Japanese Adventure [WIP]

[TrickWithAKnife]

Forgive the terrible temporary title. I'll come up with something more alluring in the near future.

Despite living in Japan since 2008, my Japanese is terrible.
I really want to find a fun way to learn and review useful Japanese, and hopefully help other people at the same time.
By creating something between a game and an interactive novel, not only could we learn Japanese, but it could also teach people who haven't been to Japan yet about how to survive in Japan.

Unfortunately I'm not a very artistic person. At this point I'm planning to take many photos of various things around Tokyo, and modify them as needed. But the story itself is my biggest concern.
But this project is aimed at people who are interested in learning natural Japanese, so hopefully they will be a little more forgiving if the storyline isn't legendary.


At this fairly early stage, we will have the main character, a new graduate, being offered an interesting opportunity to live and work in Japan, which they accept. I don't want to say too much of the story line at this point. Although we do have a lot of it already decided, it is still subject to change.

Through interactions with various characters and challenges that a person would really face if they were suddenly dropped in Tokyo, I'm hoping the player will slowly become familiar with more common and useful Japanese, as well as the situations they are likely to encounter.

If anyone would like to help out with storyline ideas and dialogue, I'd be really grateful. That's definitely a weak-point.
I won't ask for artistic help at this point.

As for the situations, I have plenty of experiences with them, so it should come in useful. Also, my wife is Japanese and said she would be happy to help with the Japanese that will be used in this project.

I'm not trying to make a dating sim or anything like that. If anything, it will be more of a mystery, with the player following clues to find out how they ended up in Japan, and how they are going to return home.

Another of my hopes is that people will recognise this as an on-going project and want to help, even if it's in a small way.
For example, if people have their own characters they would like added to the project, they could provide some dialogue and maybe a picture for their character too. Due to the nature of this project, there will probably be a lot more secondary characters than in most Ren'Py novels.

[sciencewarrior]

A game to study Japanese with an interesting story? You definitely picked my interest here. Are you aiming for basic or intermediate level? Romanji or proper hiragana/katakana? Ren'py has all kinds of interesting features, like support to furigana (ruby text) and hypertext links, so it is probably a good fit. Do you plan on having minigames, like putting a phrase in order?

[TrickWithAKnife]

The aim is from absolute beginner up. I think intermediate level would be more for a sequel if this project works out well.
And if someone is fairly low level, hopefully the story will be interesting enough that they won't lose interest early on.
At a rough estimate, a vocabulary of around 500 (but even 200 helps a lot) of the most commonly used words would help someone survive fairly well in Japan. The wonderful advantage here is that this vocabulary can be taught in a more natural way, rather than just memorizing word lists.

I would like to have options for the user to choose between Romanji or Hiragana & Katakana.
At first I'll stick with Romanji though. It shouldn't take too much work to have both kinds for the dialogue. But it's better for me to wait a bit, and them get my wife to check I haven't made any typos in Japanese.

I would also like to do some gradual teaching of Japanese characters. Ideally this would be done in bite-sized chunks. For example, reading the name of a train station, a shop, a person's name, etc.

I would definitely like to have mini-games of various sorts, but hadn't really decided what yet.
Putting words in order could be a great one though. Would be a wonderful test of grammar.

Oh, I should probably mention that I've been teaching English for almost 4 years, so I have many ideas that can be utilized to teach languages. The perfect lesson is where the student is having fun, and all the learning is done accidently.
Doing it in a game format just adds to the pleasure and the sense of achievement if it ties in with the story progression.

I'm also working on some kind of system where the player can keep a record of things they've learnt, so they can be reviewed any-time.
This system could also affect dialogue used by NPCs. For example, the player could be taught what something means once, from different NPCs, but they would only have to be taught it once, no matter who it was who taught it.

I wasn't aware of the ability to use hypertext links. That opens up some interesting possibilities.

[Blane Doyle]

I have only recently started to study Japanese (making good progress with hiragana) so I am EXCITED about this prospect!

[TrickWithAKnife]

Thanks for the positive replies. As I'm sure most people feel when they announce their first project, I was really unsure if anyone but me would be interested.
Now I feel even more motivation. I just hope it doesn't disappoint.

[gekiganwing]

Welcome to the forum, TrickWithAKnife.

I really want to find a fun way to learn and review useful Japanese, and hopefully help other people at the same time.
By creating something between a game and an interactive novel, not only could we learn Japanese, but it could also teach people who haven't been to Japan yet about how to survive in Japan.

Your idea sounds a bit similar to Go Go Nippon. Last year, the people at Overdrive and Mangagamer collaborated to release this visual novel. It's a story about tourism and a love triangle. The text is fully English and fully Japanese, on the same screen. That said, I recommend at least reading up on Go Go Nippon, and thinking about what it did well, and what it could have done better.

