In my opinion the 4 most essential parts for creating an adult game are-
1. Story: The base that propels the entire narrative of the game.It can be a simple story like the everyday life of a common man or something grand involving war,aliens ,fantasy,parallel world,time travel secret society trying to take over the earth etc.
2. Gameplay: This includes everything from game engine to type of storytelling(VN/Sandbox).In short all the technical aspects.
3. Characters: Every story needs its characters.Will the characters unique personality be used to compliment a story or the characters would simply be a set piece to move along the narrative?
4. Artwork/Animation: As a visual medium to enjoy erotic situation,how much emphasis would you like place on this aspect?
BONUS:
Specific fetishes: Do your heart fancy some special fetishes?
For me,out of 100%,I would like a game with emphasis on-
Artwork/Animation=40%
Characters=30%
Gameplay=20%
story=10%;Don't care for fetishes.
Not sure if your just wanting to talk about Games in specific, disregarding pure visual novels (kinetic and/or choice)?
In general, there are so many combinations of how Erotic/Adult Games and Visual Novels are typically put together... If I had to list my personal preferences, I couldn't really break it down into percentages, as that is far too specific...
But here are the main things I typically look for in any game and/or visual novel in this market:
1 - Story: I always prefer a well told story, to include good dialogue/monologue, unique plots that make sense and flow well, well developed character interactions that don't go too far over the top, with a setting that isn't too crazy or fantastical (to the point of being way over the top and/or completely far fetched)… I'm probably a little more forgiving when it comes to parody focused VN/Games as long as I think it's actually funny and creatively witty...
2 - Protagonist/Characters: The protagonist (male or female) needs to be someone I feel I can get behind, adding to the immersion of the story elements, who's personality isn't stuck in one mode only (never changing) as the story progresses... Characters with unique and distinctive personalities that don't go too far over the top or play into overused stereotypes... Characters who's personalities adapt and change as necessary, depending on how the story develops, as well as interactions with other characters to include the protagonist (in order to avoid becoming stale and never changing because real people are dynamic and subject to changes based on experiences and the environment around them)… It's proper character development over the length of a story, that is probably one of the hardest things for a developer to do well... Most of the time, there is this tendency for most characters, in these things, to stick to one or a few character personality traits that never change or alter in any way as the story progresses, and in many cases they include way over the top and/or stereotyped personality traits...
3 - Game Play Mechanics: I usually prefer a visual novel with choices that actually mean something, regardless if it's just a momentary change due to a choice or a long term change.... If you are going to offer up choices at all, then let them have meaning... And I really do NOT like Choice Traps, that are meant to force a player/reader down a specific path preferred by the developer... To me, and many other folks, Choice Traps leading to Dead Ends/Game Over and so on, feel like player/reader punishment... If you don't want the player/reader to make a certain choice, then don't offer it... Nothing feels like a complete waste of my time, then having a choice presented that ends the game early... When I'm playing/reading a VN/Game, I actually will try varying choices now and then, just to see what happens...
There are other game play mechanics I don't mind, if they are not annoying, highly repetitive, and/or tedious...
4 - Visuals: For me visuals are not as important, depending on the game... That being said, I do get annoyed seeing the same backdrops and certain character models, used over and over again from one VN/Game to another... I prefer some originality and creative design on the part of the developers visuals (significant model and background changes if using stock ones)... I don't usually care if they are 3D, 2D, hand drawn, or stick figures... That being said, I really do NOT like RPG Maker games for varying reasons (from the old Nintendo style visuals to the game play mechanics to etc)… Also, I don't like character models that are out of proportion or over the top (such as penis's larger then they should be for the body frame, or overly sized breasts that are both impractical and/or defy gravity and/or don't fit their body frame, same goes for overly sized butts with anorexic hour glass waists that together don't really exist in nature, and the list goes on)… I don't mind well done animations, they don't necessarily need to be fluid, as long as they are not robotic looking... Animations are never a requirement for me, even during sexual encounters... It's when sexual encounters are super fast slam-bam thank you ma'am, and it's over in a few space bar hits, that I feel disappointed...
5 - Fetishes/Themes: I really only have certain extreme fetishes and themes I prefer to avoid, over having a specific list of ones I prefer... I will not get into a detailed list, as I don't want to give firewood to those few immature individuals that love derailing threads (you can probably guess what some of those are) when someone "dares" to criticize certain fetishes/themes... I'm fairly open minded about many fetishes and themes, but I do have a moral compass that tells me when something is going too far and/or involves something I don't believe should be used (ever)… Regardless if fiction or non-fiction...
In the long run, it's a complex market, and I have complex preferences (only some of which I touched on)... I've tried all sorts of these Adult/Erotic Games and Visual Novels... Each one is individual, even though many like to copy themselves (lack of originality)… But I will always prefer quality on all aspects of any given VN/Game, together as a whole... As to this market, I want to be entertained, with good story and/or game play, along with a mix of erotic/adult content... If I wanted pure porn, there are literally millions of porn vids out there I could go watch...
Zip