WIP/Idea threads: What turns you on/off

[Applegate]

Well, I *know* people write them as advertisements, I just wanted to highlight what I feel is a regression by also treating them the same way.

[Auro-Cyanide]

Well, I *know* people write them as advertisements, I just wanted to highlight what I feel is a regression by also treating them the same way.

There isn't anything inherently wrong with advertisements, they are after all based on the same rhetoric that we use on a day to day basis to persuade and convince other humans. The purpose is the main thing and trying to get someone to look at something that they could very well enjoy is one of the less evil intents ads are used for

Also, I kind of want to add one to my list. I really dislike games that are purely based on dating and you 'win' when you are with someone and you 'fail' if you are not. The sole goal of getting with someone is not a worthy one for me.

[9:19]

What I like:
-Proper spelling and grammar. A typo once in a while is no skin off my nose. Everyone here is human I hope and humans make mistakes (this post will be self-demonstrating, I just know it). Where I draw the line is when I go to quote a creator and their entire message is underlined in red. щ(ಠ益ಠщ)
-Personal commentary. I always find it interesting when game makers share anecdotes about themselves, provided they don't turn their WIP threads into diaries. Stories about their struggles and triumphs in the game-making process are like bonus material to me. As for confidence, I don't believe in "fake it 'til you make it", because I think it's okay to feel how you feel. I respect people who can call a cow a cow, more so if they persevere and see their games to completion in spite of their moments of self-doubt did I just compare feels to cows I must be MOO-dy. /shot

What I dislike:
Uhhhh.

What I ┐(‘～`；)┌:
-The genre. I admit I take horror in small doses because I'm easily spooked.
-The art. I'd say I like it when a character's face looks consistent from one scene to the next, but after watching Haré+Guu I'm not sure I care. XD
-The X. GxB, GxG, BxB, BxG, I'm a just a girl who can't say no~♪ I'm versatile.
-Originality.
-GUI.
Why do I make VNs again?

[nyaatrap]

What turn me off even if the art quality is good: A project which has never predictable finish date.

[Hijiri]

What turn me off even if the art quality is good: A project which has never predictable finish date.

So.....99% of the WIP section? Unless you mean a project that seems to fluctuate between "abandoned" and "working"?

[nyaatrap]

Actually, I don't keep reading more than 90% of WIP. Usually just give one glance at the first time, then if it can be finished within a year, then read again carefully.

[Edit]
I'm seeing some ambitious games recently (no, all I'm seeing is recently. cos I've been here just an half year ), like ones which want to be the 2nd Katawa shoujo. But I totally oppose at its game development style. I'd say it's just a miracle to be done. More than that, it can't be the best game with that process.

[BlindClarity]

Something I do like
- Well laid out first post.
I want to be able to quickly get a graps of your story, and development

-Clear Due Dates
I have some hope that the game is going to get finished some day, and it's not just a dream boucing around in your head

Clearly defined team roles
You don't have 7 directors. I can clearly see people working together with their strenghts for a common goal.


Something I don't like
- This is game is just like this game
<.< I'll go play that game now thanks. It's okay to have a simular idea but your game shouldn't just be someone else's game with a different title.

- Sauzaki Hango's sisters Amber and Cresent. O.o.
Can we please try to remember cultures and such when making a game. I understand the apperication for Japanese but please try to remember consistancy when making a game.

- When the person has told me their whole entire game.
I hate this, specially if it looks like it is going to be a good game. I want to play ygame, and experiance some things. So don't tell me major plot points in a WIP thread. If you are going to do that have a serparte forum or something for devleopment.

[Anna]

Yeah:
- Shiny art (decent anatomy, nice mix of colours which complement each other, unique and fitting character designs and GUI, characters don't have the same faces etc.)

- In case there is no shiny art, mock-ups are fun to look at too (how it will roughly look).

- Synopsis intrigues me (it contains information about the actual plot; what's the conflict? Or it's an original idea).

- Awesome mood-setting music. I love music so much~

Bleh:
- Stories set in Japan for no good reason annoy me a lot (e.g. they do nothing with the setting except for having Japanese names and other mundane details). Sometimes I wonder if people even think about this. And why always Japan, why can't it be set in France? Or in England? Such cool countries <3.

- No plot. Unless you have a nice setting or cool characters to somehow make this appealing, I won't care.

- Generic or passive characters (e.g. 'personalities' are described as 'childhood friend' or the main character never does anything). Reading about boring people is boring.

