3rd person writing?

[aphosphene]

Just a random thought. Is it recommendable to make a VN with a third-person narrative?
I don't mean a total omniscient storytelling, that jumps from person to person. It still focuses on one character.
But can the person-to-person thing work out as well if it only focuses on a small cast? It might confuse the player though.

Also, usually in the 3rd person point of view, there is a lot of descriptions (which is sort of redundant
because the player can already see visually what the character is describing.) But what if the descriptions are lessened?
Are there any VNs with this type of storytelling?

Edit: I'm also aware that the player might also feel isolated from the character, how much would this affect the gameplay?

[fleet]

Some VNs told in third person are listed in posts at the attached link.
http://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewto ... 13&t=15018

[OokamiKasumi]

Just a random thought. Is it recommendable to make a VN with a third-person narrative?

Absolutely. In fact I almost exclusively make my games in 3rd POV because that's how books are written in English: 3rd POV, Past Tense. The only time I use something Other than 3rd POV is when the game is specifically targeting the player's participation, such as in a Hidden Object game, a Quiz, or a Random Generator game.

[SundownKid]

A 3rd person VN would probably have the camera "outside" of the characters whereas a first person VN's camera would be from one character's POV. It's certainly possible, though uncommon since it saves space for the MC to be invisible and 3rd person is usually told from past tense whereas decisions in a VN are ostensibly made in the present.

[aphosphene]

Some VNs told in third person are listed in posts at the attached link.
http://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewto ... 13&t=15018

Thank you for the links. The list has been helpful since I'm now planning to make a short VN in the third person.

Absolutely. In fact I almost exclusively make my games in 3rd POV because that's how books are written in English: 3rd POV, Past Tense. The only time I use something Other than 3rd POV is when the game is specifically targeting the player's participation, such as in a Hidden Object game, a Quiz, or a Random Generator game.

I'm glad to know that a veteran here in the forums has been making VNs in these format (definitely checking out your games). It certainly does boosts my determination in making a 3rd-person VN. I do have an ongoing project, but it's quite massive (and the progress is going painstakingly slow) so I decided on taking a break by making a smaller, lighter one instead. Thank you for you insight

.. 3rd person is usually told from past tense whereas decisions in a VN are ostensibly made in the present.

This has been troubling me recently. Because, as you said, these type of writing would usually require the use of past tenses. And I was thinking how much it would affect the player to make decisions that plausibly took place in the story's past. How about a 3rd-person narrative in the present tense? Would that be more effective? There are some books out there in the same format that have well-received. (The Hunger Games for example.)

[fleet]

The only times I've seen complaints about verb tense in a visual novel is when past tense and present tense are mixed. I'd recommend using either one or the other; just be consistent.

[aphosphene]

The only times I've seen complaints about verb tense in a visual novel is when past tense and present tense are mixed. I'd recommend using either one or the other; just be consistent.

That makes sense. Consistency is what matters in the end. And I can be such a grammar Nazi sometimes. Thank you again.

[SundownKid]

This has been troubling me recently. Because, as you said, these type of writing would usually require the use of past tenses. And I was thinking how much it would affect the player to make decisions that plausibly took place in the story's past. How about a 3rd-person narrative in the present tense? Would that be more effective? There are some books out there in the same format that have well-received. (The Hunger Games for example.)

Well, it's certainly possible, for example:

"Stanley chose the door on the left."

or

"Stanley chose the door on the right."

Both are legitimate stories told in the past tense, based on your present decisions. The story itself changes.