What would you like in a visual novel

[ZEFK]

I want the current VN I'm working on to be very unique.
So I'm asking you guys/girls what you will find interesting/want in a novel.
Besides cute guys and girls. That's a given.

Ideas:

• -Mini-games
  -Weather effects
  -Mouth movement
  -Characters speak (voiced characters)
  -Interacting with characters body parts (Like if someone gets hurt. You put a cast on her.)
  -Points
  -Skills
  -Animated videos
  -A good story

Tell me what you like in a novel or what you wish a VN would have.

[gekiganwing]

We have a thread called Ideas Dump that's been active for six years. You might want to browse through it.

That said... I believe the most important aspect of a visual novel is *story*. Do you care about the characters, their world, and their dilemma? If the answer is no, then it won't really matter if you have amazing graphics and music.

Art style shouldn't really matter. It can be intentionally ugly drawings, it can be photographs, it can be 3D polygons, it can be MS Paint scribbes... Generally speaking, it should match your story's genre and theme... though you can sometimes justify a graphic style change or using genre INappropriate art.

You can build a visual novel around gameplay. If that's your goal, then commit to refining its difficulty, ease of use, pacing, and so on. A story can make it more interesting, though you don't need to include one.

[Roxie]

You do know you've pretty much described an adventure game right?

[MaiMai]

We've had this sort of question before and there's really no use asking it due to the malleable nature of what can be put into a VN.

That and everyone has wildly different tastes as to what they find entertaining. You're not going to please everyone.

[TrickWithAKnife]

My favourite foods are ice-cream, roast pork, and mashed potatoes. Doesn't mean I'd want to have them all on the same plate.

Most people care about 3 things: An interesting plot, good writing, and appealing visuals.
Of course there are other things that can be added, but they are not what is going to be the deciding factor on whether your VN is good or not, unless you have a unique gimmick that you can pull off well.
But even then, you still need the writing and visuals.

By the way, not everyone is interested in cute girls/guys. For some people it can even be off-putting.

[ZEFK]

By the way, not everyone is interested in cute girls/guys. For some people it can even be off-putting.

I will make what I fancy. Everyone has their own opinions and I can't please everyone.


Thank you everyone for your input. It helped me a lot.

-ZEFK

[DerWanderer]

I really don't mind all those extra gimmicks in a VN (mini games, animations, etc). They certainly are great, but they don't determine the greatness of a VN. Without the basic stuff (e.g. interesting plot, interesting characters) that it will represent, those extra gimmicks will be nothing.

Now, about what I like from VN... I like VN with good art. Somehow I can't tolerate VN artworks that were made badly, probably because I'm an artist. It's a VISUAL novel anyway, so it's got to have at least a good visual.

I also like appealing characters that aren't necessarily stereotypical. You know, many people create characters based on... "templates" that have appeared many times in books/games/movies/comics etc. I'm interested in seeing REAL human characters with feelings. If the characters aren't good enough, then the VN must have a unique plot. A good script/dialogue must also be maintained to keep me playing the game.

[Ferdokki]

I agree with a lot of the users who are mentioning a good plot/story. If the plot/story for the VN is lame, I won't play it, regardless of the artwork. If I'm taking the time to play a VN, I don't just want "pretty" artwork to look at, I need a great story to keep me hooked. And I'm open to all genres: fantasy, tragedy, comedy, realistic fiction, slice-of-life, horror, etc. Any genre is fine, just as long as the story is good.
Some games overdo genres (ex: "Heartful Chance" went over-the-top with romance, and it sickened me). Whatever genre you choose, just make sure you don't overdo stuff and make it lame.

Also, I get irritated at predictable plot twists; I mean, come on, there's no twist when you can see what's going to happen from a mile away.

I find that the VN's I truly enjoy are the ones with likable MC's and characters. I understand what you were saying about how everyone has their own opinion, and I totally respect that. But I would just like that the characters be likable. For example, I hate playing otome games where the MC is a bumbling idiot who acts dependent on men. Unless they have a good reason to be that way, I feel that this MC character type is annoying. Again, that's just my opinion.

I can tolerate a VN with bad or mediocre artwork as long as the game is fun to play.
For dating games, I prefer having appealing-looking characters. But if the VN is any other genre, the looks don't matter to me much. It ends up being about the personality.

Now aside from all this stuff, I wanted to mention some of the things on your list of "Ideas" in your original post that I liked.
1. I like having mini-games in VNs. Maybe it's just me, but idk, it makes the VN all the more entertaining. Plus, it gives me something else to do instead of focusing solely on dating/pursuing someone. If it's an adventure VN, then mini-games make it even better! =D
2. I think mouth movement is pretty interesting to have. It's not the jackpot that will persuade me to the play the game, but in the game, it's nice to have extra animations.
3. I don't mind voiced characters as long as the voicing is done right. Example: the game "Phantasmat" has excellent voicing! The voices fit the characters, and the emotions/dialogue are reflected appropriately.
4. Idk how I feel about character interacting. It could be cool (in the game "Trauma Team", the player helps perform surgery on ER patients), or it could be lame, depending on the scene and what's going on. On the other hand, if you're making an adult VN, interacting with characters would be the icing on the cake for those players...
5. In dating VNs, I like having a point system to be able to see how well my relationship is with other character(s).

Additionally, I like it when VNs incorporate some flash animations. I'm mentioning this because one of the "Ideas" was "animated videos". I think that would be really original for you to do, but flash animations would suffice as well. Examples of what I'm talking about can be seen in "a2".
I also really like unlockables in VNs. Like CGs and character bios and extra CGs for if you complete certain routes or the entire game. A few recent games have started adding music boxes that contain game tracks that unlock when you get to certain parts. I really like this stuff too. =)

Which reminds me: I like having good background music for VNs. VNs with no background music are kind of boring to me, and I find my mind wandering a lot. The music (if relevant) keeps me tied to the screen/game.

Eek! Sorry for writing so much! I just wanted to throw my thoughts your way as you develop your game. I wish you the best of luck! =)