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InvertMouse

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Posts posted by InvertMouse

    Are routes necessary?

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    This question is related to visual novels, but can be related to many other media forms as well.

    To be honest, this question came to my mind while I've been developing an indie game. It's not a visual novel, but it does have different endings. I was influenced by games like Mass Effect, where your choices are reflected throughout the adventure. Is it necessary, though?

    I admit I'm asking this to myself partly because I can be lazy sometimes and would rather not have to develop multiple endings. However, there is a point to this. If the writer focused on writing the best single plot possible, maybe the result will be more fantastic than all the split routes combined.

    For those who have played Mass Effect, imagine if the game was linear but still had the depth with all those galactic races, etc. Would you like the game far less? I certainly think I would still enjoy the story quite a lot.

    Then, I'm thinking of visual novels. Planetarian is far from my favorite title, but it worked out fine without multiple endings. I enjoyed Narcissu 1 and Side2nd immensely, and both of those are linear experiences. Utawarerumono comes to mind as well. That was another game I loved, and in the end, you can really only end up with Eruru, even though, well, you get H-scenes with just about all the ladies.

    I've brought up realism in VNs during a different topic, and it applies here as well. When there's only one path, then the adventure felt real. I can say, "Yeah, Guy A ended up with Girl D.", and every other person who had experienced the game would agree.

    Thanks people. Hoping to hear some thoughts :).

    Utawarerumono 2

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    I'd love for many members from the first game to come back. Eruru is a must, at least! Yeah, Karura is my favorite also B).

    I'm so bummed out how this is for consoles only. PC is the only thing I have right now. I loved the original Utawarerumono and would so love to check out the sequel!

    Favorite Anime

    in Anime/Manga Talk

    Posted

    Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! is quickly becoming one of my favorites as well. Dat Rikka. I'm looking forward to Tokyo Magnitude, I always hear good things about it.

    Tokyo Magnitude really was great man. A simple plot that's anyone can relate to. Realistic characters that you really come to care for. A short series that never overstayed its welcome. I enjoyed every moment of it.

    VN payment model for west

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    I'm no marketing expert, so I'll just give my response from the perspective of an everyday customer.

    Yeah, I rarely ever buy VNs, because they're so expensive, especially when shipping cost's put into consideration. A lot of VNs come in thost giant boxes, too. That just increases the shipping package's size.

    The true ending thing, I'm not too concerned about. My complaint about most VNs is actually the fact that they drag on for too long. Tons of unnecessary scenes, etc. Many VNs, especially indie made ones, boast about their word counts. When I see a high word count, I actually become more concerned than impressed. It just makes me suspect there are tons of fluff in there.

    On the other hand, let's say they charged full price for the 5-6 hour experience of Narcissu Side2nd. I loved that linear tale so much that if I'd be charged for it, I still would have think it was worthwhile. The same thing for Kawana Misaki's route from ONE. I wouldn't even need any of the other routes from that game. Of course, this kind of stuff is subjective.

    Perhaps people can be charged per route or something. Let's use Little Busters for example. The game starts off by introducing me to most of the cast. Now I might go, "Kurugaya looks awesome, so I'm going to buy her route. Komari's cute, but I don't care for her too much, so I'll pass on that one." Kind of like the MMO's micro-transactions model.

    I can be more inclined to buy something if it comes with physical bonuses. Say, an artbook. Sure, you can download the scans, but it's nice to have the prints on paper. Most important, though, it still just comes down to giving me a great story. When the VN has a touching plot, suddenly, I find myself infinitely more willing to pulll out my credit card.

    I say all this with the risk of getting owned, because I'm really no expert on this :).

    Is romance necessary?

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    Thanks for the insight guys!

    @harry_kinomoto: Your Rikka avatar is too cute! Anyway, thanks for your thoughts. They gave me plenty to think about.

    @steverowland: Well, yeah, I agree XD. Masato is cool, but he's unworthy of any of the girls from Little Busters :P/>/>.

