Consensus for new game

[JeffisZac]

I'm sort of dabbling in HS2 wanting to create a VN for the first time. The way i would want to make it would be what i feel like is a sort of over saturated genre i.e. harem, incest and school setting. The general premise is you play as a generally average guy who is unsure of what he wants to do in his life. He has just finished high school and is going to university when he rediscovers his passion for basketball after not playing it for many years as he wanted to just focus on finishing school (even though he is actually incredibly smart and never had to try to get good grades).

It would ideally have 5 or 6 love interests including but not limited to an older and younger sister, a shy nerdy type, a cheerleader (again since you will be playing basketball) and a girl who starts off as just a regular classmate who eventually you become best friends and more. Still wondering about how i could add the mum as a LI without doing the cliche dads dead or disappears or runs off with some young secretary etc. etc.

I know these are probably the most popular tags so i'm more so asking would people want another generic game like that or would it just be washed into the background. I'm not necessary looking to do this for money but i wouldn't want to waste my time on something that no one would be interested in.

 

[fyl3toys]

To add the mom as a love interest you could have the game play out as you say with his basketball career taking off throughout the first couple semesters but he ends up breaking his dominant arm in a car accident. Mom worried about him decides to get a room next to campus and takes care of him until he recovers. Hijinks ensue.

 

[XforU]

If you use hs2 you won't be able to put the game up on steam.

 

[JeffisZac]

If you use hs2 you won't be able to put the game up on steam.

yeah i hadn't really planned on trying to put the game on steam or anything similar. Was mainly thinking just f95, itch and the like

 

[MissCougar]

The harem incest school setting is pretty overdone. But I will say the harem thing is especially blah for me, but I'm probably not your target audience anyway.

I would just make it in the Blade Runner setting and one of your family members is a replicant but due to brainwashing you don't remember who, and now you have to have sex with them until you figure it out, and then you have to retire them in the rain on a roof after following a track of origami but at the very end you realize maybe it was you who was the replicant and now you have to go on a Pokémon adventure of collecting all the MILFs in your area before it's too late.

 

[eaudecologne]

Add mom ntr that'll be one heck of a twist bro

 

[tanstaafl]

The harem incest school setting is pretty overdone.

The harem/incest/other non-invasive kink school is the nuclear family sitcom of AVNs. The odds that we've seen too many is high and the odds that we'll see more is even higher. They'll just keep coming until people stop liking them.

 

[mahsta]

there are lots of games that focus on the love element of a game, maybe you should focus on maybe adding that

 

[Insomnimaniac Games]

Here's the thing, get as tropey as you want. Add all the cliches, but don't stop there. That shy, nerdy girl? Absolute freak in the sheets. Make the older sister not actually hate the MC as is so common, and make her ultra supportive. The harem? Maybe polygamy is normal thing in this universe and they all wanna marry and hold hands with MC together. (Sorry, that last part was my intrusive thoughts)

It's not about the tropes, it's about how they're used. Most games like this have very one-note characters, you're auto different if you give them more than one personality trait. And to really flesh out a character in your head, my best advice is to imagine how they'd laugh. Loud? Quiet? Tells a lot about a person. Does their smile go to their eyes? That kind of thing.

 

[tanstaafl]

Maybe polygamy is normal thing in this universe and they all wanna marry and hold hands with MC together.

I see you slipping it in there, you pervert.

It's not about the tropes, it's about how they're used.

Seriously though, this is absolutely right. People will complain and complain and complain about tropes, try to avoid them, etc. but then another A Song of Ice and Fire will come out which nails all the tropes (Noble house rivalry, Sibling rivalry, Absent parent, Daddy issues, Mommy issues, Bastard child, Illegitimate heir, Found family, Chosen one, Sins of the father, Generational trauma, Secret lineage, Usurped inheritance, Protective older sibling, Vengeful child, Lost heir, Exiled prince/princess, etc.), but in such a unique and fresh way that it becomes an instant classic.

 

[anne O'nymous]

Most games like this have very one-note characters, you're auto different if you give them more than one personality trait.

Without forgetting that the context matters.

