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InvertMouse

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Posts posted by InvertMouse

  1. Even in this YouTube generation, I enjoy reading gaming magazines like GameInformer, Retro Gamer, Edge etc. Today, I just want to rave about what my dream VN magazine would be.

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    I love old school things. Sometimes I post about stuff from ONE ~Kagayaku Kisetsu e~, Sakura Taisen and the like, so I would love to follow a VN magazine that focuses on titles from the 80s and 90s.

    Maybe every issue highlights one game in particular and explores behind the scenes details. The pages will be designed professionally for that quality finish. Man, the things I would do to read an issue on Ever17, ONE, Sakura Taisen, Utawarerumono, 999 (not that old but hey) and so on.

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    I cannot start that type of series because game development takes up most of my time, and also:

    1) Old school VNs are too niche perhaps.
    2) Not enough of an audience compared to video materials.

    Does anyone else sub to magazines? I for one hope they never die out. What would your dream VN magazine be like? Even if no one starts a series, we can at least dream about it.

    I am secretly hoping someone does do it. Can't imagine how it can survive honestly except out of passion, but I would show my support on Patreon for example if the presentation is up to par.

    Thanks for hearing me out 8).

  2. Hi everyone ^_^. Thank you again for letting me post my blog entry here:

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    This time I talk about the choice systems I have used in previous games, and the method I plan to adopt in The Last Birdling. Hope you like it!

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    A few points I would be happy to hear thoughts on:

    1) If a choice has no impact on the ending, is it better for the game to be linear? I played Akiba's Trip recently, and I imagine a lot of those choices had no effect on the ending, but some of them were hilarious so they never bothered me. See, I always had this theory. If it has "attitude", you can get away with almost anything.

    2) Is it dishonest to boast about x number of endings if most of them are just instant gameovers? This doesn't offend me, but when it is being done all the time, it results in a "yeah let me guess" type of reaction.

    3) For those who have played it, how awful did you think Mass Effect 3's ending was? In terms of player agency, maybe it is a travesty compared to older titles like Star Wars KOTOR. That said, back in the days, cutscenes were less expensive to produce (well I wouldn't know a thing about that). Is it really possible to produce multiple vastly different endings when you know most players will miss a bunch of that content?

    4) More branches means longer game length. Does it also risk potential fluff routes and less editing time (spellcheck, skim read once and call it a job done)?

    5) What is the point of multiple paths if there is a true ending in the end? Though I want to be edgy and say it's pointless, I actually like true endings. Not those everything is magically okay ones, but it's good to have something that tells you yes, this is indeed the end.

    6) Does it bug you when choices seem nonsensical, and you are forced to look up guides?

    7) I wonder why visual novels often have multiple paths, but it's much less common with traditional novels? Of course, we have the choose your own adventure books. Maybe having to turn to a particular page is just a pain.

    Thank you!

  3. 5 hours ago, Decay said:

    Phantom Trigger is stand-alone, you don't seem to need to know anything about the original to understand it. However, it will spoil some things, as the events of the third Grisaia game heavily influence its setting, so if you do plan on playing those games, play them first.

    Cool, thanks Decay 8)

  4. Here it is friends 8):

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    The full entry:
    http://invertmouse.tumblr.com/post/160040463084/devotion-to-one-character-kawana-misaki

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    I got this fandisc several years ago via an online auction. Chances are, it was originally produced for a Comiket from many years back. It makes me think, I wonder how often this sort of thing happens today? A fandisc over a single character, real life meet ups, sharing desktop accessories for fans to enjoy. It feels like such simple times, and I like that a lot.

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    I have never had a chance to attend a Comiket before. From the outside, the crowd looks intimidating, but when I browse through discs like these, it makes me think, yeah, I would like to attend at least once. We all know about the porn, but what is the atmosphere like? Happy to hear stories of Comiket and any other fandom stories that transcends the games.

    Thank you!

  5. KNbmi1Gh.jpg

    Man, I am already cringing :vinty:. Some of you recently gave me permission to post about my projects more often, so I am going to do it. I will do everything I can to write quality content rather than just going me me me.

