In sandbox porn game...
- Thread starter Wick_master
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- Jul 29, 2017
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- Jul 29, 2017
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Distracting activities that aren't grindy......places to visit that aren't empty....
.....when i sober up i might elaborate a bit more...
A sandbox world shouldn't feel *empty*. Even if not everything is a girl to fuck, try to avoid a bunch of areas you can't go to, areas with nothing happening. Add little side sections, side quests, random stuff you can do to stay entertained, reasons to go certain locations even if there isn't a deliberate task pulling you there.
The persona games do this exceptionally well; the fishing games, places to eat, minigames to play, soaking in the onsen, etc.
The persona games do this exceptionally well; the fishing games, places to eat, minigames to play, soaking in the onsen, etc.
- Dec 12, 2020
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- Jun 10, 2017
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And start by making the location unreachable in the few firsts release, because obviously you'll not be able to make content for everywhere right from the start.
Or, what isn't used enough, a mark saying who's where ; or at least that there's someone, or something to do, in this location.
We don't expect the same level of content than a AAA game, so that there's empty location at a given time isn't a problem, as long as we don't have to pass them all in order to find where there's something to do.
But I think that the most important point is that if you decide to make a sandbox game, do not fake it.
There's way too many games where you've tons of locations, but never more than one with content at a given time. You're in MC's bedroom, the last sentence you see before being gave the control is, "oh, I should go 'there' now", and the only place that will have something to do is this "there".
It's more annoying than anything else. While those who do that perhaps think that they are smart and give a gameplay to their players, they more surely bore them to death. If there's always only on place where we can go, make us move to it automatically, don't let us imagine that on day in the future we will have a choice to make a this moment.
Not only it will be good for the players, that will not lost time trying to see if there's something interesting elsewhere, but it will also be good for yourself. You'll have less works to do, and also less risk to break your game.
There's a game, that I'll not name to not shame its author, where since now near to two years, and despite the author been warned about this, there's two locations that just sent you back in time if you click on them. This just because the author wanted to have a map where we choose our destination, while there's always only one place where we can go at a given time.
Thanks for more detailed explanation.
You really helped me a lot.
I am going to fill in some holes with those empty places..
Yeah, before I began making a game I thought it would be quite easy to do such (put stuffs to entertain other than sex),
but it is really challenging task (at least for me).
I am trying hard though
Yes...
Making a game with good replaybility might be out of my capacity, but still thanks for your advice.
I really appreciate your advice.
After reading your detailed explanation, I think I can only make somewhat half-sandbox at best?
however, I will try to make a game that wouldnt feel empty or monotonous.. at least
features: qol (comfy UI - time tweaking, text skipping, rollbacking upon wrong answer, ingame tips/hints or solid external walkthrough, skippable minigames if any. skippable routines if you need 50 clicks for showers-makeups-shavings-hairwashing-hairstyling if femMC...if u have several routes - progress resets, event triggers, ...cheats in case of datesimish hardships: grind this to raise stats/money to be able to buy that gift in order to raise npc love stats... here i imply performing actions [prerequisites] not directly linked to progressing like in case of tasks/quests chains ).
many ppl here tend to describe somewhat 'open-worldish' sandbox (dif routes, filling some locations with minor content so you could almost free-roam and get some)... im ok with that ofc but most sbx games utilize a narrowed down approach (somewhat one path ...just X amount of npcs to approach) ... do this there at that time with that npc x N times -> unlocking /being rewarded with some lewd scene. -> proceed further with next questchain steps
and those games which are not - usually felt short ...or half-cooked... (as probably hard for single dev to handle)
and actually nothing comes to mind apart some html and qsp RP games. (not that i played many renpy/unity 3dr sbxes, but it would be not easy to come up with some 3drenders random npcs/scenes... )
many ppl here tend to describe somewhat 'open-worldish' sandbox (dif routes, filling some locations with minor content so you could almost free-roam and get some)... im ok with that ofc but most sbx games utilize a narrowed down approach (somewhat one path ...just X amount of npcs to approach) ... do this there at that time with that npc x N times -> unlocking /being rewarded with some lewd scene. -> proceed further with next questchain steps
and those games which are not - usually felt short ...or half-cooked... (as probably hard for single dev to handle)
and actually nothing comes to mind apart some html and qsp RP games. (not that i played many renpy/unity 3dr sbxes, but it would be not easy to come up with some 3drenders random npcs/scenes... )
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It's hard to give feedback on Sandbox Porn games when there are so little.
