Is there still a market for text-based games (not VNs)?

[taiki_wata]

Just to clarify, when I say text-based games I'm not talking about VNs. I mean games like this (Warsim):



Or maybe this (Degrees of Lewdity):



What do you think?

 

[MissCougar]

Yes. Love them. But the writing and theme have to be better and it has to have some kind of creative mechanic.

I like these better because I can usually imagine better than someone can artistically do, especially in the indie porn scene.

 

[ciri_in_trouble]

You might as well do an HTML game though IMO

 

[Iexist]

Considering that games like TiTs, CoC 2 and... Corrupted Saviors? I think that was the name? have their dedicated fan-bases and still seem to be going in terms of development and whatnot... I'd say that yes, there's still people interested in playing primarily text based games, and not just VNs.

I couldn't say how profitable they are though.

At the end of the day, these types of games are very tricky to get right. Writing matters a lot and it's very easy to end up with something that's very meh if the writing isn't at least passable. The mechanics of whatever is being made also matter a lot for obvious reasons.

Since we're talking about a game here, and not just a VN, then the gameplay, such as it is, makes its own difference. Corrupted Saviors is, after all, primarily played because of the gameplay as far as I'm aware.

 

[Brosewood]

Is there a market? Yes, but people expect more from you. They want more freedom. More customisation. More to do. Better writing, etc. They are the sort of games that can become overwhelming before long, and I'm saying that from experience.

It's also harder to build an audience as visuals are a universal language. Everyone from Paris France to Paris Texas understand big ol' titties when they see 'em. Limiting yourself to only English speakers and people who are willing to read walls of text.

If you really are eager to participate in the madness that is game development, I'd advise that you create something simple to begin with. Learn Twine/Sugarcube/HTML/Whatever and learn about it. Learn how to use it. Learn how to plan your game out. Learn what works and what doesn't. You can always make the big game when you have a grasp of what you're doing.

 

[taiki_wata]

After some research, I think it might be best to release the game (if I really make it) for free and just have a donation page on Fanbox.

 

[taiki_wata]

Almost have a playable prototype

But I just realize Fanbox requires me to mosaic-censor some stuff...

I also decided to focus on the training / stats management part. Hopefully Patreon would have some mercy for this game...

 

[yboronje48]

I would say that text based games are still popular, yeah. Profitability is another thing though, which I genuinely have no clue about.

 

[Brosewood]

I would say that text based games are still popular, yeah. Profitability is another thing though, which I genuinely have no clue about.

Profitability is actually rather good when it comes to text-based games. You don't need the rendering-machine PC that costs the same as a used car. You don't need to hire an artist (although it will certainly help). You only need to learn how to program in your chosen engine, and Twine is about as idiot proof as a game engine can get.

SiS may not make a lot of money in the big scheme of things, but I've been in the green for a long time. I only spent money on one image (which was worth it for advertising) so even as I was starting, I wasn't really all that behind money wise. For those who might be wanting to dip their toes into game development, making a Twine based game is a good way to start as the risk is basically non-existent.

Now, there is the obvious caveat that profitability doesn't equal a living. I'm far from making anything beyond little bit of extra spending cash. That's certainly not true for all text-based games (Course of Temptation and Female Agent have certainly made good money), but the majority aren't making big bucks. Truthfully, most adult game devs aren't making that much money. Everyone looks at 'Being a DIK' and other popular games and see a gold mine, but those games are a small minority. If you're in this purely for the money you're in for a bad time and likely a short time.

 

[SomeRandonDude]

Wow, I had never heard of this niche of text-based games in CMD. I found it interesting. Is it something that has been around for a long time?

 

[whowhawhy]

Wow, I had never heard of this niche of text-based games in CMD. I found it interesting. Is it something that has been around for a long time?

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i'm not sure about marketability (some more popular games nowadays "cheat" with making retro graphics with ascii aesthetic instead of using actual text, and an average person prefers roguelikes with a tileset), but the niche is still alive.