Jump to content

Leaderboard

Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation on 01/13/19 in all areas

  1. After ten years playing VNs, you would think I would have completely lost faith in them by now, especially considering just how many I've played (744 not counting most of the nukige, replays and incomplete/dropped ones). Most VNs that aren't nukige are SOL-fests that exist solely to promote nostalgic fantasies about life in high school and getting into bishoujos' pants... not that that is an entirely horrible goal, but it isn't something I want to see five hundred times over. The romance is usually puerile and has no relation to reality, the characters have all their hard edges filed away by the needs of the archetype, and drama is used solely to add 'spice' (like one sprinkle of pumpkin spice, not cracked red pepper) to an otherwise endlessly sweet and bland recipe. So how is it that someone who has experienced that much essentially boring and pointless repetition of the same scenarios able to continue to enjoy VNs, even if he can't stand meaningless SOL anymore? At one time, it was a sense of duty, a belief that I was doing the community good by digging gems out of the piles of crap that are the SOL genre. I also had a sense of pride that I made an effort of objectivity that I have literally seen no one else attempt. I played games no one else bothered with because they didn't have the time or patience, and I did it because I thought someone looking at the games would want to know what they were getting into. I paid a price in a growing sense of bitterness, of boredom, and of a sense that I was forgetting the reason why I began to read fiction in the first place. I paid a price in people continually being trolls and trying to draw me into fights over my opinions on these games. I had people start reddits and send me pms being sympathetic about the very conversations they'd started (yes that happens). I also had people who respected what I was doing, and I knew there were people in the community who benefited from the fact that I was doing it. I watched VNs I had pushed get localizations and fantls (usually to my surprise), and I saw others that I had labeled as mediocre get hyped to a ridiculous degree. I tried to get other people to help with what I was doing, only to find that, without a reading speed similar to mine, it was too much of a burden on their lives and ate up the time to read the VNs they wanted to read. The bad generally outweighed the good immensely while I was doing VN of the Month, and even after, I found that the after-effects of my years of playing games I wasn't interested in personally had left me with scars I was unable to feel while my sense of duty was keeping me going. However, I can say that I still haven't given up on VNs. Why? The reason is ridiculously simple and at the same time profound (at least to me). I love the medium. For someone who likes an experience that combines the reading, visual input, and music without the need for a lot of input from the one experiencing it, VNs provide a unique storytelling experience. Books are great for the imagination and can send our souls exploring across landscapes that exist only in our own minds, but VNs provide a more filled-out framework for those who don't necessarily have the imagination to fill in all the gaps on their own, without rotting the imagination to the degree manga and anime do. I've been able to get people who had trouble reading books into VNs, then led them straight back to books and opened the world of imagination to them. I've seen people who had begun to feel the otaku community offered nothing more to them come alive again after playing a chuunige or a charage. I've picked up a random moe-looking VN and found a deep and compelling story that remains within me dozens of times. In the end, it is moments, experiences like that that keep me coming back, believing in the possibilities of VNs even now. It is the desire to find more such experiences that keeps me looking at new releases each month, and it is the belief that those experiences will never entirely vanish that keeps me from condemning the industry as a whole for the way it sabotages itself at times.
    10 points
  2. Clephas

