NaNoRenO - Make a Ren'ai Game in 1 Month!

[rioka]

Looks like everyone's gearing up for the month. =D

I'm finishing up my test game and it seems I may have to either scale down my original NaNoRenO project or start fresh... Hmm, which one, which one? :\

[mikey]

I'm really looking forward to it as well. It will be a great day for fan-made ren'ai games if even half of us finish within the month.

Yes, I was wondering what will happen if some of us don't make it. What will happen to the project? Just keep going and be ready whenever I'm ready? That can undermine the pressure. Hmmm

[rioka]

I don't think that's much of a problem for this year considering those who are in for the challenge (mikey, PyTom, chronoluminaire, Grey, JoJo, and myself) mostly have ren'ai development experience already.

But for other successive years... hmmm, an incentive of some kind maybe?

[chronoluminaire]

Yes, I was wondering what will happen if some of us don't make it. What will happen to the project? Just keep going and be ready whenever I'm ready? That can undermine the pressure. Hmmm

I do see your point. But we ought to avoid thinking that way, because most of us have never got a game finished to the state of being released. Part of the point of NaNoWriMo was encouraging people to write their novel now, rather than "when I get round to it" or "in a few years".

To modify sections from the NaNoWriMo overview:

Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over talent and craft, NaNoRenO is a game-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a ren'ai game but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.
...
By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.
...
As you spend March writing, you can draw comfort from the fact that, all around the world, other National Ren'Ai Game Writing Month participants are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great Frantic Game. Participants meet on the forums throughout the month to offer encouragement, commiseration, and -- when the thing is done -- the kind of raucous celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children.

And that has to happen within the month. From a certain point of view, of course the game could be released at any point; but there's all this encouragement and motivation possible for those who take on the NaNoRenO challenge. There's exhiliration and camaraderie for those who choose to do it this way, to play this crazy game of creating within the restrictions. And key to those restrictions is the one-month rule.

So sure, if someone doesn't finish it within the month, then we'll still want to play their creation and want to encourage them to finish it. But central to the challenge of NaNoRenO is the end-of-March target. That's what we'll be bearing in mind, that's what we'll be working against. It's key to the whole thing, and so hopefully if people understand this then they won't feel their pressure and motivation undermined.

[mikey]

Hmmm, haven't heard of JoJo lately... hope he's just lurking around ^_^

I of course do not intend to back off, ts... it's a matter of honor for ATP Projects! (check out the new birthday banner... [sponsored remark]) The problem is that just because of that I want to play it safe, today I have completely redrawn my story diagram which was "final" and made the story... well, almost linear. There should be a good reason though, but still... okay I admit it, I'm scared! And it's not even the time yet! Self-questioning, despair... all the finished games, the ren'ai experience is for nothing! Aaaaa!

Phew... Yeah, I never liked to be pressured. But then again, it was one of the reasons I took the challenge, to see what would happen. And what Chronoluminaire said is NaNoRenO's charm - the co-suffering and all, I am really looking forward.

[rioka]

Wow, that was a great motivational speach, chrono! What do you say about being the designated NaNoRenO/IntRenAiMo cheerleader next month?

The problem is that just because of that I want to play it safe, today I have completely redrawn my story diagram which was "final" and made the story... well, almost linear. There should be a good reason though, but still... okay I admit it, I'm scared! And it's not even the time yet! Self-questioning, despair... all the finished games, the ren'ai experience is for nothing! Aaaaa!

Tell me about it! It's driving up the wall. I've had my project all planned out and ready for several weeks now but I'm having doubts about meeting the one month deadline. My mind has been whirling with possible other projects - keep old one or make new one? Old or new? Hey, why not make one for NaNoRenO and IntRenAiMo? O_O Gaaahhh!! >.<

Okay, venting completed. Glad that's out of my system! Thanks for listening you guys - more to come next month. ;P

[PyTom]

Just an FYI (while I'm taking a break from nailing this memory leak for a wall): My next game is intended as an IntRenAiMo project. I plan to start it in a day or so, when I finally get the bugs in Ren'Py fixed.

[chronoluminaire]

Wow, that was a great motivational speach, chrono! What do you say about being the designated NaNoRenO/IntRenAiMo cheerleader next month?

:D Aw, cool! I guess I was so inspired by the motivational emails that Chris Baty sends each week of NaNoWriMo. I thought NaNoRenO / IntRenAiMo could do with something similar... I don't know if I can manage to be quite as effortlessly encouraging as he does, but I had been toying with the idea of making weekly posts throughout March, encouraging and exhorting as the month goes on. This is a wonderful crazy thing we're signing up to do, and I'm confident it's going to be an absolute blast as well as a great achievement: so I want to encourage as many of us to finish within the month as physically can - which is everyone!

(Including those who've not signed up yet! If you're reading this, there's still time to join us for the mad adrenalin creative rush! )

[Blue Lemma]

(while I'm taking a break from nailing this memory leak for a wall):

o_O
memory leak for a wall?

[PyTom]

(while I'm taking a break from nailing this memory leak for a wall):

o_O
memory leak for a wall?

for a wall, to the wall... what's important is that it's fixed.

[Blue Lemma]

Never heard that expression before...

[Tage]

I've heard of it before.

You fixed it? Nice!!

I wish you all luck in the month to come! I have unfortunately relapsed into MMORPGs... You probably won't see me as often... I'm still visiting as often as I can though! (I'm at school... n.n;)

[Sai]

I wish you all luck in the month to come! I have unfortunately relapsed into MMORPGs... You probably won't see me as often... I'm still visiting as often as I can though! (I'm at school... n.n;)

What MMORPG are you playing?

I used to really enjoy playing Ragnarok Online for what seems like years heh (from first open beta up until sometime into the pay to play period)
And I've played and suppoerted Shining Lore.
But I've since pulled away due to how time consuming they are x_x

[Yang Sei Fu]

Not just MMORPGs, OLD GAMES.

Games produced 3 to 5 years ago have a lot of punch when it comes down to walking down the mall into an EB and suddenly picking up Shogun: Total War for only CDN$5...

(Yes, it was intentional that the previous sentence had no commas )

Oh man, the addiction of distractions...then there's school and DECA (Now everyone should know what DECA is...since I just posted something before)...

[mikey]

NaNoRenO Journal:

This must be it. I won't be changing the gameplay anymore, it is admittedly a little strange, but hey, NaNoRenO is perfect for experiments. So, all in all I have everything ready now and there are just a few story details, but I should have that worked out before March. The only problem is music, but I won't worry too much about it now, I'll try to find something ready-made, there's a certain person already on my mind. Days to go... 9 and counting...