I'm making my first game. Looking for Genre advice and opinions

[hentaifreakxx]

Answer to Question 1:
The game should specifically be for you. You should be making a game that you don't already see being made. You should make the game that is everything you want to see in a game but don't see others making. If you were granted a single wish by a Djinn for the perfect adult game that you could play for the rest of your life - that is the game you should invest your time in developing. If you are new to game design - you could take a piece of that perfect game so as to learn the basics and then later build out a full game once you feel more accomplished.

You should be completely invested in the storyline, the characters, the plot, the scenarios, the conflict, the resolution. Everything. If you are creating this to please others, you will find that you can't make everyone happy... or even a plain majority. You will find that you will make your life miserable in attempting to make a game that "players like." The only game you should design is one you like with the genres you like and know about.

I know I sound like I'm harping on this - but far too many eager amateur developers attempt to gather input from players, thinking it will make their game more successful. What it normally does is burns out the developer and either nothing gets made or it is soon abandoned because the developer become unmotivated since it's not theirs, anymore.

Answer to Question 2:
If you want to list your game on Patreon, Subscribestar, Itch, Steam, etc --- FOLLOW THEIR RULES. Period. Do not put rape, beast, incest, etc in it. Look at the sites you're interested in using as a funding platform and make sure you stay within their rules. If you have doubts --- ASK THEM ASAP and SAVE THEIR ANSWERS. Document. Save. Document. Save. Do not assume. Do not try to pull a fast one. Do not be a dick. Games and developers are being pulled from all those sites when they are discovered as breaking rules. You might get away with it for a day. a month. a year. a decade. But eventually, you will get caught. Ask Dark Cookie about getting caught (and then making sure to follow the directions to the letter and holding his #1 adult game dev spot on Patreon for 8+ years). Ask Uberpie about getting caught (and then still trying to get away with shit for years, only to be banned from Patreon after 6 years and getting banned from Steam before even listing the game for sale and now trying to pull a fast one on Itch). Ask a couple of hundred developers who just had their games pulled from Steam and Itch.

Finally, if you're doing this to make bank... don't. Get a traditional job working for someone else that pays regularly and has benefits. Do this on the side or as a hobby. The mean monthly earnings for an adult game developer on Patreon is about $100 USD per month, even after 4 years of development. The mean monthly earnings from an adult game on Steam is about $190 USD per month during the life of the game.

Thanks for the advice, and you are absolutely right! I will 100% make the game I am interested first and foremost. I appreciate the tips there.

As far as question 2. I am not really looking to make bank or anything lol, truly, this is a fun project for me, I have always wanted to make. And I am new to the whole game-making process, so I will be taking it 1 step at a time.

The only concern I do have is, like you said, follow their website rules. I'm okay with that. But every site has different rules, it seems, and I'm not sure where I will take my game yet (fully in terms of tags and content). So I was more curious about the different websites, since all I know is Patreon, Steam, and itch. But as you said, they are all tightening down lately even more, so where is a place for games that have aggressive tags?

For example, I'll be 100% honest. I will most likely have a heavy corruption path in my game. But that can get pretty... abusive, rapey, etc. Which I'm pretty sure none of these sites want lol. I always figured, since it was in a fictional game with cartoonish graphics, it would be considered fantasy and not some real heavy tags. But I have come to learn that is not the case. IDK, I guess what I'm saying is, I worry about breaking rules without even knowing it, or not having a place to post it at all (other than here lol). Because even though I don't expect to make bank, I wouldn't mind some extra funding if I get knee deep in the game and prove myself to an audience who enjoys it. (Whatever, though, since this is a loooong time away anyway. I wouldn't even start one of these accounts for money unless I was deep into it, so I have a long way to go)

 

[DawnCry]

If it's a corruption game then I would recommend you go sandbox and try to make it a good one, overall a bad sandbox tend to be the ones in which no matter how many days pass nothing happens. I would say that one of the pleasures of corruption games is actually playing around with it, seeing how characters act differently in similar scenes and stuff.

Perhaps you can evade a good part of the rape/abusive stuff if you go the mind control or suggestion type of corruption?

 

[Count Morado]

But as you said, they are all tightening down lately even more, so where is a place for games that have aggressive tags?

There is no such place.
You can attempt to get away with it on Subscribestar - but once they crack down on their rules, you're fucked there too.

That's why I said - Follow the rules. Period.

Itch

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on Adult Content
Patreon

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on Sexually Gratifying Works
Steam

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on What You Shouldn't Publish
Subscribestar Rules on

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and

You must be registered to see the links

When you create a creator/developer account on these sites, you are making an agreement that you will follow their terms in exchange for using their site to promote your product and, hopefully, earn money.

If you want to make a game that has more "aggressive" tags - that is your choice, but in choosing to do so you should then realize that you won't be able to enter into an agreement with a funding platform like Patreon, Subscribestar, Itch, and Steam, as well as any others. That is your trade-off. It's your choice, but choices have consequences.

I guess what I'm saying is, I worry about breaking rules without even knowing it, or not having a place to post it at all (other than here lol).

And again, that's why I said - If you have doubts, ask them ASAP. Save their answers. Document. Save. Document. Save. Do not assume.

