CGs instead of sprites and BGs?

[fleet]

You might want to make a short demo VN using only CG art and see how well it is received.

[AlmondFlower]

Is that wise? Will it sell (if commercial)?

Is it wise? Well, depends on how much work and time you want to put into it. But yes, I think it could sell. From what I've seen, any game could sell if you can put a good enough story into it and get people to enjoy the characters. You just have to get others interested in it and show the work you've put into it.

- Is it better having only one artist for consistency and quality?
- Or several to reduce to workload and save time?

That depends on the length of the game you wish to create and the amount of work you'd need. It also depends on what you might need for it also. It can be good to have one artists do the art work, but sometimes it's just not realistic in order to get the game finished on time.

- Several artists would mean several art styles, do you think this would work?

Yes, it can. But be careful and mindful of making sure the styles blend well together. You could end up with a seamless transition that complements one other, or several completely clashing looks. Make sure to communicate with one another to keep it consistent.

- Would you buy/download a VN in this format?

Yes, I would.

- Using CGs will most probably rule out the need of a CG gallery (since there would be a buttload of CGs),
so is it better using a "chapter" gallery (or however you call it) to view CGs instead?

That could be an interesting way to go about it. Why not make them 'unlock' or something for completing each chapter?

- Will it alter the way the dialogues are given?

It's possible. Then again, it could improve the way dialogues would drawn a person into the actions of the scenes and prevent repetitive sprite expressions.


- Will it cause more difficulty in coding compared to using Sprites and BGs?

Maybe, but that could also be something to consider when you're figuring out which scenes need them.

- Will this change the whole "feel" of a visual novel? For the worse? For the better?

It tends to be used to intensify or bring in the player to the action of a game, from what I've seen. It just varies on what you want to use them for. In my opinion, they are usually for the better.

- How about during violent/action scenes? Mild love scenes? Comedic scenes?

Any scene can be improved on or made better. It just should vary based on how you want your story represented.

- Are there any VNs out there that has the same format?

I can't think of any that do at the moment.

- How long would you suggest a VN be for this to be successful?

A decent length long enough to keep the reader interested and with enough content to keep the player interested in what their seeing - as well as paying for.

- Would this be an impossible project for one-man team?

No. It is not impossible. It may take one person a long while though.

One more, if you find yourself playing a VN like this, would you enjoy it? How would you feel?


I would be happy at first. Whether I would enjoy remains to be seen. But, I think I would.

[Arcanum]

"The Yawhg" is all CGs, too, but it's definitely interactive and the style of the gameplay favors all CG , since you have a limited time in game (7 days) and limited actions you can take.

[Roiya]

if you plan on making a long game i wouldnt go that way since you would need a new cg everytime the setting changes. while sprites and bg can be recycled over and over for a multitude of scenes. a cg only game can work but only if you have a gazillion cgs otherwise it could look weird if characters were stuck in the same position while the dialogue changes.

[aphosphene]

You might want to make a short demo VN using only CG art and see how well it is received.

I have a bigger project right now where I originally planned on using CGs, but you're right I should test out first the all-CG concept. I have plans on releasing a short KN VN, something easy and light.

[Elmiwisa]

I tried to look up the All-CG tag on VNDB, but apparently that tag was suggested and denied. They have Lots-of-CG tag and No-Character-Sprites tag however, which might come close.
Quality CG is very time-consuming/expensive to make, and is usually less versatile (ie. don't make sense for more than 1 event) so I doubted it is a good idea of making a VN just from these. Low quality CG, and CG that are just variation of each other can probably be done. I means, isn't how comic/manga have done it all along? Every panel can be considered a low quality CG, and sure they might lack colouring compared to a VN's CG, but the VN can use a single CG throughout a long dialog rather than needing a new one every 3 lines.
Oh, and there are VNs with 2000+ CGs. It is scary to think that some creators are willing to go that far.