What do you prefer: Open world or linear story

eggsov

New Member
Apr 27, 2025
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I noticed I enjoy sandbox NSFW games way more than linear ones. Games like Summertime Saga or Taffy Tales give you freedom to explore, meet different characters at your own pace. Do you guys feel the same, or do you prefer being led through a well-written story with less distraction? Just curious what most players enjoy nowadays.
 

Nadekai

Booty Pirate
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Aug 18, 2021
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Honestly, doesn't even matter to me.
Both have their charm.

Linear VNs don't allow me to explore the world, to attain worldbuilding knowledge, though.
And sandboxes/open worlds are done more often than not horrendously, to the point it's off-putting, especially the grind.
 

Nadekai

Booty Pirate
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Aug 18, 2021
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Truth be told, I don't think I vehemently stay away from any specific type of game...
Well, unless it's AI or Real Porn that is.
 
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prpa

Member
Nov 29, 2016
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516
I prefer reading to playing games, so I naturally gravitate toward visual novels with choices. Sandbox elements are fine as long as there's no grinding. If there is, I avoid the game like the plague. I seriously hate grinding, even in AAA games that implement it much better.
 
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tanstaafl

Well-Known Member
Oct 29, 2018
1,930
2,475
I noticed I enjoy sandbox NSFW games way more than linear ones. Games like Summertime Saga or Taffy Tales give you freedom to explore, meet different characters at your own pace. Do you guys feel the same, or do you prefer being led through a well-written story with less distraction? Just curious what most players enjoy nowadays.
Summertime Saga still has linear stories per person, you can just choose which one to progress. I've never played Taffy Tales personally, so not sure about that one, but the description implies that it too has a narrative per character.

It sounds like you like at least some kind of linear narrative even as long as you can choose which one to follow. This implies to me that a linear VN with a story good enough, for your preferences, would make you as happy.
I don't even play linear VNs (choices or no), but I'm probably in the minority there.
Boring. Next you're going to complain about not enough head pats in linear games you pervert.
 

NeonSelf

Member
Dec 3, 2019
335
559
Sandbox is always welcome. No forced interactions, no walls of text, sence of achievement when I finally get the girls, repeatable secenes, different ways to get what I want.

The major downside is most of the games, labeled as sandboxes just pretend to be sandboxes, while having linear story for each NPC and minimal game mechanics.
 

MissCougar

Member
Feb 20, 2025
226
382
I noticed I enjoy sandbox NSFW games way more than linear ones. Games like Summertime Saga or Taffy Tales give you freedom to explore, meet different characters at your own pace. Do you guys feel the same, or do you prefer being led through a well-written story with less distraction? Just curious what most players enjoy nowadays.
I'm starting to get the feeling you are crowdsourcing all your game ideas. You should hit up ChatGPT or something.

I hope all these ideas do good for you overall and you make a fun game! ;)

I prefer explorationy type RPG games though where I can figure out my own way at my own slow pace.
 

tanstaafl

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Oct 29, 2018
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Always sandbox, I do not even touch Kinetic Novels unless it's very short.
I always want to ask. Do you read? Like movies? Etc. Is it only AVNs where this preference kicks in because in your head it should have more action or choice?
 
Dec 7, 2019
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Keep in mind that some people don't read... like at all...
It always shocks me
I hate AVNs because I do read, its like going back to being 5 with 'this..... is....spot....Watch.....Spot.....Run....' each slide takes less time to read than the clicking to the next, its frustrating as all hell. At least comics you can scroll as fast as you want, AVN's are just frustratingly bottlenecked with one image and two pages of words being drip fed a paragraph at at time before rinse & repeat.

EDIT: So sandbox all day
 

tanstaafl

Well-Known Member
Oct 29, 2018
1,930
2,475
.
I hate AVNs because I do read, its like going back to being 5 with 'this..... is....spot....Watch.....Spot.....Run....' each slide takes less time to read than the clicking to the next, its frustrating as all hell. At least comics you can scroll as fast as you want, AVN's are just frustratingly bottlenecked with one image and two pages of words being drip fed a paragraph at at time before rinse & repeat.

EDIT: So sandbox all day
Have you ever read a graphic novel?

Edit: Or manga?
 

prpa

Member
Nov 29, 2016
203
516
I hate AVNs because I do read, its like going back to being 5 with 'this..... is....spot....Watch.....Spot.....Run....' each slide takes less time to read than the clicking to the next, its frustrating as all hell. At least comics you can scroll as fast as you want, AVN's are just frustratingly bottlenecked with one image and two pages of words being drip fed a paragraph at at time before rinse & repeat.

EDIT: So sandbox all day
I don't know, I just set the text speed to instant, turn off transitions, and it never bothered me, despite being a pretty fast reader.
 

Letstryitout

Member
Sep 11, 2018
425
465
I always want to ask. Do you read? Like movies? Etc. Is it only AVNs where this preference kicks in because in your head it should have more action or choice?
I wouldn't be surprised if I have some kind of ADHD. I try to read and or watch movies, but cannot tolerate it most of the time. It wasn't always like that, but I lose interest very quickly even in daily conversations rn.
 
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