Hey guys! Been a long time player of AIF/date sim games and I've recently felt the desire to attempt and make my own. I think my concept is pretty ambitious for a first time project and since many of my favorite game makers are on this site, I was hoping to get some advice. Below is the basic style of game I was aiming at and I was hoping you could recommend a platform to go with. I have no background in programming, save BASIC back on my 8088 25+ years ago, so I was aiming for something like TADS or Adrift style. I'm not sure if I'd be able to make an all image based Virtual Date style game and would instead attempt to go for an AIF style game with images thrown. I have no background in art as well. Just a concept and an idea.

Here is what I was brainstorming:

This game is a work of interactive, erotic fiction. None of the characters in this game represent real persons, living or dead. All character involved in sexual experience will be 18+ but the game does have smaller children in it to flush out the home life of the characters and which serve in some situation as obstacles to overcome (i.e. distract them to get an item or somehow get them to leave for 15 minutes).

Twin Tree Tales is an erotic adventure game where the player chooses to take on the role of Mike or Marta Smith, fraternal twins who find themselves in the last seven days of their senior year at Midvale High School in the quiet mountain town of Twin Tree. Each character has their own initial impetus to begin their erotic adventure but the player character will be able to alter what actually happens to them by their choices throughout the length of the game! I also attempted to make Mike and Marta’s stories individually unique (with some common events) to promote replayability. I also plan on making it a good read as well with a developed plot and story and far from just straightforward sex.

*note - player can choose alternate names for Mike or Marta which are just the default names.

I want to design this game around multiple erotic genres that the player will be able to participate in the sexual education of either Mike or Marta. I plan on having some voyeurism, dating, kink, fetish, and other aspects thrown in, but nothing will be forced upon the player who will have an obvious decision on whether or not they want to participate in that activity when they hit that part of the story.

Though the game follows a traditional AIF setup at its core, I want to attempt to enable a system of skills which the player character can learn after successfully completing specific tasks or participating in certain encounters! The player character will then be able to use these new abilities to find more encounters or within encounters for extra scenes and story! For example the player character just finished having sex with the smartest nerd in school and because of that encounter can now successfully use the “Geek Assist” command which may assist the player character in being able to hack certain computers or set up surveillance cameras, thereby unlocking new possibilities! Think like unlocking skills in an RPG game.

Like some other AIF games, Twin Tree Tales finds the player character spending their day in defined spans of time, i.e. early morning, morning, lunch, afternoon, evening, night. Some encounters will be only available at certain times and after certain other conditions have been met!

Sexual encounters will use the standard “rub tits”, “lick pussy” style of commands plus those unlocked by the player character after specific encounters. I want to attempt to have as many different descriptions for both the “fuck (character)” and “(character), fuck me” styled syntaxes! In addition to the basic commands, I have want to add the following commands (though not all can be used in every situation, so if its possible to make them a command in just that scenario, that'd be great):
Dance
Cook
Massage (body part)
Throw
Swim
Spill
Motorboat (actor)
Masturbate (actor) (different than "rub dick")
Other commands will be given to the player after they have met certain criteria such as successfully passing encounters or obtaining specific items.

Likewise, the player can check their score at anytime by typing “score” in the command line.

Please let me know from your experiences if this sounds feasible as I realize that what I have as a concept may not be practical for my skill set or tools available! Thanks for your help in advance!

Its going to be hard to realize all that and if i can give you 1, just get start. The only thing i do not think that would be possible is the role picking its either one or the other for a full game. It should be possible to switch characters characters in the game as part of progression (looking at gift of phallius 3, on tads) but again loads of programming. I think if you want to go for either the female role or the male rule for a full game, you should develop 2 games instead.

But thats just my thoughts, possible i am wrong.

With code, anything is possible. It's just a matter of time and effort. Jack, I think your idea sounds interesting and I encourage you to make it ... as your 3rd game.

I suggest you make a short and simple (but enjoyable) game first. Use that as a learning experience to figure out the mechanics of your game system and what it takes to make these games. Also use it to get people interested in your work. Most importantly, though, use it as a chance to do everything wrong, patch it together with duct tape and bailing wire, and then start over from scratch with a second game.

There will come a point in development where you say, "If only I had known then what I know now." You want at that point to be releasing the small game so you can move on to something else. If you're early in a huge game at that point, you're going to start over and have nothing to show for it. Or you'll push on and have trouble finishing because the foundation is uneven, etc.

