Well, we aren't in dev's mind, so it's generally difficult to sort out the intent. Are the love/corruption route here for the game to not be a pure kinetic novel, or to appeal to a bigger audience ? Only him know, and perhaps is it in fact for both.
After all, even those who understand that, to the exception of few lucky guys, there's no money to make on the scene, still hope that they'll at least cover their expenses. And with at most one player out of a thousand that will pledge, the more players you have, the higher will be your chance to achieve this.
Even with just those two routes, there is an increase in requests like "I want more watersports in the love route" or "I want more outdoor sex in the corruption route" etc.
Human nature is strange, but if it's free you tend to feel more in position to make request.
When you've to pay, you refrain yourself because you expect the answer to be, "okay, it will cost you X more". But when it's free, some have no limits, believing that the game/product exist solely for their personal use and pleasure.
But well, this is another topic.
I'm curious to know Icarus Media opinion on this. In his last update he opened the gate to futa on MC, what wasn't even a possible hope in his first episode...
Not that he necessarily felt under pressure to do it, but must be kept in mind that those games are WIP and players are both the audience and testers. AAA studios do a lot of panel tests to see how well an idea will be received, and what people can possibly expect from a given premise. Adult Creators can't do it beforehand, but still have some room to change few things in their story, depending on the feedback they get.
Later you talk about "Chasing sunsets", it's the same kind of situation. The dev haven't necessarily thought about this possibility, but there's a demand for it, and it's possible to do it. So, he wait for the right moment to introduce it.
To some extend, the same apply for the planed tags. Them being advertised is also a way to know if they are waited or, at the opposite, if they would harm your project.
There is a ton a sex with sexy side and some main characters, a lot of kinks, the dev give good quality / amount of content per update and updates twice a month and yet some people still moan
Isn't people moaning the goal when you make a harem game full of characters to have sex with ?
But, yeah, it's probably not the moaning the dev had in mind.
I'm curious to know Icarus Media opinion on this. In his last update he opened the gate to futa on MC, what wasn't even a possible hope in his first episode...
Not that he necessarily felt under pressure to do it, but must be kept in mind that those games are WIP and players are both the audience and testers. AAA studios do a lot of panel tests to see how well an idea will be received, and what people can possibly expect from a given premise. Adult Creators can't do it beforehand, but still have some room to change few things in their story, depending on the feedback they get.
Later you talk about "Chasing sunsets", it's the same kind of situation. The dev haven't necessarily thought about this possibility, but there's a demand for it, and it's possible to do it. So, he wait for the right moment to introduce it.
To some extend, the same apply for the planed tags. Them being advertised is also a way to know if they are waited or, at the opposite, if they would harm your project.
Well in my work futa on male was present since the very first ever episode, Katelyn disciplining her sons bullies specifically. As to futa on male it was always my intention at the beginning of the project to have it in but I needed a way to circumvent patreons no incest policy, so that's when I created the idea for Unit B00B1ES, an advanced android with futa capability. That said I can see that people can't read my mind so whenever people asked I did tell them that was the motivation behind her creation even if the futa on male MC hadn't happened yet.
It really comes down ideally to project planning, whilst you can't see the direction fans and supporters will ultimately go you can be comfortable in knowing what you like as a creator, what you can tolerate adding in and what you won't ever add. Ideally then being up front and honest with potential tags is the best thing to do. I seen it time and time again on here people ask for specific fetishes, sometimes throwing money around (I hold my hands up I've asked people and even donated for them to add futa to stuff, and I'll look anyone in the eye and say I did, at least I can be honest about it) and get it added to a game and then there's a dogpile in the comments. I've seen a game get a really good following and then add something devisive and people kick off, because either people don't have the self control to just go "I don't like the direction this is heading" and leave OR the creator wasn't open and honest about what they were planning to add or better what they were willing to add.
I think if creators took more time in the planning stage, asking themselves "Okay...what fetishes would I be OK with adding if there was enough demand?" and then stating that it would help a lot. I get it, I really do when a harem boy loves a game, maybe even supports it and then BOOM NTR! or BOOM Futa! Because the tag system itself as far as I know only includes stuff that is currently IN the game AT THE PRESENT TIME. It does not included planned tags and like you say, how is a creator, especially an inexperienced one going by his/her imagination or by the fickle currents of supporter money (by this I mean those creators who add stuff based on whose paying and the game ends up a hodge podge of different fetishes never really fleshed out) to add whatever they ask to know the direction of their project?
It's not a lesson that is easily learnt by first time devs, you'll notice in my project it often includes the premise in the title 'My Girlfriend & My Futa Grandma' or 'Dickgirl Dorm'. From the title it's possible to work out what might be in it to some degree. I also plan my endings first, then the beginning. My DD revamp I already have in my head the endings for each character. If you know the end plan and the beginnings, it makes it easier to focus efforts in the middle.