That sexy teacher is strict and dictatorial in class because it's her job, not because she's a Domina. And she don't necessarily need to be submissive in the bedroom, she can perfectly be adventurous, just not strict and dictatorial anymore.
The supportive sister can be supportive because she's insecure, believing in her brother but not on herself. Or she can be the school queen and ghost her nerdy brother when there, while still deeply loving him once no one look at them.

We all wear masks, and each one of those mask present us as a different person.

 

[MissCougar]

there are lots of games that focus on the love element of a game, maybe you should focus on maybe adding that

When his core is amassing an incestuous harem, I'm not sure how you can easily fit love in there. I always like a good romance story though!

 

[Insomnimaniac Games]

When his core is amassing an incestuous harem, I'm not sure how you can easily fit love in there. I always like a good romance story though!

You'd have to focus on the turning of familial love into romantic love which, imo, would be easier if you wrote them as "best friends that are actually siblings" as opposed to the normal sibling dynamic.

 

[Jaike]

Personally, I only consistently like some harem games with a prominent plotline that's independent from the "romance them all" part. Or "enslave them all", but I'm optimistic. I like to pretentiously call that the dual plot. Incest harem games usually aren't that. So, anything I say is probably pretty worthless to you.

Anyway, might be an idea to get a few harem fans in? Mario4don Havenless_ YogSothoth1982 JoeTheMC84 TKdropemoff

 

[YogSothoth1982]

I'm sort of dabbling in HS2 wanting to create a VN for the first time. The way i would want to make it would be what i feel like is a sort of over saturated genre i.e. harem, incest and school setting. The general premise is you play as a generally average guy who is unsure of what he wants to do in his life. He has just finished high school and is going to university when he rediscovers his passion for basketball after not playing it for many years as he wanted to just focus on finishing school (even though he is actually incredibly smart and never had to try to get good grades).

What you should do is make the game feel like it actually takes place in a university and not in high school. And that the MC behaves like a young adult and not like a teenager.

It would ideally have 5 or 6 love interests including but not limited to an older and younger sister, a shy nerdy type, a cheerleader (again since you will be playing basketball) and a girl who starts off as just a regular classmate who eventually you become best friends and more. Still wondering about how i could add the mum as a LI without doing the cliche dads dead or disappears or runs off with some young secretary etc. etc.

You can always have the parents divorced, and the father has gone to India to live as an ascetic monk. He's not dead, but for the present case, it's as if he were.

I think it's important to give each LI (and every major character in general) a unique personality. I would also stay away from clichés, like the older sister who hates the MC for no reason, or the younger sister who's super shy and adores the older brother. Take what you think fits your vision and make it different from what's already out there. You can make one of the sisters aloof with everyone except her family, or incredibly optimistic. It's better for characters, especially LIs, to feel alive and unique than empty clichés.

 

[JeffisZac]

Thanks for all the input so far everyone. Like i said i have only just started dabbling so anything is still a fair while away from coming to life. I still need to create some of the characters and learn a little more about renpy before i really get anywhere. I will say i personally am not an NTR fan which most harem/incest fans aren't anyways but thought i'd mention that now. As for the other things i actually had planned for the mc to be good friends with the siblings always getting along but also getting on each others nerves. Still trying to think of how i can go from that familial love to a romantic love because thats the type of VNs i like, i prefer the romance types not the fuck em all in every scene games. the only characters i would have in a bitchy sort of fashion would be the cheerleader. I've sort of envisioned her as a cheerleader who was forced into the cheerleading role by her parents as they're the typical rich parents who never have time for their daughter and just throw money at her to make her happy. This leads to her disliking the mc because he never struggles with school and always seems to get what he wants without trying whereas she has to try so hard for any sort of attention/affection. Eventually she would try and make the mc do something like an assignment for her or something along those lines, and the mc decides to help which can lead to them getting closer etc. etc. Again I'm still in the ideas phase so I'm sort of just wondering what sort of game the fans of the genre would want because like i said i don't want to make a game that the fans of the genres wouldn't like but either way I'm open to more ideas

 

[Insomnimaniac Games]

As for the other things i actually had planned for the mc to be good friends with the siblings always getting along but also getting on each others nerves. Still trying to think of how i can go from that familial love to a romantic love because thats the type of VNs i like, i prefer the romance types not the fuck em all in every scene games.

