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

[User_27855]

I've played hundreds of hgames during the last 20 years...
First, I think it's going to some degree vary by genre.
A strongly written VN can go longer periods between scenes and get away with it, for example.
Or, you can get by on less flashy animations, if you have a ton of them (in action-scrollers)
It's a lot like a recipe for food. Different dishes have different preportions. I think they all need to be at least "average" quality across the board. But then you pick areas to focus on based on the genre.
I think avoiding grinding for scenes should always be avoided. I spend a fair amount of time in hgames, but my non-hgames require more time. S
Some VNs are horrible with this. Or like Pure Onyx where you basically have to grind stages to get items to unlock scenes. That's just artificially increasing playtime.
I'd also rather have a kinetic VN with a carefully crafted story and well paced sex scenes that themselves last awhile, than ton of branching and a convoluted story with conflict that feels forced, just to get fit the branching.

 

[Thechick]

A strong story with good graphics ! Content and packaging ! With theses, you can forgive weak features

 

[felivalt]

white haired girls

 

[magicace]

I chose "other" because I think it's a combination of things. Graphics for sure is key, but the story has to be rock solid too

 

[freddix]

if the charecters are boring i loose interest fast

 

[gikin113]

Good graphics to get people in the door, then good story to make them stay.

 

[odspyykt]

A good game is like a good meal. Everyone is looking for something different. Some enjoy fast food like a decent hamburger, some enjoy an exquisite meal from a fancy restaurant beautifully plated. But in the end people are looking for something tasty. If it doesn't deliver on good taste (sexual content), then everything else won't matter no matter how good the story, characters or graphics. A great game is a difficult balance of all these things.

You must be registered to see attachments

 

[Wolfy]

I think you can have a great story, great dialogue, but if the character graphics are bad, I probably won't play it.

 

[AntAras11]

I voted for characters, because I think it's non-negotiable, but it's much more nuanced than that.

A big thing that a lot of devs miss is the intricacies of the medium.

You could be the best 3d designer/animator/artist, but is there a need to make your work into a game instead of, let's say, a gallery or comic?

The best games succeed on multiple of the options but for the first steps beyond "bad game" into "enjoyable", given the reasons ppl play these games, the bare minimum is characters that make the player horny. This could be because of amazing design, amazing writing, or even just nailing a certain type of kink, but IMO it's the baseline to build on.

 

[Loliholic]

Story and charas.

 

[Hotdog1231]

Character design and graphics for me

 

[KantamaroSan]

Honestly I'm surprised there's not more graphics voters. Sure, great story and character design makes a game get to that extra level, but in the end, are we not playing the sexy games for sexual gratification? Is that not mostly fulfilled by graphics?
I don't think I ever masturbated to story-only VNs.

 

[Seo In-guk]

Story & Characters, I like that it has a harem and without ntr​

You must be registered to see attachments

 

[Beast Within]

actually I believe there are many things but if I was to pick one, that would be trusted devs who have shown again and again that they respect their player base

 

[Eresth]

Having good animations, scenes, renders and characters. Everything else is optional.

 

[JohnnySilverhand1988]

For me it's the writing, the story.. they are way more important than 'pretty' renders.

 

[eezergoode]

For me, it's a combination of most of the items in the poll. A good story, well developed characters, good art style, well written dialogue, and most importantly, consistency. Nothing pulls me out of a story quicker than either the story contradicting itself, or one of the characters totally flipping personalities mid-game.

 

[js645500]

Probably art and then story. If the art sucks I can't get into the story. If there is no art thats fine too. Like I love text based games that have good writing

 

[tapnindo]

Story 100% however for me interaction is important, that's why I love sandbox or rpgm games where I have to grind stuff, it feels rewarding lol

 

[SquirrelMonkey]

Story and setting. Graphics are def important but if all I want are sexy pictures I don't need to play a game to get those. Plus personal mood is important feeling something more uphearted or darker, finding that game that fits the bill