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Chronopolis

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  1. Haha
    Chronopolis reacted to SuperTest4EVER in Madosoft is one big joke.   
    Man, Madosoft is one big joke (haha same as the title of the thread). Honestly, I never realised I would be invested in one singular company that pumps out visual novels, and it bugs me that I still occasionally check their website for any updates on their projects. But let's start from the beginning. There's a lot to cover here, so be prepared for a wall of text.   Madosoft (jap. まどそふと Madosofuto) is a Japanese company that specialises in developing adult games, mainly eroge/galge/visual novels. Not a lot is known about them in grave detail other than the info I provided. So far, they only developed 5 games (one being a fandisc), which are as follows: Namaiki Delation (2013), Yakimochi Stream (2014), the very well-known cult classic Wagamama High Spec (2016), Wagamama High Spec OC (2017, the fandisc I mentioned earlier) and Raspberry Cube (2018). Everything sounds pretty good so far, and as far as plots for each games go, they're mediocre at best, but some are pretty intriguing. I, for one, am the most familiar with WagaHigh, a game that'll forever be in my heart and inspired me to write more, and much better than these guys.
    Not saying they were necessarily bad writers, but from the English version which we got in 2017 by Sekai Project and Denpasoft, a lot of the dialogue is kinda, unironically, cringe. The real kicker will come soon.   Though, keep in mind this colour palette: black, gold, red, white. You will need it to understand this a lot better.   Let's talk about Namaiki Delation first. Its plot is as follows:   Shinjuurou managed to avoid supplementary lessons by passing the make-up test. However, his joy was fleeting, as he was tricked by his teacher to be a member of the cultural festival committee. Since there was no one else there, he had to find other members to join as well… but why are all those joined so cheeky?   Heroines in Namaiki Delation consist of (pictures for reference, left to right): - Nishimura Shiori (the childhood friend of the main character, clingy towards him, used to be shy but has gained confidence over the years and became a lot sweeter, and is trusted by the students and the staff; RED) - Natsushima Misaki (the little sister, cool, serious, scolds the protagonist often to hide her true feelings towards him (you know where this is going, right?); WHITE) - Shinkai Nagisa (I can't believe she shares a surname with the well-known Japanese director! MC's kouhai, she's the violent one and is treated as a delinquent but is actually sweet, also she's into karate; BLACK) - Meia Kreutzerung Hakuhou (a genius inventor, looks like an elementary schooler but is actually a high schooler due to skipping grades, childish but very smart, goes to school just to experience what high school is like; GOLD).   Variety between the heroines is wide. Not as wide when compared to games made by another company, but wide enough that I can call "original." Now, what about the main character? Self-insert, donkan, no face, no voice. Standard shit that I've grown tired of. Lemme be a voice actor, damn it!   Next game is Yakimochi Stream. Dominant theme is jealousy, naturally. The plot revolves around Takumi, the once-again self-insert main character, who leaves England because his little sister sent him a telegram telling him to come home immediately. Under the impression she was attacked, he comes back home to find that his little sister, Sana, became a shut-in and blames England for taking him away (she literally cusses at the country, what did it do to deserve this treatment?). Takumi decides to halt his studies abroad and transfer to a school in Japan, and ends up meeting his other female friends.   Speaking of which, there are four of them and yes, all four are the heroines. Pay attention to this: - Ibuki Kohane (the protagonist's childhood friend, she promised to be beautiful by the time she comes back, and so it does happen, she's the tsundere one; jealousy index: 80%, chest class: Southern Alps; RED) - Yukikura Mutsuki (childhood friend No. 2??? because she knew Takumi even before he transferred to the school in Japan; jealousy index: 100%, chest class: Kilimanjaro; WHITE) - Kirishima Sana (little sister of the main character, a serious brocon that's, imo, beyond saving, and she's also quite an academic chick; jealousy index: idk% (technically 120%), chest class: Mount Fuji; BLACK) - Tania Helvellyn (that's right, transfer student, foreigner, she's an athlete, just like everyone else for some reason, follows the MC back home to be with him; jealousy index: 70%, chest class: Mont Blanc; GOLD).   So you starting to see a pattern here? If not, I got you covered, keep on reading. The MC is the same, except a lot denser. All the girls also have giant boobies, which I don't really mind but it's overkill imo. As a wise Steam user once said, "I like my heroines how I like my fruit basket, assorted." And they're right - assorted heroines allow for an easier pick. Not everyone likes them big.   