- HUGE text or bright coloured text. So annoying.

- Using colours which blind me or don't match.

-JPG artefacts in pictures... was that what you called them? I mean the awful pixel messes you see in the colours when saving them at low quality.

[MaiMai]

Bleh:
- Stories set in Japan for no good reason annoy me a lot (e.g. they do nothing with the setting except for having Japanese names and other mundane details). Sometimes I wonder if people even think about this. And why always Japan, why can't it be set in France? Or in England? Such cool countries <3.

I agree with you on this point. I think the reason why we have a good number of VNs that take place in Japan is because a large majority of us in this forum are anime/manga fans who have been exposed to, well, stuff that takes place in Japan with Japanese themes. So as a result people want to make something similar to what they love, but honestly I see it as a hindrance of creativity. It ends up being so generic (yes even you Katawa Shoujo as much as I admire the work) As you said there are a ton of different settings that are just as interesting and haven't been done to death as Japan has or hell, make up something. Just... more creativity in terms of setting and geography, PLEASE.

EDIT: Wanted to add this because, yes silly me back in 2008-2009 made a KN set in Japan... I was so young back then :c

but in the end that was more of a character piece than it was about the setting itself. I guess what I wanted to express in terms of WIP VNs is more attentiveness to the setting like with characters because the environment does shape them to some degree.

[Obscura]

Hehe, I wonder how much of the Japanese settings are due to the fact the big free-background site is Japanese.

[Michiyo6918]

Hehe, I wonder how much of the Japanese settings are due to the fact the big free-background site is Japanese.

I second this I almost made my game setting in Japan due to the lack of BG until I found an awesome person as my BG artist (originally I want my game to be in US but found no BG...)

About what turn me on and off... well to be honest I'm quite an easy-going person. I stalk every single WIP/Idea thread, but that doesn't mean I like all it.

Thread caught my attention:

- BxB tag (We need more of this!! >X<)
- Thread with a lot of picture and art. Beautiful is good but I'm okay either way.
- I'm okay with typo but as long as there are not a wall of text of typo...

Thread that I shy away:
- Wall of text without any separation, bold, italic, art, different color...
- GXG, BxG ....
- Commercial game (I'm broke...)

[fleet]

I shy away from VNs set in Japanese high schools, VNs with chibi artwork, and VNs where a main character has amnesia.

[Pyonkotchi]

Things I look for:
- Art: if the thread has no art, I will most likely leave the page
even if the art is bad I'll still stick around longer than if there was no art
especially if theres a wall of text descriptions of characters and setting. but no art
- Logos: I guess it goes with art. But a logo makes me stick around longer
- Unique art styles!: GUYS. GUYS MORE ART
I love the art style of Lucky Rabbit Reflex so much. it just looks so quirky and I fell in love with it from the beginning. Same with the art for the WIP, Club Shuffle. the characters look so interesting and fun, I just can't...
- GxB because romance
- Fantasy
- Organization. i like neat threads. even if I'm the most un-neat person ever u///u
- DIVERSITY. I like seeing more than just generically attractive Japanese/white cis heterosexual. Lemme see some cool brown characters, fat characters, trans, gay, and anything else. It's interesting. ;3;

Things I shy away from:
- BxB. i just don't really like it.
- Stock characters. Flesh those guys out people! I'm so sick of the Angsty BadBoy TsunTsun love interest, the shota/loli, and the klutzy girl. guys guysSTOP
- Commercial. Not because I hate it. but because I'm poor and jobless
- GxB. because we have so many people with all these excited IDEAS and DREAMS of making the next Tokimeki Memorial and Starry Sky
except its just a dream ;3;. I won't click unless its A. From a user I recognize. B. there are many pages AND the title indicates its being updated. (because you can have pages of AWESOMES and itll still never get updated)
- threads with titles like A *GENRE* GAME
- Fangames. I'm sorry all you fantastic fangame makers i just am not interested in fangames ;____;
- Threads written by people looking for business. like. Hi I'm blahblahblah from blah company and i'm looking for blah to blah your blah money. just because A. I'm not who they're looking for. B. its not the same cozy community feeling i like about here ~(;o;~)

[Lishy]

This is a very useful thread for everyone to read, in my opinion. I think it should be stickied somewhere considering how useful this is...

[Anna]

This is a very useful thread for everyone to read, in my opinion. I think it should be stickied somewhere considering how useful this is...

Maybe in the WIP forums, as this is all about WIP threads.