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Chronopolis

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  1. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to Plk_Lesiak in What is a game's quality? Is it objective?   
    1. People mix up quality and their personal enjoyment all the time which makes the discussion about it very loaded. Quality is somewhat quantifiable, while enjoyment is purely personal. It's utter snobbishness to claim you only enjoy good-quality things, or to not be able to appreciate the quality of something you personally despise. At the same time, it's easy to understand why many people do not have that kind of distance towards media they consume – they affect our emotions and can become so important that we see every critique of our favourites as personal attacks against us.
    2. Quality isn't objective, as Palas nicely explained, but I also hate the perspective that it's 100% reliant on context. We get to something like claiming that Twilight is a quality series because bland self-insert protagonists and shitty, sappy writing are not considered negative traits for a teenage romance novel (and I've seen a writer that I semi-respect spewing that). I think that the "does it do its job?" question is important, but shouldn't be the end of the discussion. Otherwise, once more, we lose all difference between something being of good quality and just being popular.
    3. And as the same time, the pedantic approach of overanalysing pieces of media by some (even well-developed) set of technical standards, and creating some kind of "mean score" assessment is absolute nonsense too. A piece of media is never just a sum of its parts, so to say something meaningful about it you need to include contextual knowledge and subjective impressions about its effectiveness in whatever it tried to achieve.
    So, to sum it all up... I'd argue that quality, if the word is meant to have any meaning at all, is a bit more objective than some people make it out to be – arts that develop over decades and centuries create their canons of good practices and techniques that are worth utilizing, and should be used as points of reference. But it's also not as important as some make it out to be – both because something doesn't have to be high-quality to provide entertainment and because high quality by itself doesn't create meaning. And that's good, because otherwise art and popculture would be awfully dull.
  2. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to Clephas in What is a game's quality? Is it objective?   
    Personally these are my criteria and the order in which I consider them important:
    1.  Writing
    2.  Presentation (of all elements)
    3. Artwork
    4. Audio elements (BGM and VA)
    5. Program stability
     
     
     
    You saw what I did there, right?  Essentially, that is a possible subjective view of quality... while ignoring the parts that I didn't admit were important, such as world-building (construction of the setting) and character design (which includes elements of the writing, VA, and artwork to make the whole), both of which I consider important.  The fact is, 'quality' is both an incredibly subjective term - one that doesn't lend itself to clear and objective assessment - and something that, in a general sense, be quantified by that same subjective viewpoint (which is where you get reviews. 
    Speaking as someone who reviewed a whole truckload of VNs over the years, I can tell you that trying to be objective is a trap.  Objective quality is one of the most irrelevant types of quality in the eyes of readers.  It's ok to admit where you are biased, but true objectivity isn't something a reviewer should indulge in when playing something they like.  It takes all the fun out of it.
    In retrospect, I think I wrote most of my best reviews near the beginning of my 'career' with VNs.  I recommended VNs based on what a reader is looking for, rather than some abstract objective assessment of quality, and I generally got more feedback in general... which is kind of what trapped me.  Also, reviewing SOL games became so painful toward the end that I was completely cutting off my emotions when reviewing them, which kind of defeated the point.
  3. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to Zakamutt in VN presentation take: mix between puppet plays and comic books?   
    To note regarding plays, there are plays that were primarily designed to be read, not acted: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closet_drama. In fact, the moderately well known Faust was originally written as one.
  4. Love
    Chronopolis reacted to Zalor in Digital Seclusion: A visual novel about visual novels [FREE]   
    I would like to say before anything else, that this project is first and foremost an open love-letter to the visual novel medium. I've officially been reading visual novels (granted, on an on-and-off basis) for 10 years now. Hell, I've been posting on these forums for over 7 years. It's safe to say that visual novels are an ingrained part of me at this point. Whether across discussion threads here or blog posts, I've written a lot about my thoughts on visual novels, especially about those that I like. However, even with blog posts that I took lots of time to carefully write up and polish, I never felt like I was able to truly convey my genuine love for the medium. I think with this visual novel, Digital Seclusion, I've finally been able to do that to some respect.

