Porn game gameplay

[Bilbael]

In this thread I would like to discuss about gameplay in our porn games, and to find ways to improve them.

Right now we have this kind of porn games :
- Sex Simulators (Wild Life, Honey Select)
- Dating Simulators (Summertime Saga, Milfy City)
- Visual Novels (Dating My Daughter, Babysitter)
- RPGs (Incest Story 1&2, Farmer's Dreams)
- Adventure (Lust Epidemic, Artefact)
- Action/Adventure (Zombie's Retreat)
- Training (Something Unlimited, Witch Trainer)

What are the major elements of a porn game :
- A story
- Dialogues
- Sex scenes

What are the gameplay mechanics we can find for each of these major elements :

Story
- Free roaming
- Gestion (Something Unlimited is good a example)
- MC stats (Strength, Intelligence, Life Point, etc.)
- Fuckable characters affinity stats (Love, Lust, Anger, etc.)
- Time management
- Puzzles
- Rewind
- Change character clothes
- Mini Games (Memory, button mashing, lockpit, global knowledge tests, etc.)
- Unlockable events/scenes
- Search and use items
- Inventory (list of items in MC's possession)
- Timeline/Agenda
- Game over
- Quest system
- Quest tracking
- Score system (to get specific event/endings)
- Time system (hour/day)
- Advance time/pick time
- Quick navigation menu (to change location)
- Receive and reply NPCs' phone messages
- Input text parsing
- Branching scenario

Dialogues
- Dialogue tree
- Choice consequences
- Earning or losing affinity points
- Unlockable dialogue choices
- Limited time to pick your choice (Telltale games like)
- Interruption mechanism, to give the opportunity to cut a character's speech with an action (Mass Effect like)

Sex scenes
- Free camera
- Choose camera angle
- Sexual position choice
- Earning or losing affinity points
- Unlockable sex positions
- Unlockable sex scenes
- Change character clothes
- Click to thrust
- Choose speed of thrust
- Repeatable sex scene
- Unlimited sex time (The sex scene end only when the player want it)

All these lists can evolve with your answers.

If you also have some gameplay mechanics ideas you can mention them and I'll add them in the list with the orange color.

Most porn games looks alike, even the stories, then why not try to imagine different gameplays mechanics to improve them. First we should not forget the main reason for a porn game to exist is to give the opportunities for the players to fap. That's why I don't think that an interactive sex scene where the player need to click to thrust is a good idea.. but this is my opinion.

The dialogue system is very limited I think. I know that even non porn games have difficulties to evolve the dialogue system. In Mass Effect there is the Interruption System, but it's difficult to implement it in a visual novel.. another feature is the limited time to choose your answer like in the Telltale games. I personally don't really like this feature, but some of you guys might like it.

Sex scenes are the reasons porn games exist. Is there any way to improve them? Do you want more freedom? more interactions? like a video game should be.

 

[slackster]

I find a lot of the recent erotic games rely too heavily on visuals to satisfy the punters but lack in any meaningful player choice and lack actual "game" or erotic content (The renders may be pornographic but rarely sensual)
I still find the older TADS games sex scenes better written, with better actual gameplay- just fire up an old Goblinboy game and you will lose yourself for hours on end. And each of those games was fully fleshed out , complete without monthly quarterly or even yearly updates and FREE

A lot of devs should spend some time running through a game like Meteor, the School Dreams trilogy and Tesliss Equation. In each of those games you have pretty much all of what you have included above

 

[nicod]

there are a different between porn games and adult games ...

if the game just about sex then it's porn game
if the game about good story with sex scenes included then it's adult game


they aren't the same

 

[KekKoo]

there are a different between porn games and adult games ...

if the game just about sex then it's porn game
if the game about good story with sex scenes included then it's adult game


they aren't the same

1)What do you call a game with a good story, with (interactive?) sex scenes, and gameplay?
2)I guess I want more "Adult Games" than I do Porn Games if that's the case, or something.

