A brief guide to adult game development

Hello!

So, someone sent me a message asking me what softwares I use and asking for tips on how to start making adult games, how Patreon works and things like that. When I started writting it I thought it'd be best to make a post so everyone interested could see it. Here it goes.

There are a lot of softwares you can use and types of games you can make and I'm obviously not familiar with all of them to give my opinion, so I'll focus on the things I know and I use.

1) Making the game:

I would recommend focusing on something easy to make the game itself so you don't spend too much time getting things to work, specially if you work alone like I do.

• Renpy: That was my choice. It works better for Visual Novel style games. It's 100 % free. It's very easy to pick up and start doing games, but if you want to implement more complex systems like inventory, combat, custom interfaces, etc you will need to learn how to code with Python. There is plenty of help on the forums too.
• RPG Maker: For more RPG style games. A lot of people choose this because it's also pretty easy to pick up. You have to buy it, but it's not very expensive. You can even get it on some sales or bundles if you keep your eyes open for it. It's also easy to work with but takes more time in my opinion to build the game, mostly because you need to build the maps. If you want more in-depth customization you'll need to learn Ruby language. 
• Unity: Another acessible option as it's also free. Best option in my opinion if you want something with a more unique gameplay, as you can do pretty much anything with it. Much more programming knowledge needed though (C# or Javascript). If you want to make some sort of real time 3D game this would be my pick.
• There are others, like Game Maker, Unreal Engine, etc. But that was my favorite 3. For text based games there is a lot of easy to learn and work options, but I'm not familiar with them. A quick google search can get you what you want if that's the case.

2)Making the adult graphics:

Also a lot of options here:

• Daz: This is my choice. This is for 3D images/animations. You basically pose the characters, place props, clothes, etc and then render. You can also do animations here. I would recommend using Iray rendering, since it gives the best results. Knowledge needed to use is minimal, but there are a lot of more complex stuff you can learn to make your scenes better. This includes learning how to build a skeleton if you use custom models, mapping weights for bones, learning how shaders work and how to manipulate them properly, dynamic clothing simulation, etc. The software is free but you'll probably need to buy stuff for it, like characters, clothes, props, etc. You can find free stuff if you search but the best quality stuff is on the Daz Store. You can get started without spending anything, but a few purchases will greatly improve the variety and quality of what you do. Also keep in mind that this might demand a better than average computer, otherwise your renders will take ages. Using 3Delight instead of Iray can help reduce the time as well as not going for animations. (If each of your renders take a day, a 30 frame animation will take a month, which is impractical)
• Other Options for 3D: There are other options for rendering, like Blender, SFM, I've seem even The Sims mods, but in my opinion Daz3D is by far the best. 
• Drawings: If you can draw, that's a good option. No need to buy anything and customization goes as far as your creativity. Not my case, but if you have the talent, go for it. 
• Real time 3D: If you're going for real time games with Unity or Unreal for example, you just need to learn how to animate for the adult content, as it's going to be all in-game. You can still complement with other types of graphics of course. Learning 3D modeling, and mapping can help a lot in this case so you can make your custom stuff.
• Text Games: Going for a text game avoids the problem of making graphics. I myself am not a big fan of text games as I prefer more visual stuff, but if it's your thing or you can't use the other options, go for it.

3) Writing:

For writing, you can use pretty much anything, even notepad if you like, but I have a couple recommendations when it comes to reviewing and correcting problems with the text:

• Grammarly: I initially write all my text here. It's free and It fixes most of the initial grammar errors. It's very similar to something like Microsoft Word, but directly on the browser instead, and I just prefer Grammarly.
• Prowrittingaid: Another browser app, it suggests more in-depth corrections on the text, like removal of cliches, hard to read sentences, excessive repetition of words, bad writing habits, etc. Very good tool and also free. It has a paid version with even more stuff, but the free version is already awesome.

3) Image editing:

Despite what type of game you are doing, except for totally text based games, you'll need a image editing software. Be it to make or change textures, fix or improve renders, make logos, icons, interface elements, this is usually a must. Learning how to use a image editing software don't take much time (the basics at least) and it's very important. My favorite choices:

•  GIMP: This is the one I use. It does everything I need and it's free. Also you can find plenty of addons on the internet to do additional stuff. You can also write scripts (Python based) to automatically do certain repetitive tasks.
• Photoshop: Everyone know of it and for a reason. It's pretty good. It's paid of course, but if you already have it and/or know how to use it and/or think it's better, go for it.

4) 3D modelling and stuff:

This is not essential but it helps a LOT if you're working with any type of 3D content, be it rendering or real time. Taking the time to learn some stuff, like 3D modelling, how to make armatures, bone weight mapping, texture mapping, etc., is definitely worth it. Here are my recommendations:

• Blender: That's what I use. Other than the essential stuff I listed above you can use it to do a lot of other cool stuff if you take the time to learn it. I, for example, use the fluid simulation feature to simulate cum (Yes, I can claim my game have physically accurate-looking cumshots), as well as other fluids. The cloth simulation is also nice. It's free, but learning it is not so easy. Lots of hours spent on tutorials. There are lots of them though. You will also save a LOT of money if you learn to do things yourself instead of having to buy them on the Daz Store or anywhere else. And that's without talking about the things you can't even buy anywhere because they don't exist (monster's private bits?).
• Hexagon is another good choice if you want something simpler but also with less features. Also free and has integration with Daz. Never used but a lot of people do.
• Maya and 3D Max are some of the best paid choices. People usually prefer them over the free ones, but I just really like Blender. If you already have it and/or know how to use it and/or think it's better, go for it.

Last Considerations:

Keep in mind that usually big games have one or more person to do each of this things, which makes things easier. If you decide to work alone, which you shouldn't, but maybe you're stubborn (like me!), keep in mind you'll have to learn all of this instead of just one or a couple of them. You'll also have to work very hard to cover all areas, but it's worth it, of course.

Also this is based off my experience and the things i know about or prefer, etc, as I said there is lots of ways to make games.

I hope this is helpful for anyone trying to start this journey like I did.  Now, go ahead start up some tutorials and start learning. And never stop, there is always something new to learn. Good luck on your new projects and may your year be the best one yet!