    Eushully's fantasy world

    I love Eushully's unique fantasy world, Dir Lifyna. Most of Eushully's games, save for a few oddball ones by the subsidiary Anastasia and Fortune Arterial, are based in this world, which began with the original Ikusa Megami (if this gets translated, somebody please smash the skull of anyone who translates the title, because they'll probably pick the worst permutation of it). The first thing that anyone going into this setting should know, if only for giggles, is that this was never intended to be an expansive setting containing ten or more games. Ikusa Megami was intended as a one-off game and was competing with Venus Blood, of all things. However, to the people who played the game, the setting was incredibly attractive, and they sold well enough to justify a sequel, which was even more well-received (if only because the dungeon-crawler elements were toned down to normal jrpg levels). The basic setting of the world is that, far in the past, a technologically-advanced human world created a gate/tunnel linking a world full of magic and demihumans, for reasons that pretty much boil down to boredom and stagnation as a species due to excessive technological development. Unfortunately, this accidentally caused the two worlds to begin to merge, causing a conflict between their denizens and their gods. An important common element to note between the two worlds is that gods existed in both worlds, but the gods of the human world had mostly ceased intervening in mortal affairs openly long before, causing the near death of faith. Since faith/belief is the source of all deities' power, the humans found themselves at a surprising disadvantage in the war, because their belief in their deities was almost nonexistent. Worse, magic was quite capable of countering most of the advantages of human tech based on pure physics. A faction of humanity chose to pursue the amalgamation of magic and tech, creating wonders and horrors (including artificial demons and gods), but over time (the war apparently lasted for generations), more and more humans switched sides, devoting themselves to gods on the other side, even as humanity's old gods were destroyed, sealed, or enslaved one by one. By the end of the war, humanity was just another race, perhaps more numerous than the others, in the service of the 'Living Gods', and the 'Old Gods' were relegated to dusty legend and actively considered evil by most, if they weren't in the service of a Living God. Human technology was, for the most part, wiped from the face of the new, merged world, and the only remnants can be found in ruins filled with monsters and/or automatic guardians. The dominant deity of the new world is Marsterria, a minor war god who enslaved and killed more Old Gods than any other. Most of his worshipers are humans, their prolific breeding and generations of faith having given him immense power. His followers are often at odds with the protagonist of the Ikusa Megami series and nonhuman races, because of their excessive zealotry and broad determination of what species are considered 'dark races'. Conflict between dark gods and their servants and the gods of light and theirs is a normal part of the world of Dir Lifyna, with neutral regions and nations often becoming the battlegrounds for said followers as a result. This is a world with a massive number of intelligent species, and that, in the end, is what makes it so much fun to look forward to each game, even if the flop ratio is over 50%, lol. Damn, it was hard to do that without spoiling anything. Edit: It should be noted that demons, angels, nagas, and a few other races were actually coexisting with humanity but hidden due to their more direct service to deities in the original human world. The nagas still maintain faith with old gods for the most part, and as a result, they are marginalized to an immense degree. Most angels 'fell' or serve one of the Living Gods now (or both), and demons are a plague, with more summoned on occasion since demon summoning was one of the few magics that remained to humanity when the worlds met.
    1 point
  3. Screw you Derg, I'm going to read at whatever speed I damn well please.
    1 point
  4. Another update from them, and no much to say here. Here's the update below: Common: 100.0% Sora: 0.0% Marika: 100.0% Natsuki: 0.0% Misa: 100.0% Rikka: 100.0% Touko: 52.2% Total: 62.82% That's all for this week update.
    1 point
  5. The list in this thread is no longer being updated - any future updates will appear on my blog, in this article. The Steam Creator feature is quite a neat thing and I think it can be used to promote quality VNs and good brands on Steam, which are now always at risk of drowning in the sea of crap that gets published on the platform on a daily basis. The devs and publishers are really jumping in to make use of the new tools, so I thought it could be a good idea to already start working on a comprehensive list of creators that are worth following from a VN fan's perspective. When I think it's comprehensive enough, I will publish it on the blog, but for now, I will appreciate all the feedback on the format, descriptions I use or the profiles I might've missed. I've only started going through the profiles and I know new creator pages will be popping up every day in the coming weeks, so this will be a prolonged process. For the descriptions, I include only titles available on Steam in them and state some pretty obvious facts, but I would like this to be somewhat useful even for people that know relatively little about VNs and want to find good sources of those on Steam. --------------------------------------------------- EVN developer and publisher profiles Sekai Project (localization and publishing company, mostly focused on visual novels; World End Economica, Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius). Ebi-hime (critically-acclaimed Western VN developer, most well-known for her yuri and horror titles; Sweetest Monster, Asphyxia). Christine Love (writer and EVN developer, one of the early starts of the Western VN scene; Analogue: A Hate Story, Ladykiller in a Bind). Hanako Games (EVN publisher and developer specialized in yuri and otome games; A Little Lily Princess, Long Live the Queen). WinterWolves (Western developer creating RPGs with visual novel-style storytelling, dating sims and romance VNs; Loren the Amazon Princess, Roommates). Razzart Visual (EVN developer most well-known for her yuri titles; Love Ribbon, Starlight Vega). InvertMouse (Australian EVN developer, known for unusual, mostly non-romantic stories; Without Within, The Last Birdling) Lupiesoft (EVN development team best known for creating futa eroge; The Menagerie, Mutiny!!). MoaCube (EVN developer known for distinct, non-anime artstyle and characterization; Cinders, Solstice). Zetsubou Games (writer and developer involved in many well-known EVN projects; Sable's Grimoire, Sickness). Afterthought Studio (EVN developer and publisher; Forgotten, Not Lost; CUPID). Dharker Studios (EVN developer and publisher, best known for ecchi titles; Army Gals, Negligee). Sukeban Games (Venezuelan game developer, authors of VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action). Other VN-related profiles MangaGamer (the biggest VN localization company in the West; Sorcery Jokers, Fashioning Little Miss Lonesome). VisualArts/Key (one of the oldest and most respected VN developers, now localizing and publishing their own games in-house; Little Busters, Planetarian). Frontwing USA (Western publishing arm of Frontwing, a major JP VN developer; Wonderful Everyday Down the Rabbit-Hole, Grisaia series). JAST USA (the oldest VN/dating sim localization company in the West; Eiyuu Senki, Flowers series). Spike Chuunsoft (Japanese developer and publisher; Steins;Gate, Danganronpa). Degica Games (Japanese game publisher, occasionally delving into the VN niche; Symphonic Rain, Love Nurse Addiction). Fruitbat Factory (localization company focused on doujin Japanese games, including VNs; Seabed, Chuusotsu! 1st Graduation). Idea Factory (Japanese developer and publisher, most known for the Hyperdimension Neptunia games, but also for popular otome VNs; Amnesia: Memories, Hakuoki). Sol Press (Japanese media localization company that recently expanded into the VN market; Sakura Sakura, Newton and the Apple Tree). NekoNyan (VN localization company specialized in moege; Fureraba ~Friend to Lover~; Sanoba Witch). Alice in Dissonance (Japanese doujin circle; Fault series, Mhakna Gramura and Fairy Bell). NEKO WORKs (Japanese developer, creators of the Nekopara series; Nekopara, Tropical Liquor). SakuraGame (Chinese publisher infamous for their low-quality, machine-translated English releases; Tricolour Lovestory; Fortissimo FA). Small developers and publishers Culture Select (doujin game localization company; Dead End Junction, One Small Fire at a Time). Top Hat Studios (EVN developer and publisher; Episicava, The Wilting Amaranth). DigitalEZ (publishing company best known for Western releases of Chinese VNs - sadly, with inconsistent translation quality; Notch - The Innocent LunA, Oblivious Garden). roseVeRte (Japanese doujin circle specialized in otome VNs; How to Take Off Your Mask; Cafe 0). NoBreadStudio (EVN developer from Poland, authors of mystery/romance VN SoulSet). Neoclassic Games (Italian EVN developer, authors of Elisa: the Innkeeper). Sierra Lee Games (EVN developer, author of the yandere horror title Crimson Gray). Gosatsu Visual Novels (EVN developer, authors of SHINRAI - Broken Beyond Despair). NVLMaker (Chinese VN publisher; Gaokao.Love.100Days, Season of 12 Colors). Nyu Media (doujin game localization company, publishers of the English version of Cherry Tree High Comedy Club). Hikari Field (VN localization company from China, occasionally producing English releases; Tayutama 2, Magical Charming!). Träumendes Mädchen (EVN developer; Ambre, Garden of Oblivion). Tranquil Studios (EVN developer, authors of Oakwood Academy of Spells and Sorcery). Goldbar Games (EVN developer, authors of the freeware title Detective Butler: Maiden Voyage Murder). Deadline Softs (EVN developer, authors of Blue Bird). Kurenaibook (JP developer, author of futa VN Ayakashigami) Mystery Corgi (EVN programmer and GUI designer, co-developer of AIdol). Mikołaj Spychał (VN developer from Poland, author of Jake's Love Story).
    1 point
  6. LINK TO THE VN: https://vndb.org/v13547 I'd recommend Bee man. The reason being is that once in a lifetime you'll come across a visual novel that truly captures the history and cultural distinctions of the modern world the way a person can subjectively perceive it through the guided field of a bee's perspective. I have to admit, I had my doubts when I first learned of the VN. After all, Bee man? Will this visual novel even be good? How ignorant was I to even have these thoughts. Little did I know I was about to indulge in what may have been the best 2 hours and 21 minutes of my life. The VN started out strong. The opening scenes enticed the audience with a captivating enigma. I was so taken aback from the next-generation CGs that I almost didn't even realize the underlying symbolism in the ongoing scenes. It wasn't until my twenty sixth playthrough of the VN where I finally got my bearings together and was able to focus on the gripping and labyrinthine stratagem. The underlying themes of the determination of the bees depicted in the visual novel even though according to all laws of aviation they can't possibly lift their bodies above the ground was enlightening to say the least. Just when I thought the VN could not get any better, the increasing conflict before the climax began. I could not believe the complexity of the story as