What is a good game for you?

[Grumpy Eagle]

I am thinking about creating new game. I played only few games published on this site but I find out that most players are quite critic. Why?
Is it because poor quality of games?
Or because players have unrealistic expectations?
My question is simple.
What's most important to you when you play a new game? Or vice versa. Why you don't find most of the published games interesting?

 

[Avaron1974]

My first and foremost priority is story.

I tend to prefer RPG's and romance VN's and sex can't carry those so the story and characters have to be on point or I don't bother with them.

I tend to avoid certain tags like incest and corruption. They have too many similarities and apart from a couple of games that try something different like Parental Love and Sisterly Lust, they tend to be complete dogshit.

Animations i'm not interested in. Most H games are made by amateur devs that barely know how to code nevermind animate and most of the look awful. Those stop frame animations that a jumpy as all hell, I can't flick my bean to those, they don't lok hot and they ruin games. Dreams of Desire would have been awesome if he hadn't used those shit animations that forced me to skip scenes. Those are my pet hate, I detest crap animations.

Choices aren't super important to me. I'll read kinetic novels if the story is good enough. As long as something holds my interest, I don't mind.

Multiple endings I do like, especially if there are a few paths to follow in game. If a game has several love interests it makes sense to have multiple endings to fit those in.

 

[HopesGaming]

The boring answer: Go with what you like.

Genre, animated or not, fetishes, branches and all those stuff. Doesn't matter.
There will always be critics.
In story heavy games there will be complainings about *Too much reading, eyes hurt*
In sex heavy games there will be complainings about *Where's the character depth at?! I rather watch youporn!*

I got a fair share of those in my game threads. One of the latest reviews on my game gave it a 1 star because my story focused game is too heavy on the story.
But that is not something you should try to avoid. Because you can't make a game that everyone is going to love without conditions. Instead, notice the number of people that enjoy the game instead of the critics.

Now, the thing that breaks a game is not if it's heavy on the sex side or heavy on the story side. Nor is it what genre it is or anything else from the poll.
Rather it's the logical stuff like lack of quality, copy paste, boring, lack of originality, bad coding, bad engine usage (using ren'py for turn based rpg, using unity with bad coding, using rpgmaker for a pure VN, etc.), 2 min 0.01, and so on.

As long as you ace the field you going for - then it's going to do well no matter which side you focus on.

 

[Hadley]

Story and Choices. Thats the most important part in pretty much every Game. Obviously the Graphics are important too but if the Story is good and you have choices I can endure pretty bad Graphics.

 

[redknight00]

Animations: I'm yet to see animations good enough in a porn game to justify the work put in them, I would take a few extra renders/drawings than one choppy animation.

Graphics: the thing I've been getting more and more frustrated with the current way of making porn games is the lack of energy and dynamic in the graphics. I read a lot of comics in my free time and I'm used to seeing people putting all action, emotion and charisma in still images, yet I look at porn games and see people standing with a blank expression and flat angles.

Of course, that presumes you will have graphics in a game and that's not completely necessary, there are good games out there without or with minimal visual content. That, of course, means the creator will have to compensate with writing and maybe mechanics to make up for the loss of visuals, but they are now unburdened by the limitations of what they can draw/render, games like CoC and TiTs would just not be possible if they had graphics (unless fenoxo had a fortune to spend).

Genre: there's no right and wrong regarding genres, all kinds of games have their worth and public, anything from your cookie cutter by the numbers VN to ultra-porn furry text based game. It's about what you want, need and can do.

Story: for me, a story needs to have a hook, something unique and interesting that no other game can offer. No need to follow trends or reject then, just build something to draw the player and keep them engaged.

And while I'm in the story department, the Main Character, I can't stress how important it is to get this person right, it's easy to forget and focus on the love interests and try to come up with new way to get lewds, but all is worthless if the player can't stand their protagonist or worse, are bored because the main character is a boner with legs. If anything, at this point with so many blank MCs (or so bland that they might as well be), I believe it's better for a creator to put more personality, flaws and backstory to their characters than make a player avatar for self inserts.

Choices: choices are nice when done right, even if they don't have long-standing impact, I like when I can feel the weight in the choices I make and see their consequences.

Multiple endings: much like choices, I like when they are done right, when they reflect and reinforce the overall story of the game and give liberty to the player one final big choice.

 

[Zakutsa]

I agree with @HopesGaming statement. Everyone has their own preference and yes, it's a generic answer. But it's the truth for everyone. Each person has their own likes and dislikes Whether it is story-driven, combat focus with sexual themes, sandbox style, Milf, Incest, Homosexual, Gore Sex, etc, there's a game with that certain genre for that individual.

My answer for the topic is complex. I like a game with a male protagonist. Ideally, a young adult male (age 18-22). I'm into older women with big breasts and curvy figure. In some eroge games, I always go for the route where you can romance and have sex with the older woman. (ex. teacher, your friend's mom, that one sexy neighbor Milf next door)
I don't mind Incest games, but I feel like it's getting really boring and lacking that erotic taboo feel.

