Ever tried creating your own visual novel?

[InvertMouse]

Yeah, if you do have an idea that you feel is worthwhile, I'd say just go with it. Indeed, it'll turn out to be more work than initially expected, especially if you include gameplay, etc. The only thing to carry creators through is passion and perseverance .

[mooingmage]

Just a suggestion...but like what if it was a forum project? Like to make a visual novel? Then we can all work together and make our dreams come true //kyan

[Via]

There is a forum called Lemmasoft that gathers all these internet VN devs people. I personally don't like too much the community, but it's a good place to find resources, get advice and know more about this whole VN creation business.

I've been trying to make a VN for a while (one big failed attempt in the past), but me and my team are close to releasing a game (finally). It's a weird mixture between the Higurashi horror and the conspiracy themes shown in 5pb. works (such as Steins;Gate), of course, in a more amateur-ish manner.

It's hard work, but fun in the end.

[InvertMouse]

If you've been around the forums, you'll see I'm working on a VN x game hybrid project at the moment, so it's tough for me to commit to another one. But if the forum members here worked on a game, I'd check it out for sure . Good luck with your game Via!

[Tay]

Just a suggestion...but like what if it was a forum project? Like to make a visual novel? Then we can all work together and make our dreams come true //kyan

There've been some projects (lol, one even made by me) similar to this idea, but none so bold as to come out and say it. I, for one, like this idea and think we should do it.

Who else is interested?

[Eldin]

Tay, i'm good. how's this for a start?

Character names, backgrounds, location names, ect. are mostly undecided because i know very little about japan other than what is found in anime, which i can only assume is almost entirely fictional. as explained in my previous post, the concept behind this project is a game that takes choices the player makes and warps the personality of each of the heroines (and one bl route, even) into the four types of 'dere. Each of the characters has had some form of personal tragedy that leads to the end results, but despite how each girl changes, they are always the same person.

for example, the transfer student may have moved around the country so many times that she can't make proper friends anymore. her yandere route may have her take the smallest sign of affection from the main character and twist it, thinking that it's surely a sign that he's a good person and loves her even if he won't show it. her dandere route may make her a social shut in unable to accept the feelings of another person, however much she wants to. Her kuudere route may have her act cold as ice, when she really just wants to be loved. her tsundere route may have her want to have a normal relationship, she just doesn't know how to show it. either way, she's still alone and lonely in a new environment and searching for something to cling to.

The character archtypes I've been thinking of (also mentioned in the previous post) includes:

• The Transfer Student
  
• The Little Sister
  
• The Childhood Friend
  
• The Class Rep
  
• The Loli Underclassmate
  
• The (male) Best Friend <(Yandere BL is win?)
  

Each character has a "natural" route, which is how she acts when you interact with her in any other character's route, and three other routes you can chose from based on how well you treat her. Treat her too cold most of the time and she'll become Yandere, always watching you to the point of stalking you just to glimpse you're kind side, and becoming feverantly jealous when you show it to the others. Treat her too nice most of the time and she'll turn Tsundere, wanting to return your affection but too embarassed to do so. Act too cool around her and she'll become Dandere, shy and timid around you. Act too timid and she'll turn Kuudere, protecting you and standing up for you all the time. (i did a poor job describing what most of the 'dere's are like, but i think you get the rough idea, yes?)

i've decided on three support characters and their roles in the game for now, as well as bonus routes available for each of them. This isn't to say that there won't be any other support characters, simply that these ones actually effect gameplay and have their own sub-routes.

Morigami Ryoji - the mad scientist

Ryoji is one of the main character's best friends since elementary school, and the token genius in the group. He plays games and watches anime, sleeping in class so he can stay up all night. He ties with Hin for perfect test scores only because the scores don't get any higher. He dreams of magical girls and giant robots, and everyone but Hin questions how the hell he has a girlfriend when the rest of them are single. Accidently inventing a reliable and cost efficient solar energy reactor as a side effect of his science fair project in middle school, he is guarenteed entry into any college in the country, which promts his response to angry teachers asking why he sleeps through their class: "I'm already on top, so why try harder?"

Ryoji occasionally gives the player strange gadgets that improve their scores or the scores of other characters in minigames(if i decide to add minigames, otherwise i'll think of something else). Using all of these gadgets on the younger sister character during her dandere route after clearing all of the perfect routes unlocks the "Ryoji rules the world" sub-route. He invents a giant robot and subdues all earth governments and makes school outfits with bloomers for the women-folk mandatory. good stuff.

Anderson Hin - the white knight

Hin was raised by his japanese mother after his american father moved to england for work related reasons when he was 5. At age 11, his mother decided to move to england to be with him, and brought Hin along. Hin trained in european style swordsmanship and went to a high class private school where he gained the knowledge to rival even Ryoji's test scores. After the death of the girl he refers to as "the only person who's ever known who i am", Hin decided to move back to his hometown in japan where he did what any other noble swordsman would do: He joined the photography club.

