[Do you read Bad Endings or Leave them?]

I always read through bad endings as long as they have some substance. Ranzo mentioned Kara no Shojo which is one where I particularly enjoyed the bad endings; accumulating quite a few of them in the early stages of the story actually revealed some information that amplified the impact of some later scenes in the "success route" on me.

On some occasions, like in G-Senjou no Maou, I actually enjoy/prefer the bad endings more than the good or true ones. It's really disappointing when a VN's bad endings are limited to a big ol' "GAME OVER" with no story attached.

["Make Visual Novels Popular in the West": How?]

3 hours ago, Plk_Lesiak said:

That tagline is literally what brought me here after I've (re)discovered visual novels and decided to devote more of my time to them. What makes me a weirdo is that from the very beginning I was actually infatuated with OELVNs and I'm only very slowly digging into the "proper" VNs.

My personal view is that VNs will always be a niche genre in the West because of their strong connection to "weeb culture", which grosses many people out (that very much includes OELVNs) and to a lesser extent because of the stigma connected to sexual content in them. 

You're no weirdo, I'm quite the fan of OELVNs myself. You're not alone in that! 

Addressing your other point, though, I do think there are OELVNs that have no connection to weeb culture at all whatsoever. Cinders, in my opinion, is a good example of an OELVN that subverts many of the traditional connections to, er, weeb-ism. It has a distinctively European art style, no sexual content, and a lot of input from the player. It's not a perfect or all-encompassing VN by any means, but I think it stands as an example that a connection to weeb culture is not a necessary ingredient to make a successful VN. Unless you mean that people will simply see that it is a VN and instantly mark it off as a weeb thing... while I would like to think my fellow humans are more open-minded than that, it may indeed be the case.

2 hours ago, Plk_Lesiak said:

Well, when I came here my idea was to contribute to FuwaReviews/The Frontpage with OELVN-centric reviews and interviews (that eventually turned into the blog thingy, as I basically couldn't get a response from the anyone up top about whether they're interested in what I'm offering). 

I'm interested in taking on similar things, if you ever felt like working together on something or sharing ideas! I do agree with you that Fuwa is pretty barren, with the site being even more so than the forums.

2 hours ago, Hiashi said:

The idea of pursuing heroines is one of the defining attributes of VNs, regardless of genre. It's also one of the biggest selling points. I can't imagine it being removed and positively impacting sales. If gamers want a medium of story-telling that's less romance-driven, there are countless alternatives. The sexual content is just a step-up from the romance aspect, even if they're considered different genres. Players either appreciate it as a form of romantic bonding, or they more or less ignore it either by skipping the H-scenes or playing all-ages versions when available. (I'm only referring to regular story-driven eroge, not nukige.)

Personally, no. But I'm biased in this regard. Still, I imagine that it'd be difficult to alter VNs to conform to Western preferences. That would mean Western-style artwork and English voice-overs, among other major changes. I have a hard time imagining it being successful.

(...)

Basically, we need to popularize Japanese otaku culture in the West more, if even a little. But with all the other ubiquitous entertainment mediums, it's not an easy task.  

On your first point about heroines, I agree that it is a defining attribute and a big selling point, but note that I don't think it should be removed entirely from the genre necessarily, just that the way for other types of VNs should be left open. You later mentioned Danganronpa, which I think is a good example of a very successful VN (although some wouldn't call it that, I suppose) that subverts the traditional trope of pursuing heroines' routes while also selling very well. 

Popularising Japanese otaku culture in the West is one way of looking at it, I suppose. It seems your opinion is the polar opposite of mine — I feel as though the West should have its own VN industry that stands on its own two feet, whereas you think that the Japanese media should be retained but popularised. I agree with you on the point that VNs aren't available physically in the West, and that digital distribution is often a complicated process due to the, er, proclivities, of some visual novels. 

2 hours ago, Norleas said:

The image of "porn" games don't help either, look at the front page of mangagamer, the first thing that you will see is  NSFW images of Sorcery Jokers and Imopara 2, and differently from Japan here in west porn is much more accessible and "cultural"  to give a open for porny vns.

