What's good gameplay?

[Yunari-chi]

What even is gameplay, are you looking for something besides sexual content, like management, or should the sexual content itself be the gameplay in some form? Or should the story be the center piece, click to advance is enough gameplay?

 

[Sphere42]

Given the context I'd say the ideal is interactivity within sexual scenes. Whether that manifests itself as typical RPGM combat except "attacks" are "sex acts" and participants cum instead of dying at 0hp, or VR where you hold and move sex toys, or simply selecting what you want to do next as a dialogue option is a matter of personal preference. To me that is what differentiates a "sex game" from a "game with sex scenes" which GTA has too.

A medium with no interactive choice even outside of sex is not a "game" at all. That does not make it inferior but we wouldn't call movies or rock concerts "games" either now would we?

 

[Yunari-chi]

Thanks, very insightful! Didn't think of differentiating it like that before. I agree the specifics are just personal preferences, but I'm interested in those too, want to elaborate what yours are?

 

[Meaning Less]

Gameplay can probably be boiled down into interactivity, mechanics that emulate the events of what is happening instead of just reading about it or being limited to simple dialogue choices.

Now good gameplay is completely subjective and in my opinion conditioned upon what kind of story you want to tell.

 

[Sphere42]

Thanks, very insightful! Didn't think of differentiating it like that before. I agree the specifics are just personal preferences, but I'm interested in those too, want to elaborate what yours are?

Usually I'm more limited by themes and fetishes. And the specifics of what I consider "well executed" vary wildly based on game type too. In terms of overall concept I'd honestly say one of the best is the Flash-era "interactive touching games", even most HD-3D games feel a lot worse than those dinky things when all you actually do is click menu options in sequence while a "pleasure bar" fills up.

 

[Yunari-chi]

Now good gameplay is completely subjective and in my opinion conditioned upon what kind of story you want to tell.

Do you mean the actual mechanics should be built to fit the story or something different?

In terms of overall concept I'd honestly say one of the best is the Flash-era "interactive touching games", even most HD-3D games feel a lot worse than those dinky things when all you actually do is click menu options in sequence while a "pleasure bar" fills up.

"Just" simulation is enough, if the interactivity is done right? Without the sliders, somehow more interactive I mean. Is the appeal in the visualisation/simulation of the act, the responses of the subject, the customization options or something else?

 

[♍VoidTraveler]

Anything fun you can conceive of, basically. Impress us with your creativity.
It can be a fusion of combat and porn.
It can be a fusion of interactive game elements and porn, such as building a base.

Say you play as an orc chief and your mission is expansion and conquest.
What you need? Army. How you get that army?
Build breeding stalls, attack villages/towns/caravans/adventurers who invade your territory/etc.
Capture women, use them to breed your army.

And that's just one example.

 

[Meaning Less]

Do you mean the actual mechanics should be built to fit the story or something different?

Sometimes the mechanics are made to fit with the story, other times the story is made to fit with the mechanics, both can work when well implemented.

Interactivity is the key as I stated, that is what distinguishes a game (active entertainment) from an animation/book (passive entertainment).

 

[NeonSelf]

In terms of non-sexual gameplay I prefer sandbox with Combat\Management\Leveling\Upgrades.
No fixed story, just some starting point and end goal (harem) to move to by different means.

Sex can also have gameplay mechanics. Ulock different poses\fetishes\kinks for your partner trough dating\persuasion\force\fear\blackmail. Change her personality by corruption\rewards\punishments.

Good examples are: Masters of Raana, strive for power, superpowered (too grindy but has alot of gameplay mechanics).

Generated characters are also great to add replayability: The imperial gatekeeper.

 

[DuniX]

Sex Content can be considered a Value-Add on top of an existing game.

Let's say a player likes the gameplay of Slay the Spire.
The problem with that is you are competing with Slay the Spire and the many clones of it.
You can't be mediocre, you can't be average and just good enough, you need to surpass each and every one including Slay the Spire and it's production value and polish.
But if you add Sex Content the equation changes, the Value of Sex Content is in Novelty, new characters, new scenes, new fetishes/kinks.
Since Sex Content is Consumed since it is only novel Once then it is ever in Demand.

So what constitutes "good game" can be a average game that doesn't have to do anything that special since it's already something they like. Instead of repeatedly replaying Slay the Spire they can try your new game that is good enough to satisfy that. What they get in addition is the Value from the Sex Content, so as much as you add through expansions and sequels. Of course if you are going to make expansions it would be best to add value to the gameplay also.
Goblin Burrow is the most shameless example of this, they basically re-released the same game 3 times including new DLC expansions for each game with very minor changes to the gameplay.
Still the most consistently best selling game on DLsite.

 

[NeonSelf]

Sex Content can be considered a Value-Add on top of an existing game.