In your second game, try to do a few of the things (technology wise) that you want to do for Twin Tree and, once again, get something out. You'll then have two games worth of experience and feedback from your players, which will put you into a great position to do Twin Tree Tales.

This is the route I think you should take. Of course, it's not the only path to success, though. Wolfschadowe, for instance, went the "super ambitious for his first game" route and it's working for him. But he's a rare guy (in an awesome sort of way). Most of the people I've seen take his path have failed. Another good route is a collaboration with another person. That's wonderful if you can find an experienced person to work with, but good collaborations are really hard to come by. Also, success in your first two simpler games would make it easier to find people who want to collaborate.

As for technology, if you want to do a text-heavy game, Adrift is a good choice. TADS is much more like writing code than Adrift is. I suspect that, with your self-described level of programming knowledge, you'd spend more time learning TADS than making the game. Adrift has a shorter ramp and is a better place to start.

If you wanted to do an image-heavy game, I'd suggest Adventure Creator, but you said that artwork is a challenge. That points back to Adrift.

Other possibilities are RAGS and RenPy. I haven't worked with either, so can't comment much on them, though, I don't enjoy the end user interface for RAGS games.

Tlaero

Thanks for your input guys! I was thinking along the same lines as both of you and I'm going to go in an single protagonist (rather than chose) for each game and have them just be separate games in the same universe. Like Crossroads. Possibly showing two sides of the same week.

Also, I think I will begin with a short and sweet introductory adventure to the world of Twin Tree. The more I think of it, the better the suggestion, Tlaero, because it will allow the world to flush out more and player's to become familiar and hopefully enjoying it.

My next question is for generating models and art...how hard is it exactly to do this? Is it making a sing mesh model and then being able to manipulate the wire frame to pose for different pics? I'm pretty oblivious to the 3d/2d rendered graphic world. How hard would it be to get to a level like those reflected in Pandora, Living with Kelly, or the VDG games? I'm definitely willing to learn but I was hoping for a reasonable learning curve expectation that doesn't involve years.

Jack. Jack, I have just looked back at your opening comment, first paragraph.
Unless I have it completely wrong, you have little idea of the workings of DAZ, 3DSmax, etc.
Please tell me that I erred.

It seems to me that you have two options:
1. Develop your story and seek the assistance of a collaborating artist,
or,
2. Take time to understand the world of graphics that such programs provide.

All that said, I welcome seeing that you achieve your ambition in a form that is satisfactory to you.

Jack, that sounds like a great plan.

Art is considerably easier than creating your own meshes. Take a look at Daz3D. It's free and has a lot of stuff to get you started. Beware that it's free like the first hit of Crack, though. Suddenly you want more stuff for your characters (clothing, etc) and then a week later you wake up with maxed out credit cards... (-:

That said, you should figure out Adrift first. With good writing, you can do a fully text-only game that's enjoyable. Adding in images can come later.

Tlaero

I second Tlaeros comments on using DAZ 3d it is very good and they have now released it with some good tutorials.
You'll find the art is definitely easier than using meshes and so on.

Here are some basics for you I hope they help.
Get the basic V4 model and load that into your scene then add Hair and clothes.
Then if you want to make her more unique you can either play with the morph channels or you can purchase morphs to make your characters.
Once you have your character you have 2 options for the scenes.
I recommend for a beginner just use either Genesis or v4 models and learn how to pose them and change their expressions.
You can also buy Poses and Expressions.
Once your happy with your character click the render button once it finishes save it as a png.
If you have any skill with Paintshop or something similar like Gimp which is free.
You can find a good background picture and super impose the rendered png on top then save as jpg now you have your scene.
Later when you are more confident you can start working with lighting and 3d scenes.

If I can offer any tips please ask.
I will do my best to help.
Our community has always had a shortage on artists so I am glad to help new artists if I can.
Congratulations for starting something new.

Cheers

Sy

Concur with what sylakone2 said about DAZ and Victoria 4 (V4). There are lots of freebies for V4 at Sharecg and renderosity. Both require free registration to download.

Check this topic for additional information http://the-new-lagoon.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=2916

Hey everyone! I changed the name to Cascadia Tales mainly due to the fact I didn't like the flow of Twin Tree off the tongue.

