Where are the exciting games?

[gunderson]

As somebody who's been frequenting sites like asstr, literotica, and mcstories for a decade or longer; I definitely can see the point that most visual novel stories just don't hold a candle to what people can do with actual longer-form stories. I'm not really going to go out and name names as far as visual novel stereotypes are concerned (we all have cliches that we tolerate or even enjoy after all), but I think we (also) all have our pet peeves that show up over and over again. For some reason though, genre conventions of visual novels are apparently the only things that are able to get certain visual novel fans off, so that seems to be why they're constantly afraid that if everybody making indie porn games isn't perpetually only making traditional-style visual novels, then they will be cut off from their preferred kind of porn forever. This seems...well, silly at best and doomsayingly alarmist at worst, but to at least be an accurate portrayal of the kind of plight such fans present themselves as being in.

For all such anxious visual novel fan f95zone users: no, visual novels aren't going away. If somebody makes a game you don't like, you can just not play it. There will not only still be plenty of visual novels to go around, but there will in fact perpetually be plenty of NEW visual novels to go around. You're fine.
In terms of development, yeah, OP pretty much hit the nail on the head. It's surprisingly, almost sadly, easier to make a basic visual novel with few other types of gameplay aside from choosing between a few options in a long string of four-line dialogue boxes than to make almost any other kind of porn game thanks to the ready availability on Ren'py, and enough of these low-effort games get funded that people with low levels of talent and skill in the relevant game development fields still keep picking up Ren'py because of its low cost of entry. This isn't to say that you can't make a more interactive or more gameplay-heavy game in Ren'py, but rather that most people getting into indie porn game development just don't bother expanding their abilities beyond storytelling, project management, and 3D modeling (or finding people to do the 3D modeling for them and possibly even the story writing and just focusing on project management once/if they get money rolling in).

Still, I wouldn't say that nobody's making anything else (descriptions are spoilered to avoid making this post yet longer).

Maybe it's not your cup of tea (my recommendations these days often do still have visual novel elements to them), but Faerin's new game Mystwood Manor (link: https://f95zone.to/threads/mystwood-manor-v0-7-0-9-full-faerin.42940/)

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You might also want to try out World After War (https://f95zone.to/threads/world-after-war-v0-54-crazy-forge-studio.23644/).

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A perennial classic alternative to the tradition visual novel is, of course, Peasant's Quest by Tinkerer (https://f95zone.to/threads/peasants-quest-v2-51-tinkerer.1717/).

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And of course, there's Baal's games. I realize that some people have been turned off of SuperPowered (I used to be a pretty big fan until I realized that, precisely because it's Ren'py-based, every update you needed to go through a huge slog to get to actual sex scenes with any characters), but his new game Loser is (in my opinion) pretty fucking amazing (https://f95zone.to/threads/loser-v0-06-03-public-night-city-productions.34576/).

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I'd also be remiss if I didn't broadly point to the Siren's Domain games. Town of Passion (https://f95zone.to/threads/town-of-passion-v1-2-02-sirens-domain.3508/), Zombie's Retreat (https://f95zone.to/threads/zombies-retreat-v1-0-4-sirens-domain.11431/), and Zombie's Retreat 2 (https://f95zone.to/threads/zombies-retreat-2-gridlocked-v0-4-3a-beta-sirens-domain.70152/),

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I'd also consider Dandy Boy Adventure (https://f95zone.to/threads/dandy-boy-adventures-v0-6-dandyboyoni.16255/),

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If you're looking for straight-up adventure games, I'd also suggest the works of Nenad Asanovic: Adventures of Willy D (recently finished) (https://f95zone.to/threads/adventures-of-willy-d-v1-0-nenad-asanovic.3423/) and his new game Eon (https://f95zone.to/threads/eon-v0-04-nenad-asanovic.23744/).

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I think that's a pretty good list to help suggest that, no, I don't think simplistic visual novels have gotten rid of everything else people make. Can't assume everything here is your speed, but hopefully something is. To be diplomatic about it, I don't think it's cool for loud and angry visual novel fans to try to dictate others' desires or preferences. It's okay to like different stuff, and them disliking stuff that isn't a traditional-style visual novel doesn't mean that you have to change your preferences to suit theirs or that they're required to play the same kinds of games you like. There simply is not an objective standard for what makes an acceptable porn game, at least as far as whether or not you're allowed to enjoy something, and anyone arguing otherwise is doing some pretty not-cool gatekeeping.

