Flash Teases vs Regular

[subroutine25]

Hi, I registered after years here just to express this.

Flash teases are a great idea but they're all built to be too slow for a fast reader. That's a flaw in the flash tease builder. It shouldn't allow teases to be built that that only satisfy slow readers. There needs to be a skip/next shortcut on every page, regardless of what the tease author thinks. The only alternative is to enlighten every Flash tease author that some people think faster than they expect.

'Regular' teases are becoming less frequent, replaced more and more by Flash teases. Great content is being designed into Flash teases that are unbearable to anyone who can read fast. Please understand. People who write and who view teases are smarter and should be treated with respect. You know, it's the people who respect themselves the most who who want to be controlled and teased the most. We're a community of very self aware people. Don't give that away for the sake of a metronome!

I'm posting because I love this site. I know I don't have any say here, and I've never contributed anything. The thoughts in this post are my only contribution: Make flash teases give the viewer control of the speed.

While I am here, I want to say, thank you all so much for supporting such an amazing community.

~S

[hornbound]

I completely agree, and that's why I wrote so many teases in the Classic format, and why my Flash teases use timers on only a small percentage of pages.

[meson1]

I agree completely, though it is all to do with how teases are written rather than them having been authored in flash. Nothing wrong with flash teases if they are written correctly.

Timers often get misused. Having 30 seconds or a minute to read a ten word sentence while not undertaking any activity, just slows down the pace of tease. I advocate a 'dual control' system where appropriate: a continue button coupled with a timer. The timer allows hand free operation, but the button's there if the participant doesn't want to wait.

Equally, I hate timers that are set too long for one activity. There's nothing worse than going though a tease and suddenly you have a five minute timer staring at you. I usually just close it at that point and find another one. I have a rule (in all of my half authored teases that never seem to see the light of day): never leave a user alone for too long. And for me, too long is anything more than 30 seconds. Throw another picture and piece of dialogue on the screen; anything, but don't leave them sitting looking at the same picture for a minute or more.

[jackstock]

I only use flashteases to indicate breathing speed with each page

[lightinthedark]

I find that part of the appeal of a flash tease is that I can't just skippidy-skip-skip through the pages regardless of if the story says that I'm waiting for her to change, or am blindfolded and waiting, or should stroke for a minute, etc.

If there's just reading of dialogue then the "continue" button should definitely be used (possibly with a timer too for hands-free as suggested by meson1) so that different reading speeds can be accommodated. I think this is probably something that should be on whatever "help" pages there are for the flash editor and isn't something that can really be enforced as such.

If there's in-story delay then I kinda want to be delayed. I'm here to be teased after all, not to speed-read about being teased.

[PrincessJulia]

I tried to keep the timers short and brief in my tease, except for the sections where it made absolute sense for them to be long. But I understand where you're coming from and from what I saw on here, especially when I did some research before creating my tease, they can be quite tedious too if too slow.

[MiloHal]

I understand the OP's point completely. Sometimes I do want to just read a tease, for one reason or another. Flash teases do make this difficult. However, I don't think this warrants any wide spread change in the way we write teases as they are written mostly for the purpose of those doing them. Always putting a skip button is both distracting to the viewer and tempting to abuse.

At least that's what I think, but it's a very great point to bring up! Can't wait to hear what others say. There should be a poll!

[Weabols]

!

[MiloHal]

I disagree with Weabols' statement that this was a rant, of course that's not on topic with this thread. What I can say, related to this, is that I agree with everything else Weabols did say. The art of it all and everything else. He's right, and he supported his claims well.

[maladras]

You can both be right. There is value in having a properly paced tease. It adds to the excitement. Ms. Julia's teases, especially the prostate massage one, come to mind. A poorly timed tease can ruin the experience worse than rushing things (and not ruin in a good way).

The Flash format has its strengths, but it also has weaknesses. I tend to rate Flash teases more harshly for that reason. If you do it right, it's much better than a classic tease. If you do it wrong, it's much worse.

[deamon44]

I think everyone here has made viable arguments for and against flash and regular. I don't think there is any right or wrong answer here as teases can become very personal.
For me I think a flash teases advantage is that it becomes more interactive. Pacing and setting is key. Especially when there are tasks involved and a build up in the story that can have greater effect with timers.
I agree with the problems of long timers but then is that not a issue with tease creators and not the format its self? The ability to create long timers is there but that doesn't mean it should be employed?

I know in my teases I try and make my timers at 30 seconds max before changing the picture. If it's an especially long section of text then 1 minute max. Only using timers longer than 1 minute sparingly and with cause.

Being able to create a fully immersive experience is something that I think a flash tease can create better than the regular. Maze and game teases also benefit greatly from the format. I think teases with multiple routes and options have advantages here, making the user feel more in control and helping the POV setting.

