Discussion about the making or playing of Original English Language Visual Novels save for the ones from /ksg/.
Do you have a question about a Japanese visual novel or a translation of it?
/vn/ is ready to answer it.
>Getting Started:
http://pastebin.com/7LsCvtq3
>Recommended Reading:
https://vndb.org/v/all?q=;fil=olang-en.tagspoil-0;o=d;s=rating
For Developers. Huge collection of guides on everything:
http://meganelover.com/post/122965940223/visual-novel-creation-masterlist
Ren'Py Download:
http://www.renpy.org/
Previous thread: >>127616218 →
Remember to BUMP THE FUCKING THREAD every three hours please
How many is the perfect amount of love interests?
>giving OP image to A Wild Catgirl Appears two threads in a row
>>128054756
Oh, perfect then.
>tfw waiting for sprites
>>128054896
I take it you have 5 love interests then. Got any art to show?
>>128055116
Nah, still nailing them down. Plus my tablet is somewhere in the room and I can't remember where. Maybe I'll whip something up next week but I'm concentrating more on rounding out the story right now than sprites, you know what I mean? Art is nice but if the story is shitty why bother.
>>128054515
It started the deluge, so it deserves special mention.
>>128054939
>wondering if background artist will ever reply again
>>128057465
who is it?
>>128057750
you
>>128057750
a happy family
>>128055536
You should at least have some sketches. I find that working on the art and seeing them materialize gives me a better understanding of what I want from the characters.
What will be the first Sakura game of the year?
>>128061380
Swim Club 2 or Dungeon
>>128059281
I guess. To be honest I have more fun doing the thumbnails for screens and not character art, but who doesn't? They're so tiny.
Has anyone played Written in the Sky? I was thinking about doing it, is it any good?
>>128064709
I've heard it's not that good but it's free and short so if you're at all curious just go ahead and try it out, then delete it if it sucks
One of my magical characters can summon the "Exactodactyl" a pterodactyl with large blades for a beak/wings.
Is this actually a cool concept or did I just like the rhyming too much?
>>128065419
Does it make you look forward to No One But You?
>>128065528
I keep wanting it to be "Exactodyl" because I find that easier to say. On the other hand, you might get in trouble with their trademarks?
>>128066667
I like exactodactyl better,
>>128065419
Steam reviews are full of people complaining that the MC is a loli despite being stated to be 18.
>At first i enjoyed this title the writing was charming but from the beggining something seemed a little off the main character starts by mentioning her age as 18 even though she doesnt look it with a great deal of suspicion i continued playing thinking it was just a unique animation style that made her look so young but then more and more evidence started to pile up to the contrary especially during the erotic things where it goes into graphic physical descriptions of both woman this is where i stopped playing as it became obviouse to me that the main character is a child especially when you see her next to her "bride" who is clearly an adult the physical differances were so obviouse that it became obviouse that her stated age was not accurate there for i will not be playing this game again and i dont advise anyone else too either.
>>128066667
Exactodyl is good but doesn't rhyme so I prefer my vers. As for trademarks, it's totally fine to use it that way (source: I work in legal).
Steam reviews are the gift that keeps on giving.
>If you want a good sexy visual novel check out Cute Demon Crashers.
>>128067301
The review you're quoting is obviously illiterate and unimportant.
>>128067992
CDC is not good as a sexy vn - the sex is akward as fuck, both in description and images. If anything, it's good as a consent vn.
>>128067301
Normies have no taste and get offended over stupid shit, more news at 11.
>>128067992
CDC is probably the least sexy 18+ EVN. But I imagine it's good if you're spooked about the dick and sex so it's pretty well received.
>>128068758
There were many with the same response. And some even think that 18+ is against Steam's policy.
When you launch your game on Steam expect random criticism.
>>128069141
>CDC is probably the least sexy 18+ EVN.
You just think that because you have to play a girl and no one gets raped.
>>128069141
There aren't really a lot of 18+ EVNs to go around, are there?
The only ones I've played are CDC, Sugar's Delight, Homeward, and (shudder) The Nettestadt Troll. And CDC is definitely sexier than the last two of those, in my opinion. Nothing against Homeward, I enjoyed it, but I found its approach to sex awkward and unarousing.
>>128069850
I think that because the sex isn't hot. It's cute.
>>128070156
CooT is imo unfunny as fuck, but the sex is decent.
>>128070156
No One But You, Highway Blossoms, and Starlight Vega should be coming out soon and all will have 18+ patches or the option to toggle 18+ content on/off. Tell me if I'm forgetting anything.
>>128069850
People were discussing a story vn in another thread and people were thinking about giving it a try. Mention it has a few mind control, rape, and tentacle scenes and all of a sudden it was a must play.
>>128070496
Games that don't exist yet don't count.