Pinnacle of the company everyone! Wagamama High Spec is up, and this one may or may not need any explanation. You know it, I know it, bless Sekai and Denpa for bringing home the bacon! Ahem. WagaHigh is centered around a guy named Narumi Kouki who attends an academy which used to be for girls only. He goes by the name of Potato Salad for his manga series, Deredere Scramble, and works with Mr Deer. He joins the student council after an encounter with the student council president, Rokuonji Kaoruko (BEST GIRL ALERT), who also happens to be Mr Deer. After joining, he's placed in a trial since Sakuragi R. Ashe (the vice president) is skeptical of his skills.   The heroines (pay attention once again): - Miyase Mihiro (the childhood friend of the main character, likes to tease him a lot, is actually sweet, best friends with Toa, owns a family restaurant; RED) - Narumi Toa (MC's little sister, lazy, but also a programmer, plays video games, skips school, cold towards the MC but likes him a lot, earns money because of apps that predict the lottery...; WHITE) - Rokuonji Kaoruko (The aforementioned best girl imo, fite me! Smart, beautiful, student council president that is also a secret artist named Mr Deer, has a bad sense of humour, lives in a strict family; BLACK) - Sakuragi Rooflet Ashe (Yet another foreigner, vice president, the classic tsundere character, pianist with a pinch of composer, has a large appetite, her character is too strong; GOLD).   While I definitely appreciate the enthusiasm that this visual novel has, something still doesn't quite add up. The protag is a bit better I guess, but he's still the generic old, self-insert kind. At some point, I decided to rewrite the entirety of the visual novel by skimming over some unneeded plots, and it ended up being just as mediocre. I guess I'm not that good at writing fanfics. But Kaoruko was the focus, because she really needs more love... She's completely overshadowed by Toa due to her immense popularity, Ashe due to her route being highly praised, and Mihiro for just being the comedic relief and also having the largest rack.   Ahem. My bad. Back to the topic.   ... At this point, you should have started noticing that something was going off. I'm skipping over WagaHigh OC because it's technically the game above. Moving over swiftly, here's Raspberry Hexahedron- I mean Raspberry Cube. The plot... The MC, Satoru, regrets being a delinquent and decides to have a change of heart. He goes back to his hometown to help out a few people who he ends up befriending, three being the heroines: he saved Mikoto from thugs, helped Minato with her garden and helped Yuu with her military shop. However, Ruri, the student council president, seemed to have had some grudge against him because he found himself in a pathetic state after falling in a pit trying to chase her down. She also refused to help him out and took a picture of him instead...   Damn, reality truly is harsh nowadays, and I'm getting real tired already.   ... Well anyway, the heroines... Here we go again... Try and guess... - Kanou Minato (the only member of the gardening club, takes care of it every day while trying to gather new members, sweet, hard-working, lives in an agricultural family, has a lot of friends (translating this from the official website because there's literally no info about this game)) - Sakuraba Victoria Ruri (the student council president that has a grudge against the protagonist, IS the student council, claiming that she can do stuff by herself, actually a troublesome person, ice beauty) - Kaidou Mikoto (MC's far-away relative, does chores, lives in an apartment that isn't doing well financially, a gentle person, but very much worried about debt) - Yuzuki Yuu (not only a tsundere but also a gal, runs a military store, likes coffee, swears... I'm sorry, I have nothing to say, my Japanese is very rusty, check the website for yourself).   Haah... haa... Damn, I think that's about it... 5/10, needs more raspberries. Please explain the significance of that title.   Noticed it yet? Yes? No? Well, either way, this is it...   Here comes the kicker.   The characters.   The fucking characters of each of these games.   Madosoft is "notorious" (quotation marks because nobody cares tbh) for reusing colour palettes for the four heroines for all the games they ever made, and will make in the future. Taking that into perspective, this makes Namaiki Delation, their very first game, look like the, wait for it, Citizen Kane of visual novels. The more you notice it, the more grating it becomes! This is something even I didn't quite notice until a certain accident happened and I decided to do some research... Turns out, they really don't work with different colour palettes.   This will (in a comedic way) explain how Madosoft's heroines have (d)evolved throughout the years. Heck, Hamidashi Creative, their newest installment, suffers from the same problems!!   I would like this problem to be dubbed the "Madosoft Syndrome" (unless there's another company that has the same practice as them).   This is the major problem with this company. Before the conclusion, I would like to let you know a few facts, and maybe some ways you could research along.   Madosoft also organised two Madosoft Live events: one in 2017 and one in 2018. I think this was just to promote their products further which wasn't necessarily bad but I can't say much about it because there's no way to find any other info about it. The official websites for both of these are still open, so feel free to check it out: http://madosoft.net/madolive2017/ http://madosoft.net/madolive2018/   Merchandise is literally all over Japan. Body pillows, tiddy mouse pads, stickers, prints, tapestries, stationery... And even with all this, it's difficult to get a hold of any of these unless you're rich, lucky, or rich AND lucky. Well, there's Comicket, so if you happen to come by and see a Madosoft stand, you know what to do.   