I'm posting here to get everyone's opinion on what to look for while editing a Ren'Ai game! When all of it is complete, it will be submitted to renaigames.com and possibly posted up in the Dev Center. Not one person alone is taking credit for this, and no names will be put down. It's just going to be a combined effort of this forum! =P
After a useful list has been created, I guess I'll edit it and submit it... n.n;
Basic rules for posting here:
- Give a detailed explanation of your opinion
- Give a detailed excuse for your opinion.
The two major mistakes I see constantly are spelling/grammar mistakes and not keeping track of what the player has already done story-wise.
For spelling mistakes, double-check spellings on words you are not sure of. Possibly run the script through a spell-checker to point out obvious mistakes. However, instead of letting the spell-checker correct it for you, read the sentence it's in and correct it yourself. A tip from me is to read each sentence you write after you write it and before you write the next sentence. That way, you won't have much work to do when the script is complete. For grammatical mistakes, I often see people confusing the the uses of "your" and "you're." Some more mistakes are in the uses of "their," "there," and "they're." One I see left often, but often enough to mention is the use of the verb "lead." I've seen many people use "lead" as the past tense of "lead." Actually, "led" is the past tense of "lead." So make sure to not rely on spell-checkers and grammar-checkers!! Only you know exactly what you meant to say. Now, I'm not saying you should watch your spelling and grammar because I'm a stickler. =P I'm saying this because when people that know the correct spelling or the difference in the uses of grammar read your story, they will get stuck on that mispelled or grammatically incorrect sentence for at least one second. In that one second, a player can be taken out of the story, remember that they're playing a game, and lose all emotions that were running through their soul before they read it. It took the story writer all the events before that sentence to invoke all the emotions that the player had before they read that confusing sentence; it is definitely not a trivial matter.
About not keeping track of what the player has already done story-wise... What can I say? I've come across this quite often. Here's an example:
- Jim tells me about his past and about his dead wife, Mary. Later in the story, Jim mumbles under his breath, "I wish Mary were here..." My character proceeds to wonder, "Who the heck is Mary?!"
Alright, feel free to elaborate or contradict on my opinions. And if you can, please add your own as well. It can be on any aspect of the game, not just the story script.