- Nov 11, 2020
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I'm trying to improve with characters and want to know what people like seeing on characters that often gets overlooked.
Details you wish you saw more of in characters?
- Thread starter MothManlet
- Start date
- Apr 30, 2017
- 4,551
- 20,221
I'm hoping you mean character design in the storytelling aspect and not in the character model sense. If yes then:-
Some common sense most probably. Most characters in adult VNs act like they have a negative IQ.
Also(if you're going for harem route) love interests shouldn't just be open to a polyamorous relationship right out of the gate. It's funny how in a lot of games women are just magically willing to share the MC.
Another annoyance is when, in a lot of games, people just refuse to talk to each other instead of just acting like adults.
Another one is when a lot of time characters act one way in a situation and a completely opposite way in another situation. It just breaks their characters since you can't really affiliate a trait to them.
If you mean in the character model sense then:-
Maybe the biggest problem imo is when the main character looks either douchy or bad. It's hard to make the male character look unique due to Daz's limited male character catalogue but making him look generic is better than the alternative
Maybe unique features to each like different hair color and/or different skin tones.
Piercings and tattoos are largely personal preference.
A lot of games have different models but same character height for all NPCs especially LIs. Changing heights of different characters can help differentiate them.
Good skin textures help a lot. Bad skin textures often lead to characters looking far more matte or rubbery than they should. I have used ISourceTextures and Raiya's textures but its upto what kind of look you prefer.
Eye placement can help as well. A lot of times in other games eyes just end up looking away from camera or other characters and is just sort of off-putting. I remember there being a script for this but can't remember the name but that helps a lot in getting the eye placement in the right ballpark.
Some common sense most probably. Most characters in adult VNs act like they have a negative IQ.
Also(if you're going for harem route) love interests shouldn't just be open to a polyamorous relationship right out of the gate. It's funny how in a lot of games women are just magically willing to share the MC.
Another annoyance is when, in a lot of games, people just refuse to talk to each other instead of just acting like adults.
Another one is when a lot of time characters act one way in a situation and a completely opposite way in another situation. It just breaks their characters since you can't really affiliate a trait to them.
If you mean in the character model sense then:-
Maybe the biggest problem imo is when the main character looks either douchy or bad. It's hard to make the male character look unique due to Daz's limited male character catalogue but making him look generic is better than the alternative
Maybe unique features to each like different hair color and/or different skin tones.
Piercings and tattoos are largely personal preference.
A lot of games have different models but same character height for all NPCs especially LIs. Changing heights of different characters can help differentiate them.
Good skin textures help a lot. Bad skin textures often lead to characters looking far more matte or rubbery than they should. I have used ISourceTextures and Raiya's textures but its upto what kind of look you prefer.
Eye placement can help as well. A lot of times in other games eyes just end up looking away from camera or other characters and is just sort of off-putting. I remember there being a script for this but can't remember the name but that helps a lot in getting the eye placement in the right ballpark.
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On topic though. for me it is the lack of pushback by any LI's to the MC. they just go along with it regardless of whether it is in line with their character or not.
The poor backstory for most characters. You don't get much of a sense that they have LIVED in the world for a couple of decades.
Visually, I agree Males tend to look pretty generic, that's as was said earlier down to the lack of Daz assets generally, but even still. you can at least make something unique looking. you WANT people to be able to recognize your game by seeing either your MC, or your main LI.
The poor backstory for most characters. You don't get much of a sense that they have LIVED in the world for a couple of decades.
Visually, I agree Males tend to look pretty generic, that's as was said earlier down to the lack of Daz assets generally, but even still. you can at least make something unique looking. you WANT people to be able to recognize your game by seeing either your MC, or your main LI.
- Dec 22, 2017
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The ability to say no, or refuse the player's advances.
I'm serious. The single most effective thing you can do to breathe a little bit of life into a character is to give her this basic agency. Then, make the game about turning that reluctance into acceptance and genuine want. All the best games do this and it's very effective, especially at the moment she opens up. Pro tip.
If someone's entire fantasy is for all the women in the world to want to have sex with them at the drop of a hat, or as a general rule, then I'm sorry, that someone doesn't have very good imagination because that fantasy is extremely simple and boring.