     
    Plot Synopsis: Isolated in a room repurposed into a personal shrine to esoteric Japanese media. Our nameless protagonist has dedicated himself to a collection of retro Japanese computer games, with a particular fondness for early visual novels. Although decaying in a slovenly existence to the untrained eye, his retreat into digital life is enriched by the scripted interactions with various charming 2D girls. His one purpose in life is to chronicle his thoughts and reflections on each of the digital worlds he immerses himself in. However, one day while pulling out another visual novel to review, a girl leaps straight out of the cover art and begins interacting with him, face to face. But perhaps most shocking of all, in a completely unscripted manner.
    Information: Digital Seclusion is completely free. In terms of its length, I would estimate it to be between 1.5 ~ 2 hours long. The current and most likely final version of this VN is version 1.20.
    Download: https://thezalor.itch.io/digital-seclusion
  5. Thanks
    Chronopolis got a reaction from Larxe1 in JP romance VN's where atmosphere is somber or serious?   
    I realized I haven't played many romance-focused vns.  Some obscure titles, but here we go:
    Haruka ni Aogi, Uruwashi no (main branch routes)
    Hateshinaku Aoi, Kono Sora no Shita de (pretty somber mood)
    Noel (Serious yuri, though it only takes up about 40% of the story)
  6. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to Larxe1 in JP romance VN's where atmosphere is somber or serious?   
    Been looking for VN's to add to my read order. I really get sick fast of extremely light romcoms that are a dime a dozen today. I mean if they're well made, I read them but its so hard for me to find something that's well made and like that. 
    But a somber or serious romance even if it's just an 8/10, i enjoy it a lot. Something like Aonatsu Line. By specifics on what I mean by the atmosphere, im not saying its deadly serious. I mean something like the setting doesn't really require you to suspend your disbelief, or something like suddenly a transfer student comes in and she introduces herself and she knows you and the class goes what?!?!?!, lucky bastard. Its so far away from normal human beings act that I get annoyed. 
    Something like the following:
    White Album 2( This is the perfect example of an atmosphere of a VN I am particularly looking for)
    Kimi no Nagori, Natsu no Ame, Steins;Gate 0( yes this is not a romcom but the atmosphere im thinking of is something like that, its a serious and somber atmosphere ), Aonatsu Line
  7. Yes
    Chronopolis reacted to joeman304 in Hello! Intro and Current Project   
    Hey everyone!
    Just thought I'd introduce myself, even though I've been lurking for a few months now.
    Favorite VN's: Muv-Luv Alt, Kara No Shoujo, Katawa Shoujo, Little Busters.
    I've been playing/reading VN's for a few years now and I wanted to get a little more involved. Earlier this year, I was talking to a friend of mine and we randomly discussed creating our own VN. We tossed the idea around a few times over and decided to actually give it a shot. If we lost interest in it, no big deal right?
    I have been in charge of the plot, character development, story writing, and coding. I had never done any of those things before, so I've had to educate myself quite a lot lately.
    I will also be looking for an artist(s) for the character sprites soon. I lost my job a few months back due to COVID (but I start my new job in a few days!), so once I get financially stable again I'll be happy to pay for someone else's talents. I am planning on making the VN free for everyone though. I simply just wanted to have the experience of creating my own project from scratch. 
    I'm about 120k words in atm, and I'd be a fool to guess....buuuut I'd say I'm maybe 70% finished.
    Anyway, I'll be lurking some more and eventually post a few things here and there.
    Thanks!
    -Joe
     
  8. Love
    Chronopolis got a reaction from Noir in Any colorful pastel visual novels like flyable Heart   
    You're welcome! Kami no Ue is one of my favourites, I liked the 幻想的な atmosphere and the soft art style too.
  9. Like
    Chronopolis got a reaction from Noir in Any colorful pastel visual novels like flyable Heart   
    Hmm, when it comes to games with a colorful soft artstyle....
    Kami no Ue no Mahoutsukai (plot game)
    Haruka ni Aogi, Uruwashi no
    Gurenka (A nice comfy chuuni-supernatural game)
    白詰草話 -EPISODE OF THE CLOVERS- (the story's pretty ??? but the art's pretty cute.)
    And lastly an indie free game which I played and quite liked:
    ReIn∽Alter (Note: Despite appearances, it's NOT an eroge/light novel. The story gets very serious later)
  10. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to Noir in Any colorful pastel visual novels like flyable Heart   
    Any visual novel reqs with colorful pastel visuals?
    Hundred times better if it also has a good story
    Maybe most VNs are pastel but theres, something different and magical and almost retro, about Unisoft Shift's pastel.