If you're trying to make one, I suggest picking a fetish and build from there.
If you're trying to make one, I suggest picking a fetish and build from there.
- Jun 10, 2017
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Do it like you feel it. Like Droid Productions said, the locations don't necessarily need to always have important content. What matter is that they aren't totally empty and meaningless most of the time.
It can even be something trivial, as long as it don't fall in a grinding tendency.
By example, the bathroom can offer you the possibility to take a shower, what by itself have no implication. But if you haven't showered at least once the whole week, you'll have to try harder to convince your girlfriend to have sex with you. Or it's your charisma that is temporarily (and virtually) reduced, and you'll have to try harder if you want to seduce the girls.
Then, this location now have a meaning even when there's no events planed at this exact moment, but there's still no obligation to visit it every time, nor real obligation to visit it time to time. Not showering don't close gates, but showering time to time make them easier to be open.
- Dec 18, 2018
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Sandbox games to me mean player freedom. Don't ever try to railroad the player down one specific questline or playstyle, offer multiple playstyles and multiple possible partners. One specific fun feature about sandbox games is being able to develop an area. Developing an area could mean having a house that you can expand and show your achievements in. Developing an area could mean you are in control of how a town or fort operates and develops. Just generally try to consider ways that player decisions could permanently change the world of the game, even in minor ways like being able to name an inn. In the context of a lewd game, think of things like building another room means that you can have people live with you, building a pool means you can go skinny dipping.
To me the best sandbox games are ones where I feel like I can change the world around me.
To me the best sandbox games are ones where I feel like I can change the world around me.
well... most sandboxes dont have that per se . so id say it is more about UI separating it from VN.
why not.
can you name any 3Drendered game which did that and was noticable and playable?
nothing came to my mind, did u mean qsps/htmls?
GL ? but it has tons of halfcooked forgettable scenarios. and i think developed ones are rathere short...just too stretched in time via heavy rng
thecompany routes? imo as dev had to spread his attention - the actual quest/events chain felt too short as well.
but, say, SoaB and big kuyash (despite having alt routes for some npcs) have quite straightforward but more developed quest chains. which i like. so if it is easier for dev to implement id support that route instead of messy 'freeroamish' one he would prolly fail to bear and ditch eventually
- Dec 18, 2018
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The core of sandbox games is 100% player freedom. Every good sandbox game has multiple playstyles, Skyrim is a game that has quite an effective classless system. Often sandbox games have a rather short main quest, but have a lot of interactions in the world that you are missing most of the game if you choose to go for it first, this is true of a lot of RPG-sandbox games like Skyrim, Breath of the Wild, and No Man's Sky. Sandbox games very frequently don't have specific many quests at all and instead give the tools for the player to create their own story, Sims, Spore, Sandbox Evolution, Dwarf Fortress, Minecraft, and Terraria.
I think a good example of a some sandbox elements being successfully implemented into a game from this site is Rouge-Like. That game gives you some great options for women to persue romantically, and nothing has to be done in a predetermined order at a predetermined place. It's all very dynamic. You can play around in the school showers, you can invite girls who like you back to your place. You can go to one of the girl's dorm rooms. A lot of dynamic factors compound, for instance the teacher will be very reluctant to do it anywhere public, but once her convince her to do it public you could try to get caught, or you could lock the doors and play it safe. If X finds you being inappropriate and reprimands you, having the teacher there to mind erase him will give you a free pass, and then you could choose to do something like steal keys to one of the girls rooms. No matter where you are, if you have a girl's number and she's not busy or angry with you, then you can call her to come over. You can tell a girl who likes you not to masturbate, and if she's into that type of commanding relationship she will obey, but if you don't please her frequently enough she may call and ask for your permission, then you could choose to scold her, go over and please her, or give her permission.
Sandbox games aren't for everyone, and when it comes to small scale games a lot of developers do misunderstand what makes sandbox games good. A big mistake is taking a linear type game and just adding sandbox elements such as open-worlds, survival mechanics, grinding, rng, etc. None of those are what make sandbox games fun. Sandbox games sink or float based on the dynamic reactions to player choice, they are not a checklist of stereotypical features. This type of game design is definitely more advanced, and it takes a deeper understand to successfully make this kind of game than it would to make a linear VN.
but we are talking about specific niche of games ("f95-type" ...indie, slum, amateursexgames, small scale games, whatever the name is)
so i dont see how "classic" vision can be applied there as you simply cannot expect having some GTA5 and with tons of interactable npcs with tons of options leading to tones of routes .