I can't really disagree there. Porn games will always appeal to people that are interested in playing porn games, and I don't think having a gratuitous display of nudity and such will really change any of their minds. The way VNs are presented is definitely important in how they are generally viewed by their potential audience; I really can't imagine linking a friend that hasn't played any VNs to Mangagamer to look at Dies Irae, for example, without him getting the wrong idea about my interests...

2 hours ago, Jptje said:

So to answer this question... I think fuwanovel could (I'm not steadfast enough to say should) focus more on supporting OELVN projects. My inner weeb would hate for that to replace what we have now, so I would hope directing our eyes to OELVN's would not stand in the way of our own super-niche corner, as you put it.

The crux of it is that I think we should open up more to OELVN's. How does you think we could best open up fuwanovels to OELVN's? I know it's cheeky to ask it like that, but I'm honestly not sure myself... and I'm curious to hear what you all think.

I think you basically have the same ideas as Lesiak and I with regards to Fuwanovel itself. I think giving more attention to OELVNs could be helpful, without degrading the quality of content we have here in terms of Japanese visual novels. OELVNs rarely get any attention on the visual novels subreddit, which is perhaps the only other significant VN community. 

Are there good OELVNs being released though? Maybe, maybe not. But I feel like if one were released tomorrow, the world wouldn't know about it.

["Make Visual Novels Popular in the West": How?]

Fuwanovel has this tagline both here on the forums as well as the main site; if you were to Google Fuwanovel, the first result proudly exclaims "Fuwanovel – Make Visual Novels Popular in the West!". I haven't seen too much discussion about it, though, so I thought I'd stir up a conversation to hear everyone's opinions on what needs to happen in order for VNs to appeal to a larger portion of the Western audience, or if it's possible at all.

Popularity is subjective, of course, so for our purposes just consider what would make VNs more popular, rather than reach any particular standard of renown.

I'll present a few general topics that I feel are relevant to provide a base, but of course don't be afraid to present any thoughts that may pertain to something else.

1. Sexual Content - This post and associated podcast by NowItsAngeTime brought up some good points on this topic. Do you feel that the presentation of sexual content, or the idea of pursuing heroines as a requisite feature, that is so common in VNs needs to be changed, altered, or removed somehow? Dreamysyu noted that visual novels with sexual content are separated from those without completely in Japan - to the point that they are essentially different genres. 

2. Setting and Japanese Influence - Naturally, a lot of VNs are set in Japan, frequently in specific settings like a high school. This even extends to OELVNs, where it is not unusual to see a VN that takes place in Japan or has characters with Japanese names, honorifics, and so on. Do you think VNs, particularily OELVNs, need to break away from this standard in order to appeal to a larger Western audience?

3. The Format in Itself - Does the nature of a visual novel make it forever doomed to be a niche genre? Would VNs with gameplay features appeal more in the West? Are there possible changes to the existing format that can be altered while still retaining the core of what a visual novel is?

I look forward to hearing your opinions!

[M/F/K Fuw0 Edition 2018~]

Marry: @ratboi Such a pleasant and friendly person, and not a male, which gets a few bonus points from me on my ratings scale

Fuck: Well, nobody. I'm waiting for marriage as it is, you know!

Kill: Preferably nobody as well! I'm not a violent person, and I don't have problems with anyone nor do I want to. I find it truly hard to think of anyone I'd want to kill, but If I truly must think of a few potential candidates, it'd probably be @HMN and @Chewy and @hsmsful and @Kiriririri and many others

[H-hi there s-senpai]

Welcome aboard, and I hope you don't feel nervous about participating. This community you admire would no doubt be made even better with your voice heard! I like otome games too if you ever find yourself looking for someone to discuss them with.

['Pulltop 15th x 15 Titles Premium Anniversary Pack'?]

3 minutes ago, Joulskr said:

Yeah, that's about what I was afraid of - meaning an English translation is even less likely, right? 

Mildly related note - are those disks compatible with a standard optical drive, or do they require a special reader?

I have no clue with regards to the translation, but I think it's pretty rare for fandiscs to get an official translation regardless. As for the optical drive, it should be compatible with a standard one, but will require you to change your locale to Japan. 

Although I regret to inform you that the order page seems to indicate that they are limited and the sale has ended, unfortunately, unless I have misunderstood 

['Pulltop 15th x 15 Titles Premium Anniversary Pack'?]