There's one thing that'd help that is missing in a ton of VNs. Physical, non sexy, intimacy. Close contact that isn't sexual until it becomes so later. IMO, so many games just ignore it, but I think it can go a long way in selling a relationship.

he only characters i would have in a bitchy sort of fashion would be the cheerleader. I've sort of envisioned her as a cheerleader who was forced into the cheerleading role by her parents as they're the typical rich parents who never have time for their daughter and just throw money at her to make her happy. This leads to her disliking the mc because he never struggles with school and always seems to get what he wants without trying whereas she has to try so hard for any sort of attention/affection. Eventually she would try and make the mc do something like an assignment for her or something along those lines, and the mc decides to help which can lead to them getting closer etc. etc.

For something like this, I think facial expression would go a long way. You could show hesitation in the character, like they don't want to say what they're actually going to say. Sprinkling in hints that she's not the bitch you'd think she is at the start. (Roxxy from Summertime Saga is a good example)

Anyway, back to work for me! Good luck, my man!

 

[JeffisZac]

There's one thing that'd help that is missing in a ton of VNs. Physical, non sexy, intimacy. Close contact that isn't sexual until it becomes so later. IMO, so many games just ignore it, but I think it can go a long way in selling a relationship.

For something like this, I think facial expression would go a long way. You could show hesitation in the character, like they don't want to say what they're actually going to say. Sprinkling in hints that she's not the bitch you'd think she is at the start. (Roxxy from Summertime Saga is a good example)

Anyway, back to work for me! Good luck, my man!

Roxxy and alex from eternum are the 2 characters i had inspiration from so that's a great note. Also the physical no sexual intimacy was what i had in mind for the early game and even after they have gone further. I personally think that the wholesome moments, (hugs, late nights talking and watching movies and even hand holdin sorry i got too sexual there), make a story so much better and more relatable in certain aspects obviously excluding the incest unless thats your thing then by all means more power to you. Anyways enjoy your work

 

[JoeTheMC84]

Personally, I only consistently like some harem games with a prominent plotline that's independent from the "romance them all" part. Or "enslave them all", but I'm optimistic. I like to pretentiously call that the dual plot. Incest harem games usually aren't that. So, anything I say is probably pretty worthless to you.

Anyway, might be an idea to get a few harem fans in? Mario4don Havenless_ YogSothoth1982 JoeTheMC84 TKdropemoff

I have been summoned...

I'm sort of dabbling in HS2 wanting to create a VN for the first time. The way i would want to make it would be what i feel like is a sort of over saturated genre i.e. harem, incest and school setting. The general premise is you play as a generally average guy who is unsure of what he wants to do in his life. He has just finished high school and is going to university when he rediscovers his passion for basketball after not playing it for many years as he wanted to just focus on finishing school (even though he is actually incredibly smart and never had to try to get good grades).

It would ideally have 5 or 6 love interests including but not limited to an older and younger sister, a shy nerdy type, a cheerleader (again since you will be playing basketball) and a girl who starts off as just a regular classmate who eventually you become best friends and more. Still wondering about how i could add the mum as a LI without doing the cliche dads dead or disappears or runs off with some young secretary etc. etc.

I know these are probably the most popular tags so i'm more so asking would people want another generic game like that or would it just be washed into the background. I'm not necessary looking to do this for money but i wouldn't want to waste my time on something that no one would be interested in.

I'll put my comments after the next quote:

Here's the thing, get as tropey as you want. Add all the cliches, but don't stop there. That shy, nerdy girl? Absolute freak in the sheets. Make the older sister not actually hate the MC as is so common, and make her ultra supportive. The harem? Maybe polygamy is normal thing in this universe and they all wanna marry and hold hands with MC together. (Sorry, that last part was my intrusive thoughts)

It's not about the tropes, it's about how they're used. Most games like this have very one-note characters, you're auto different if you give them more than one personality trait. And to really flesh out a character in your head, my best advice is to imagine how they'd laugh. Loud? Quiet? Tells a lot about a person. Does their smile go to their eyes? That kind of thing.

