Your input is valuable...let's talk Game Engines!

Guys, I want your input. I have to say, this week I didn't get much done. It was mostly due to me having to do some family related stuff. In germany there is currently a light second lockdown and we have outbreaks everywhere. I am sure you can relate, since the situation is pretty much the same all over the globe. So in terms of game update there is not much that I can tell you. I hope that changes next week.

So, yes...if you are only here to play the games and are not really interested in how the next game is created, I think this update doesn't offer you much. You might as well skip to the "Stay kinky!" part ;).

New game...new engine!

Now, I would like your opinion on this one. I have pretty much decided on what  the next game will be (i think i have said this before, but this time it is true. already have the title and the scenario...it will somehow link all previous games and it is going to be amazing). I have listened to your feedback over the years and I think I also have a pretty good idea of what you want to see, so I am going to give you some hints of what I want to do and why I want your input.

It will pretty much be an open visual novel like femdom city mantis again, but it will feature some things that will boost the game experience. That is an inventory and a more in depth skill system. There will be some simple puzzles like in the asylum as well. I also will try to implement a huge gallery where you can immediatly go to your favourite scene once you have unlocked it, since this is one of the most common requests. I also want to do some fun stuff like crafting (together with the skill system this can be very fun and entertaining. You get the "chemist" trait, you can craft your own version of viagra and sell it to make money for example). And I am not 100% sure on this one, but I think I want to have some voice acting in the upcoming game. So, you see...big plans.

Now, I still haven't decided on the game engine (as you know, I have decided on the render engine which is going to be a new one), and this is where I can't decide what to do. I am going to list the engines that I have tested and that are up to debate, but feel free to add other engines to the conversation if you want.

RPG Maker

It is the one that I have started with, it is the one that I know the most. And while not often used for such, it can be a powerful engine for visual novels. RPG Maker always has a bad reputation because of the flood of bad games it creates, but it is a viable option. I think overall for a visual novel there are better options out there, but in theory RPG Maker can do everything that I want. Plus, small minigames like a card game and such would be very easy to implement and because I know the engine so well, it would guarantee not taking up much time to deliver updates.

Have to say that this is also the only engine that I have used that I have been able to deliver a port for mobile phones!

I have said bye bye rpg maker in a previous post some time ago, maybe that was a bit early? 

Visual Novel Maker

In theory, the best option. Practically...well, I don't know. As you know, this is the engine that I am using to create Femdom City MANTIS and have used to create Femdom City (demo). It is easy and fast to work with, and can do even more stuff than I have done with MANTIS, but a small percentage of the player base has constant issues with it. I want to deliver a good game experience for all, and I think we all have been at that point where you just want to play a game and it just doesn't start. Also, while easy to work with, it becomes very hard if you want to change mechanical stuff like adding more save slots. And I have been requested a lot to translate the game into different languages. There have been many volunteers, but right now you cannot export a text file and hand it out to translators like you for example can do in other engines.

I am not sure. Right now I consider this my least favourite option.

RenPy

The visual novel engine that pretty much every other lewd gamedev uses for visual novels. Can do all the same things that Visual Novel Maker can, but runs on Python instead of Javascript, which causes much less issues overall. The engine is free and pretty much open source, and considered a favourite by many. 

On the downside, it requires some coding. I know that the simplified code of Ren'Py is easy to get into, but nonetheless, it is text code. It will take longer to implement scenes into the game than a visual engine like VNMaker or RPGMaker, and playtesting is not as easy.

Also, it is so easy to rip off assets and code with that engine. I don't know, and it might sound unreasonable, but I have this big fear (I actually had a nightmare about it) that someone rips my game, changes the name and sells it as their own. I think that in theory this is possible in all engine, but in renpy it is the easiest.

Still, currently leaning towards RenPy

Unity

The big guy. This is the one that I in theory want to master the most, and practically I already failed twice because I got frustrated with the engine. Unity is really a 3D engine that can also do 2D games. And with me wanting to do a 2D Visual Novel, there are soooo many good options for it.

Unity has no limits. I have recently played some unity visual novels (Vampire: The Masquerade), and in terms of lighting and playability, they are sooooo good. Everything feels smooth.

Downside is, this would be a big challenge. It is not easy to get into Unity, especially compared to Renpy, Visual Novel Maker and RPG Maker. And I think that updates would take longer because of the complexity of the engine (of course, this is nothing I can say for sure because I haven't tried). And there is a chance that I don't get the hang of the engine and give up frustrated and curse this engine and swear to never touch it again...like it has already happened ;).

There are some other engines like Tyranobuilder and Godot. I have used Tyranobuilder already in a short visual novel called Captured4You (OG's remember ;) and it is too limiting for what I am planning and while I like the approach of Godot, I feel like it is not a good solution for a visual novel at the current moment because of the way that Godot handles text.

I don't know. This is what has been on my mind lately, so I thought I'd share it. I am always the type of guy that thinks "grass is greener on the other side", so for me saying "this is the engine that I want to use for the forseeable future" is a very big deal. In the end I am the one who has to make the decision, I know that, but maybe you have some input! Let me know...

I hope you stay safe and sane and don't go crazy during these times (I slowly am, lol).

Stay kinky!

(Also, if you have some interesting visual novels that you have played lately and that really left a good impression, feel free to post. I had fun with Vampire: The Masquerade - Coteries of New York and also Shadows of New York, but I am a huge World of Darkness fanboy, so this might not be for everyone)