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I went through the forum multiple times but I didn’t found the answer I was looking for, so here’s my question. Sorry if it’s dumb or in the wrong place

I noticed many RenPy Games claiming to have episodic releases have rarely gone further than the first or second episode.
But, if you’re planning to cut your visual novel into several chapters, where do you release them ?

Do you have to keep them in the WIP topic unless the whole series is over ? In doing so, they won’t be noticed by people only reading the Completed Games subforum/list to play something. But then, if you release them separately in the Completed Game subforum, it would be redundant and it will spam the forum in the long run

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Just my 2 cents... An episodic release should be a completed game, with a proper ending and no major loose ends.
A larger visual novel, cut into chapters is more like releasing incremental demos (even if the authors may call it episodic).

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I agree with Leon, it depends what you mean by 'episodic'. My idea of an episode is a full game (with a beginning and end) in a series of games, in which case I would say go ahead and throw them in completed games. Yet, and what I'm assuming you mean by episodes, if it's literally just lots of small, 10-minute pieces of one game, like chapters of a book, it does seem like it would flood the subforum (and might even cause people to overlook later episodes).

Best advice I can give is, if you have your heart set on doing it this way and want to put it under complete, is have a section in your first post listing each episode as they are finished and simply keep editing/updating as they come along, like:

Episode I - Download here
Episode II - Download here
Episode III - Download here
Episode IV - Download here
etc...

EDIT: Personally, I think the WiP subby would be a better choice for it all until ALL the episodes have been released.

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Kato, Producer & Programmer for Blue Sphere Group. Current Projects: Memories of Summer Winds, Urban Life - Rap Tales, Unnamed VN

If your episode is a complete VN with its own distinct story and a conclusion then put it in Completed Works. There's also the option to place it under Demos and Beta Testing if you don't feel it stands on its own. If it each episode only feels like part of the whole story, then it would make more sense for you (and your readers) to keep links to all of them in the same thread.

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Well I feel they would go to the same place like the rest of the games. Each Episode gets a Completer and a WIP Thread. When done with an Episode in WIP ask to have it locked or something then Start a thread for The next Episode and link it back the the last. Would cut down on the Clutter and make it easy for everyone involved to keep track.

The Discussion would be much smaller so one thread would be needed just keep updating it and fixing the first post to make sure it is accurate. But if you get over 10 or 20 pages then start another thread, Be sure to link it back to the last thread though.

Wip "Game Title Episode 1" the next thread (3 or 6 months later) "Game Title Episode 2" and so on.
The Second Episode and on would need a recap of the last episode as well as the remaining characters and info. A Quote of the first "working post" of the last episode should do. after 3 or 4 episodes link back to the 3rd/4th episode on the 5th episode and just reset the characters and the like. this is to save on clutter and streamline the process as well as giving you room to adjust and put the new characters the main characters and the current story.

Complete "Game Title Episode 1-3" the next thread "Game Title Episode 3.5-6" and so on.

The divide would be for simplicity for everyone involved.

Next, make damn sure you have a few back up writers and keep the stories in line something that bit can quickly grow heads and eat you.

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I'd put it int eh completed games and just update it each time there's a new "episode"

Pretty much what my dyslexic self was trying to get at. :3

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Kato, Producer & Programmer for Blue Sphere Group. Current Projects: Memories of Summer Winds, Urban Life - Rap Tales, Unnamed VN

To be more precise, when I’m talking about episodic releases, I don’t think about each having their own distinct story, otherwise it would be easy to put them into their own topic. I’m thinking about a game cut into chapters that won’t have much sense without the others, hence the problem ^^’.

Maybe the word is not appropriate but, for me, a series of independent VNs is always much like a “saga” (like sake-bento’s murder stories)



I do plan to make a large VN cut into chapters but what I find interesting is exactly that: each can have a little cliffhanger or some hints until the whole plot is revealed. Also, it’s easier for the lector to read some bits regularly than swallowing a big story in one go.


That’s what I mean, but not 10-minute pieces, that really would be too short. I was more into 2 hours long for each chapter. But yeah I know it would flood the forum. Besides, I want my team to be able to release one every X months, so if we succeed, there would be really too much topics.

I’m pretty sure of what I’m doing, since I realised the project I have is way too big to be created in one go. So I think it would be easier for everyone (my team, the translators and the players) that way =O.


I though about placing it there but it’s neither a Demo nor needing open Beta Testing so I had difficulties to determine if I should put it in this subforum as well.


That’s an interesting idea and it would surely avoid spoilers but asking someone each time to lock the previous topic kinda bothers me. Also, as my WIP topic isn’t that popular, making more isn’t very likely to be relevant, I think. Having one or two replies by episode won’t cause that much of an overflow for the moment.

Um, I’m planning to put the first episode in the second and so on, for more clarity (otherwise a new player who just discovered the game would have to download 3 or 4 chapters in the end, that’s not practical at all).


Well, I’m the only writer of the team and I already finished the plot way before the production stage so I don’t think I’m going to get lost for the moment but thanks anyway =).


Thanks to everybody who answered . Your suggestions have been very useful. I think I will follow Boomsickle’s proposal to create a "Completed" topic and update it with each new episode/chapter (that’s also what the Touhou Mecha team is doing, if I’m correct).

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