Otome-related survey

[Deji]

Hey, I come bearing some questions for people who like otome games C:
All for research purposes only ^^

1. If you had a definite female protagonist (with her own not-customizable sprite and a personality) would you like her to:
a) Have her own name.
b) Have a name, but be able to change it if I want before starting the story.
c) Be unnamed, so I can give her any name I want.

2. How much of a plot does an otome game need to be appealing to you? (please choose the lowest that is acceptable to you, not your favorite)
a) I like it when there's a story behind everything that I can see different aspects of depending on what guy I choose.
b) I like a different story altogether for each guy in the game.
c) I like some story and/or setting elements that tie things together.
d) As long as I can get to collect the guys, I don't mind the plot much.

3. How'd you rather "catch" the guys?
a) I'd like to raise stats and get the guy when I meet the guy's requirements (may overlap with other guys)
b) I like to be able to see the story of every guy before I decide which one I like by the final part of the game through some rather obvious choices.
c) I like to have the story branch at the last half/last third of the story with some rather obvious choice, so I focus for a while on the guy I like.
d) like 'c', but without obvious choices that are presented through the first half/first two thirds of the story.

4. If you have more than 4 guys that are obtainable in the game, you'd be willing to accept (please pick the lowest acceptable for you):
a) One ending per character, and a couple of alone endings (good and/or bad)
b) Two endings per character (good and bad), and a couple of alone endings.
c) Multiple endings per character (romance, friendship, rejection, bittersweet, etc) plus alone endings.

5. If you had a cast of guys from different fantasy races/worlds/territories, how much exposition about their kind would you mind to have?
a) As much as possible! I'd like to get to know about where/how his kind was born, their customs, their mithology, their culture, politics.... everything!
b) A good amount to satisfy my curiosity. I don't want history lessons, though I'm willing to learn about basic culture information and current problems of his kind.
c) Just a few facts. I'm more interested in the guy than in his kind.
d) I'm not interested in learning about his kind as long as the guy is cute!
e) I'd like to have the information optional, so if I feel curious I can ask around and learn more, and skip it if I'm not curious.
f) I wouldn't mind not being told much and be left wanting to know more.

6. If the story were to branch, would you mind having simple RPG-like battles in some branches while not in others?
a) I don't want to battle! I'd rather have it described in dialog/exposition/images and be told of what happened, without influencing its outcome.
b) I don't mind simple battles, though I'd rather have action in all the branches than only in some of them.
c) I don't mind as long as the fights are coherent with the branch.

7. If there was only one ending per guy, would you like some guys having sad ends (not depressive, though), some of them have bittersweet and some of them have happy endings? <- edited for clarity
a) Only happy endings please!
b) Bittersweet is good, sad is not... it's like a bad ending even if I did everything right!
c) It'd be nice, as long as it makes sense.

8. Guys cast variety-wise, you'd like (pick the ones you like):
a) A wide range of ages: from younger than the protagonist to a father/teacher-like figure
b) A wide range of physical appearances: short, tall, skinny, more muscular, manry and scarred in battle, etc...
c) A short range of ages: I'd like everybody to be around the same age or aparent age than the protagonist
d) A short range of physical appearances: I'd like everybody to be bishounen and taller than the protagonist.

[Ren]

I see... everyone's researching, lately. :P

1. If you had a definite female protagonist (with her own not-customizable sprite and a personality) would you like her to:
a) Have her own name.
I prefer it if the character has a definite "self" down to the name. Not being able to name her doesn't make me unable to empathise with them, either.


2. How much of a plot does an otome game need to be appealing to you? (please choose the lowest that is acceptable to you, not your favorite)
a) I like it when there's a story behind everything that I can see different aspects of depending on what guy I choose.
I won't play a game just to collect guys: a good example of someone who did it right is Date Warp: I felt rewarded with each ending, so hunting for them wasn't a chore.

3. How'd you rather "catch" the guys?
d) like 'c', but without obvious choices that are presented through the first half/first two thirds of the story.
I was a bit undecided, for this one. I guess I wouldn't want the choices to be too obvious. Again: Fatal Hearts docet: instead of putting obvious choices it made it clear when you got onto one guy's path - from there there was no turning back, and you could either get the bad ending or the good one.

4. If you have more than 4 guys that are obtainable in the game, you'd be willing to accept (please pick the lowest acceptable for you):
a) One ending per character, and a couple of alone endings (good and/or bad)
I'd rather have one ending per character than endings that where conceived just so they are there. I hate fillers with a passion, and they may even put me off playing the rest of the game entirely.


