Why is the setting always present day/real world?

[Ataios]

Why are almost all porn games set in present day somewhere in North America or Western Europe? I wonder about this for quite some time. Why are there relatively few games set in Science-Fiction or Fantasy worlds? I can understand, why medieval fantasy is not the perfect setting, because modern lingerie and high heels where not really a thing in the Middle Ages, but what about Steampunk or Cyberpunk worlds? There are plenty of opportunities of creating sexy stories there? Like a lesbian gang leader in a cyberpunk world blackmailing sexy milfs? A mad steampunk scientist eager to create the perfect sex slave? What about post-apocalyptic scenarios. Wouldn't a ruthless warlord in post-nuclear wasteland be a 1000 times better as protagonist for a mom-son game than a schoolboy in present day America? Just to give a few examples for possible stories.

In general: What is so fascinating about present day settings, that developers favor them so much? Or are they just to lazy to create a world of their own?

 

[redknight00]

It's not, that is a restriction particular to 3DCG games, as the assets for anything but modern day games are limited, leading to creators sticking mostly to what is easier. Just look at 2D games, they are far more varied in settings.

Or not, 2D also has a tendency for medieval fantasy.

 

[Hadley]

Settings are based on the Assets they have. There are the usual present day Asset-Packs we all know and some Sci-Fi Space and Medieval Assets. But thats basically it.

If you look at 2D Games you see way more Settings because you aren't limited like that.

Another reason is that most Games want you to immerse yourself into a Character and that is easier if its in a Environment you know.

 

[おい！]

 

[eosar]

Yes... Assets.. What assets are available, what assets are affordable, what assets are popular... Limitations are everywhere.

 

[Domiek]

Echoing assets here but also time and skill. Most devs here can quickly put together whatever assets are available and get started on a scene. Very few actually have any background in 3D modeling to learn to create their own. Those who could create their own would spend a crazy amount of time setting up and creating an environment.

For example, I spent 2 months learning blender with no prior modeling experience. Sophie's apartment is a mix of my custom creations combined with individual bought assets like the couch. Took me two weeks to put it together.

On the other hand, I can just spend the $20 to buy a complete environment and spend under a day making it render ready.

 

[Kryptozoid]

Yep, echoing all previous comments. Also, when you start a game, most of the time you're alone, and even if you spend time trying to find the quickest and most efficient way to make it, you can't escape the fact, that you have to do code, story & art yourself. And art includes creating characters, deciding what they're wearing, backgrounds, poses, and making/modifying backgrounds. Already a lot of work for 3D, even more for 2D. Add to that you don't always have skills related to this, so you need to learn a lot before starting.

Take myself for example : I have a background in photo and video editing, and I can't draw well and quickly enough. So no 2D for me and my skills are only marginaly usefull for a game. So I needed to learn how to make 3D art, which is fun and rewarding as you progress each day, but also coding, which is like learning a new language but not as fun, at least at the beginning. Writing story is also nice for me, but the hard part is structure, and chosing what is in the final script and what needs to go.

All this to say that if you can cut corners here and there using existing 3D assets, you will do it. Nevertheless, if my game ever sees the light of day, it will be a mix with 60-70% real world and the rest as scifi/fantasy. Because of the assets I have access to.

 

[anne O'nymous]

In addition to the assets problem that everyone talked about, there's also the writing ability of the author. While a Sci-Fi or medieval story give you more liberty, a nowadays story need no efforts from the author. We all know everything he will talk about, and he don't need to invent a situation or a context.
Just one example. In the majority of the games, the MC is either a college student, or he works in an office (and generally we don't know what he do in this office except using a computer). It's something that can't works in a medieval story, where the author need to effectively imagine what the MC will do to live. This while, put in a Sci-Fi story, it would look stupid because it's a situation that don't need a Sci-Fi environment ; we expect the MC to have a more fascinating live since he live in a more fascinating world.
It don't mean that all author who put their story in a modern environment lack of writing skill, but all those who lack of writing skill use a modern environment.

 

[Avaron1974]

Assets and money.

Not many fantasy games have made much money, same goes for sci-fi.

You have games like Starship Innana that has a great plot. They were building up nicely but things his a road bump that set them back. Heavy Five was doing really well but Notty hit a road bump, looks like she's back on track there and then you have Space Corps that you can't help but love because it's bizarre as fuck and funny. You also have text based games like TiTS doing really well.

There are some like Captain Lance that are also starting to come out and slowly build up but i've seen so many sci fi games flop it's unreal.