I know sunrider has some 18+ stuff but I haven't played it.
>>128070832
Sunrider has a copy-paste dick. I was very unimpressed.
Speaking of dicks, there's always Lupiesoft's futa lolis.
>>128070156
There's Sakura Swim Club. I haven't read the scenes but the art's good.
>>128070156
god, I played that fucking troll game. So awful, I remember the fucking sausage/bun line
>>128071161
The Sakura games dialog doesn't exactly help set the mood.
Onto a more pressing issue, games that don't have porn, but by their premise should.
The Reject Demon: Toko is the coming of age story of a succubus. Devon is obviously a complete sloot. It will not be 18+. Why? Perfect candidate for an 18+ version.
>>128071771
The voice acting was horrible.
>>128069850
>no one gets raped
Don't kink shame me!
>>128072202
If me saying you like rape shames you, that's on you.
>>128071604
Strawberry Vinegar
>>128072417
I'm not shamed, just that people would like me to be shamed.
>>128072491
pedo
>>128072491
Before or after the timeskip epilogue?
>>128071604
I was looking through my list of downloaded VNs for an example and I stumbled on one I'd completely forgotten, thanks.
>>128072907
Yes.
>>128072790
I prefer the label lolicon, thank you very much.
>>128071604
>“Nonsense. I’ve I’ve already got three Christophers, two Christinas, and a Chrystal for good measure. We’ll be having an awesome party come the 25th! ”
>“…Since I’m supposed to ask, what exactly will you all be doing in this party?”
>“Each other, of course.”
Christmas orgy
>“Well not my problem! I think my work is done here. I’m going to go spend the night celebrating Devonmas, and that’s a one person party~ See you, Sissy.”
Masturbates
My moe waifu!
>>128075460
Real life photos don't belong in VNs.
>>128075460
>having the gall to be concerned with love three days after our glorious country suffered the worst terrorist attack in history
Unpatriotic swine.
>>128075898
>Assuming everyone is Murrican.
>>128070421
I laughed throughout COOT and I rarely laugh at anything aloud. That fish was one of the unexpectedly funniest fucking routes I've ever played in a vn.
>>128076154
There was a fish route? I didn't realize it was a meme game.
>>128076340
One joke ending doesn't make a game a meme game.
>>128076459
Would Aviary Attorney count as one?
>>128076340
It's not really? It's hard to describe what happens, but your relationship with your fish evolves into something rather unusual.
>>128076569
I would say it's more of a game with a silly premise than a meme game, like Hatoful. They put actual work into it.
Steam Greenlight bundle with Sekaiju Yggrasil.
https://groupees.com/bagb37
>>128076048
It's a crying about Sept 11th game.
>>128077045
All those games look like garbage. No thank you.
>>128077185
It must be a ploy to get enough people invested in them to help Greenlight them onto Steam.
>>128077671
That's basically the premise of the bundle, yes.
>>128077671
"Let us help get your game onto steam by making sure no one will actually buy it when it gets there, but it will look like someone did because steamspy will show all the bundle owners, continuing to fuel more desperate game writers to try and get out there!"
tfw I would have fired one of my teammates by now if we weren't friends.
>>128084224
I think it's really important to be able to manage a project without offering special protections to certain people. It would be different if it was just you and the friend, but when other people on the team see him not performing and you protecting him, they are going to get discouraged. If you're not going to keep him in check I would encourage you to find a way to let him know that he is not performing to expectations.
Currently I am working on a project with a close friend, they understand that they can be replaced if they aren't performing (they asked to be on the project and I laid out the requirements at the beginning). Good management is important, as is having a real backup if that friend leaves the project or under performs.
>>128083135
I like this but res seems really tiny.
>>128070156
No mention of Menagerie, it's also supposedly getting a patch some time soon though the dev is unclear on when that will be..
>>128087759
>eyebrows boy
YES
YESSSSS
>>128087942
It was konett's. what a surprise, it will NEVER BE FINISHED.
>>128088201
damn.
I need more cute boys with thicc eyebrows
oh hey speaking of konett i want to take back my earlier complaints about how long the logo took. I had another one done by another person and it's also going to be in the one month + mark.
The difference is the second person told me it was going to take her over a month but i guess it gives some perspective to how long logo can take
How do you turn down work a friend has made without hurting them? My friend heard I was making a game and made several assets for me without me asking her to. I can't use them as they really do not fit the game, but she took time out of the kindness of her heart. Should I include them as bonus material or...what? This is awkward
Does /evn/ usually look in the ideas section of Lemmasoft forums? About how many games posted there actually get finished anyways?
>>128094184
dump it in an 'extras/guest art' section or something
>>128094475
Stay out of there. That way only madness lies. It's just dreamers and idea people
>>128099241
Is that your logo?