As to the OP's statements, yes I can confirm two things:
1) I too have encountered 'teaser' games in which it goes to black screen and asks you to donate in order to access the scenes. I think personally this is a WRONG way to go about it. I've found personally and with other creators that having two versions, where the latest is given to patreons and the previous version released to the public works and tends for the most part to be honoured. But when you have the one version, and you lock scenes behind a DRM or black screen etc it does nothing but annoy the fanbase who might actually have donated to you. I know only one creator who has had a modicum of success with the strategy: FallenEros, but this is only because he's really good with coding and so far has managed a kind of equal rivalry with the pirate DRM crackers on here. But even then, people who might want to donate wonder if he's so focused on that that it takes time away from the game.
2) Yes I too have encountered games that have the futa tag, my most beloved tag and found that it's one scene, just one scene to get the tag and get the views. I take to using search now within threads to find out who the futa is, how many of them are there, what are they fucking, how many times and scenes etc etc.
Yeah, it's my fault. I wanted to write "futa on MC", but it would be as confusing since there's four MC in your game, only one being a male. Yet, "futa on male MC" would have made more sense (and I would have looked less like an idiot to the eyes of my worse enemy), since precisely there's already futa on male, but the MC itself was relatively sex deprived.
That said I can see that people can't read my mind so whenever people asked I did tell them that was the motivation behind her creation even if the futa on male MC hadn't happened yet.
What answer the underlying question, and address my point.
It's not necessarily because there's a demand, and it come late in the story, that it appeared due to some pressure.
Ideally then being up front and honest with potential tags is the best thing to do. [...] I've seen a game get a really good following and then add something devisive and people kick off, because either people don't have the self control to just go "I don't like the direction this is heading" and leave OR the creator wasn't open and honest about what they were planning to add or better what they were willing to add. [...]
What imply that the tags aren't lying, they just predict the future. And personally I agree on this (and the part not quoted), at least from the side of the members who filter out by tags.
I can understand the frustration when the content promised by a tag, and that is the sole reason why you tried the game, isn't present. But it's just a question of patience.
At the opposite, like you said after, there's the opposite frustration. You play the game for some time, because you really like it, and boom, you face an impossible choice. Either you continue, but have to endure something that you really don't like, or you'll never know how the story end, while it was the reason why you were playing.
And in a way, here to tags lied, by omission.
Because the tag system itself as far as I know only includes stuff that is currently IN the game AT THE PRESENT TIME. It does not included planned tags and like you say, how is a creator, especially an inexperienced one going by his/her imagination or by the fickle currents of supporter money (by this I mean those creators who add stuff based on whose paying and the game ends up a hodge podge of different fetishes never really fleshed out) to add whatever they ask to know the direction of their project?
Yep, the tags should reflect the actually available content. But in the same time, there's the "planned content" part of the thread opening ; alas it's too often just a copy/past of the effective tags, and anyway rarely read by the members.
This said, from what I got the planned tag system revision will partly solve this.
But when you have the one version, and you lock scenes behind a DRM or black screen etc it does nothing but annoy the fanbase who might actually have donated to you.
The main issue here is the initial assumption that "people will want more", without an answer to "more of what ?"
They expect that people will pay for the content, but 99% of the time it would be throwing money in the dark without knowing what you'll get for this. And I don't mean "what content", but "what quality and interest".
The sex scenes are behind a paywall ? Okay, but who tell me that you are good at making them ? A character is behind a paywall ? Okay, but who tell me that she isn't a frigid virgin that will be boring to fuck ? The most spicy scenes are behind a paywall ? Okay, but who tell me that they'll be spicy enough, or not too spicy, for me ?
This while, as you said, the notion of "exclusive content" tend to be respected. Even for the games where it's just through a few week delays before it became also leaked, this tend to works and lead to more patrons. Precisely because people don't pay for the "exclusive content", but for the game as it already is, the exclusive part being a reward for their support.
And it's that difference in mentality that make the difference in the number of pledges. Whatever the subject, the majority always prefer a "thanks for your support, here's some extra for you" approach, to an "you'll have to pay me for this" approach.
Yeah, I'm annoyed by it.
I have played a lot of games on here
that are really linear with no real choices that should really have a kinetic tag or something similar
A knights tale for instance
But the only thing a lot of people seem to care about is sex scenes
And ignore everything else
Yeah, I'm annoyed by it.
I have played a lot of games on here
that are really linear with no real choices that should really have a kinetic tag or something similar
A knights tale for instance
But the only thing a lot of people seem to care about is sex scenes
And ignore everything else