Fantasy is another one. You have things like Peasants Quest, Coceter Chronicles (still awesome even though it's dropped), Call of the Void, Long Live The Princess, Fate of Irnia, Last Sovereign, Queen Opala, Roundscape Adorevia, Renryuu Ascension, Daughter of essence, VIS and then the text based games like Corruption of Champions that put Fenexo on the map and the sequel not long launched.

Again i've also seen a lot of fantasy games dropped.

The main excuse I see is lack of funding and I can't put into words how much that excuse pisses me off. If you can't finish a game, don't fucking start one. Your first game will probably not take off, that's to get your name out there, finish that and your second game is what brings people in when they can see your a competent dev.

That's a rant for another day though.

Assets cost a lot of money if you can't find free ones. If you are using hand drawn art it's easier to get hold of. Plenty of artists doing both fantasy and sci fi but art costs money and a lot of artists aren't cheap. Some of the well known ones charge anything from $25 to $50 per picture and as most scenes require multiple pictures that can add up. If you draw yourself you're pretty set.

Both genres can do well, as can be seen, it just takes a bit more work than throwing out a generic incest game set in modern times that can use any old free asset and only takes a bit of time to put together (not saying all of them are cheap and made like shit i'm just saying that's all some are). It's far easier to put together a VN made in Ren'py using free Daz assets than it is to put together a sci fi or fantasy VN that may require spending a bit on assets.

 

[Infidelisoft]

Some of the well known ones charge anything from $25 to $50 per picture and as most scenes require multiple pictures that can add up.

What well known artists are you talking about? That's not even 10% of the average asking price from mostly unknown artists in my experience (based on about a hundred artists I've been in contact with over the years). The well-known ones (with actual commercial experience) I've been in contact with are in the $800+ ballpark for a single simple CG without many variations.

 

[Philly_Games]

I can tell you, that doing City Of Broken Dreamers even though its not really far out there sci fi is far more expensive than DA was. I initially wanted to base DA in the 30's or 40's but being my first game and having no clue what I was doing I decided to base it in modern times simply because the assets I needed were available. I think its a good idea if you are starting out to go that route. Then as you learn more on your first game you can branch out later down the road.

 

[Adabelitoo]

From reading this and another thread called Male Protagonist Archetypes in Adult Games I "realized" something worth saying:

If you stick to present day/real word settings, like the ones mentioned in the link above, everyone will understand "how the world works" in that game, even if the story doesn't makes to much sense or if you don't cover some points of the story that may not be crucial but necessary for the in-game "daily life", the player will know how to fill the void, even if someone in Qatar is playing a game based on USA settings, because TV, internet, etc is marked due to USA setting so everybody knows things about the daily life in USA like the educational system, taxation system, even how a "traditional" house is supposed to be in the USA which is totally different to others country.

Something that I always noticed as a player watching other players and now as a guy trying to make his own game is that: If you do your game based in another country's settings or in your own settings (not even trying to make a Science-Fiction or Fantasy world, just changing a few things of the traditional formula), players won't be able to fill the void, and in an attempt to do it, sticking to what they already now from USA's settings, tends to blame the story/game about not being consistent or that the game is stepping itself

That is just my opinion of course based in my experiences. An "excersice" about this could be: read the OP in the mentioned thread and try changing the formulas and think about "how much sense would it make" considering that what makes sense to you isn't precisely what makes sense to others, but somehow, the mentioned formulas works for almost everyone like the landlady-tenant code, it is an unspoken agreement after playing a few games here

 

[DarkCube]

I remember making a voting poll some time ago regarding popular adult games genres, and guess what? Everyday life scenarios (school, college, home, hospital) have won by a mile over other options. Horror and fantasy being the least popular.

And it's not just about assets, but human psychology as well: it's easier for people to associate themselves with adult scenes from real life because for the majority of players its a familiar and preferable environment. Players would prefer to bang a fictional schoolgirl/stepsister/college girlfriend, then some elf princess, because they can easily imagine such a scenario in their own life. And because certain things are impossible for players to do in a real life, they turn to games for living through their fantasies. Game devs simply follow their customers and cater to their preferences.

Just my five cents.

 

[Deleted member 229118]

As other mentioned before it is easier to self insert in modern time's not to mention it require's less explaining.
And ofcourse money.

But there is also something about modern time that both fantasy and sci fi lack.
Limets.
How is this a good thing?
Limets are challange's to overcome.
In fantasy and sci fi you can 9 out of 10 times solve your problem with brute force.
In modern day that gets you trown into jail.
It is also a relatively peacefull time.(atleast in the west)
For example alot of fantasy and sci fi games have legal slavery.
Removing the risk of getting caught trying to enslave people.
The risk of getting caught makes the victory all the sweeter.

