Help make Banished Bard's first game great!

[Banished Bard]

Hi! I’m interested in making my own adult games. While I know what kind of things I like and want to see, I'd like to get some other people's opinions. First I guess a little bit about me.

Hi, I’m Dani and I like adult games. My love for them started earlier than I care to admit. I was ashamed of it for a long time, growing up in a religious home didn’t help, but not anymore! I enjoy a good story, well written characters, and engaging gameplay.

I guess it’s time for a little about me as a developer! I have adequate skills in C#, C++, and some basic skills in Python. I’ve familiarized myself with several software including Ren’Py, Unity, Unreal, Photoshop, Daz3d, and Blender.

I’m currently in the mindset of making a visual novel / adventure style game first. My main goal is to finish the game and this seems like the easier path for a solo developer. I plan on making the game free during alpha/beta and just having a 1.0 paid release on steam. I’d like to get as much feedback as possible. I might start a patreon at some point for those who’d like to support development but I won’t be focusing on rewards or limiting influence.

OK! On to the feedback part. I already have some stories, worlds, and characters written out but I’d really like to get some ideas first of what everyone else would like to see before I finalize anything. So if you’re willing please copy the questions below and give your answers.

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What type of setting would you most like to see? (Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Modern, etc)


What type of characters or theme would you most like to see, if any? (Vampires, Superheroes, Orcs, etc)


What type(s) of fetishes are a must for you, if any?


What is your preferred protagonist?( Male, Female, Trans, Non-binary, Custom Character)


What's most important to you in adult games? (Sex, Story, Gameplay, etc)


What’s something you hope this game DOESN’T have?


Anything else you’d like to add!

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Thanks in advance to all those who do share their opinions. It means a lot and it will help me make the best game possible!

 

[Count Morado]

Hey kids! Look another of these threads this week (... month, year, since the site was started)!

To save me time, here's the link to my response to another potential developer.

Every question you have asked in this post have already been asked and are searchable on the site. You're going to get similar results as those - and you'll find many of the same contributors of their opinions (such as my own - waving to my past and future selves).

Another note, your first game is probably not going to get much traction unless you get lottery lucky. Your second game may get a little bit more. But in both of those two experiences you'll know what you like to develop in terms of story, plot, art, mechanics, engine, genres, and more. You'll know how to navigate Patreon or whatever subscription service you join. You'll know how to better pitch your game and build a development team around you (if you choose to). You'll know how to market your game. Essentially, you'll get better at the business side of the game development business, enhancing your future success and getting your vision, your game, your creation in front of more and more people. Also, by completing 2 small projects you will show you have commitment and vision to see a goal through to complete projects. This should allow your third game to have a greater chance at success than the average game here.

Finally, if you're doing this because you think this is going to be more lucrative than a traditional job in a brick-and-mortar business or a great way to earn extra money to supplement your current income or a rainmaker to get you to your first million --

After a couple of years of active development, the likelihood for:

• 100 USD per month is about 50/50
• 1,000 USD per month is about 10/90
• 2,500 USD per month is about 5/95
• 4,000 USD per month is about 2/98

That being said, don't forget there are expenses involved with any development, including hardware and electricity.

If you are doing this because you want to stretch your creative muscles, build your portfolio, share a game you would love to play but you don't see being made, or looking at the social/community aspect of game development (both constructive and destructive critiques) - go for it!

 

[Banished Bard]

Thanks for the info! I'll look into the links and edit my post. I'll try to do better in the future and not be another one of those posts.

 

[CaptainBipto]

What type of setting would you most like to see? (Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Modern, etc)
For the nerd in me, Sci-Fi would be high on my list. Second would be Fantasy and in last place comes Modern settings.
The only reason I say Modern in last place, is the fact that I see too many games with modern settings and it's just a bit dull for me now. Nothing wrong with it, just like seeing something different now and then.

What type of characters or theme would you most like to see, if any? (Vampires, Superheroes, Orcs, etc)
Don't really have a type of character I really, really WANT to see in a game. Kind of tired of vampires and werewolves, they just feel a bit over done to me. Seeing fantasy creatures like Elves, Orcs, or Goblins in a modern settings would be different.
A pet tentacle monster happy to slurp, fondle, fuck, AND defend the MC when needed/asked would be a nice change.

What type(s) of fetishes are a must for you, if any?
Don't really have a MUST HAVE fetish, I do have ones that I like to see in games, but won't wail and gnash my teeth if they aren't included. Some good ole titty fucking or some muff diving action (that doesn't involve lesbians) would be nice, I don't see those too often in games.

What is your preferred protagonist?( Male, Female, Trans, Non-binary, Custom Character)
Yes, yes, yes, don't care, and Meh.