Also big points are characters design, art-style, interesting story, and of course, sex scenes. My biggest grudge, I hate mini-games above all else. It's time-consuming and serves no purpose in a sex game.

 

[vir_cotto]

The boring answer: Go with what you like.

Genre, animated or not, fetishes, branches and all those stuff. Doesn't matter.
There will always be critics.
In story heavy games there will be complainings about *Too much reading, eyes hurt*
In sex heavy games there will be complainings about *Where's the character depth at?! I rather watch youporn!*

I got a fair share of those in my game threads. One of the latest reviews on my game gave it a 1 star because my story focused game is too heavy on the story.
But that is not something you should try to avoid. Because you can't make a game that everyone is going to love without conditions. Instead, notice the number of people that enjoy the game instead of the critics.

Now, the thing that breaks a game is not if it's heavy on the sex side or heavy on the story side. Nor is it what genre it is or anything else from the poll.
Rather it's the logical stuff like lack of quality, copy paste, boring, lack of originality, bad coding, bad engine usage (using ren'py for turn based rpg, using unity with bad coding, using rpgmaker for a pure VN, etc.), 2 min 0.01, and so on.

As long as you ace the field you going for - then it's going to do well no matter which side you focus on.

You've got a masterpiece, but there are lots of morons "playing" games. I remember, a month ago, I saw a review of one quite famous studio h-title where one idiot (I can't find a better word) complained about how he spent half an hour skipping text to find XXX scenes. And then even complained how "story wasn't good" - like he read anything. Of course, he gave 1 star.

I think we've got bunch of underage morons never heard of Pornbay or Xvideos...

 

[anne O'nymous]

What is a good game for me ? I'll go for the missing answer : "none of the above"

While the story is what matter the most, it's not enough to make a good game.

I enjoyed playing games that don't have a story, and really disliked playing some that have a deep strong story. I enjoyed playing games made with Illusion's assets or poor 2D drawing, and really disliked some with high quality Daz3D rendering. And I enjoyed playing short games, like long ones, as much as I disliked playing short games or long ones.
I also enjoyed playing games without animations, and ones with tons of them, like I enjoyed playing pure visual novels and games that let me all liberty of choice. Finally, I enjoyed playing games that have multiple ending, as well as games that have an ending obvious from the start. And for all of this, there's also example of games I really disliked.

If the answer was as simple as one of the answer you proposed in your survey, then anyone could make good games, and we wouldn't be drowning under tons of average ones. Making a good game is a subtle alchemy that can't be described, just felt.

 

[freedom.call]

Story, choices and animated sex.

You should make what you want to make though.

 

[jhb]

Games with a good story line and choices are great only if the game is longer than thirty minutes. Games with a female BBW would be really great indeed. Not one like Terminal Desires with such large breast but the whole body being large like in real life. Love animated sex although the game.

 

[Hajtand]

First and foremost enjoyable gameplay mechanics.

 

[jamdan]

For me

1- Story. I tend to stick to VN's, maybe try a story based RPG sometimes. I want to get drawn into the characters personalities and stories.
2-Choices. Not all the choices need to lead to something, but its nice to have some interaction with how the story goes.
3-Graphics. Obviously as i am reading the story and making choices, i would hope the artwork is nice.

Not necessarily needed, but a bonus.
4-Multiple Ending. Adds to the stories and shows the choices matter.
5-Animations. If done well they can be great, but i would rather have basic images over bad animations.
6-Length. Doesn't need to be super long, but I dont want a game to be over in 30-minutes.
7- Genre. I can get into almost anything if it fits the top 3 things i posted.


and another thing to add. General gameplay mechanics, its the most important thing. Bad mechanics can take a great game concept and make it trash.

 

[shadowsynn]

1. Story- I have to say that story is the most important part of any game to me. I favor RPGs, visual novels, and adventure games with rpg mechanics. I love in depth stories with lore aplenty. I'm not saying you need to create the next Fate franchise or Dragon Age, but good characters and story are a must for any good game.

2. Genre- I'm very particular. I love anything that involves corruption, mind control, reluctance, blackmail, and any number of control themes. This is important to ME. Not everyone is caught up in what the genre is, but I prefer these. Also, if we're talking game genre, visual novel and rpg are my favs, but I can play others if the story, gameplay, and characters are good.

3. Choices- After the disasters that triple A games have caused with the promise of choices that actually matter, but don't, I'm skeptical of any game that has choices. I love for my decisions to actually make a difference. For instance, maybe in a harem game, I can choose to be nice to a girl I just met. She may fall for me and join me. But if I'm mean, I'm locked out of getting her. But maybe other girls like that approach.

Anyway, if you promise choices that actually change the story or add something to it other than just letting me interact with the story (that's kinda pointless btw) and don't deliver, you will upset fans.

4. Multiple Endings- This is not a particularly important thing for me. Don't get me wrong, I love having multiple endings. I feel that any game that offers me a harem or multiple girl ending is a godsend. And it just makes sense to have multiple endings if there are multiple love interests. But, this is not a critical thing for me. I've played many games with only one ending and enjoyed them immensely more than some that offer more endings.