 

[freedom.call]

I'm a terrible gamer and I don't play porn games for gameplay tbh. I love stories, even corny ones.

One thing I don't really get is why make a game with porn and then not showing me porn (unless I do exactly as you say)?

I'm not saying show me ALL the porn in the game, just don't make me play through not seeing anything. Quite annoying.

 

[SeventhVixen]

I'm glad to see that list brought up, everything is not just VN or """""sandbox""""".... Good job listing gameplay elements and general types.

Anyway, I think the differentiation that is being talk in the thread about between Porn Games and Adult Games is quite subjective... Because I personally find that a game with little story, bad writting and silly fucks is a porn game, and some people in this forum may think that is a well written adult game that goes deep into the psychology of incest. (things that one reads).

I mean... Match 3 games on steam with hot chicks that unveils her nude, are puzzle games, or are porn games? Or they are Adult puzzle games?

I'm not even sure what I think exactly about what is a porn game and an adult game, sometimes the line is thin.

The difference is not based on gameplay, is not based on quality of story (the story could be lore in a database and be better than the one of a VN, but then the gameplay being a match 3 game)...

I hope the thread does not get derailed. But the porn/adult game discussion has appeared lately and is normal pointing it up when your post only talks about "porn game". Personally I don't care calling them any particular name.

Just games with fap material.

 

[AmazonessKing]

That list should be very obvious for anyone who already likes video games.

I can just say something simple regarding gameplay: Never mix sex and gameplay because it never works. You want sex to masturbate and gameplay to, well, play. So the best thing you can do is just make sex a reward of playing the game well, like how getting a new weapon is a reward in Mega Man. Like so, you should actually give a motivation to the player for him to want those sex scenes like, again, the weapons in megaman.

This should be evident, but I can't repeat this enough, and I mean, who thinks the contrary can show me a single game where gamplay+sex combined worked.

 

[Deleted member 229118]

One of the things i find missing in alot of porn games is the feeling the charaters have there own lives.
Very few games accauly make me feel like i am conquering woman instead of grinding.

A good example of charaters who have there on lives.
In free cities(a slave management game) your slave's can ask you for permision to marry, have relationships and you from time to time stumble upon these things happening.
Despite being text based it makes it feel like they have there own life outside worshiping my cock.

Or in superpowered where charaters have relationships, friends, there is even an ingame friend you can convince into going on a date that goes horrible right.
Aka she accauly like's the guy.
On the one hand you friend now got a relationship on the other you wanted to be her boyfriend(something you cant in the game)
If anything the game is lacking truly moral rightous charaters.

I think games need more focus on action and consequences and less of find the trigger.
For example:
One of hentai highschool+ major flaws is that you could be fucking your secetery for weeks, have the corruption and loyality stat maxed out and you still need to go through her quest to slowly grind her resistance against being your fucktoy(which she already was) just to unlock a scene where she ask you for sex from time to time.
Or with misses smith who despite riding my dick daily still gets offended if i smack her ass if i havent done her quest yet.
Really pulls me out of the world.
I much rather have games where i get scene x if i have stat z.

I find myself dispointed as the vast amount of visual novels.
Very few visual novals have choices.
Fewer still have choices that accauly effect the story outside of a dialog change.
On the other hand games like station master are unenjoyable because the slave's mean nothing.
No personality, No lives, a few scene here and there but they have no feeling of being alive.
I useally just lobotomize as it makes no difference but makes them instant obediance.
Where in free city lobotomize is the last thing i want because i would miss out on all the inter relationship.

I think a good game give's you choices.
For example:
A system i came up with for a game i will never make(I just dont have the patiance)

Hypnosis: Control vs willpower.

When you hypotize someone you open a menu.
On this menu are 5 tiers.
Tier 1: Compulsion.
Tier 2: Desire.
Tier 3: Control.
Tier 4: Program.
Tier 5: Mindless.

