PoisionLullaby wrote: ↑Wed Jan 17, 2018 8:52 pm
1) When drawing a background for a game does changing little things like lighting ect really help with the story? I'm pretty sure it does but I wanted to get some opinions on it. Like for example, if a player is checking there phone is it good or bad to have the phone pop up on the screen then move away when the character is done? (Not as a menu but in the story) Furthermore can there be too little detail? like say they are on the computer, if I don't want to draw another scene in front of the computer is the computer screen turning on good enough?
Lighting is probably THE most important part of making a background really 'pop' and set mood or place. You can actually be a lot less detailed with a background if the lighting is amazing.
And yes, it would be great if you had a variation of your sprite where the character is holding a phone to their ear if they are going to be talking on the phone often, but you can accomplish this with description too. It is important that you strike a balance in detail and art with regards to the story. You don't want to / cannot draw every single action taken by characters. (Otherwise you may as well be drawing a manga.)
You can accomplish a lot with things like moving the still character sprites around, making them 'bounce' when the character is surprised, etc. It is a balancing act, and you need to make sure you aren't unnecessarily burdening yourself with art tasks that will make little difference in the end. Always go for extra sprites that will either:
A. See a lot of repeated use throughout the game, or
B. Will have maximum emotional or story impact
PoisionLullaby wrote: ↑Wed Jan 17, 2018 8:52 pm
2) Is it possible to give the player too many decisions? How do I know when is a good time to add a choice, be it one that changes minor dialogue or seriously effects the story?
Yes, it is possible to have too many choices in a visual novel. Too many choices and your player will feel like none of them matter. You'll want each choice to either establish character, set tone or context, or branch the story.
If you have a lot of choices and each of them branch the story (i.e. are highly meaningful) you can quickly run into an exponential explosion of work for yourself. That is why a combination of branching and just providing the player a chance to establish character and tone is so useful. Even the most successful game studios need to collapse story branches back down every so often to keep things manageable - take Telltale's Walking Dead Season 1 for instance:
The game has a lot of choices that end up with the same thing happening -
but with a different context. Just a few slight changes in the lead up or execution of an event, but that makes all the difference, because it changes how the player FEELS about the event.
Take a look at this chart of all the choices and branches in Walking Dead Season 1 for reference. (Warning, massive spoilers for basically everything.)
Not a lot of massive branching, is there? And that was game of the year when it was released, based on just visual novel style story and choices.
Ultimately you'll find you can make all choices FEEL meaningful as long as you create a story and characters the player can become really invested in. Players fell in love with Lee and Clementine, so each choice felt weighty and important. There is one choice that takes place during a dinner scene that has no impact outside of how much you care about the emotional state of a character, but it feels every bit as important as earlier choices where you are deciding who lives or dies, because the writing has made you care intensely for that character.
PoisionLullaby wrote: ↑Wed Jan 17, 2018 8:52 pm
3) Speaking of decisions, for a story heavy, romance VN how many routes is enough? I have thought of five different characters so far for the game I'm working on, but I have played games that have had both less and more options. I'm curious about some opinions and advice you all might have on the subject.
This one is easy. The correct number of routes is how many you can write from the central premise that are
narratively compelling and satisfying. But I would recommend limiting the number of characters and routes as much as possible. Choose just the routes that are MOST compelling and satisfying for a player.
Trim the fat, combine characters when you can. To use the example of a traditional romance VN with standard love interests - you could have an athletic, sports-loving love interest, and another one that is a rebel and trouble-maker. Both could work on their own, but why not combine that into ONE character, who then is suddenly made a lot more interesting and nuanced. Suddenly you aren't working with an archetype any more, but something more original. An example just for fun: "Love Interest 1 loves sports and plays them because it gives them a sense of control over their life, and an outlet for stress and anxiety. They want to stay late and practice their sport obsessively because their home life is terrible. They keep attending school, even though it conflicts with their rebellious personality, because they have to keep their grades up to avoid getting dropped from the sports team."
Remember that each route you have is EXPONENTIALLY more work.