ThePenSword

Can't stop won't stop.

12/19/2022 Update So the kickstarter did end up failing. And, true to my word, I'll be using this space to provide updates and share my thoughts on the project going forward. Ultimately, I did end up finishing the story for Prove You Aren't Dead while the kickstarter was running. In a lot of ways, it feels like the kind of ending I always wanted for these characters. After four+ years of working on this, the story finally feels complete. As to if I ever have the chance to fully program it into the game is another matter entirely, however. With the kickstarter having failed, I've fallen back on my regular day job as a cellphone salesman to help pay the bills. In that time, it's become quite apparent that I'm not going to really have the time to develop like I used to. Honestly, the fact that Siren's Call even got done in any regard is nothing short of a miracle, so I'm happy it exists in any way at all. And I still might be able to find time here and there to program, but with the somewhat lukewarm launch of the game/lack of marketing power and influence I have in general, I'm not even sure releasing Prove You Aren't Dead in the state its in would do much good. I feel like if I'm going to release this epilogue, it has to be in a way that in more meaningful than a cold, quiet update. I've been stewing over the idea of releasing a version of the game with voice acting, new cgs, new gameplay mechanics, and a new (true) ending in the form of Prove You Aren't Dead. My hope would be that I can learn from my mistakes in marketing and present a more "official" release that would potentially put the game in front of more people's eyes. I already know I have a damn good VN with a strong foundation, so having a new version that uses voice acting, new gameplay mechanics, and new art to enhance what is already there just makes sense. To do that though, I'm going to need a publisher with the means to fund such a project, so that's what I'm going to spend what little free time I have now looking for. VNDevelopment is all about time equity. Sure, I could spend what little time I have grinding away at programing the script, but I feel like that likely won't matter too much if people don't even know the game exists in the first place. So I'm going to try and create more opportunities for success. Honestly, it's an exciting change for me. I do think Siren's Call has the potential to be something larger than just a small, passion project. But it means I have to kind of swap hats for a little bit. After all, I sell shitty phones now. How hard could it be for me to sell a publisher the idea of a visual novel I've been obsessed with for years? Ideally the next update will be a big one. What I've done: +Tried crowdfunding +Finished PYAD's Script What I'm going to do: +Find a publisher that sees in this game what I see See you soon, everyone. ~Jacob

After doing some thinking regarding the development/production of my own visual novel, my team and I are starting to come to the conclusion that most of our current problems would be solved by having...well, an actual publisher! XD We self-published our first visual novel, Siren's Call, and while things went better than expected, our biggest weakness as a team was definitely marketing/putting our game in front of people's faces. I know that Sekai Project exists, but other than them, I'm having trouble finding out exactly what our team's options would be in regards to indie visual novel publishing. Does anybody have any experience with small publishers? If so, what are the pros and cons of those you've interacted with so far? Who seems worth contacting and why?

Of course! Thank you for making it; I had a really good time.

I think that really is the key factor-- the finished mixing with the unfinished. Not only that, but because itch is a marketplace, everything about the interface is funneled towards the idea of making a sale. Because the goal with this website would be feedback, you potentially have a little bit more freedom in website construction because the goals are inherently different.

I think some sort of proving ground similar to itch.io, but exclusively for visual novel alphas and betas to help smooth out the rough edges of a project (before moving your game past the point of no return by publishing it on Steam) would be amazing. The playtesting/feedback phase of VNs seems to be incredibly overlooked on the whole, but having a really brutal writer's room/environment specifically devoted to playtesting new VNs would help people prioritize it more and lead to higher quality works as a whole.