Perhaps you can evade a good part of the rape/abusive stuff if you go the mind control or suggestion type of corruption?

Mind Control is typically considered non-consensual (a.k.a. rape) - which violates the rules of the sites.

 

[hentaifreakxx]

If it's a corruption game then I would recommend you go sandbox and try to make it a good one, overall a bad sandbox tend to be the ones in which no matter how many days pass nothing happens. I would say that one of the pleasures of corruption games is actually playing around with it, seeing how characters act differently in similar scenes and stuff.

Perhaps you can evade a good part of the rape/abusive stuff if you go the mind control or suggestion type of corruption?

Yeah, I'm trying to make it plentiful in content, to say the least lol. I think I'll do a hybrid sandbox with VN choice style. So I can simplify the main story ith choice options, but have optional side content to freeroam and activate with ease (without having to roam around endlessly just to find 1 specific new scene)

 

[hentaifreakxx]

There is no such place.
You can attempt to get away with it on Subscribestar - but once they crack down on their rules, you're fucked there too.

That's why I said - Follow the rules. Period.

Itch

You must be registered to see the links

on Adult Content
Patreon

You must be registered to see the links

on Sexually Gratifying Works
Steam

You must be registered to see the links

on What You Shouldn't Publish
Subscribestar Rules on

You must be registered to see the links

and

You must be registered to see the links

When you create a creator/developer account on these sites, you are making an agreement that you will follow their terms in exchange for using their site to promote your product and, hopefully, earn money.

If you want to make a game that has more "aggressive" tags - that is your choice, but in choosing to do so you should then realize that you won't be able to enter into an agreement with a funding platform like Patreon, Subscribestar, Itch, and Steam, as well as any others. That is your trade-off. It's your choice, but choices have consequences.

And again, that's why I said - If you have doubts, ask them ASAP. Save their answers. Document. Save. Document. Save. Do not assume.
Mind Control is typically considered non-consensual (a.k.a. rape) - which violates the rules of the sites.

Gotcha! Thanks for the links as well, btw, I will follow your guidance here and cross my t's and dot my i's. Much appreciated.

Like I said, at any rate, I don't even need to worry about monetizing this for a loooong time anyway. All I'll focus on for now is making the game I want and going from there in the future.

 

[MissCougar]

Hey! Thanks for the reply, especially because we seem to have similar hates on VN games like this lol.

So, I also know precisely what you mean, so I was hoping to make my game easier to access without the headaches of combing through maps and events 40x to try and unlock a hidden scene.

I was honestly thinking of it being a hybrid more linear VN (with choices that affect the ending and paths), but also repeatable places you can visit (almost like side quests if you choose to do them more after what's needed for the main story). They simply trigger further events for that scenario. But keep it simple. Go to the place you want, trigger an event, make choices, and get new content, no long grinds or anything to unlock different or new scenes.

So yeah... I don't know if I explained that well, but after playing a thousand of these games you just mentioned, I hope to make it a bit more manageable without the unnecessary headaches.

Check out this game:

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it hits the VN stuff but also has a constant quest log and lets me know where everyone is so I don't have to click aimlessly to find story. It has been a breath of fresh air for the sort of open world looping VN type game.

 

[hentaifreakxx]

Check out this game:

You must be registered to see the links

it hits the VN stuff but also has a constant quest log and lets me know where everyone is so I don't have to click aimlessly to find story. It has been a breath of fresh air for the sort of open world looping VN type game.

OH Yeah! I have actually played this before and thought it was pretty nice. It has those VN queues, but with a sort of daily cycle without being too annoying.

Damn, you nailed that n the head. I am hoping to make something somewhat similar (to the best of my ability). Obviously different, but as far as mechanics and such go, I want it to be very apparent what to do inside the game and such for new content, rather than aimlessly searching or repeating events over and over for something new.

 

[MissCougar]

OH Yeah! I have actually played this before and thought it was pretty nice. It has those VN queues, but with a sort of daily cycle without being too annoying.

Damn, you nailed that n the head. I am hoping to make something somewhat similar (to the best of my ability). Obviously different, but as far as mechanics and such go, I want it to be very apparent what to do inside the game and such for new content, rather than aimlessly searching or repeating events over and over for something new.

If more of those endless loop VNs could do it like that game I might be more inclined to play them. Just tell me where to go and what options I have, but also keep it in a bit of a timer so I feel pressed to take action and I COULD potentially miss stuff by taking other paths for replay possibility. But don't hide it from me, let me know I'm doing one thing over another.

 

[Letstryitout]

Make the game you want. Most complainers on this site are very vocal, but not necessarily part of the supporters. While taking account of critism can work, overall it's mostly bland tantrums. And if it is your first game, why not find your audience in the way you want to work? VN/Sandbox stuff isn't tricky either, you can decide on how much the game should be word-heavy. If you don't want lots of dialogues, Sandbox is a better option, but if you don't mind writing them, VN might be preferable for you. Just check the waters, filter out some criticism, and work on what you want to work on.

 

[tadalaphoenix]

As a fellow long-time lurker and now-getting-started-to-make-my-own-game-er, I don't have anything to add to the thread, but I had the same question, so kudos!

I'm interested to know what software you will use and what you'll come up with!