discussion Pet peeves and notes to writers

[Helenar]

Hmmm, I'd agree with some parts and disagree with some. I don't mind the dev talking, maybe not as an intro, but as a tutorial having a "direct" interaction with the dev is completely fine to me.
Chracters making decisions like complete fucking morons is in everything: movies, series, books, stories and it will always be a part of created content. Not all games are about fulfilling a player's fantasy, some are about the creator telling his own story. I don't know if we have any eroge that goes that deep, at least I don't recall any, but it could open up a way for character development. I can't believe I'm even typing it, but honestly if we have female characters developing their corruption why not have a male character getting better at making sexy decisions..? or whatever, as the game progresses.
As for the story is the most important, that's just personal preference, some people don't care completely and other topics also discussed it. Some people prefer fake titties to real ones and will prefer drawn or generated porn over real porn, but how I see it is that in games you can do a lot of stuff that's not possible with regular porn. First of all not a lot of porn even leaves the bed/the same scene, opening up the world to more options, settings etc. and of course opening up avenues to more content, like loli, like slowburn corruption, like actual stories developing over a period of time.

Idk if what I'm typing helps anyone or even makes any sense, if it's just my preference vs. your preference, but since you said maybe it could become somewhat of a guideline to people making games then I think it should be a bit more objective.

As to what my pet peeves are/what is annoying to me, then I'd say "artificial" grind. A lot of games have built in cheats you can enable if you don't enjoy it, but still some/a lot of them make the grind unnecessarily long and unskippable. Why? It's not an MMO, there's no reason to squeeze playtime out of the players. I enjoy the grind and will do quite a lot of it in some games if it's enjoyable, but if it's just grind for the sake of grind without any reasonable gameplay around it I just altf4 and move on.
Maybe I'll add some more if I think of any, but I gotta go eat now.

 

[AlBetGam]

I don't mind the dev talking, maybe not as an intro, but as a tutorial having a "direct" interaction with the dev is completely fine to me.

This only flies if there's something the player might genuinely need tutoring about- i.e. some mechanic most players wouldn't be familiar with. I've seen way too many games that felt the need to have a protracted author-insert tutorial for bog-standard VN mechanics. Please devs: We've played VNs before. We know how they work. And on the off chance this really is some player's first ever VN, please have confidence that they will figure out the intricacies of "click to see next scene" without a certification course.

 

[Helenar]

This only flies if there's something the player might genuinely need tutoring about- i.e. some mechanic most players wouldn't be familiar with. I've seen way too many games that felt the need to have a protracted author-insert tutorial for bog-standard VN mechanics. Please devs: We've played VNs before. We know how they work. And on the off chance this really is some player's first ever VN, please have confidence that they will figure out the intricacies of "click to see next scene" without a certification course.

Sure. I think the best of both worlds though is just giving the option to skip it if you make something like that and it's not actually important to gameplay.

 

[Deleted member 123057]

my biggest pet peeve is when the MC is an utter piece of shit but the author acts like their really great and nice. its okay for a character to think their not an asshole but the author shouldn't think that as well. but i understand its subjective so that why its only a pet peeve.

 

[as666]

my biggest pet peeve is when the MC is an utter piece of shit but the author acts like their really great and nice. its okay for a character to think their not an asshole but the author shouldn't think that as well. but i understand its subjective so that why its only a pet peeve.

I couldn't agree more with this. I have nothing against the typical “Boy gets the power to control women and uses it to have sex even with his mother” argument, but pretending that despite this you're still a good guy doesn't work for me.

 

[DH1087]

I think there is a requirement for every game dev to include houses with no bathroom locks.

 

[Deleted member 121354]

When the dev gets uppity about a forum that houses free versions of their game and tries to force lockdown the game. Its been proven repeatedly that pirating software does hurt 99% of them (there were like 2 that it did hurt). Small and medium indie devs have even publicly stated that the pirates helped market their games to bigger audiences then they would have gotten otherwise. Be a part of the community, not a tyrant my dude.

