"Top" Lewded Characters? (Fan Favorites)

[JAYPEG]

So, I've seen more than a couple delves into this topic in various ways.
I've seen Nuxtaku do quizzes where he got people to guess which r34 character tags have the most results. Then there's also the "I came on" top list on r34, too, which you would assume would probably be more indicative of people's top favorites... But the inclusion of Maggie Simpson in the top 10 just makes me personally disavow that list altogether. (Even makes me miss the brony era...) I guess it could also be based on which series have the most parody games for them; there's definitely a lot of My Hero, Naruto, Avatar, Marvel/DC stuff -- but y'know, I'm not really sure what characters and franchises deserve to reign supreme. I know I really like that new game inspired by Roguelike, it made me really like characters I was initially unimpressed by in their source materials. Akabur's games really did that for me, too. I think that sort of thing is impressive: when it's the lewding that makes the character great rather than the character that makes the lewding great.

On the other hand, when I think of top characters, I think of Tifa Lockheart and Raven from team titans. And sure there's lots of content and results for them, but is that nostalgia speaking? And is the fact that there's no end of content here based on actual fan appeal, or is it based on having a longer amount of time for these characters to just -- exist. You're more likely to have thousands of results for characters that have been out since the 90s than characters that came out this year. Does that mean that they're better, though? What do you guys think? I'm genuinely interested in what characters you think deserve recognition as the best ever. Do you have any favorites you can't help but be drawn to? And why? What do you think deserves to go into the decision of "Top" character, and if a game came out parodying these characters, which ones would you be most drawn towards?

For the non-talkers, like I've been in the past, I made a poll where you can choose 2 of 4 potential considerations that go into why your favorites are your favorites. I'd make it a poll for all characters across media, but that's not really possible. So this way you can still help me figure out the group consensus with one or two clicks while keeping your other hand free for the other stuff we come here for.

Full Disclosure: I'm an artist thinking of dabbling in making HGames. I also don't want to be one of those indecisive cash grabbers who do the YandereDev thing with their players. I really want to understand what others like, because I understand what I like intimately. What I like means there's passion behind the work, but passion doesn't mean anything for a commercial product unless it also appeals to people. I'm on here lurking way more than I should be proud of, but I'm too reserved/prude to actually take the time to join in on the discussion. This is my first time stepping out of that comfort zone, and I anxious ramble if you can't tell.

 

[ps5029]

In the first place, we essentially have no choice but to consider external attractiveness first.
Most of us have a somewhat consistent and popular ideal type.
To be honest, we are all essentially animals after all, so if you're going to be interested in someone, it's advantageous for that person to at least have a likeable appearance, or at least not an unlikable one. In other words, a pleasing appearance ultimately attracts more interest.


The next step is to consider the attractiveness of the person itself.

However, in the end, all three elements are important.
Countless games release characters that look similar to existing popular characters, but most of them do not gain as much popularity as the existing ones.

The character's appearance and style are important in attracting and attracting people's attention,
The character's narrative and personality are as important as appearance and style in making people fall in love with the character and stay with it.

 

[Dan57]

Agree with ps5029, the first impression is important to even considere to test/play a game.

1. "Body"
So the model design and artwork are what attracts attention first. My type for example are milfs, thicc milfs with nice curves. Nothing too extreme. Also I prefere "real" 3d models or an unique drawn style. So an anime style game for example whether 3d or 2d is an instant skip for me.

This is the first step to draw my attention.

2. "Style" (& Fetish)
After being interested, I check what this game should be about. Who the protagonist and the women are supposed to be and what relationships they have with each other in the game.

To continue with my preferences as an example:
I like the protagonist to be the dominant one, the milfs should have some kind of authority and become more & more corrupted and submissive in the curse of the game. So if the plot is about the MC being dominated by a bunch of milfs, even if they are the hottest 3d models I've ever seen, it still won't peak my interest. For me they should succumb to the MC eventually.

Which brings me to the third point:

3. Personality (& character development)
This is what's important to keep my interest peaked and coming back to the game.
The road to my milf harem should be interesting and a bit challenging. Not too easy, like getting sucked off after 3 exchanged phrases, but also not being blue balled for 6 months worth of updates. A good character development is important, not a slutty milf from the get go, but one who slowly turns into one. Also, there should be several characters, so you could keep releasing kinky content without rushing the relationship of the main girls, but not too many, so you don't risk to push the main girls storylines too much in the background. So basically proper balancing is the key.

A poor trick to have some kinky scenes is to have the MC to fantasize about his love interests. That's just bad, I'm already playing a fantasy game, I don't need my fantasy character to fantasize about fantasy women.

Furthermore, sandbox grinding games are trash in my opinion, if you don't have a proper storyline, grinding won't magically make it better, it's just a waste if time for you, me & everyone else.

Random note:
In the last month I dipped into AI chat. It's quite interesting, almost addicting in the beginning. It's a good way to get an inspiration, especially for creating the personality of an character. But it lacks the visuals eventually and in the long run you end up writing a script rather than chatting.