Opinion: Would you play an heavy story-based game?

[pilots2013]

I’m writing/planning the story of the visual novel I’m working on but I have a dilemma to solve and I wanted to know this forum opinion.

Initially I thought I’d write using common expedients of porn based visual novels, using the narration and the story just as a background.

However crossed my mind the thought of reversing the roles. Starting from the story itself, and then develop the game upon it. With that I mean writing something that has a theme, multi dimensional characters, where sex and porn is just part of it, a portion of the bigger picture, that serves as an enhancer, and that’s not the center of everything.

Most of the time the plot is used as a tool for getting to porn. I thought to avoid that.

What do you think, you would play a game that ”forces” where the story is the protagonist?

 

[I'm Not Thea Lundgren!]

It would depend on the writing.
I've played a few games where there is more reading than game, but the writing was phenomenal so it was well worth it.

 

[polywog]

Write the full story first. Even if you intend to show a lot of the story in pictures.
Your artist can get what they need to makes the scene by reading your description, the more details the better.

Ren'Py supports a self-voicing mode in which a speech synthesizer is used to read out text and other interface elements. This is intended to make Ren'Py games accessible to the vision impaired. The Self-voicing mode can be toggled by pressing the v key.

Ren'Py's self-voicing works by extracting text from displayables and reading it to the player. Ren'Py extracts this text from two places.
Text displayables Ren'Py will extract text from a Text displayable, and make it available to be read to the player. Alternative text
Alternative text is supplied by a displayable's alt style property. It can also be supplied by actions supplied to buttons and values supplied to bars. Explicitly supplied alternative takes precedence over text supplied by actions or values, and both take precedence over text extracted from Text displayables.

Alternative text is translated using Ren'Py's string translation mechanism. Alternative text takes precedence over text extracted from a displayable and its children, but such child text is made available as the "[text]" string substitution. No other string substitutions are allowed.

Supplying the who_alt and what_alt parameters to Character sets the alt style property for the character name and body text, respectively. As an example, we define a Character that uses italics to indicate thoughts normally, but explicitly indicates thoughts via self voicing:

 

[HopesGaming]

Yes, if your story is good you will get a playerbase.

My game, The DeLuca Family, has no sex in it nor is the story focused around anything related to porn. Most physical it got so far is groping and kissing (and one finger action). Yet, It is among the top-rated here and got a healthy playerbase.
In fact, right now I am working on lore writing (think of game of thrones lore story with timelines, important persons, important eras and events and different familie information and history. Just with mafia world instead and with an amateur writer instead of a world-class writer like George R.R Martin.)
So, as you can read, not a lot of that has anything to do with porn. Actually, today I made my most 'porn' like render ever. That was a request from a patron and it was a BJ render. I feel so dirty now.

So, yes, it is definitely possible to do what you want to do. But it is harder than doing it the 'normal' way. A porn game can get away with a lot. People are in it for some sexy time so they tend to skip anyway. But if the focus is the story, then it better be amazing. Not fine, good or great. Make it amazing.
One thing is to gather the attention of people who are in it for the story, it is a whole nother ballgame trying to gather the attention of people who are originally in it for the fap.

Of course, if you end up making it you will still get people who get annoyed at you for doing it your way (where da sex at?!).
Those are what we call entitled brats who think that all games have to be specifically made for them (none like them people). Anything that is not should be removed from the site. All my positive reviews are different, all my negative reviews are the same (lack of sex).

But even if they are loud- they are few and should be ignored. The danger is for a dev to actually get afraid and listens to 'em and change the game due to that. That is a big no-no.

I hope that helps it a bit. Always look forward to fellow story writers.

(And for the love of God, if you're going story route than don't make a mundane slice of life setting. It can work, but it has to be beyond amazing.)

 

[Mimir's Lab]

Don't see why it has to be all porn shitty story or no porn great story. There definitely exists a happy medium, although finding that sweet spot is a problem of its own. If it's possible to weave visual spectacles like battle scenes into a great story, then it should be possible to weave amazing sex scenes into your own stories in a similarly cohesive manner.