31 minutes ago, Joulskr said:

Obviously this wouldn't be in english, much to my chagrin, but I'm still somewhat interested; does anyone have any experience with 'packs' like this? Would it just be a bulk purchase of 15 of their games, or would all of them be combined into one program? And what costs are we talking about here for a digital download?

It doesn't seem to be digital at all in this case; according to the website, it's a physical "album" with 15 separate CDs + an additional one with the opening songs.

Unless you're asking if purchasing the collection entitles you to a digital download as well, in which case I don't believe it says anything with regards to that.

 

[How does one develop editing skills specific to VNs?]

34 minutes ago, Clephas said:

Mmm... Decay or Poltroon would probably be better advisors on this matter.  However, I can give you a few pieces of advice.

Before I address anything else, allow me to thank you for taking the time to write up your post. There's so much helpful information that I think you may give these Decay and Mr. Poltroon fellows a run for their money! I'm very grateful.

39 minutes ago, Clephas said:

Many translators also go to insane lengths to keep the entire meaning of a sentence in every last detail, including the 'rhythm' in their translation.  Unfortunately, this frequently results in grammatical abominations.  Be prepared for a fight with your translator if he is attached to his work, because no one likes reading awkward lines, but no translator likes to see meaning cut out of a sentence.  Often, simply rewording the sentence is sufficient (I dunno how many times, as a translation-checker, I've simply rearranged a sentence to make it sound like real English), but sometimes you really do have to rewrite the line because it just makes no grammatical sense (ask any editor on a fansub project and they'll probably nod to this). 

This is one of the things I've been able to independently identify as a weak point of mine, actually. I have quite a bit of trouble identifying when a change cuts out too much, when I'm not "naturalising" a line enough in an effort to retain the translator's / the original line's meaning, and just keeping a good balance between the two in general. Responses to my edits in the minor projects I mentioned were mostly mixed, with generally well-received edits but also a sizable amount of ones that swing too far in one direction; i.e cutting out too much in an effort to rewrite it, or not changing it enough. I suppose it's something that will come with experience and discussion, but I also don't want to impede a translator with my inexperience... especially now that I know one of their dirty little secrets 

48 minutes ago, Clephas said:

Also... how is your prose?  That is going to be important when dealing with narrative.  I don't know how many editors I came across over the years that could write lines that were perfect grammatically but were pure s*** as prose... the same for translators.

It's a bit difficult to self-assess that without coming across as pompous, but I'd say it ranges from decent to good. It's something I can practice and improve on regardless of whether or not it's a VN in particular that I'm working on. I will not say I am among the finest writers in the world, but I aspire to be and am constantly learning; I require practice, for certain, but I recognise that. I certainly wouldn't call myself pure shit, though! At least, well, I... I hope not!

58 minutes ago, Clephas said:

Last of all... my condolences for picking one of the most thankless jobs in the fantranslation community.

Thank you again for helping progress my journey to thanklessness and pestering translators by making them go over extremely old lines! Among other things, like editing!

[How does one develop editing skills specific to VNs?]

I've wanted to try my hand at editing for quite a while, and have worked on a few minor projects, but I've hit a roadblock where I feel I need experience but am too inexperienced to solely edit a full-on fan translation or what have you without compromising the quality of the project.

I was originally made aware of Fuwanovel's existence after stumbling upon Darbury and later Fred's blogs while searching for resources to learn editing specific to the visual novel medium. Although extremely helpful, I found that they tended to focus on rather specific subjects rather than anything comprehensive or general (not criticising, mind, I don't expect an encyclopedia from a blog post).

Anyway, I'm curious for suggestions/advice on how to proceed, whether it be directing me or simply a motivational "Zander ya idiot just work on a project smh".

Thank you very much in advance! 

[Find a good avatar for Amethyst!]

34 minutes ago, Amethyst said:

I almost took your post about haters seriously, until I realised the dramatic tonal shift from your previous post  

My intention is to elicit a few laughs, not garner a negative reputation. You have my earnest apologies if I have upset you in any way with my shitposting.

I assure you though, I genuinely like Maggie, and my post was sincere without any malice or duplicity. Both a general female perspective as well as input on otome, BL, and similar VN genres are sorely lacking here, from my observations.

