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

Published:
2020-11-08 16:00:00
Imported:
2026-06

Content

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)

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Comments

Vilian0Vic

In-depth skill system? Crafting? Minigames? Puzzles? Shut up and take my money. Oh wait, you already get that every month anyway. :D Your plans for the next game sound amazing, I can't wait. In terms of engine...my gut feeling says "Unity" because in the long run, once you have gotten in some practice, it will probably give you the most options. UNLIMITED POWAAAAAH and so on. ;) But I understand that it is daunting and something more familiar might be better. PS: I've also wishlisted Coteries of New York. I wonder...is it a proper stand-alone or does it somehow tie into Bloodlines 2?

OrbZpank

It sounds like VNM is the option that would allow you to spend the least time on the technical end of things and the most on content, which sounds great to me. On the other hand, as a player I've had had better experiences with Renpy and Unity, so maybe you should focus more on which is the better career move for you, long term?

G

Completely agree with the comment above, I think if you have the time/mental energy, Unity sounds like the best option for the future. If not, I would stick with Visual Novel Maker or RPG Maker, rather than RenPy, would be really shit for your work to be stolen. Very much looking forward to the future game and really enjoying MANTIS, keep up the good work 💪

Ormmwar

If you've already tried Unity i'd suggest UE. Documentation is excellent, it has plenty of 3rd party guides and assets. It is also easier to use since you literally dont need to code, it is possible to just use premade blocks for the entire logic of the game. With UE you also open the door to work for large gamedev companies later if you decide to move on from what you do right now.

Pakk

Damn i can understand your indecisiveness, of course as someone who just enjoys your work i'm tempted to say i'd want the engine that gives you the best potential, but no one wants to see you burnt out. So what i'm thinking now is that you should try Unity again since your biggest project should have the biggest power, but it'd make more sense to start with a smaller project, see if you can make it work and how it works for us.

KMSprn

Just my personal opinion, but I rather dislike RPGM. The games, generally, just feel a bit like a chore to get through for me. Most of the time at least. The only ones I've genuinely loved from RPGM are NLT Media's Lust Epidemic and Treasure of Nadia. Although CbDE and Asylum were solid, I still disliked the RPGM experience. VNM...I like Mantis, but it feels slow and clunky to me. I usually find myself wishing it was in Renpy instead. Which brings me to Renpy, which always seems to be a pretty solid user experience to me, even in poorly made games. It's outstanding when in the hands of somebody capable of making actual quality games. I feel like it's the engine with the highest floor, even if it doesn't have as high a ceiling as something like Unity or Unreal. I suppose I can understand the fear of the game being ripped off, but then if somebody really wants to do that then I'm sure they can on the other engines too.

Robbo

I am no game dev but unity would really allow you to make your next move in whatever direction you wished, whereas all the other options are much more specific to this game style. So maybe it’s worth investing the time?

Witcher

Unity is the best as it allows you to use 3D as well as 2D. Unity also have good visual novel templates already which can be used. its also most flexible with endless possibilities and customization option.. You can also directly export the 3d models and pose it in unity itself . This way you wont need to waste time on rendering images

Darktoz

it is a standalone visual novel, in the world of vampire: the masquerade. It is really a visual novel and has not much else in terms of gameplay, but it is an interesting story with good athmosphere

Darktoz

thank you. i think in the end this can happen on any platform, so I do not know if that is something that should be ruled against renpy, but i have heard some stories and i know how easy it is to unpack assets in a renpy game

Darktoz

i think the best is what overall gives players the best experience. but then again, i am not sure if i want to do something else than visual novels in the future. if i do, unity would maybe be the best option

Darktoz

i have heard bad things in terms of UE regarding 2D games. And right now I want to focus on 2D

Darktoz

yes, well that is the thing. the best unity visual novel template is 150$. a bit pricey for something that I might end up not using. for daz3d models you have to buy interactive licences to use them into other 3d engines, which is also pricey. I think that artwork done in a render engine always looks better because of the expressions, the lighting inside the engine and so on...

Darktoz

yes, maybe. but then again, i am not sure if I do want to do other stuff than a visual novel in the future, although the idea of a 2d space game or something like top down shooter elements is neat

Darktoz

true. and i second treasure of nadia, definitely something worth checking out.

