I have a Question - Do you prefer adult games with storytelling?
- Thread starter synx
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Vastly. Art is more of a bonus than a requirement and the worst way to go, in my eyes, is to have an utterly absurd "porny" premise filled with cardboard cutouts who only exist to hit some fetish in the most obvious way.
Any game is about either story or catchy mechanics. And art is just a way to represent them in general. Very rarely it has all of them on a good level. If you can't produce story, mechanics or art on high enough level, better to skip that part. There are examples of good games with no art and opposite - games with good mechanics and story, but terrible art that ruins it all.
I really need a convoluted narrative to get off.
But for real, I'm personally a narrative and character oriented guy. Expressive writing, believable dialogue and characters behaving rationally make for a much more immersive experience than great visuals for me. I'm basically after an interactive book most of the time.
Visuals can be a (sometimes great!) bonus, but not if it's distracting. For what it's worth, in the vast majority of cases the art you see in these games is atrocious, and that's an unwelcome distraction at best, a massive turnoff at worst. In the case of mixed text and art games, I always end up thinking that if you can't be certain you can provide actual high quality visuals to accompany a text-based game, it's better to forgo it and focus on the other parts of your game that you can provide. The end experience will probably be richer for it.
But for real, I'm personally a narrative and character oriented guy. Expressive writing, believable dialogue and characters behaving rationally make for a much more immersive experience than great visuals for me. I'm basically after an interactive book most of the time.
Visuals can be a (sometimes great!) bonus, but not if it's distracting. For what it's worth, in the vast majority of cases the art you see in these games is atrocious, and that's an unwelcome distraction at best, a massive turnoff at worst. In the case of mixed text and art games, I always end up thinking that if you can't be certain you can provide actual high quality visuals to accompany a text-based game, it's better to forgo it and focus on the other parts of your game that you can provide. The end experience will probably be richer for it.
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It really comes down to this; what does a game have to offer that other forms of porn don't? Once you identify those points, you know what to concentrate on.
First, the player can be a part of the world you've created and directly interact with it. Second, s/he is an active part of the story itself. Third, s/he can participate in interactive gameplay.
Thus, the obvious things a porn game should concentrate on are; worldbuilding, storyline, and game mechanics. You can choose to specialize in one or two or go for all three, but IMHO, anyone that neglects all three (for art, for example) is guaranteed to fail.
First, the player can be a part of the world you've created and directly interact with it. Second, s/he is an active part of the story itself. Third, s/he can participate in interactive gameplay.
Thus, the obvious things a porn game should concentrate on are; worldbuilding, storyline, and game mechanics. You can choose to specialize in one or two or go for all three, but IMHO, anyone that neglects all three (for art, for example) is guaranteed to fail.
I'm more of an artist and I think a decent writer so I'm trying to see what I can do without knowing anything about code. It's really interesting reading everyone's responses thank you for replying!
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Everything should have some degree of narrative, it makes for a believable scene and experience. Otherwise you could just hit up random porn vids to get off or whatever. On the flipside, I don't exactly play Last Soverign for it's porn, either, given it's a story game with lewd stuff relatively far and inbetween.
I feel like the narrative is important. It's the way you can get your viewers into the world of your media/game. Text-based games show this point well. You can have great success without art, but art without a reason never works out well.
There is three types of game I enjoy playing: Those with engrossing narratives, those with great game play, and those with rewarding exploration. Graphics/art are a secondary characteristic that may elevate a good game to a great one, but if it's all there is, it is not enough. I am looking to play a game, after all, not watch a movie. That said, if the story is completely linear (and the game doesn't offer absolutely gripping game play), that also is a game I won't be touching. Because, as said, I want to play a game, not watch a movie.
And that said, if a narrative is overly trope-y (as is unfortunately the game too often with lewd games), or badly written (grammar, spelling, syntax, incoherent plot/characters, and a dozen other things) it's an actual turn-off for me. From the game, and from the lewdness. There's this pervasive train of thought that goes "they're there for the porn, not for the acting", but here's the thing: A good story can make the porn so. much. better. Porn doesn't just work visually, it works mentally for a lot of people.
As a good example, there's Long Live The Princess. It offers something that took me completely by surprise at the time: The writing is actually coherent. The characters are mostly characters, not plot devices (well, save for one or three minor ones). The English is competent. It has jokes that work. I mean, it's no Citizen Kane, but it sets a pretty decent standard of quality - both in terms of writing and game play (you need to actually read and comprehend what's written to advance), and so I want to point it out as a game that shows that just because something is porn doesn't mean everything else about it needs to be an afterthought.
Some of my favorite games use graphics so basic its almost not there. Im talking pixels in rpgmaker games and no cgs. Because that approach ties in with the story more than a cg does however i generally prefer it over its alternatives. Story and setting and immersion matter more than anything else is creating something truly great. You can look at pictures and animation with no meaning without playing a game or reading a story. You come to the medium of games to be immersed and interact with the world more than merely looking at it.
There are levels of course but story is worth a lot more per pound than art. The best games often use limited visuals to tell a full story and give you the feeling of the scenes and moments. Honestly animation does more for the pixels do for enjoyment. A less work of art but with animation immediately becomes greater. The motion brings it to life.
So i would say Story>Animation>art in terms of value. Animation is a lot of work but its better to put the work into creating a motion scene than in 10 more still images you can find anywhere online. The worst a game can get is still cg's without relative context. I don't even bother with still CG games anymore. The CG adds nothing. You atleast need to tell a story through slow progression of CGs and even then a scene using 3 pictures would fall low even with the best quality artwork imaginable. This goes for any game or work pornographic or not. Imbuing life into things is what makes them worthwhile at all. Words and storytelling begin this, motion adds to it and art allows easier access to those with less ability to visualize the story.
Art level is the final thought, the last one that matters and the least important when it comes to quality. It only needs to be good enough to tell the story and once it fits perfectly it can even be a mistake to "improve" it further.
There are levels of course but story is worth a lot more per pound than art. The best games often use limited visuals to tell a full story and give you the feeling of the scenes and moments. Honestly animation does more for the pixels do for enjoyment. A less work of art but with animation immediately becomes greater. The motion brings it to life.
So i would say Story>Animation>art in terms of value. Animation is a lot of work but its better to put the work into creating a motion scene than in 10 more still images you can find anywhere online. The worst a game can get is still cg's without relative context. I don't even bother with still CG games anymore. The CG adds nothing. You atleast need to tell a story through slow progression of CGs and even then a scene using 3 pictures would fall low even with the best quality artwork imaginable. This goes for any game or work pornographic or not. Imbuing life into things is what makes them worthwhile at all. Words and storytelling begin this, motion adds to it and art allows easier access to those with less ability to visualize the story.
Art level is the final thought, the last one that matters and the least important when it comes to quality. It only needs to be good enough to tell the story and once it fits perfectly it can even be a mistake to "improve" it further.
I agree with the general sentiment that bad art can compromise a game. However, I think there is a place for games that focus on art, with just enough story and mechanics to enhance the experience without getting in the way. Focus on your strengths.