Animations VS more pics

[PinkVendeta]

I think its early in the poll, but nearly 3 to 1 have voted in favor of more pictures, the visual aid that pictures provide for guys is a well known fact, us girls like the pretty colours

[danigonz]

More picures, no doubt about this.

I think more pictures, combinated with the proper text, would allow more options and longer scenes. In an adventure game, I think text, plot and images are more importsnt than animation and sounds.

[TheGreatJoeGargery]

I think generally using pictures provides a way to engage the player's mind more than animations can. As a comic book fan I can appreciate how the mind has to fill in the space in between the pictures. As a storytelling devise a succession of pictures can build tension by putting a lot of pictures in between the player and their goal (for example, having the player walk down a hallway in a series of pictures, with each picture putting the player slightly closer to the goal can build tension). Or the pictures can be used to create humor, where you use a series of pictures to lead the player into thinking a certain thing will happen then throw in a picture that completely defies the player's expectations for humorous effect. I remember in

The Photographer 3

there was a scene where the player could end up the submissive in a bondage situation and ended up being left tied up for a time. It was just three or four images of the exact same picture with the light source in the picture changing or getting dimmer to show that a long time had passed. It was simple and effective.

Despite this it all depends on the needs of the story and it is best when everything works together. Going back to the hallway example, pretend your character in the game is walking down the hallway to get to a room at the end of the hall. Perhaps he is at a party and he is looking for the object of his affection who he was trying to score with and you think may have wandered off with someone else, or his wife or girlfriend that was being overly flirty during the party. He finds himself alone in the upstairs hallway. If we want to include audio we could have the very quite sounds of sex being heard from a room a the end of the hall. We click, and the picture is a little closer (perhaps the sounds have gotten a little louder too). We click and click and click until we finally get to the end of the hallway, building tension as we go. We look in the keyhole of the locked door and at that point we get an animation. We can't quite see exactly what is going on, but we see something moving inside that looks like two people having sex. We barge through the door and we get a single image. At that point it turns out to be.....two completely different people than what you were expecting.... or it was your wife or girlfriend or object of affection but the sounds you heard misled you and they weren't having sex after all....or it was completely what you thought it was. Or you could choose to not open the door and perhaps go through the rest of the game, potentially with misinformation that may cause you to make choices you otherwise would not have made.

So for the most part I feel that pictures give you more options of telling stories while animations have their place as well. I wouldn't want to break it down into percentages of when to use what type of visuals in the game as that will completely depend on what you are trying to get the player to experience. I would encourage game creators to experiment with different ways of using the choice between these two ways of visually engaging with the player.

[Mortze]

Yay!
Thanks for all your insight!
(Save for Marco. I can't read anything Marco writes with an avatar like his )

Although this poll can be usefull for any game creator I did this to have a clue on what path to follow.
It basically comes to 2 sets of reality:

1/ in terms of time spent, doing animation or doing diferent pics is basically the same. The time I spent posing for the diferent pictures is the same time for doing the animation pose, and make sure it is the best I can make. But since I want to realease at least a game a year I have limited time and have to decide either pics or animations.

2/ more animations eases work for Tlaero There is less to write in a 10 pics page than in 10 diferent pages. Unless the animation requires some heavy coding where this math can be the oposite.
Since I like to make things dificult for Tlaero I make lots of pics or I remember some fancy animation gameplay to code. I'm that a bastard.

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to express my opinion on my own poll (LRM?). If not I'll still do it but after some time passed.

[tlaero]

Since I like to make things dificult for Tlaero I make lots of pics or I remember some fancy animation gameplay to code. I'm that a bastard.

If you guys start seeing more scenes in our games where there are a large number of people present (night clubs, crowded diners, etc), you can trace it back to this... (-:

Tlaero

[Mortze]

Mortze wrote:
Since I like to make things dificult for Tlaero I make lots of pics or I remember some fancy animation gameplay to code. I'm that a bastard.


If you guys start seeing more scenes in our games where there are a large number of people present (night clubs, crowded diners, etc), you can trace it back to this... (-:

I foresee that we'll start to have massive sex scenes (200+ pics/scene) from now on.

[JFR]

... If you guys start seeing more scenes in our games where there are a large number of people present (night clubs, crowded diners, etc), you can trace it back to this... (-: ...

Or an orgy. Don't forget that orgies require large numbers of people, too.

[Maurice]

Animations or more story?

That is actually a really difficult question.