>>128071306
I remember it made me hungry. The shops were closed and I couldn't buy any sausage.
How can you expect to finish your VN if you can't even wake up and shitpost on /evn/?
ISP still using cache. Gets me banned all the time. Welp. Anything new aside from being salty?
OY VEY I'M NOT BANNED.
Should I remove the battle stuff in my game because there's more gameplay now thanks to the council management thing.
>tell background artist I don't want anything modern in bg
>they put in elevator
W-why. I mean I guess those have been around a while, but with a nice hotel style call button... no
>>128079473
Leading to more and more garbage on Steam, thus further fueling the perceived decline of the medium and oversaturation.
>>128084224
Are they lazy or just incompetent? It's even worse when their work sucks, but they think it's good and think you're being unfair when you try to give them pointers.
>>128096036
Any ideas worth stealing?
>>128111064
tfw a writer wrote "Hold the phone" in a medieval setting.
Wake up and post what political views you're going to have your MC be a speaker for.
>>128116103
None, because thats retarded. Your MC isn't your own self insert.
>>128116103
My MCs are pretty much always at the center of the political spectrum in general with different values for issues. I like it because it alienates everyone that you don't have to think of everything as black and white and by doing so, pretty much everyone thinks you're a fucking asshole.
So somewhere around the disenfranchised moderates, pretty much.
>>128071771
>>128071859
>The art was awful
>The voice acting was awful
>The GUI was awful
>The 3D backgrounds were awful
>The writing was awful
>The battles were okay
>>128116843
>The battles were okay
I can't overlook the rest of it for "okay" gameplay.
For a visual novel to be good to me, I would have to want to read it if it were a book. Sunrider doesn't pass that test. I also expect it to be basically bug-free and I have to think that the art looks at least passable.
What are your standards /evn/?
>>128117680
I can put up with below average art (looking at you, 7KPP) if the writing is great. Likewise, I can put up with below average writing if the art is fantastic.
Overall, I expect a game to have a either a plot that keeps me angaged untilt he end (if plot based) or characters that make me care for them (if a waifu/husbando) game.
>>128116269
Tell that to the many people that do. Wasn't there even a vn that gave the player an option to pursue on of his students, but then the author wrote that you were a bad person if you took that choice?
To me, bringing in politics or personal beliefs just detracts from an otherwise good, or at least potentially good, story. I want to get involved with a good plot, not listen to an elaborate soapbox rant.
>>128116269
>Your MC isn't your own self insert.
My MC is my own self-insert and there's nothing you can fucking do about it.
Though I will say that I don't put any of my personal beliefs into him because they have no place in the story.
What are some good kickstarter rewards? So far I've got psychical copy of the game/art book for lower to medium tiers and dakimakura/plushie of a chosen character for the highest.
>>128116269
Eh, some of my MCs have personalities and opinions that align with my own. Others don't. I don't think I've ever written a single extroverted MC though, because how to extroverts even think...
Brilliant Shadows going on and on about the characters sexualities when they had actually interesting backstories that weren't really explored was annoying.
Telling me your game is "diverse" makes me think it will be preachy and have no other worthwhile points, so I'll gladly pass on it.
>>128122728
>psychical copy
Did they sent it to you with telepathy?
>>128122518
I usually put some politics/personal beliefs in my stuff, it's just not the main focus of the story, and hidden away in the background so most people won't even notice it.
But it's not possible to create something completely free of politics. Even if you don't think there are any politics in your work, or you didn't consciously include any, your personal experiences are still going to have a little bit of an influence, and readers will still draw out political elements when they read it - even stuff that's completely contrary to what you really believe.
>>128122882
On this note, it kind of annoys me when devs shill their VNs by saying 'this was made by women/trans/queer people! Please buy it to support us!' Like, shouldn't the content/quality of the VN itself be more important than the identity of the person/people who made it...
I mean, it doesn't bother me that much, but it seems kind of irrelevant, and sort of guilt-trippy.
>>128123036
Welp, then I guess all of the tumblrina's will be triggered hard by my game since I will be avoiding any sjw/fag tropes like the plague.
>>128123228
I actually agree with a lot of tumblr discourse on SJW issues, and I've still been accused of being homophobic and not inclusive enough... You just can't please everyone.
>>128123439
>>128123228
So a VN with completely straight characters will be enough to insult tumblr?
>>128122728
Look at successful evn campaigns and copy what you can from theirs.
>>128123036
I'm referring to people who include such things as a main focus and intentionally.
>>128123657
Yes. And a VN without any overweight characters, or disabled characters, or POC.
It doesn't matter what you do, or how inclusive you try to be, somebody out there will probably get offended!
>>128123862
Yeah it is annoying. I don't like it when writers put politics right to the forefront of their work, even when it's politics I agree with, because it end up feeling like you're being lectured.