    As advised, I have posted a blog entry on how to handle perspective shifts in VNs, using The Last Birdling as an example:

    I want to use this chance to ask if anyone got examples of VNs that handle perspective shifts in unique ways (visual or word wise)? Many VNs are written in first person, which can make readers stumble during viewpoint changes. I know in An Octave Higher, the game shows the new POV character standing alone on a black background first. Mind sending me some more examples?

    I want to use this opportunity to say The Last Birdling has been approved for publication on Steam as of a few hours ago. Really thankful for the votes guys.

    Thank you so much ^_^!

  6. Man, such a click-baity title :vinty:.

    As some of you know, I released Unhack 2 recently. People who gave the game a chance mostly enjoyed it, but I had a hard time with discoverability. I hate shameless plugs, and I wanted to do the show-don't-tell thing, so maybe I was naive.

    Currently, I am working on The Last Birdling. I pour my life into these games (the earliest ones embarrassingly bad), so I don't want to pretend they're just for fun anymore. Still, I don't want to cross the line. Different forums have different rules, after all. The Fuwanovel forums are pretty kind and generous in terms of guidelines. Can I throw a couple of questions out and see what you think?

    1) If we have a new project to announce, should we restrict it to the Original VN Projects section, or can we post about it on Visual Novels Discussion? Is it a case where if it is a Western VN, it can only sit in the Original VN Projects section? Big Japanese releases clearly are allowed in Visual Novels Discussion. I am happy to follow the rules if everybody else does the same, but yeah, I would like to know what the situation is.

    2) Do we have issues with creators plugging projects as their very first post on these forums? There are places where that will constitute an instant warning or even ban. Actually, I guess this one doesn't apply in my case since I've loitered here for a while now.

    3) I want to write up some articles related to my upcoming games, which also links to bigger discussions. Is it okay with you guys if I shared them on this board? Hopefully I'll come up with something worthwhile (while sneakily talking about myself which shames me so much) along the way.

    Thank you so much for allowing me to be honest guys. Hopefully you won't find this annoying. I've cared deeply about my work for many years and really want my situation to improve :notlikemiya:.

  7. Hi Nier! Thank you for your question ^_^.

    The Last Birdling will not have a kickstarter campaign. The community has supported my previous projects, and thanks to them, I am able to fund recent games on my own. I noticed on other threads you like to support English VNs, so I very much appreciate that! But yeah, though Kickstarter can be a good promotion tool, I cannot undermine what the community has done for me in the past five years.

  8. I tried Rorona quite a few years ago on the Vita. Once in a while, I am in the mood to just chill even if I know the game loop is kind of samey, and everything feels like a sidequest. The mellowness did bore me after a while, and I ended up not finishing the game. That said, every time a new title is released, I feel drawn just because of how pretty everything looks :wahaha:. Is the Atelier series one of those cases where you play one, you've played them all? Do they have to be played in any particular order? If not, what would be regarded as the best one so far? If there is one that has more of a story that would be cool. I am keen to give it another go, though often I just end up quitting way too fast.

    Thanks 8).

  9. Thanks for the responses 8)! I guess opinions are pretty divided. Not too far into the game yet, so it'll be interesting to see if I start spotting this flaws. I hear the game is already on discount, so I guess the sales numbers are poor? Will be interesting to observe what happens to the franchise and Bioware in general after this.

    Is this a situation where there is a lot of backlash, but they make a profit regardless, or will this put them in trouble? At least with my local store, I noticed after the memes appeared, the collector's edition appeared on the store page again, which probably meant cancelled preorders :yumiko:.

  10. Hi there 8). I am a fan of the Mass Effect trilogy, so I very much looked forward to this new game. After all the memes and comments about its awful writing, my hype died down a lot. By the time this game came out, I thought, all right, if it sucks, I'll just rush through it and hop onto Persona 5.

    Fortunately for me, I'm enjoying Andromeda so far. Were the animations and giltches always this bad? I can't quite recall. Yeah, sometimes my squadmates get left behind and teleport in front of me. I can live with that, though.

    Story wise, I find the trilogy had grit, while Andromeda is more youthful. Different, but again, that's fine. I've heard concerns about the politics and agendas that may be spoon fed into this game. My radar was on alert, but I haven't sensed anything so far. Maybe I'm just not knowledgeable enough in this area.