5. Length- Don't make it short. I hate game that lack content. I don't need a massive game, but I prefer a game that will take me at least a little while to finish.

6. Animated Sex Scenes and Graphics- As long as it looks nice, doesn't look like a blatant ripoff trying to be original, and is consistent or better in quality, its good to me. I just hate when someone copy and pastes a game and call it their own.

TLDR: Story and genre are the most important elements to me, followed closely by choice. Everything else depends on the first three for me.

 

[Ataios]

If it were about regular games, I'd say story, but as this is about porn games, I say genre is the number one. A porn game is interesting for me only, if it contains the fetishes I like, otherwise, I see no value in playing it, regardless of it's potential objective greatness. There is just no way I could ever enjoy a dad-daughter game or a gangbang game. On the other hand, I will almost certainly like every mom-daughter game and every game about lesbian domination I come across.

Graphics is a distant second, because obviously visuals are defining what is sexy. While good graphics wont be enough to advertise a game of a genre I don't like to me, bad graphics can potentially ruin a game in genre I'd otherwise enjoy. Animations are not necessity to me however.

Story is basically the spice in this recipe. A good story is not a necessity to get off to a porn game, but it will make the experience all the more enjoyable.

Choices and multiple endings can be important, if the they help define a game's genre. E.g. in Milf's Tale you can choose, whether the female MC enters a lesbian or a straight relationship. Personally I would have enjoyed the game the same way if there was only a lesbian option, while I wouldn't have played it, if there was only a straight option. So choices essentially make a game interesting to a wider audience.

I wouldn't consider length a main factor, although I course I'd rather have more of good game than less. I wouldn't call it requirement though. I still enjoy a short incomplete game, if it has the fetishes I like and decent looks.

 

[Grumpy Eagle]

Thanks for your answers. I really appreciate it. Hold my beer. I'm going to make a game.

 

[GuyFreely]

We've discussed it before, but there is a bit of a bias toward story for the group of people willing to read and post on the general discussion thread of this forum. I'm not saying it's invalid, but you have to understand the pool of people in your poll (ah, alliteration). I mean I also think Story is one of the most important parts, but I am a person who posts on this forum outside of game threads, so there ya go. When most people say story, I think they mean writing. It isn't just about a gripping narrative, but good characters and dialogue. You can have a game that doesn't have a story in the traditional sense, but the writing should still flesh out the characters and the world. It's also tricky if you just don't like the protagonist very much.

If I look at the previews and the art is super janky (bad lighting, grainy, generally sloppy) I'll pass on it right there. I realize some people are trying to make games with subpar computers, but it sort of gives me a clue as to how much effort went into the game. Also, if you find something generally aesthetically hard to look at, you won't enjoy it much.

Bad gameplay mechanics will get me to drop a game pretty quick. This is mostly around the wasting my time category, like super grindy games or games that are 90% walking. I don't need something to waste my time, I can do that in a million ways. I need something that is engaging in some way.

 

[W65]

More than anything else lately, I've been playing text-based games that are mostly in a language I largely can't really read. The gameplay's pretty repetitive, too. Thing is, there's just a ton of stuff in these games, and it's kinda fun trying to tease it all out even if I don't really know (or care) what's happening 100% of the time. Also nice is the fact that these games don't really have well-defined ends, mostly, or if they do then they have NG+ type things.

It kinda helps that each of them has an extremely interactive and detailed system for putting together sex scenes, which would be pretty herculean to try to do with any kind of graphics involved.

I guess that means I'd put story pretty close to the bottom of the list, gameplay sorta near the top, graphics high up (if they exist), animations nowhere (they're nice if they're done well, but usually aren't), and choices pretty close to the top.

(I don't really read VNs, I guess I oughta mention. Reading someone else's idea of how to give porn a personality just about never works for me.)

 

[freedom.call]

When I say story I just mean it has to make sense and be coherent, not expecting state of the art writing.

Many people say this.

 

[Lizard Wizard]

In my opinion if you just skip to sex scenes there is no fun in that. They are just random women at that point. I like to read the story, learn about their personalities etc after learning about them sex scenes are more fun. That's why I picked Graphics & Story. Good quality renders are must if you ask me. I don't usually play the game if it contains low quality pics.

 

[whiskeyrose]

A good game is a game that is just that, a game. Its good if it has gameplay elements that require you to think at least a little bit about what you're doing.

If you can hold shift and 100% a game or if you just chain events it's not a game, its timegated porn.

Any game that has a gameplay element greater than "pick between two options to see two different scenes" is better than most.

Also people are critical of porn games for several reasons. Namely:

• Most porn games are in fact, pure unfiltered shit.
• People who play lewd games have consumed an unfathomable amount of pornography of all shapes and sizes. This makes us them picky; believing themselves to be experts on the topic of what makes porn good (Which they in fact, are).
• Most porn consumers haven't the faintest idea what it takes to make the most simple of pornographic games.