I don't think I've read any EVNs I thought were that bad though. I don't even think CLove does that.
>>128123179
>'this was made by women/trans/queer people! Please buy it to support us!'
This is hard to even confirm as true.
>Please support us because the writer I commissioned is 1/16 Navajo, but I'll act like she's suffering on a reservation and not at college for engineering right now.
>>128123439
Unless you're willing to support nuking Macross Korea for the cause, then you're not a true SJW. Your reaction to games like Analogue is a test to gauge your dedication.
>>128123868
Even if you have them all, you have to have them behave a certain way or else.
Like, I have heard people argue that BL is offensive because it objectifies gay men.
Any spiderman VNs? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmlzSfl8FOU
>>128124905
Or yuri written by men is inherently objectifying because it presents the characters from a masculine POV and their relationship is being touted to encourage other men to ogle at sexy lesbians.
Trying to write inclusively can be something of a minefield, and some people can get really nasty in their accusations.
>>128122518
>>128123862
So do you not enjoy political dramas or thrillers or those sorts of things? Politics does not always equal arguing about what you think about trannies and the like.
Threadly reminder to NAME AND SHAME (con)artists.
>>128127849
If it's part for the sake of the plot, those things are fine, but when you have a superficial plot meant to showcase your views, then it ceases to be entertaining.
>>128087759
>No nipples
>>128129350
To emulate true japanese style art you have to emulate their fear of nipples as well.
Wakey wakey
What evns have you voted for on Greenlight lately?
>>128135651
I don't vote for anything.
>>128059281
Wait, I found MSPaint scribbles of one of them hidden away in folders, does that count?
I probably already posted it a long time ago.
>>128135651
I voted for Break Chance Memento!
>>128126508
Many people insist that yuri is inherently objectifying because lesbians don't exist and are only pandering to the male gaze.
Trying to write, period, is a minefield.
>>128139556
(paraphrasing comment)
>"I didn't read the rest of the extremely long review, or anything else written by the person you are quoting, because the single line you quoted mentioned the Bechdel test in it, and that means that the reviewer is obviously an SJW who doesn't play video games and has only useless opinions. There is no valid reason for anyone to ever want to know that a game includes women talking to each other. Also, I think this game is sexist against women, though I won't explain why, and you're only giving it a pass because it was written by one, because you're terrible."
People are strange.
>>128140203The part about the Bechdel test isn't wrong.
>>128141175
I think the Bechdel test is kinda interesting because it does illuminate that female characters don't really feature or have much of a role in some media? But then for some stories, there literally can't be female characters because of the setting (i.e. Lord of the Flies or something), so it's inherently flawed...
I don't really think it has that much use, but I think the creator of the test admitted it themselves - so anybody who tries to use it as a means to measure whether something is worth their time or not is being ridiculous.
>>128141735
Using it as a sole decider of whether something is worthwhile or not is obviously dumb, just as deciding that something is worthwhile based purely on whether the protagonist is male/female/snowflake is dumb.
On the other hand, I am baffled by people who are offended by the existence of the Female Protagonist tag on Steam. Like, how dare you give people information about the game!
>>128142907
People are odd in general...
Like, I don't understand people who are really extremely SJW-y, to the extent they start critiquing stuff based on not having an x amount of female characters or whatever (sometimes it's just not necessary for the story?), but I equally don't understand people who are so aggressively anti-SJW they'll boycott anything that has a female protagonist in it, or a... 'strong, independent female character', I guess.
I feel like I'm really on the fence about the issue, so I probably come across as being really non-committal.
>>128122709
>My MC is my own self-insert and there's nothing you can fucking do about it.
Look out everyone, we've got an internet badass over here.
>>128144030
it is true though, there isn't anything you can do about it
>>128142907
>On the other hand, I am baffled by people who are offended by the existence of the Female Protagonist tag on Steam. Like, how dare you give people information about the game!
I think some people are probably might be arse holes, but this is also the kind of thing that happens when, on the other side, there are vocal groups that keep bringing gender politics everywhere: I realised that I am myself sometimes a bit wary of stuff like that because I've witnessed so many discussions where there was a side that essentially complained about anything not having a female protagonist or having a female protagonist that isn't perfect enough or that is too perfect or any other variation you can come up with. Much like >>128143785
said.
It's just a touchy subject at the moment and people are going to make wrong assumptions. I try to be vigilant and remind myself that sometimes I'm being wary because there's a screaming group that has made a particular subject so hard to approach without people on any side ascribing all sorts of imagined motivations without a solid basis other than "everyone is freaking out about this particular topic right now".
I mean, at the end of the day a tag like that doesn't help me one bit - Twilight has a female protagonist and I'm not all that interested. But then again, sometimes you're in the mood for a particular thing regardless of how the rest of the story is, so why not?
