What makes a game GREAT in your opinion...

[xkzq]

I think you left one out -
C. Starts as either A or B (usually A), but the developer isn't committed enough (or pre-planned enough) to see it through as envisioned, and caves to the whims of patrons/players/forum members/something someone said on twitter/etc. The game starts and after a couple of updates diverges from the promise of the premise into some territory where nothing goes together any longer.

Fan service is definitely one way to kill your project. I can't remember which game I was playing but there was a point where it was painfully obvious that the original plan was canned and everything was fan service. The whole narrative of the game did a 180 and I just sat there like "What the actual fuck?"

 

[polywog]

Star Trek had bad guys Klingons, Romulans, etc.
Star Wars had bad guys The Evil Empire, Sith, bounty hunters, etc.
Harry Potter had bad guys Voldemort, etc.

Having an antagonist in your game is essential. Some might even argue that it's not a game at all, if there is no competition.

 

[Ramsay_Bolton]

1. Not way too big boobs. Seriously, almost every game has unrealistic boobs.
2. Story, obviously the most important part.
3. More kinks, with option to avoid them.
4. Good graphics, it doesn't need to be amazing, just good one is OK for me.
5. No stupid humor. If it's elegant jokes that appear from time to time it's amazing. But stupid humor kills a game.

 

[Ragnar]

Regular updates and some kinks for my liking.

 

[MrJBJ]

1. Writing is the most important part. good writing can stand alone with no images, animations.
2. UI. Everything should be simple and comfortable to use.
3. Gameplay/game design. The game should flow like a river. No running around for no reason, no grinding for the sake of grinding. Everything should be clear how/what to do.
4. Images. A good, beautiful image can boost, compensate your writing. Well placed image with a good text can say more than any animation.
5. Animations. Again it can boost, compensate writing and images.

 

[Deleted member 1299911]

If you can put it in a 5 point answer would be great... What makes a game great, not good but great and something you wanna play.

I am curious I suppose.

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[ThanatosX]

In order of importance.

Art
Interface
Mechanics
Story
Length

Needs to look good, be interesting to read and play, for a nice amount of time.

 

[RogueKnightUK]

1. Writing is the most important part. good writing can stand alone with no images, animations.

While I agree, I also have to point out that 'good writing' is not only subjective, and that writing one regards as great, another might find too prosaic, or too difficult. Some like simplistic (and that certainly works better than usual with a multi-national audience with a widely diverse ability in any one language), while others want writing to be deep and rich (which tends to be complex).

But I did say "not only subjective". Even beyond the huge issue of different tastes, writing is not just one thing. There's plot, there's characters, there's the pace and flow, and each of those also have sub-categories. At the very least, there can be a huge difference between concept and execution, yet both are, technically, parts of 'writing'. Even in classic literature, very few writers truly excel in all aspects.

Many of the most successful games are never, ever, going to win prizes for literature. Not on plot, nor prose, nor realistic character portrayal. In games, simplicity, and the ability for non-native speakers to still follow the game just from visuals alone tend to be an important factor.

 

[Volta]

1 - Story, if it's bland as hell i won't be back for the next version, period.
2 - no extreme fetishes, i want a vague idea of what i'm going to get before i get too far into the game o i can drop it's ass if i need to, i like a little of a lot of stuff but not going too extreme on any one thing, light bondage is fine, too much is well, too much.
3 - variety and character in the love interests and the scenes they are in, no point having a physical variety in the game and have them all act the same either in or out of the bedroom,without the sex scene reflecting the characters' personality as well they just feel like NPC's rather than characters.
4 - Good use of your format, if you're using RPGM then make it a bloody RPG and not a basic time filler type either, give me something worth playing, otherwise why bother, also a choices based VN doesn't mean you have to make every choice, sometimes the PC's character should effect the available choices, if the MC is a decent human being peep options can be skipped over. If your going sandbox then keep the grind lowish and play to the strengths of a non linear story, build stuff up layer by layer rather than just keeping them as separate blocks that are totally isolated from each other.
5 - be a good dev, this is the hardest one here by far. Don't cop out, be honest and realistic with your expectations and the time-frame to achieve what you set out for, be cautious with release dates but more important than all of that be reliable, if your word gets devalued you, your game, your brand and future work is all devalued.

