to get the lewd/sex scenes in the game as the story and character are closer to real life than an incest or mindless fuck fest game is. Those type of games have their place for sure as I play them from time to time and some are great at what they set out to do.

I am truly interested to see what the outcome of my vision will be for most players and the type of game genre if it's like or not. Like this Forum Topic.

 

[GuyFreely]

This quote, was inspiring and personally needed. Thank you.

No, thank you for taking this thread to heart. That was my whole hope in making it. I want people who are currently working on games to sit back and just think about these sorts of things. I don't expect everyone to agree with or follow the advice, but at least consider it.

Here's the difficult part if you doing what i am attempting to do.

Write and interesting story with characters with soul. The hard part is to get the lewd/sex scenes in the game as the story and character are closer to real life than an incest or mindless fuck fest game is. Those type of games have their place for sure as I play them from time to time and some are great at what they set out to do.

I am truly interested to see what the outcome of my vision will be for most players and the type of game genre if it's like or not. Like this Forum Topic.

Is there a difficulty specifically related to the ideas in this thread? Are you thinking of having mini-games or some sort of grind? If so, I'd love to hear about your thoughts on it. If you just mean generally it's harder to make deeper story and characters, I hear ya. I'm trying to do something like that myself.

I'm open to PMs if people want to bounce some ideas around that aren't directly related to this topic.

 

[Keidan]

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So basically more focus on the sex elements and less on padding for time filler shenanigans. I'm with you on this one, also don't overdo it with the dialogue. If every cut-scene has like a freaking 3 page essay worth of dialogue I'm gonna start hitting the skip button. Quality over quantity always.

 

[GuyFreely]

@Keidan I think the basic idea is to not waste the player's time. You don't have to deliver non-stop fucking, but always keep the player engaged. This could be moving the story forward or sometimes fun gameplay mechanics, but those often fall into the traps mentioned in this thread of just being grindy.

 

[Keidan]

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Yea instead of a long tedious mini game break it into smaller parts, spread the time fillers in between advancing the story and unlocking porn scenes. Maintaining a good pace is probably one of the more difficult things to get right. Is also subjective though some people have more patience than others and also don't exclusively play for the sex elements. I guess it depends what your target audience is and how to tailor the experience for them.

 

[thecardinal]

I think some people will be upset no matter how you pace it. I'm sure in porn there are people who watch the intro scene and some who skip right to the porn.

The time filler games are okay when erotic content is mixed in, strip poker is a great one. But when you have to get the trash in milfy city or the bugs in summertime. Why?

 

[Nottravis]

The time filler games are okay when erotic content is mixed in, strip poker is a great one. But when you have to get the trash in milfy city or the bugs in summertime. Why?

Totally agree. Especially as they have to be done to progress yet have no impact on the storyline outcome. It's not like "Here is a game that depending on how you do will change the SL. - oh and you -did- pick up the clues that this was coming and you prepared, yes?" It's just *click click click* or else you're going nowhere.

On one hand I can sympathise with the Dev' s for, perhaps, wanting to add some variety etc....but grindy forced minigames are not the way to do it. Ever.

 

[GuyFreely]

There are ways to have minigames and even stat grinding that are still engaging to the player. I've mentioned a few in this thread. You can have those elements in your game, you just need to put in the thought and effort to make it more rewarding. Sure, you reward the player at the end of the grind with an unlocked sex scene, etc. However, there's no reason the grind itself can't be more engaging.

One of the many ideas I have for a game I have no time to work on is one that is filled to the brim with minigames and stat grinding, but making all of them enjoyable in some way. This would be mostly to prove a point if I ever did it.

 

[groove888]

Strip poker, Truth or Dare, and Never Have I Ever would all make great mini-games in a game. At least with the last two there is no skill involved, easier to code, and it would be a great way to explore the other characters

It can also help/permit the player to chose how to RP his character a little bit more.

 

[JDgamer]

Here's a hint, it's the word before game in the title. That's right, erotic. Let's not be coy and call it an adult game, we came here to see pixels doing naughty things. Why, then, do so many games pad or fill in with non-erotic content? I think some of the bad habits of the larger gaming community have carried over into these games.]

I agree with all your points, very good read... Many O games I've played where nothing erotic was shown.

 

[GuyFreely]

I agree with all your points, very good read... Many O games I've played where nothing erotic was shown.
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People have made the argument for the "resisting temptation" play style. In that, you choose for the character to not do sexy things. It's not my preference, but if it's just a choice that's fine. However, if there isn't a path that leads to erotic content, I question the point of making it an erotic game. Now some games are early in development and they just haven't gotten to the erotic parts. That's a whole separate issue.

The larger point I'm trying to make is that erotic games seem to fall into the traps from non-erotic games of trying to make the player play as long as possible. This leads to weird mini-games and grindy repetitive content. The fact that it took me two hours (or however long) to get through your game is only valuable if I enjoyed the experience. If I enjoyed, say, 20% of it, then it was probably 80% filler.

 

[JDgamer]

People have made the argument for the "resisting temptation" play style. In that, you choose for the character to not do sexy things. It's not my preference, but if it's just a choice that's fine. However, if there isn't a path that leads to erotic content, I question the point of making it an erotic game. Now some games are early in development and they just haven't gotten to the erotic parts. That's a whole separate issue.

The larger point I'm trying to make is that erotic games seem to fall into the traps from non-erotic games of trying to make the player play as long as possible. This leads to weird mini-games and grindy repetitive content. The fact that it took me two hours (or however long) to get through your game is only valuable if I enjoyed the experience. If I enjoyed, say, 20% of it, then it was probably 80% filler.