Eatch tier is lock by a willpower limet.
Willpower is regenerated by 10 per day.
You use hyposis have the target spend more willpower per day then they regenerate.
Higher cost are always supressed first.

Tier 1: 75 - 100.
Give the target a compulsion.
Compulsion cost 1 willpower to ignore.
Shoud you go over the limet(aka have 11+ compulsions)
Then you get a scene where the target is acting out the harmless compulsion.

Tier 2: 50 - 75.
You give the target a strong desire.
For example a strong desire for your cock.
There cost 5 willpower to supress.

Tier 3: 25 - 50.
Control.
This is where stuff get interesting and dangerous.
Control gives you limeted control over people.
Make them do stuff.
They still have there own will however and will act acordingly.
On the one hand this will let them solve problems on there own.
On the other it also has the risk of them telling the police or you getting shot.
At this stage you need to still consider there feelings on the mather.
For example: You can make them whore themselves out but if you didnt make them like being whored out.....
While hell has no fury like a woman scorned.

Tier 4: 1 - 25:
Programming.
The target in question can no longer thing for itself.
It can however be programmed.
They can carry out complex command but wont react to stuff you havent progamed them for.
This brings me to the idea behind the system:
The more control you have the less indepence a charater has.

Tier 5: Mindless.
The target is now braindead.
Willpower wont regenerate and it will only follow direct orders.
Unlike programming you cant have the carry out complex commands.
If you dont tell them to eat they will starve themself to death.
They wont shower or take a dumb.
Compleet control over somebody doesnt sound as much fun now does it?

The idea behind this system is that power comes at cost.

This is what i like to see in games.
That gameplay is a mather of risk vs reward.
Gains vs losses.
If i need to grind 10 dexeterty times in a row to unlock a scene i ask myself: Why?
It is just dragging out the game.

Where if in the system i just explaint i am constantly balancing the target willpower.
What do i need to remove to make sure they remain at willpower 30.
Shoud i get 11 compulsions and wait?
Shoud i get desire and remove compulsions to ensure the targets remains at 55.
Shoud i risk going double desire and will i have enough time to remove the compulsions?
Meaby i shoud let the target recover willpower for a bit so i can get the number i want.

The difference between then two is that:
One is just a grind to drag out the game where the other is given me options to get the result i want.

 

[khumak]

Some pet peeves of mine that I see in adult games.

