I need your opinion, please let me know.

[_Doux]

Hey guys
I'm developing an adult visual novel game, it's my first project, I'd like to know what are the main mistakes of a beginner developer.

I also want to know your opinion about what a good game should have, and what it shouldn't have. if you can also recommend good games for me to learn some things, I would appreciate it.

 

[Nobody Cares]

New developer here. The best advice I can give is to follow first and foremost your own ideas and tastes. It is good to please your audience but they will love you more if you bring them something that truly inspired you. It is important to listen to criticism and build upon feedback, but the first spark must always come from you.

 

[Yngling]

Two suggestions:

1) Be clear about future content. If a game will have NTR in the future, please say so from the start, because it may attract NTR fans while it protects you from fallout when NTR haters find out that your game will have NTR. The same goes (to a lesser extent) for other devisive fetishes like incest but also watersports etc.

2) Keep it simple. Don't add sandbox, stats and other things unless you really know what you are doing. If these things are properly implemented, they can work and perhaps (rarely) make a good game great but mostly it's just annoying.

 

[Vollezar]

I think they pretty much covered it.
1) Follow your own story. Sometimes it's okay to add suggested content from the public, unless it changes your story.
2) Do NOT pack too many choices into your first game or too many LIs. This WILL become a lot of work and for your first project you want to make it fairly simple for yourself.
3) Choose your kinks from the start. Because if you add a kink that you know nothing or very little about you'll just get people disappointed.
4) If you are the one doing 3D art, pick your models and test them in different lighting setups. And DO customize them at least somewhat. Make them unique to you.
5) Be ready for not only criticism, but a lot of people raging for no real reason. Also be prepared for people who clearly either didn't really play the game (skippers) or are pissed off because they did not see their kink in your game. Those people will leave some pretty nasty reviews and often rage in your game's thread.

 

[TheMagicalGurl]

1. Make sure your first release is a release you are truly proud of and not rushed... You cant repeat a debut. After you release a mid debut, you will struggle to gain footing from there.....

 

[Yngling]

Second advice: Don't overdo yourself and test the waters first.

Take a few characters, a simple but interesting story, and keep moving forward until you finish the game. Every ounce of time should be spent driving toward the finish line. Don't stop, slow down, or detour for anything other than bug fixes. Don't go chasing after every new story idea or game feature that pops into your head. Start small, stay small, and finish small. Don't go trying to create your glorious magnum opus when you don't even have one completed project under your belt.

This is great advice.

A lot of devs want to create their "ultimate game". This almost always means a huge scope, lots of characters, lots of story, etc. While some devs get this right, most don't, and get bogged down by the amount of work that their "ultimate game" entails. Including trying to re-render everything starting from v0.5 or something because they have improved their rendering skill, and it's the "ultimate game" so everything must be perfect, right? Wrong! The game you are making is not the "ultimate game"! There are hundreds of games which their creators intended to be the "ultimate game" but actually they often turn out as abandoned and not very good to begin with.

Your first game will not be the "ultimate game" because you lack skill and experience. Better to try small, and then maybe your second or third game will be the "ultimate game" but probably you will have realised by then that such a thing as an "ultimate game" does not exist.

 

[Nobody Cares]

This is great advice.

A lot of devs want to create their "ultimate game". This almost always means a huge scope, lots of characters, lots of story, etc. While some devs get this right, most don't, and get bogged down by the amount of work that their "ultimate game" entails. Including trying to re-render everything starting from v0.5 or something because they have improved their rendering skill, and it's the "ultimate game" so everything must be perfect, right? Wrong! The game you are making is not the "ultimate game"! There are hundreds of games which their creators intended to be the "ultimate game" but actually they often turn out as abandoned and not very good to begin with.

Your first game will not be the "ultimate game" because you lack skill and experience. Better to try small, and then maybe your second or third game will be the "ultimate game" but probably you will have realised by then that such a thing as an "ultimate game" does not exist.

Remember Duke Nukem Forever?

 

[♍VoidTraveler]

Since we're talking about VN, this much should do aside from what people already wrote about:

3. Ambient sounds and music can elevate your project to a new level, at the cost of increased size.
4. Animation is nice to have if done well, but not a necessity.
5. A good story is a good foundation.
6. Plan ahead, EVERYTHING.
7. The more money pipes you have leading towards your bank account the better.
So go and register on all those patreons,

You must be registered to see the links

, buymeacoffee's, etc.
8. Work hard, be creative, research and learn.