Cafes are also often themed by Madosoft products. I think this is just being a sell-out. I understand you want your products to sell and I see nothing wrong with that, but this is just going completely overboard. You can disagree with me if you want, tbh I did see other companies do that, too.   Raspberry Cube also has a Nintendo Switch port. What's in it? Ask God. Obviously the base game is there, but is there any bonus content? I doubt it. Plus it's like 8,000+ Yen.   ... Wagamama High Spec will also be ported to the Switch. How do I know this? Well today... THEY FUCKING ANNOUNCED IT ON THEIR WEBSITE. WHY. JUST WHY. I would understand if you were to add content that I can't see in my PC version of the game, but otherwise... WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY-   ... What's next, Yakimochi Stream? Is anybody gonna talk about Namaiki? That game is gone, nobody remembers it anymore.   "I'm gonna cry. I'm seriously gonna cry. Waaaaaah!"   ...   .......   ...............................   I just had a breakdown, didn't I?   Well anyway, that about sums it up. In conclusion, Madosoft is one big joke. OK plots, OK characters even, just BAD practices. Case closed.   Lemme know if I missed anything, or if you agree or disagree with my opinion on this company. Thanks you for reading this far, I appreciate it, really! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here's a joke for you:   Q: What's the difference between Madosoft and a printer?  
  2. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to Clephas in Nazi VN Idea   
    Mmm... I'm going to be clear that the idea behind this has me a bit skeptical.  I'm going to state my reasons below.
    1.  The Nazis didn't make exceptions for 'useful' Jewish people.  During the war, while individuals might shelter or help a Jewish individual escape from the pogrom, you didn't see them being spared from the camps or execution in the open.
    2.  People who get involved in the kind of dogma you see here don't change their minds easily.  A three hour VN wouldn't provide a 'feels real' experience for a Nazi party member from that era changing their colors, no matter how you worked it.  Even more so with people in positions of authority, since the party of the era selected loyalists for positions of any sort of influence, and people who showed any sign of wavering didn't make it up through the ranks.  This is even more so with women, since women in positions of influence (rare to the extreme) were usually 'mothers of the Aryan Race'.  
    3.  This is a reinforcement of 2, in that it needs to be stated that logical arguments do not change the minds of dogmatists. 
    4.  Timing.  This is really, really bad timing.  With what is going on right now, Nazi-related fiction is radioactive.  It doesn't matter how you handle it, it will backfire against you.
    Edit: 
    To clarify, I'm not trying to be a jerk about this.  I'm merely warning you that this is likely to be the reaction from people who really think about your game's concept.  My advice is to eliminate the romantic elements completely or cut out one of the heroines.  
  3. Like
    Chronopolis got a reaction from Senpai Ken in New guy interested in translating   
    That's cool. As long you are studying Japanese on the side you should improve pretty decently.
  4. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to Zakamutt in New guy interested in translating   
    It's very hard to quantify how many VNs' worth of stuff I read before I was a decent translator because I have partially read then stalled innumerable works, but I'm pretty sure it'd be below 10. I would definitely advise trying to find someone to check your work, though it might be hard these days.
    One thing I would really advise is starting small, though this is partly because I'm personally so bad at doing things consistently. There are plenty of good VNs hovering around 2 to 3 thousand lines that represent something you can actually complete in a reasonable amount of time while paying attention to quality (warning: opinions ahead - https://disearnestlydisearnest.wordpress.com/2018/01/31/how-good-should-your-translation-be-before-editing/). Being a short work will also make people much more willing to invest time into helping you, as they're not signing up for something huge.
    Start looking for an image editor early. If there is a lot of work do be done for that, it can be a massive bottleneck.
  5. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to Nandemonai in New guy interested in translating   
    Fan projects, by their very nature, do not ask permission.  They simply do what they want.
    If you want to join a specific fan translation project, you should talk to the people running it.  Getting their attention might be hard; a place like this is a good place to try to get in touch.  If you have a specific game you want translated badly enough to do it yourself, and it doesn't have a project already, this is also a good place to come looking for a group to start one.
    But you don't need anyone's permission to post here.  There is no licensing board of amateur translators you need to worry about either.  Just do it.
