VN RPG elements

[bronin]

Do you guys prefer RPG elements (combat/quests/exploration) in your VN’s or are they just obstacles before you get to those juicy H-scenes?

I see some visual novel creators trying to develop more complex/engaging gameplay, but was curious if it was something the audience actually cared about.

 

[BlasterChief]

I love RPGs. I've played a lot of CRPGs and modern RPGs (think of Bioware or Bethesda) and always welcome good RPGs. BUT good RPGs are really difficult to make since it takes a lot effort and experience to get the balancing right and the game must be designed to handle all the different approaches a player might take in any situation based on their skills, abilities and so on. All this also vastly increases the time and effort the devs have to invest into testing the game.
Very few devs have the skills, experience or ressources to get this done on an acceptable level. I'd rather play a straight forward VN with a few choices than a simplistic or mediocre RPG, especially when the RPG mechanics are uninspired and feel more like they were merely implemented to stretch the time between H-scenes.

 

[Geralt_R]

In VNs? No. Proper RPGS, as mentioned by the previous poster? Absolutely! But VNs can't pull it off, lack of technical expertise, lack of resources, lack of everything really. So I'd rather play without stats grinding or combat minigames. I don't mind things like the fraternity house management in BADIK or the occasional simple combat minigame, but it shouldn't be the focus.

Give me a good story, some choices that have impact, and let me have fun without time wasters like repetitive combat or exploration that is tied to some stat that limits exploration.

VNs should be more like interactive tv shows or movies. Not wannabe RPGs in my opinion.

 

[♍VoidTraveler]

Do you guys prefer RPG elements (combat/quests/exploration) in your VN’s or are they just obstacles before you get to those juicy H-scenes?

I see some visual novel creators trying to develop more complex/engaging gameplay, but was curious if it was something the audience actually cared about.

I prefer proper RPG's. The VN part is the obstacle usually.
Porn is supposed to spice things up so that your awesome RPG can shine ever brighter.
But we all know how it ends more often than not in reality, namely the porn ends up being the only interesting part.

 

[sliveart777]

The majority of players (at least here on f95) prefer VNs over anything else specifically because it has minimal gameplay. I don't really understand why because at that point you might as well read a porn comic or just watch regular porn, but it's the way it is.


If you want to make a successful VN, the first step is to make the gameplay relatively brainless.

 

[Geralt_R]

because it has minimal gameplay

I assume that's because the gamepay you usually get is rather barebones and lackluster. If someone had the resources and means to make a XXX Dragon Age or Mass Effect game (with more emphasis on the relationships) I would think that would easily become the most popular game here.

 

[sliveart777]

I assume that's because the gamepay you usually get is rather barebones and lackluster. If someone had the resources and means to make a XXX Dragon Age or Mass Effect game (with more emphasis on the relationships) I would think that would easily become the most popular game here.

Yea sure, except those games were made by AAA developers not a horny dude who dabbles in 3d art. Gameplay doesn't mean it has to be triple A quality, nobody expects that. After all the selling point is still the porn, but people who like gameplay in porn games are looking for a challenge/reward system not just to be handed it on a platter. For that there's pornhub.

Basic gameplay can still be a fun challenge, like the combat system in Karryns Prison or the focus on stealth in The Last Goblin. Management sims or sidescrollers also offer a challenge/reward system usually. RPGMs combat system can still produce a good and challenging experience despite its overall simplicity it just needs thought put into the design of encounters and progression.

 

[Cryswar]

It depends immensely on the game's theme and the mechanics' execution.

If you have some shitty combat minigame... I'm just going to look at the gallery. Sorry homie. Very few minigames are fun.

Something like Monster Girl Dreams, where you have an actual battle system, I can absolutely get addicted. CoC1 was pretty good for that too. If it's genuinely fun, I may very well enjoy it more than the lewd stuff. My inner JRPG/Disgaea fanatic comes out and I just want to make the most fun, hopefully-effective build possible.

RPGM CAN do the trick... rarely... but most battle systems are either the bare minimum there, or customized into something even less fun somehow. I won't instantly deny an RPGM game, but even better-known ones like TLS I bounced off of from hating the barebones combat so much.

Also, rewatching an event 20 times to get +2 strength isn't real gameplay, much less an interesting RPG system.

Trying to make a fun combat engine/system for my game taught me very quickly why most people don't bother, though. It's an INSANE amount of work, especially if you want a variety of playstyles/approaches to combat. Frankly, mine isn't even particularly creative in most regards.

