Lemma Soft Forums

Hi!

I'm making a game out of a story I've written and I'd like some advice!
The story is veeery looong with lots of things happening, so I was thinking of dividing it up into several parts/chapters.
Because it's so long and because I've written this story for so long, I kind of feel like I don't want a game with several endings, mostly because it's so long (so it would be a hassle to play it over and over to get the good ending) and because I like the ending I have so I'd like everyone to see that ending and that one only.

So my question is... How do you feel about kinect novels? (Basically a visual novel but with no choices and with only one ending).
I could probably come up with different ending and choices, should I try to do that and make a visual novel instead?
Or should I make a game that does have several choices that changes some part of the story/shows different outcomes in some situations, but still has only one ending? The choices you make will only affect some dialogue etc. (If I do this, I was thinking I would make it so that some choices will unlock extra stories and materials and so on, so it gives the players something to work for).

Any suggestions/opinions?

Thank you!

KNs are a completely legitimate option. VNDB has over 1000 entries under their Single Ending tag.

If your project is really very long and you've already invested so much time into it as a single ending story, I wouldn't see much personal benefit to you for adding extra endings that you don't want. You should focus on telling the story you want to tell. Adding things you don't want or care about just because you feel like you need to won't make for a better game; readers can sometimes tell when a writer has thrown something in there because they "need it".

Since these are hobby games, make your hobby fun and only do what you want to make the best game you would want to play.

Some people like KNs, some people don't.
Some people like VNss, some people don't.
Some people like both.

Make the work of art you want to make and make it to the best of your ability.

I like KNs as much as I like VNs, really.

But I'll admit that I'm one of those biased towards the quality of one against the other. In simple words: I expect way more from a KN than from a VN.

Since it's only one story, and there's no replay value per-se, I think of KNs as the autor putting his ALL into this, so I expect it to be GOOD. Like... Narcissu or Planetarian good.

I've seen this attitude quite a lot, but of course I'm not an expert, so take that with a grain of salt. I like KNs, but if you make it and have a long story, I daresay you'll have to work even harder than usual to deliver something unforgettable.

It's whatever floats your boat really. If you think your story works better as a KN then go for it, if you think it works better as a VN, then go for that. As long as the work you put into the project is of a high quality and the story is good, I'm quite at the end of the day people will pick it up. Focus on the quality of the work and all should be fine.

Good luck with your project.

I think dividing it up into chapters/sections is probably a good idea. (I am assuming you mean in-game as opposed to splitting it up into different pieces.) It gives people a place to stop for the night or to get up and take a break to get tea or something. Technically this also gives them a point to disconnect from the story and not come back to it, so you should think about the pacing to encourage people to want to come back from work or their tea break and pick it back up again (but you'd want to be doing that anyway, even if you didn't have official chapter/section breaks.)

Remember that everything is ultimately up to you. A strong vision for a game is a great thing, so don't feel compelled to do things with your game that you don't want. Don't take it to heart if people say they're not interested because it's not their thing, and you're fine.

Thank you all so much for the advice, I'll try making a kinect novel! I originally wrote it as a book so it should work best that way.

I enjoy both styles. Kinetic Novels usually feel like a more cohesive and whole experience, closer to an actual novel, whereas Visual Novels are an entirely different beast. However, if your concern is only that it would be a hassle to re-read, I might reconsider. Most visual novel engines have built in function to make re-reading easier, like skipping read dialogue, auto-mode, and multiple save slots.

Kinetic novel is the best choice for something strong and deep which by its idea, by its nature literally cannot require some variants, options, choices. I guess it must be short story. Long story can be done with final showing of particular characters' destinies. Player do some choice and at the end it is shown what caused to. For writer it is simplification for linear work – if he cannot write not linear lines.

I love VNs because it gives me the chance to chose my own route based on my opinion and choices, but at the same time I hate getting bad endings if I mess up somewhere. I've never played a KN because I really think it's very limited in my opinion. But, I am still pretty new to VNs and KNs so maybe I'll give KNs a try instead of instantly shooting down the idea of a KN.

Also depends on how story driven you want to be. Does the path you choose really impact the way you write? If you can't write multiple branches without maintaining the same amount of depth, KN might be better.

But, if you have a story that is fulfilling either way or you want a challenge/extremely different paths, then VN might be the best pick!