 

[Kinderalpha]

You know, this also highlights an interesting predicament with F95 being the primary zone for adult game distribution (at least that I know of). Unlike other forums that are genre or story specific. (I.e MMO forums, game forums, etc) F95 hosts every genre and category of adult game for the most part. So inevitably there will be a lot of disagreement with what is being made and what content is created. Because there is no distinction between game genres or content solicited on the site. I personally don't have any problem with that, but if you come here looking for well produced games. You can't be upset if you find a lot of mediocre produced games.

Maybe in the future, more distinctions will be made in terms of genres, categories, and content. And each will having branching communities and hubs. However, for now, we all must live in unison here peacefully

 

[Sphere42]

You know, this also highlights an interesting predicament with F95 being the primary zone for adult game distribution (at least that I know of). Unlike other forums that are genre or story specific. (I.e MMO forums, game forums, etc) F95 hosts every genre and category of adult game for the most part. So inevitably there will be a lot of disagreement with what is being made and what content is created. Because there is no distinction between game genres or content solicited on the site. I personally don't have any problem with that, but if you come here looking for well produced games. You can't be upset if you find a lot of mediocre produced games.

Maybe in the future, more distinctions will be made in terms of genres, categories, and content. And each will having branching communities and hubs. However, for now, we all must live in unison here peacefully

Nah it's just the tagging system and focus on forum threads for game delivery which suck. Mainly the tags and categories. Go on e-hentai, they have pretty much everything in terms of still images but their tagging system actually works to search for stuff you're looking for as well as blacklisting things you can't stand. It could do with a booru for individual images which don't really belong in any larger gallery but otherwise it's great. Speaking of boorus those work really well too, especially with "parent image" spaces or galleries and tag spaces like rule34.xxx has.

 

[Adabelitoo]

you can just "shift" through the whole game because they are boring as fuck so no wonder why only those couple of sex scenes are "worth" searching for.

You say they are boring as fuck because that's your opinion about them, the opinion of someone who has no interest on it from the very beggining. Why are you even here in the first place if you aren't interested on that?

It's like saying that the only parth worthy in a F1 race are the accidents and everything else is "boring as fuck". If you only care about accidents, go to Youtube and watch accidents videos there, don't watch the race.

Adult games aren't about the only thing you think it's worthy. Adult games are way bigger than your personal preferences.

 

[Serupiko]

I like games with story, even if its not the most coherent one, and I agree we have been seen tropes done and redone and deconstructed and constructed back. Same with the main character, the setting, the relationship dynamics... but well, I dont see it as bad. Take it as dungeons and dragons, you have your classes (the prude mum, the horny aunt, the mean sister, the naive childhood friend), and you have your campaigns to run (the blackmail, the inoccence lost, the seduction), you have your settings (the family guy, the teacher, the new guy in town), and with that base you can run a lot of different stuff even if by surface looks generic.

I also think that some games aim too high in being deep or whatever, and I have mixed opinions on that. For example, when games add characters with clear mental health issues that feel too complex to be portrayed by your average renpy vn maker. My biggest issue with that is when the action takes a seat back for bulks of text, specially when its not balanced out and some characters get way more stuff than others. Sometimes the story can play out well, either by actually making you be inmersed enough, or by making it outlandish as a way to giving it more content.

Or just sayin', you can always go play Rance.

 

[Baka_Energy_studios]

Sounds a bit like OP is bored out of his fave hobby. Happens to everyone of us. Maybe OP needs some time away from porn games, do sth else and come back after a while?

 

[Kinderalpha]

I like games with story, even if its not the most coherent one, and I agree we have been seen tropes done and redone and deconstructed and constructed back. Same with the main character, the setting, the relationship dynamics... but well, I dont see it as bad. Take it as dungeons and dragons, you have your classes (the prude mum, the horny aunt, the mean sister, the naive childhood friend), and you have your campaigns to run (the blackmail, the inoccence lost, the seduction), you have your settings (the family guy, the teacher, the new guy in town), and with that base you can run a lot of different stuff even if by surface looks generic.

I also think that some games aim too high in being deep or whatever, and I have mixed opinions on that. For example, when games add characters with clear mental health issues that feel too complex to be portrayed by your average renpy vn maker. My biggest issue with that is when the action takes a seat back for bulks of text, specially when its not balanced out and some characters get way more stuff than others. Sometimes the story can play out well, either by actually making you be inmersed enough, or by making it outlandish as a way to giving it more content.

Or just sayin', you can always go play Rance.