5. If you had a cast of guys from different fantasy races/worlds/territories, how much exposition about their kind would you mind to have?
b) A good amount to satisfy my curiosity. I don't want history lessons, though I'm willing to learn about basic culture information and current problems of his kind.
I had to pick this one but really: as much as the story needs. It's like with endings - if the writer feels the need to give me a lot of details, I'll willingly read through. If they give me the same amount of details on each character just because most people in the poll (for example) said they wanted tomes on their backgrounds, I would not get a good impression.

6. If the story were to branch, would you mind having simple RPG-like battles in some branches while not in others?
c) I don't mind as long as the fights are coherent with the branch.
You were possibly seeing this one coming.

7. If there was only one ending per guy, would you like some guys having sad ends (not depressive, though), some of them have bitter-sweet and some of them have happy endings? <- edited for clarity
c) It'd be nice, as long as it makes sense.
You got the drift.

8. Guys cast variety-wise, you'd like (pick the ones you like):
This is problematic, I guess. I'm not too interested in anyone too young, to be honest. Or anyway, not too young looking. I'd go for a Hiiro no Kakera-esque approach. Even the sweet and reserved guy still has some anatomical particulars that make him look old enough not to be a kid (broad hands of a man, broad shoulders compared to the protagonist... the only delicate feature is the face, but he still has a lower jaw line and other small bits that make him look manly).

[sayuri]

1. If you had a definite female protagonist (with her own not-customizable sprite and a personality) would you like her to:
b) Have a name, but be able to change it if I want before starting the story. Yay for middle of the road answers.

2. How much of a plot does an otome game need to be appealing to you? (please choose the lowest that is acceptable to you, not your favorite)
b) I like a different story altogether for each guy in the game. Honestly, I prefer deep character development more than a deep overlying plot. I also like fluff .

3. How'd you rather "catch" the guys?
c) I like to have the story branch at the last half/last third of the story with some rather obvious choice, so I focus for a while on the guy I like. SAme explanation as #2.

4. If you have more than 4 guys that are obtainable in the game, you'd be willing to accept (please pick the lowest acceptable for you):
b) Two endings per character (good and bad), and a couple of alone endings. Middle of the road again. I actually don't care too much for alone endings, maybe just one. All I'd really want is two endings per character.

5. If you had a cast of guys from different fantasy races/worlds/territories, how much exposition about their kind would you mind to have?
e) I'd like to have the information optional, so if I feel curious I can ask around and learn more, and skip it if I'm not curious. I think I'd want any information essential to the plot (is this guy's race feuding with this other guy's race so they are enemies, has this race been enslaved by this race, ect.) but any tertiary information can go in the extras section.

6. If the story were to branch, would you mind having simple RPG-like battles in some branches while not in others?
b) I don't mind simple battles, though I'd rather have action in all the branches than only in some of them. I don't want the battles to be so hard that I'll never see the ending I want because I keep dying. I think RPG battles just for boss characters is a-okay. I think it would be interesting if each guy had his own boss to fight ^^.

7. If there was only one ending per guy, would you like some guys having sad ends (not depressive, though), some of them have bittersweet and some of them have happy endings? <- edited for clarity
a) Only happy endings please! Lulz. I like sunshine and rainbows . Really though, it would majorly suck if my favorite guy ended up dying every time .

8. Guys cast variety-wise, you'd like (pick the ones you like):
d) A short range of physical appearances: I'd like everybody to be bishounen and taller than the protagonist. Hells yeah! I don't care for shota, and I don't care for old men. I think my perfect range is 16-26. I guess the 16 year old could kinda be a shota but for the most part, bishonen only.

[Pyonkotchi]

1. If you had a definite female protagonist (with her own not-customizable sprite and a personality) would you like her to:
b) Have a name, but be able to change it if I want before starting the story.


2. How much of a plot does an otome game need to be appealing to you? (please choose the lowest that is acceptable to you, not your favorite)
b) I like some story and/or setting elements that tie things together.


3. How'd you rather "catch" the guys?
a) I'd like to raise stats and get the guy when I meet the guy's requirements (may overlap with other guys)
b) I like to be able to see the story of every guy before I decide which one I like by the final part of the game through some rather obvious choices.


4. If you have more than 4 guys that are obtainable in the game, you'd be willing to accept (please pick the lowest acceptable for you):
b) Two endings per character (good and bad), and a couple of alone endings.

