When the good ending isn't the longest/last ending

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TheLemmaLlama
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When the good ending isn't the longest/last ending

#1 Post by TheLemmaLlama »

So I've been writing a VN, but there are a few bad endings that take place chronologically later than the good ending.

Like, you hit the scene where the good ending is supposed to take place, but if you don't have the right flags, the game continues and proceeds to a bad ending appropriate for your flags.

Any other visual novels that have done this? Is that even a good idea? XD

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MapletreePaper
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Re: When the good ending isn't the longest/last ending

#2 Post by MapletreePaper »

In my opinion, this seems like a good idea on paper. I can't really say more than that, as kind of it depends on your execution. I know this is probably obvious, but as long as you don't make finding those flags a chore, I think you should be fine.

I say this because the only VN I can think of that does something similar is the original Steins;Gate. What this game does is sort of the reverse of what you're doing. When you reach the end of the game it checks whether you have the good ending flags, and if you do, it continues on to the good ending. If you don't, it just stops right there and triggers a bad ending. The problem, however, is that the devs made finding the good ending flags nearly impossible on your own. I'm not ashamed to admit that I used a guide to unlock the good ending.

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Re: When the good ending isn't the longest/last ending

#3 Post by TheLemmaLlama »

Ah, I guess I was more worried about the 'good ending being shorter than some of the bad endings' part than the flag part. Because all of the VNs I know about seem to have the best ending be the 'final' ending (like Steins;Gate), and when the game ends 'prematurely', it's always a bad ending (or at the very least a 'lesser' good ending that's still not the 'true' ending). Whereas my 'good ending' kind of 'cuts the game short' in the same way the bad endings in Steins;Gate 'cuts the game short' on the way to the good ending.

Like, if someone hits one of my 'long' bad endings first, then goes back and gets my good ending, would they kind of get a sense of "... that's it? That's all there is to the good ending? Feels kind of anticlimactic."? I don't think the good ending scene itself is written in a way that's anticlimactic on its own and if someone gets it first (or after my 'shorter' bad endings), I'm confident it would be satisfying and cathartic, but I'm wondering if the comparative length to my other bad endings would weaken that sense of resolution XD

Good to know about not making the flag-hunting a chore though :]

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Re: When the good ending isn't the longest/last ending

#4 Post by MapletreePaper »

TheLemmaLlama wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 9:22 pm Ah, I guess I was more worried about the 'good ending being shorter than some of the bad endings' part than the flag part. Because all of the VNs I know about seem to have the best ending be the 'final' ending (like Steins;Gate), and when the game ends 'prematurely', it's always a bad ending (or at the very least a 'lesser' good ending that's still not the 'true' ending). Whereas my 'good ending' kind of 'cuts the game short' in the same way the bad endings in Steins;Gate 'cuts the game short' on the way to the good ending.
Ah, I see. Well, I stand by what I said, the idea sounds good on paper. If you want it to feel rewarding, it really depends on how the good ending plays out. Is the primary conflict resolved in a satisfying way? Are the antagonists killed, jailed, or otherwise punished? If your VN has romance, does the main couple get together? In my opinion, that's way more important than the number of minutes it takes to complete. Basically, just write a good ending and people should like it. :)

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