Lemma Soft Forums

I'm sorry if this topic has been made before, I did some digging and I couldn't find one.

Dear experienced/inexperienced VN players alike, what are your most loved/hated tropes you see in VNs? As a creator myself, I really want to know what different people like seeing and what they've had enough of, and I'm sure lots of other people would also benefit from knowing.

What do you think is overdone? Too easy? Or not used enough? Spill your opinions to me, I'm really really curious!

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Can I just say, I don't dislike or like any trope. I dislike or like how people write that trope. Like Maki_3 I often dislike every character falling for the main... however this is due to poor or sometimes lazy writing. I have seen some stories where this actually is really well done. If you write the characters a real people and not just mindless sprites that are there to be romanced, you can write it in ways that will make the tropes not so unreal seeming.

I actually love the overly shy cutesy girls, but often they like many other tropes are written for that purpose only and don't seem like real people. I don't like super sporty in your face I always forget about others feelings girls... but if your write them well I end up liking them despite the fact that I automatically dislike them. It's about not getting too attached to the trope and thinking about why they are the way they are, why they feel the way they do. This adds another layer of depth that can make even unreal situations seem reasonable.

That being said, there is a place for mindless sprites that are just there to be romanced. Some people enjoy that more then well written stories that add depth. So nothing is really wrong or right to do in story telling, you'll just capture a different audience. I think you should go for what you enjoy most. You'll get different answers depending on the site you ask on, because different kinds of people will answer. What is popular or not popular here, you might find is the total opposite on another site.

Id like to see more Friendship endings in visual novels, I know they're out there but its pretty scarce.

What I dislike in the VN's I play are:

• Douche protagonists who think the world of themselves and act like it to other characters.
• Dead parents (Sometimes seems like half the VN's I play have an MC with dead parents mostly due to an accident or other non natural way)
• The MC has amnesia (often just a substitute for lazy writing, don't mind it if it is well implemented)
• 1D supporting characters. (no person is only sporty/nerdy/cool/evil etc)
• In SF/Fantasy some vague mysterious conspiracy/organization that has done/will do/wants to do something very nefarious for reasons unknown (This is not VN specific many tv-shows do this which is why I reaaaaaaalllyyyy dislike this.)

What I like in VN's

• Consistent world (The writer thought about why things happen in the world and applies rules consistently)
• Not every supporting character(m/f) dropping their panties (figuratively or literally) at the sight of the MC

Something I'm a bit ambivalent about is whether having every character be romanceable. One the one hand I think it is better story-wise to not do it while it's kinda crummy if the NPC you like isn't romanceable.

My current favorite elements in visual novels include...

* An external conflict. The characters need to overcome something.
* A distinct art style. If the illustrations are compared with other VNs or pop culture art, then they should stand out.
* There's more to the major characters than what their first impressions might indicate.
* Characters have strengths and weaknesses, as well as a reasonable number of skills.
* The protagonist has a face and a personality.
* The protagonist interacts with a variety of other characters, not just their love interest(s).
* If there is any romance, it doesn't seem obligatory or tacked-on.
* Any gameplay elements seem integrated into the story.

milksoda wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 19, 2019 5:42 pm

I really want to know what different people like seeing and what they've had enough of, and I'm sure lots of other people would also benefit from knowing.

I currently define the word trope as "a story or gameplay element that can be noticed in multiple works of fiction." In other words, something which is not necessarily good or bad. I mention this because the word cliche always has negative connotations.

I really don't like the "Everything is a simulation" reveal as an ending in Fantasy and Sci-Fi stories especially when the beginning has a solid world-building foundation and magic system. Like come on now, if you can create a fantasy world and have all these characters I believe you're good enough to create some resolution. I'll take a bland "and then they lived happily ever after" than this. It's like pulling the rug underneath me because you suddenly decided you don't want to write about it anymore.

And more often than not, the "simulation aspect" subscribes to some nihilistic droll that preaches about reality or just give up on your dreams crap.