5. If you had a cast of guys from different fantasy races/worlds/territories, how much exposition about their kind would you mind to have?
b) A good amount to satisfy my curiosity. I don't want history lessons, though I'm willing to learn about basic culture information and current problems of his kind.


6. If the story were to branch, would you mind having simple RPG-like battles in some branches while not in others?
c) I don't mind as long as the fights are coherent with the branch.

7. If there was only one ending per guy, would you like some guys having sad ends (not depressive, though), some of them have bittersweet and some of them have happy endings? <- edited for clarity
b) Bittersweet is good, sad is not... it's like a bad ending even if I did everything right!

8. Guys cast variety-wise, you'd like (pick the ones you like):
a) A wide range of ages: from younger than the protagonist to a father/teacher-like figure
b) A wide range of physical appearances: short, tall, skinny, more muscular, manry and scarred in battle, etc...

even if i don't like all of them. it still makes the game more interesting. id rather have a variety to chose from than a generic angsty pretty boy, a generic energetic guy, a generic generic guy and a generic flirt :C

[IceD]

Hey, I come bearing some questions for people who like otome games C:

Like otome games in what way? :]

I'm interested in otome games mainly from a developer point of view, also it's good to know what's going on in the industry, am I right? Anyway, even if I'm not a female and my answers might not be fully comprehensible to the subject, I can share some of my thoughts on that matter Anyhow, your questions are a reversed version of those I might be asking for normal ren'ai novels and dating sims for guys


1. If you had a definite female protagonist (with her own not-customizable sprite and a personality) would you like her to:
Depends. I think that pure dating sims are much better when the player has full control over his/her own character. But normal novels are way better, as Ren stated earlier, when the main character - the portagonist - is a definite being. So I say "no" for changable names. It might work in such games as Pia Carrot, where character is a bit undefined and goes "blank" to the extent changing it's name and giving him yourself mirror reflection won't change anything, but won't do any good when all the characters are clear and fixed.

2. How much of a plot does an otome game need to be appealing to you? (please choose the lowest that is acceptable to you, not your favorite)
I shuddered at D. It's what makes the games bad. Don't ever go that way!!! Every game needs a plot, It can be simple for most of them like shooters or FPS'es, but VN's are digitally told stories and every story needs a good plot. The better the plot, the better the story gets. I also think it's good when every character has it's own story - a background; it doesn't have to be detailed to impossible extents, but should be at least delivered in a decent way for the characters so they want be flat as cardboard-cut paper dolls.

3. How'd you rather "catch" the guys?
Definately B. Did I told about the importance of background stories for each character? That's what makes them come alive. I think every girl will be more happy to know the guy enough if he's worth to become her boyfriend, not to mention that you normally speak with people to know them better and see if you might like them, share similiar interests etc. Yeah, but it's fun to have a statistics engine build in and make a clever use out of it. Try to make a decent use of everything you got

4. If you have more than 4 guys that are obtainable in the game, you'd be willing to accept (please pick the lowest acceptable for you):
Huh, the more, the merrier! But honestly, it depends on how much time and resources are you willing to sacrifice in order to create your game. C might be astounding, but it might require alot of heavy work, not to mention it will propably also complicate the game a lot. B is much easier to handle, but it will also make the game simpler. Really, it depends on what do you want to achieve. If you have plenty of free time, go for the best

5. If you had a cast of guys from different fantasy races/worlds/territories, how much exposition about their kind would you mind to have?
B. It's the best choice here. I know there are people (inlcuding myself) which go crazy over such developed things (I played Dragon Age and enjoyed the hell of it, mostly reading new stuff and all the infos appearing in the codex ), but most poeple aren't that interested in such things. It's good to develop a good setting with all the required elements (a bit of this, a bit of that), but don't go too overboard with it. As you written, such games are to be enjoyed, not to become history lessons about the realm. You can always add more info to the game's site for interested

6. If the story were to branch, would you mind having simple RPG-like battles in some branches while not in others?
Hmm, I think the C is good, but my answer would depend on the type of game you're going to be developing. Some otome games are set in fantasy realms and they propably have some adventures and quest-related stories, but those games might omit all the interactivity. So ask yourself - do you want just a story based novel or a novel with more interactivity? If the second, make player fight the monsters and enemies in your-RPG loved style, there's nothing wrong with it; people usually like such things and if they won't be a reapatable-to-the-death experience, they will propably like them very much.