- excessive grind: I don't mind having to do a little grinding to make some money or boost some stats but give me some unique and interesting scenes that happen during that grind. If I'm repeating the exact same scene over and over for weeks on end that's just annoying and wasting my time for no reason
- mini games: Some people like mini games, some people don't, but even if you do after the first few times you've beaten that particular minigame it needs an auto win feature. And a minigame should NEVER happen DURING a sex scene for any reason.
- choices that are purely random unless you're sitting in front of a walkthrough or kept extensive notes during a previous playthrough. I really hate this. If it's a choice that matters, give me enough context prior to my choice that I can make an informed choice without needing a walkthrough or a reload.
- bad translations: If English is not your first language, find a translator who is fluent in both your native language and english to translate for you. Don't just rely on google translate or something.
- comically bad spelling and grammar: This is usually a result of a bad translation but if your spelling and grammar are so bad that I have no idea what the dialog or choice you're giving me means then you might as well just have a slide show without any text. I don't mind a few mistakes but the dialog should not sound like it was dictated by a 3 year old.
- renders with massive clipping: A little clipping now and then is easy to miss but if most of your shots show people floating above the floor/bed or wearing clothing that is clipping through their bodies noticeably you need to spend more time cleaning up your posing
- NPCs with variable schedules that are not easily tracked in game. I should not have to remember that Holly is only in the gym from 7:35-7:45am on Tuesday morning and Lucy is only at the bus stop at exactly 5:45pm on Wednesday, etc. If characters are only at specific locations at specific times it should be completely obvious just by looking at the map which characters will be at which location before you show up and find that there is nothing to do there because you were 10 minutes late or showed up on the wrong day or something.
- overuse of the game over/bad ending: I don't mind if certain obviously poor choices result in a game over or some serious penalty but if a good chunk of the choices in the game are either you choose the correct choice or the game ends you'd be better off just removing choices entirely and just assume they picked the right one. Having to constantly reload the game is just annoying.
- scoring systems that are tuned so you need a perfect or almost perfect score to get a good scene or ending. If I need a perfect score then the right answer should always be blatantly obvious. Otherwise give me a little wiggle room so I can play normally, make a few mistakes, and still get a good ending/scene.
- puzzles or other highly intricate types of game mechanics or triggers that don't have an adequate hint system in place to allow most players to succeed, especially if it's something that is required to complete the game, if it's just an easter egg that you can win without completing I don't mind if I can't figure it out
- any sort of overly complex system for tracking basic needs like eating, showering, etc. That stuff should just be assumed unless you're doing some event related to one of them that is interesting like a conversation during breakfast or your sister barging in on you in the shower or something.
- choices that have no effect: if my only choice is to open the door or just stand there like an idiot til the end of time then why is there a choice? If the result is exactly the same no matter what my choice is the again, there is no reason for the choice.
- dialog that relies extensively on "quizzing" you about trivia that you find out during the game without giving you any in game way to keep track of it. I really don't want to remember every character's height, weight, birthdate, favorite color, etc. If I need to remember something, at the very least add a note under their contact info on my phone or something. I should not need to take notes or use a walkthrough. It's supposed to be a game, not an excersize in note taking.

 

[Bilbael]

Hello everyone, thanks for your replies!

About what is a porn game and what is not :

A porn game, is an adult game. Because only adults can play these games anyway. Porn games are just a sub category of Adult games.

A porn game should be fap material. If the game main purpose is to give to the players opportunities to fap then it's a porn game, whether it's a driven story game or not this is not relevant. Porn games often allow to build sex tension with their stories, unlike porn videos.

I wrote more about it in my other thread Porn Game Stories

For the well being of this thread, can we just move on? I wanted to talk here only about the gameplay mechanics we see in our porn games, and to gather ideas about how to improve them.

I find a lot of the recent erotic games rely too heavily on visuals to satisfy the punters but lack in any meaningful player choice and lack actual "game" or erotic content (The renders may be pornographic but rarely sensual)

Even if I agree with you, this is more about story writing than gameplay mechanics. And we already know that the problem comes from the Dev's lack of experience/talent to write a good story.

If you want talk about story gameplay mechanics, then the main complains I read a little everywhere is about the choice consequences gameplay mechanics. It is not difficult to improve this part, though, but it is time consuming. Most devs need to write more dialogues, render more scenes, etc. the best solution would be to limit the number of characters in their games.

Imagine a game talking only about the incestuous relationship between a brother and his sister, no other characters involved except as narrative elements. The time usually needed to write and renders different characters will be used for ONE character only. Doing so makes it easy to write a real branching scenario.

That list should be very obvious for anyone who already likes video games.

True. I could have listed all the non porn games gameplay mechanics. But I think it's better to focus on what could work in a porn game instead.

I can just say something simple regarding gameplay: Never mix sex and gameplay because it never works. You want sex to masturbate and gameplay to, well, play. So the best thing you can do is just make sex a reward of playing the game well, like how getting a new weapon is a reward in Mega Man.

I agree with you, but only the sex scene of a game right? I have played games where the player need to click to thrust. It's really not practical.

This should be evident, but I can't repeat this enough, and I mean, who thinks the contrary can show me a single game where gamplay+sex combined worked.