[Find a good avatar for Amethyst!]

18 minutes ago, MaggieROBOT said:

WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FLYING FUCK??????????

Oh well, I'm 4 hours to late do defend myself...

 

Don't worry about the haters, Maggie. I think you bring a valuable perspective to Fuwa that would not be represented adequately without your contributions here. I always look forward to reading your posts about otome games over on your blog, and encourage you to continue writing them. Best of luck with your degree, by the way!

[Find a good avatar for Amethyst!]

7 minutes ago, Amethyst said:

I literally like BL

Perhaps I didn't express myself properly, Amethyst, so allow me to reassert my position.

A little over a month ago, before I joined Fuwa, I was a pretty happy guy. I loved life, went to class at my university, had a girlfriend and a great group of friends. I went out often, whether it be to a local restaurant or to the theatre, and had a great time socialising with my mates. I used the computer only occasionally to play an all-ages VN, something like Clannad, if you will. I went to church every Sunday, and was a pious, if not necessarily entirely pure, member of the Lutheran church.

It's been a month since then. Bags have formed under my eyes. I can't sleep at night, because I'm busy thinking up what my next post will be. How can I stay under Kaguya's radar, but troll all of Fuwa at the same time? I go hungry sometimes, because I'm stuck in a voice chat thinking up shitposts. I wake up and open the newest nukige I can find. The crosses on my wall have fallen down and I've become too fat and lethargic to hang them back up, if they even have any meaning to me anymore.

My girlfriend has long since left me, as I can provide her no affection or love anymore. She isn't 2D. I don't have to feed my waifus. Money. I need that money. For eroge. For nukige. To make commissions of my favourite girls being raped by tentacle monsters.

It's not mere morals like you may understand, Amethyst. Fuwa is a living, inescapable hell.

[Find a good avatar for Amethyst!]

6 minutes ago, Amethyst said:

WAIT! This was the "shitposting" I was warned about  

Get out while you still can, Amethyst. This is how it starts. 

It's an ever deepening hole, and if you don't leave now you will be stuck in here with us forever.

You either leave Fuwa with your morals intact, or stay long enough to see yourself become the shitposter.

 

P.S My avatar is the protagonist of Code: Realize. Highly recommended otome game, and first on Maggie's list. Check it out when you can.

[Grand Strategy Games]

On 1/10/2018 at 3:33 PM, Kurisu-Chan said:

Pepper your angus for Total War : Three Kingdoms. 

I'm really excited for it! The Chinese setting looks really awesome.

You should come play with us this weekend if you're interested, mate.

[UNO ME MANO A MANO AT THE CRACK OF DAWN OR FACE THE CONSEQUENCES, O ZAKKA]

Really? Really?

I'd like to direct you to this article, hsmsful: How To Write A Funny Post. There's a choice excerpt in there: "Humor lies in the ordinary. In the emotions that everyone can understand."  Do you really think anyone else can understand what you're saying?

I get it, this is the Coliseum of Chatter, it's a free-for-all, you can post anything you like, hehe let me jerk off my buddies by posting our inside meme jokes even though nobody else on the entire forum knows what the hell we're talking about type section of the forum. Even that has its limits, though. I'm no master of shitposting, not necessarily the funniest guy around either, but this indecipherable garbage doesn't belong here or anywhere else, except maybe r/ComedyCemetery.

6 minutes ago, Zakamutt said:

In lieu of a reply to this malicious screed, let me present some poetry constructed purely of things this young man has actually said:

My gay senses are tingling
I'm feeling the climax
I have airbags under my eyes
My gay senses are tingling
I have no male brothers
I am displeased and I want to fuck some gay boys
I have airbags under my eyes
Oh my

What even is this? I like you and respect you, Zaka, at least more than OP, but I really think whatever this is should have died in your discord server and remained buried there.

I apologise if I'm coming across as aggressive here, I really don't mean to. But first that guy with the dying dog and the salsa, now this... 

[Looking for something dark]

1 minute ago, Neutronium said:

 I'm finding myself craving something similarly dark and messed up.

Dark and messed up? I know a guy who just so happens to be an authority on dark and messed up VNs. Take a look at his list of the best:

Might be a little too dark and messed up for ya though. Or for any human. 