the main bee protagonist, Waspo, struggled with the everyday endeavors for a quintessential bee such as the consistent up-hill altercation of picking the choice whether to pollinate the flower or not to do so. There I was, gripping to my chair as the conflict of the VN began. I was so enticed by it that I felt as if I was both practically and relatively a part of the bees. This is a special kind of high that not even the strongest of drugs can give you. Was I part of the hive? Am I inside the hive right now? This VN will leave you questioning existential nihilism and the objective skepticism of our perceived valuation of anthropological existence. At this point in the VN, I was fully intoxicated by the avant-garde writing style. That's when the plot finally aggrandized and I was completely stupefied. You could have lived a thousand years of isolation trying to predict the plot twist and you would never even scratch the surface of what actually transpires in the actual plot of the game. I was so bewildered that I actually had to pause the VN so that my existential crisis didn't dive too deep inside of myself. Even pausing the game was surreal. It's almost as if life paused with the VN. I felt as though I had actually formed a suicide pact with someone. The effects are still wearing off and I haven't been able to reread the game in several years. I spent the following seven years afraid of what outside of my house actually looks like. Every single day and night I live in misery because I became fully aware that happiness is never achievable. I realized that human life has absolutely no meaning and that no matter what I ever do, it is of complete unimportance and in years from now, no recollection of my existence will prevail, meaning that if I died years ago, died now, or die sometime in the future it will not matter whatsoever to anyone. But, then again, the fact that I'm living doesn't matter either so I might as well stick around for awhile, living in complete isolation, condemned to a life of traumatic memories and a completely corrupted sub-conscience. Bee man literally ruined my life. 10/10 Thoughts on the matter will be appreciated, will also appreciate new Petrons, subscribers and followers. Thanks guys.
    1 point
  7. https://twitter.com/Happine27386045 For real though, I didn’t make a post just to shill. I am here to start a post conference discussion regarding Visual;Coference 2019. So let this be the main thread for conversing this stuff. Where to begin? @NaiDriftlin Got us Tickets. The only other person I saw there that was from Fuwa is @Plk_Lesiak. If I haven’t seen you, I am sorry. So the conference was really fun. I should’ve asked “Why is this discord the Sekai Project Discord?”. I don’t know why. The Talks There were no Japanese speakers this time around because the organizer ran out of time and did everything late. Life gets in the way. So, you can’t blame him for that, but we had plenty of speakers. My favorites were: Wolf’s talk on NanoReno, AGILUS’s talk on organizing a conference like this, Quilly’s talk on the VN development pipeline, and Ryechu’s for obvious reasons. You come the talks, but you stay for the people. The People This is one of the hardest parts to talk about, because the goal for me is to become part of the industry. Because I love reading VNs, but I love making VNs more. So, getting into a room (or virtual room) full of VN developers would easily be the highlight of my day. Honestly, I glad, so much grateful for @NaiDriftlin. I finally got to talk to a ton of people. Who all happening to be working on VNs as well. I was really happy when they opened everything up to voice chat on Discord, it feels a lot better to talk to people through voice, so you can actually her their voices behind their anime avatars. In Conclusion Honestly, I don’t want this to be a long post, because it’s just a jumping off point into further discussion by anyone who happened to be there or willing to learn what happened exactly. Because I can only provide my viewpoint. The conference lasted 7 hours, but after that we hanged for three more hours until I left like at 9:30 PM EST. Overall, I am really happy. On average I am a pretty happy individual, but right now you can say I am exprencing Happiness+ (Pun intended.)
    1 point
  8. There is the DDLC company and Ace Academy company. I don't know any other Evns atm.
    1 point
  9. Twitter is evil. Immediately erase it so that you can escape the chains of the monster that is big social media corporations.
    1 point
  10. Today I finished editing backgrounds - upscaling and smoothing. For each image I created one or more smoothed versions, layered them with original, and then mixed them in various proportions by hand (using eraser tool with different settings). The goal was to make them look at least decently in 600p resolution - some were more forgiving, and some thougher. I didn't smooth them completely - after all, there's "pixel" in pixel-art However I think the effect is nice. Here's one image for comparison (it was used in previous screenshots, but I feel this version looks better): Original (480x296, 16 colors - game ran at 640x400 but interface took much space): Edited (1066x600): Now, graphics-wise, there are sprites and CGs left.
    1 point
  11. Kynbound

    Birthday thread

    Thanks Xionsprophecy. And happy birthday to Eclipsed.
    1 point
  12. littleshogun

    Birthday thread

    Happy 24th birthday to our mod @Eclipsed there, and I hope that you'll have good year ahead.
    1 point
  13. Plk_Lesiak

    Birthday thread

    All Best Wishes to @Eclipsed! :3
    1 point
  14. Dreamysyu

    Birthday thread

    Happy Birthday to @Eclipsed!
    1 point
  15. well theres only a small margin of visual novels with romance that take place in a high school but glad you found it.
    0 points
×
×
  • Create New...