(couple or so 3Dopenworld exceptions i guess can be found there as well... was it a lifeplay, i assume made by several devs and contributors... some gtavicecity-ish one...some with some humanoid cats...havenot played so not sure about other freedoms)
what kind of sandboxes we can expect here is demonstrated by the site's content ->
x. semi-sbxes (vns with some sbx ui, and all sorts of boarderline cases. dod, badik.)
a. narrative/quest-based sbxes (some are narrowed down to task completion - mostly related to time-location tracking , some allows more interaction with environment (npcs, actions, items, locations to toy with inbetween)
b. sbxes datesims/trainers (and any a&b overlap) ...
i checked Rogue-Like briefly, it should fit datesim sbx category.
and personally i am not into datesims, because without cheating all that relationship raising is a grindy exercise to me (though i understand that it is a core of the datesims)...so i cheat and thus unlock all the lewd options. insta end game.
but some factors to consider:
i. looks like it is pretty old game. 2016? and i assume most/all options are pretty much the same for all 2-3? femnpcs (meaning that im not surprised that devs had time and energy to come up with more choices and to squeeze some "dynamic interactions". otherwise it would be rather unimaginative datesim)
ii. it is 2d drawings, i dont know if it will be easier to saturate a game with some dynamic interactions, phone ui and rng-events when using 3d renders. (i dont know many 3dR datesims, maybe one ...holiday island) surely much less problems with that in rp-qsps/htmls but not sure if topic starter had this in mind.
iii. generally speaking, in datesims/trainers instead of unlocking next quest chain steps you unlock options (which you use to raise stats further to unlock other options). that progression ladder is just executed in a way giving you somewhat free choice feel simply because datesim gameplay is based on choices and its variety including those deriving from mood or relationship scores . (but in the end it is the same if A-action then B-result to me. including mentioned mini-quests / actions-prerequisites with doors or memory. not much difference with quest-based sandboxes, apart from being repeatable i assume )
24/7 access to hopeless femnpc is also to be expected as datesim is about constant interacting with npc.
obviously nothing prevents me from agreeing that it is not a true-sandbox game, but just a game with 'some sandbox elements' / semi-predetermined sets of choices and options. but if you might have guessed, there would be no much point in doing that ... so i cannot say that devs misunderstood or made mistakes in understanding sanboxes ...it is just the way how things are done (*can be done) & called "here"...so basically sbx would be a game with a certain UI and time-place sensitive tasks or a game where u raise npcs relationship-etc stats via one options to be able to use other options.
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- Dec 18, 2018
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I'm not super well versed in the adult gaming community, largely because I don't like VN, Dating-Sim, or JRPG style games, which seems to be the majority of what is out there currently. You keep naming specific games and using acronyms, so you should know that I'm not picking up on any of that. I suppose considering my ignorance, sandbox game in the context of this thread could be referring to injecting sandbox elements into those types of games, rather than trying to be a true sandbox experience. I don't think it's fair to imply that true or "classic" sandbox games are simply out of reach for starting indie developers. Minecraft, the most successful sandbox game ever was made by one dev. Dwarf Fortress was also made by one dev. No Man's Sky and Terraria were small indie teams. Obviously I'm not expecting someone's first game to be a Skyrim, GTA V, or Hytale level sandbox, but I also think people overestimate how much work it takes to make a true sandbox game.
"i dont know if it will be easier to saturate a game with some dynamic interactions, phone ui and rng-events when using 3d renders." Generally speaking 3D games are much more efficient for iterative content. Once you have 3D models and settings, you can make each new situation often just with posing and rendering. A 2D situation start from ground one with each iteration. At this scale it also depends whether someone is more comfortable with the medium. Obviously someone who is great at drawing and has no 3D modelling skills would probably by faster with 2D because of the time spent learning 3D would be time consuming. But assuming someone is equally capable at 2D and 3D, 3D would be the fastest for content creation.
The OP for this thread wasn't exactly clear on what type of sandbox game they were talking about, so as someone who likes a lot of non-porn sandbox games, I was giving my take on what elements make a sandbox game fun for me in the grand context of gaming, not the context of this community. It think it's obvious that you are very entrenched in the context of this community and the porn games that already exist, and it results in us sort of talking past each other on this topic.