    It would made me even more likely to skip other girl's routes if I would have to worry if my favorite heroine ends up with someone else

    That's an interesting point! I never considered that.

    This whole idea just crossed my mind because I'm thinking of how a VN's story could be more realistic. But before that, whether that's what people even want. Of course, many VNs provide a fantasy scenario where a group of beautiful girls are all in love with you.

    I just remember things like the Clannad anime. In that series, sure, Kotomi (was that her name?) was probably in love in Tomoya, but it was never as obviously as it was for the others. Also, when Tomoya chose Nagisa, Kotomi never really looked that upset. I like to think that she wasn't in love with Tomoya. It's more realistic that way, and there's something nice about that.

    Thanks again for the responses :).

    Visual Novel Multiplayer—Game Night

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    Singapore time is GMT+8 so it should be within 2 hours of Australia time (which part of Australia time are you guys referring to btw, as i recall it ranges from GMT +8 to +10), so that time won't be a problem for me although i probably won't be up for this within the next few weeks due to year end exams. It's a nice idea though and could be very fun.

    It's GMT +10 for me :).

    If anyone wants to read Narcissu or ONE, I'll be happy to try and stream them *nobody cares XD*.

    Puella Magi Madoka Magica

    in Anime/Manga Talk

    Posted

    I wasn't expecting it to come to Seattle at all... maybe your wishes will come true! ^^;

    By the way, is anyone playing Madoka Online?

    Thanks X'D~ I am interested in trying out Madoka Online. Been thinking of recording a commentary for it on my YouTube channel. Do you need to create a Japanese account or something? You know, the Japanese email address type of deal.

    I appreciate Madoka, but it's also not my favorite show out there. Though the plot was heavy, I found myself unable to become attached to the cast all that much. That's the issue with story focused shows. There's no time to grow fond of the characters. When the cast fools around with daily stuff, we often think it's a waste of time. The thing is, that's often when we get to become attached to them. Madoka has none of those fluffs and got straight to the point. For better or worse is up to the individual, I suppose.

    Is romance necessary?

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    Thanks for the reply people! Your answers are all really thoughtful and leaves me something to think about. It seems that most of you are simply interested in seeing strong relationships in general. This, of course, includes things other than romance.

    Supah Kawaii Weeaboo, thanks for sharing that link! I'll definitely check it out sometime.

    Rin ending up with Kyousuke > Kyousuke is not my friend anymore. ww

    Hahaha XD.

    Puella Magi Madoka Magica

    in Anime/Manga Talk

    Posted

    I thought that it was really interesting how they blended a bunch of genres together, and came out with a more gritty take on mahou shoujo.

    I can't say it's my favorite series, but I can see why a lot of people enjoyed it so much, and why it's gotten so big.

    I'm debating if I want to go see the movie since it's coming to Seattle.

    I wished it'd come here in Sydney Australia (TOT)~

    Show off your goods

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    As mentioned in another post, I'm interested in uploading a few review videos of some of the VN goods I own. I enjoy watching those unboxing videos, etc. So, I was thinking, if you guys have any VN related goods you'd like to show off, feel free to do so. It doesn't even have to be a video. Maybe just share some photos here. It's something I enjoy seeing, so let's see if we can get a trend started. Thanks :D.

    Is romance necessary?

    in Visual Novel Talk

    Posted

    There's another topic on this forum discussing whether H-scenes are necessary. On that thought, I'm wondering if romance at all is necessary. For example, in Ever17, not all routes result in the protagonist getting into a relationship. Instead, the focus is more on writing a great story.

    So, here's the question. When you hear that a particular VN has no romance, do you become less interested, remain neutral, or perhaps even become more intrigued?

    Just another random thought. In VNs, if you choose girl A, I think it'd be cool if girl B could perhaps end up with another guy instead. For instance, say in Little Busters, perhaps if you chose Komari, Rin would end up with Kyousuke or something. That just means more happy girls, which I'm always up for. Is this something you guys would be interested in, or would you prefer not? This probably should've been in another topic, but I'm trying to not spam the board :P.

    Thanks guys B).

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