Know of any clever ways to allow a player to customize an NPC's fetishes while keeping the element of surprise?

[hakarlman]

Player wants the NPC girlfriend to have fetish X, Y, Z, but how can this be specified in game without losing the element of surprise? To clarify, I want the player to experience their favorite fetish scenario with the NPC girlfriend without ever expecting it or thinking it would happen; that way it becomes a pleasant surprise.

Somewhere along the game, the player has to somehow, in a very subtle manner, specify what kinky stuff they're into. What's the best way to do this?

Opening up a fetish window and selecting the fetishes for that NPC is too easy, too mechanical. There has to be some clever way to do it during gameplay without it being obvious. Any ideas? I can think of a number of ways, but am more interested in what you guys come up with.

 

[Laikhent]

One way would be looking up at decisions the player made in the past.

For instance (just to illustrate), if he had to decide between anal or normal sex with another woman, and he chose anal, you could make the girlfriend be more into anal.

 

[Deleted member 3145675]

Hi,

you have two possible main paths:

-the MC's fetish is either discovered or appears to be obvious.(revealed)

-The Girlfriend reveals herself as having the same kink or is discovered. (or discovers it herself)

How to create such discoveries?

either through elements more or less visible i.e. books, pictures, drawings, sculpture,(computer screen - browser historic ...)
the classical diary, ...

or through events i.e. halloween (a classic for fetish outfits) - a revelation (punished at school - spanked by an evil
teacher (witnessed by GF) - a "stupid" dare one boozy night - a mix of dare and revelation i.e. MC loses a bet
to GF and she proposes 2 options like - running around the block naked OR letting her spank him (he likes it a lot... like really a lot)

(I mostly considered YA themes - but you can almost transpose to older people without major difficulties, replacing a schoolroom with an office one - innocence with greed and good grades by money or power)

the main difficulty resides in the credibility of the scene - truth or dare having been used to death maybe let it rest for a while.

in my opinion, if you consider a YA scenario, credibility is added if the plot is exterior to them - they are
accessories to it (not Forced - unless you want it so - but more like set in a collision course toward a revelation)

i.e. GF goes to swimming pool - bra gets soaking wet - GF goes back to class braless - MC loses it over her tits (like tex avery's wolf)
(yeah i know it lacks real creativity it's merely an example)

(you can switch bra to panties if you prefer)
(or have the GF being caught kissing another girl in the shower, then having to justify her heterosexuality (in kinky ways))

(or thru an evil 3rd party (teacher counsellor nurse sheriff whatever) the poor YAs are pushed towards an incredibly kinky future)
(possibly resisting it at first but discovering thru resistance that they actually enjoy it)

if the MC wants the GF to either discover or wants to lead her to his desired goal, the best way is bread crumbs... (good for a slow burn corruption patreon milking game)

(and most girls IRL are too curious for their own good anyway)

another way is the "revenge" plot: GF wants to punish the MC (or the reverse) (good for humiliation petplay and so on)

I won't go over the whole jealousy, cheating, swinging, bisexuality, FemDom, FinDom and the abominably cursed NTR themes - you'll pick what you like for your story.

Last point, if your topic is about how to have a fetish in a game without having the game Tagged with it, i guess you can't.
a lot of people are hardcore proper tags fetishists and will ask for your game to be properly tagged.
(and will use spoilers to have their way - so bye bye surprise effect)

sky is the limit (sky being your imagination) (or kinkyness)

GL

 

[slider]

I think to a perceptive guy, any kind of fetish selection process will be a bit evident; but this doesn't mean it can't be fun all the same or that the player will know when and with whom the fetish will appear. I would have several different moments and ways where fetishes are selected during the game's intro.

One fetish selection system could be having a conversation with a close friend of the MC, where they would be remembering the past. The friend could ask open questions about past experiences and the MC would be answering in a way that it shapes his past (somebody who wants to play as an alpha probably won't answer that he is still a virgin, that has been already cheated on the past, or that he was a doormat with everybody).

