What got you into making visual novels?

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YonYonYon
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Re: What got you into making visual novels?

#16 Post by YonYonYon »

It was way back in the past, that day, when there was no unlimited internet and I had to buy CDs. I found a new and shiny DVD with anime on it. I liked anime, and considering how rare it was, i bought that disc without thinking much.

It was Ever17, and imagine how surprised I was to discover that it wasn't anime but a game! That's how I came to know Visual Novels. After that it was natural to try to make one, since I make what I love.
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Re: What got you into making visual novels?

#17 Post by hoihoisoi »

One of the main reasons I started making VNs was due to Kara no Shoujo 2. That game was simply amazing. And after that experience, I decided to try my hand at making one myself. (I played Ace Attorney and Danganronpa in the past, but those had quite interactive puzzle elements to them so I guess they felt a bit less VN-ish) I've always been into writing but never seemed to sustain a deep enough interest to write something more than just long ass essays. But after playing KnS2, I somehow decided to go for gold and write something a tad bit longer which eventually resulted in the project I'm working on now.

Next to which, unlike a lot of other genres of games, visual novels are easier to create since it doesn't require diabolically complex and deep programming knowledge to execute. And with a powerful engine like Renpy, it also makes the process of executing your project much more doable. With the help of all the guides provided on the forum and the active community online, learning the engine is also easier since there's something to fall back on when you're lost. All in all, it was made more executable than an RPG that needed a battle system and all that.

I guess that's how I got into writing my first VN. XD
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Re: What got you into making visual novels?

#18 Post by FriendlySenpai »

Honestly? Because it's about goddamn time someone made a MxM game that wasn't made by straight women, for straight women.
Also, I'm 100% over seeing almost nothing but fluffy otomes.

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Re: What got you into making visual novels?

#19 Post by Banya »

I agree with FriendlySenpai xD VNs need more variations.

Anyway, I got into VNs for an absurd reason: a friend of mine asked me to learn how to use renpy to help her programming a touristic project. It was overly-ambitious, but it would have been very cool if we could finish it. I made lots of exercise with renpy, adapting old roleplays as VNs and giving them as a gift to my old RP buddies. In the end, my friend dumped the project and I asked myself what to do with a pointless year of practice. So I started making VNs.

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Re: What got you into making visual novels?

#20 Post by thebackup »

SundownKid wrote:I tried to make an RPG and failed; it was too much work, and I was mainly interested in the story aspects, so that's when I discovered visual novels and decided to go with that instead. A bonus was that VN's allowed for much higher quality artwork which had more appeal.
hoihoisoi wrote:Next to which, unlike a lot of other genres of games, visual novels are easier to create since it doesn't require diabolically complex and deep programming knowledge to execute.
^ These.

Around 10 or so years ago I thought it'd be cool to make an RPG, kind of like the Final Fantasy series, but in a more modern setting. No doubt it was too much work - characters, story, skills, art, etc... so I kind of just scrapped it. Not to mention I had some personal issues with the artist which pretty much killed the project (I still have the project files though if I ever decide to revive it).

So, using those same characters from that scrapped RPG I decided to make a VN, starting with a college final project. My first ones were using Flash, before I've even heard of Ren'Py. To be honest, I didn't even know the genre (medium?) had a term (that is, "visual novel"). I thought it was kind of like a "dating sim", but I quickly learned a VN was not restricted to just that. And not restricted to just anime artwork as well.

But the medium's simplicity and being exposed to quite a bit of Japanese VNs and anime artwork are what appealed to me. To this day, I'm still using those characters from ~10 years ago. I've grown so attached to them as almost as if they're real. And it makes me very happy to give them a home, in the VNs I've created (or creating). Those characters, I've created and watched them develop throughout the years. I'm really excited to see how they'll turn out in my next VN.

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Re: What got you into making visual novels?

#21 Post by SinaAzad »

Well , Starting with Katawa shoujo and playing Quartett and some other games after that I got really interested in visual novels.
As I had to do a final project to get my A.D. and because no one knew anything about Visual Novels , I decided to make one.

Sadly I could only finish a simple demo of it and get my score (which was a full mark, Lucky !), my main problem was the laws in USA preventing any sort of services given on received by US citizens (if there is a payment involved) ... so I had to drop the idea of finishing it cuz I couldnt pay the writer that way... also , let me be honest , the artwork sucked and I was to be blamed for that.
But considering how easy to use Ren'py is I'm considering to start a new visual novel or help someone else with their visual novel specially now that I am much better of a programmer and artist ... way to go though !

I'm still waiting for the next game of Katawa shoujo but seems like 4leaf studios is not working on it and another studio has picked it up ... but not much news sadly !
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Re: What got you into making visual novels?

#22 Post by sasquatchii »

Hanako Game's Long Live the Queen inspired me to start making visual novels. I'll admit, I got sucked right in while playing that game! It was so immersive, and I was hungry for more, and I also thought that it could be a lot of fun to create games that were so fun and inspiring to others even :)
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Re: What got you into making visual novels?

#23 Post by juunishi master »

During college, I met someone from video game community forum. She was a writer for local game magazine, very fluent in Japanese, had read so many light novels and had played so many visual novels. At that time, I was no longer think "visual novel = adult games" after read some articles (apparently, she was the one who wrote them) about visual novels (which I would never played because lack of Japanese skill) in game magazine.