>>128141175
I don't know, if an entire game is based around women but they don't talk about anything other than a dude (especially in a yuri game) I think that's a pretty good way to tell that game is trash. It's all about using it in context, just like every other test.
>>128144364
I can imagine people not liking the 'female protagonist' tag because it might not be helpful to them. I think broader genre tags, like horror/fantasy/shooter/rpg etc are more useful - with games, I might go 'I'm in the mood to play a horror game!', but I probably wouldn't go 'I really, really want to play something with a female protagonist!!!' Like, the gender of the protagonist isn't necessarily going to influence the gameplay/tone of the story.
However, I imagine some people that object to it would do it not on practical terms like this, but because 'SJWs have gone mad, trying to put women into everything!!!' or something.
Imo the gender of a protag isn't a real issue at all, so I don't think it seems like a useful tag, but I have the opinion for a different reason than other people might...
Basically, yeah, I agree with you. It is a touchy subject, and sometimes people will make you out for being a bad person when you have an opinion that might not align with their viewpoint, even if you have the opinion for different reasons than ones they might instantly assume.
>>128145161
I use the female protag tag, but mostly because I'm so burnt out on playing dudes. I just don't care about them anymore.
Maybe in a couple of years it'll even out again and I won't care about the protag's gender, but for right now I just want to control and play as someone like me.
>>128145712
I feel like I'm the only one where 'someone like me' doesn't mean skin tone or gender.
Can someone who has played Break Chance Memento till the end tell me, without spoilers, whether the mystery is good and has a nice resolution? And if the BL is good? I wanna know if this game is worth my money and time.
>>128146226
Just torrent it.
>>128146226
>Visual novel
>Being worth your money
Does something like this even exist?
>>128145161
>I can imagine people not liking the 'female protagonist' tag because it might not be helpful to them.
I can understand people not caring one way or the other about the tag and finding it not useful, but I don't see why that makes them want to demand it be removed when other people might find it handy. It's not like it's delivering a major spoiler or anything that might damage your personal enjoyment. (Not aimed at you, just talking about people who are very grumpy on the subject.)
A lot of the tags are silly. Like, 'great soundtrack', which is entirely unhelpful when the dev can put that tag on the game before it launches, even if the soundtrack is shit. Are enough people going to flag it to make it go away? And while Zombie Abortion tags were banned, people still constantly joke-tag games... Sakura games often end up tagged Psychological Horror or something, and Disney games get tagged Nudity. I find this personally annoying because it degrades the usability of the service.
>>128146226
I'm not sure many people here have played to the end. There was that one poster liveplaying for a while...
>>128145974
Well the thing is the chances of finding a protag who's like you situation-wise is so unlikely. In EVNs where the games can be slice of life, there's more of a chance. But talking generally - you're not in a medieval town or post-apocalyptic universe or space or a haunted house (hopefully). You're not the princess of a dying kingdom or the a witty space captain. One of the few ways you can identify with those kind of protagonists is through physical appearance, sexual orientation (if there's any romance in the game to begin with), and play style if the genre allows it. So that's why representation through those features are considered important through all the genres, and a variety of options is important in RPGs (because role-playing).
But speaking specifically about EVN slice of life games where the protag might be a college student in their last year just like me, I'm still more likely to identify with a female protag than a male just because they have different experiences. Even if the experiences are the same the two will have different feelings about it.
I walk out at 2am to go get a pizza on campus. My campus has a lot of reports of young women being sexually assaulted. I bring my boxcutter.
A male student walks out at 2am to go get a pizza on campus. My campus very rarely has any reports of young men being sexually assaulted. The male student probably doesn't feel the need to bring a weapon.
Like I'm not saying I need realistic pizza fetch quests, but you see what I mean about approaching the same situations differently? Games where I'm like "oh man, I've been in this exact situation. It sucks/rocks" are more interesting to me because I can relate.
>>128147795
>box cutter
Literally Senjougahara
>>128147795
>situation-wise
I didn't say that either. I meant viewpoint and personality.
>The male student probably doesn't feel the need to bring a weapon.
Yeah, because he's got his fists. Men do carry weapons as well too, anyway. They have confidence they can defend themselves, unlike apparently most women who cower in fear because feminists tell them they shouldn't learn how to fight.
>>128147795
>Well the thing is the chances of finding a protag who's like you situation-wise is so unlikely.
We need more otome games where you can be a loser nerd girl instead of an innocently pure and perfect unkempt beauty.
>>128148191
Some guy who had a crush on me gave me it. That guy was weird, fuck that guy, but it's nice for self defense.