7. If there was only one ending per guy, would you like some guys having sad ends (not depressive, though), some of them have bittersweet and some of them have happy endings?
C, C, C! Make everything with sense, and it will always make sense to other people. I find such novels the most entertaining. It's really a memorable experience, when different characters have different endings, mostly depending on their background stories as well as your choices/moves; it's really touching when a boy or girl you liked the most and dated meets a tragic/sad/melancholic ending, with protagonist or without, especially when everything went well until the very end. Some players might get nervous, of course but isn't that for what the games were created? We need some strong feelings, not just lovey-dovey happy ending stuff. To be honest, life is bitter almost all the time and there is no black/white, only dull grayness.

8. Guys cast variety-wise, you'd like
Really, depends on your story. It's your personal choice. Don't try to please people that way!


If this will help you improve your games, I will be glad

[\Nish/]

1. If you had a definite female protagonist (with her own not-customizable sprite and a personality) would you like her to:
a) Have her own name.
I actually like the protagonist to have her own name so she'd feel more distinct. It's okay if we can change her name, just that I prefer to see a default name, not just a blank slate.

2. How much of a plot does an otome game need to be appealing to you? (please choose the lowest that is acceptable to you, not your favorite)
b) I like a different story altogether for each guy in the game.
I like how everyone's a little different and then the story comes together in the end to make it whole.

3. How'd you rather "catch" the guys?
c) I like to have the story branch at the last half/last third of the story with some rather obvious choice, so I focus for a while on the guy I like.
This is more because I'm usually horrible at picking choices and more obvious ones might help me through the game better.

4. If you have more than 4 guys that are obtainable in the game, you'd be willing to accept (please pick the lowest acceptable for you):
b) Two endings per character (good and bad), and a couple of alone endings.
Two is a good number, I don't want to get overwhelmed by the feelings of which-ending-is-better-and-I-haven't-got-it.

5. If you had a cast of guys from different fantasy races/worlds/territories, how much exposition about their kind would you mind to have?
b) A good amount to satisfy my curiosity. I don't want history lessons, though I'm willing to learn about basic culture information and current problems of his kind.
If I'm going to date the character, I would like to know more about his background. Not to the extent of been bombarded with information though, that would be a turn off.

6. If the story were to branch, would you mind having simple RPG-like battles in some branches while not in others?
c) I don't mind as long as the fights are coherent with the branch.
And if the battles are fun, it's icing on the cake.

7. If there was only one ending per guy, would you like some guys having sad ends (not depressive, though), some of them have bittersweet and some of them have happy endings? <- edited for clarity
c) It'd be nice, as long as it makes sense.
As long as it's logical, it's okay for me.

8. Guys cast variety-wise, you'd like (pick the ones you like):
a) A wide range of ages: from younger than the protagonist to a father/teacher-like figure
Actually, can I have something in-between a and b? They can have different stature and different ages, I don't think I mind it too much as long as the story works for them.

[CaesMRaenes]

1. If you had a definite female protagonist (with her own not-customizable sprite and a personality) would you like her to:
b) Have a name, but be able to change it if I want before starting the story.
I like to have a default name so that I could choose it in case I can't come up with a name to match her personality.

2. How much of a plot does an otome game need to be appealing to you? (please choose the lowest that is acceptable to you, not your favorite)
b) I like a different story altogether for each guy in the game.
Variety and spices are great in a cooking. Why not for back stories for guys? ^_~

3. How'd you rather "catch" the guys?
d) like 'c', but without obvious choices that are presented through the first half/first two thirds of the story.
For a personal preference, I enjoy just going through the story and picking the choices that would mean a lot to me. The guy I get at the end of the game would be some extra nice reward to my personality. (I kinda pick out my guys like that IRL too. If they can't handle me, psh-goodbye.) XD

4. If you have more than 4 guys that are obtainable in the game, you'd be willing to accept (please pick the lowest acceptable for you):
a) One ending per character, and a couple of alone endings (good and/or bad)
Lowest acceptable. And definitely with alone endings so that there's a possibility that my choices couldn't fall with a guy. I do like a lot of possibilities but at the same time, I do enjoy simplicity.

5. If you had a cast of guys from different fantasy races/worlds/territories, how much exposition about their kind would you mind to have?
a) As much as possible! I'd like to get to know about where/how his kind was born, their customs, their mithology, their culture, politics.... everything!
Oh goodness, let me tell you. A diverse and detailed world that I never came across before will always pique my interest into learning EVERYTHING about that world. I'm an adventurer by heart and just hearing myths like Echo and Valhalla just brings me this thrill. *_* But of course, plot is important so the facts would have to enhance the story. Or else, it'd be best to simply leave the facts in an extra page that talks about the world.

