The games that have the biggest followings usually have the best graphics. It's the first thing people see and how they decide to even download your game. I will literally just scroll down to look at the screenshots before even reading the description and I know many people are like me.
Here are some specific graphics things that apply to Daz3D (Because that's your choice for your game):
* More render cycles is better than less. You might be trying to hide lower render cycles with an artistic filter, and I guess this could work but I 90% of the time devs do this I see their forums fill up with mean comments and they wind up giving up. When I compare very popular games with average popular games, one thing I usually notice is the very popular game will use even more render cycles for an even clearer image than the average popular game.
* Color Harmony - you can find out more about this by reading up on the "Mother color" but it looks like you're doing decent from those renders.
* 3 point lighting when it makes sense - rim lights can make characters pop. Be flexible with lighting instead of only using them where they really would be. This is what high budget movies do for pretty much every shot. They try to make it look somewhat plausible for the scene, but it's almost always 3 point lighting or something similar with artificial lights to optimize the lighting.
* Interesting expressions - non symmetrical expressions at least some of the time can make the characters feel more alive and natural.
* 1920 by 1080 resolution over any smaller resolution.
* Be carful not to over compress your images, which reduces quality. Sure you can use webp to save space but If your game is still under 1GB there's no reason to ramp up the compression slider.
Here's some other things I personally like:
* I personally love sound effects and appropriate use of music. Too much music can get tiring, but around 30% to 50% of scenes covered by music that matches the feel is nice, as well as sound effects. I'll give up playing a game if it has zero sound or music.
* I don't like MC's that are weak or spineless.
* I prefer to see the characters facial expression change for every new page in dialogue. It could be a repeated if needed, such as having two happy expressions and two sad ones alternating but if I don't see their faces change, they don't feel alive to me and it doesn't feel like they're the ones talking, it just feels separated and disjointed.
Story Tips:
* Don't say the exact same thing with different wording multiple times in a row. That can get boring and cause the player to skip through.
* Think about the different speaking styles of your different characters. Do they speak in short choppy sentences or long flowy ones. Are they visually dominant or auditorily dominants: Example "That sounds like you don't like carrots" vs "I see you don't like carrots." What are their favorite words and expressions? Do they speak in a fast high pitched voice or a slow deep one? Hearing the voice in your head can help the writing come out more believable.
* Don't think of your characters as entirely one thing. No one is 100% mean all the time. Every one has tendencies but different sides to them that can come out in different situations and with different people. This is more of a personal preference perhaps, but don't like it when a character feels very one dimensional.
* Don't force your characters to do or say things. This is a tip I heard from Steven King and a few other authors but I think it can help you write more natural dialogue and story. It basically amounts to listening and waiting to see what will happen (in your imagination) instead of dictating it exactly.
* As far as "Over done things", those are just what people enjoy, which is why they get done so much. Some will bitch and complain, and others will love it. I'd highly recommend doing the kind of story and setting that you most emotionally connect with because that's what you will be able to write the best, which will make a bigger difference than weather it's a common trope or not.
Use Renpy
Players are much less likely to play your game if you don't make in renpy. Myself as well. This is because we don't know what to expect as far as save quality, roll back, loading speed, and all the other high quality things you get for free with renpy.
As far as sex scenes...
What I've seen many devs do is have quicker sex scenes for one or a couple characters in the beginning so they at least have that tag and don't loose people who won't download it until it gets that tag, but then have more emotional development before the sex scenes for the main characters. Also, try to write as much as you can for the sex scenes. People usually aren't happy with very short sex scenes, myself included.
