How should I...start?

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harmonxxy
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How should I...start?

#1 Post by harmonxxy »

I'm very much interested in creating my own VN, as I've had a large interest in writing for the greater half of my life, but managing the resources for one particularly important aspect of the process is proving a bit difficult; that being the artwork. While my younger years were quite full with aspiring drawings and doodles, I never really took it farther than that. I would need to work toward a tablet and re-learn everything I've forgotten for that to become a possibility, which isn't something I'm averse to, but the idea of hiring actual artists is also appealing. The obvious problem with that being that it would be quite expensive to commission not only several characters, but different emotions/poses for them all as well.

Like I said, I wouldn't mind taking the time to fine-tune my illustrative skills to a point on the skill tree that I'm pleased with, but until I have the means (like I said, a tablet, unless I wanted to attempt a visual novel with photographs of pencil drawings...which sounds too Avant garde to be worthwhile) to do so...that brings me to an interesting conundrum...

How could a rough draft for a visual novel be written? I've tossed and turned between the idea of starting as much in the program as best I could...but what would that 'best' even look like? If I've progressed to a certain point where I'm pleased with the PNG's I've created, should I painstakingly go back and insert everything in as need be? Of course, at the moment I haven't chosen a proper vessel for my story yet but I do see merit in VN Maker, Renpy, and Tyrano Builder. Surely I couldn't write a rough draft as I would with any other story, hoping for pathways and ideas for dialogue trees to pop up later.

I should note that as far as music goes, I'll deal with that myself as well. It's an easier avenue for me to manage, given the tools I have available. However, a visual novel without artwork and images to go by is just a story; and I want to move onto a new avenue since I already know how to write those.

Any help is appreciated!

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Re: How should I...start?

#2 Post by Imperf3kt »

The general consensus I believe, is to start small.
Put your masterpiece to the side and create something short, simple and just for fun.
By the end of it, you'll have a much better understanding of what you'll need and how to achieve certain goals before beginning on your real project
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Re: How should I...start?

#3 Post by Wudgeous »

Imperf3kt wrote: Mon Jan 06, 2020 10:37 pm The general consensus I believe, is to start small.
This is very true.


On the art front -- there are a couple of approaches you can take.
The first: You can use some visual novel asset packs as stand-ins for your characters. Some are free. I'm sure you can find more copyright-free sprites with a quick google search.

The second: power through with your own art! I wonder if you've ever seen the original designs for Higurashi When They Cry or Fate Stay Night? Both are now massive franchises, but art-wise, they were quite modest when they first came out.

However, if you are gung-ho about hiring somebody else to do your art, you can start small there as well. Worry only about having base sprites for the most important characters; expressions and poses and clothes can all come later. As long as you have the PSD file, (which any artist should be willing to provide, as long as they're aware it's a sprite for a game), you can make later additions atop the base sprite to your heart's content.
How could a rough draft for a visual novel be written?
As for this, my personal approach was indeed, unfortunately.... write it just like I'd write anything else: fully expecting to edit it later. :) Once you have your "vessel of choice" though, it will be easier to write with code in mind.
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Re: How should I...start?

#4 Post by Elsa Kisiel »

I don't know how good you are with drawing with a pencil, but I can assure that I wouldn't mind traditional art in a visual novel. Of course, it means there's different process to follow, since you won't have transparency easily. Taking photo is a big no, but there's copy shop that would scan it in high quality for a very reasonable price.

Also, some visual novel don't have picture, or use free to use asset, or photo with filter, and it can be interesting when well made. It really depend of what would fit your project the best.
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Re: How should I...start?

#5 Post by Zelan »

I think there would definitely still be people interested in visual novels with purely traditional art. This project was never finished, as far as I know, but I followed it throughout most of its development and I loved seeing the creator's traditional work, which was scanned and converted into digital files. IDK much about where to find a good scanner, or how much they would cost compared to a tablet, but I'd wager that there would be less of a learning curve with a scanner than with a tablet.

Crunchy Lunch does actually use straight-up photographs. It's a short, comedic game, so it works, but I could see myself being interested in a more serious VN using photographed traditional art, too. It would depend on you embracing the style and doing something cool with it, I think.

If you do decide against using your own traditional art, I think the question of whether you want to use your resources to teach yourself digital art or hire someone else to draw for you depends on how patient you are. It might take you as little as a few months or as much as a few years to be satisfied with your digital work, which would delay your project, but on the other hand you would have a rad new skill and a project that you've made from scratch under your belt.

Good luck ^_^ looking forward to seeing more about your project!

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Re: How should I...start?

#6 Post by verysunshine »

Imperf3kt wrote: Mon Jan 06, 2020 10:37 pm The general consensus I believe, is to start small.
Put your masterpiece to the side and create something short, simple and just for fun.
By the end of it, you'll have a much better understanding of what you'll need and how to achieve certain goals before beginning on your real project
Yep. Even a small project can have some complications that you didn't see coming. It's easier to fix a small project than it is to fix a big one.

Take the amount of time you think you'll need to finish the project. Then, double it. You will probably need the extra time to fix bugs and other content problems.

Build the basics first, then add all the fun bits.

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Re: How should I...start?

#7 Post by SelLi »

On the art side of things, you can always do pencil drawings of your characters, take photos of them, and use those as placeholder sprites after you make sure they're a reasonable resolution for your game. (The resolution of photos tend to be massive, lol) Since you're talking about potentially using a tablet later on if you end up drawing your own characters, getting used to drawing your characters with pencil and paper will probably grow very similar skills to drawing them with a tablet before you get your tablet. Then, later, when you do want to replace the placeholder sprites with your new ones, you can name the new sprites exactly the same as the old sprites and replace them in the same folder. That will replace all of your placeholder images without having to code anything. Just try to make sure that your placeholder sprites and finished sprites are the same height~
On the writing side of things, you can always sketch out a basic story outline that includes branches. Just don't make the skeleton too complicated or specific. Each plot branch tends to add a lot to work loads unless they're very simple "good endings" or "bad endings".
Ultimately though, yes, I think the advice to just keep it simple and have fun with a small project is a very good idea.

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