Well, essentially, the main thing I learned that marketing IS the most important part of development when it comes to actually getting people to interact with your game. Going forward with new projects, I do want to make it more of a priority from the start. I was really shy about exposing people to my work in an unfinished state, but now I realize I was only sheltering myself from the fear of things not working out. Even if marketing draws negative attention, that is better sales wise for your game than no attention at all. That being said, I am somewhat glad I was ignorant to marketing and its importance for Siren's Call. I can't even imagine how much of a hit the story would've taken if I was writing to cater more to the whims of other people rather than my own personal experiences. Even if it did better in terms of downloads, it wouldn't have been a product I'd be proud of a as a writer, and I think that's important to consider too when you're making a VN. What you prioritize during the development process ultimately shows in the final product, I feel. But I also don't think it's correct to prioritize some aspects over others 100% of the time. I think it's contextual. If you value writing, focus on the writing. If you want downloads, focus on marketing. And if you have the funds/time/manpower to do both, then do both. If you're putting your work out there in the first place, you're gonna have moments where you feel dirty or like a shill or whathave you. And that's okay and completely normal. You aren't bad for feeling those things or wrong for thinking about them (lord knows I have). But while I haven't exactly tasted mainstream success, I imagine that's only possible with VNs after learning to accept that feeling to some regard. That being said, living with the feeling or not, I'm probably just going to hire somebody to do the marketing for future projects. I'm already wearing enough hats. Social media is a big part of it and that takes way too much time for me. Cause I don't know if anything really happens organically with game visibility. I think it always takes somebody pushing it. I think that's normal. It doesn't have to be you pushing it though, if that's any comfort.

It took a lot of people. My best friend and I did most of the writing, my wife did the graphic design and UI, we had two freelancers do the music along with two of my friends, four different artists, and about eight playtesters in the alpha stages. So all and all, around 19 people working on and off and providing feedback, Granted, it just started out with the three of us (Cory [my friend], myself, and Hannah [my wife]). And you can keep the team that small if the three of you are wearing enough hats, but that can be stressful, especially if it's the first project. My advice is that if you've got a small team, keep the scale as small as possible for you to still be satisfied with it narratively. Managing was easily the weakest part of my skill set, besides marketing. I'm not a very assertive person, so instructing people to meet deadlines when they didn't really have skin in the game so to speak was a big challenge. This was mostly avoided due to everybody being close friends with the exception of some of the freelancers, but we really REALLY needed a dedicated manager because I simply didn't have the personality for it. We used Fiverr a lot, which sets deadlines for the freelancers to get assets done and that took away a lot of the pain, but there were times when we didn't use Fiverr where assets were weeks, even months late. At one point, it almost completely killed the project. So while I can't really give any insight on how management was done (cause it was done poorly), I can say you do need an OFFICIAL manager if you lack the temperament for it yourself.

I just finished it! Sorry it took so long, but I wanted to be through and organize my thoughts before coming back here. Your game does a lot of really cool things aesthetically. The little ways the main menu changes during each loop are a really nice touch, but the art style of the characters mixed with the filter choice for the background was probably my favorite thing visually about the VN. It felt very cozy and like all the assets were very agreeable with each other, if that makes any sense. Honestly, other than some of the sprites shifting depending on the expression and some minor graphical glitches where certain things fade out too early, I don't really have much to dislike in terms of the visuals. The style here is very distinct and memorable; I feel like it's probably only going to get better with each game you make. In terms of the novel part of the visual novel, I think the core concept is really interesting. The reveal of the main character's true nature as we move towards the first ending is a very effective hook. Which leads to my main thought with this game-- I feel like the hook of a couple that is a "match made in Hell" is compelling enough where you don't really NEED multiple endings/playtroughs to keep players reading. Simply exploring the character dynamics of these two enabling each other and how the others react around them is more than enough spice for a short VN, if that makes any sense. Don't get me wrong, the resets work (and it's a narrative tool I'm a pretty big fan of), but the potential of that first go around is so strong that there's a big part of me that's curious as to how that would work if it was the whole game. Having such a morbid narrative core for such a cute looking game is a lovely juxitposition, but I feel like rather than building upon that initial interest, the resets act more like speed bumps. That being said, the way the love letter changes each time is awesome (also another narrative tool I'm a big fan of). I just know that with my own games, I sometimes get so married to a certain mechanic or plot point that it sometimes takes away from other, stronger aspects of the narrative that I could expand upon. I don't know if that's how it was for the multiple ending system here, but I thought it was something I'd mention. This is just one guys opinion though, so please take it with a grain of salt. Also, those hard cuts between scenes were a nice touch. All and all, a very cozy and morbid experience that I don't regret in the slightest. Thank you for your hard work!