    There is one catch.  (There's always a catch.)  If you want to start a new project to translate game X, but no one else wants to work on it, you'll have a problem - in that you need a programmer who can create tools to extract and re-insert the scripts.  If you aren't that programmer, you'll have a hard time getting started.  It is, in fact, possible to have a would-be project fail because you can't find anyone.  The project forum is full of abandoned and incomplete projects, most of which floundered for exactly that reason.
    Fan TL projects have three key skills:  Tech, to get the scripts out of, and back into, the game.  Translation, to produce intelligible scripts.  Editing, to make those scripts fun to read.  You have one of those key skills.  You should be good.
  6. Haha
    Chronopolis reacted to Zander in Can someone explain how does one starts a Visual novel localization company?   
    sure thing buddy sure thing 
     
    1. AMASSING CAPITAL - As with the vast majority of businesses, you're going to need some startup capital. Because the general profitability of English language visual novel translations is approximately 0, you will likely have a difficult time finding investors unless they have two or more health conditions that inhibit their brain function. You will most likely have to self-fund. Flip those cushions, ransack your old man's attic for some forgotten stock certificates, you know the deal. The bare minimum, I'd say, is somewhere around $50,000. NOTE that you can increase your (probably non-existent because VN) profit margins by performing a work role in the company, translating, editing, etc; instead of just being the translation sweatshop overseer.
    OK and PLEASE don't go into debt over such a pants-on-head business idea. Please don't. 
    2. ESTABLISH THE COMPANY - Search for how to establish a company in your jurisdiction, it should be the same for a localization business as most other businesses. Come up with some sick name and branding, get a fancy graphic artist to do some of it, maybe get an anime girl mascot since zoomers seem to love that shit these days.
    OK you have money to burn and company branding that hopefully doesn't look like a kindergarten art project, not bad let's get started down that slope that ends in 'we are, regrettably, going to be phasing out of visual novel publishing'.
    3. ACQUIRE LICENSES - This is where my man Kokoro, my 4th favourite person on Fuwanovel, 's advice comes in. Haul ass over to Japan — you DO speak Japanese, right? Perhaps consider enlisting the services of a business consultant with experience in Japan so as to not make a fool of yourself and make use of their connections so you are not cold calling. Otherwise, cold call, flash your sick branding, and attempt to get a meeting with a representative one of the last vestiges of a dying industry. In a pinch, you could try virtual meetings, but in general it is better to have boots on the ground when performing international business. 
    BONUS STEP - Wait for COVID-19 to settle down.
    BONUS BONUS STEP - Consider working with Chinese companies as well so you perhaps stand a chance at financial success. Practise drinking baijiu and sake before you leave in order to sharpen your abilities in shitfaced negotiation.
    4. ACQUIRE STAFF - Assuming you made it this far by the grace of God, you will need staff members to work on the license you have acquired. A translator, an editor, and a QA (preferably a GOOD one they're important) is probably the bare minimum, along with the unfortunate bastard that will have to handle the technical side of things with the engine. Probably attempt to pay them around the sweet spot between 'this would be a decent wage in 1820' and 'this would be a decent wage in 2020'. You have to keep those expenses down but if the sweatshop workers take up arms then the game is all over, commissar.
    5. WORK ON THE THING - Do the translating and the editing and the QA-ing. Try to stick to the deadlines you impose and share, that alone would probably set you apart.
    6. ADVERTISE THE THING AND DO SOCIAL MEDIA THINGS - Again use that sick branding to form an online presence. Do it yourself if you are personable and responsible, otherwise find somebody else to do it. 
    7. SELL THE THING - Contact storefronts, the classics, Steam, JAST USA, all that great stuff we know and love, get it listed places where people can buy it, maybe start your own web store if your web design person lives in an economically depressed region. 
    8. GO BANKRUPT - Ok nah just kidding but probably.
     
    Then you just repeat from 3, possibly skipping 4 if you are a benevolent overlord. Best of luck to you!
  7. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to Riku in What are you reading? Untranslated edition   
    Welp, wasn't planning to at first, but kinda wanted to write something to sort my thoughts, so decided to write about what I read in the past year. Main problem is most are from months ago and only a few are recent, so will just write a line or two. (thank god I mostly read LNs this past year, so it'll be quick)
    Hikoukigumo no Mukougawa: Eiri's route was great, and I remember being greatly satisfied by her ending.
    Sengoku † Koihime ~Otome Kenran ☆ Sengoku Emaki~: Took me two whole weeks to read, iirc. Was totally worth it.