That's all *without* worrying about balance, which is another endless struggle, especially as you learn more and try to make more interesting mechanics that may end up significantly stronger than old ones.

To address your question directly OP, there are a lot of people who are just there for titties, and it's even more pronounced on some sites like gamcore. Adding a full RPG battle system is NOT an effective use of dev time from a financial standpoint. I've been fortunate to build a community that appreciates it, but if I was looking to make a quick buck on Patreon it would have been drastically smarter to just focus on CGs and lewd scenes right from the start instead of wasting a thousand-plus hours on a combat system.

That said, I would absolutely play something like a lewd Mass Effect, and I think with enough production quality it could be extremely successful. Unfortunately, the adult game industry in the west is a dumpster fire compared even to Japan, much less the 'actual' games industry. So... I don't think that's happening anytime soon.

 

[Crimson Delight Games]

Do you guys prefer RPG elements (combat/quests/exploration) in your VN’s or are they just obstacles before you get to those juicy H-scenes?

Love 'em! So much so the team I'm on is building a whole game around the concept.

BUT good RPGs are really difficult to make since it takes a lot effort and experience to get the balancing right and the game must be designed to handle all the different approaches a player might take in any situation based on their skills, abilities and so on.

Yup, true. But there's nothing better than getting lost in an immersive RPG... especially one with a good story. I've been enjoying them since the days of Black Isle, and Bioware's games were my drug of choice for many, many years.

 

[♍VoidTraveler]

Love 'em! So much so the team I'm on is building a whole game around the concept.


Yup, true. But there's nothing better than getting lost in an immersive RPG... especially one with a good story. I've been enjoying them since the days of Black Isle, and Bioware's games were my drug of choice for many, many years.

A shame EA buried old Bioware, like so many others.
Well luckily we still have Obsidian, they had been doing fairly good job at succeeding Black Isle, i think.

 

[Crimson Delight Games]

A shame EA buried old Bioware, like so many others.

Yeah... Westwood Studios too.

Well luckily we still have Obsidian, they had been doing fairly good job at succeeding Black Isle, i think.

Can't say I'm happy about their sale to Microsoft, it's hard to retain company culture when you're working for a such a huge behemoth of an entity. I hope they don't get swallowed by the corporate streamlining that destroys so many small(er) devs when they get bought out by huge corps. We'll see, they seem to be doing OK for now.

 

[♍VoidTraveler]

Can't say I'm happy about their sale to Microsoft

Agreed, big companies always ruin the magic.
Indeed hopefully micro sticks firmly with the "hands off" approach, but you never know with that lot.
Good rpg's might be a dying breed, sadly.

 

[Crimson Delight Games]

Good rpg's might be a dying breed, sadly.

They were always a niche genre. Even moreso these days with all the kids playing mobile games and whatnot.

 

[♍VoidTraveler]

They were always a niche genre. Even moreso these days with all the kids playing mobile games and whatnot.

Well, we have pretty solid rpg legacy left. Baldur's, Neverwinter Nights, Icewind Dale, etc.
Perhaps it will live on, if at least 1 kiddo plays some of them and has a revelation.

 

[Cheedle]

Good rpg's might be a dying breed, sadly.

Lots of good RPGs came out recently.
Or are about to release.

 

[Crimson Delight Games]

Well, we have pretty solid rpg legacy left, Baldur's, Neverwinter Nights, Icewind Dale, etc.

I try to replay these every year or so... tho I've been short on time lately due to working on ToLLA. BG2, IWD2, and PS:T are among some of my favorite games of all time. They really don't make 'em like they used to. Even the new Pillars by Obsidian aren't on the same level. There's just something about sprites and hand-painted backgrounds that gives those games a special veneer. And the writing is on a godly level, obviously. I wish Black Isle had a few more years before going under, they really were ahead of their time.

 

[MidnightArrow]

Do you guys prefer RPG elements (combat/quests/exploration) in your VN’s or are they just obstacles before you get to those juicy H-scenes?

I see some visual novel creators trying to develop more complex/engaging gameplay, but was curious if it was something the audience actually cared about.

I can't play it (the localized version got shut down) but I sometimes watch LPs of Symphogear XDU, that's half-visual novel half-RPG battles. I assume most other mobile gatcha games are like that too. That's not an H-game but no reason you couldn't copy the mechanics for one.