6. If the story were to branch, would you mind having simple RPG-like battles in some branches while not in others?
c) I don't mind as long as the fights are coherent with the branch.
Actually, in all branches. Just as long as the battles make some sense in the story and are necessary.

7. If there was only one ending per guy, would you like some guys having sad ends (not depressive, though), some of them have bittersweet and some of them have happy endings? <- edited for clarity
c) It'd be nice, as long as it makes sense.
I don't really mind what kind of ending it turns out so long as it concludes the plot, makes me feel satisfied, and pokes at my heart. Even bad endings can feel good sometimes if done right.

8. Guys cast variety-wise, you'd like (pick the ones you like):
a) A wide range of ages: from younger than the protagonist to a father/teacher-like figure
Appearance-wise, it doesn't much to me. Age-wise, it's so-so. But all in all, I don't care too much about age so long as I like their personalities (but I will care a lot if the guy is twice as old as I am).

[machinist]

1. If you had a definite female protagonist (with her own not-customizable sprite and a personality) would you like her to:
c) Be unnamed, so I can give her any name I want.

2. How much of a plot does an otome game need to be appealing to you? (please choose the lowest that is acceptable to you, not your favorite)
b) I like a different story altogether for each guy in the game.

3. How'd you rather "catch" the guys?
c) I like to have the story branch at the last half/last third of the story with some rather obvious choice, so I focus for a while on the guy I like.


4. If you have more than 4 guys that are obtainable in the game, you'd be willing to accept (please pick the lowest acceptable for you):
b) Two endings per character (good and bad), and a couple of alone endings.

5. If you had a cast of guys from different fantasy races/worlds/territories, how much exposition about their kind would y
c) Just a few facts. I'm more interested in the guy than in his kind.ou mind to have?

6. If the story were to branch, would you mind having simple RPG-like battles in some branches while not in others?
a) I don't want to battle! I'd rather have it described in dialog/exposition/images and be told of what happened, without influencing its outcome.

7. If there was only one ending per guy, would you like some guys having sad ends (not depressive, though), some of them have bittersweet and some of them have happy endings? <- edited for clarity
a) Only happy endings please!
sry im sucker for happy endings

8. Guys cast variety-wise, you'd like (pick the ones you like):
a) A wide range of ages: from younger than the protagonist to a father/teacher-like figure

[papillon]

My responses probably won't surprise people who've played my work...


1. If you had a definite female protagonist (with her own not-customizable sprite and a personality) would you like her to:
a) Have her own name.

I don't see the appeal of setting character names - it's amusing if you can change the names of all characters so you can envision a romance between your own favorites, but then it gets confusing talking about the game with other people.

2. How much of a plot does an otome game need to be appealing to you? (please choose the lowest that is acceptable to you, not your favorite)
b) I like a different story altogether for each guy in the game.

I prefer a single story with different facets but that can be harder to write, but I'm okay with mostly unrelated plots as long as all the plots are good. I've heard about some games where you end up with mostly the same plot for each guy and that sounds really dull to me.


3. How'd you rather "catch" the guys?
c) I like to have the story branch at the last half/last third of the story with some rather obvious choice, so I focus for a while on the guy I like.

I don't have really strong feelings on this one, it depends on the game.


4. If you have more than 4 guys that are obtainable in the game, you'd be willing to accept (please pick the lowest acceptable for you):
a) One ending per character, and a couple of alone endings (good and/or bad)


5. If you had a cast of guys from different fantasy races/worlds/territories, how much exposition about their kind would you mind to have?
e) I'd like to have the information optional, so if I feel curious I can ask around and learn more, and skip it if I'm not curious.


6. If the story were to branch, would you mind having simple RPG-like battles in some branches while not in others?
c) I don't mind as long as the fights are coherent with the branch.

7. If there was only one ending per guy, would you like some guys having sad ends (not depressive, though), some of them have bittersweet and some of them have happy endings? <- edited for clarity
b) Bittersweet is good, sad is not... it's like a bad ending even if I did everything right!

8. Guys cast variety-wise, you'd like (pick the ones you like):
a) A wide range of ages: from younger than the protagonist to a father/teacher-like figure
b) A wide range of physical appearances: short, tall, skinny, more muscular, manry and scarred in battle, etc.