    Maybe I just want a similar artstyle to flyable heart and alice parade i dont know.
    Please assist c :
     
  11. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to [Hun]Lepto in How do you handle SOL scenes in serious VNs?   
    Right now, I'm reading G-senjou no Maou and honestly, I remembered that I personally don't know how to feel about comedy relief scenes. I can't turn off my brain and enjoy good ol' slice of life after the serious plot made me interested and I can't feel serious about it when even the dialogue sometimes makes me crack up a bit. They just give a swirl of confusing feelings in me, especially when there's an underlying conflict between the characters that doesn't get brought up. With some other VNs, I didn't have this, but this VN do makes me feel like that.
  12. Love
    Chronopolis reacted to esev21 in [FREE][Gameplay~25 hours][Steam storepage up][Fantasy/Mystery][BxG] How stories die   
    https://store.steampowered.com/app/1204 ... ories_Die/ How stories die

    Time travel, assassins and one demonic magical gangster bunny.

    Description:

    "The perfect story... I will do anything to create it" - ???

    The kingdom of Alteria is under threat from the demon king. Luckily, there was a prophecy that when a certain child(called "The Hero of Fortune") will reach the age of 18, he will eat a golden fruit and gain enough powers to defeat the demon king and his army.

    One day, Prince Horace receives a letter from his father saying "The Hero of Fortune is now in the eastern market, escort him to the castle where he can eat the golden fruit". When Horace goes to the market he meets 3 different girls, each claiming to be the Hero of Fortune. Now Horace must look into the girls and determine who is the real Hero of Fortune, who are the impostors and what do they want.

    But his adventures won't end there...
     
    Features




    -Three unique routes with different atmospheres, each based on one of the classic RPG roles: The mage, the warrior and the rogue.


    -350,000 words (which roughly translates to 25 hours of gameplay based on what I read online).


    -Multiple route mystery!


    -About 12 endings + true ending. That doesn't count short bad endings, for instance deciding to have sex with the demon princess in an active volcano(which can happen in the story btw).


     

    Characters

    Nozomi
    Nozomi is a cheerful and energetic girl. She lived in the forest most of her life with her demonic magician gangster bunny mentor(there is an explanation for that), so she doesn't know a lot about civilized society and gets excited about every little thing(with a lot of funny misunderstandings).
    Nozomi has an endless supply of sexual jokes and has a talent to use them exactly in the worst time. She isn't the sharpest tool in the shed but she has a great affinity for magic.(magic is mainly used by demons)

    Riko
    Riko has a short fuse and quite a lot of ego. She won numerous gladiator championships before with her amazing agility. Her ego is quite fragile, and with her
    childish and stubborn attitude that's quite the explosive combo. She loves drinking and speaking high language. Riko's former family was a family of gladiators, but they disowned her for being too weak. Now Riko plans to beat her father in the finals and take revenge on him. She also possesses a drawing of Horace for some reason...

    Haruka
    Haruka is a shy and insecure girl. She is a genius that solves riddles in the blink of an eye and predicts what others will do based on cold logic. She lives in the slums of the Capital and is very physically weak. Although Haruka is insecure most of the time, when she faces an intellectual challenge she transforms into a strong woman with a lot of confidence. She holds some very strong political views regarding the royal family. Contrary to her innocent looks, she is an avid fan of torture.

    Horace
    CG3 Final.jpg (43.26 KiB) Viewed 1278 times Horace is the next king of Alteria and trains everyday to become a better king. He is a little spoiled, but he understands how big his responsibility is. He cares a lot about Alteria and will even risk his life to keep his kingdom safe. He is not a genius, but he finds some creative and crazy ideas to solve hard problems. He is a huge gladiator fan and an otaku. He is also quite handsome.(which does help him in some situations...)