 

[MrJBJ]

While I agree, I also have to point out that 'good writing' is not only subjective, and that writing one regards as great, another might find too prosaic, or too difficult. Some like simplistic (and that certainly works better than usual with a multi-national audience with a widely diverse ability in any one language), while others want writing to be deep and rich (which tends to be complex).

But I did say "not only subjective". Even beyond the huge issue of different tastes, writing is not just one thing. There's plot, there's characters, there's the pace and flow, and each of those also have sub-categories. At the very least, there can be a huge difference between concept and execution, yet both are, technically, parts of 'writing'. Even in classic literature, very few writers truly excel in all aspects.

Many of the most successful games are never, ever, going to win prizes for literature. Not on plot, nor prose, nor realistic character portrayal. In games, simplicity, and the ability for non-native speakers to still follow the game just from visuals alone tend to be an important factor.

Writing is not just a text you see on your screen. Writing includes every action of every character in the game, all the emotions, all the meaning behind objects, places. When you write a book you have to put everything in words, but the game is different. You can write a game with a good story, without showing a single word. You can tell a story with game mechanics, pictures, animations, words.
Writing is the story in your head, how you show it - is up to you.

 

[Volta]

Writing is not just a text you see on your screen. Writing includes every action of every character in the game, all the emotions, all the meaning behind objects, places. When you write a book you have to put everything in words, but the game is different. You can write a game with a good story, without showing a single word. You can tell a story with game mechanics, pictures, animations, words.
Writing is the story in your head, how you show it - is up to you.

This is a very good description and general assessment of what sort of story elements many games lack and certain games like CoBD get right, story isn't just the dialogue and exposition it is everything in the game, the whole world of the game provides context to what happens in it, enhancing or detracting from the dialogue ect. not enough devs seem to get their heads round it. There is a reason why Tolkien is regarded so highly and it's not his dialogue lets put it that way.

 

[MoolahMilk]

I wholeheartedly disagree.
Daz has the capacity to make great and realistic looking renders. As good as any other render software.
The limitations are not the program but with the user.

Also, blender and all the other programs are not an option. Too many things have to be created from scratch. Which take a shitton of time. And with games that have a player base waiting for an update - not plausible.

Also, my latest renders as an example.

Spoiler: Renders

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What are the limitations with that render? What would blender be able to do that Daz is lacking?
Any faults on this render are not daz but me.

I have a lot of bad renders in my game.
But those are not the fault of daz but is due to my early days of not knowing it properly.
Bad lighting, bad skin, bad poses, stiff expressions and so on. All of those are on the user. Not on the software.

Absolutely agree with this sentiment. I think it's not so much the actual tools but how you use it. Of course there are limitations but give John Wick a pencil and see what he does with it

I discovered this while making my own game. Before that, I used to be so critical of Game devs until I decided to develop one on my own. Only now I have so much more respect and appreciation for devs who make good work. It takes alot of skill to make good renders. (+ writing + programming + marketing etc etc etc)

Personally, I don't really like the DAZ style (mostly due to many less skilled artist using stock poses, models etc), I like the HS artstyle more (lousy hs art can still be kinda cute and anime, but lousy Daz just looks weird and spastic). However, HS is obviously a very limited engine compared to DAZ, but you can still make fantastic art if you put in the work.

For example, I'm quite a perfectionist for better or worse and I try to push the absolute boundaries of what you can do with a limited engine like HS.
I spent A HUGE amount of time perfecting my skills and trying to make HS renders look comparable to more powerful engines like DAZ and I think the results are pretty good while still retaining the anime like feel of HS.

Here are some examples from the game I'm currently working on.





Just compare these renders to other HS games who use the exact same engine. (Harem Hotel, Mythic Manor, Waifu Academy etc. *No hate. I love all those games. And I support those games I named with my money. They are great, go play them.) I'm just speaking from a purely technical viewpoint here.

