VAM Simplifying workflow via buttons and signs/the future of adult VNs?

[bristledthistle]

Brand-new to VAM and have been reading their wiki extensively.

While I don't think my computer will ever have enough oomph to fully embrace VR, it really seems like the sign/button floating custom UI combined with some of VAMx's plug-and-play features and the Timeline thing could basically handle the entire image-making part of creating VNs, significantly lowering the bar to entry.

Workflow would go like:

1. Randomly generate (or make-your-own) a character morph within certain parameters, adds hair and clothing within certain parameters, and manually name it.
2. Click an 'emotions' button to cycle through grabbing png/transparency screenshots of the character expressing different emotions in front of a neutral background with standardized lighting from a standard angle.
3. Click a 'strip' button to grab png/transparency screenshots of the character in various states of undress at a standardized enough angle/lighting that the emotions screenshots could easily be layered on top.
4. Click a 'sex' button to cycle through the protagonist having sex with this person in several poses and from several different angles, both png/transparency screenshots and Timeline looping animations.
5. Paste these things on the background of your choice.

If we had access to something like this, the number of adult VNs would skyrocket, because then it would only depend on your ability to write a coherent story and figure out the details of Ren'Py.

Does anything like this exist? Because if it doesn't, it would be an enormous service to the community for some C++ programmer to make it. I'm in the process of trying to reverse-engineer some of the existing resources that have this sort of thing, but I'm quickly finding myself way out of my league.

 

[anne O'nymous]

If we had access to something like this, the number of adult VNs would skyrocket,

So it's a good thing that we don't have access to something like that. There's already an average around 1.5 new adult games by day, and each day it's a tenth of games that are updated. No need to add more, especially if they rely on something so generic.

because then it would only depend on your ability to write a coherent story and figure out the details of Ren'Py.

Globally speaking, anyone can already generate not too bad looking CGs by using either one of the Illusion studios, or Daz Studio. Yet we don't have this many games with an effectively good writing, and too many devs don't even achieve to find that call screen exist.
Therefore, what you talk about is just simplifying what happen to be the easiest part. Of course, I don't pretend that making the CGs is easy by itself ; it need a lot of works, especially if you want to make something above the average. But for someone starting with no knowledge, it's still the easiest part of the game making process. And it's also the one that is finally the easiest to learn ; unless you seek for perfection, of course. Not everyone can make good CGs, even with Honey Select studio, but everyone can make good enough ones, at least if he really take the time.

In the end, if someone create "this", the scene will just see more people starting to make below the average games. There's nothing preventing someone to already create his game. There's ones that use Sims 4 for the CG, at least one that used Skyrim screenshot, and I don't talk about the ones using what looks more like doddle than 2D drawing. If you want you'll always find a way to have CGs, and you'll also find a public.
This mean that if someone jump on the scene just because there's this easy way to generate CG, it will be someone lazy that don't want to learn how to use the tools he have. I don't expect him to do more than half broke Ren'Py VN with a totally generic and inconsistent story.
And, no, people who have a great and marvelous story in mind are not waiting for this. When you're effectively a good writer, you don't want your story to be served by something generic. Therefore you take the time to learn how to make CG that will correspond precisely to what you have in mind. None of them would throw something generic, at most half matching the context, on top of their beloved baby.


There's no shortcut if you want to make something that will be good looking at least to your own eyes.

 

[bristledthistle]

TL;DR: Lurk moar/git good.

Having actually walked the walk, you absolutely have the right to feel elitist about this. Additionally, I don't entirely disagree with your overarching point: it probably would create more crap than good stuff. But lowering the bar to entry allows new people to participate in an art form that you'd never see otherwise. Paradigm changes in gaming come from lowering the bar. Hell, look at how Unity and Unreal giving away their engines has changed the last 15 years of gaming. I can't promise something similar will happen, but I can guarantee that adult gaming as a genre will stagnate without fresh blood, and this kind of thing would be one way to provide it.

 

[DoubleLust]

TL;DR: Lurk moar/git good.
fresh blood

Oh it's not an elitist opinion, CG is pretty low on most developer's plates

- story development
- character development
- game mechanics
- sound design
- VFX
- Animation
- bug fixing
- CG

even if VAM created amazing art, it makes little difference to my work load

 

[bristledthistle]

See, I've written waaaay more stories/worlds than I'll ever use, so maybe I'm just weird. Then again, I poke at Fata Morgana source code for fun, so it may be a foregone conclusion.

 

[anne O'nymous]

But lowering the bar to entry allows new people to participate in an art form that you'd never see otherwise.

Knowing that games like Overlord H or Sexymom adventures (Sorry Winterfire , it's your first games that came to my mind) can get 4 stars rating, I wonder where you believe that the entry bar stand ?

Paradigm changes in gaming come from lowering the bar.

I'm one year older than Pong so, even if I obviously don't have real memories of the first decade of video gaming, I grown with it, witnessing all its changes. Therefore, I really wonder what you are talking about.

Hell, look at how Unity and Unreal giving away their engines has changed the last 15 years of gaming.

Do you even know something about game engines ? While not being initially designed as game engine, Flash have been used to make games since the mid 90's.

You must be registered to see the links

, among others, have been released for the first time in 1999, while the 90's and 00's have seen dozens of "click'n'whatever" like WYSIWYG game engines.
It's the only change that effective came from a lowered bar ; the moment where individuals effectively started to jump on the video gaming scene as indie developers. And, well, the result was what it was...

Unity and Unreal have absolutely nothing to do with the existence of those indie devs and studios. They just offered them the possibility to make better games. But this have a cost, you firstly need to learn, because unlike Flash, GameMaker and the "click'n'whatever", you need effective knowledge to use them ; they don't lower the bar, they raised it at a professional level.
Especially Unreal, since Unity stay relatively affordable for someone ready to spend times learning how to code. Something that was never needed before.

I can't promise something similar will happen, but I can guarantee that adult gaming as a genre will stagnate without fresh blood, and this kind of thing would be one way to provide it.

Because around 550 new creators jumping on the scene each year is an obvious lack of fresh blood...

 

[DoubleLust]

Flash have been used to make games since the mid 90's.

Because around 550 new creators jumping on the scene each year is an obvious lack of fresh blood...

OG flash games are where it's at, i miss the simple days.

and out of the 500+, wonder how many burnout from the mountain of work of creating a simple game