>>128149101
Don't forget the
>haha, yeah I guess I'm good at cooking. Oh no, it's not that good!
and
>yeah, I love eating! I eat so much, but never gain a pound~ Except right before a date when I have to lament that I can't have one more piece of cake because I won't be able to fit in my jeans if I do~
otome cliches.
>>128149060
>because feminists tell them they shouldn't learn how to fight.
I don't know what sort of feminists you meet but plenty of them are all into teaching women to break boards and kick men in the nuts.
>>128149457
We had those RAD classes available in my high school. Literally no boys allowed too.
I heard they were fun.
>>128149457
Advocating for learning self defense gets called victim blaming or some shit.
>>128149060
Oddly, men are much more likely to be attacked walking out alone at night, just less likely to be attacked sexually. But yeah, many men are raised to believe that they can handle themselves and that they should be bold.
Women are raised in a constant oppressive environment of fear from infancy, with everyone from overprotective fathers on out telling them that they will be raped and murdered if they ever show their faces and ankles, and it will be all their fault. No surprise it makes them crazy.
Ah, so this is what we're going to do this thread. Yet another place infected with politics. Yay.
>>128150135
Why don't you bring up another topic of discussion instead of being a little bitch about it? What games are you looking forward to? Do any work on yours?
>>128149741
Yeah, I thought that was where you were getting the wrong idea. People get offended by stupid lists of 'how to avoid rape' partially because the lists themselves contain absolutely bizarre instructions that wouldn't actually help and/or would ruin your entire life if you actually behaved that way.
It's much, much rarer for people to flip out and yell "victim blaming!" if you suggest women should learn some self-defense. I'm sure it still happens, but it's not the main thrust of the angry reaction.
"To avoid rape, stay at least an arm's length away from any man!" is the kind of thing that usually triggers the ragebomb.
>>128150135
hint: everywhere is politics. everywhere.
So, have you played any good EVNs lately?
Any awful ones?
>>128150318
My dorm put up some campus police officer's No Rape Guide last October and it was all pretty common sense (drink in groups, have designated drivers make sure no one gets picked up by dudes when plastered, don't go in someone's room if you don't know them) but it was all in fucking Chiller font for Halloween. It was ridiculous, I wish I had taken a picture of it because it came off as "don't get raped, boo!"
I played Over the Hills and Far Away. Like other people have said, it's really good. I liked it a lot. The art is nice, the writing is good, there was a lot of attention to detail (like the effects of the roaring fireplace, or falling rain, etc), the soundtrack was great, and the story was well put together.
I kind of feel the main girl was given the nickname 'Mai' just because it's a Japanese name, and they wanted to make the game seem more kawaii anime-ish, which a little odd since there aren't any other anime tropes in it, but whatever. It didn't bother me, I just thought it was strange. Calling her 'May' or 'Mary' or something would probably make more sense.
Also, I thought the backstory of the MC and the villain could have been expanded upon a little, since it was interesting, but we only caught glimpses of it. If the villain, in particular, was fleshed out a bit, he might seem slightly less stock, or the story would have some more moral complexity.
The VN was really, really short though. It only took me about 80 minutes to complete it, which seems a bit steep for the price tag. Then again, it's a really polished VN, so... I guess your mileage will vary.
>>128150513
Downloading BCM right now. It better not suck.
I love that in 7k you can cuck the arrogant asshole with his own sister. Feels good.
>>128145974
I wouldn't say so. While I don't particularly care if someone wants to use "female protagonist" in a tag, I also don't feel like the gender of the protagonist makes them "like me".
A protagonist doesn't even have to have a lot of characteristics that I have for me to identify with them: sometimes it's the situation they're in, sometimes it's a particular quirk, sometimes a particular trauma.
Then again, if someone else is more attached to the idea of a character being female, that's fine too - so long as they don't start demonizing anyone who prefers to have a male protagonist or who does the female protagonist thing in a way they personally don't like, I'm cool.
>>128153859
But can you cuck the arrogant asshole with his sister who is also your stepmother?
>>128154909
No, but I don't think any evn currently released offers that.
>>128155151
I was actually making a LLTQ joke - that is one of the possible marriage outcomes.
>>128153859
they are both shit, the shy intellectual and the flirty prince are way better.
>>128155319
I don't like either of them, I just think its funny. Lyon and Zarad? Congratulations, you have the worst taste in this thread, both of them a shit.
Emmett and Hamin a best.
Why haven't you bought a Powerball ticket yet? If you win you can fund your perfect VN with a dream team. Millions of dollars to make your dream come true.
>>128155671
Emmet is literally the blandest character of the whole cast.
>>128155239
Oh, nice. I might just have to buy it.
>>128156048
There is nothing wrong with sweet plain vanilla.
And if we're going for blandest, that award goes to blain, or jasper.
>>128156027
I would still make $10k games. I'd wait until I'd learned more before going all out. I'd also contact devs whose work I like and offer them some funding.
