Use this forum to help develop your game-making skills, and get feedback on writing, art, music, or anything else you've created that isn't attached to a game in progress.
ok so, i have this idea for a game- a mystery one! i have in my head a really intristing scene and ideas (i hope lol)
and i really want to make it into a game and maybe even go pro and sell it (pffft yea right)
but soon enough i got into a problem- i never really made a story on my own much less a mystery (much less a game), and i dont even know how to start.
so anyone have a tip or two about writting a story\game? things i should never do in my game\ thing i should allways have in my game?
or just random things you think a good mystery game should have?
Graphics sell man. If you can't figure out how to do a good story make is look really fun with pretty graphics and advertise even if you have no content.
I'm sure some people would fall for the pretty graphics and buy the game even if you have no content.
But on a serious note, try reading some mystery novels and writing a few stories by yourself and reading them. You'll get better eventually.
If you really want to start immediately, plan out the characters and the overarching plot. Then sprinkle red herrings and misconceptions and details in.
I guess good twists always make the game fun and everything should connect with each other in the end.
Yeh good graphics and art always attracts people X3
Art sells. People wont care at all about the storyline if it has terrible art, it wont gt downloaded. Even if the storyline sucks, itll still b "good". Find a good artist and use your creativity and together it will sell =]
Unfortunately, while what you've said were all true(art sell, yeah. I am one of those players who did it) but it doesn't mean that just because the art is ugly or not is you'll never get a download for your game.
First of all, if we are going to real business here: Graphics only come after storyline. Unless its a romance game cause between you and me, why would I play an otome game or bishoujo game with retarded art? But that's only my opinion. There are many that will still play it regardless of the art because of the storyline(I'm rarely a person like that).
Secondly, I object to the fact that "storyline sucks+good art= Good sales". That's a thinking only a newbie would. Lots of games "had" nice graphics, but people ignored it because they are so turned off by the fact that they won't be able to go on another episode of the game because its killing their nerves and numbing their minds with boring lines.
Thirdly, all I can advice to you Lion is: Have confidence. Just write, write and write. The art comes second. On famous line here in the VN-making world is: A VN without a good storyline will practically won't get an artist even if they'd go and offer to pay. So far, this one never failed my expectations. And that is the very reason why graphics come after story. Well, if you are planning on commercial, you need to be a good writer and have a good art or you'll waste your money on the production. It shall always be balanced so that your customers and you, yourself as the maker would feel satisfied as well.
Well, hope I helped ^^"
"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." ---Mahatma Gandhi
I no longer use this account. Please refer to my new account, enta if you want to contact me. Thank you.
I never said "storyline sucks +good art=good sales" I'm saying if you really wanted to you could try to set up an illusion of a good storyline to sucker people into buying it when you have no real content there, except art.
emovampire1 wrote:Art sells. People wont care at all about the storyline if it has terrible art, it wont gt downloaded. Even if the storyline sucks, itll still b "good". Find a good artist and use your creativity and together it will sell =]
Things don't revolve like this, there may be times it would but it is not the common sense.
"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." ---Mahatma Gandhi
I no longer use this account. Please refer to my new account, enta if you want to contact me. Thank you.
yeah it will sell. just not well. or sufficiently to feel good about it. work on the storyline and reread it. If you don't feel like rereading it, it's probably not good enough.
Weakjounin wrote:Graphics sell man. If you can't figure out how to do a good story make is look really fun with pretty graphics and advertise even if you have no content.
I'm sure some people would fall for the pretty graphics and buy the game even if you have no content.
In a visual novel? Where the only significant gameplay involves dramatic decisions in the context of a story? I'm sorry, but this is absolutely terrible advice.
Yes, a Visual Novel needs good graphics: visual is in the name of the genre. But they also badly need an excellent storyline - Novel is also part of the name for a reason.
ty very much for the responses!
i get it, good art is importent, but if the story worth nothing, then the game worth the same.
ill try make couple of short storys and 'train' my story writting skills-
i think ill wait a bit before ill go pro- as my skills are still not there yet.
now about the actual writting of the story, is there some specific way you go at it, or you just sit and write whatever come to mind?
I sit and write whatever comes to mind then I read it over. if it's crap, it goes in the bin. if it's good I leave it
then when I stockpile enough good stuff I read it again. the lesser stuff.- trash
and I keep repeating this until I find something I figure as decent then I improve it.
The first thing I do when I'm writing is figure out the characters personalities. I do this by planning a rough outline of what I want from them, then I make it more detailed (adding in quirks, habits and their background). Then when I start on the story I write the five WH questions (who it is, what happened, where it happened, when it happened and why it happened) and then write a sentence beside them, for instance;
Who - The gardener
What - Stumbled onto a crime scene
Where - His employer's estate
When - Early hours of the morning
Why - Gambling debts
Then I would flush it all out: Gary the gardener heard a loud bang that came from inside the house. Usually he wasn't allowed inside, but he had to see what had happened, and none of the other servants would be up at this time of the morning. He crept closer to the main doors and heard the tell-tale click-clack of heels on the marble floors. A woman was running away from the scene!
Once she was out of sight he ran inside to see his employer sprawled on the floor, drowning in his own blood. The sun was just rising, which gave the blood a faint pink glow. The bullet between the eyes was the mark of George Ford - the debt collector. It was safe to say that his employer's gambling had finally caught up to him.
Then I'd add twists - The identity of the woman. Why the gardener was up so early. Why would a wealthy man be gambling away his fortune. Who is George Ford. How the gardener knew of his mark.
And then it would all just flow from there.
So, I just take it in steps :]
It might take a bit longer, but it allows for consistency.