Like wise stuff like car's, planes, houses, yatch, etc.
There are alot of different backgrounds to pick from.

Most fantasy is either you are a noble or you are a peasent.
And most of the game is either killing monsters in dungeons or the open world or making deals with devils for power.
Likewise most sci fi are bound to ships with a minnor visit to a planet for plot reasons.

The one thing that civ: beyond earth did well was pick a unique setting.
The first human coloney before the invention of faster then light.
Very few games have a setting that plays in a time where there isnt easy travel between worlds or dimentions.
Likewise modern day games have limets suchs as travel time, laws and sleeping.
In short modern day games have a habbit of being more realistic/believeable.

For example it kills my suspension of disbelieve when playing lab rat 2 because:
1:
There is no way goverment would allow corperation to have corperate clothing be nudity.
Atleast not for pharmaceutical companies.
Meaby whore's and strippers but pharmaceutical i highly doubt.

2:
But even if it was allowed who would want to work at a company where every has to wear nothing but a slave coller?
After there turned into sex starved sluts sure but before that?

3: No inspections.

I still like the game because i like subtle corruption over blatent slavery but it is really sticking out.

Modern day has the advantage of being in the time period where you have limets to overcome.
Sci fi and fantasy make's you too powerful.
And we gamers like our challange's.
Note i said challange's not meaningless grinds.

For example: Cohabbitation is a fun little game(despite to grind) because you have:
1: Risk management.
2: Slow corruption.
3: Power.
4: Limets.
You wont every kill the father, you wont every get rid of him.
You have to work around him while enslaving his wife and daughter.
As a gamer i enjoy the challange.

Very few(if any) fantasy or sci fi game has the same drama.
The challange to outsmart your enemies.
Killing is easy.
Manipulation is an art.

One of my favorite games is hentai highschool.
The story is believeable enough that you slowly over the course of two years turn the town from normal into sex starved.
By using a combination of drug's, hyponsis, blackmail, and corrupted education.
Or if you want to challange yourself just education.
You have to manage education, intelengce, inhibition, lust, corruption, money.
Once you crack the meta it is easy but it is really fun because the story is believable:
Because you slowly change what is considered the norm and reap the rewards.

Fantasy games and sci fi games often lack in sublty and manipulation.
It is easier to flee from a town of planet then it is to flee from a modern day nation apparently.

 

[redknight00]

As other mentioned before it is easier to self insert in modern time's not to mention it require's less explaining.
And ofcourse money.

But there is also something about modern time that both fantasy and sci fi lack.
Limets.
How is this a good thing?
Limets are challange's to overcome.
In fantasy and sci fi you can 9 out of 10 times solve your problem with brute force.
In modern day that gets you trown into jail.
It is also a relatively peacefull time.(atleast in the west)
For example alot of fantasy and sci fi games have legal slavery.
Removing the risk of getting caught trying to enslave people.
The risk of getting caught makes the victory all the sweeter.

Like wise stuff like car's, planes, houses, yatch, etc.
There are alot of different backgrounds to pick from.

Most fantasy is either you are a noble or you are a peasent.
And most of the game is either killing monsters in dungeons or the open world or making deals with devils for power.
Likewise most sci fi are bound to ships with a minnor visit to a planet for plot reasons.

The one thing that civ: beyond earth did well was pick a unique setting.
The first human coloney before the invention of faster then light.
Very few games have a setting that plays in a time where there isnt easy travel between worlds or dimentions.
Likewise modern day games have limets suchs as travel time, laws and sleeping.
In short modern day games have a habbit of being more realistic/believeable.

For example it kills my suspension of disbelieve when playing lab rat 2 because:
1:
There is no way goverment would allow corperation to have corperate clothing be nudity.
Atleast not for pharmaceutical companies.
Meaby whore's and strippers but pharmaceutical i highly doubt.

2:
But even if it was allowed who would want to work at a company where every has to wear nothing but a slave coller?
After there turned into sex starved sluts sure but before that?

3: No inspections.

I still like the game because i like subtle corruption over blatent slavery but it is really sticking out.

Modern day has the advantage of being in the time period where you have limets to overcome.
Sci fi and fantasy make's you too powerful.
And we gamers like our challange's.
Note i said challange's not meaningless grinds.

For example: Cohabbitation is a fun little game(despite to grind) because you have:
1: Risk management.
2: Slow corruption.
3: Power.
4: Limets.
You wont every kill the father, you wont every get rid of him.
You have to work around him while enslaving his wife and daughter.
As a gamer i enjoy the challange.

