how to spend $20k on your VN?

[Katta]

You forgot bgs

[aeri]

The most important thing is if you have a budget, please keep as close to it with line items broken out like three posts ago.

While sprite art pricing varies, it really depends how many characters you need drawn, how detailed are the drawings, do they need multiple outfit changes or hairstyle changes...or a wide range of emotions and faces (blushes and sweatdrops)...so it really depends.

If you're not picky with the art style, you can definitely do your game with less than 10k, or even 5k or less with free royalty-free resources available at least for personal projects.

[RotGtIE]

First get your script written and edited. Use your completed script to produce screenplay documents detailing everything that needs to happen, and then use your screenplays to build spreadsheets listing the assets you need. You can estimate production costs based on your spreadsheets and the usual going rates for assets.

Your first draft of your script should be free on account of you writing it yourself. Then pay an editor to make it not garbage. The rest of your budget can go into asset production. Marketing can be done via social media promotion.

Keep your day job and live like a bachelor. You may start with 20k but in the time it takes to get work and commissions done, you'll have more to add to your budget. Big numbers aren't so big when spread over time.

[Root13]

If you are planning to create a website, here are some useful tips http://djangostars.com/blog/web-develop ... uct-owner/

[Mellanthe]

Can you elaborate on how you allocated that break down in budget?

I'm sorry if this sounds presumptuous of me and you've already done this C': But the allocation seems a bit arbitrary. I find it better to take a bottom up approach. Find people (artists, composers etc.) with a similar quality of work you want to be achieved in your game, look at their rates, or maybe even ask them about rates, then calculate from there.

I feel this gives a more accurate representation of how much you will spend compared to a top down approach with the 20k budget.

[Aviala]

I'd argue you could make a decent VN with a much smaller budget than 20 000 USD. I mean theoretically, the more money you can spend, the better, but the chances of making a ton of money with a VN are slim so unless you're really confident in your product I'd probably start with something smaller and simple, maybe use like 10 000 or even just 5000 on it and see how it does. Since you're writing it yourself, the major money sinkholes are art and marketing, music too if you commission it. If you only have 5 characters at 100 USD each, that's 500USD. You can get decent CG's for 100USD each, let's say you have 10. That's 1000. Good BG's can be commissioned for 100 each too, let's say you have 10 of them as well. That's 2500 in total - not a lot, and you've already got the foundations of a small game you could sell for maybe 5USD or so. You still have 2500 for coding, music and marketing, which should be enough for a small game, especially if you learn to do at least the simple parts of the coding yourself (the basics are really not that hard).

I'm not saying you should do what I suggested, but I just wanted to point out that you don't HAVE TO spend as much as 20 000 on a VN project, and with commission prices so low here on the forums, you have a good chance of making a top-notch VN with your 20 000 USD budget. I'm not saying you should be careless with your money but 20 000 definitely seems enough especially if you're not planning to include both complex gameplay AND a long, branching story.