She lent me Aoi Shiro installer and gave me the English patch when we found that we have same interest in yuri genre.

I almost went MIA from classes when I tried to get all 6 endings. =))) Aoi Shiro is really good! It hits my spot for mystery/supernatural/fantasy genre combined with yuri.

*timeskip into after graduating from college*

Despite taking computer science major in college, I always love writing stories. After graduated from college, I worked as game designer-turned-into-programmer with my college friends. I don't like programming that much, but due to circumstances, I got into it again. It was awkward period where I'm both happy to develop game like what I wanted during high school, but at the same time I still want to intensively write.

I was so fascinated by Analogue: A Hate Story and Hate Plus during this period. It was when I realized there are way more English visual novels in Steam than when I was in college, so I started to buy/put them into wishlist/play them.

One day, another friend of mine said, "Why don't you make visual novel? You can write stories and you have programming background. That's a good combo starter for visual novel."

And I was, "Why I never thought about that? That does sound like my thing."

So, yeah, I'm here and making visual novels as personal project/side-project.

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Re: What got you into making visual novels?

#24 Post by rak0nt0ur »

I've been a big fan of Ryukishi07's works for a while now, so that was my introduction to the medium. I was originally just an artist/writer, but I wanted whatever medium I used to also have the ability of the player to make choices. I thought visual novels could be exactly what I was looking for!

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Re: What got you into making visual novels?

#25 Post by Hesyisytehray »

rak0nt0ur wrote: Sun Jun 18, 2017 6:22 am I've been a big fan of Ryukishi07's works for a while now, so that was my introduction to the medium.
So we are quite having similiar references here? Perhaps you are fond of RPG elements found also in Bioshock trilogy and Elder Scrolls perhaps?
rak0nt0ur wrote: Sun Jun 18, 2017 6:22 am I was originally just an artist/writer, but I wanted whatever medium I used to also have the ability of the player to make choices. I thought visual novels could be exactly what I was looking for!
Right? I wanted so badly to play the piano, even if it means by playing the MIDI synthesiser off Anvil Studio. Well, Ken Levine said that games can be used to convey stories that are dynamic, not just linear (ahem, Half Life). But I think the most worth checking out for you is this Finnish guy named Sam Lake in his most recent appearance, have told off his secrets owing to his successes running titles including the 2002 hit Max Payne.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kOkyTvraWps
Ghost Story Welcome (24 Feb 2017) (no, its not horror)

Interestingly, he admitted using different mediums in a video game (which is, quite alien at that time) using games as timestamps. Here's the clickbaits:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SlRltJ289y8
Sam Lake: The Remedy story so far - Digital Dragons 2017 (31 May 2017)

Its not everyone's hot of coffee, but I hope I adds something. 😄😄😄

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Re: What got you into making visual novels?

#26 Post by Hesyisytehray »

Banya wrote: Mon Jun 12, 2017 7:25 am I agree with FriendlySenpai xD VNs need more variations.

Anyway, I got into VNs for an absurd reason: a friend of mine asked me to learn how to use renpy to help her programming a touristic project. It was overly-ambitious, but it would have been very cool if we could finish it. I made lots of exercise with renpy, adapting old roleplays as VNs and giving them as a gift to my old RP buddies. In the end, my friend dumped the project and I asked myself what to do with a pointless year of practice. So I started making VNs.
Agreed. At one point, we all hope we could change something the world we wished it to be. And its always a change toward something better.

I wish you all good luck in your way towards adding to us readers' collection of Itch.io and Steam games!

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Re: What got you into making visual novels?

#27 Post by catgame21234 »

I hated making comics but i love telling stories.
I hosted mafia games where the NPCs that i controled had character potrats and the night pms where all connected lore wise.
and just other factors. That and videogames.
the risky videogames *shot*

I actually need to play more VNs…
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Re: What got you into making visual novels?

#28 Post by Goddiga »

I decided to make VN (dating sim) because I think the story I wrote suit this genre best. Also, I am not so good at (also not fond of) drawing maps and sprites for RPG or the likes. And finding helps is really difficult for me, but it may be possible in the future if I managed to make a name for myself a bit.

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Re: What got you into making visual novels?

#29 Post by Morhighan »

I'd been playing VNs since 2006 and got really into Umineko during high school. I hadn't intended to work on VNs or games, but I stumbled into it in 2010 when carosene needed someone to help him with sprites for That Cheap and Sacred Thing. I helped color some of the sprites' lineart and it led to some sort of epiphany that I could make VNs. That epiphany changed my life. I started working on more and more VNs and even some other kinds of games, with the hope that I would someday be able to produce my own. My credits list of odd jobs has grown quite a bit over the years, and now I can't imagine/remember what I did for a hobby (and/or career?) without VNs.

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Re: What got you into making visual novels?

#30 Post by jisenjeon »

1. I didn't write novels because I was too impatient when writing description, I didn't write comics because I was worried that the artist wouldn't draw it exactly like I wanted, and I didn't write screenplays because I felt like the things I wrote were too long and I didn't want to relinquish control of the world to another person (i.e, the producer, the director, etc).

2. In Love Live: School Idol Festival (that one rhythm game), there's a "Story" section that is told in VN format. I saw that, thought it was cool, learned about visual novels, downloaded Katawa Shoujo, and my love for the medium only grew from there.

3. I learned Python in 7th grade and I wanted to practice by telling a choose-your-own-adventure story.

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