The key is to find purpose in every sex scene. Follow the rule of writing where each scene should advance the plot or reveal more about the characters involved. They can be hot and sexy, good enough for players to wank to, but should also serve the story as well.

An example could be a coming of age story for a shy, broken girl where our first introduction to her is during her first time having sex. We can show that she feels extremely awkward and painful due to so many conflicting emotions and she eventually stops and bolts out. There can be bigger events that slowly change her to be more and more confident, which you can show through her gradual change during sexual intercourse. This way you can have strong character development and sex be intertwined. You can tell the story you want, but still have the porn that brings in the crowds. The sex will simply be story telling disguised as visual spectacle. The ones who can appreciate good story telling will love you for it, and the ones who can't can still enjoy themselves.

 

[Fliptoynk]

Sure... Just forget about the debate no jutsu in battles in case it has one.
Boss: i have suffered long en-(headshot)
Mc: (pokerface) you're welcome...

 

[SeventhVixen]

There are many examples of games that focus on the story and sex is an aside/a plus, more or less gratuitous, more based on provocation or feelings or just that can as considered 18+ game can show what a non-adult game cannot show. (authors like Tlaero, HopesGaming, some games to come, some games that just started...). Even if some have all the classic different routes and little quests to progress on different girls, the main focus is a non-sexual driven story (not the same as non-relation driven per se)

The plots may well be the search for love, for not being alone in the world, for fullfil your desires, and be heavy story driven and not "porn driven", like "when we have the need lewd scene with X" as the main focus, but people just want to know what happens next.

I'm making a history driven game with war management, and instead of making it a strategy simulator light on story, I just make it higher on story and make it NSFW so if the MC has to choose in his path what heir to marry in order to help his cause, I'll rather prefer to show how he fucks her brains out XD For me is, no doubt, more fun. xD

Thing is, story doesn't detract sex nor sex detracts story, all goes to quality of writing, characters, and plot sense.

 

[Fliptoynk]

Goody a war vn! I hope it wont be too dramatic like:
(Coughs and wheezes in the background)
Commander: alright, men... We've gone this far with nothin but tenacity and twould be foolish to back down now)... Our enemies might have the most innovative weapons, advantageous terrain, outnumbered us 10 to 1, blah-
Foot soldier: (sniveling) mother...

How about this:
Commander: alllriiiighty booooyz! Thizzizzit!!! Sharpen y'blades an look lively... Dems gonna'no our length an girth with their eye sockets an eeeeears!!!
Grunt: (frowns) hurr?!?

 

[Synx]

Don't forget the visuals behind the story though. I don't mind story driving VN's, but if a character is telling his whole lifestory sitting on a couch without any visual guidance/support, I will skip through it. A rich story driving erotic visual novel needs good artwork to support it.

 

[EroticMK95]

Most of the visual novels that are on here I love are due to the story, relationships, twists, character growth but it has to have good renders (preferably ones with big tits) & sex scenes to go with it.

One thing that I find that is lacking is consequences. If the story is taboo related or the main character is fucking everything, characters need to embrace the chase of being naughty of not getting caught & need to have consequences when they are caught everyone shouldn't just be ignorant or so quick to forgive/forgive & forget or simply embrace it.

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One thing that game developers/game writers need to figure out is how to write relationships & plot properly as many seem to use the same crap & cliches from other games...

 

[Ataios]

Depends on the setting and quality of the story. A good story can greatly enhance the sexual content, so I think stories can be relevant for porn games. An adult game could certainly have story elements that are not sexual by themselves and still make the sexual content more appealing. They could be a heroic journey about saving a love interest, combat, such as a sexy milf's elite soldier son fighting her martial artist dominatrix MC lover. Characters could aquire powers and ascend to be divine embodiments of lust.

To answer the question for myself: If the setting is science-fiction, fantasy, steampunk, cyberpunk or post-apocalyptic: Yes, at least if the story is well-written.
If the setting is present day: No, regardless of quality.