What's most important to you in adult games? (Sex, Story, Gameplay, etc)
It depends on the game that I am playing.
If it is a visual/kinetic novel, I prefer more sex since they tend to be fairly static with little input from me.
Action/Adventure games where I have 'stuff to do', I generally want a bit more story/action and a bit less sexy times.

What’s something you hope this game DOESN’T have?
The Abandoned Tag. I have seen quite a few games parade across this site with high ideals and goals, only for them to die from lack of interest.
Hyper exaggerated attributes. Big tits and big dicks are fine, but comical sized attributes are a bit of a turn off.
Other than that, it is usual things (for myself). Gore, scat, snuff, necrophilia, rape, watersports, ryona, all rate pretty high on the 'Nope' scale, I am sure there are other things, but those are probably the major ones.

Anything else you’d like to add!
Good luck to you and hope you stick with it.
Too many 0.1 and 0.01 games appear on this site and just die out.

 

[Deleted member 5563201]

I just want you to do something that comes from your heart. It may be small, but it should be complete and sincere.
As long as you make something you like and are excited about, the quality will be good or better!

As much as I want a game made in a specific way, I prefer to be surprised by your imagination.

 

[justcuriousyouknow]

I just want you to do something that comes from your heart. It may be small, but it should be complete and sincere.

As long as you make something you like and are excited about, the quality will be good or better!

I have to agree with this, and I'm someone who wants more games with dominant MC's (male, female, etc.) that pursue male NPC's. When you try to cater to what you think the public wants, you end up with a game that neither makes you or anyone happy. I've seen it happen too many times to a chunk of games that start off catering to everyone. Only to end up just abandoning a particular group over time (usually the gay players, the female players, and sometimes the dom players) It has to be something you can enjoy and put more effort into.

 

[♍VoidTraveler]

What type of setting would you most like to see? (Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Modern, etc)

Mostly fantasy subgenres such as: Arcanepunk or Steampunk.
I'm also game for: High Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Grimdark Fantasy.

What type of characters or theme would you most like to see, if any? (Vampires, Superheroes, Orcs, etc)

Impress me with your imagination.

What type(s) of fetishes are a must for you, if any?

Hm. Slavery, corruption, piercings, tentacles, consentacles, eggs, living armor/clothes, light vore, lewd crest, exhibitionism, etc.

What is your preferred protagonist?( Male, Female, Trans, Non-binary, Custom Character)

Non-human. Custom may work as well but i doubt that you can make a complex enough character creator to impress me.

What's most important to you in adult games? (Sex, Story, Gameplay, etc)

1. Story.
2. Gameplay.
3. Combat.
4. Sound.
5. Big game world to explore.
6. Sex.

What’s something you hope this game DOESN’T have?

Oh, could be a ton of stuff.
To name a few:
Wimpy/beta mc, boring antagonists, or if i am the antagonist then i want some real inventive ways to antagonize with.

Anything else you’d like to add!

Creativity, effort, skill.
The three most important keys to success.

 

[Ophanim]

I have to agree with this, and I'm someone who wants more games with dominant MC's (male, female, etc.) that pursue male NPC's. When you try to cater to what you think the public wants, you end up with a game that neither makes you or anyone happy. I've seen it happen too many times to a chunk of games that start off catering to everyone. Only to end up just abandoning a particular group over time (usually the gay players, the female players, and sometimes the dom players) It has to be something you can enjoy and put more effort into.

Omg yes! +1 for this, you've hit the nail on the head I wish I had your gift for summarizing this kind of point, because I get waaay too into the weeds, I think.

Thanks in advance to all those who do share their opinions. It means a lot and it will help me make the best game possible!

As justcurious said, I think the way to go to actually stand out from the crowd of intensely samey RENPY VNs is to pick an underrepresented concept, come up with a fun, sexy idea about it, and stick to it like glue. There's so, so many niche fetish communities, lgbtq+ subcultures, BDSM subcultures, women in general, etc who never get any games made for them. Not to say they're all over the place on here, because this is a very straight male nerd-adjacent space and those people don't tend to play nice with others, but things don't really change without people building something new. I do know for a fact that over 25% of respondents on this forum were actively interested in gay male content, though, which is a little wild considering the hyperbolic bitching that occurs over gay games lol

Sure, you'll get sockpuppets and lurkers popping up on your thread to complain that it doesn't have 'wide market appeal' and that you're crazy not to make 'Power Fantasy Game for Vanilla Straight Men #6000+' because that's where the 'real money is'. Anything that makes your game not a clone of Being A DIK will be subject to these kinds of comments, but the devs who ignore them and don't attempt to please the vanilla male crowd seem to get much more loyal followings from what I've seen. Because even if your end goal is money (why're you in game development lol) you have to remember that competition is just as important as demographics. Sure, straight men are very loud on here, but they're spoilt for choice on any number of projects that directly ape porn made just for them. The piss people? The rubber people? The leather people? The women who want to dom men? They're lucky to see a dedicated game made for them in literally years, if ever! That cult classic, beloved jewel of a niche community and de-facto reason for others to cater to them, could be your game.