I don't really agree this time, the possibility to change the camera angle or the sex position during a sex scene is a gameplay mechanic. it's an interaction with the game (even if simple). If its just a scene, then it's like watching a porn video. It's not bad, but we are playing a game, then why not try to think about ways to improve these sex scenes.

One of the things i find missing in alot of porn games is the feeling the charaters have there own lives.

Routine gameplay mechanics? Some games try more or less to do that. Big Brother for example. But yes, as you said it is often used to implement grinding elements in their games.

You mention a text base game, don't forget they are easier to make. Again it's asking a lot from one Dev to make a game as deep as a text base game. The only solution is to use fewer characters.

choices that are purely random unless you're sitting in front of a walkthrough or kept extensive notes during a previous playthrough. I really hate this. If it's a choice that matters, give me enough context prior to my choice that I can make an informed choice without needing a walkthrough or a reload.

I agree with you, I don't like that either. Choices should be clear about their consequences in a porn game.

Some Devs want to be realistic, and give the illusion of real life like choice/consequence. A choice seems to be the correct one when you select it but you suffer the consequence later on. Because life is unpredictable. I already don't like that in non porn games, then in a porn game where the player should be able to get what he wants in the end (fap opportunities) I think it's wrong.

NPCs with variable schedules that are not easily tracked in game

Forgot to add this one, a timeline/agenda. And also a quest tracking.

overuse of the game over/bad ending

This one too, but I think it's wrong in to have game overs in most porn game. In a game such as Zombie's Retreat, yes, it's an action adventure game. But to get a game over in a visual novel when being caught peeping on a girl, I think it's wrong.

scoring systems that are tuned so you need a perfect or almost perfect score to get a good scene or ending

Scoring system is based on NPCs' affinity stats. But it's a little different, then I should add it too.

any sort of overly complex system for tracking basic needs like eating, showering, etc. That stuff should just be assumed unless you're doing some event related to one of them that is interesting like a conversation during breakfast or your sister barging in on you in the shower or something.

There are plenty of games forcing you to take a shower, etc. because you have a "clean" stat. It's not fun. A game should be fun. Same thing about "hunger", where your character need to eat 3 times a day. In a survival game ok, why not, but they are not relevant gameplay mechanism in these porn games.

 

[Bilbael]

I'll start to write some ideas, hoping some of you will start to share some as well.

I was thinking why not give the opportunity to pick a song in a free roaming game. Some events could be available when a song is being played.

I often think the phone is under used. There are good ideas like receiving and reply texts from NPCs, etc. but in the end it is mostly used as a menu, character stat and quest tracking.

Why not let the player take pictures whenever he wants with his phone in a free roaming game. It could also start some events or be part of a quest. I know there are often photography seances in porn games, but I am not talking about those.

Or to implement the use of social medias. Not just reading news, but also interacting with other characters, manage your own profile, etc.

I remember to have read this feature somewhere in non porn game. The possibility to choose the mood of your main character. Happy/sad/angry/etc. and NPCs will react differently based on your mood. I am not saying it's a great idea, but who knows, maybe someone will be able to make something great with it.

 

[Bilbael]

Another gameplay mechanic used in some porn games, sometimes : Input text parsing. Often used to guess a password or to search something on internet (in game). Should never be used with dialogues, it's just horrible.. some of you maybe knows these old games that I am thinking about.

 

[ChaosOpen]

How about a management sim where you are running a porn studio(adult video tycoon), you pick from different sex acts to form a script, then during filming you can be put in control of either the male or female as you go through the script with a control style similar to Teaching Feeling. Have it where as you continue to make movies, the stuff you can do increases as your business becomes more wealthy.

The whole thing essentially gives you the ability to make your own fap material(with plenty of variety) while having a small amount of gameplay and a sense of progression to keep it interesting.

 

[thecardinal]

I love how these types of threads devolve into elaborate game ideas from people who don't have the first idea how to code.

 

[ChaosOpen]

I love how these types of threads devolve into elaborate game ideas from people who don't have the first idea how to code.