Basically animations are lots of pics per part of story.

Since the length of the story and the density of pictures for the story both serve the quality of the story the effect of adding more of the same (of either) diminishes after a certain point.

The optimum distribution of moving and non-moving pictures would probably resemble an aesthetically pleasing structure (like a sonnet or a limerick or the golden ratio)

I would argue that if you are faced with the dilemma of adding more story vs more pictures you are not making the game you want to and should rethink your ambitions. (perhaps the story is better suited to be cut into several smaller games to enable you to deliver both the quality and frequency you desire)

Ultimately I think the decision is up to you (the creator) to make what you want.
(even if that is one game over the course of a very long time. I value the piece of you you put into your game higher than the tingly feelings I experience when witnessing naked women, either frozen or animated.)
On the other hand it is very admirable that you take into account the desires of your audience.

In conclusion:

I chose the option of more animations.
I think you should not deny yourself the possibilities of pacing that animations offer.

(also, animations open up new gameplay possibilities. eg timing related. Tlaera is pondering gameplay models so the synergy between you two might very well be enhanced if you (also) hone your skills in the animation direction.)

[Inside Lurker]

Yes, more pictures. This is an HTML game. It's going to be more comic book than movie. Just the nature of the beast.

but...

you do have animation capabilities in this format. Frankly, I am a little confused by the poll's question. Why is this an either/or? Animation is nothing more than a series of poses strung together to tell a story. "Golden" poses tell the major plot points and key poses (frames) describe the nature of the movement and the "tweens" fill in the detail. I imagine, IMVHO, that if you set the scene up as if you are doing an animation (aka story board), the story would be conveyed more effectively. Now I really don't know the capabilities of the software you are using and you don't have all the time in the world and I know (trust me I know) there is more than setting up poses and having the computer tween between them
but...
if you could do an animatic for a scene (block and stage out the rough movement of the characters during the timeline of the scene) and just define the poses for the shots you want at different points on the timeline and render there, the story will benefit and it might inspire the poses you choose and give you "more pics". If enough of shots/poses string together to create the illusion of movement, so be it.


Also, FWIW, I'd rather see a 10 frame flirty fun wink and smile than a 10 frame choppy linear penis insertion.

[Hoboy]

Also, FWIW, I'd rather see a 10 frame flirty fun wink and smile than a 10 frame choppy linear penis insertion.

I must say - this was very well put. A well placed animation or picture is still worth a thousand words (or maybe more)...so - again - it gets thrown back to the creators. However you want to proceed, I will continue to enjoy it. Have fun creating, and I will have fun playing and commenting...

[Spluts]

My vote is for more pics for the same reasons everyone else has already mentioned. If I may add though, text is pretty vital too! Not that Tlaero has a problem with this part as he is a master at this! ^_^

[Issho]

Looking back to RfJ I must say, that the animation part was one of the best things there. I disagree with the majority. An animation suits in some situations far better than 10 pics in a row. The downside is, the creator has to be really good in this thing. Seeing movements, emotions on their faces etc., express often more than a thousand of words.

But well, as I said, there are so many little nuances on an animation, which have to be considered. Forgetting or overseeing such a little mistake, can damage the whole scene. Nowadays, I saw many animated sexscenes in this type of games, which weren´t really bad. But most of the creators just animated, e.g. a girl riding a man, but completely forgot the man himself. She was moving and he was plain stuck... no movement, hands just on the ground (not even on the butt, slapping her on her ass etc.), no interaction just one action, and well a man like a wax figure. Creating such a scene far superior with a text "they fucked passionately..." is often enough as description. But well, if you think you can handle that Mortze, than I think you really should consider this. By validating you of your previous games, I´m quite sure you can.

[danigonz]

(I'm going a little off topic here, I apologise in advance).

As I said, I voted for "more pics".

But, although is pretty evident that in an erotic game the visual aspect is very important, I'd like to emphasize the importance of text, which can be as arousing as an image or an animation.

I personally loathe those games with lazy text, in which the descriptions during sex scenes are reduced to: "Change position", "Faster", "Slower", "Cum" and, maybe "Ooooh" and "That was nice".

For me, the description of the character''s feelings and a more detailed dialogue are really important from a narrative (and erotic) point of view. That's one of the main reason I really love the games written by Tlaero.

[master110]

Pictures.

[JFR]

... Not that Tlaero has a problem with this part as he is a master at this! ^_^

She. She is a master at it.