discussion Story elements that make you STOP playing a game?

[zark]

Oh god yes, I can forgive occasionally mixing up "there", "they're" and "their" and some spelling mistakes, because we are very international here, but if I have to re-read a section three or more times to parse what's being said, that's a strong nope.

Although I keep coming back to it, to try and push through (because I'm interested by the premise of the series) this is what stops me every time in Enslaver The Beginning


Somehow this often goes hand in hand with the first one, it's almost like people who can't structure a story also don't have a clue about good use of language. Who'd have thought?


I found this with 23 Sisters, it might just be my politics and outlook on the world, but this went for (somewhat) partisan insult humor that was clearly aimed at real world targets, but wouldn't have been funny the other way either, and then kept cramming it in beyond the point it could be dismissed. I'm not talking about the running joke in Doc5252's games with the pineapple pizza either, that's just a nice little easter egg.


Again 23 Sisters had this issue for me.

The other thing with 23 Sisters is that for most of the game all you see is there boobs(or you dick). Out of the 50 or so scenes, you get like 3 that show more than that.

 

[Gluttony258]

I'm not talking about NTR or gay or some fetish thing.

I'm talking about things like the below for me:

* Really, really, really bad writing. This is most noticeable when guys start writing a story like they think they're Quentin Tarantino. "You're a Mafia kingpin who needs to kill the other Mafia guy. Also you fuck your own kids." There are good examples of this stuff, like the stuff in The Guardian and similar games, but there's also a LOT of really bad ones out there where people just think "hey, I like porn, I like Guy Ritchie movies, what if I could just write a story like that?"

* Nothing happening. Just...nothing happens. At all. Ever. Long, elaborate interpersonal relationship stuff and discussions, but then...nothing. Especially noticeable when paired with the first one - bad writing - because there's nothing worse than listen to a dev talk to themselves through two characters for 5,000 words and then have nothing happen.

* Terrible humor. It's one thing if it's supposed to be a bad joke, that's fine. But humor is HARD to do well, and when you try and make something legitimately funny but fall short, it's painful.

* Characters singing & dancing to songs with the lyrics written out. It's kinda cringe. This is especially bad when a character is into music that they would not legitimately be into. Like "oh you're a 17 year old Korean girl from Portland? Surely you sing along to Def Leppard songs in the car. You're a balding 60 year old white banker? Your karaoke song is Kendrick Lamar, of course." It's just....it's painful.

Bad dialogue or constant misspellings or grammar errors

 

[Deleted member 207685]

Way too long conversations but also conversations that make no sense where the responses are way too agreeable making it non-immersive. Also when language in writing is lewd or swears almost non-stop for no good reason.

 

[garbago]

Bad writing really makes it hard to enjoy the fantasy. And if the dialogue drags on too long, that also makes me stop caring about what's going on. There's nothing wrong with giving the MC a chance to respond, even if the choices don't matter (looking at you Bethesda...)

 

[forthed]

Stories that have way too much going on to the point of being confusing

 

[Dimu]

I really tried Projekt Passion, the renders and the animations are great and I liked his other game, but I just can't keep going through that terrible humor and nonsensic characters... I just can't do it anymore...

 

[jawstheguppy]

1. If the story is badly written. There are a sad number of VNs from talented animators/artists who cannot tell a story to save their lives. You don't have to be GRR Martin, but if AO3 wouldn't accept your fanfic, adding boobs and dropping it here doesn't make it better.

2. If the story veers into fetish content that disgusts me. I've only really had this happen once, and I don't even remember what it was, just that I closed the game and deleted it angrily because I felt I should have been warned about that. Usually tags are a good indicator. If the content can be skipped (the sub stuff in Another Chance, for example) it's fine, but linear VNs that suddenly have vore or something are going to be a no-go.

3. If the story is too long. This circles back to the first point, but a mediocre story with regularly paced porn is far more tolerable than a mediocre story with very long gaps between bare breasts. You're competing with a *lot* of other games here, gotta make yours stand out.

 

[Deleted member 211372]

When a story takes a really dark turn.
I just don't play these games for bad times.

 

[PetriDish]

My personal pet peeve is when the MC keeps having these long schizophrenic internal monologues about everything happening around them. Not only does it make the reading experience terrible, but it's also very unrealistic because no one thinks so much mid-conversation. This insufferable writing quirk is very self-serving to the writer, like they're basically telling us how to think. It's like watching a movie with voice-over narration where the director keeps explaining every scene.

Another terrible writing quirk is when nothing is happening plot-wise, and you've been in first/second base with the girls for 20+ hours, and then you get blue-balled because the game suddenly decides to advance the plot. It's such a shameless way of dragging a game's development for Patreon money. And when that happens, there's a very big chance I'll quit and never touch the game again.

And on a more specific note, I hate it when stories try to present an ambitious antagonist who has all this money and power, but somehow have the worst security in the world and can be easily overpowered by the MC, his "landlady" and his "roommates." It's just goofy. Either lower the stakes (maybe a local politician or a crazy inventor instead of a billionaire magnate or the CIA), or introduce something that can help us suspend our disbelief. This kind of plot hole happens when writers want to have their cake and eat it too. They want to write a porn game, but they also want to write the spiritual successor to 007. If they lean too much on one, they neglect the other, so it becomes a tug-of-war between the porn and the plot.

 

[Lucion]

i really hate when they just start reusing cgs with just a different dialog or a small visual variation.

 

[porphyris52]

Stories that drag on in dialog, where it takes along time and they dont really say much.

Yes, that and too much obvious grind.

 

[pike]

My personal pet peeve is when the MC keeps having these long schizophrenic internal monologues about everything happening around them. Not only does it make the reading experience terrible, but it's also very unrealistic because no one thinks so much mid-conversation.

THIS
Dude I'm so fucking tired of that, especially during sex scenes

 

[trulycultured]

If the MC is a weak pushover, that pushes me to put the game down or seriously consider it if the rest of the game is good enough to compensate.

 

[bulliedhealer]

If the MC is a weak pushover

This in general. Hmmmm what else?

Well if the story makes no fucking sense at all or jumps around a ton.

A really weak story does that for me as well, or one with a lot of plot holes or unanswered questions.

 

[byehy3333]

scenes where female characters with close stare pov, with those horrible 3d generated models.... not pov pls

 

[bobby7887]

Games where you need to win the affection/corruption of the love interest and you are given a choice of several actions.
normally the choices are 1.shy/nervous response, 2.bold/confidence, 3.dumb/stupid, 4.outright rapist
and the only correct choice is the rapist answer, while all other choices are game over. that's an instant quit

 

[plebpig7843]

A story that takes itself too seriously. That alone isn't too bad, but I feel such stories also tend to drag out.

 

[kamikazejihad]

Filler shippuden

 

[Derek70&]

Abuse and cruelty, specially when they add nothing but shock value.

 

[Paradigminant]

Abuse and cruelty, specially when they add nothing but shock value.

Agreed, I actually like those things when they're used creatively with purpose. But sometimes it just has "I'm being edgy to be edgy" vibe. Completely loses any appeal, becomes meaningless, which actually waters down the vibe it could be giving