    Some screenshots
     


     
  13. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to bakauchuujin in Why Don't More People Read Visual Novels? - A Short Video Analysis   
    I think that one of the problems with VNs is that so many of the heavily recommended VNs are very long. So many of the ones that are really often recommended and very highly rated are 50-100 hour titles and I just don't think that getting into something where those types of titles are seen as an introduction is easy.
    Another thing is how so many in the community tries highlight VNs as some sort of high art superior to every other medium and completely disregard anything part of the VN market that doesn't adhere to what they consider good, like calling moege and nukige trash and trying to make it out to be as if VNs would be way more amazing and mainstream had it not been for those damn genres.
    I personally think that one of the ways to get people into VNs would be to actually get people into things like moege or nukige as I think there are a lot of people who would want harem anime and manga to actually have conclusive endings and based on the amount of 18+ doujins of popular characters there is a demand for ero content with characters you actually get emotionally attatched to during a story.
    I think trying to highlight VNs as having good stories won't really do much as every medium has good stories to offer, I think instead it is important to highlight the things which makes VNs special and the types of content you either won't find in other mediums or you won't find done as well. Some I would highlight is integration of porn in the story, harem stories with branching routes and romantic development as well as mystery which can be enhanced by route and choice systems.
    Take nekopara for instance, in the realm of moege it was well done but nothing special, but it managed to go sort of mainstream and there seems to be quite a large base of people who are fans of it outside of the VN communities. I think some of this love people have for it comes from how it has done stuff they haven't seen before as they haven't gotten into VNs.
  14. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to Dreamysyu in Why Don't More People Read Visual Novels? - A Short Video Analysis   
    I personally think that VNs right now are in a sense stuck in a cursed loop. VNs as a medium just really lack variety and as a result appeal to a small number of people. Even most all-ages titles follow the same story structure: even in non-adult titles a male protagonist always has to be surrounded by a lot of female love interests; it almost always has to take place in high-school; even in plot-focused stories there are a lot of slice-of-life scenes, which aren't even well written, and mostly just serve as a way to stall the story for some time rather than developing the characters; finally, the personalities of the protagonist, the heroines and even the side characters typically just follow certain well-known archetypes. So, if you just happen not to enjoy some of these titles and just want to find something more unique, you're much better off watching some anime or reading a manga. Otome games are a bit different, but, from my limited experience with them, they seem to have a bag of different, though slightly similar, problems. There are indeed some unique and experimental VNs that do things differently, but most of these are doujin titles and don't get that much exposure. Most of them aren't even that good, since good authors are likely to join some company at some point and start making a lot more standard VNs, or leave the medium altogether. Also, we, the current VN fans, enjoy these tropes to at lest to some extend, and a lot of us actually prefer them. As a result, in a short run it's not a very good strategy for companies to experiment with story structures, since they don't know if the fans would like these changes, and they just stick to the strategy that worked thus far. And VNs are also expensive to make, so they don't allow for much flexibility. Nowadays, manga and light novel authors don't even have to make any initial investment at all, since they just can start posting their stories online and see how people react to them, or even completely stick to episodic online distribution. In case of VNs, even a single financially unsuccessful product can make a whole company go bankrupt.
    I personally think that if VNs somehow let this loop, there's a good chance that they would start appeal to a bigger number of people. They probably wouldn't be the same people as the current VN fans. Will they ever do that? I doubt it, but I don't know. EVNs might actually lead to something interesting at some point, who knows?
  15. Yes
    Chronopolis reacted to furleppe in Hello from (old) new guy   
    Hello everyone,
    Actually a long time lurker here, as I remember browsing Fuwa around 8-9 years ago, so sorry for late introduction.
    I played my first "big" VN at that time, it was G-Senjou no Maou (2011?), I think, maybe I played something smaller earlier but I don't remember. Out of all "otaku" media, I like VNs the best, but it's also very on and off hobby lol, sometimes I play 1 or even 0 VNs a year, sometimes many. In the early days it was often like this: "wow this game looks cool, can't wait to play it 4 years later (or never), after fan translation comes out" or "heyy can't wait for that muramasa release from JAST (xD)"