I think it's good to have different tastes to sample!

[Chansel]

1. If you had a definite female protagonist (with her own not-customizable sprite and a personality) would you like her to:
b) Have a name, but be able to change it if I want before starting the story.
I like it to name my own characters if the default name is something I don't like >.<

2. How much of a plot does an otome game need to be appealing to you? (please choose the lowest that is acceptable to you, not your favorite)
b) I like a different story altogether for each guy in the game.
I'm all for a character driven plot when it comes to VN's ^^ especially if my objective is to chase a guy. In that case I'd like to know everything about him.


3. How'd you rather "catch" the guys?
d) like 'c', but without obvious choices that are presented through the first half/first two thirds of the story.
Too obvious is never good. There should be some suspension if you're picking the right options or not. But as the game progresses, you should get to know the guy well enough so that you know what choices to pick. Say, if he's a flirty guy, flirt back. If he's a very shy guy, try not to embarrass him. Etc.

4. If you have more than 4 guys that are obtainable in the game, you'd be willing to accept (please pick the lowest acceptable for you):
b) Two endings per character (good and bad), and a couple of alone endings.
though I'd rather have only one alone ending. Alone endings aren't really what I play otome games for, after all ^^"

5. If you had a cast of guys from different fantasy races/worlds/territories, how much exposition about their kind would you mind to have?
b) A good amount to satisfy my curiosity. I don't want history lessons, though I'm willing to learn about basic culture information and current problems of his kind.
AND
e) I'd like to have the information optional, so if I feel curious I can ask around and learn more, and skip it if I'm not curious.
Somewhere in between B and E. I'd like to be able to read a good amount to satisfy my curiosity. But if the race doesn't interest me, I'd like to be able to skip it.

6. If the story were to branch, would you mind having simple RPG-like battles in some branches while not in others?
c) I don't mind as long as the fights are coherent with the branch.
Though unless the game is a real RPG, I don't think inserting random battles would add much. So be sure to have it fit in with the story.

7. If there was only one ending per guy, would you like some guys having sad ends (not depressive, though), some of them have bittersweet and some of them have happy endings?
a) Only happy endings please!
This was assuming all the guys only have one ending, right? Because I really dislike it when a I spend an entire game chasing a guy to have him die or something at the end T^T If there's multiple endings, then I'd like at least one happy one and the other one bittersweet. I've never been a fan of a full out sad ending.)

8. Guys cast variety-wise, you'd like (pick the ones you like):
c) A short range of ages: I'd like everybody to be around the same age or aparent age than the protagonist
7 year difference at most... Is that a short or a big range?)
AND
b) A wide range of physical appearances: short, tall, skinny, more muscular, manry and scarred in battle, etc...
/
d) A short range of physical appearances: I'd like everybody to be bishounen and taller than the protagonist.
D/B because(they should all be bishounen, but still with variety. One with cool guy scars, one with cute guy big eyes, etc :3)

All right, those were my two cents! Hope they'll help you out

[AllegroDiRossi]

1. If you had a definite female protagonist (with her own not-customizable sprite and a personality) would you like her to:
a) Have her own name. - If the character has a personality already, then I think it would be weird if she didn't have a name. But I'm not someone who really likes the kind of games where the protagonist is basically a dummy for the reader to live through.


2. How much of a plot does an otome game need to be appealing to you? (please choose the lowest that is acceptable to you, not your favorite)
b) I like a different story altogether for each guy in the game. - Each guy is different, so the story that progresses between the protagonist and the love interest have to be different.

3. How'd you rather "catch" the guys?
c) I like to have the story branch at the last half/last third of the story with some rather obvious choice, so I focus for a while on the guy I like. - If I could append this and make my choices from earlier in the game have a more obvious effect as the game progresses, that would be ideal. I like to see that my choices had obvious, definitive effects on the progression of the story. It makes me feel like the character is more in control of their own destiny than when tiny, innocuous choices effect things and you don't even realize them. I really dislike stat-raising. Too tedious. *doesn't mean I won't play them.*

4. If you have more than 4 guys that are obtainable in the game, you'd be willing to accept (please pick the lowest acceptable for you):
b) Two endings per character (good and bad), and a couple of alone endings. - There needs to be at least a good and a bad ending, so that there is some feeling of risk and weight to your decisions.


