Bonus Ending... thingy

[Auro-Cyanide]

What is your opinion on how to place a bonus ending into a VN?

Lets say that there is one ending that is more complete/happy/true/correct/whatever then the others and there is an actual part of it that could be consider an 'after story'. It could end at a similar point to the other endings, but due to the circumstances of the ending, it has the potential to show further ramifications. Would you prefer (by the way, it is a super short VN.) ?:

a) Just attach it to the ending. Don't make me replay stuff D:<
b) I would like to have a set of choices/pick up something/talk to someone/do something to open the ending.
c) I wouldn't mind having to play through all the endings to get it (either automatic or through passwords)

I was curious about this. I have heard people dislike it when games force them to play through to get the bonus, but on the other hand it is a very short VN. My concern would be that the endings would be disjointed. Like the get ending B,C,A and then unlock the bonus for ending B, then wouldn't that be weird? On the other hand it doesn't really make sense to add an extra objective in such a short VN. It would be a bit obvious. I don't really mind putting it where is belongs, but thought it might be a bit boring. Maybe I could put it after the credits, like how movies sometimes have their stuff...

Anyway, opinions of all sorts appreciated.

[Aleema]

I would hate having to replay everything just for one scene (at a point in the game I was just at). If playing all endings unlocked an entirely new path, not just one scene or whatever, then that's okay. It would be nice for something to happen if you get all the endings, too. And if your game is pretty short, so that skipping isn't a chore in itself, then that's okay, too.

[Chansel]

I like the idea of putting a bonus ending after the credits
That way it really is a Bonus, a little bit 'extra'. Because, as Aleema mentioned, if you're going to have to play through the whole game again to see a new scene that basically continues from the point you were just at, you'd just press the skip button to get there, you know?

About playing through ALL the endings to unlock it, that's something I'm personally against. Big time.
I truly hate it if a game tries to force me to play through all the endings just to get one new scene. In a way I can understand it if it's some sort of grand epilogue about what happened to all the characters/paths, but I'd still much prefer it if the characters/path got their own epilogues once you've finished playing through that specific part.

You're idea of putting it after the credits is a really good one, if you ask me
I know I'm always happily surprised to see something new and shiny after watching the credits (which I always do, just to check if there's something new and shiny XD)

[papillon]

If it's a bonus after-story there is precedent for making it available from the main menu once it's unlocked.

If it can be unlocked by something that isn't directly the lead-in to it, that's okay, the name of the option for choosing that bonus should indicate what it is. Slight disjointedness doesn't really matter because people are playing all the different outcomes anyway, right?

If it's an epilogue for the path you were just on, playing it after the credits is also fine. But I think it would feel weird if you completed ending C, the credits rolled, and then you automatically continued to a bonus scene from ending B.

[okonomiyaki]

Make them play all the endings for the bonus scene, but then do what papillon says and attach it to the menu screen.

The point is to make the game replayable/give people the desire to replay it. Whether people flip out because they "only" got one scene, if the scene is good enough, I'm sure they're not going to complain all that much.

[sake-bento]

Make them play all the endings for the bonus scene, but then do what papillon says and attach it to the menu screen.

The point is to make the game replayable/give people the desire to replay it. Whether people flip out because they "only" got one scene, if the scene is good enough, I'm sure they're not going to complain all that much.

Another vote for this option. I've put the bonus after credits, and I've put the bonus in the menu (sometimes in the same game), and in my experience, people feel more "rewarded" when it's in the menu.

[Sakura02]

I would prefer to have it pick up from the turning point which leads to the special bonus part. Having to do something all over again is kind of a pain unless of course it offers something different

On that note I have a coding question. I'm planning on having a special true true ending in my own VN after certain endings are fufilled, but I'm not sure where to find the coding for that. Like from the main menu something unlocks after you do certain paths?

[HotLimit]

I feel the same as Aleema, however, I make VNs that lean more towards a game and less towards interactive fiction. As such, (b) is my preferred choice. I love the idea that I can play a game several times, yet there might be something specific I have to do that I just never discovered (although it helps to know that something like that exists so that I don't miss it completely).

I think it's pretty common to have games that you can play twice. The first time you get one ending, and the second time you can do something special to get an extended ending. This is a trick that big game developers use to make their games seem like they have more content than they actually do. I would stick with unlocking a 'true' ending in the gallery after you've unlocked the original three (or however many you have).