discussion What do you think makes the most popular adult games stand out?

[Magician5513]

Everything needs to be in balance : graphics, animations, story... If one of them lacks it is very difficult to have a good game.

 

[conzibald]

I am going to be a contrarian here and say lack of taste in the people making it popular

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for the ones i consider best are somewhat popular and gameplay focused. VN's i generally find samey. (Lilith's throne, Degrees of lewdity and free cities. have not playec corruption of champions 2 looks interesting though)

 

[MattShizzle]

It's true there are definitely some games that are very popular that I have no idea why. One was always getting told how great the renders were but there was no sex. Who cares how good they are if there's no action and there are wasteful ones like 3 every time the female character walks through a door. Several years later, the renders are dated and STILL no sex, but some popularity is waning. The dev also took risks in making 1 game linked in Patreon while the "real" one (with forbidden content for that site) was emailed to supporters and leaked, and he got booted from Patreon...

 

[UnknownScript7]

I found that most of the popular games tend to have something like a harem direction, mc has many girls or many options, I guess variety is one of the keys to being succesful.

 

[Yoneknwhiam]

Good story and good graphics but the first one the most important

 

[dgg614]

A good original story; there are too many games with similar and repetitive stories

 

[Shiva]

A good original story; there are too many games with similar and repetitive stories

I'm not sure if the STORY needs to be original or just needs to be presented differently. Yes, an 'Original' story can be interesting, but like many of the worlds 'myths and legends' an old story told in a new way can be just as powerful. Heck MOST of the stories told in Comics (Movies) about 'Heros' are just 'old' myths and legends told with some changes

Not sure if I can give a proper explanation of this idea but I will try. Since it is so well known I will use the story of 'Big Brother'.

What if the family instead of being given a new house somehow get stranded on an Island with no one else around. What if Max instead of ONLY plotting to get all the ladies works to provide food, shelter and comfort while ALSO plotting to get lucky with the ladies. We could have the same four (or five) basic characters (EVIL Scum Eric is NOT welcome) that has the same end point (LOTS of SEXY Family Fun), but the way the story is told would be different because the setting (and situation) has changed.

As many have said, a balance (story, images, mechanics, etc.) is needed for a game to gain and maintain popularity. YES, an 'original' setting or game mechanic might provide an early popularity. However, to maintain that popularity a balance (and loyalty to the idea(s) that started the game) must be found.

Did any of that make sense? I know what I want to say, but don't know if I can find the words to REALLY explain things.

Just a thought

 

[Republican Bear]

Quality graphics, good story, plenty of updates, and the real simple one not having a crazy developer who can't take criticism.

Also for the love of god if your releasing a sandbox keep it simple stupid should be the priority.

 

[MattShizzle]

Also, no minigames or at least make them skippable (without hurting progress by skipping.)

 

[dgg614]

For me, it's probably the number of tags—the more there are, the higher the chance you'll find scenes you like in the game

 

[MattShizzle]

For me, it's probably the number of tags—the more there are, the higher the chance you'll find scenes you like in the game

OTOH the higher the chance it'll have something you HATE.

 

[dgg614]

OTOH the higher the chance it'll have something you HATE.

Yes, that's true, but it's often avoidable scenes

 

[Omegalord]

I think it's a bit of a combination of many factors and not always the same.
Graphics, Theme (Tags), Story, Dialogue, Character. For me in that order is the importance of it, the first 3 however are what primary as that is what I and other see even before playing the game. (You get a story synopsis in description generally)
The next two are what will sell the game or not. If it's worth it that will lead to engagement in a thread with hopefully positive interaction thus promoting it further.

Just because one of the earlier items listed is not good does not mean it's a no go but does mean the later have to step up for it.

 

[Moo?]

Understanding how people actually work, aka psychology. People seem to be calling it writing or storytelling, which isn't technically wrong but not fully on the mark. The ability to rub the right places, with the right amount of pressure, without the player feeling threatened is how the best games differ from the average.

This is, funnily enough, the difference between an escort and a prostitute.

 

[piratey1]

I think good dialogue can really elevate a game. There's kind of a low bar set by some developers and lots of players have low expectations. Focusing even a little bit on the dialogue and trying to make it sound natural can really help.

 

[User_36484]

I can forgive a lot of flaws as long as the characters are interesting and the dialogue doesn't look like it was written by a 15-year-old or thinking they are the next scuffedspear. A lot of the most popular games tend to overwrite and I end up either skipping text or just unlocking the gallery. There are some games that are awful on the adult side of things that kept me interested until the end, though. Unfortunately my opinion seem to be a minority

 

[Sairenji]

Great Question
At first its about the story, if theres some great, graphics can be even "crazy af" haha

But if i have to rank
1. story
2. multiple paths
3. characters
4. graphics

 

[hgtdfh]

I think graphics and consistent updates are the most important with at least passable writing.

 

[User_114371]

For me its Story, Characters and writing.

 

[elfieeven]

First off you should have 'Animations' on your list just for completeness BUT the real answer is you obviously need most of those things to be extremely popular. Quality of Life is the only one that isn't required based on the games that are popular.