Advice on Plot Layout

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FrozenApple66
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Advice on Plot Layout

#1 Post by FrozenApple66 »

(Man, I hope this makes sense.)

Hi,

In my visual novel I've worked out has set paths after a certain point. But, the basic plot is that the MC winds up working at a haunted hotel after her car crashes. As the game progresses, I've decided to give each obtainable a 'ghost story' to follow. And, once a specific path has been selected, the ending depends on how your decisions affect exorcising/pacifying/freeing said ghost.

Story Breakdown:
Chapter 1: Introduction (a place to meet all the obtainables and set up the story)
Chapter 2: Ghost Story (where your decisions effect which path you will take)
Chapter 3: Investigation (where you make the decisions that effect the ending of your path)
Chapter 4: Conclusion (your ending)

Basically, what I would like to know is, does this sound like a horrible idea? I'd be happy to take suggestions.
Last edited by FrozenApple66 on Fri Sep 27, 2013 8:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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fleet
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Re: Advice on Plot Layout

#2 Post by fleet »

It's not a horrible idea. Some folks will like it; some won't. Go for it, and have fun making your VN.
Some of my visual novels are at http://www.the-new-lagoon.com. They are NSFW
Poorly done hand-drawn art is still poorly done art. Be a Poser (or better yet, use DAZ Studio 3D) - dare to be different.

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Re: Advice on Plot Layout

#3 Post by Googaboga »

I know that kind of layout. I believe it is a pretty well established style of doing a VN when the various paths are based around a different character. Either way it certainly isn't a horrible idea. It is a nice way to have totally distinct paths. As for me personally, I like it.
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Re: Advice on Plot Layout

#4 Post by PN04 »

It sounds okay to me.
I think my only problem with it is describing it as formulaic, which it might be but I guess the word has bad connotations to me and I'm just trying to think outside the box too much.

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Re: Advice on Plot Layout

#5 Post by FrozenApple66 »

@ fleet & Googaboga

Thank you so much for the encouragement~! I think I may stick with this style, simply because I don't want to try something complicated for my first VN.

@ PN04

Perhaps 'formulaic' was not the best description. It does carry a lot of negative connotation. Maybe I should have said that each path is fairly 'set' meaning you can't switch between obtainables after a certain point?

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Re: Advice on Plot Layout

#6 Post by Flowers from Nowhere »

Definitely keep it simple for your first VN. That is the best way to make sure you finish.

As for the plot and layout you describe? Sounds like fun! I'll be looking forward to it.

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Re: Advice on Plot Layout

#7 Post by FrozenApple66 »

@ Flowers from Nowhere

Thanks for the feedback. Since I haven't gotten anyone outright telling me that this is a bad idea, I'll stick with it. It does make things easier for me. By the way, I saw your post in my recruitment thread. I'd be happy to work with you if you don't think my workload is too daunting.

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Re: Advice on Plot Layout

#8 Post by PN04 »

FrozenApple66 wrote: @ PN04

Perhaps 'formulaic' was not the best description. It does carry a lot of negative connotation. Maybe I should have said that each path is fairly 'set' meaning you can't switch between obtainables after a certain point?
Yeah, "set paths" is better wording. I think it lets people know what they'll experience without suggesting an undesirable limitation.

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Re: Advice on Plot Layout

#9 Post by KaenSe4 »

It's not a bad idea. The basic layout of your visual novel is pretty clear, and that's always good. However, consider the amount of work you want to put into it before you actually begin. How many paths and endings are you planning on making? For example, if you're going to make four paths, and have two endings for each path, that's eight variations you have to write. If you're not planning on putting a decent amount of work into this, consider having a linear plot in which choices branch off to smaller endings.

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Re: Advice on Plot Layout

#10 Post by FrozenApple66 »

@KaenSe4

I actually have 13 endings planned out, 3 endings for 4 paths and 1 'quick ending'. I have all of my endings loosely planned and a basic outline for the entire story. It will be a lot of work but I'm writing it in OneNote, using the little tabs on the side helps me to keep track of things. I think the hard part will be placing it into renpy.

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Re: Advice on Plot Layout

#11 Post by KaenSe4 »

Well, let me reassure you on Ren'Py. It's probably one of the easiesr programs out there to use, even more so for the creation of visual novels. All you really need to know is basic programming, and all the scripts and things can be found here: http://renpy.org/doc/html/

You might want to look at the layout of Ren'Py first and write accordingly to it, so all you have to do is copy and paste into the editor. If there are any other problems you may have, I'm sure there are plenty of experienced Ren'Py programmers here you can ask.

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Re: Advice on Plot Layout

#12 Post by FrozenApple66 »

I actually have someone assisting me with coding~ So hopefully it all works out! :D

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