    Heroine wa Tomodachi Desu ka? Koibito Desu ka? Soretomo Tomefure Desu ka?: That one was kinda weird in the sense that it was actually pretty great (character interactions, etc) considering the setting. Unfortunately I hated the way it ended. Everything was great, then sudden all the girls became sluts wanting to be the MC's slave. So it went from great moments and humor to characters only thinking about sex and nothing else. Was really disappointed as until it went in that direction it was really good.
    Otome ga Tsumugu Koi no Canvas: Honestly I don't remember much. Read it to taste the water with trap MCs, but found it pretty average.
    Ou no Mimi ni wa Todokanai!: Can be summed up in one word: AXL. Not amazing, but never boring and pretty entertaining like all their works.
    Houkago no Futekikakusha: Man, I hated this one. I tried liking it because it's from Takehaya, but couldn't. Too many things I couldn't agree with. I could understand some people liking it, but overall I would never recommend it to anyone.
    Ryakudatsusha no In'en + Ryuukishi Bloody † Saga: First one is despair, and second one is MC obtaining his happiness. Wasn't amazing or anything, but if you played the prequel seeing the MC becoming happy is really nice.
    Evolimit: I've been wanting to play this one for a loooong time because of Clephas, and I have to say I was pretty disappointed. It's good, yeah, I can't deny that and I, myself, thought it was good. Just that I was pretty much into Shizuku from the start, so most of the time was just me wanting to be done with the other routes, and when I actually got to it it was different from what I expected. I can't count the number of times I let the VN run in the background for hours while doing something else instead. So basically, even if I think it was good, I couldn't get invested emotionally so it ended up being kinda meh, I guess.
    Astraythem: And here come the reason of this post. Let's get this out of the way first, it has a lot of flaws, plot holes and things I really can't agree with. But in the end, it comes out on top of all the ones above to me. Why? Because I was really invested emotionally in this one. The fact that this basically is a whole VN dedicated to a single heroine (who is really great) helped with that. I like MC devoted to a single heroine, and this one take it to another level.「姉さんに恋をして、姉さんも恋をして、姉さんと恋をした」
    Unfortunately, like I said at first, it has flaws and things I really couldn't agree with, and some were explained in the very first post of this thread, so I didn't give it that high of a rating, but in the end I still really liked it and I'll probably remember about it for a while. (don't think I'll ever reread it, though. Can't really say it have a good replay value)
    While I'm here, to answer the question in the post 5 years ago (though I guess @Funnerific forgot since then, but oh well):
     
    Anyway, what I wanted to say is, while I honestly think Evolimit's plot was better, in the end I prefered Astraythem. No matter how "good" something is, if you can't get invested in it, something "less good" might actually be better, no matter how flawed it is. In the end, everything comes down to the reader's feelings.
  8. Haha
    Chronopolis reacted to ittaku in How much do you play VN a day/a week?   
    1-2 hours, less if I cum across an H scene.
  9. Like
    Chronopolis got a reaction from Zakamutt in There are way too few visual novels with actual gameplay   
    From a ideal standpoint, the moment you mix gamplay and narrative, one of the two has to give way.
    For VN's generally you want to prioritize the story and do everything so that the gameplay doesn't interfere with the narrative. (Actually I thought of mahou shoujo too, lol@Zakamutt). My gripe is that games in general have too many levels, and nothing sucks more than unneccesary levels also killing the story pacing. Just do battles, and if there are too few add extra levels on the side.
    If you prioritize gameplay, you now have the freedom to cater the story and pacing to what works best for the gameplay. You can't do this if you already have a plot planned out.
  10. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to Happiness+ in There are way too few visual novels with actual gameplay   
    Shit, everyone else here said it better than I could. But, fuck, I am going to put my two cents here anyway.
    Personally, I just don't want gameplay mechanics. I will give you example of why I think they kinda suck in visual novels.
    In analogue, a hate story. There is gameplay, but the gameplay itself is just trash. It's a annoying hacking scene that takes you out of the narrative.
    It just interrupts the flow of story, and for what, interactivity? It's a problematic scene, because it's the only scene that has gameplay and there's no gameplay loop.
    Games need to have a core gameplay loop with winning and losing. Visual Novels typically don't need to that. In fact, I am of the opinion that it's detrimental in most cases like analogue. 
    Hell, even JVNs like Kara No Shoujo tried to be gamey and it did not work because it was too difficult, good luck getting through some of the endings without a walkthrough.
    Visual novels today, mostly JVNs evolve out of dating sims. That's why they keep the character route, thing we are used to.
