Bust/side image throughout..yay or nay?

[IntoTheHoop]

Hey guys,

Just after a general opinion on VNs that uses bust/side portrait images in their game.

Do you find this distracting/annoying, or do you think it'll help the reader quickly identify who is talking better and easier?

Thanks!

[akareed]

Personally, I find it a little helpful (as I am a heavily visual-based learner ^^;)

However, it can look a little excessive when the side images are somewhat... 'overflowing' into the textbox. (Fortune Arterial, Sen no Hatou)
As long as it isn't too close to the text I don't think it's distracting.

[Dovahkitteh]

I really like side images, personally, and they can add a lot of variety in if you don't want the player to be staring at the same full-body sprites for the whole game. One thing I'm not fond of, though, is when games use a full-body sprite and a side sprite for the same character simultaneously. It's pretty distracting and seems weird to me.

Using a portrait/side image for the main character especially is a good tactic, I think, since it lets the player put themselves into the MC's shoes more. When there's a frequently used full-body sprite of the main character on screen, I have a harder time connecting with them for some reason.

[Katy133]

It depends on the visual novel.

Most of my VNs don't have a side image. Instead, the player character is shown in the scene with the other characters. This is because I feel more comfortable with this presentation (it's more similar to a storyboard for a film than using a side image).

However, with one of my future VNs, I plan on using a side image because it fits in with the game's minimalist art style: The game is mainly in a white void/background with objects of importance appearing, filling up most of the screen. Putting the main character in in scene wouldn't work because the objects are being seen from their point of view.

[IntoTheHoop]

Looks like there's different opinions here

To make things a bit clearer, here's a screenie of how it might look at the moment.



Currently, the main sprite will be animated (blinking eyes), while the bust is static if that will make any difference.

Thanks for all the feedback so far!

[Sleepy]

My thoughts are, side images help add with immersion and helps I keep people involved. However, I wouldn't really use it for a character currently shown on-screen, since they already have an image.

[Zetsubou]

I say yes.
Having a side image is useful for quickly identifying who's speaking and what expression they're wearing.
Without one, you need to a) read the name tag and b) glance up at the full sprites in order to get a full picture of what's happening, which IMO breaks immersion.

[sasquatchii]

I am personally a fan of side character sprites (for both the MC & other characters within the game). If I am playing a visual novel and the character's facial expression or pose only changes slightly or is very subtle, I sometimes might not notice it. I really like side character sprites because they key me into those changes without me constantly having to check back and forth between the character sprite and the dialogue as I usually do in games without side character sprites.

[Imperf3kt]

I consider a side image to convey "spoken out loud" text and no side to be used for thought / narration

[IntoTheHoop]

Thanks everyone for the various input, will go with having it with consideration to some narrative options as listed above. Thanks!