 

[pilots2013]

Don't forget the visuals behind the story though. I don't mind story driving VN's, but if a character is telling his whole lifestory sitting on a couch without any visual guidance/support, I will skip through it. A rich story driving erotic visual novel needs good artwork to support it.

What I had in mind was telling a story in the way a movie would.
Using dramatic lights, music, flashbacks, common movie shooting techniques ecc...

I asked this forum opinion because doing something like that requires a lot of work and care for the details, so I would have dropped the idea before even starting if a lot of people dind’t care about a story drivem VN.


But seeing yours and other answers... I guess that the writing of the Act 1 is on its way

Most of the visual novels that are on here I love are due to the story, relationships, twists, character growth but it has to have good renders (preferably ones with big tits) & sex scenes to go with it.

One thing that game developers/game writers need to figure out is how to write relationships & plot properly as many seem to use the same crap & cliches from other games...

Yes, exactly that. That’s what I was talking about.

 

[Meridian]

If you are good writer then sure. But the actual reason why vast majority of games here have simple/bad writing is not because people just want a quick fap. It is because good writers are usually busy actually working as writers in more conventional industries rather than amateur adult games sponsored by patreon supporters. People really underestimate amount talent/skills needed to write a good story.

 

[Farnuge]

If you have a good, unique story, then people will play the game for the story. But it needs to be engaging.

Hope's Gaming's post above misses a lot of what is really good about the Deluca Family - is that interesting and attractive characters are also a large driver. You can have erotic scenarios that don't involve sex, heck they don't even need to involve words. I like Deluca Family, but its not for the story, which admittedly, is still pretty good.

I think the biggest thing is to have interesting, attractive characters, and people will forgive the lack of porn and read your story. Or they will forgive the lack of story and be happy with just porn. Or you can just have porn - people will jerk to it, and then move on to something else.

 

[khumak]

It really would come down to execution. If you're a good writer then I think people will definitely appreciate an in depth story, complex characters, and good dialog. But more is only better if the quality is there. If the writing is not very good then I don't necessarily want more of it.

 

[Granida]

I recently played "Derpraved Awakening" and was blown away on how the game did it.

I love good porn, and good story. If you can mix them together well it's definitely gonna be something that a lot of people will remember for a long time.

 

[hameleona]

Depends 100% on the quality of the story. If I have to wage trough pages of purple prose and/or shock value story twists - I'd say that's worse than a game with no story at all.

 

[Fliptoynk]

Yeah... We'll be like:
Just a 10 minute drive towards downtown newyork, lies a mating ground called... Lefty's. And now, we see 3 females who are involved in a mating ritual known only to human kind... Clubbing.
(Yawn) baaah! Who made this shit? Attenborough??! Next game... Oh! Custer's revenge!!!! Sweet!!!

 

[DeadPotato]

I believe that if the writing is good, then it's good enough. Just make me care enough about what's happening in the game.

 

[Deleted member 229118]

You are basicly discribing a multi protaganist(it is a tag) visual noval.
I dont care for those.

I dislike story games in general because that have a bad habbit of being 98% reading boring text 2% of picking a choice that change's a single sentence.

where sex and porn is just part of it, a portion of the bigger picture, that serves as an enhancer, and that’s not the center of everything.

This is what i do like.
I play games for the gameplay.
They also tent to have bigger stories(Not having to stay within a 30 min timeframe helps alot)
Porn games are great at creating a world where you have alot of options you dont have a real life.

For example i will never rape someone but i love rape games.
Why?
Because the thrill of the hunt, they feeling of outsmarting my prey and then breaking her feels fantastic.
The sex itself is meaningless.
What leads up to it makes it great.


Sure i could play other stealth games but they tent to lack the same thrill of the hunt.

Or incest games where i corrupt the family.
It isnt about the sex but the mind games.


A good story can make or break a game.
But it is a game first and formost.
Gameplay>everyhing else.