5. If you had a cast of guys from different fantasy races/worlds/territories, how much exposition about their kind would you mind to have?
e) I'd like to have the information optional, so if I feel curious I can ask around and learn more, and skip it if I'm not curious. - I will usually seek out that information, but I don't want to be forced to sit through it. If I'm interested in the character I will want to know more about them, but if I'm not interested or I'm playing through his path additional times, I don't want to have to plod through the exposition to get what I want.

6. If the story were to branch, would you mind having simple RPG-like battles in some branches while not in others?
a) I don't want to battle! I'd rather have it described in dialog/exposition/images and be told of what happened, without influencing its outcome. - I don't really like those interactive portions of visual novels like point-and-click or battle engines. I prefer visual novels for the novel aspect. That being said, like question three, I would most likely play a game with those interactive aspects just to give it a try.

7. If there was only one ending per guy, would you like some guys having sad ends (not depressive, though), some of them have bittersweet and some of them have happy endings? <- edited for clarity
c) It'd be nice, as long as it makes sense. - That would be more true to life in a way, because not all relationships work out due to one thing or another. I know I'd be sad if the character I liked best didn't have a good ending, but I can't lie to myself and say that a game with all happy endings would be any fun either.

8. Guys cast variety-wise, you'd like (pick the ones you like):
b) A wide range of physical appearances & A short range of ages - I don't usually go for age-difference pairings, especially since most girls in Otome games are teenagers. It feels kinda ick to me personally. I prefer if all the characters are within three-four years of each other at the most. However, I'm all for diversity in physical types. As someone who isn't too picky about physical types himself, I can say that any guy from skinny to average to athletic to muscular can be attractive. And it's better if all the guys in a game aren't exactly the same because each relationship has a different dynamic and things like personality and body-type go to enhancing the feel of that dynamic. I don't want to have a highly-emotional, emo plot with a character that looks like a jock. Likewise, the playboy ladies-man plot doesn't really work with a baby-faced girly-boy. But if you have a variety of physical types, more of those type-specific plots can be explored and implemented effectively.

[chensterrain]

I'm never really sure what types of games these surveys are referring to - I think I could pretty much write 'I like dating sims, not too fond of straight VNs' and the answers pretty much pick themselves, but eh. :B It's interesting to hear what ind of things people want from otome games, anyway!

1. If you had a definite female protagonist (with her own not-customizable sprite and a personality) would you like her to:
b) Have a name, but be able to change it if I want before starting the story.
If she has a distinctive personality, a name would probably be best, but I don't particularly mind either way. In a stat-raiser, I'd rather name the heroine, however. :3

2. How much of a plot does an otome game need to be appealing to you? (please choose the lowest that is acceptable to you, not your favorite)
b) I like a different story altogether for each guy in the game.
Again, it kind of depends - I'm not remotely bothered about there being an overarching plot tying everything together, but I do like finding out about each character's background, even if it's not in detail - stuff about his family, friends, upbringing, yada yada yada. That probably wouldn't fly in an actual visual novel, though. I also love interaction between other characters, especially if the heroine is more of a blank slate self-insert character - having chaseable guys be best friends, that sort of thing. *rambles*

3. How'd you rather "catch" the guys?
a) I'd like to raise stats and get the guy when I meet the guy's requirements (may overlap with other guys)
Dating sims plz :B I'm pretty terrible at VNs, so most of the time I have no idea which choice relates to who and eventually end up getting a bad end for picking all the 'middle-of-the-road' choices and being nice to everyone, hurhur. :3 Though I've also come across the opposite, where the choices are blatantly obvious and the game becomes more 'pick one of these hot guys' than 'put the work in to get your man'. It's difficult!

4. If you have more than 4 guys that are obtainable in the game, you'd be willing to accept (please pick the lowest acceptable for you):
a) One ending per character, and a couple of alone endings (good and/or bad)
As long as there's one satisfying ending per major character, I'm happy.

5. If you had a cast of guys from different fantasy races/worlds/territories, how much exposition about their kind would you mind to have?
b) A good amount to satisfy my curiosity. I don't want history lessons, though I'm willing to learn about basic culture information and current problems of his kind.
Once the character has had a decent amount of screen time and interaction with the heroine, I'm all for learning about whatever world-building aspects the author has come up with - but not before. It's pretty much a massive pet peeve of mine when writers go into these long-winded exposition rants explaining every last detail of whatever fantasy race they've created without giving me a reason to care beforehand...
A glossary / extra section somewhere is fine, though. I generally like reading that sort of thing, but having it shoved down my throat during normal gameplay is a bit much.