     
    As others have noted, and as a EVN developer, gameplay mechanics are hard to make because you have test, debug, over and over again. While instead you can be doing other things like scripting and GUI design etc. If you want a visual novel to be more interactive, there's plenty as others have said, but honestly. I am glad it's not the norm. For some reason, a lot people nowadays think we need to make a VN that's more interactive because that's "fun". Even though, most of the interactivity boils down to boring mechcanics that exist just to piss off readers at worst.
    gameplay as narrative is really hard to develop, and frankly in all my years as a VN reader, I haven't seen a single VN pull this off. The best VNs I ever read, never bothered with gameplay in the first place.
    The ones that do aren't really known for having amazing gameplay either. Honestly, I much rather learn cool scripting effects from JVNs like Dies Irae and Tokyo Babel than to try to create gameplay. I see myself as a VN developer in my heart, not a game developer. The two may overlap, but I am not here to blur the lines. My position is definitive, I just don't see visual novels as games. If I did, they would be some of the lamest games I ever played. I see them as novels, more specifically visual novels. They shouldn't have to adhere to the standards of what games ought to be or even try to.
  11. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to Clephas in There are way too few visual novels with actual gameplay   
    There are a number of companies that specialize in gameplay hybrids or have at least one series of such games.
    Eushully (variations on rpg, strategy, and srpg systems with alchemy sometimes thrown in)
    SofthouseChara (involved, unique game systems)
    Xuse Honjouzou (Aselia series)
    Eternal (the Yumina series)
    Ninetail/Dualtail (Venus Blood, various dungeon crawlers)
    Giga (Baldr series under Team Baldrhead)
    Alice Soft (various games and series)
    Astronauts (various rpgs, dungeon crawlers, and tower defense under a subsidiary)
    Generally speaking, it takes a great deal more money and personnel to make gameplay hybrids, so companies pretty much have no choice but to specialize in such games if they do make them at all.   Programming staff capable of creating credible gameplay systems generally demand more money than the guys who use existing engines to make visual novels work (most companies use a pre-existing engine rather than a proprietary one), and so a single failure can often sink a company outright.  You'll notice that you'll see almost no companies less than five years old even trying to make such VNs in Japan... well there is a good reason for that.  The initial investment is just too large.
    Think about it... just to make a decent game that doesn't look like it came straight out of RPGmaker or a mobile app can eat up millions here.  A VN using a pre-existing engine can get in under a hundred thousand (charage) if they don't ask for too much.  The only reason most VN companies stay afloat at all is because they sell merchandise or do everything they can to cut costs while inflating the price of the games.
    Edit: Incidentally, the best old-fashioned JRPG I've played in the last fifteen years (not replayed, but actually played for the first time) was Ikusa Megami Zero, a hybrid by Eushully.  So I'm not a hater, lol.
  12. Like
    Chronopolis got a reaction from Mr Poltroon in Blade Rondo English Translation   
    Blade Rondo is a fast-paced 2 player card game featuring beautiful gothic anime art. The gameplay is simple but sharp, a nice change from the usual collectable card games. A game takes around 10-15 minutes. There are also a few expansions out which haven't been translated yet.
    In order to play the mod you need Tabletop Simulator on Steam.
    Workshop link: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1895115999
    Thanks to the original mod creator sakuya4667 and @Cyrillej1 for her awesome image editing work.
    PS: I actually did this TL last year but never got around to sharing it. The translation itself only took 2 days -- it took longer to figure out the rules xD.
     
  13. Haha
    Chronopolis reacted to Fiddle in Noble Works: Is This VN Overrated Or Is There Something I'm Not Getting?   
    Well, I'll spare you from too much detail, since the full story would be a book (and, like Noble☆Works, it might be a book with a higher word count than Ulysses).
    But allow me to validate your point about the scenarists: I had some early inklings that the producers lazily divided routes among different writers, but this fact became all too clear once I embarked upon Shizuru's route. I quickly noticed an obscene overuse of em dashes, and had to force myself to diverge from the Japanese text's style and use alternative forms of syntax—but this soon became the least of our team's problems, as every aspect of the Shizuru route writer's prose was simply aberrant. I'm sure you've noticed that the route's story itself is strange compared to the others, but more importantly from my perspective, the text's grammatical structure, word choice, flow, etc. were all a mess. This might be all well and good for somebody willing to take great liberties in translation; unfortunately, having been influenced by the chorus of translation puritans that characterized that era, I was not willing to take those much-needed liberties. As such, the translation surely ended up unnecessarily stilted and lacked the flow that a dialogue-heavy work so badly wants, and for that I apologize.