Would that really be that hard to code? Well, I guess so, teaching feeling seems like a game that is only 1/3 of the way done and he is on version 2.5 and still hasn't gotten all of the bugs worked out. I guess it must be hard to make something that interactive.

 

[Fliptoynk]

Commenter: make an openworld gta5'ish porn game with this and that...
Renpy dev: (gulp)

 

[Bilbael]

How about a management sim where you are running a porn studio(adult video tycoon), you pick from different sex acts to form a script, then during filming you can be put in control of either the male or female as you go through the script with a control style similar to Teaching Feeling. Have it where as you continue to make movies, the stuff you can do increases as your business becomes more wealthy.

The whole thing essentially gives you the ability to make your own fap material(with plenty of variety) while having a small amount of gameplay and a sense of progression to keep it interesting.

It's a game concept instead of gameplay ideas.

I love how these types of threads devolve into elaborate game ideas from people who don't have the first idea how to code.

To understand the coding process helps to discuss about their implementation in a game, but every idea should be welcomed. As long as the thread doesn't get derailed..

That's why I just want to throw some gameplay mechanic ideas and discuss about it, not whole game concepts.

Would that really be that hard to code? Well, I guess so, teaching feeling seems like a game that is only 1/3 of the way done and he is on version 2.5 and still hasn't gotten all of the bugs worked out. I guess it must be hard to make something that interactive.

Never heard about Teaching Feeling, I tried to find some gameplay videos showing the control style he is talking about but I didn't find anything.

 

[Bilbael]

Commentor: make an openworld gta5'ish porn game with this and that...
Renpy dev: (gulp)

I don't know what you mean by gta5'ish exactly, but there are games such as Real Life : Sunbay and

You must be registered to see the links

. And I am sure there is more..

 

[khumak]

I think most of the issues with gameplay could be resolved if the dev would ask himself before adding some new gameplay element whether that particular element was fun or or interesting, or whether it's something like a time waster. Is there some enjoyable reason for me to do whatever that thing you're about to add is? Is having to manually make my character take a piss every day fun?

IMO anything the character does in the game should have a chance to trigger something interesting or fun in some way, not monotonous or a time waster. It should give you some backstory or it should tell you more about 1 or more characters or it should have some mystery you're trying to solve or a sex scene you can be rewarded with for doing something. If there are a bunch of locations I can go to where nothing happens then that's a failure of game design IMO.

 

[Sphere42]

This should be evident, but I can't repeat this enough, and I mean, who thinks the contrary can show me a single game where gamplay+sex combined worked.

To me one of the most compelling aspects of Rain's Rave (besides the abundance of fetish content) was the ability to actually conduct "battle" in a sexual manner. As a "monster hunter" with the "skill" to pull it off why would you not opt to pacify the creatures in a painless and enjoyable manner instead of killing them at great risk of injury?

Trap Quest and Parasite Infection also work quite well in terms of sexualised "combat" where the former mostly has you dominated by superior opponents while in the latter you tend to be the aggressor spreading the parasites primarily through sex. Both balance out the obvious approach of "fuck all the things" by including a sanity/self-control meter.

If you don't classify it entirely as Game Over rape stuff like Violated Heroine should also count. You can't really slut your way through the main story but you can become a succubus and lifedrain regular monsters through sex, or you can just let them have their way with you.

I love how these types of threads devolve into elaborate game ideas from people who don't have the first idea how to code.

Honestly the how2code is the ONLY part I have any reasonable confidence in myself. I can't draw for shit, never dabbled in voice acting or music, probably aren't a good writer, don't have the time to actually do any of that and my interests don't align with the mainstream. But I know how to use git, have done amateur stuff in C++ and python and can at least read my way though most existing code in unknown programming languages.

And honestly considering art without gameplay seems to be more popular overall (look at r34...) than games without art I wouldn't be surprised if many others on here are in similar positions.