I'm serious. The single most effective thing you can do to breathe a little bit of life into a character is to give her this basic agency. Then, make the game about turning that reluctance into acceptance and genuine want. All the best games do this and it's very effective, especially at the moment she opens up. Pro tip.
If someone's entire fantasy is for all the women in the world to want to have sex with them at the drop of a hat, or as a general rule, then I'm sorry, that someone doesn't have very good imagination because that fantasy is extremely simple and boring.
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- Nov 11, 2020
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I should have specified visual details, but character writing advice is more than welcome
- Oct 24, 2019
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much clearer nipples ... and nipples that do stick out and can be noticed ... i'm not talking huge or ones that protrude a huge amount .... i've seen a few games where this does happen ... not many tho .. is why i mentioned it
yeah yeah i love nice looking nipples
- Aug 17, 2019
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Yet you look at the top earners/most popular in the space and that's basically all you see. When that's all potential devs see, at least those who are looking to stay out of the red, they assume that's all that sells (so to speak). In that sense, they aren't wrong. Unless you're rocking the visual fidelity of PhillyGames or writing of EvaKiss), that is what sells.
Audiences have made it clear they want that total male fantasy, and if you want any modicum of success, you give it to them.
- Dec 22, 2017
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I can't really speak for the masses or how to make the most amount of money (although, I'm not entirely inexperienced with the latter). By all means, if people really want it, fill those troughs with purely masturbatory content. Personally, I wouldn't spend a dollar on it (and to be clear, I do pay for my games). There's way more to this genre to be enjoyed, in my opinion.
Maybe I would've payed for a game like that at one point in my life but it's gotten really boring because there is absolutely no depth to that total male fantasy. I need more, damn it.
Let's not even get started on how important the art is to selling a game. Heck, I bought Subverse solely because the cover girl is really cute - but was immediately disappointed by the actual game. They got my money once, but never again.
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I think its down to wanting a lot of sexual content right out of the gate. If you have to warm up a LI to the idea of dating and then further being in an open relationship it'll slow down the amount of porn content in a game per update. Having a game with harem where every girl is down to fuck allows for less renders about the buildup and more porn content.
Also looking forward to Move the Chains. Looks great
Personaly I like a slow burner of a story. something where you get more invested in the plot and the sex scenes even begin to feel like they're getting in the way
- Nov 7, 2020
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For purely visual details I must admit even the most simplest details excite me. Please do note that this is a personal opinion and i do not speak for the masses. I would like some visual detail around the nipples as mentioned by another user, and I would love to see detailed skin textures on characters. as simple as little curves around the hips or some details around the navel. As the pubic area approaches, small details like a panty mark. One thing I have noticed is, characters having good skin texture around their knees look and feel more realistic.
- Nov 7, 2020
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I don't mean to promote my own art, but this is one of my favorite works in daz3d studio. what I love about this render the details on the back. the two small impressions on the lower back, the creases formed by her shoulders and tight back muscles. and on the ass, her skin seems more rough thank silky smooth. All these make the character more realistic.
- Sep 9, 2022
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Different looking genitalia on characters, I know golden palace and new gens have options to adjust the looks and there are shaping morphs for dicktator and xy to create more natural looking penises. A lot of games use the same simple look for vaginas and don't offer variety.
- Aug 28, 2021
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Unperfect skin and silhouette. Models look a lot more alive when they don't seem to be heavily photoshoped. No need to go for ugly bodies + scars. Just a little belly or some cellulite on legs and ass or people who don't fit in ideal proportions. That sort of imperfection.
Tattoos. People ALWAYS make them way too dark. Tattoos tend to have a sort of green tinge to them and are NEVER 100% opacity. most that i see in games look like they were fresh painted that morning.
- Apr 18, 2021
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This is what is very difficult because you want to develop a story and have meaningful characters but meanwhile your customers and audience expect you to have tons of grade A sexual content in the first few updates. With a new game, it just isn't easy to have both. Every game I've played where there is a sex scene right away in the story, I just skip, because without any kind of build up there, it's meaningless.
It is a really tough balancing act between giving fans what they want and leaving them wanting more.
Yeah it does seem like the only possible alternative is to release a game with 1000+ renders which is just not feasible for most people starting out. Another way devs usually get around this is to give the mc a preexisting love interest which sometimes works well but other times just makes the mc a cheating asshole.