It makes a BIG difference if you actually put in the time to master your craft. (This is done with HS1 by the way. Imagine my agony when HS2 was just released as I'm halfway through making my game already. Haha. So sad, the engine in HS2 is way better and next gen.)

For comparison, (I'm not going to show examples of other games but I'll use my own instead.)

One major gripe I had with HS games is that the background and scenery look terrible. I wanted a game that has really good scenes and backgrounds that is relatively realistic but retain anime feel.

This is the artwork I came up with at first when I was still grasping how to use the software and subsequent stages of improvement.


DRAFT1 (Really bad overall. Weak lighting, no depth, lousy textures, makes it look copy and paste)


DRAFT2 (Clear improvements here but still not satisfying)


Look at the same coffee shop scene now after redesigning the character to look more in line with the one I had in mind. Vast improvement in lighting skills and modelling, assets, skin etc. (I remade my entire demo 3 times!).



I'm sure you can see a vast improvement. I was aiming to achieve art that is at least comparable to DAZ games but still maintain the feel of HS art which I personally love. I'm sure there's plenty space for improvement and I'm learning how to use the tools at my disposal better everyday.

I hope I accomplished that! But for sure, the quality of my renders have improved greatly as I polished my skills even though I use the same tools as I did before. It just takes some passion, time and effort, as with anything in life.

"It's not the size of the boat but the motion of the ocean."
Even a small dick can make a girl cum if you know how to use it ;P Muahaha.

 

[Joraell]

Absolutely agree with this sentiment. I think it's not so much the actual tools but how you use it. Of course there are limitations but give John Wick a pencil and see what he does with it

I discovered this while making my own game. Before that, I used to be so critical of Game devs until I decided to develop one on my own. Only now I have so much more respect and appreciation for devs who make good work. It takes alot of skill to make good renders. (+ writing + programming + marketing etc etc etc)

Personally, I don't really like the DAZ style (mostly due to many less skilled artist using stock poses, models etc), I like the HS artstyle more (lousy hs art can still be kinda cute and anime, but lousy Daz just looks weird and spastic). However, HS is obviously a very limited engine compared to DAZ, but you can still make fantastic art if you put in the work.

For example, I'm quite a perfectionist for better or worse and I try to push the absolute boundaries of what you can do with a limited engine like HS.
I spent A HUGE amount of time perfecting my skills and trying to make HS renders look comparable to more powerful engines like DAZ and I think the results are pretty good while still retaining the anime like feel of HS.

Here are some examples from the game I'm currently working on.
View attachment 874312
View attachment 874308
View attachment 874309


Just compare these renders to other HS games who use the exact same engine. (Harem Hotel, Mythic Manor, Waifu Academy etc. *No hate. I love all those games. And I support those games I named with my money. They are great, go play them.) I'm just speaking from a purely technical viewpoint here.

It makes a BIG difference if you actually put in the time to master your craft. (This is done with HS1 by the way. Imagine my agony when HS2 was just released as I'm halfway through making my game already. Haha. So sad, the engine in HS2 is way better and next gen.)

For comparison, (I'm not going to show examples of other games but I'll use my own instead.)

One major gripe I had with HS games is that the background and scenery look terrible. I wanted a game that has really good scenes and backgrounds that is relatively realistic but retain anime feel.

This is the artwork I came up with at first when I was still grasping how to use the software and subsequent stages of improvement.


DRAFT1 (Really bad overall. Weak lighting, no depth, lousy textures, makes it look copy and paste)
View attachment 874321

DRAFT2 (Clear improvements here but still not satisfying)
View attachment 874322

Look at the same coffee shop scene now after redesigning the character to look more in line with the one I had in mind. Vast improvement in lighting skills and modelling, assets, skin etc. (I remade my entire demo 3 times!).

View attachment 874307

I'm sure you can see a vast improvement. I was aiming to achieve art that is at least comparable to DAZ games but still maintain the feel of HS art which I personally love. I'm sure there's plenty space for improvement and I'm learning how to use the tools at my disposal better everyday.

