Legality and appeal of VNs using modded games as visuals

[santorosso]

Hello everyone. Well, I’ve seen some posts like this, but they never really reach a conclusion. You see, I’m an active player of games like Skyrim, Fallout, or The Sims 4, which I have heavily modded in terms of visuals (ENB, shadows, lights, textures) as well as immersion and adult mods.

I’ve always been very creative, and some time ago, I started working on an adult visual novel project using The Sims 4. It’s about a man entering the corporate world in a fictional city where money rules everything, and he finds himself surrounded by luxury, vice, power, etc. The idea was to do it for fun and then decide whether to release it or not, since the legality is ambiguous and could be an issue. It’s true that under no circumstances would I aim to monetize it on Steam or any paid platform (obviously), although having a very optional Patreon, solely for voluntary support from those who might like it, wouldn’t be a bad idea.

I’ve seen a Skyrim game here on F95Zone, but it wasn’t very successful and came out two years ago. As for The Sims 4, I’ve seen a few. I assume that, strictly in legal terms, it’s not very legitimate, given that international law also comes into play. But what’s true is… considering that nothing has happened to the creators of these visual novels who use such games as a "visual engine" that we know of, why can a mod be monetized or uploaded to Patreon—or even Steam—but not a visual novel? Could it be offered as "fan novels"?

That said, would you find this type of VN appealing? I also have Skyrim modded very extensively... and the thing is, I feel it’s a waste to enjoy this just on my own instead of creating something creative and cool for communities like F95Zone. Regarding the VN I’ve already started using The Sims, I think it’s a very interesting concept. Even though I’m not an expert in developing with Ren’Py, I’ve achieved things I personally love in adult visual novels, such as lots of freedom, the use of a phone to call, write, hire an escort, check social media, etc., and the possibility of being good, a jerk, or a sociopath who takes advantage of their power over others. Similarly, the player can decide whether certain things happen (like sexual scenes or various events) or not.

In my opinion, many VNs that use the typical programs for their models and visuals require a lot of work to achieve the final result. While they have high resolution, the characters often lack appeal or realism for my taste. The Sims 4 and an ultra-modded Skyrim on a good PC, in my opinion, could be fantastic for the visuals of a novel, and perhaps also bring a breath of fresh air to what’s already out there.

What do you think about all this? The legality, and whether you’d personally be interested in playing a game like this?

Best regards!! Thanks in advance

 

[kymar10]

Hmm… it’s interesting, to be honest. I’ve thought about it myself at times, since I play TS4 with a super-modded save and great graphics. As a lawyer, I’d say legality is something to keep in mind, although it’s true that there are plenty of modders making both adult and SFW mods who earn quite a lot of money from it. What’s clear is that unless you’re making as much as DrPinkCake, I don’t think anyone high up at EA or Bethesda would care about you, hahaha. Plus, in a way, it can be seen as a way to keep boosting the popularity of NSFW content in those games.

If I were you, and you’ve already started it, I’d release it. Personally, I’d 100% try it out, because I really like the modded aesthetic of TS4, as long as we’re talking about ultra-realism, of course, not doll-like characters. Skyrim appeals to me less, but I’ve also seen Skyrim porn videos with mind-blowing visual effects, so sounds good.

 

[santorosso]

Thanks for your answer, I finally decided to launch it, It will be done today or tomorrow!

 

[Penumbral Evanescence]

Hello everyone. Well, I’ve seen some posts like this, but they never really reach a conclusion. You see, I’m an active player of games like Skyrim, Fallout, or The Sims 4, which I have heavily modded in terms of visuals (ENB, shadows, lights, textures) as well as immersion and adult mods.

I’ve always been very creative, and some time ago, I started working on an adult visual novel project using The Sims 4. It’s about a man entering the corporate world in a fictional city where money rules everything, and he finds himself surrounded by luxury, vice, power, etc. The idea was to do it for fun and then decide whether to release it or not, since the legality is ambiguous and could be an issue. It’s true that under no circumstances would I aim to monetize it on Steam or any paid platform (obviously), although having a very optional Patreon, solely for voluntary support from those who might like it, wouldn’t be a bad idea.

I’ve seen a Skyrim game here on F95Zone, but it wasn’t very successful and came out two years ago. As for The Sims 4, I’ve seen a few. I assume that, strictly in legal terms, it’s not very legitimate, given that international law also comes into play. But what’s true is… considering that nothing has happened to the creators of these visual novels who use such games as a "visual engine" that we know of, why can a mod be monetized or uploaded to Patreon—or even Steam—but not a visual novel? Could it be offered as "fan novels"?

That said, would you find this type of VN appealing? I also have Skyrim modded very extensively... and the thing is, I feel it’s a waste to enjoy this just on my own instead of creating something creative and cool for communities like F95Zone. Regarding the VN I’ve already started using The Sims, I think it’s a very interesting concept. Even though I’m not an expert in developing with Ren’Py, I’ve achieved things I personally love in adult visual novels, such as lots of freedom, the use of a phone to call, write, hire an escort, check social media, etc., and the possibility of being good, a jerk, or a sociopath who takes advantage of their power over others. Similarly, the player can decide whether certain things happen (like sexual scenes or various events) or not.

In my opinion, many VNs that use the typical programs for their models and visuals require a lot of work to achieve the final result. While they have high resolution, the characters often lack appeal or realism for my taste. The Sims 4 and an ultra-modded Skyrim on a good PC, in my opinion, could be fantastic for the visuals of a novel, and perhaps also bring a breath of fresh air to what’s already out there.

What do you think about all this? The legality, and whether you’d personally be interested in playing a game like this?

Best regards!! Thanks in advance

Imo, I think its fine tbh

There's quite a number of modders out there that accept donations for the mods that they develop for highly moddable games like TES III/IV/V, the Fallout Franchise, Witcher, etc.

The NSFW community would certainly benefit from having more mods released for certain games and in a way, if you're not planning on monetizing your work per-se, you don't really need to worry then.

I'd say it'd be nice to see what you have going on in development and then build/cascade off your ideas from there

Best of luck for your future endeavours.