Hin is the source of most of the cg's in the game. Every now and then you'll be able to buy pictures of what the girls are up to when you're not around, and sometimes he may even have glimpsed the aftermath of some of the gadgets ryoji had you give them... buying none of his photos and selecting all of the nuetral, apathetic options unlocks the "Life is good when nothing good happens" sub-route. everybody joins apathetics anonymous, they care not to care.

Niemi Tori - the heart breaker

Tori aimed to join the kendo club, but the club leader has long since decided that girls can't fight. Ever determined, she never gave up until he and and three other kendo club members attacked her at once to crush her dreams and maybe a few bones as well. Hin happened to see this going on, and promptly annihilated them with techniques they had never seen before. Tori's new goal in life is to melt Hin's frozen heart and make him fall madly in love with her, and she's willing to sell out her friends to make it happen.

Tori gives love advice that help you stay on track with the route you're trying to complete. Taking her advice to heart and talking to her at every opportunity opens up additional options with Hin, which if selected unlocks the "The ice stone has melted" sub-route. hin finds love again. very touching. very emotional. i'm sure i'll screw up the writing.

so i've got a main character and six potential soul mates with no names and no backstory, 3 support characters with thought out backstories and sub-routes, a basic game idea, no location, no events, no ingame timeline, and only a rough idea of how i want the characters to look but none of the artistic skills to draw them out.

can you work with this, tay? if so, let's make a VN, fuwanovel.

[Tay]

Holy flip, Eldin. That's both very interesting, and very huge. It's a game I'd love to play.

The ambition in it, though, intimidates me. Six routes, lots of choices for each route (to make your really, really cool dynamic -dere transition systems), and lots of art. I'm buying the vision, but I'm worried it may be a little more than we can chew all at once.

That said, it's still really awesome and should really be made. What do you say to the idea of seeing who else is up for making a VN, and we discuss it further? If nothing else, maybe we make a shorter, trial-run VN together to learn to ropes and build our skills, and then try something more ambitious?

WHO ELSE WANTS TO MAKE A VN WITH US!?!?

[Eldin]

tay, each girl has four routes. with two unique ends. that's 24 routes, not 6.

and not including the three extra routes i mentioned. i'm more than willing to write it out if someone else wants to do the art and programming, since i am mentally handicapped when it comes to both of those things.

and sure tay, give me a concept and i'll run with it. i almost made dayaemati or whatever, i can't remember names, her own web comic based off a post in the Corrupt a Wish thread. got pretty far in and then remembered i can't draw worth a damn.

[Tay]

tay, each girl has four routes. with two unique ends. that's 24 routes, not 6.

and not including the three extra routes i mentioned. i'm more than willing to write it out if someone else wants to do the art and programming, since i am mentally handicapped when it comes to both of those things.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaooooooooooowwwww! This is no mere game. This is the Leviathan!

Okay. Yeah. Definitely a long-term project, but could be really awesome. Let's build a dream team, and go from there, huh?

[Eldin]

find me an artist and a programmer. i can do all the writing. if anyone wants to do character concepts with me, that would make it a lot faster too, and of course i'd welcome an editor. my ability to work out my thoughts doesn't always produce the effect i'm looking for. a proof reader, that's what i need.

[eclipsezero]

Feel free to use any of my old concepts if you want Tay :V

Might contribute some random concepts(Story wise or gameplay wise) and what not, if you guys don't mind :V

Other than that, I am not sure if I am upto actually joining a team >>; I tend to not get much time derp >3>;

[InvertMouse]

I reckon this deserves a thread of its own B)? Looking forward to seeing what you guys come up with. I'll be spying .

[Tay]

I reckon this deserves a thread of its own ? Looking forward to seeing what you guys come up with. I'll be spying .

That's a good idea. I made my own thread for a game I'm going to produce, but there are a lot of ideas out there, and I can't pick them all, which means it's a good thing anybody can pick up and start writing a VN ; ). I hope everybody will keep posting about VN ideas, tho. I think it would be awesome if we could get some VN creation groups (plural!) going.

[cvmerchanary]

I'm trying to work on a K-On visual novel. The only problem is that I don't have any art!!! I'm bad at drawing, and it's hard to find any art of the characters that I could use.

[jaxter0987]

tay, each girl has four routes. with two unique ends. that's 24 routes, not 6.

and not including the three extra routes i mentioned. i'm more than willing to write it out if someone else wants to do the art and programming, since i am mentally handicapped when it comes to both of those things.

and sure tay, give me a concept and i'll run with it. i almost made dayaemati or whatever, i can't remember names, her own web comic based off a post in the Corrupt a Wish thread. got pretty far in and then remembered i can't draw worth a damn.

Wouldn't that mean only 23 Routes not 24? 5 girls * 4 routes each + Male Best Friend Route + 2 Unique Ends = 23 unless I'm misinterpreting your words.

My friend and I are planning to make a visual novel when we both get more experience in programming. We have a friend for when we need an artist and we have a general back story for most of the characters but don't have an over arching plot line nailed down yet.