>>128156027
Isn't it too late to buy now? It's just a few more hours till.
>>128157302
The next drawing is Wednesday.
>>128156863
>I'd also contact devs whose work I like and offer them some funding.
This sounds so simple... I wish it actually were.
Or maybe it would be, if I didn't want to get some return on my investment and were willing to just throw cash at people and hope.
>>128156027
My mom's buying a ticket. Hopefully she wins, I don't want her to die from asthma.
>>128157489
> that game you are waiting for is still years away
>>128157489
Kickstarter and patreon are done on faith too. You have little chance of getting your funds back if they project doesn't work out or the dev runs off with it.
>>128156027
>1.2 billion jackpot
god damn, britbong here, I am jelly
>>128157838
yeah, but those aren't 10k worth of faith.
>>128157838
>Kickstarter and patreon are done on faith too.
The only patreon I back is set up so he only gets paid after he publishes another chapter.
>>128157862
My local lotto site says 1.3 billion with a cash option of 806 million. Of course the pot will grow until the drawing.
I want to quit my job and become a NEET/vn producer.
>>128157454
Alright then, I am headed off to the gas station. Billionaire living, here I come!
>>128158124
I'm optimistic and probably an idiot.
Maybe I could just donate 1-3k per project to help out.
>>128158606
>takes your 1k
>spends it starting a new project totally unlike the one you were trying to back
>never finishes either
I may be too pessimistic.
>>128158572
Not if I win it first!
>>128158303
>with a cash option of 806 million
then what the fuck do you get if you go for the 1.3 billion, the give you it to you in monopoly money?
>I want to quit my job and become a NEET/vn producer.
Don't we all?
If I won I'd spend my time instantly funding awful evn's on kickstarter that would have failed otherwise, just to spite and flood the community with even more shitty commercial evns.
>>128158936
at a guess, it may be a difference between payout-now and payout-over-time?
>Don't we all?
No. I already did.
>>128158936
>>128159126
The 1.3 billion is yearly payments for 30 years, while 800 million is upfront all the money they have on hand.
>>128159126
How did you become a NEET/vn producer? Commission work and vn development is your "job" now?
>>128159804
I sell games for a living.
What happens to devs who have tarnished their reputation with failure? Any examples of this?
Do they keep working on games anyway? Start a different career? Change their name? Would people hire them in any field afterwards?
>>128160361
As an indie, there's only so much tarnishing you can do. You're selling directly to the public, and the public in general can't keep track of the reputation of little indies. Sure, a few people will be put off by your last disaster, but unless you reached truly impressive levels of mainstream failure, it won't really have much impact. Make something better, people will play that.
Your reputation is more at stake when there's a limited pool of knowledgeable people that you need to rely on. There are only so many producers in VN willing to pay for artists and writers, for example, so if you get black-marked among them, you may have a tough time getting anyone to hire you. You can still make your own shit, though.
And, of course, you can always attempt to represent the whole thing as a misunderstanding and apologise and some idiots will willingly believe that you've changed. People who backed Dischan, for example.
>>128159082
The hero /evn/ needs.
>>128161931
Consider, for example, the case of Mike Maulbeck.
>>128160361
It depends. I'd say people would be more forgiving of a dev who was too dumb to manage their money vs one who outright stole it and ran off.
>>128159804
You can't call yourself a NEET when you make/earn money for a living.
>>128163868
Hikikomori, then.
>>128162174
Didn't know who that was, but it's an interesting read. He kind of failed at cleaning up his failure by resigning for a total of one month.
>>128160361
Nobody cares. Even if you fail like an epic jackass, you just keep going because people are stupid.
>>128164294
On the other hand, they still got the game back on Steam eventually, he still has followers, and he clearly isn't considering himself tainted for life. Only a small number of people ever heard about the incident, and most of those won't care in a year or two when he makes a new game.
Games journalists might have a go at him because THEY remember, but they're not that important.
>>128162174
The journalists and Valve overreacted on that one. You can't even call what he did a death threat.
>>128166616
Not a real one, but it was hella rude.
I feel like this gets asked a lot, but is there a consensus on the best GUI in an EVN? Or at least best GUI features/traits/trends in the EVN/VN scene?
>>128169657
Anything aurocyanide does desu.
>Rie's parents, Kazuki and Yukine, who have a rather disturbing relationship that, quite frankly, worries me. Kazuki cooks and cleans and takes the majority of responsibility for Rie's care, and Yukine cheerfully abuses him every chance she gets. I'm not sure if it's supposed to be cute or what, but it throws up a ton of red flags for me.
>tfw you design a character and they end up looking exactly like an already licensed character even though you didn't have them in mind at all
Fucking why?