Hello everybody, my name is Jacob. I'm the head writer and programmer of the OELVN Siren's Call. It took about four years, but we recently completed the project. I'm pretty new to fuwanovel, but can see there's a lot of creatives floating around here that are either trying to make their own VN or are at least interested in the process of what it takes to make one. Because it's such a daunting process (at least for me it was), I want to do what I can to answer any nagging fears or inquires the community has about what it takes to really get to the point where you can finish making one of these things. Lately, I feel like my experiences have just kind of been rotting inside my own head, so I want to use what I've learned for something other than just working on my second project. If you're making a VN and feel lost/confused about what to do next, how to stay motivated, or even if you wanna know more about what the process is like, then let's talk about it! Be it programming, asset creation, marketing, story-boarding, expectations,...let's get a conversation going about what it's really like to make one of these!

Slapping my two favorite franchises together like this? This is either a gift from God, or the cruelest possible thing that I'm going to be experiencing on the PS5. Still, I feel like if this game ends up being bad though, it won't be because of the story.

Fascinating. I am very curious as to how the advent of AI tools in general will assist in the production of indie visual novels. Lots of people out there with great ideas, but not enough funds to commission art at the rate that is expected by the average VN fan. Also curious to see how the public's reaction will be once these tools start being used more frequently. Best of luck!

Oh heck yes. Love me a good short VN, Will check out for sure.

Siren's Call: A free Denpa visual novel where you escape from an actual tourist trap. Siren's Call is a Denpa visual novel loosely based off of my experiences living in (and escaping) Central Florida as an adult on the autism spectrum. The game was a passion project made by myself, my wife, my best friend, and a couple other close friends and freelancers. It took us roughly four years to complete and is now out on Steam for free. While your millage may vary on how scary you find the game (much of it is based off of my own personal fears), I can say with conviction that you will feel the love and effort put into this project. Steam Download: here Features and stuff: 7+ hours of Visual Novel Gameplay with dire consequences for how you choose to spend this final day of yours. 55 journal entries and and 60 unlockable gallery images for those who want to explore everything this town has to offer. An original story centered on saying goodbye to friends rather than saying hello to strangers. A dynamic, original soundtrack meant to perfectly capture the feel of central Florida music. A cast of lovely characters that only want what's best for you. A 94% positivity rating on steam with 150+ reviews! (not a feature, but I'm proud of this one} Characters: Judith, the exceptionally sweet (and extraordinarily intense) sovereign of Siren’s Call! Andi, the sovereign’s sassy twin sister whose strength and spunk speak volumes on their own! Ashton, a hero in training whose sizable fist is matched only by the size of his heart! Emil, the once timid boy turned man who will not stop until he reaches absolute perfection... and, of course, Violet: your actual girlfriend. We've finished the main game which you can find on steam right here, but my team and I are also making extra story content as well! Prove You Aren't Dead: A Epilogue While it is true that our team succeeded where many others have failed and got Siren's Call out in a playable state, it is far from being "complete." Over the course of the past five months, I've released a few bonus stories acting as a prequel of sorts to the events of the main game. But in terms of the true epilogue...that is what I'm going to be working on for the foreseeable future. If you would like to support this project, there's a link to the kickstarter right here, but I mostly just wanted to create this post as a little home where I can post updates on not just this new content, but Siren's Call as a whole. If anybody has any comments or feedback on the project, I am very excited to hear them and discuss your experiences. This VN has been my wife and I's life for the past few years and if ya'll have any thoughts, don't hesitate to share them. Until then, enjoy your stay in Siren's Call.