Linear VN or free-roam games? (Poll)

[TrropJunior]

Hey there,
I'm in the midst of creating a game but unsure how I would like the story to progress. I don't want to delve into the story currently but it can definitely branch into any direction. I noticed the last poll done on this was over 2 years ago now and want to see if the consensus has changed.

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Would love to know peoples opinions on this as I'm stumped on what direction to take the game. Again, all 3 fit the story perfectly but want to go with the most enjoyable option for the majority of people.

 

[Adabelitoo]

You probably saw my old poll. Here is another one from this year and I'm pretty sure there is one more out there.

 

[TrropJunior]

You probably saw my old pool. Here is another one from this year and I'm pretty sure there is one more out there.

Ahh, did not see those

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[Jofur]

We had a thread recently about this so I'm just gonna echo what I said there.
I can't get into linear VN's at all. I pretty much just won't play them. For me even the tiny amount of interaction you get from a "sandbox" is vital to making the experience more immersive and engaging. I want to work a bit for my porn. Otherwise I might just hop on over to Pornhub or something.

Also, we should stop referring to games like Summertime Saga or Man of the House as sandbox. Sandbox implies emergent and nonlinear gameplay. These are more just standard adventure games.

 

[baloneysammich]

I don't care for "quote-unquote sandbox"* games, because in my experience they generally involve grind that serves no point other than to extend gameplay. Like MotH for example, where grinding stats with a girl meant seeing the same exact image and text several times. IMO there is no value in that, which is why I abandoned the game. And like I said in that other thread, simply having different text each time would change my opinion.

* This:

Also, we should stop referring to games like Summertime Saga or Man of the House as sandbox. Sandbox implies emergent and nonlinear gameplay. These are more just standard adventure games.

 

[wWbcbc]

Personally, I feel like a Sandbox game has a higher ceiling, but is also way easier to mess up. So I guess it comes down to; how much time are you willing to put into making the sandbox actually worth it OR how much are you willing to pay to get someone else to do that. (Usually not really an option)
I tend to prefer games without sandboxes since I find them more enjoyable on average. Also, making a VN doesn't mean you're forced to have no interactive elements at all (mini-games/quizzes etc.).
As many people have pointed out before, what you want to make (your "vision") should take priority. If you simply don't know/care I think you should focus on other stuff like; How much will your game specifically gain from having a sandbox? (Do you have a setting with a lot of locations? If so, it's gonna make implementing a sandbox into the story way harder, but probably also more rewarding?) How much time will you save not implementing it? Is that time spent better on other interactive elements or focusing on story/art?
Sidenote; asking people what they want/like is dangerous. There are always people who actually don't know and just say what they THINK they want/like. Letting those people influence your work is never a good idea.

 

[SandboxAccount]

Dunno, give a moment to think about it.

 

[Rafster]

Dunno, give a moment to think about it.

You certainly honor your user name

For me, I always liked sandboxes, in fact my 3 favorite porn games are sandboxes. But they demand a lot of coding skill, and not everyone can pull that off. I've been working hard during all this year, and I only have 3 locations on my "sandbox" game.

 

[SandboxAccount]

You certainly honor your user name

For me, I always liked sandboxes, in fact my 3 favorite porn games are sandboxes. But they demand a lot of coding skill, and not everyone can pull that off. I've been working hard during all this year, and I only have 3 locations on my "sandbox" game.

Hard to code, only worth playing.