Darktoz

yes. I do not know what it is with unity and me, but the first time i tried it i didn't even get past setting up the camera correctly. i still think you feel that the engine was invented for mainly 3d purposes when you are working with it. that being said, most of the best recent 2d games were made with unity, so i think when you invest the work time it is possible to pay off later

B. Freundlich

I would also say try Unity, because this opens up a lot off opportunities for you in the future. You could even get a job as a full-time programmer ;-) But you can also hire freelance gamedevs if you need to implement something but need help or just so speed things up. You know opitons ;) The other thing is that I guess Unity gets much more updates then the other engines. Furthermore, it runs on any platform Win, Mac and also Linux. If you don't link it you can switch back to "Virtual Novel Maker" But I have to say look at games like "second class" you can also have fully animated HD scenes in RPG Maker that run smooth...

dark_dragon

am not good at anything with code or programing i know my way around a pc yes but codeing and stuff isent shomthing i have tought about learning and i probely wont unless hsomthing makes me want to try it so i just say go with what you think is best and will make the best game thats my suggestion xD

Darktoz

yeah, the multiplatform argument is pretty good. but i don't think i will get so good with unity that people want to hire me :D

Darktoz

yeah, well, the thing is that i am not good with code either :D

itsa me

toredor for the win just saying :)

Darktoz

I always end up playing toreador as well :D. but ventrue, gangrel and brujah are also interesting

Robby Roo

Unity, though being amazing, is more for the "give more gameplay, give more fluidity" approach to games. Unless your future games will have intensive gameplay , Unity is sort of an overkill. (Of course it's a great learning experience no doubt). The rest all seem like good options.

Nanus

As a matter of fact I do like some paintings, but no artist ever asked me which paintbrush he shall use; also no producer asked me which camera is appropriate for his movies up till now; and, guess what, no writer wanted to know from me, which computer he shall use for his novels. So, if you ask me which game engine you shall use for your future projects, I have to answer truthfully: I have not the vaguest notion of it. All I can tell is, that I love playing, beside your fantastic games, for example "Mistresses of the Forrest" (by Crimson Grey), which has a lot of gameplay involved, or "FutaDomWorld" (which is quite similar to Femdom City). So, my advice is that you should consider thoroughly, which game engine helps most to put your ideas into a game and make your mind up ripely on this subject. Because at the end of the day, only the result (in this case: your game) matters, and not how you got there. However, I'm fully convinced that you gonna make the right decisions and provide another awesome game, like you used to do, and I'm eagerly looking forward to it. Stay safe, healthy and kinky

Darktoz

yes, my thoughts exactly. the thing is that I do not know how much gameplay i want to put in future games

Darktoz

I am pretty sure photographers ask a lot of other people for input before they finally go and make the purchase for an expensive camera. same for all the other jobs and people. the internet is full of those questions. it is mostly because there are so much different options. hundreds of different cameras to choose from. and with gamemaking it is roughly the same. And I am more of an "artwork" guy. I don't ask for a suggestion on what render engine is the best for my artwork...but I picked up my first game engine (rpg maker) 5 years ago, visual novel maker like 2 years ago or so, that's all I got so far. so I am by no means an expert when it comes to game engines ;)

Nanus

Good point ;)

Robby Roo

If that's the case, ignoring the security risk, renpy is the best current gen engine there is for reduced gameplay. The security risk is something to look into though.

Mondy

I state that it is not a great passion for normal role-playing games. however, I started to approach this type of games thanks to the spanking games made with RPG Marker. and I fell in love with it. so i would really like to play a FEMDOM RPG game. in any case thanks for your wonderful games.

itsa me

have you ever played the tabletop version?

Darktoz

yes! but it was quite a while ago and we only did it for two evenings. i think you need a good and experienced dm to make this tabletop enjoyable

Darktoz

thank you :). yes, i really like the idea of a femdom game with rpg elements as well

Deadmanfrank

Unity sound the best thing to use, with renpy in the second place. If you start to learn and build the next game at the same time you still release stuff for Femdon city it might make it better, that it that a long time to get updates 🤔.

Darktoz

the focus will be on femdom city for a while. I will only start working on the next game when everything is set up (assets, story, gameengine, renderengine), and that will take a while. so no rush

William Bogdon

You said it yourself "This is the one that I in theory want to master the most". I definately say go for Unity, the limitations are endless. And though I can't speak for everyone, I would definately prefer to wait for the most impressive game that you can put out.

Darktoz

true, but that is in theory :D. when I ask my practical lazy self, I want to go an easy way without learning anything new :D

Antonio Cioni

Hi, I use Unity to code some games. I'm an amateur, but some months ago I actually started to work on a real indie project with a team. So I'm not super expert, but I'm not a beginner either. Unity is not super easy. You'll need some C# knowledge and it can be challanging. You can buy assets tha will make your life easier, and I can suggest you some, depending on the type of game you want to code. My compliments with your game by the way, they are very good.

Darktoz

thank you :) the only thing I would need is "naninovel", since all future games will definitely have visual novel scenes in it. unless you say i need something else as well

Darktoz

true, i guess the production time in unity takes longer than in other engines

Andreas Finn

From player standpoint I can only say that whatever you choose try to make it easy to play one handed(wink wink). Therefore I can't really suggest unity.