The resisting temptation game design is for you to try and build up to a bigger "release", foreplay if you will. But if the character isn't even wearing sexy clothes or posed erotically, fuck dude, give me something to work with here. lol. What games have you played that have the style of game design you've described and would recommend?

 

[GuyFreely]

The resisting temptation game design is for you to try and build up to a bigger "release", foreplay if you will. But if the character isn't even wearing sexy clothes or posed erotically, fuck dude, give me something to work with here. lol. What games have you played that have the style of game design you've described and would recommend?

As far as not wasting your time, there are a couple.

Depraved Awakening is my go to recommendation. It's a detective game at it's core, but has lots of erotic content and a pretty interesting story. There are a number of different chicks in the game and you can bang pretty much all of them I believe.

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Anna Exciting Affection. It's female protagonist. I know a lot of people don't like that, so I mention it first. The thing I appreciate about this game is that while you do things multiple times, like work at a coffee shop, pretty much every time is different. It feels like it's always moving forward. The story is a bit nonsense and her relationship with her boyfriend is bipolar, but it has a decent amount of content. It's in RPGM, but it doesn't make you do TOO much walking around.

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My Girlfriend's Amnesia. You have to understand that this is an NTR (cucking) game at it's core. HOWEVER, you can play it normal and turn off the NTR. The "gentleman ending" is a bit shit, but hey. The story is all over the place, but it keeps moving forward. The girls beside the girlfriend and her sister are pretty much batshit insane.

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Coceter Chronicles. It's a bit older looking and the art is not as good as other games. It is very RPGM in that there is a decent bit of wandering around. I didn't find it too difficult to navigate though. The story is definitely different than most with a fantasy/modern times blend. It does have some futa in it, just fyi. Probably a bit of a weaker recommendation.

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[JDgamer]

As far as not wasting your time, there are a couple.

Depraved Awakening is my go to recommendation. It's a detective game at it's core, but has lots of erotic content and a pretty interesting story. There are a number of different chicks in the game and you can bang pretty much all of them I believe.

You must be registered to see the links

Anna Exciting Affection. It's female protagonist. I know a lot of people don't like that, so I mention it first. The thing I appreciate about this game is that while you do things multiple times, like work at a coffee shop, pretty much every time is different. It feels like it's always moving forward. The story is a bit nonsense and her relationship with her boyfriend is bipolar, but it has a decent amount of content. It's in RPGM, but it doesn't make you do TOO much walking around.

You must be registered to see the links

My Girlfriend's Amnesia. You have to understand that this is an NTR (cucking) game at it's core. HOWEVER, you can play it normal and turn off the NTR. The "gentleman ending" is a bit shit, but hey. The story is all over the place, but it keeps moving forward. The girls beside the girlfriend and her sister are pretty much batshit insane.

You must be registered to see the links

Coceter Chronicles. It's a bit older looking and the art is not as good as other games. It is very RPGM in that there is a decent bit of wandering around. I didn't find it too difficult to navigate though. The story is definitely different than most with a fantasy/modern times blend. It does have some futa in it, just fyi. Probably a bit of a weaker recommendation.

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My friend, I don't suppose you could copy and paste your list in my thread as well, that's a good damn list you have there.

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[MaxCarna]

Very good text, I understand and agree with the whole point of view.

But sometimes after a stressful day of work, a repetitive simple game is everything my head needs to rest. I miss games like Simgirls, have been a long since a similar game was build. It's repetitive but is simple, you spend some hours using low brain activity... seing some naughty things, even with low graphics. There another were you are an alien, must cupulate with the most number of girls, entertaining really.

The worst thing for me, are games were the challenges are incredibly complex, you start to warm up with a sex scene and in next scene you found an extreme complex problem to be solve. You have to burn your brain and still got frustrating results. The arousal goes to the trash. After Steam, GOG, Ps plus were created, great non-adult games became very accessible, try to compete with them seems stupid. Aim to great complex schemas killing the arousal really angers me.

Summertime saga give a good solution offering one mode with difficult and the other just to go direct to sex scenes. Most of the others, you just go find a walkthrough and simply execute the script without thinking in every choice.

 

[GuyFreely]

@MaxCarna You raise a good point, that an erotic game could be too complex for it's own good. I think if a player has to resort to a walkthrough to get to the content, it's probably a bad sign. Unless the whole point of the game is to be complex. If that's the case, players should know what they are getting into up front. I'm sure some people will always use a walkthrough if it exists, but most people shouldn't feel the need to look for one in a standard erotic game.

This also touches on the debate over erotic games vs. games with erotic content. To me it's a distinction of what the focus is on. I would argue something like Huniepop, while overtly sexual, spends a lot of time having the player do match 3. It's a matching game with boobies, not a boobie game with match 3. I hope that makes some kind of sense. I don't mind this style of game, where it is focused on gameplay with the occasional sexy reward. My problem is when a game that is largely about an erotic story comes at you sideways with a minigame that just takes you away from what you were doing.

 

[MaxCarna]

This also touches on the debate over erotic games vs. games with erotic content. To me it's a distinction of what the focus is on. I would argue something like Huniepop, while overtly sexual, spends a lot of time having the player do match 3. It's a matching game with boobies, not a boobie game with match 3. I hope that makes some kind of sense

It make sense. I have an example how I was looking for a erotic game and end up with a great game with erotic content: The Last Sovereign.

I couldn't get horny with the sexual texts in the purple background, unfortunately I need some visual
incitement. However I found the story great, the battle system, the strategy during the war... played for days, until the end of content, and still play every update.

But that is it, creators aren't obligated to make erotic game only, but if you aiming a good game mainly, be sure to have a great story.