Just to add I'm not sure if there has been a decline in regular teases but at a quick glance of teases rated 3 and higher over the past month or so. It looks as though there is a similar amount of regular and flash teases being created.

[lestrian]

Here's a solution: Download the tease to GuideMe, and enable Debug mode in GuideMe. That adds a "Skip" button to each page. I always download a tease and skip through maybe 20 pages first to see if it's something I want to play. It's also very helpful for replaying teases that include a bunch of reading or waiting which is just story-based, but I try to respect the timing that the authors put in their teases.

[lmind]

In my Flash teases, I use the following general rules:

1) All "exposition pages" (pages of text, not involving any user action other than reading) have a Continue button and do not use a timer.

2) "Stroking pages" generally use a timer and do not include a Continue button. This serves two purposes: a) to keep the player's hands free; and b) to create a challenge for the player (you must stroke and can't skip). Same goes for "holding the edge" pages.

2.1) "Stroking pages" often include a mercy button of some kind, in addition to the timer. Usually, this button is labeled "Edging." This button usually leads to a subroutine that allows the player to take a break, before looping back to the main story, usually without any penalty. I believe this encourages players to play the tease honestly.

2.2) "Stroking pages" that demand a specific number of strokes (rare) usually have a Done button and do not use a timer.

3) Timers are usually flagged as "secret," as opposed to "normal" and "hidden." This lets the player know that the page has a timer, but its length is a mystery. I believe "normal" timers are distracting and damage immersion -- unless the character/story has specifically mentioned/demanded a certain amount of time, in which case they are appropriate.

3.1) An exception to Rule 3 is that long, intense sequences of timed stroking or edging (using "secret" timers) usually end with a "Stop" page that has a short "normal" timer (less than 15s). This is because "Stop" pages are usually intended to transition the player from high arousal to denial, and a visible ticking clock contributes to the jarring denial moment, imho. To prevent boredom, though, the "Stop" page is usually quickly followed by normal exposition pages, with normal Continue buttons.

4) Stroking or edging pages that use a "secret" timer usually only have one or two lines of very simple text. The timer should be long enough to accommodate slow readers, with time to spare. Of course words can be very sexy, but in general I believe focusing on the picture while stroking/edging is more immersive. I expect players to read the simple text quickly, then spend the majority of the time focused on the picture.

So that's the set of general guidelines that I follow. There are always exceptions for specific situations, of course. But, as a player of Flash teases myself, I believe one of the best parts about Flash teases is the forced timing, which cannot be cheated and therefore presents an enjoyable challenge. (if used correctly!)

-lmind

[subroutine25]

I pretty much agree with everyone's thoughts, even the ones that disagree with my post or the tone of it.

The quality of a Flash tease depends on how it's designed, and how it's experienced. It CAN be better than a regular tease. Those of you in this thread who designed teases, I remember each of them, and I liked the way you made them, including timers. Since posting this, I've paid closer attention lately to Flash teases and the things you've all mentioned can be great.

My problem is that, like others have said here, it's easier to make a bad tease with the extra power of Flash teases. If the design in poor in a regular tease, like if it makes unreasonable demands, the teasee can skip those parts. In a badly-designed Flash tease, they can't!

[candriver]

I personally prefer flash teases: different paths, timed tasks, multiple endings – that’s what makes them alive.

Sometimes I do want to just read a tease, for one reason or another. Flash teases do make this difficult.

If the design in poor in a regular tease, like if it makes unreasonable demands, the teasee can skip those parts. In a badly-designed Flash tease, they can't!

There are ways to skip trough flash teases:

Spoiler: show

Open them in HTML5: milovana-html5.appspot.com

• number of current page will be at the end of the url (usually ....page2, ....page3, etc.) just change the page number to the next one.
• you can also easily go back, just press “back” in your browser.
• sometimes, however, page names can change (page1, stroke1, edge1, ruin, cum etc.) which could make skipping difficult

Open teases in TeaseMe (Use already converted ones in HD, or just load them directly from site)

• open debug window Ctrl+Shift+D – it will show all the pages of the tease
• debug window also shows where current page will lead after timer
• some teases will contain errors when loaded directly from site (you can still load them with GuideMe downloader)

Open teases in Android TeaseMe app (Use already converted TeaseMe teases, or download them with TeaseMe/GuideMe)

• there’s an option to skip timers in Android TeaseMe

And as mentioned above:

Here's a solution: Download the tease to GuideMe, and enable Debug mode in GuideMe. That adds a "Skip" button to each page. I always download a tease and skip through maybe 20 pages first to see if it's something I want to play. It's also very helpful for replaying teases that include a bunch of reading or waiting which is just story-based, but I try to respect the timing that the authors put in their teases.

• Same for me, I’ll just open them in HTML5 and skip ahead to check if it’s something I would like.