Good luck~

 

[♍VoidTraveler]

Oh yes almost forgot about those 'good games' you asked about.

Well, for me it's naturally any Sierra Lee game.
Her writing skill is outstanding. I also loved the art she used to make: Once Ever After, totally gorgeous stuff.

Then there are also particularly great examples like:

Ravager
Mist
Desert Stalker
Rise of the White Flower
Parasite Black
The Wind's Disciple
Casual Desires
AlwaysFan

This is, of course, purely my own personal opinion and taste.

 

[Rafster]

1. Make sure your first release is a release you are truly proud of and not rushed... You cant repeat a debut. After you release a mid debut, you will struggle to gain footing from there.....

THIS. So much this.

I received the same advice by a wise dev here, and I'm so happy I followed it. My first beta was ugly, really ugly, it took a year (and a half) to polish the game, but it was worth it, I had good reception here once I had him ready. You can't go back in time and make a better impression, so make sure you have the best version of your game as possible.

People rush their first releases so often, I see it all the time, especially with Twine games (my game is a Twine text sandbox). As tempting as it may be releasing you 0.00001 version with barely two renders and the Patreon link ready, don't do that.

It's good that you track similar games to yours that are being released, and learn from the mistakes of their launch. I spent a lot of time browsing the HTML section and seeing how devs did with the launch of their games. You should do it with new Ren'py VNs if you're going that way.

Also, take a look to successful games similar to yours, their strengths and weaknesses. Take notes and see what you can adapt to your game, or at least what you would like to have.

 

[Brosewood]

1) Simpler the better for the most part. You can always make your more complicated game later.
2) Make the game you want to make. The people who'll cry about you not catering to their fetishes weren't ever gonna give you any money anyway so fuck 'em.
3) Your actual workload is going to be at least twice as much as you think it is right now.
4) v0.1 is your foundation. If you're making a sandbox, make sure your variables are in check, because it's much harder to add things in later. You'll also want to make a good first impression as many have mentioned.
5) Be prepared for frustration. You're gonna have days where you're wondering why the fuck you do this. Days where you stare at the screen with no motivation. Days where you're trying to find that one bug that keeps messing with you. Days where people will literally go out of their way to say 'This game sucks' without elaborating. If you're crazy like most of us, you'll end up eager to chase the highs that come with game development anyway.
6) If you're making a sandbox game, for the love of God, if I can sum up simple actions with something as simple as 'you go through your morning routine', please do so. Nothing grinds my gears more than games where you have to click to wake up, then click to eat breakfast, then click to go to the bathroom in hopes your stepsister sees your magnum dong and is now deeply in love with you, and then click to go catch the bus, and then finally get on with your day.

As for recommendations:

Nothing is Forever is a great example of something that isn't visually amazing, but makes up for it in the writing. That game is one I constantly go back to due to how much more engaging the smut is due to the writing. Characters have clear motivations, kinks, and the scenes are a lot more than just 'Let's bang MC'. I also like the fact that it's probably the only game that can present reasons why the MC shouldn't pursue relationships whilst making them very tempting for both player and the character himself.

New Life isn't perfect, but it's a big influence on me as a developer. It's one of my favorite sandbox games as it gives you plenty of freedom without being overwhelming or overburdened with mundane tasks. Playthroughs can get a bit repetitive in the long run, but it's got some interesting elements that I feel can be built upon.

There are other games I like and could be recommended, but I'd say my best advice on that front is to find what you like, and see how you can spin it.

 

[Rintal]

The main problem of most developers is that they neglect GDD. Or write it in the course of development.

The second problem is the lack of writing talent. Most games are the same boring plots with a lot of terrible clichés.

The third problem is that people who make a game about sex don't know anything about sex! As a result, they get mechanical, boring sex scenes, with some wild, unrealistic poses.

=)

 

[_Doux]

The main problem of most developers is that they neglect GDD. Or write it in the course of development.

The second problem is the lack of writing talent. Most games are the same boring plots with a lot of terrible clichés.

The third problem is that people who make a game about sex don't know anything about sex! As a result, they get mechanical, boring sex scenes, with some wild, unrealistic poses.

=)

Thank you, but what GDD means?

 

[Brosewood]

Thank you, but what GDD means?

Game Design Document. Something to plan out your game before you get started making it. Story, art, themes, mechanics, etc.