 

[MattShizzle]

Another thing don't lock LIs (or ANYTHING) out of future choices because of 1 or 2 choices that don't make it explicit that it will do so. Nothing sucks more than getting a bit far in a game and not being able to do ANYTHING because of a choice made further back.
And yes, it's a fucking waste making you make a "choice" of one thing.

 

[AlBetGam]

When the dev gets uppity about a forum that houses free versions of their game and tries to force lockdown the game.

coughSelebuscough

 

[ICEMAN]

Some common pet peeves in adult visual novels or games can include:

1. Forced content: When adult scenes are inserted without any meaningful build-up or narrative context, it can feel jarring and detract from the story.
2. Lack of character development: When characters are one-dimensional or overly stereotyped, it makes it hard to invest in the relationships, especially if the game leans heavily on the adult content.
3. Unskippable scenes: Having explicit scenes that can’t be skipped or are too long can disrupt the flow of the game, especially if it’s a more story-driven experience.
4. Poor writing: Whether it’s cringe-worthy dialogue or clichéd storylines, weak writing can make even the most engaging adult content feel awkward or off-putting.
5. Over-reliance on the same mechanics: Some adult games rely too heavily on repetitive mechanics (like endless grinding for rewards), which can make the experience feel shallow or frustrating.

A good balance of story, character, and meaningful choices, along with respect for the player's time, makes for a much more enjoyable experience.

 

[partymanimal]

unavoidable NTR is one of my biggest, can ruin an otherwise great game.

 

[IFF01]

So many things I agree with first thanks for the games, I agree with not making the scenes so dark, grotesque body parts, dont change directions in the middle of the story, too much grind or impossible mini games

 

[user2386]

Grind and/or useless sandbox to pad content, pretzel twists to preserve morality, etc.

 

[Abere Lucifer]

What are some of your pet peeves when it comes to adult VN/games? I'm hoping this thread becomes a useful guide to future creators.

Here are some of the things that have annoyed me recently:

• When the dev talks to the reader in an intro:
  • if you've done a good job creating the game, there is no need for an introduction.
  • nobody wants to hear from you
  • nobody thinks you're as funny as you think you are
  • people want to try the game, not try you.
• characters who repeatedly make decisions like they're complete fucking morons
  • you should give the character the choices that the player would make
  • if you need the MC to make ridiculous decisions to make the plot work, you have a bad plot.
• Don't have all your Love interests look exactly the same.
  • give the player some variety - not everyone likes grotesque ass/boobs.
• Story is the most important!
  • ren'py renders will never compete with an entire internet full of real women doing real things
  • people play these games to become immersed in the story and the world of the game
  • If the only thing you can say about your game is "har har, i made a naked lady", then you game is bad.

I'd be interested in what other people think and to debate this topic.

Thanks!

Hmm. My games seem to follow almost all this so I have to agree. Also intos are stupid. I just throw the player into the game and fill out the backstory in conversation and maybe a flashback here or there. I also go out of my way giving folks a verity of different LIs. The only thing I add is to have fun with it and don't take it too seriously but do put in the work. The more you put in the more you'll get back. Well, most of the time.

 

[AbbaDoo]

When characters act in unrealistic ways. Like when a prim, reserved girl suddenly becomes an insatiable nympho overnight because MC grabbed her butt.

 

[DeusX]

Stop Blueballing us with dragged out updates that don't move the story forward and have 0 content.

 

[Cruddy]

When the dev inserts some self-awareness using MC or another character. "HURRDURRRR this is like a plot from a porn game." It was probably funny the first time now it's in almost every AVN... Come up with something new you hacks.

 

[HarryMason]

loud music
excessive grinding for little to no reward
non skippable minigames
stretched out content for the sake of it

 

[MajinGuu]

Randomly referencing political shit. Way too many devs try to pass off dumping political takes as either jokes or "realism" and it's always just cringe. I don't even care if I agree with the take. If I wanted to see culture war bullshit I'd go on twitter

 

[LewisCarroll]

The magic penis game breaking. Once women get MC dick, they swoon and beg to be used. It's just so absurd.

Extreme body sizes (tit's and penises). 90% of people dislike it according to all the polling. Please stop it.