    Nowadays, there are a lot more english releases but now it doesn't matter much I guess, because I'm learning Japanese because of (but not only) those stupid porn games. Lately, I finished (not VNs, JRPG? whatever) Rance 01, 03 and 4, so this year I'm somewhat into VNs/JRPGs with VN elements again. Now I'm playing Chusingura46+1 Bushi no Kodou. Here's my vndb list, although it's not complete and dates are incorrect: https://vndb.org/u44878/ulist?vnlist=1 My favourite is probably Umineko but I never did any proper rankings in my head, so it's hard to tell.
    I find it funny how I ended up, considering I disliked any kind of "anime" artstyle when I was a kid...
    In my country I never met anyone who played VNs but I also never made any significant effort to find someone who does. In my experience, even for people watching a lot of anime or reading manga, VNs are somewhat obscure with exceptions like Doki Doki or something.
    All things considered, I will probably still rarely post there, but if the site ever dies and then, on a funeral you will see a stranger in a coat leaving some flowers on a grave, it's probably me...
    Cheers
  16. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to aradii in Hi everyone   
    Hi everyone my name is arad ralami, Recently I've read the language of love, it is a really pleasant Love Story, combined with a very cute Family Life, I got really attached to the main characters, then I searched about the other your novels and I found your community so I decided to register, my other hobbies are playing games, watching anime and movies, so I hope we have a great time with each other here.
    Sorry if i have any mistake in my grammar English is my second language.
  17. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to Aureus in Roadwarden [Fantasy/RPG Elements/Pixel Art] [Full Version Released!]   
    I’m having a crazy month, but I’ve managed to test some new things.
    1) The new d6 icon, that both makes it clear that a choice has a random chance attached to it, and allows me to alter some of the older choices to make them more interesting. It’s especially useful in combat - and gambling.
     
    2) The new “wait” option, a quality-of-life addition to the UI.
     
    3) A WIP illustration. I’m struggling to find a balance between the chaos and emptiness of the wilderness. I'll need to rework it, but I think it's an interesting attempt.

    October will be one of the loosest months I’ll have in 2020, so I’ll be able to finally focus on the game’s development. I can’t even express how happy I am. ^^
  18. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to Angela DeMille in Penlight [16+] [BxG] [Free / Donate] (Latest Release: March 9th 2024)   
    New public release time!

    Since last month Penlight's had a lot of little changes and updates. There's script edits, another load of new CGs, a few little additions to storylines old and new, and the full translation of the game into Spanish!

    There are some issues with the script in its current version, but Spanish readers should now be able to read and enjoy Penlight and I'm proud to be able to offer that to people in what is still a free indie visual novel ^^ I really hope there are people out there who will find it useful.

    But back to the other stuff. Nozomi's main storyline got some significant edits to strengthen the narrative and fix an inconsistency or two. The villainy stuff got another looking over as well, with the Robot storyline getting a new scene and Sleeper Agent a new ending that I'm not totally pleased about, but whatever. It's something. Also, Hiroko's most recent storyline might also be worth reading again just for the new art that got added this month~

    Oh, and following from the progress I made on the Reversal storyline last month, I made a start on another anticipated storyline this time. It's the part where Kyou suggests turning Sayori into a doll o.o There's a scene or two to get things started, and there'll be more to come next month. Should turn out to be fun~
    As usual, you can find this month's release in PC, Linux, Mac and Android versions, on my Patreon or itch.io pages. I've also linked the most recent flowchart guide on the public news post on Patreon.

    That's all for now. Hope you folks enjoy the update and I'll see you next time!