Very few(if any) fantasy or sci fi game has the same drama.
The challange to outsmart your enemies.
Killing is easy.
Manipulation is an art.

One of my favorite games is hentai highschool.
The story is believeable enough that you slowly over the course of two years turn the town from normal into sex starved.
By using a combination of drug's, hyponsis, blackmail, and corrupted education.
Or if you want to challange yourself just education.
You have to manage education, intelengce, inhibition, lust, corruption, money.
Once you crack the meta it is easy but it is really fun because the story is believable:
Because you slowly change what is considered the norm and reap the rewards.

Fantasy games and sci fi games often lack in sublty and manipulation.
It is easier to flee from a town of planet then it is to flee from a modern day nation apparently.

That speaks more about the authors' skills than the setting, as the OP was asking. Everything you said is choices made by the writers, there are no rules saying you should be able to punch every hurdle on the way and that slavery should be always legal, in fact, every creator of a fiction setting is free to make a world where slavery is illegal. They can even further and make the player a non-warrior, make a church that eliminates lewdness with extreme prejudice, and a princess that you must conquer but will be castrated for even looking at her general direction, now you have even higher challenges than a modern day setting game.

 

[whiskeyrose]

Because DAZ assets are modern setting.

Also for people to self-insert the modern setting is easiest because most of us are living in one. Plus the plot is a lot easier to write where the setting and background exist for you already. It's a lot easier to start a story with "MC is some asshole coming home from college" than it is to write about MC is the cast off prince of the kingdom of Dongistan who worships the goddess cuntywhateverhave you.

 

[Deleted member 229118]

That speaks more about the authors' skills than the setting, as the OP was asking. Everything you said is choices made by the writers, there are no rules saying you should be able to punch every hurdle on the way and that slavery should be always legal, in fact, every creator of a fiction setting is free to make a world where slavery is illegal. They can even further and make the player a non-warrior, make a church that eliminates lewdness with extreme prejudice, and a princess that you must conquer but will be castrated for even looking at her general direction, now you have even higher challenges than a modern day setting game.

True.

 

[macadam]

wish i was faster at doing my own assets :/, its pain in ass to use multiples tools. (Hexa as base, then blender and 'toshop for finishing.)

Spoiler

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

1 month for doing just that... ( 2-3 hours per day )
soo yeah, i can certify that doing your own assets is very time consuming and hard.

also, its even harder to make futuristic sci_fi assets because its all based on "possibilities" and imagination. using an actual objects as base (like a car) and turn it into something that is futuristic and coherent is hard without falling on the same stuff that already exist.
i couldnt do that, even if i have lots of ideas and stuff. they are no way i would come up with a model of futuristic thing that isnt similar to something existing already.

also , creating sci-fi objects is far moer painfull because they tend to be very detailled and always full of wires, buttons and others little things that give them that sci-fi look.

same goes for fantasy theme, in wich is also basically always the same things.. elves, dwarf, small villages, big city with movie/cartoon architectural and such.

 

[anne O'nymous]

They can even further and make the player a non-warrior, make a church that eliminates lewdness with extreme prejudice, and a princess that you must conquer but will be castrated for even looking at her general direction, now you have even higher challenges than a modern day setting game.

MC is the son of a peasant in a kingdom ruled by a tyrant that use his knights to enforce his power by fear, and obviously want all the beautiful girls for himself.
Alternate setting: MC is the son of some poor family in a cyberpunk world that is also a mix between 1984 and "Starship Trooper" ; with a touch of the movie remake of "Fahrenheit 451". You are digitally linked to the official social media since birth, and obviously moral is strictly enforced ; no sex before marriage, sex is for procreation only and should be done in a bed, in your house's bedroom, lights turned off.

And hop, here come two none nowadays settings that will looks like death match for the players.

 

[redknight00]

MC is the son of a peasant in a kingdom ruled by a tyrant that use his knights to enforce his power by fear, and obviously want all the beautiful girls for himself.
Alternate setting: MC is the son of some poor family in a cyberpunk world that is also a mix between 1984 and "Starship Trooper" ; with a touch of the movie remake of "Fahrenheit 451". You are digitally linked to the official social media since birth, and obviously moral is strictly enforced ; no sex before marriage, sex is for procreation only and should be done in a bed, in your house's bedroom, lights turned off.

And hop, here come two none nowadays settings that will looks like death match for the players.

The second one would make for a very interesting story, the player is in a no-sex dystopia rebelling by making their way through the Stairway to Heaven until they finally have sex with the lights on.