It sounds like you want to write a story about life in Japan. And I think your intent is to educate as well as entertain. If you aren't concerned with romance elements, then that lets you explore any number of other topics and themes.

How much realism do you want? If your main character is "...woken up in a park in Tokyo, with no recollection of how they got there...", that's a bit of a stretch. Well, unless the person has unusual health problems...

Anyway, good luck. Hopefully your game development will go along well.

[TrickWithAKnife]

I'm VERY open to any other story ideas.

I did have trouble thinking of a suitable starting story. Just having someone travel to Japan raised some problems:

• Why did they go to Japan without learning even a little of the language?
• Who wouldn't do research and make arrangements such as accomodation beforehand?
• What is the players motivation to keep playing (apart from learning)?

Although I want to teach people everyday conversation and situations, I'm not aiming for hyper-realism. Sometimes the rules may need to be bent a little for entertainment purposes.
Plus in this game, people will be much friendlier than in real life, with a higher chance of being able to speak English.

One thing that will be realistic though it that the player won't have someone holding their hand throughout the game.
I want them to experience the awkwardness of going somewhere and having no idea what people are saying.
But I'll offer them methods where they can find out what they need to know.

Go Go Nippon sounds interesting, but I'm not so excited about the dating sim aspect. Some people love them, but not everyone does. It's not something I would want to share with my young niece who is learning Japanese.
Also, I'm not willing to break out my credit card to test Go Go Nippon.

Actually, that is one more reason to create my own: I want this to be free for anyone.
My goal is not to make money, it's to learn and teach Japanese, and also help people who may be thinking about coming to Japan with the things that I wish I knew before I came here. And there were a LOT of things I wish I knew.
But through all the difficult parts, it's been a wonderful experience, and I want to show the players that part too.

The small parts of Go Go Nippon that I could see seemed quite well thought out.
I like the map system too. That was something I had been thinking about doing too.
Because learning a language is not something you can do in just a few hours, I'm planning to make this game HUGE.
The kind of game you couldn't possibly finish in a day. It needs to be paced out to work, because bombarding the players with screen after screen of new vocabulary is too overwhelming.

[Astrane]

I've got some ideas regarding the storyline, not sure how well it would work with your plans, but since you're asking, i'll just write them here and maybe you can find some inspiration from it.

Lets say....the protagonist could be a young bussinessman who was on a trip, and something goes wrong with the plane, forcing it to land on the nearest airport which happens to be the one of Tokyo. The protagonist totaly wasnt planning to stop to Japan, he was actualy quite ignorant of its existance untill this event, so he has no knowledge, nor guides nor anything related to japanese. Its all an unforeseen accident. And because of the plane defection, he can no longer get to a bussiness meeting on time, which means the deal's off ( he had competitors ). He's tired, frustrated, has no further plans, and next plane leaves only in a few days ( - or maybe he just hasnt got enough money left on him to affort a new ticket, and the plane company he flew with are just giving him excuses. That could be some sort of ' one trouble atracts another' situation ) , so he decides, first thing, to go for a walk, and clear his thoughts, or maybe search for a place to sleep.

On the way, ....something could happen to pick up his interest, and get him ....involved in a matter. . ...Or it could be that he simply gets lost, and the only thing he's got on him thats both in japanese and english, is some promotional paper he's recieved on the airport.

And perhaps the reason for his bussiness trip was to find "something", and he, somehow, gets to learn, maybe from someone, that, that certain "something" might also exist in Japan, and that would be the plot, the interest that drives him, and along with him, the player, further in the game.
I know that sounds very vague, but cant think of anything more precise atm.

[TrickWithAKnife]

Thanks a lot! It's definitely more suitable than my original story line.
Of course I'll stay open to ideas, but at this point I'm leaning strongly towards your idea.

PS: Let me know if you'd like to be in the list of people who helped contribute.

[TrickWithAKnife]

There's no expectations as to when this will be completed.
I'd like to keep updating it, so there may never be a final version.
Just fairly regular updates available from the same places.

I'm expecting that I'll will be doing the vast majority of work on this, and I'm totally ok with that.  I can easily allocate at least a few hours per day towards this, except on weekends. Most days probably MUCH more. Yay for insomnia.

I want this game to be 100% free.
This is because I love Japan, and I'd like to help anyone who is interested in coming to Japan, or learning Japanese.

For anyone who contributes, no matter how small the contribution, you will be given credit.
If you have contributed in some way, but would like to be credited using a name that is different to your Ren'Py name, send me a PM.

Of course people who do major contributions will feature more prominently in the credits.  It's only fair.  If this project becomes what I hope it can be, having your name on it could be helpful if you want to be part of other large projects.

There doesn't seem to be anything quite like this.  Especially not for free.
Surprising, considering the demand for it is incredibly high.