Insomnimaniac is correct here that tropes aren't really an issue, it is all about execution and really, everything has been done before. Anything you think is original is probably out there somewhere in a similar form, so I wouldn't worry about it having tropes in it as long as the characters feel fleshed out and not overly cliched.

Other have mentioned a few things to avoid, the bitchy older sister for example, and you even mentioned the dead or cheating and left father are also tropes worth avoiding (I have a few ideas for that if you'd like to hear them).

A trope to avoid that I'll add is having the super slut cheerleader, it's not a good one and comes from shitty high school drama movies and porn. IRL, most cheerleaders aren't sluts (not saying they are virgin angels either, but those aren't the only two options) and they are still one of the groups most likely to date and marry their high school boyfriend. It's often the ugly chicks that are the biggest sluts because giving it up is the only way they can get their male peers to date them. Meanwhile a cheerleader, especially a well-to-do one, would be able to have higher standards and self-control. Just some thoughts on that front.

Another thing to avoid is having the Mc be a super shy weak character. So many college games have the Mc be a virgin, which is made even worse in many games were nearly every girl isn't for dumb reasons. Basically, it's okay to have the Mc be a competent and confident character, there is a range of possibilities between pathetic weakling virgin who gets nose bleeds when a girl touches his hand and uber-Chad Thundercock who bangs a new chick every night,

I could go into more, but if you want to check it out, I have a guide to harems (link in my sig) that might be helpful, and I'd be willing to chat more about the topic of your story if you want.

Best of luck with all you do,

 

[JeffisZac]

I have been summoned...

I'll put my comments after the next quote:



Insomnimaniac is correct here that tropes aren't really an issue, it is all about execution and really, everything has been done before. Anything you think is original is probably out there somewhere in a similar form, so I wouldn't worry about it having tropes in it as long as the characters feel fleshed out and not overly cliched.

Other have mentioned a few things to avoid, the bitchy older sister for example, and you even mentioned the dead or cheating and left father are also tropes worth avoiding (I have a few ideas for that if you'd like to hear them).

A trope to avoid that I'll add is having the super slut cheerleader, it's not a good one and comes from shitty high school drama movies and porn. IRL, most cheerleaders aren't sluts (not saying they are virgin angels either, but those aren't the only two options) and they are still one of the groups most likely to date and marry their high school boyfriend. It's often the ugly chicks that are the biggest sluts because giving it up is the only way they can get their male peers to date them. Meanwhile a cheerleader, especially a well-to-do one, would be able to have higher standards and self-control. Just some thoughts on that front.

Another thing to avoid is having the Mc be a super shy weak character. So many college games have the Mc be a virgin, which is made even worse in many games were nearly every girl isn't for dumb reasons. Basically, it's okay to have the Mc be a competent and confident character, there is a range of possibilities between pathetic weakling virgin who gets nose bleeds when a girl touches his hand and uber-Chad Thundercock who bangs a new chick every night,

I could go into more, but if you want to check it out, I have a guide to harems (link in my sig) that might be helpful, and I'd be willing to chat more about the topic of your story if you want.

Best of luck with all you do,

Awesome notes, i appreciate the well thought out reply. I'd have no issues discussing ideas if you have time to chat anyime soon. With regards the the cheerleader, i had no intentions of her being a super slut, just a character that initially dislikes the mc because he has things she doesn't. Friends and family that willingly spend time together and don't just throw money at each other. As for the mc he was never going to be a weak beta who is nervous around all girls and pervs on everyone. As he has played basketball and maintained the gym routine growing up he has a decent physique that will be slightly buffed out as the story goes on and he does more training. He will also not be a virgin who has never touched a girl before but somehow knows sex as if he's been doing it his whole life. He will have an established ex girlfriend from high school that went to a different university or something like that. Again would be happy to chat and change ideas to make it flow better or a better story