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I'm still mulling over ideas for NanoReno. So what type of gameplay would like to see in a VN, assuming you are in the mood for something mixed-up and the gameplay in integrated well in the story. Some examples of gameplay types:

FirstPersonShooter
turn based RPG
action RPG
adventure (inventory puzzles)
Board game mechanics
platformer
HiddenObjectGame
etc.

Anyone have an itch for any of these gameplay types in a NanoReno entry?

These are all time-tested categories of gameplay. It might be difficult to create FPS, action, or platforming gameplay in Ren'py. But if you are up for a challenge, or if you are ready and willing to use other game-making tools and engines, that's fine.

I recommend thinking first and foremost about what *you* want to create. Don't make a game or a VN to please other people. Instead, create the sort of art, music, fiction, and gameplay which you like. (One possible exception: if you have a close friend or significant other who wants to design a game for them, then you might benefit from creating somethinng that they will enjoy.)

gekiganwing wrote:These are all time-tested categories of gameplay. It might be difficult to create FPS, action, or platforming gameplay in Ren'py. But if you are up for a challenge, or if you are ready and willing to use other game-making tools and engines, that's fine.

I recommend thinking first and foremost about what *you* want to create. Don't make a game or a VN to please other people. Instead, create the sort of art, music, fiction, and gameplay which you like. (One possible exception: if you have a close friend or significant other who wants to design a game for them, then you might benefit from creating somethinng that they will enjoy.)

THIS, THIS RIGHT HERE. I agree SO MUUUCH. Make whatever gameplay YOU'D want for your game! Thre has to be at least SOMEONE that likes it as much as you like it! Since even if a lot of people suggest something, you have to LOVE IT too! Or it just isn't worth making.

Cyrus wrote: FirstPersonShooter

No, there are too many FPS already, the last thing I want to play is an indie FPS that has iffy graphics.

Cyrus wrote: turn based RPG
action RPG

These already are visual novels, in essence, with gameplay added to them. It doesn't matter if you put it in Ren'py, it will still technically be an RPG. I love my RPGs, but they have to be good to make me play through the battling.

Cyrus wrote: adventure (inventory puzzles)

I don't really like point and click adventures, I think they're tedious. I would rather read a visual novel than go through the point and clicking.

Cyrus wrote: Board game mechanics

I have this in my game, and I think it's nice because it's simple and fast. But, if there's no story behind it, it might be incongruous.

Cyrus wrote: platformer

This type of fast-paced gameplay doesn't mesh well with slow visual novels. But, if you made it into a more RPG-esque game, I guess it could work.

Cyrus wrote: HiddenObjectGame

I find it a bit more palatable than adventure games, in fact, this was used in Phoenix Wright, Trauma Team, and other games to great effect without seeming cheesy.

I should have said, I'm going to use unity for NanoReno. (Is that against the rules? Are there rules?!)

SundownKid, I'm mostly with you. One good thing about fps is that you will not need to leave the first person view to switch between story dialog and gameplay. Also, has anyone ever played a fps that played like, let's say, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha. Only with iffy graphics of course.

How about...
>none

I'd personally love to see Unity used for a visual novel, in fact, I'd like to know if there's an easy way to use Unity to make one.

FPS are all so samey to me that I wouldn't play one of any theme unless it was really, really good.

AxemRed wrote:How about...
>none

You don't like games? That's cool.

SundownKid wrote:I'd personally love to see Unity used for a visual novel, in fact, I'd like to know if there's an easy way to use Unity to make one.

Me too. I'll let you know how rough it turns out to be. Although the unity asset store does sell some dialog managers that claim to be turn key( such as https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/#/content/5020 ), I won't be going that route.



And by the way, I'm only asking out of curiosity. I just want to know what type of game play fellow developers enjoy and would enjoy in a VN.

Unity, Unity, Unity, everywhere I go it's Unity. j/k I just have a thing against them because they re-did their licensing from something I was totally cool with to something I would never use shortly after the project got popular. Any 3d work I do will be in Blender or Cocos3d.

I want some activities to perform and some control over the character and plot. I do not particularly like kinetic novels anymore than normal books or graphic novels so they have a lot more competition compared to games in my book.

I like RPGs. Real RPGs. Games where you fight battles to unlock more cuts scenes in a totally static story are not real roleplaying games in my book, dungeon crawlers or combat sims, but not roleplaying games. Fallout 1 and 2 (and the 3d ones but I think their mechanics are comparatively weak) are pretty much a perfect example of how to do it right. Also Star Control 2 and nearly every Ultima game and gold box D&D game.

One you didn't list that works well is time-management/dating sim/stat building, also a good one to mix with the others.

For a visual novels I'd probably not do a platformer but any or all of the rest would be fun. Even a platformer could totally work but I think you'd need to come at it from the right angle.

Cyrus wrote:

AxemRed wrote:How about...
>none

You don't like games? That's cool.

I just don't like gameplay in a VN, it rarely turns out well. Making a multi-genre game is really hard.

Do you prefer static kinetic novels to visual novels with paths and choices? I'd consider any VN that isn't totally linear and has some form of player choice to be a game on some level.

Finishing a NaNo game is enough of an endeavour for most people. Trying to cram an extra gameplay style in on top of that seems likely to result in a big mess. Especially if you don't have a favorite game style nailed down and well-practiced to deliver.

I love point-and-clicks but they are HARD to do right. And I'm not sure how you'd fit either that or HOG into unity...

Simulations. Pretty much any form of simulation, as long as I'm allowed to hoard and collect stuff (preferably money) in it works for me.

Hmmm....If it's just that, then I guess I like RPGs and simulations, and adventure games. I don't really like first-person shooters, and hidden object's not really my thing.

Be careful trying to throw in too many extra elements on such a tight deadline. Even getting the VN elements done to a reasonable standard will take a surprising amount of that month up before you know it. I'd say adding fps or rpg gameplay to that is setting yourself up for a disaster unless you keep them extremely simple. There's not many fps or rpgs out there that were made from scratch in a month (even using middleware to help out) that go beyond tech demos and that's not because the creators were lazy. Those things are time and asset sinks.

I think most of us have thought this kind of thing in the past, it seems doable, but the difference between a working prototype and an actual game is huge, it has an uncanny knack of sucking up all the time and resources you have to throw at it and a whole lot more besides. I'd say start as simple as you can and expand if you have the time. If you plan it out right and give yourself a good, solid foundation to build on, I think that's a good way to go.