[sorry for being dead, and a question involving my dogs health]

1 minute ago, hsmsful said:

Salsa doesn't kill

[sorry for being dead, and a question involving my dogs health]

It's okay, Akimoto, we forgive you. You can go back to being dead now.

[Grand Strategy Games]

On 1/9/2018 at 1:28 PM, Andromis said:

Nice. I'll send you a friend request.

Sent you one as well!

[The Broadcast Club: VN Podcast Episode 9 - Adult Content in Visual Novels]

7 hours ago, Jptje said:

 (...) I don't think the image of visual novels as glorified chinese porn powerpoints is one that'll ever be really changed for the better.

Why is that, though? I enjoyed the podcast and found the discussions on this in the subreddit very interesting. I was previously under the impression that the majority of that community (and, well, the entire VN community at large) preferred sexual content in their VNs. However, I noticed people arguing about how VNs are essentially interactive books, yet the vast majority that are produced follow a traditional format of pursuing cute girls with the ultimate intention of having sex with them, regardless of the overarching narrative. 

Why aren't there more VNs like STEINS;GATE (not the best example but bear with me here) and whatnot being produced? If there were, perhaps the image of VNs could shift a little bit. Is it really that its simply easier and more profitable to make VNs that have sex as a primary or secondary focus? Not arguing with or against you, here, just curious to hear more about your thoughts on this.

P.S I also watched/listened on YouTube, and would encourage you to continue uploading there

[Favorite choice in a VN?]

I'm a big fan of the fourth choice, really helps represent VN fans of all backgrounds. 

[Grand Strategy Games]

A group of three of us were thinking of playing some Stellaris; only problem is that our skill levels vary quite a bit, from a relative newbie to a long-time player.

Anyway, I think we'd be interested in playing most of the games you listed together.

[The TRUE Source of All of Fuwa's Suffering and Despair]

5 minutes ago, Plk_Lesiak said:

Man, with that style of writing you use I never know whether you're trolling or writing all this stuf 100% seriously.  But TBF, blogs don't get spammed around here. And while the trolls are annoying, they actually don't seem to harass individual people, apart from the poor LittleShogun who suddenly got showered with obnoxious shitposts. I would love to see a few people banned for this specific issue, but other than that they're just a minor annoyance (worthy maybe a few weekly bans - that would at least be the measure in my Uncyclopedia-admin days). 

Nah, I know I can come across as less-than-serious sometimes, but it's just due to my naturally awkward formal writing style I suppose. It's not intentional, really. There's a place for humour, and I try to incorporate a comedic flair into posts when it's appropriate, but on serious matters like this I holster the meme pistols.

Thanks though, I'll probably have a crack at a blog of my own soon.

[Hoshizora no Memoria Issue]

17 minutes ago, FinalCloud said:

Hey, getting issues with this game. The steam version crashes the moment I load a save.

I have just started the game but...

The voice acting seems to not be playing, e.g. In the initial flashback with the girl who kisses him on the forehead, her lines have no audio.

If I skip through to the scene with the read haired girl and the blonde I hear no voices either, all I notice is a slight reduction in BGM volume, what is going on =S

If I do the "Test Voice" button I hear the voice

Any ideas?

Try right clicking on the game in your Steam library, properties ---> local files ---> verify integrity of game cache. This has fixed similar problems for me before.

The game itself is pretty buggy due to a poor release state, so it might just be due to that. I would try posting here as well if you haven't already, for an "official" response

[The TRUE Source of All of Fuwa's Suffering and Despair]

8 hours ago, Kaguya said:

Indeed. And if it continues to be the source of fuwa's suffering as it has, all of you are getting permabanned. I shouldn't have to hand out multiple bans a day to the same people. 

 

15 minutes ago, Kiriririri said:

who is this "all"

You make a fine point there, Kiri. I'm relatively new around here, and I'm as fed up with the shitposting as anyone else (I'd love to make some contributions and even start a blog, but I'd rather not bother if I'm just going to get trolled like half the other people here), but at the same time I don't want to be thrown in with a small group of instigators just because I joined the Discord. Punishing the many for the actions of a few is a draconian stance to take, in my opinion, and will lower faith in the moderators rather than restore it.