    Now, my comment above was actually half-sarcastic. The thing is, I can barely finish a single medium-length visual novel before undergoing an acute sense of repetition. You might imagine, then, that I—somebody who's almost certainly "played" (as in, had open while paying some attention to) Noble☆Works longer than any other human—would become a bit sick of the game. Indeed, I myself cannot say to what degree my opinion of the game should be untethered from the trauma it wreaks upon my mind.
    But regardless, I'm pretty sure it kind of sucks.
  14. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to adamstan in What are you playing?   
    It looks like I have some perverted attraction to ancient charage For my next read I picked up a 2003 one - Tenohira o, Taiyou ni. (After figuring out how to hook it - in this case AGTH is the only way)
    It seems to have pretty good ratings on EGS, with the average score of 80. So far, it looks promising.
    Initial setup (MC getting reunited with his estranged childhood friends) seems a bit similar to the Amber Quartz I've finished recently, but this is much older title. I was about to say that I feel some Yume Miru Kusuri vibes as well, but this title is also few years older than YMK. Let's just say that one of the MC's classmates looks like a prototype for YMK's Antoinette. Truly horrible person. Initial apatethic state of protagonist also reminds me of YMK a bit.
    I'm really curious where will it all go.
     
    BTW - I said that Amber Quartz looks unpopular with 370 votes on EGS. Certainly it isn't much when compared with top titles. But then, out of curiosity, I checked out EGS page for Princess Evangile.  Only 208 votes (and 2411 on VNDB, definitely thanks to translation). That shocked me a bit.
  15. Like
    Chronopolis got a reaction from mitchhamilton in Your Visual Novel, Manga, Anime, Game of the Decade   
    VN: Mahou Shoujo (lifelike characters and interactions)
    Anime: Simoun (could not expect an anime like this, it's like a moody space opera with character development)
    Manga: N/A
    LN: Mushoku Tensei, it made me think about what it would be like raising a family. Grimgar: Has influenced me a lot over the years. Serious party combat isekai ftw.
  16. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to Ethan404 in Hello everyone!   
    Hi~ I joined just now, though I've known of Fuwanovel for quite a while. ^^;
    My name is Ethan and I love VNs, dating sims, and Japanese games in general.

    I am currently working on my own VNs (BL/Yaoi) and I hope to someday help bring more VNs and Japanese games in general to English.
    I struggle to keep up the motivation to learn Japanese, though... so it'll be a while...

    It's nice to meet you! Feel free to send me a message, I would love to meet some people that are also interested in VNs.
  17. Haha
    Chronopolis reacted to MaggieROBOT in High-school heroines getting less appealing as you get older?   
    Damn I'm not even that much of an old hag yet but I feel this thread, this one game I started recently made me go all mom to the high and middle school kids like "I want to adopt them then pat their head, brush their hair and ask how was their day at school" while going all THIRST for those anime dudes in his late 20s early 30s thicc asses so I like ousans now thanks for coming to my ted talk
  18. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to Plk_Lesiak in High-school heroines getting less appealing as you get older?   
    Hey, your VNDB list is... Quite something.
    Anyway, I think I have a different problem, because as I'm getting old(er) and becoming more of certified failure at life, reading coming-of-age high school stories becomes kind of taxing. The heroines themselves though, they only rarely feel like actual highschoolers. For example, if I remember well, the main cast of Flowers are all high school freshmen, so 15-years-olds. However, they neither look nor act the part. The notion of age is all so abstract in both VNs and much of anime that I'll probably have to get much older to start feeling that dissonance.
    On the other hand, I don't really get off to otaku media in the first place, so the "cute little animal" kind of appeal shouldn't spoil my enjoyment. I'll skip the h-scenes either way and the romance should still be satisfying enough.
  19. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to Aureus in Roadwarden [Fantasy/RPG Elements/Pixel Art] [Full Version Released!]   
    The development has recently encountered a couple of obstacles and pitfalls, but guess what. I *think* the new version of the demo is working. : ) It still needs some additional testing, would you like to help me with that?
    You can download it here!
    Does it start for you, can you play it? At one point, the Mac version was crushing out after saving. I hope it’s fixed. : P
    ----------------------------------
    And if you wonder what has changed since the last version but you plan to wait for the full game, here are some highlights, just for context:
    the available content has tripled - you can visit four new areas (each one is significantly different) and engage in three complex dialogues that they involve a completely new music was introduced the in-game journal now includes a chapter that summarizes interesting clues related to various NPCs the inventory screen is completely redesigned and much more convenient area illustration and inventory icons were updated text parser that don’t need to support capital letters, like the one in the dolmen, don’t use them anymore various bits of dialogues and interactions were enhanced various spelling / phrasing fixes new menu screen bugs were eliminated - unless?
