To Commercial or Not To Commercial?

[Caveat Lector]

Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the Slings and Arrows of outrageous critics...

Okay, kidding aside, for those who have had experience in this field, how do you decide which projects go commercial and which ones are free? Is it based on length? Content? What elements would appeal, what elements wouldn't?

[nerdy]

Well for the project I'm doing, I decided to make it commercial based on how good the writing was (after I teamed up with someone, that is ).

Also, art is important as well. If the art is not nearly as good as the writing, it will look like it is not worth much at all.

[Sakai]

Well it is rather hard question to ask especially that everyone has a different opinion. When it comes to first games people do I do not believe they should be commercial, person should keep on going until they are satisfied with their skills and their crew than they should make a commercial game however my believes are different.

I do not plan on creating commercial games. I do not believe I need to commercial my games nor do I really feel like I need to for now and my team members do not find it any different. I personally have the thought of making a game and seeing people enjoy them, all funds that I work on are really paid over my own hand, hands I work over in long tiring shifts and I do not really mind it. All of my staff members are paid for what they do as well...

Perhaps one day there will be day when I will need to commercial my game but at the moment it is not

And now onto the topic, I dont really think length has to be opinion on here, still can commercialize it for a very low price with a amazing and interesting story and exquisite art. I personally see a commercial project to be something which is a visual novel (not kinetic) because players will have entertainment out of it beside reading the story, a visual novel with a very amazing art and overall GFX (That concludes GUI, Characters, Backgrounds, Logo & CG's) and story that will really make the player return to the game after finishing it attempting to win over another route.

Commercial game perhaps should have a music that has a big effort put it and composed by a skilled person. As I said it really depends on people's opinion which differes so I'm interested myself what people will write.
But I believe the most important elements of a commercial games are story & art (gfx)

[Destiny]

Personally, I think you should have done some non-commercial games before going commercial, so people know what kind of story you will give them and if it will suit their taste.
You have to provide art examples, if the game is long, then a working on a trailer might also be a idea, to attract more people and seem more professional.

I myself don't like the idea though, despite being in constant need of money.
I prefer giving games for free with the hint that I have a donation button, simply because I myself rarely can afford a game, especially when the price is fixed.
I haven't finished any VNs yet, so I can only speak about how I have done it with RPG games (which are a different story anyway, as most graphics and music are usually not totally royal-free and thus can't be used in a commercial game anyway)

[twilightworks]

From a buyer's perspective, all of the commercial VNs I've purchased have been ones with incredibly high polish.

Length, to me, is less important--I guess this is a side effect of never having come across a particularly long EVN, at least compared to the epics that exist out of Japan (FSN, Umineko, even Ever17 was pretty lengthy compared to all the EVN's I've come across).

Of course, cost is a factor--but I'm more likely to pay for something short that can touch my world as opposed to something lengthy, but missing that essential "polish" that allows suspension of disbelief.

[gekiganwing]

I'm sure indie game creators and contributors will have something to say on this topic. Here's my thoughts as an outsider:

* Finding an audience is crucial. Who will buy it? What sort of art, stories, and games do they already like? What sites do they browse, and where are they active online?

* Format: are you selling to people who like gameplay or narrative? Yes, I know they overlap. I've looked over TVTropes' Story to Gameplay Ratio, and its Sliding Scale of Gameplay and Story Integration. But this is an important decision. It's difficult to sell a mostly linear story to video game fans. And if your fans want to get immersed in the story, then they probably don't want to learn game mechanics.

* Value: let's say you release an indie game for just Win/Mac/Linux. How much should you charge? Ask too much (especially without demos, trailers, and useful information), and you might struggle to sell copies. Charge too little and people might ignore it, or assume it's unusually short/simple/uncommercial.

* Can you sell another related product and give away your VN as a bonus? Remember that at least some of your audience might not even know what a VN is, or know that visual novels written in English exist. It might be easier to sell a novel, comic, game, or other product that's clearly connected to your VN.

Also, art is important as well. If the art is not nearly as good as the writing, it will look like it is not worth much at all.

Presentation matters in any media format with still or moving pictures. You might sell a few copies with just amazing art or a distinct style, but there should be more to your product than a dazzling appearance.