Will people actually read a KN?

[owlcity89]

So I have had this story in my head for literally a year. I have always wanted to try and make a visual novel so I figure: why not kill two birds with one stone? The hard part is I am worried that no one will read it, because it seems that people prefer Visual Novels like Otomes over KNs. I have thought about this and have considered adding choices for the player. I think it is really stupid though, because I have this one story line running through my mind and it is hard to come up with multiple outcomes. I actually really don't want to do it either. So please tell me your opinion for I really want to know just how many people would actually be interested in a KN.

[Kato]

Personally, I would always opt for a VN over a KN (the KN has to look brilliant to keep my attention) but I am far from norm when it comes to this. Definitely go ahead and make your KN as you want it to be made. If at some point you are writing, or even after you finish, and think "it would be cool of 'x' happened" then you can always go back and add different routes but adding choices for the sake of it will get old for the reader pretty quick.

Go forth and make your KN young adventurer!

[CheeryMoya]

I am worried that no one will read it

I can safely say that at least a handful of people will play your game. Whether or not they come back and tell you how they liked it is another thing, but someone out there will download your story.

So please tell me your opinion for I really want to know just how many people would actually be interested in a KN.

If you don't mind me dropping names... here's a few popular/noteworthy KNs:

• That Cheap and Sacred Thing
• Ripples
• Digital: A Love Story
• The Dolls' Stories
• Juniper's Knot

Digital and The Dolls' Stories break up the reading with some interaction but there's really only one route. If we're defining Kinetic Novel as a game with only one route/ending, they're still KNs. Juniper's Knot doesn't mix any other gameplay elements into it, but it uses a lot of animation and breathtaking art to keep your attention. A personal favorite of mine, In This Dream of Ours, is a KN but has some alternate endings that unlock after you finish playing the main story. I hope this doesn't look like I'm just promo-ing my favorites, these really are good examples of KNs done right.

I think that if you're making a KN, you have to raise the bar and put a little more effort into it (like more CGs, superb writing, etc.). You'll catch more eyes with higher quality art, but then again that also applies to VNs.

[Tempus]

I'll read it if the story sounds interesting and the art is palatable, although the art is probably a lot less of a factor. The art and music don't need to be amazing, just come together in a way that accentuates what the writing is trying to convey. In my opinion it's better to do what you want to rather than force yourself to alter your story to fit what the audience wants.

I agree with Kato about revisiting the story after it's finished and finding some point in the story where it makes sense for a player choice to cause a meaningful divergence. One of the things I dislike is "bad" endings which feel tacked on, merely an afterthought or "gameover". I don't mind essentially meaningless choices, but if it's causing a total path divergence, I prefer that path to be fleshed out, not a stub.

[Delta m.m]

Will people actually read a KN?

Yes.
well, in the Visual novels world I think people "prefer" VNs but that doesn't mean they won't read KNs.
actually I think the most important part is the Story then follows the art, Choices add to the game but I don't think they are that vital.

actually if the game has an interesting engaging story and the characters are well developed and the dialog is good many people will read it despite not having choices and even if the art wasn't great.

but as Tempus and Kato said, "forcing" choices into your game is worse than not having them.

but anyway don't think about it like that (unless it's commercial), this is your first project and such "details" aren't very important, just get to work and enjoy making your game.

[ViRiX Dreamcore]

I'll give it a go and keep reading of the story's engaging enough.

[arachni42]

The hard part is I am worried that no one will read it, because it seems that people prefer Visual Novels like Otomes over KNs.

I do tend to go more for VNs, but I'm happiest when there is a good story, VN or KN. I think more highly of a KN with good story than a VN without. I think it's better to work on making your KN good than to come up with contrived paths for a VN.

[merdeamour]

I play/read both because I go for the story. Of course, the art is a factor that draws me in, but for me, it's really the story that makes me determined to finish playing/reading.

I think more highly of a KN with good story than a VN without. I think it's better to work on making your KN good than to come up with contrived paths for a VN.

That, too.

[SundownKid]

It all depends on the quality of the game, but you will have to work harder for most people to want to play a KN over a VN. This is because any flaws in it become a lot more obvious when people have no choices or gameplay to grab their attention. If you are making a KN, it better have a really good story and design, or added gameplay to make it interesting.

[Nuxill]

I actually usually prefer KNs because I like sitting back and enjoying the story in one go without having to save constantly and/or skip through a lot of text.

What merdeamour said is true, good art will draw people in and a good story will keep them hooked to the end. Though I guess you'll initially draw less people in since more people are into VNs.

[pwisaguacate]

Saying all kinetic novels are lame is like saying all traditional books are lame (okay, maybe they're kinda are (I'm joking)).

Preference for one thing doesn't mean the other can't be made well or enjoyed.

[Applegate]

Well, over 5,000 people downloaded my KNs from the playstore. There's definitely interest for them. Lemmasoft may not like them, but there's always other places you can distribute your works.

EDIT: To start with, I consider a "KN" to be a "VN" as well; It uses visual aspects and audio to tell a story. It's no different from what's considered a "VN" here. That visual novels with only one "path" are at all not considered visual novels is enough of a travesty.

[Greeny]

I'm willing to go as far as saying people will gladly pay for a KN... if you know your marketing.

People will pay for books and movies, I don't see why a lack of interactivity would have become some kind of fatal flaw at some point.

I'd rather read a good KN than yet another romance VN that follows the model "Pick a character. Good. Now I'm going to hide all the other characters behind a rock somewhere, and now I'm going to throw some angst at you. That's called character development, yes, yes. And now they have sex. Thanks for playing! Please donate."

It also helps if you have voice acting. People are put off by voice acting somewhat because bad acting can ruin a story, but that's really not a fault with the concept itself. And some people have such great voices, people will pay money just to hear them speak.

[owlcity89]

Thank all of you for the encouraging and helpful replies! I feel confident enough now to start working on my story called "Schein"! I haven't gotten far enough to start a WIP thread yet, but look forward to it!

[Tempus]

Also, it just occurred to me that, while you may have to work harder (or smarter; i.e., finding the right audience*), you do have the advantage of writing only one story. That means you have a lot more time and energy to devote to polishing that, rather than writing several routes. And the writing of multiple routes isn't just limited to making them; consistent quality and in-story facts between routes needs to be at least somewhat maintained or you get the problem people cited above of things feeling poorly thought out or contrived.

*Applegate's point also reminded me of Obscura's post on her marketing strategy for Coming out on Top which I thought was interesting and might be of use to you. She was targeting an audience based on the content rather than the form (though, I seem to recall her using the term "dating sim" rather than "visual novel" which I also thought was a clever choice), but I imagine much of the same principles would apply.