Developer's Journal 4:21

I've thought a lot about a phrase used to describe a certain type of AVN: "story-focused" or "story-first." This phrase means different things to different players. For some players, a story-focused AVN means, essentially, an adult romance that is well-written. For others, story-focused just may mean there is some coherent narrative, in one form or another, that connects the game's lewd scenes.

When I hear that phrase used about an AVN, the immediate impression I have is of a game that has an enjoyable story independent of the romantic/sexual content. A prime example is the exceptional AVN Corporate Culture.

In Corporate Culture, you play as Edward, a completely unmotivated, low-level corporate worker. Edward is mostly a loser, and when I first started playing the game, I rolled my eyes at this because I had already played a number of games where the main character is a loser yet inexplicably finds himself drowning in adoring women. But unlike the dozens of game devs who have unintentionally made their MC a loser, Corporate Culture is quite intentional in taking this trope and turning it into an intricate character study of a man who realizes that, as a loser, he actually can't get the woman he wants and will have to become a better man if he wants a shot at her. Although this romantic infatuation is central to the game's premise, it's not the point of the story--the point is Edward's character development.

The point of most AVN's, "story-first" or not, is the MC's romantic relationships. There's a tendency for any non-romantic plot to feel mostly supportive of the romantic content--a way of filling space or at best creating a structure in which to present the romantic content. In Leaving DNA, however, while the four love interests themselves are integral to the story, it is their non-romantic role in the story which is crucial. Having a romantic relationship with any these women is not ultimately the point of the story, and the game is meant to be engaging even if the player doesn't fixate on any of the LI's. One major branch of the MC's journey of character development is based in his aversion to intimacy, but this aversion encompasses both his lovers and his friends and family figures. Consequently, many (probably most, if not all) of the game's best moments come during scenes which need not have even a whiff of romance.

For example, one of the most emotionally engaging scenes of the game, based on player feedback, is the MC meeting Colleen. Clearly, this scene is completely devoid of any romantic context, yet it's critical to the story and to MC's character development, and it's been very well-received by players. Likewise, one of the scenes I'm most proud of is MC and Vega's showdown, and although this scene is contextually about their past romance, there is no present romantic undertone for those two characters. The point of the scene isn't to setup romantic content with Vega, it's to make the MC confront a hard truth about himself, i.e. that his failures of intimacy don't just hurt him, they also hurt the people around him. This truth is relevant to his present potential romantic relationships, but more importantly it's relevant to his non-romantic relationships--Vega's stinging insight piles on to his preexisting fear of abandonment when he's standing by the elevators, fighting the urge to run away from Colleen.

I'm rambling a bit here, but I do have a point. Players don't download AVN's expecting games like Corporate Culture and Leaving DNA. Even players who say they are looking for a "story-first" game usually are just expecting a well-written but traditional game where you get to know different women so you can pick your favorite by the end. This can lead to a bored/frustrating experience, particularly when the dev piles on with scenes and dialogue exploring esoteric themes about topics the player has no interest in, and the player is just trying to get to the next scene involving his favorite girl.

That's not meant, at all, to be a knock on anyone who plays Leaving DNA simply because they like a particular girl. I've put a lot of work into making the romantic content as good as it can be, and I hope that each player will find an LI they want a romantic ending with. And if all that a particular player gets out of the game is that he likes one of the LI's, but he's happy with that, then as far I'm concerned that's a satisfied player.

I bring this up, partly because I know how much you guys love it when I ramble ("ISN'T HE FUCKING DONE YET?"), but more because I do want players to see Leaving DNA the way that I see it. There was a documentary I watched a while ago about some indie game developers, and one of the developers released a massive hit. But he expressed some disappointment because although players loved his game, he felt like they didn't love it for the same reasons that he did. And I can understand some of that.

Well, that's enough rambling for tonight. Work on Episode Four continues, but I still have a long ways to go.

Thank you for your support and your patience!

--Monk