The scale will be massive, but it will be expanded gradually so it doesn't become an over-complicated mess.

****************

Ok, to help with the discussions, I'll add some of my notes that I have so far.
If there are any additions or changes you feel should be made, please let me know.
Constructive criticism is also very welcome.

Possible scenarios:

• Buying food at a convenience store.
• Shopping (clothes, books written in English, etc).
• Buying a suica card。 (There are 2 types of transport passes. Suica is used in more places than Passmo)
• Using a train。
• Reading addresses.
• Buying a cellphone.
• Finding a guesthouse.
• Staying at a manga kisa. (These are internet cafes. Very useful to know if you miss the last train...)
• Going to the dentist.
• Going to the hospital.
• Ordering a taxi.
• Reading maps.
• Dealing with currency.
• Making a bank account.
• Getting an alien registration card.
• Renewing a visa.
• Finding a job.
• Finding magazines.
• Learning about different places in Tokyo.
• Getting health insurance.
• Going to the ward office to register as a resident.
• Sight seeing.
• Meeting new people.
• Going to a restaurant.
• Finding events.
• Visiting/praying at shrines.
• Japanese festivals/holidays, etc.

All these scenarios would also need to incorporate cultural awareness. For example, taking shoes off before entering a changing room to try on clothes (made that mistake once), not getting on the women-only carriages on the trains (made that mistake too), and so forth.

Possible game features:

• Money system.
• Inventory.
• Various factors for food and drink. (This is not interesting, but it's here so I don't forget. Conversations in shops change if there are drinks, ice-cream, hot and cold items or food that could be heated. This is something I will need to track.)
• Notebook. (This is a big one. I would like some kind of system where the character can keep a record of things they learn. This would help the player in their studies too. This could also be used to affect interactions with other characters. For example, whether the other characters introduce new vocabulary with explanations, or use the same vocabulary as more of a review. I want the player to feel like their Japanese is improving naturally, but they can check their notes if they are having trouble or want to review.)
• Time/date system.
• Journal. (Depending on the gameplay, this could be a to do list, a list of clues, or anything else.)
• Health? (This could be tiredness, hunger, thirst, etc. Not 100% sure about adding this)
• Map. (This could be used to travel around different parts of Tokyo.)
• The option to switch between Hiragana & Katakana or Romanji (Japanese written in English characters).
• Actual voices for some/all characters? (This would be very useful for the study aspect, but would make the file size skyrocket.) Alternatives would be having 2 versions, depending if the player wants voices, or having them as DLC.
  Also, it would depend how many voice actors I could find. I only want native Japanese speakers for the Japanese speech. If I can find a few voice actors, I could alter their voices slightly to be voices of different characters.
  As for non-Japanese characters, it wouldn't matter which country they are from. Maybe I could find a few people here...
• Using real photos from around Tokyo for background pictures. (These could be "as is" or stylized. Using real photos for characters may be difficult, as I don't know how many people would want to have their photo taken for this.)
• Using hyper-links to provide other useful information.

Important things we need to sort out:

• Why is the main character in Tokyo?
• Why can't they speak any Japanese or know anything about Japan?
• Is it more suitable to use first person or third person for narration?
• What is the main characters motivation? Just staying in Tokyo isn't so interesting, unless the story writing is amazing.
• What might stand in the way of the main character achieving their goal?
• Will we create a character for this game, or allow the player to customise as much as realistically possible?

So yeah, as I said, I'm very flexible about things, and would like to hear other ideas. No idea is too small or crazy at this point. I can add it to the lists, and then it can be discussed by anyone who wants to take part or voice an opinion.

[Neolem]

I like the scenarios so far, but what about adding some typical Japanese cultural scenarios?
For example about visiting/praying at shrines and some Japanese festivals/holidays etc. Maybe combining it with the time/date system?

About the game features, I’m not so sure about the money and health system.
Does the player have to work all the time for money? Scenarios can only be done with enough money?
About the health, will it be game over if health reach zero?
Although those are some nice game features, I think it might take too much attention for a language learning game. But maybe you can explain what you had in mind?

About the voice, maybe it can be optional? Like a voice pack which can be downloaded separately and installed. Or release two versions of with and without voice, letting the players choose themselves. I personally think it will be awesome if voice can be included.

Haven’t really thought about the story yet, but some ideas what came up right now.
What about a person who just wanted to start a new life again. Buying a one way ticket to another random country, which happen to be Japan. He has to adapt his life in Japan and learn everything.
Or a story where the player received a letter from a diseased/lost/whatever person from Japan. Out of curiosity the character went there without any proper preparation and find clues about the person during the scenarios.
Or the character happened to be a unfinished pre-programmed android finding his creator. Making him a self adapting and learning robot haha.

[TrickWithAKnife]

Updated my previous post with some of those great ideas.