Sex Content is not a Value-Add, it should be a Reward for progress in game.

For example: when I've played Subverse (in early stages) it basically had two separate game modes: shoot-em-up and sex. It meant, as long as I have some crew member on my ship I can see all sex scenes with her, without any additional effort like in a gallery. It was boring and dumb.

Luckily, in most games sex content is hidden behind some achievements in game: buy expensive gift, beat specific enemy...

 

[DuniX]

Sex Content is not a Value-Add, it should be a Reward for progress in game.

Value-Add as a Product not the precise implementation on how you use it.

 

[kintarodev]

I don't look for anything beyond suggestive character designs when it comes to adult games. At least if I don't pay for said game.

As for what I consider a good gameplay, generally speaking it depends on the genre of course; but for me it boils down to those experiences where you feel satisfaction when controlling the characters (or '''''menus'''' if it's '''that kind'''' of game). Two clear examples for me would be Dark Souls I in terms of third person sword fighting, and ZBTW when it comes to experiencing in game physics. Of course these results require a great development team to be achieved.

Does this mean that games for adults developed by individuals or small teams can't achieve good gameplay? No. In this case it would be best to take inspiration from the mobile gaming experience. That is, short, intense experiences that you want to repeat over and over again for wathever reason. So, I think that at least one well-developed mechanic, well supported by a coherent artistic direction, is enough.

ps. of course, about story, I don't have that much expectations, just please, a minium of coherence, not even originality.

 

[AdventAnyx]

Whatever it is, if it requires 2 hands to play, you've already failed (in my, non-octopoid humble opinion)

 

[Meaning Less]

Whatever it is, if it requires 2 hands to play, you've already failed (in my, non-octopoid humble opinion)

You don't need to be an octopoid to learn alternate controls that work one handed.

If you can't beat

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, then you need to git gud.

 

[NRFB]

What's good gameplay?

My game

 

[nulnil]

Sex Content is not a Value-Add, it should be a Reward for progress in game.

Now before I argue with you, do you mean Reward as in

• "You can get a handjob after you take out the garbage 100 times."

or

• "If you have enough meter, you can do a sex attack."

?

 

[Sphere42]

"Just" simulation is enough, if the interactivity is done right? Without the sliders, somehow more interactive I mean. Is the appeal in the visualisation/simulation of the act, the responses of the subject, the customization options or something else?

To be clear the Flash games I was referring to are not the Zone/MnF "insert->faster->harder" type, those are on par with a lot of later 3D games. I meant the ones by e.g. Koooonsoft or niiCri where you interact with specific body parts or in specific ways and the girl responds to your choices (semi-)appropriately. So it's a mix of things, if you poke a tit it jiggles, if you tear her clothes off 3s after meeting her she'll go "what the hell are you doing!?" whereas if you kiss and fondle her first she'll go along with it (or maybe she's a masochist and prefers to get slapped around first), and sure if you have that basic framework it's probably easier to drop in a few extra clothes or hairstyles for a bit of variety.

The other similar thing I feel a lot of games get wrong is consequences. In those Flash games usually neither participant ever runs out of steam or remarks on how much time they've spent having sex. RPGM female protagonist games notoriously let you run around naked and covered head to toe in monster cum yet when you speak to townsfolk they just greet you with the normal "Hello, nice day for a walk isn't it?" Or you can max out lewdness/"corruption" where you're willingly fucking stray dogs in public, yet that event where someone peeps on you in the bath only has the "eep! he saw my naked nipples!" version. "Life sim" games where you have to brush your teeth and comb your hair every morning lest you suffer a social malus, yet when you have sex after a month without any maintenance you're clean shaven top to bottom. The issue with all of these is that they break immersion, they make potential fetish interactions seem less real and diminish the reward value of the "boring" non-sexual mechanics when you realise it's just a grind gate with no influence on the sex scene.

 

[Yunari-chi]

Sex Content can be considered a Value-Add on top of an existing game.

Let's say a player likes the gameplay of Slay the Spire.
The problem with that is you are competing with Slay the Spire and the many clones of it.
You can't be mediocre, you can't be average and just good enough, you need to surpass each and every one including Slay the Spire and it's production value and polish.
But if you add Sex Content the equation changes, the Value of Sex Content is in Novelty, new characters, new scenes, new fetishes/kinks.
Since Sex Content is Consumed since it is only novel Once then it is ever in Demand.

This explains pretty well why medicore games can do pretty well if they have sex content. But isn't all content (not just sex) novel only once?

 

[Yunari-chi]

...

I find the realistic responses and consequenses are a double edged sword if the player wants porn, but I guess that's just a disparity between what the player is looking for and what the game offers. The realism can also take it close to a relationship simulator and it's hard to make that feel right, probably why that's usually left out and the characters just go with whatever the player wants.