- Oct 17, 2017
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Happy to see a positive response to what I wrote. my goal is entirely constructive.
I think the key take away, more then the need to populate the island with actual culture and the need for more robust choice mechanics, is about mechanics.
You need to be consciously thinking about "The Gameplay Loop" while developing. From moment to moment, what is the player doing to progress. A good gameplay loop is about drip feeding constant engagement to the player, long enough for them to achieve the big rewards. A bad one loses people from boredom or creates complaining about "Grind". You can (and should) fix the numbers, but fixing the gameplay loop is more important.
Improving the gameplay loop means adding more conscious thought to the process, adding more reward, and reducing a feeling of raw repetition.
Good advice piece: Rather then always making new H-scenes from scratch, you can often improve the loop by adding variable dialogue. Consider how much less boring grinding Anna punishment scenes would be if Anna's dialogue in the scenes changes relative to her stats.
As a porn game, one of the best ideas for Gameplay Loop improvement is to look at gameplay segments without engagement. That is, scenes without porn or interaction to characters the player cares about, and add them in.
The job segments to get money should be A. Showing us more about the world of the game. B. Giving us a chance to interact with the girls. C. Where possible, to provide a little bit of eroticism as a "tide over" until the player reaches the next full scene.
Edit: Some kind of display that tells you where different characters are is also not a bad call. Removes "Find the person" from the gameplay loop.
I think the key take away, more then the need to populate the island with actual culture and the need for more robust choice mechanics, is about mechanics.
You need to be consciously thinking about "The Gameplay Loop" while developing. From moment to moment, what is the player doing to progress. A good gameplay loop is about drip feeding constant engagement to the player, long enough for them to achieve the big rewards. A bad one loses people from boredom or creates complaining about "Grind". You can (and should) fix the numbers, but fixing the gameplay loop is more important.
Improving the gameplay loop means adding more conscious thought to the process, adding more reward, and reducing a feeling of raw repetition.
Good advice piece: Rather then always making new H-scenes from scratch, you can often improve the loop by adding variable dialogue. Consider how much less boring grinding Anna punishment scenes would be if Anna's dialogue in the scenes changes relative to her stats.
As a porn game, one of the best ideas for Gameplay Loop improvement is to look at gameplay segments without engagement. That is, scenes without porn or interaction to characters the player cares about, and add them in.
The job segments to get money should be A. Showing us more about the world of the game. B. Giving us a chance to interact with the girls. C. Where possible, to provide a little bit of eroticism as a "tide over" until the player reaches the next full scene.
Edit: Some kind of display that tells you where different characters are is also not a bad call. Removes "Find the person" from the gameplay loop.