I'm still working on it and have managed to get all my bases down. I've drawn out the map, the locations, the cast, the encounters, etc. and now I'm trying to implement it into Adrift 5.0. Mainly because it's free and easy and more to my current level of technical ability.

Progress in Adrift has been made but I do have a question. I've been searching but been able to find an already existent AIF command library with the words like "fuck" in it. My question is if one exists? If not, my follow up question would be how to add that command as an option for the player?

I've also taken community feedback and decided to do a brief "prologue" style game..just a couple of locations and scenes to get my feet wet and get some feedback about design, writing, etc.

Thanks for your help guys. Hope you had some Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas!

Just an update. I don't have much free time in RL but I just finished Fallout 4, so that is helping.

Currently in the process of piecing together my "cast." Tried some D3D, but it would be far too time consuming for me (not to mention expensive) to finish everything I need for the game. In that regard, sticking with AIF style, I've been "casting" my characters from available pictures on the net, which I will use. Ideally, it would be great to have someone collaborate if they wanted with 3D art, but in the mean time, I'll just be using pics.

After casting is done, I am pretty well confident that the only thing left will be inputting the adventure into Adrift 5. I've taken all of your feedback and have applied it. I really appreciate your experience and wisdom from the lagooners that have posted!

-Jack

Seeking some feedback.

The thing about creating is ultimately putting your stuff out there for others and taking the good and bad that come with it. I've been working on the story a lot more recently and I wanted to put up a writing sample and get some feedback from the community here, if possible! I have my own reservations about it but I was curious as to what you guys thought and more importantly, since I'm attempting to write erotic fiction, if it created a response from you either sexual in nature or emotional.

Thanks in advance for those that chose to help! The following excerpt is from the beginning of the game because it doesn't contain any real spoilers. It's written in 2nd person with the reader taking on the role of Mike, an exceptionally bright but sometimes socially awkward senior at Cascadia High School. (There are notes I have written in the text for my own use during creation, so try to forget about those. )

SAMPLE

*BEEEEP* *BEEEEP*

Your alarm drones on, apathetic to your continued need for sleep and rousing you from your latest dream involving a big chested blond acrobat and a seemingly disproportionate, but well endowed, dwarf clown named Curls. You don’t know why yet, but lately your dreams have taken quite the crazy turn from once straightforward sexual fantasies with gorgeous woman where you’d wake up with a raging hard-on and soaked underwear to their current iteration more akin to an old episode of Twin Peaks where the surreal and the fantasy blend in odd ways. Whatever it is, you currently dismiss it as a byproduct of late nights surfing porn on your computer while leaving the televisiono tuned to odd late night shows, sometimes forgetting to turn it off before going to bed.

You look over at the alarm clock and smash the snooze button, hoping for another ten minutes of sleep before having to face your last week at Cascadia High School. It’s your senior year and in seven short days, you’ll be free to fulfill your dream of attending University of California Berkley’s History program. While you love technology and “geeky” things like sci-fi shows and anime, you’re real love and interest is learning about forgotten history and the different cultures of people around the world, especially their views on courtship and sex. You know it’s not the most glamorous passion, and definitely not exciting to most people, but you love it, accepted it, and are confident with that part of yourself..

Following your morning routine, you reach down subconsciously and start playing a bit with your morning wood, reminding yourself you have ten more minutes before you NEED to get out of bed. Not wanting to break your 754 consecutive day streak of masturbating first thing in morning, you take a minute to decide who you’ll fantasize about this time:

Denise - The girl next door. And your lifelong crush.
or
Kelly - The cheerleader. The object of your most sexual desires.

During the course of the game, you will be able to, at certain times, masturbate about specific female characters you’ve encountered. Type “masturbate” followed by the female’s name, i.e. “masturbate Denise” or “masturbate Kelly”

DENISE
You close your eyes and start imagining the crimson haired, emerald eyed girl from next door. The one you grew up with riding bikes around the neighborhood and swimming in her pool but now instead of pigtails and a crooked smile, she has become a stunning beauty in her own right: wavy crimson hair, deep emerald eyes, full lips and a sleek, supple body with nicely shaped breasts, no larger than a handful, and a feline body that accentuates her firm, ample ass.

