What are showstoppers in completed VN announcements

[fleet]

I did an unsuccessful search here, and decided I'd post a new topic.

When new VNs are completed, budding authors often post an announcement with a link to the VN download. I've read posts on what to include in the announcements, but what are some showstoppers?

By showstoppers I mean things in the announcement that would cause a player to decide "I'm not going to download that."

If such a topic already exists, please provide a link. If this topic is in the wrong sub-forum, please move it to the correct one.

Very respectfully,
fleet

[EternalDream]

For me, it's probably unappealing visuals or no visuals at all. Many games are posted up with a description but no screenshots, so I don't really want to waste my internet, since mine is limited, for something that might have stuff I don't like. In a way, it's like advertising your product, without an image of your product but only words, you know? :/

Also, there's lack of description and too much description. Yes, you need a description because I have to know at least what the story's about in order to decide to play it or not. I have low attention span for a lot of words so bringing me a wall of text would make me not want to play either. I prefer a paragraph (short to medium length) about the story that can catch my interest.

[IonicMomo]

It's a combination of factors for me.

If the description of the game is vague, with no screenshots, plot description, or character profiles, I would hesitate before downloading it, and would probably pass entirely if the file size is large. I don't see it worth my time to download a 100+ megabyte file if the creator can't even put the effort into writing a reasonable description of the game. (This also makes me question the value and playability of the game itself, and how much the creator cared to begin with.) I like long descriptions; it also gives me a sense of the creator's quality of writing, which is more important to me than anything, including art and gameplay. If I'm going to be investing my time in downloading and playing this game, I want to know exactly what I can expect out of it.

I won't download anything that is a fan game based on an anime/manga/game/etc. that I have never watched/read/played. What's the point? I wouldn't expect to understand the plot, characters, or jokes, or enjoy it very much. Even if it is based on something with which I am familiar, I still prefer original stories and characters.

I won't download a game that has (or appears to have) a lot of fan service targeted towards males. I can do without seeing little girls' panties, thanks. I'm also far less likely to be interested on BxG games in general, which is just a matter of personal preference. I have played a lot of BxG games and liked them, but I will pick and choose which ones look interesting to me, and the ones I like are usually plot-driven. I'm more likely to download a GxB, BxB, or non-romance game, because those appeal to me more.

[Aleema]

Not a single screenshot -- or the screenshot is just plain ugly.
The word count is posted and it only has 3 digits.
The summary is remarkably vague, or "I can't explain it. Just play and find out."
The thread is riddled with mentions of bugs, typos, or non-working downloads.
No formating the in the opening post; no bold, underlines, font size or color changes at all.
Opening post is written poorly; typos, no capitalization, it's only 3 lines long, etc
It's a demo for a commercial game. (I has no $$$, sorrrryyyyy.)
Game size exceeds 100mb for short games, 500mb for others.

[Sapphi]

The lack of screenshots is the biggest thing for me. It's not that hard to hit the "s" key in Ren'Py and upload the result, so along with not catching my interest, it gives me the feeling that the game isn't any good. It could be the best game ever, but if there's no screenshot, I won't download it, so I won't ever know.

I also agree with Aleema about bad summaries and typos. I have seen too many threads where people are like "Yeah, I guess I should have gotten an editor." Whaaaat?! This is a huge community with a huge section of the forum dedicated to WIPs and Recruiting... When I see that, it automatically makes me think that the creator doesn't really care about what they made enough to make the effort to polish it. This also applies to bugs and errors. Test your visual novel. Have other people in WIP test your visual novel. People shouldn't have to download what they are told is a finished piece and then be assaulted with easily-correctable typos and errors when there is a whole section of the forum dedicated to correcting these things before the VN is posted in Completed Games! >O<

[Mirage]

What discourages me:
1) Like everyone else, no screenshot is the biggest turn off. My internet connection is slow, so it takes hours to download a game. So if I'm going to download something, at least I need to know how it looks.
2) Size. Unless the game looks promising, I'll less likely to download if the file size is big.
3) Summary/Genre/Premise looks like something I don't like. Though this might change if I read good reviews of the said game.
4) Fan games. I'm not a fan of Doujin games.