If taking decisions outside the power of the MC is a possibility, another system could be the player selecting the collection of books or porn videos the MC had; composing the headlines of a newspaper of the main city; deciding the gossip a couple of irrelevant characters are discussing; etc.

 

[anne O'nymous]

Player wants the NPC girlfriend to have fetish X, Y, Z, but how can this be specified in game without losing the element of surprise?

By taking the problem from the other side. You don't make the character have "this fetish", but not have "that fetish". Offer to the player the possibility to do this or that, with "this" and "that" being indirectly related to the fetish (like by example looking at his girlfriend in the WC, taking a piss while she's showering, and things like that for watersport). Then, if after a certain amount of time the still haven't done it, disable the related fetish because the said player isn't interested.

 

[Sphere42]

It really depends on what kind and severity of fetish content we're talking about. Stuff like anal or feet can be as simple as an optional grab/poke action during any vanilla sex scene but if the fetish in question is "getting cucked by a zombie clown" you really don't have many options. Also depending on how your game works some scenes might be ambiguous e.g. if you choose to walk in on your girlfriend on the toilet is it because you want to watch her pee and lick her clean, or do you want her to drink your piss with the dumb excuse of "can't hold it a second longer"?

If you're offering either a broad kitchen sink or some very extreme stuff off of a relatively vanilla path (e.g. violent assault/rape, gore, scat, torture, slavery, extreme body proportions...) I would definitely appreciate an options menu to enable/disable those individually. However that does not mean you necessarily need to spoil anything else other than the presence of such fetish material. Won't work for some behavioural/"non-consent" type stuff of course but those seeking such material will know of its presence (or absence) anyway due to tags and/or comments. Honestly the "explore for yourself" approach just feels like bullshit when it comes to fetishes, like when you supposedly play as a megacorp CEO or demon lord or whatever and trade women like cattle as your day job, yet somehow dying their hair or NOT shaving them isn't within your capability?

 

[DuniX]

Choices have Consequences?
If you are doing actions and choices pursuing those fetishes, then you will get those fetishes. The surprise is the game gives you that content.

But if you want the game to restructure itself to tailor make the exact fetishes the player wants then that is better of with more explicit selections.

 

[Doorknob22]

Surprising a player with an unwanted fetish is a big no-no so unfortunately, I strongly advise against surprises in fetishes. I've been writing erotica for 20+ years and in the early years it annoyed me that I have to spoil stories to my readers by providing (fetish) tags but over the years I realized that it's better to ruin the surprise of readers (or players) than have, for example, one guy suddenly suck another guy's cock when for some readers/players it's a huge turn off.

Surprise your players with clever plot twists, great art or fun game mechanics but not with fetishes.

 

[FeropsisFenarue]

I think you are going about this all the wrong way. In a healthy relationship couples will talk/discuss each other's fetishes, and even indulge each others fetishes without having that fetish themselves. Yes, there will be cases where things are a no go, but as the game's author, you can simply state the girfriend is openminded and willing to try to please her boyfriend. I think that is good enough of a pleasant surprise for anyone.

Now the guy likes anal? Ok, let him ask his girl for anal. She can express she's nervous, but once they get into it, maybe she finds out she likes it, and asks for it again later. After many positive experiences, she might even gain that fetish, but at the very least, she's fully into it as long as the guy enjoys it.

 

[woody554]

training, manipulating them in game. exposure, repetition, rewarding, punishing, associating with pleasure. maybe have some rng in it so it's not too mechanical. also there should be pushback, the NPCs should resist the change to a degree. it at least shouldn't look like they're just gonna go with whatever you want. the setbacks make it feel like the NPC has a will of her own.

sometimes we get the cheap version of this, where the NPCs just fold instantly and go with any debauchery you want. that's so boring and lessens the impact of the whole thing. also it shouldn't be just an unlocking event, rather it should be slow and gradual. start with small things, work your way towards the goal stage by stage.