This time in your fantasy, she has manifested wearing a damp, white button up blouse, unbuttoned just enough to show a hint of cleavage formed by her breasts, which are snuggled tightly in the red shirt underneath the blouse. Her hair is also wet, not drenched, but damp, as if she had been completely soaked about ten minutes prior and had not fully dried out yet. The white blouse and red undershirt cling tightly to her body exposing every inch and curve of her supple form while accenting her two, now aroused, nipples poking against the fabric. When the image hits you, you start to quicken your pace, stroking more purposefully, but then realize you don’t really want this fantasy to end so soon, even though it may mean your twin sister, Marta, beats you to the shower.

Do you “continue” or “bust a nut”?

Denise saunters up to you, seductively putting a finger up to her full lips as her eyes lock with yours. You stand there, frozen, letting her approach, watching her accentuate her movements, seducing you like a snake charmer. In response, your snake slithers more wildly in your pants, growing in size threatening to bust out. You imagine yourself reach down and begin to unzip when Denise is suddenly in front of you. Her soft, supple hand stops yours moving it to the side and the scent of her hair consumes you.. You look down and see her finishing what you started, unzipping your pants, determination evident as she does not hesitate. When you look up, she locks eyes with you. You feel her hand reach inside and grab your warm shaft, working it free from the confines of your jeans. Your eyes never leave hers as you feel her start to stroke your cock, slowly at first, as if getting a feel for it, and then ramping up the speed. You respond automatically realizing you’re close…

Do you “continue” or “bust a nut”?

Determined to not let this fantasy get away, you imagine yourself regain control and break eye contact, looking downward. You see her hand rapidly working your shaft and suddenly you can feel her breath on your ear as she leans closer into you. You swear you hear a soft moan escape her lips as the first of her breasts make contact against your chest. Her lips suddenly seek out your earlobe, her tongue playing with it coyly. You can’t handle it any more and you reach around her with your left hand, placing it firmly on her supple ass, giving it a gentle squeeze that rapidly changes into forceful groping fueled by your rising, primal lust. Her lips dip from your ear and onto your neck as she slowly makes her way to your mouth, her hand still working your meat in more firm, circular tugging motions.

She reaches up, grabs your face and turns her mouth towards yours and just before she presses her full lips to your mouth, she backs away, locking your eyes with hers again. Suddenly, she lowers herself onto her knees, her hand never leaving your shaft and positioning it in an upward direction, clearly getting ready to put it into her mouth. She maintains eye contact as she leans closer to your cock, breaking it at the very last moment. You look up in thankfulness as you feel her moist lips touch the tip briefly, a tender kiss, just before she hungrily takes you into her mouth. The sensation alone of her mouth enveloping you brings you to the edge. Without warning, she increases both the speed of her mouth and the speed of her hand, which are now working in unison like a well trained team on your cock. You can feel the pressure build as you get ready to explode….

Do you “continue” or “bust a nut”?

*BEEEP* *BEEEP* The alarm wails again breaking you heinously out of your fantasy followed by the pressure in your balls and shaft quickly subsiding. You lose focus on the mental image of the heavenly act Denise and you were doing and even though you struggle mightily, you cannot keep nor retrieve the image. Blue balled by your alarm...again. You sigh angrily in frustration just as a quick knock on the door followed by your mother yelling for you to get up squashes any hope of you returning to beautiful Denise bobbing up and down on your cock.

You sit up in bed, hard-on subsided, disheartened, and peel off your covers, getting ready for the first day of your last week of high school.

What could possibly happen?

It's hot and very good. There were lots of spelling mistakes at the beginning. The writing is a bit dense in places. In the middle of a sex scene, I find that I get bogged down in dense writing and the pace slows down.

My main concern is that it's vastly overwritten. This is a throwaway scene that doesn't appear to be important to the plot or characters. But it's really long, you offer the option of two characters, and you offer multiple choices along the way. Unless it's your day job, there's no way you can sustain that sort of output over the course of a whole game. If you look at Goblinboy's games, his optional daydreams were fun but they weren't memorable at all in the end. The effort required on your part isn't really worth the payoff to the player. It might even detract from the game a little bit.

On a related note, the AIF Writing Salon at the AIF Central blog is having an event on sex scenes next week. Why don't you submit a writing sample there? You might get more feedback there.

@LostTrout,

Thanks for taking the time to read it and reply. I appreciate very much and you make some great points. I already went back and fixed the spelling mistakes you mentioned.

Also, thanks for pointing out the Writing Salon. I'll have to look into that!