6. If the story were to branch, would you mind having simple RPG-like battles in some branches while not in others?
b) I don't mind simple battles, though I'd rather have action in all the branches than only in some of them.
Depends on how fun the battles are, I guess.

7. If there was only one ending per guy, would you like some guys having sad ends (not depressive, though), some of them have bittersweet and some of them have happy endings? <- edited for clarity
a) Only happy endings please!
Hoho :B To be honest, though, I don't really mind either, though I prefer my endings happy, especially if I've worked hard for it. It really depends on the story, I think.

8. Guys cast variety-wise, you'd like (pick the ones you like):
a) A wide range of ages: from younger than the protagonist to a father/teacher-like figure
b) A wide range of physical appearances: short, tall, skinny, more muscular, manry and scarred in battle, etc...
I say that, but I definitely lean more towards the bishounen end of things - I don't want every character to be some generic prettyboy, but hulking, bearded men in my otome would just freak me out, tbh. :B (Hell, even middle-aged moustachioed prettyboys can be creepy - the principal from the first Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side springs to mind, loitering outside his school and beckoning poor teenage girls into his car... but I digress D:)

[LinWest]

1. A. Real people are always better.
2. anything less than A to B bores me.
3. D I feel visual choices should be like life choice. Some choices you make have obvious consequences and some aren't so obvious. The choices should never be too straight forward.
4. A. One ending is fine.
5. B Purple prose is a no go.
6. C I kinda wanted that in Re:A!! haha
7. C. Whatever the story needs.
8. Combo of A&B. Variety is the spice of life.

[Deji]

Wow, this has been really fun to read, honestly C:
Thanks for taking the time to answer my survey all of you! I think I have enough data to chew on for now (though I don't mind more people answering the survey for even more data ^^)

I hope you all have had fun reading other people's answers too ^^

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Edit: just in case you may be curious, my own answers are:

1. 'a', though I don't mind 'b'
2. I could accept 'c' if I like the setting very much >>;
3. 'd' is my preferred. I absolutely fail at stat raisers and I don't like obvious choices (though slightly obvious are ok)
4. 'a'. I'm willing to trade amount of character for number of endings if the endings are fulfilling.
5. something between 'a' and 'b' (I'm the kind of person that goes around doing all quests in a game just to know more about the lore >>; ). 'e' is good, though I can take 'f' if there's a website or another game or something that will answer my questions *_*
6. I'm not sure @_@ All of them work for me >>; I thought of this question because if there was a city-based guy that spends the whole story in the city, there would be no need for battles, but what if there's another guy that is a warrior and takes you on a trip and you find an ugly thing in the way that you need to fight... Maybe I'd like to use this warriior guy's abilities and fight the thing?
7. 'c'. I love happy endings, but I have a thing for bittersweet and sad endings (grew up reading CLAMP >> ).
8. 'b' and something between 'a' and 'c': I like older/younger guys ans long as they're not too older or too younger.

[Blue Sky]

1. If you had a definite female protagonist (with her own not-customizable sprite and a personality) would you like her to:

Please give your protagonists names. I cannot stress this enough.

2. How much of a plot does an otome game need to be appealing to you? (please choose the lowest that is acceptable to you, not your favorite)

I'm fond of both games with an overall plot line and games where the guys all have separate plot lines.

3. How'd you rather "catch" the guys?

d) like 'c', but without obvious choices that are presented through the first half/first two thirds of the story.

4. If you have more than 4 guys that are obtainable in the game, you'd be willing to accept (please pick the lowest acceptable for you):

One ending for each character, and maybe a few extras.

5. If you had a cast of guys from different fantasy races/worlds/territories, how much exposition about their kind would you mind to have?

b) A good amount to satisfy my curiosity. I don't want history lessons, though I'm willing to learn about basic culture information and current problems of his kind.


6. If the story were to branch, would you mind having simple RPG-like battles in some branches while not in others?

I don't really want fights unless they are in every part of the visual novel.

7. If there was only one ending per guy, would you like some guys having sad ends (not depressive, though), some of them have bittersweet and some of them have happy endings? <- edited for clarity

I love every kind of ending, but please, have it fit with the plot and type of story you are writing.

8. Guys cast variety-wise, you'd like (pick the ones you like):
a) A wide range of ages: from younger than the protagonist to a father/teacher-like figure
b) A wide range of physical appearances: short, tall, skinny, more muscular, manry and scarred in battle, etc...

Variety is good.