Fluxx wrote:Let me see if I have this right.
So have a Novel Doc, A screenplay Doc, an assets spreadsheet(s), a needed asset (Spread?)sheet(s).
You don't need separate spreadsheets to indicate which assets are available versus which ones are yet to be produced. You can use a column to indicate that.
Fluxx wrote:1) You paste the novel into the screenplay sheet.
Yup.
Fluxx wrote:2) (Paste?) Stage directions and Finished assets in between screenplay.
The only thing you'll really be pasting into the screenplay document is the prose itself, and that works best when you do it piece-by-piece. Generally, you'll grab a paragraph from your prose, paste it in as a stage direction indicating that the text will be showing up in a NVL or ADV block (hence ADV: blah blah blah), and then you'll read over what's in that ADV block to determine what should be happening in the actual visual novel just before, during, and after the block. Which sprites should appear or change, what sounds or music should begin playing or stop, what scene transitions to make - you'll basically be writing every stage direction in yourself, so that the screenplay serves as a clear set of instructions for your programmer (even if that is yourself). You'll populate your asset planning spreadsheets while you are doing this, and you'll be able to refer back to those spreadsheets when it comes time to call upon an asset that has already been planned for.
Fluxx wrote:3) If New asset is needed - note on need asset sheet(s).
4) Note newly finished assets to regular assets spreadsheet(s).
Asset production isn't inherently a part of the production planning process. That can happen either afterward, or in tandem with it. It's more work to maintain two separate spreadsheets just to indicate which assets are ready to be implemented and which ones are only planned, so I would recommend instead just using a column in each asset planning spreadsheet to handle that.
Fluxx wrote:5) Add to screenplay with stage directions
Your screenplay primarily feeds into your asset planning documents, not the other way around - even though this will see-saw in the other direction as you fill your asset planning spreadsheets as you will find with increasing frequency that an asset you need will have already been planned for. The process is more like "I'm writing a stage direction here, it needs something like blahblah...do I already have one of those planned? Yes? Okay, I'll use that. No? Okay, I'll add it to the list." Then repeat.
Fluxx wrote:Questions:
- I'm assuming you have different spreadsheets for each type of asset?
Yes. I use separate spreadsheets for BGM, SFX, Frames/CGs, BGs, and Sprites.
Fluxx wrote:- You don't go through the whole novel first before figuring out your assets? Just step by step?
Depending on how comfortable you are with the process, you can build your asset planning documents using only your prose before making screenplay documents, or you can use the summary of your story before writing the prose, but I wouldn't recommend it until you've done the process longform at least once. You can hold off on commissioning assets until after all of your screenplay and asset planning documents are complete, or you can start commissioning assets while you're partway through the process - as long as you can keep up and stay ahead of your asset producers, there won't be any problems with starting the asset production before you're done with the planning. Again, it should depend on your experience and confidence level.
Fluxx wrote:- When finished how do approach your collaborators - Tally up what you need and then tell them? I guess that line of description would be helpful here.
I commission asset production in manageable bundles. I'll generally commission a handful of assets at a time, and I'll do it by going through my screenplay documents, referring back to the asset planning spreadsheets to see what is and isn't completed, and tossing yet-to-be-completed assets into informal contracts which I will then present to whomever I will be working with. Going into the screenplay document isn't necessary at this stage, but it has a couple of benefits. It allows you to complete your asset list in order of appearance in the VN, which makes it easier for you to finish enough of it to complete a demo or similar partial release. It also jogs your memory about exactly what the asset being called for needs to do and what that part of the story reads like, and that will help you communicate exactly what you need when commissioning the work that's needed.
Fluxx wrote:nested approach
Can I get an (visual) example of this? You can PM me.
Here's an example from one of the minor characters of DMB. There are a couple of things to note here - chiefly, I didn't bother separating his character from his pose in the pose column. I would use a separate column for a character who has multiple distinct appearances beyond poses, such as a character with different costumes. Apart from that, it's pretty much the same format of Character_Pose_Expression for every character who needs sprites. I'm using an additional column called "Features" because there are a lot of times in this particular VN when characters have very minor alterations beyond their expression - things like clothing being slightly weathered or bloodied, or a face being lightly bearded on a character who is normally clean-shaven. Those would be tacked on with an underscore after the expression in the same way that expressions are tacked on after the pose. Overall, the goal is pretty simple - for complex assets which have multiple components, as sprites do, you can just tier what is needed based on the level of work required for each part. The whole pose is usually where the bulk of the price for sprites comes from, followed by expressions for each pose, hence the nested approach to asset planning. This makes it easy for you to present detailed and specific asset needs to your artists so they can give you fair quotes.