    People say the spectacle of the original is absent in this new game. That could well be the case. The Citadel was so memorable, after all. Thing is, several hubs in Andromeda are huge as well. In terms of density, there are still areas where a random pedestrian will have tons of dialogue you can eavesdrop on. The scale feels the same, and I haven't picked up on any signs of laziness. Is it because we've experienced it once already, so we need more? Maybe Andromeda didn't take things to new heights, and that's the problem.

    The story seems all right so far. Nothing that will set new trends, just safe. Some mysteries here and there, the occasion humor and emotion. Doesn't seem that different from the trilogy. Though the original had a lot at stake plot wise, I went into Andromeda with a light-hearted attitude, and that made it all right.

    All of this leads me to worry and think, do I have weird, or even bad tastes :vinty:? I like to think my preferences are pretty ordinary. With the glitches, that will depend on everyone's tolerance. The mixed opinions on the story is what confuses me. Then again, I love this anime season's Gabriel Dropout, and after reading comments from people who loathe the show, I realize there is no pleasing everybody :wahaha:.

    Are opinions on Andromeda mixed, or are they negative? They seem to sway toward the negative, so I'm pretty confused. Has anyone else been playing this? I'd love to hear some opinions.

    Thank you ^_^!

  11. TpE3n0al.jpg

    Bimonia is one of the last Birdlings alive on this earth. The Birdlings see humans as sworn enemies, and Bimonia has been taught to kill on sight.

    One day, Bimonia meets Tayo, a human child hunting in the forest. Bimonia fails to kill Tayo, and they instead become friends. Mother will be furious if she finds out, or worse, this relationship may cause tension between the two races to erupt.

    The Last Birdling explores Bimonia and Tayo's fight for their friendship as the world threatens to tear them apart.

    * * *

    Hi everyone 
    :vinty:! I want to share with you my next project, The Last Birdling:

    http://birdling.invertmouse.com

    The site contains links to a demo, so I hope you can check it out! All feedback is welcome and appreciated.

    Here is a link to the trailer:

     

    There is always a special touch to announcing projects on Fuwa. I started this VN journey with Unhack, which I like to think grew up alongside this forum. When I look back, I realize it has been five years since this all began. Maybe a random like me has no right to boast about a five year anniversary project, but The Last Birdling is exactly that. Thank you for sticking with me through the years.

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    This project originated from a short story I wrote in around 2006 named The Last Dragon. Back then, a common feedback was my narrative contained too much dialogue. As a form of training, I wrote The Last Dragon to see how it would feel to write a story with no dialogue at all. This rule has been abolished in The Last Birdling, plus I have deepened the plot, and now here we are.

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    The Last Birdling has been in the works for over a year alongside Unhack 2. Today, I finally get to show it to you. Thanks to your years of support, I am able to fund this game without Kickstarter. While a funding campaign can be used as another source of promotion, I want to show what a difference you have made to my life. Thank you so much.

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    That said, the journey can be rough. Recently, I have been tempted to take options that may lead to people calling me a sellout. I love money as much as anyone else. That, plus all the hate against western projects, too. Truth be told, I almost have nothing left to give. I wanted to get all dramatic and claim the "last" in The Last Birdling means this is my final project. That was the original meaning, but I have changed my mind since then, as the love is too deep. Let's see how much longer I can be me.

    To finish off, I would like to leave you with this:

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    Thank you everyone :vinty:!

     

  12. rhT2FAxl.jpg

    Hi there ^_^. I just read through Narcissu:Sumire and want to gush about it for a bit. If you've never liked the series, this one won't change your mind, but if you enjoyed the first two games, I very much recommend this one. I didn't dig the more recent installments too much, but I feel Sumire brings back the "real Narcissu". Narcissu Side2nd is still my favorite, but hey, that one is hard to top in my heart. Sumire contains the "usual Narcissu shenanigans", which is perfect in my books.

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    If you've read Ame No Marginal, one of the subplots (I guess) in Sumire might ring some bells. A bit of a fantasy touch. I will avoid spoilers here, though. Narcissu:Sumire features two parallel stories, and you can read them in whichever order you choose.

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    I've indulged in every word of Narcissu available, so I like to think I know the author's techniques quite well. Still, the ending chapters in Sumire got me pretty good. I'm glad I spent the 4-5 hours reading it (I'm slow), and this one will stick with me for a fair while. If you've played the game, hopefully you can share your thoughts here as well.

    Thank you!

     

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