Visual Novel Writing Contest (planning thread)

[papillon]

Ideally it would probably work best if I supplied a soundtrack as well as the art, so that the entry would be more about making use of those bits of sound effectively and not about sourcing them. However, I'm not sure how well I can quickly come up with a sufficient collection of original music under the right licensing terms. I don't want it to be the same songs that everyone complains about being overused in free games.

In order to centrally coordinate resources and enable things to be tied back together into a single build, I suppose it would work if I provided a skeleton build complete with resources and instructions that you could only interact with it in particular ways - add your scene, but don't tamper with the framework and don't rename any of the existing files?

[DeeKay]

Hmm... that might actually work out if you want it in a finished product, yes.
Providing guidelines might even be reassuring to those who don't know how to go about the process and just want to get to the writing part of it.
Don't overwork yourself on that though ^^'''

[papillon]

I can easily come up with music so long as everyone agrees that submissions to the contest become technically the property of me/mycompany. Because I have no problem with buying a small collection of stock music for this, but the licenses are generally such that they can only be used in games by ME. Arranging anything else would require finding a musician and working out a custom agreement, and would probably take a while.

With a little fiddling in the contest description it should be possible to state that you retain the rights to take your script and make your own game with it later with your own sprites and music if you so desire, so it wouldn't make a practical difference to people entering.

[Victoria Jennings]

Sounds good to me.

I have a question, though... do we have to use the sprite you provide? As in, can the game be sprite-less?

[redeyesblackpanda]

"Restrictions breed creativity" is something worth considering. I think it might be a good idea to have the usage of the sprites as mandatory.

[papillon]

Of course, insisting on the use of the sprite is just begging for someone contrary to place the sprite so that only one pixel is visible onscreen.

I think I'd rather not try to bind that by rules.

[Victoria Jennings]

Cool! And about the providing a concept thing... does that mean you'll be giving us a premise, and the magic starts when we decide how to go about it? Or are we allowed to come up with our own? Because... well, I kinda have one in my mind, and I'm trying my hardest not think about it or develop it at all so I won't be cheating, but if you're coming up with the premise, then I'll just write my idea down for later. xD

[papillon]

Yes, there is a specific premise (which the sprite is quite tied to - I actually had that done a couple months ago, I've just been too busy to organise.) You'll be able to take that premise in whatever direction you want, but it probably won't fit in well with the idea already in your head.

[OokamiKasumi]

Ideally it would probably work best if I supplied a soundtrack as well as the art, so that the entry would be more about making use of those bits of sound effectively and not about sourcing them. However, I'm not sure how well I can quickly come up with a sufficient collection of original music under the right licensing terms. I don't want it to be the same songs that everyone complains about being overused in free games.

Go here: http://www.jamendo.com/en/search#qs=q=t ... ambient%22 Pick an album.
-- Ambient Symphony by Zero Project for example, would be good for a project like this.

Most of these (and this album in particular) are all under the CC Attribution - Non-Commercial license. Basically, as long as you credit the creator, and the use isn't commercial, it's free to use.

Yes, there is a specific premise (which the sprite is quite tied to ...

Err... Please tell me this contest isn't a form of that game where you give us the beginning and we have to provide the end? I loathe that game.

On the other hand, if you're giving us a few sprites, a few backgrounds, some music to choose from, and some SFX to play with then tell us us go to town...? That I'd happily participate in.

[Maelstrom-Fenrir]

This sounds amazingly fun, and a good exercise. It helps with creativity and flexibility, also learning to try to use the most of a concept given to you. In other words a perfect way to test your writing capability, if not to show others, but just to show yourself and test yourself.

Count me in.

I can easily come up with music so long as everyone agrees that submissions to the contest become technically the property of me/mycompany. Because I have no problem with buying a small collection of stock music for this, but the licenses are generally such that they can only be used in games by ME.

While I don't really feel we need music, or sfx. I have no problems with given up any types of rights, if this is the route you wish to take with it.

[Miyuki]

I'd like to participate in this contest. And I think a month sounds reasonable.

I'm mainly a writer so I haven't really learned how to use Ren'py to its full potential which makes me wary of things like NaNoReNo, but if the focus is just on the writing I can try to make a finished product and then maybe later on polish it into something better.

As for sound, I usually play them silently or at the closest I can get to silent. I don't know, the soundtrack doesn't mean too much to me when I play games. I usually listen to game soundtracks separately from gameplay.

[papillon]

Err... Please tell me this contest isn't a form of that game where you give us the beginning and we have to provide the end? I loathe that game.

Heh. Sorry. Not quite, though - I'm not writing any game *text*. Just a setup, like "two people meet after a train crash" (but not actually that). You may still hate it though.

So, thinking more about this sound thing, it looks like my primary options are:

1. No sound period.
2. No music, only sound effects which I provide.
3. Only a very limited supply of music that I provide.
4. Pick CC music.
5. "Suggested Listening" which is not included in the script and therefore not keyed to events, but can be played separately to establish atmosphoere.

I was investigating the feasibility of 3 and found some cool tracks via jamendo, but the trouble is that the filesize quite quickly gets out of hand even with an extremely limited supply of music, and then you'd STILL have the problem of hearing the same tunes all the time. 4 would be huge filesize bloat, never work.

Unless a bunch of people think 5 is awesome (you'd include a link to the song you thought people should listen to while playing your game) I think I'll stick with no sound, or sound effects only (depending on what I can scrape together when it's less hot in this room).

[Carassaurat]

I would, if I were you, go for a lack of sound altogether, option #1. The problem with #2 is that, if you'd provide the sound effects, someone might write up something that could really do with a sound effect, but you hadn't thought of the situation. An inconsistent use of sound is more jarring than a consistent lack. #5 Would be a problem, because I think I'd betray my identity to people who have listened to my music selection in the Worst VN/KN challenge; there are only so many VN makers who unconditionally recommend Bach's Cello Suites for everything .

Could you set it up so that entrants enter only a grand total of just one .rpy file? That would be an easy rule for what and what not to include, and it should be easy for you to assemble everything in one project that way.

[Sharm]

I like 3 best, if people don't like the music provided they can just not have music.

[Blane Doyle]

I vote for option 3 as well.