What encourages me:
1) If the game receives interesting feedback (whether it's positive or negative)
2) If the creator is already an established game maker (Might sounds unfair to newcomer, but going for something familiar is human's nature ^^;)
3) If I already follow the game in WIP section of the forum.
4) Commercial game (I'm also selling games, so I like to check what other commercial game makers create.)

I'm lenient when it comes to typos/grammars because not everyone here speaks English as their mother tongue. Sorry, I just hate grammar nazi with passion. lol~ I also can tolerate bad drawings, because everyone needs to start somewhere.

[fleet]

Thanks to all who responded. I appreciate the information.

[PyTom]

There are certain things that appeal to me in game - games set in space are always fun, as are old-school bishoujo games, which I am a fan of. Beyond that, I look for certain things that show that the game-maker believes in the game.

I always like it when a game has its own website - even if it's just a free wordpress site with three or four pages on it. It's not a huge sink of time, and it shows me that the maker thinks the game is worth promoting. By contrast, when the release of the game consists of a thread on Completed Games with a few announcements on it, it's a real turnoff.

[Auro-Cyanide]

First, art. I love art, I love pretty pictures and generally speaking, humans are visual creatures. You must have visuals such as screenshots, character sprites, logos, that kind of thing. I am attracted to those like a moth to a light. However, I am also forgiving with art. I know how long it takes to learn to do it, so I will put a good story over bad art any day. We read for the story after all, the art is just super pretty icing on top.

Second, story. this one tends to quite unique to the individual, but what I look for is something creative and unique. I dislike overdone cliches and stereotypes. I want to see someone actually sat down and thought of a plot that they can uniquely tell.

Third, writing. If the opening post has bad writing, I don't hold much hope for the actual game. I understand that for some people, english is a second (or more) language and i don't expect them to be perfect at it. However, I do think they should have touched base with an english proofreader somewhere along the line before they post in the completed game forum. That is what the recruitment and WIP sections are for. I look for good structuring, dynamic language and foreshadowing. It is like an advertisement, you have to hook people into the story so they are interested enough to play.

Final, effort. If I see someone has put a lot of effort into their project and is truly excited about it, then I feel more excited about it as well. I want to see that they did the best they could, looked for help if they needed it and sacrificed a bit to tell their story. It makes me believe in it a little more. If someone randomly posts two paragraphs in the complete section and that is it, well, it doesn't strike me as very proactive and I probably won't look at it unless the plot sounds AMAZING.

[fleet]

Summarizing the advice offered:
1. Include an appealing visual.
2. Include a description of the story and characters (it should be about a paragraph).
2a. Include a description of the story and characters (it should be more than two paragraphs).
3. Watch the file size; it should not be large (not to exceed 100 MB for short games, or 500MB for large games).
4. Do not write a fan game based on an anime/manga/game/etc.
5. The initial post should be free of grammar and spelling errors.
6. If word count is posted, it should be more than 3 digits.
7. The creator is already an established game maker.
8. The VN should be a demo of a commercial game.
8a. The VN should not be a demo for a commercial game.
9. The VN should be creative and unique.
10. The author should demonstrate putting a lot of effort into the project.

Thanks again for the advice.

[EternalDream]

I think number 7:

7. The author should be an 'established' game maker.

should be more like people might prefer the author to be an established game maker, not "should be one"

[fleet]

I think number 7:

7. The author should be an 'established' game maker.

should be more like people might prefer the author to be an established game maker, not "should be one"

Thanks. After reading your post I modified number 7 to use the exact words used by Mirage when he/she posted.

Obviously some of the advice is conflicting, but that's to be expected (what a dull place this would be if we all agreed about everything). At least I have a better idea of what to avoid when announcing a new visual novel.

Very respectfully,
fleet

[Sapphi]

And thanks to this topic, now everyone else does, too.

[IonicMomo]

Just a thought, but one of the biggest factors in file size is music. Music files in some games can be absolutely huge. I'm often willing to sacrifice a little bit in sound quality for hours saved in download time. It might be worth it to release two separate versions of the game, one larger file with full sound/music quality, and a second with slightly lower sound quality but much smaller file size and download time. (It could make downloading certain games more feasible for those of us with slow connections.) Of course, if it offends your artistic sensibilities to even think of such a thing, especially if you're using custom made music, then don't do it!

[fleet]

One more quick question.
Does it make any difference to those who might download a VN whether it is a link to another site, or if the game file is attached to the post?

Very respectfully,
fleet