>>128172656
G E N E R I C A
>>128171446
Oh yeah, they're pretty good. I wish their tutorial actually helped me but it's way too generic/no examples for me.
>>128172656
stylised art style, limited number of components
>>128173406
Are they the ones who wrote a 'tutorial' that was basically all 'build a giant image of your screen and use imagebutton', which is a huge mess?
>>128173574
Maybe? I do remember giant UI elements.
I think it was
>come up with UI
>test UI on background w/ sprites
>if UI not good, repeat
>otherwise, use UI in rest of game
>the end
>>128171493
...Where is this? its not on steam
>>128176003
Blog linked from the LSF thread.
>>128172656
Who cares? I have plenty of characters that look like already licensed ones, there are only a few designs you can create without them already existing somewhere else. Just take it easy.
>>128169657
It does and it's as useless as asking what the best art style is. You need to pick what's best for your vn. Even those "cinematic" gui can come across as really dark and serious despite people thinking they are universal
>>128168163
It looks so much like Luka from Black Butler to me
>some ESL comes into Break Chance Memento's thread to tell them she pirated it
>even posts the link to the site she got it from
>>128178123
Oy looks like that AIdol artist did this.
>>128179939
Was it that little norwegian fuckwit?
>>128181474
Yes, yes it was. This is very far from the first time she's done this on LSF.
>>128179939
Lmao, that's the worst case of lack of self awareness I have seen.
> less than 200 copies
Ouch, tho.
>>128179939
>>128183119
>the one we haven't even sold 200 copies of
BL is dead.
>>128184852
BCM's art isn't exactly enticing people to it.
>>128184852
Ugly BL is dead
>>128183119
Isn't it still early? 200 now could turn into 10,000 later
>>128084224
>tfw I would'vefugged :DDone of my teammates by now if we were anywhere near completion
>>128183119
How many copies has YOUR game sold directly? It's not on Steam yet, it'll sell more there.
>>128122518
My whole story is about politics.
>>128187497
Silly anon, everyone knows that the reason Episode 2 is unpopular is that audiences are too stupid to understand politics.
>>128188194
But I'm better than Attack of the Clowns! Swear!
Rising Angels: Hope will now be episodic and Rising Angels: Fates will probably be episodic.
>Hope experiment: As some astute people noticed from my phrasing last week, I haven’t completely given up on the idea of a staggered release. Since there is a lot of disinterest in the ideas, I’d like to give it a test run to see how viable it is and how it would work. As Hope is preparing for a release soon, I would like to use it as the test vehicle. Hope will be released in three segments that will be updated roughly three weeks apart from each other. What does that mean? It means as soon as we get the trailer video finished, we are going to start pushing for Greenlight and getting Hope into your hands!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/chief/rising-angels-fates-visual-novel/posts/1463226
The problem with episodic games is that some people won't want to invest money in them until they're done. In Fates case, you're giving out the true routes for the Puccile sisters for free, so I can play those as the game comes out, and wait until it's all out before investing any money in it for the other routes.
>>128192103
episodic = we want to squeeze as much money as possible from a story that isn't guaranteed to ever finish, and even if it does, won't have a satisfying ending due to being dragged out.
There is literally no need for a visual novel to be episodic in this day and age.
>>128192704
I dunno, I think it could work well for an anthology-style series.
>>128192704
>There is literally no need for a visual novel to be episodic in this day and age.
Gimmicks, if you actually had one. Milking cliffhangers for attention. Letting the audience vote on what happens next.
but literally no NEED yes
episodic generally equals "We ran out of money. Here's what we made so far. There may never be any more."
>>128192704
Hope is supposed to be free last I heard, so I don't think it's the best test case. Secondly, the true romance routes in Fates are also free, so only additional routes cost money.
I'm curious how Fates is broken up. If each part has a satisfying end to it, while hinting at more to come, like Reborn did, then I could see paying per part. Otherwise I'd just wait until the game was done before buying the extra routes.
>>128192921
>>128192979
To prove my point, has there ever been a successful JVN that used this episodic bullshit? No. They release a demo, and then they release the full game, with optional patches adding additional content in the future and depending on the success of the title, leaving freeway for a fandisc or a direct prequel/sequel. Now I'm not saying every EVN should follow this tried and tested formula, but it works for a reason.
>>128193328
>To prove my point, has there ever been a successful JVN that used this episodic bullshit? No.
Uh, Umineko and Higurashi, dude.
>>128193328
>successful JVN that used this episodic bullshit
Uh yeah, tons. Very successful ones too.
>do to previous criticism the kickstarter and demo has been taken down and this game is currently being rebooted with new art,acting,dialogue and more.
>>128196506
I've given up on Sierra Ops.
>>128187497
Good goy.
>>128196709
Hey, they sent out an update today and promised they'd make a game next year!