I will say that, as a dirt poor software pirate, I'm much more likely to be tempted to part with a fraction of my frankly insanely limited monthly budget for a game that is focused on topics I care about (in terms of fetishes, sexuality, outlook on life), and I doubt I'm alone in that.

For an example of what I'm talking about, one of my favorite projects that popped up this year was a little RPGmaker title called Take That Succubus. It is laser focused on its niche, feet people, and it has a consistent level of charm, passion and imagination to be genuinely fun and memorable outside of that. It has

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, as opposed to 'realism', which is something every game I like seems to have in common. The way it gets around the issue of 'Uuuugh, how can it be all about <not my fetish> that's not realistic, it should have more <vanilla sex act>' is to have the protagonist of the story outright admit, in the first five minutes, that they have a foot fetish, and that that's a huge part of what makes them horny. Case closed.

 

[VegaNac]

I'd suggest that you should follow your own idea. If the game is not able to do well financially. At least you'd be satisfied that you worked on your own idea or created something by and for yourself.

From the other games I'd suggest you to get inspired by the technical details they have in their games and not the story or fetishes.

Maybe why not try making your own new world with your own new species. 3d softwares are capable of doing that. Morphing and all. If you'd do it correctly people would be actually excited and eager to see what new things your world has. And after completion of your first game why the world you created, let it go waste . You can create your own series of games with interconnected stories in same universe. But these will require good pre production time.

You will at least have to put your 2 years to get the financial success in anything you try.

Personally if I had to make game. I'd like to integrate many great technical details from various games which will be helpful in enhancing the game I'm creating.

A visual novel in combination with some well Integrated free roams with inbuilt guide is in my opinion best way to do so. Both for who want a good storytelling and sometimes to make it interesting some free roams here and there for the gameplay.

Assuming that you will be using ren'py game engine.
For the technical details I'd have taken the presentation style like cutscenes, intros, transitions from the game After the Inferno it doesn't have the top art but the presentation style is very unique and really creative.

Parasite Black also have it's own style and good combat system. For the story & gameplay for visual novel & free roam I'd like to The Deluca Family not the mini games, but how the plot goes through interesting twists and turns, with well integrated free roam events. It's very well designed. Also having music and background score to elevate scenes is really helpful. You can get royalty free music from internet without copyright.​

 

[Banished Bard]

Thanks so much to everyone! These are great responses and I'm really excited about making my game! I'm going to respond to a few things.

I just want you to do something that comes from your heart. It may be small, but it should be complete and sincere.
As long as you make something you like and are excited about, the quality will be good or better!

As much as I want a game made in a specific way, I prefer to be surprised by your imagination.

Thanks for you kind words! And I'll be sure to make something I'm excited about!

I have to agree with this, and I'm someone who wants more games with dominant MC's (male, female, etc.) that pursue male NPC's. When you try to cater to what you think the public wants, you end up with a game that neither makes you or anyone happy. I've seen it happen too many times to a chunk of games that start off catering to everyone. Only to end up just abandoning a particular group over time (usually the gay players, the female players, and sometimes the dom players) It has to be something you can enjoy and put more effort into.

I've actually been thinking about a series of games set in the same world with unique and personalized main characters, instead of one big game that tries to cover everything. That way I could really dig into their backstory and personal goals. And I'd like to have more actual LBGQT+ characters in the story, relationships, and even main characters. Like an actual Trans character and not a girl with a magic penis. Overall I'd like to bring a little more realism to the relationships while still having the sexual fantasy we enjoy.

As justcurious said, I think the way to go to actually stand out from the crowd of intensely samey RENPY VNs is to pick an underrepresented concept, come up with a fun, sexy idea about it, and stick to it like glue. There's so, so many niche fetish communities, lgbtq+ subcultures, BDSM subcultures, women in general, etc who never get any games made for them. Not to say they're all over the place on here, because this is a very straight male nerd-adjacent space and those people don't tend to play nice with others, but things don't really change without people building something new. I do know for a fact that over 25% of respondents on this forum were actively interested in gay male content, though, which is a little wild considering the hyperbolic bitching that occurs over gay games lol

I'd love to make games for these communities! Overall my goal isn't to make money, not that it wouldn't be great if it happened, my goal is to finish a game and have people who enjoy it. Even if it's just ten people.