I like those first 2 story ideas you suggested. As for the android one, it might be harder for the player to make a connection to the main character, and also androids don't need to worry about many of the scenarios, or feel the embarrassment which will be used sometimes in the game. See my part about cultural awareness for personal examples.

The first storyline is the most realistic, but we would still need to find ways to keep the player interested. There is no drama without conflict.

The second storyline has a lot of potential, especially with keeping the player interested long-term. Maybe someone with a closer relationship would work better, such as an obscure, possibly wealthy uncle.
Also, if there was some kind of problems involved, it could be more exciting. For example, the same message could have been sent to someone else, and the player has to compete against them.

I thought about having the money system because sometimes it's important to know if you are getting a good deal.
When I first came to Tokyo I was spending around ￥1,500 on lunch, not realizing it's quite easy to have a great lunch for less than ￥500.
Also, many people who come to Japan have very limited budgets. It would be good to show people what you can achieve on different budgets. This would also work in with the job hunting part. There is no motivation to get a job if you don't need money.

The health system isn't vital. I just want to find some way to make the player visit various food places, such are restaurants, cafes, supermarkets and convenience stores. In my experience, they all present their own challenges.

[jjbproductions]

Here is my story idea I spent two hours working on:
A teenage boy (or girl) has an uncle who lives in Japan who has recently gotten ill. The boy/girl's parents send their child there to watch after him for the summer. The boy/girl reluctantly heads to Japan without knowing any Japanese, and not knowing his/her uncle well. To make a long story short, the uncle enrolls the main character in a 1 hour-a-day summer school where he/she can learn Japanese. The other students at the summer school stay there much longer as they learn other things besides Japanese. The uncle also might teach the child some Japanese grammar every once in a while which could be a very emotional moment for the players because of how ill he is.

Other Major Characters:
A Japanese boy who attends the summer school and who knows very good English. He quickly befriends the main character and is a genius. He constantly mentions random facts which can be annoying. The main character wonders why he is at a summer school considering he is so smart.

A girl who appears friendly to the main character, however she knows very little English. She is often sarcastic and says what she thinks and wants immediately, without thought or embarrassment.

A girl who is a know-it-all in some subjects such as social studies, but awful at others like Literature. She is friends with the other girl. She is average at English, and okay at Japanese, but her main languages are Hebrew and Turkish as she spent most of her life in Turkey with her dad and Israel with her mom. Personality wise, she is a shy girl, however she often gets into lot of trouble with the police for pranks she does.

There is a mute boy in the class who you rarely see in summer school because he cannot speak so he doesn't go to Japanese class. He does Japanese sign language, and carries a notebook with him which he uses to communicate with others by writing Japanese in it. NOTICE: He is not deaf, just mute. He could have a small section (if the character becomes friends with him) where he teaches the basics of Japanese sign language.

The teacher is a female who believes in creativity and going at your own pace without being graded.

The assistant teacher, a male, feels very differently about this and is harsh and rude to his students. If the character gets to know him well (and has pretty good Japanese) they could learn about his backstory and how hard his life is.

Wow that took a long time considering that I wrote it from my iOS and kindle fire! Hope you like the ideas.

[TrickWithAKnife]

Thanks a lot for your hard work.
I especially like the depth in the characters. This is something I'm not good at myself, but I feel it's needed, so the story will be more interesting, and to make the players care about the people they encounter.

I do have two questions though.

• Does most of the story takes place in school?
  I'm just wondering how well the players would connect with a main character who is a student. The vast majority of people who visit Japan are aged 18-30; people who are no longer going to school.
  Also I'm not sure how we could incorporate a lot of the planned scenarios, such as finding accommodation, finding work, registering as a resident, making a bank account, and arranging health insurance.
• My other question is about the Japanese sign language. Would you want that incorporated into the game?
  Personally I don't know anyone who knows Japanese sign language.

[jjbproductions]

Thanks a lot for your hard work.
I especially like the depth in the characters. This is something I'm not good at myself, but I feel it's needed, so the story will be more interesting, and to make the players care about the people they encounter.

I do have two questions though.

• Does most of the story takes place in school?
  I'm just wondering how well the players would connect with a main character who is a student. The vast majority of people who visit Japan are aged 18-30; people who are no longer going to school.
  Also I'm not sure how we could incorporate a lot of the planned scenarios, such as finding accommodation, finding work, registering as a resident, making a bank account, and arranging health insurance.
• My other question is about the Japanese sign language. Would you want that incorporated into the game?
  Personally I don't know anyone who knows Japanese sign language.

No problem! Well it is your game so it is up to you... but here are my ideas:
1. I guess the main character could be a college student/graduate who is attending a Japanese night school.
2. The sign language was just supposed to be a 1 minute "extra" which only has only a few words in it; nothing that needs to be incorportated.