A good point was made in this post, that although some tropes are used quite often, they're often times combined differently for variety. But that doesn't mean we can ostracize all games for that reason. I actually just had a long discord discussion about this with somebody; that we should distinguish between novel games and non novel games. Yes, F95 does that already. But for some reason, people who generalize games being created don't make that distinction. There is objectively a difference between visual novels and other games. I'm not discrediting visual novels in any way. However, gameplay wise, there is a significant different between a game like Third Crisis or Future Fragments vs Big City or WVM. Again, nothing wrong with that. But if you make this distinction in the process of development and avoid trying to make an overly complicated visual novel instead of a regular game, I think it would pan out better.

The endless amount of insignificant mini games in visual novels I think we can all agree are more frustrating then purposeful. Because your game is either a visual novel or a game. (I used the word game because there lacks a better word to describe games that are unlike visual novels). By doing so, maybe people wouldn't default to visual novels. Visual novels serve entirely different methods of narrative story telling then a game does. They're very different. When you try to paint a visual novel as a game with mechanics, it often times doesn't work well.

Perfect example is akubar trainer games. Not going to argue whether it's a visual novel or not. However it is a trainer game. Trainer games are what FPS' are to genres. That is a genre of adult games. Most importantly though, the gameplay actually compliments the narrative. Like literally the gameplay = narrative. It's a trainer game, and the gameplay perfectly represents that. Trainers are the most obvious example. Food for thought when it comes to other genres and how gameplay compliments the narrative.

 

[Deleted member 4262671]

Where can we post new games?

 

[Niv-Mizzet the Firemind]

Where can we post new games?

For the love of Cthulhu mate, stop spamming the same question everywhere.

Go here and create a request for your game. Follow the guidelines for doing so here. Mention you're the dev.

 

[Deleted member 4262671]

For the love of Cthulhu mate, stop spamming the same question everywhere.

Go here and create a request for your game. Follow the guidelines for doing so here. Mention you're the dev.

It says my game file is too large.

 

[Avaron1974]

Harem Hotel has a story.

 

[KekWGgWP]

Your "disappointment" doesn't make any sense, if you don't like some of the adult games from here you can just, and hear me out, NOT play them, sounds logically right? you sound like you try to make a fact from your point of view which is definitely not, you also talk about ADULT GAMES not ADULT VISUAL NOVELS, which are 2 different things.

This adult VN games with story in depth genre isn't as new as you think, VNs like that exists for years but no one took interest on them because many users just want a game that can fap immediately on it after downloading and that's it.
This type of games started to gain more popularity in recent years and this games with story in depth genre is similar/based on japanese adult VN who have more focus on story, so it can be an influence and a good one.

There are many and many games of that type you want and i don't understand your complaining, i would have understand if there aren't this types of games you search for, but there's a FUCK ton of them you can choose from, but the adult VNs with good story are very rare and actually we, the ones who wants to play this types of game should be disappointed and complaining.

 

[KekWGgWP]

A good point was made in this post, that although some tropes are used quite often, they're often times combined differently for variety. But that doesn't mean we can ostracize all games for that reason. I actually just had a long discord discussion about this with somebody; that we should distinguish between novel games and non novel games. Yes, F95 does that already. But for some reason, people who generalize games being created don't make that distinction. There is objectively a difference between visual novels and other games. I'm not discrediting visual novels in any way. However, gameplay wise, there is a significant different between a game like Third Crisis or Future Fragments vs Big City or WVM. Again, nothing wrong with that. But if you make this distinction in the process of development and avoid trying to make an overly complicated visual novel instead of a regular game, I think it would pan out better.

The endless amount of insignificant mini games in visual novels I think we can all agree are more frustrating then purposeful. Because your game is either a visual novel or a game. (I used the word game because there lacks a better word to describe games that are unlike visual novels). By doing so, maybe people wouldn't default to visual novels. Visual novels serve entirely different methods of narrative story telling then a game does. They're very different. When you try to paint a visual novel as a game with mechanics, it often times doesn't work well.

Perfect example is akubar trainer games. Not going to argue whether it's a visual novel or not. However it is a trainer game. Trainer games are what FPS' are to genres. That is a genre of adult games. Most importantly though, the gameplay actually compliments the narrative. Like literally the gameplay = narrative. It's a trainer game, and the gameplay perfectly represents that. Trainers are the most obvious example. Food for thought when it comes to other genres and how gameplay compliments the narrative.

I agree, we need tags for adult VN and porn games, that way we can separate the games with story focus from the games with sexual content focus or how i like to call them "the good adult games" from "the typical porn games".