Assuming that you will be using ren'py game engine.

I won't be using ren'py. It's neat but I have visions of more complex games in the 3d area so I'm planning on focusing on one engine and just building up to it. Either unity or unreal. I actually enjoy coding in C# so I've been leaning toward unity and it is more 2d friendly. I have a large amount of assets on both engines and I have lots of music and sound files I've built up over the years. I also have lots of daz3d assets including interactive license.

 

[Deleted member 5563201]

I like ALMOST everything. So I'll be following your work closely no matter what you do.

But since I'm here, I just ask that you respect other people's time and don't put 50 hours of grinding in the game. If you are going to put it, please make it so that it is very little and pleasant. There are several games, adult and non-adult, that I don't even buy because I know the grind will put me off.

May your path be illuminated with the pleasure of creating stories and may your destiny be success!

 

[Banished Bard]

But since I'm here, I just ask that you respect other people's time and don't put 50 hours of grinding in the game. If you are going to put it, please make it so that it is very little and pleasant. There are several games, adult and non-adult, that I don't even buy because I know the grind will put me off.

xD I also hate pointless grinding!! I can easily promise there will be none of that in my game.

 

[Gwedelino]

After a couple of years of active development, the likelihood for:

• 100 USD per month is about 50/50
• 1,000 USD per month is about 10/90
• 2,500 USD per month is about 5/95
• 4,000 USD per month is about 2/98

That being said, don't forget there are expenses involved with any development, including hardware and electricity.

That's some quite interesting stats, do you know where does it come from ?

 

[Count Morado]

That's some quite interesting stats, do you know where does it come from ?

You can do your own research at graphtreon.com

 

[Gwedelino]

You can do your own research at graphtreon.com

OK so definitely not reliable stats.

Thanks.

 

[Count Morado]

UPDATED FOR 2023 DECEMBER
Data of the 7,487 adult game creators on Patreon used to create this analysis comes from:

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Spoiler: 2023 Disclaimer

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Spoiler: 2023 analysis if using full $4.53 average from disclosed earnings

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Spoiler: 2022 post

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So, yes, my original memory was slightly off on the upper end, but it still stands that "if you're doing this because you think this is going to be more lucrative than a traditional job in a brick-and-mortar business or a great way to earn extra money to supplement your current income or a rainmaker to get you to your first million" then a person is sadly mistaken.

If anyone is interested, attached is a CSV of the information I used (for 2022 and 2023).

 

[Ayhsel]

UPDATED FOR 2023 DECEMBER
Data of the 7,487 adult game creators on Patreon used to create this analysis comes from:

You must be registered to see the links

View attachment 3214214

View attachment 3214217

Spoiler: 2023 analysis if using full $4.53 average from disclosed earnings

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Spoiler: 2022 post

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So, yes, my original memory was slightly off on the upper end, but it still stands that "if you're doing this because you think this is going to be more lucrative than a traditional job in a brick-and-mortar business or a great way to earn extra money to supplement your current income or a rainmaker to get you to your first million" then a person is sadly mistaken.

If anyone is interested, attached is a CSV of the information I used (for 2022 and 2023).

Great job!

 

[Pixieblink]

UPDATED FOR 2023 DECEMBER
Data of the 7,487 adult game creators on Patreon used to create this analysis comes from:

You must be registered to see the links

View attachment 3214214

View attachment 3214217

Spoiler: 2023 analysis if using full $4.53 average from disclosed earnings

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Spoiler: 2022 post

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So, yes, my original memory was slightly off on the upper end, but it still stands that "if you're doing this because you think this is going to be more lucrative than a traditional job in a brick-and-mortar business or a great way to earn extra money to supplement your current income or a rainmaker to get you to your first million" then a person is sadly mistaken.

If anyone is interested, attached is a CSV of the information I used (for 2022 and 2023).

Nicely done!
Thanks for posting it.

 

[Geigi]

Want to see-reverse harem.
Don't want to see-hardcore stuff.

 

[amaranta]

What type of setting would you most like to see? (Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Modern, etc)

Primary - Not fantasy. It`is degraded to be just decoration. Others is fine. And various "...Punk" themes and close future Sci-Fi will be awesome.

What type of characters or theme would you most like to see, if any? (Vampires, Superheroes, Orcs, etc)

Vampires and other creatures as representation of various human phobias. PornoHorror is rare these days.

What type(s) of fetishes are a must for you, if any?

BDSM focused at domination and relationship. Something with Sunstone comics vibes.