  20. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to Aureus in Roadwarden [Fantasy/RPG Elements/Pixel Art] [Full Version Released!]   
    I'm glad it looks interesting to you! : D
    I'll avoid RNG world generation and focus on making a single playthrough (even though it'll involve many decisions and branching) as fun as I can. I generally think that refreshing the game through world randomization is something that should be left for the games that are focused on gameplay or player's own imagination which fills the canvas by itself, and I'm more interested in storytelling and worldbuilding. I myself usually play various games only once, and I think it's OK to have games that are not meant to be played for 80+ hours. : P
    I won't dive into romance. Rather friendships, since they interest me much more... And taking sides. Manipulation. Calculating your approach to various NPCs and role-playing through these decisions. I want to think about dialogues as a part of the core fun, not just a plot delivery tool. Having dialogues lasting for 5, 10, 15 minutes are something to expect. : )
    I had in mind forming parties, but right now I think I should not add it as a minor feature, but rather make it a core of another game.
  21. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to Aureus in Roadwarden [Fantasy/RPG Elements/Pixel Art] [Full Version Released!]   
    Roadwarden is an interactive fiction 
    in which you explore and change a hostile, grim realm.

    Everyone knows to stay away from the wilderness. Most people would never risk a lonely journey.
    Roadwardens not only accept this struggle, they embrace it. They deliver messages, assist merchants, burn human corpses and, if possible, get rid of beasts and highwaymen.
    They live on the road, die young or retire early.
    It’s a dangerous job, but a respectable one. And it pays well.

    Main Features:
    Explore and change the world. Travel through a detailed fantasy setting filled with secrets, challenges and uniquely harsh lore. Have immersive conversations. To gain support of dozens of NPCs, you need to earn their trust during complex dialogues and sidequests. Create your own character through role-playing and decisions. Shape your background, abilities, beliefs and personality. Unveil the local mysteries. Investigate, use your wit and make connections to understand the true nature of this realm. Overcome your weaknesses. The wilderness is full of dangers and you can trust nobody. Find your path to success against all odds. You can find more information as well as the free demo on the game's website!






    So, what do you think? Have you got any idea how can we call this game's genre? : P
  22. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to NowItsAngeTime in A new vndb feature is in public beta: Updated user lists at URL: "vndb.org/userid/ulist"   
    Give feedback on new feature here:
    https://vndb.org/t13136
  23. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to Thyndd in I'm leaving Fuwanovel, because I'm starting to realize that this community and the VN community at large has hurt me.   
    I guess I'm the exact opposite. I've been watching all kind of weird shit imaginable since a very, very young age (11-12 yo). It never really bothered me, and while you might argue that "it surely must have had consequences in your psyche that you're not aware of yourself", the fact is that I'm not a violent person AT ALL, I've never been in a physical fight in my entire life and I don't have any sort of weird inclinations. I can see someone getting ripped off and torn into pieces on a screen without even flinching, but when it comes to real life, I struggle to even cook my meat when I have to look at a dead chicken or rabbit. 
    It all comes down to empathy, I think. I do find hard to watch when bad things happen to characters I care about, but since most gore media's goal is not exactly to make characters you particularly care about, the imagery by itself can't stir up any powerful emotions in me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 
    What I'm trying to say is that while I can't relate to lolicon fans or people who enjoy some good ol' rape in their VNs, I do know where they are coming from when they say they keep it completely separate from reality. After all, I know I'm no psychopath even though I don't feel anything while seeing random people suffer in a gore movie.
  24. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to FinalChaos in It's finally here... MAGGOT BAITS!!!!   
    I'm definitely gonna be trying it one day.
    Of course the one day would need me craving for dark stuff and also with renewed SAN.
  25. Like
    Chronopolis reacted to adamstan in Recent (Japanese) Things You Have Purchased   
    I just bought Sukimazakura to Uso no Machi ( すきま桜とうその都会 ) and, well, I'm not sure how to describe it. It's the weirdest VN release I've encountered so far.
    Technically it's physical, but... erhm... just look:

    It's special low-priced Amazon-exclusive edition, and it's just game disc in a cardboard sleeve. So it's like getting download edition, but on the disc However, the price was unbeatable - ¥3,850 vs ¥9,980 for regular physical edition. And it's totally DRM-free
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