On Twine
Added 2018-11-08 23:55:27 +0000 UTCAs I get closer and closer to finishing The Weekend, I've started to think about future projects, and specifically how I want to approach them development-wise. I've learned a ton working on The Weekend (and Thin Walls, too), and although I appreciate the benefits of Twine (and Sugarcube especially), I'm strongly considering utilizing a different framework for my next project. A big factor is that the Twine editor is just not suited for projects as big as The Weekend. The game is currently hovering around 315k words with close to 2200 passages, and trying to scroll around that monstrosity is, needless to say, very, very slow.
So! I'd like to try something new, but I also want my lovely audience (especially the generous ones who have been kind enough to donate) to be a part of the discussion. With that it mind, what sorts of features would you guys like to see in future projects?
Do you prefer Twine-style text-heavy games, or would you rather see more graphic novel type projects (like Ren'Py or similar)?
Would you be interested in RPG Maker-type projects with actual gameplay rather than just text adventures?
If I were to remake The Weekend, would you prefer it in Twine or some other style of game?
Do you play my games on your phone? Is that important for you?
If you've worked on your own projects, what's worked really well for you?
Feel free to answer one, all, or none of these questions, either here or via PM. Any and all thoughts are appreciated :)
Edit: Thanks for all the responses! It sounds like Ren'Py-style visual novels are pretty popular with you guys (and RPG Maker is not), so I wanted to ask one more question. For visuals, which is more important: static character avatars/backgrounds or the full illustration scenes?
Comments
That's a very good perspective, thank you.
tufty
2018-12-31 01:07:21 +0000 UTCchiming in... With a visual novel like the ren'py system, I think ALL illustrations are important. I don't think there's a one or the other balance to it. So of course character models are very important and are the main focus, but if it was just a story with a blank background and some character models that's obviously not very interesting. If the scene/setting is important than the background needs to actually convey the scene. You'll have to decide what level of visual detail suits your style but I think you should endeavor to knock it out of the park with every picture. I would personally find it distracting to see a bunch of sloppy artwork in the background, especially if the characters look good. Also consider that it's basically permanent. The work you publish represents you on some level. I'm personally of the mindset to not publish something if I'm not proud of it. So as long as you're proud of what you do, then follow through on it.
Hatha
2018-12-30 07:12:57 +0000 UTCActually an absolutely stunningly beautiful and well-written VN is <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/504390/Along_the_Edge/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://store.steampowered.com/app/504390/Along_the_Edge/</a> and they have both hand-drawn avatar+background and full-size scene painting styles. They managed it beautifully, so it is possible; I just imagine it's a lot of work :)
Robert Arctor
2018-11-11 17:11:48 +0000 UTCI like both text-heavy games and VNs :) My favorite features are good characterization of actors, expressive choices, a gripping and motivating story, and yes - engrossing romance and fun sexy-times ;) I dislike most RPGM games because the map and combat are both fairly clunky, and it seems like a huge amount of development time is sunk into tasks developing features I don't care about like combat ability balance or map drawing. Level design is hard! Ren'py is a very popular choice and I have played and enjoyed - and yes, bought and funded ;) - dozens of them. Consider however that it's designed to show off beautiful artwork occupying a good 80%+ of the screen, so unless you plan to farm out art creation or spend that percentage of your time drawing, I'd suggest trying something else. Don't get me wrong, I'd absolutely love to see a painted or rendered version of the Weekend in ren'py, but if your motivation for switching is you have too much text already, it may not be what you're looking for. You would also have to go through the whole thing cutting out all descriptions of places because it's really dull to have a picture in front of you and have to click through 20 paragraphs of exposition one by one. You never have a whole page of text, just three or four lines at a time. The other option I can recommed is choicescript <a href="https://www.choiceofgames.com/make-your-own-games/choicescript-intro/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.choiceofgames.com/make-your-own-games/choicescript-intro/</a> The company also hosts games by other authors and they are for sale on steam. I have seen novels of 350k+ words developed in this and there is a strong community around it, so it seems like your best bet. You can include the occasional image in choicescript games, like you did here and there in the Weekend; I think it would look pretty good. There is also undum <a href="https://github.com/idmillington/undum" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://github.com/idmillington/undum</a> but that's more for people who like programming in javascript and want more freedom than choicescript offers. I don't personally play games on my phone. Lastly, I'm not quite sure what you mean by 'more important' visuals. Assuming you're thinking of ren'py, I would say this. As pretty as a painting is, and I do love lush and gorgeous graphics, it's going to get clicked through pretty quickly in ren'py. If you're drawing things by hand, it makes sense to have character outfits/silhouettes and then expressions layered on top, and a background at the back, so you only have to draw something like one or two dozen backgrounds per game but still have plenty of characters enter and exit the stage, like theatre. I think it's mostly due to available artist time. If you have access to 3d rendering software and assets, either yourself or through an artist, then a lot of time and effort is spent setting a scene and lighting it, but once you've done that you can knock out dozens of renders a week - hardware permitting and so on. In that case it makes much more sense to pose each image exactly how you want it, and make as many of them as you need, because changing perspective is a matter of minutes; you don't have to re-draw the whole painting from scratch. I personally enjoy both, as long as they're well done :)
Robert Arctor
2018-11-11 16:53:47 +0000 UTC