I hope I accomplished that! But for sure, the quality of my renders have improved greatly as I polished my skills even though I use the same tools as I did before. It just takes some passion, time and effort, as with anything in life.

"It's not the size of the boat but the motion of the ocean."
Even a small dick can make a girl cum if you know how to use it ;P Muahaha.

Man your HS images looks better than 70% DAZ renders But you know what? Mostly the Braindeads like just tits and butts. even if they are from 2 and one pixel.

 

[Pretentious Goblin]

When it comes to ero-games, I'm mostly just into corruption. Most flavors are fine. But none of it works for me if the game can't sell it. A quality writer who understands the fetish is absolutely essential to my enjoyment of the game. I'll gladly trade in good art, or any art, for good writing.

But as for the stuff that can take a game above and beyond, other than presentation:

1. Engaging gameplay. It doesn't have to be particularly good gameplay. It can be glorified fluff with no real risk of failure. I still want it as a way to pace the game and dole out new scenes incrementally. I hate reading walls of text, so giving me something to do in between new scenes is actually a plus in my book. Of course, there are ways to mess this up by making it too repetitive. And good gameplay is always appreciated more.

2. Player agency. I really hate unavoidable ero-content that isn't part of the main plot / hook of the game. Unfortunately, a lot of devs feel the need to "spice up" slow-burn corruption games with sexy time with secondary characters, or wet dream scenes. Which would be fine if they were optional.

3. Meaningful choices that cater to a variety of fetishes. Should be self-explanatory, really. More freedom = more chances you'll find something you like and/or more replay value.

 

[Deleted member 167032]

Can't believe this topic is still discussed lol...

Point number 3 is the truest statement yet. Look at CoBD for instance, brilliant in all forms yet it doesnt have WVM pull even though the story, art, women probably are, let's be honest here better but it lacks walls of incest, harem and choices.

I now know exactly what is needed to make wallops of cash and get crowds to flock but I still cannot get myself to do something that I would personally find mind numbing to create.

So what makes a game great is a two fold answer/question. Great can mean in monetary form or great can mean famous yet both still don't make it something that lingers in players/readers minds days or month after they finished playing it. The latter to me is what great means.

When it comes to ero-games, I'm mostly just into corruption. Most flavors are fine. But none of it works for me if the game can't sell it. A quality writer who understands the fetish is absolutely essential to my enjoyment of the game. I'll gladly trade in good art, or any art, for good writing.

But as for the stuff that can take a game above and beyond, other than presentation:

1. Engaging gameplay. It doesn't have to be particularly good gameplay. It can be glorified fluff with no real risk of failure. I still want it as a way to pace the game and dole out new scenes incrementally. I hate reading walls of text, so giving me something to do in between new scenes is actually a plus in my book. Of course, there are ways to mess this up by making it too repetitive. And good gameplay is always appreciated more.

2. Player agency. I really hate unavoidable ero-content that isn't part of the main plot / hook of the game. Unfortunately, a lot of devs feel the need to "spice up" slow-burn corruption games with sexy time with secondary characters, or wet dream scenes. Which would be fine if they were optional.

3. Meaningful choices that cater to a variety of fetishes. Should be self-explanatory, really. More freedom = more chances you'll find something you like and/or more replay value.

 

[SAMASH112]

Wow.. it's about taste, especially. Each player has her "perfect game". But that goes for each player, and there are many things. For example, here are some:

Make it entertaining, if possible also fun. It should have a deep story that get attention. That the developer keep his path and his story from the beginning, without changing anything (this is important). That is, if he starts with a genre, keep it, don't change it due to whining and intolerant. Add content and options over time in updates. And if possible, don't have renders that look like characters from a PS2 game. Nowadays, quality renders and animations are really highly appreciated.

If it's RPG game, it should have a quest section and a map so as not to get dizzy wasting time walking around the city/village to find the point of the next mission.

If Ren'Py/Unity, without Sandbox, or at least not the typical annoying with several scenes at every single hour of the day during the 7 days a week and with score to get renders. It's really annoying especially when you don't have time, plus when doesn't exist a clear guide that specifies each path of the game step by step.

There are many variables.