    What's New
    New CG for Nozomi's route, near the beginning TWO New CGs for Hiroko's route, on the "Ticklish Hands" storyline New CG for the third of Sayori's Alter storyline endings New CG for the Villainous Robot storyline Spanish localisation: The entire game is now playable in Spanish! Expanded the Robot path by making some script edits and adding a whole new scene Edited a number of scenes on Nozomi's Trance storyline Completed a version of the alternate ending on the Villainous Sleeper Agent storyline where Kyou chooses to fight  Began writing the Doll storyline on Sayori's route Added music and ambient sound to Hiroko's "ticklish hands" storyline ending scene Added one new piece of music. It plays during the first scene of Sayori's Doll storyline Added a language select screen when people start the game for the first time Inserted a disclaimer message that appears at the start of the game Fixed several bugs in the CG gallery that prevented certain CG variants from unlocking Fixed a display bug that occurred during Nozomi's Reversal storyline Word count is now around 217,500 The usual miscellaneous spelling and grammatical corrections Known Issues
    Changing the language on a line where an animation occurs (like screen shake) will throw up an error
  19. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to Aureus in Roadwarden [Fantasy/RPG Elements/Pixel Art] [Full Version Released!]   
    You can now find the newest Roadwarden devlog on https://moral-anxiety.itch.io/roadwarden/devlog/176144/invisible-milestones-roadwarden-devlog , with updates on the new approach to the character’s goals, the crossbow rework, the heart of the forest, the game’s release date, and more!
     
  20. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to Aureus in Roadwarden [Fantasy/RPG Elements/Pixel Art] [Full Version Released!]   
    In the original “Roadwarden’s” Design Document, there were no game-overs. You could get significantly hurt during your journeys, but never to the point where you’d face a brick wall that would make the further progress impossible. You need to rest and heal your wounds to participate in some events, but you can always move forward.
    I’ve finally decided to change it. In most situations, reaching 0 HP won’t result in an instant death. But in some scripted encounters - usually when facing an overwhelming opponent while being completely unprepared - your character will be broken.
    Still, I hope to make it as player-friendly as possible. Did you forget to save your game? Was autosave ran in an inconvenient spot? You can jump back in time a bit, no strings attached.
    The game now also involves some new systems, like a redesigned “armor level”. I’ll talk more about it in the next devlog.
     
  21. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to Fuez in M4 Chara Song made by our team's music composer   
    Recoyale is our team(Waifu Trash Family) music composer. Hope everyone enjoy his work!
    On additional note, our visual novel(Girl's Frontline - Tomorrow, With You), already has it's first demo! Please look forward to the second demo too!
  22. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to Zalor in Basically, how much can VNDB scores be trusted?   
    Absolutely savage take, and completely agreed.
  23. Yes
    Chronopolis reacted to Zakamutt in Basically, how much can VNDB scores be trusted?   
    A commercial flop only faintly hints at something actually being bad.
  24. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to Aureus in Roadwarden [Fantasy/RPG Elements/Pixel Art] [Full Version Released!]   
    Unlike most people, the monks learn to be satisfied with what’s essential for their survival, the simplest foods and shelters. They seek happiness in understanding and accepting things as they are, hidden both in nature and between the lines of the sacred scriptures, studying the mysteries of the world - herbs, crops, magic, beasts, metallurgy...
    Many of the monasteries are placed on the outskirts of civilization, where the monks explore and tame the unknown grounds. They expect that the other settlements, especially those which focus on food production, will provide for them. In return, the order shares with such villages the fruits of its research, from general guidance to specific inventions.
    The monks see themselves as responsible for broadening the potential of humankind, even though this perspective is rarely shared by those who don’t follow the teachings of the Church of Truth. Disbelievers claim that too many of the orders aim to gather resources beyond their needs, discarding their grand ideas, and reveal just the scraps of their research, and only when they can’t parasitize their neighbors any further. The lack of transparency sparks distrust, fear, and in some cases - hostility.
     
  25. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to MaggieROBOT in Learning Japanese   
    ifyouremoveallkanjijapanesewillbesomewhatlikethisandthisispainfulenoughtoreadanditsonlyonesentencelongseriouslyyoudontwantthat
     
    *cough*  that said, my big brain take is that kanji is nothing and the true beast of Japanese is deciphering katakana because maaaaaaaaaan the way they spell some foreign words...
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