Who here has played a visual novel?

[RikuoAmero]

If you guys actually go ahead with making a visual novel, can I be a beta (story, text wise)? I've got an excellent command of the written word (even if I do say so myself...)

[† Emotional Outlet]

Haha, well, it'd be a pretty big project if we wanted to something decent with multiple paths and endings. And we'd need art, music, and a story. We have... zero of those things at the moment!

I did download Ren'Py to check it out--it's all Python-based (I know exactly zero), but I'll keep looking into ti.

[RikuoAmero]

Huh. Well, keep me in the loop. I don't exactly plan to be an active developer..................fuck, maybe I will. I've built a computer and yet, I know nothing about programming beyond a few commands in DOS. So, this Ren'Py will be the program we'll be using to, well, program the game? And to use it, you need to learn Python? Okay, I'll see about learning Python. Since I've never bothered actually even trying to learn a coding language before, I've got a tangent of a question: is Python a valuable thing to know in the jobs market?

Edit: I've just started watching an introductory video to Python and already I'm completely lost. It's talking about floats and exponentials and I'm like, whaaa? So people, I'm guessing I should start with something else before going on to Python. What should a complete noob at programming start with?

Edited August 11, 2012 by RikuoAmero

[† Emotional Outlet]

Haha, Java will have an answer for you in a bit about all the programming stuff. That's beyond my purview. I know like RPG Maker uses Ruby as their programming language, so I guess it just depends on the engine.

Ren'Py is one of the big names out there for visual novel engines, but there's a couple more out there from what I've seen in a brief Google search a few days ago. I just started with that one because a few of the other games I liked were built using it, and it seems to have an tool specifically to let you make visual novels for Android. Given their fairly decent sized library of games, I'd imagine support for it is pretty good, which is helpful for people like me, lul.

[Jªvª]

Well I can say this, Python is a very useful language and is useful in the job market. With that being said it also depends on the company as well.

But it def will help you out on your resume if you actually know it and can program with it if asked.

Basically I have seen C, C++, C#, Ruby, Python, Perl, Java, Javascript, PHP, Visual Basic (sadly) are the big ones off the top of my head that industries usually want to see on the resume.

If you want I can provide some reading material for ya for Python to help out.

[RikuoAmero]

Well I can say this, Python is a very useful language and is useful in the job market. With that being said it also depends on the company as well.

But it def will help you out on your resume if you actually know it and can program with it if asked.

Basically I have seen C, C++, C#, Ruby, Python, Perl, Java, Javascript, PHP, Visual Basic (sadly) are the big ones off the top of my head that industries usually want to see on the resume.

If you want I can provide some reading material for ya for Python to help out.

Yes please. Just want to make sure: I watched a few minutes of a video on an introduction to Python and it started talking about floats and exponentials, so that led me to conclude that a noob to programming like me shouldn't start with Python, but should start with something else. Should I start with say C, or Java, then move to Python?

[Jªvª]

C or C++ is usually a good start, after that learning other languages is pretty simple. For me I went from Quick Basic to C++ (Turbo C++ I think it was called). That jump for me was interesting, but after I learnt C++ I was able to understand and pick up on the other program languages pretty easily.

Sent a PM with a link

[GoldenDarkness]

ive read

G-senjou

Sharin No Kuni

Kira-Kira

Edelweiss

Katawa shoujo

School Days

ive read alot and all of the above are great ive read over 70vns currently on White Album for Ps3

[Zanco]

Go for Analouge: A Hate Story, it's a sequal to Digital: A Love Story. You could buy it on Steam, or you can get it off the premium download section of Kametsu Forums, it's a really good visuall novel and... Words. I'm not to sure how to explain it but it's good.

Analouge: A Hate Story

Edited September 10, 2012 by Zanco

[† Emotional Outlet]

Christine (the creator of the game) is a lovely person and puts a lot of thought into her games. The other two she's done that I've linked on this thread already on the first page are pretty good (also free). She did a blog entry on the reactions to don't take it personally, babe; she was cognisant of the issues in the game and made note of them to avoid in future games. Any creator who does that is awesome in my book.

Analogue is definitely interesting and has some depth to it, which you can see in some of the speculation threads floating around. Can't wait to see what else she's got up her sleeve.

[Zanco]

Crisine Love is truly amazing. From Cell "Phone Love Letter, and "Don't take it personally, babe"- All the way to her novels and comics, the woman's, I know I'm repeating this, AMAZING. Some one who I think of just as high is JaJitsu, he doesn't do VA's but the man make pretty good platformers, and the story for his games/art work/comics are really well thought out. I won't link him for the soul fact that the only reson I mentioned him was because his stories remind me of Mrs. Love's stories, in a way.

[AxelVIII]

Working on my first VN Shuffle! Haven't finished though.

[SSJSilva]

I recently started playing Visual Novels, and so far have been playing Katawa Shoujo and Fate/Stay Night. Both are just awesome, I'm almost done with the Unlimited Blade Works route and just barely started on KS. I basically love visual novels now.

[Pra7ul]

I Like Playing them but due to some reason my game never gets complete..

i've played Clannad,Shuffle,God Catching Alchemy Meister,and few more.. which i currently can't remember.

Edited November 18, 2012 by Pra7ul

[† Emotional Outlet]

Coming by with a couple visual novel and VN-like things I've been going through in the past few days.

Katawa Shoujo -- I will say up front that it has NSFW content, but it's not an H-game. I had been reading it for several hours before the adult scenes showed up.

That aside, it was pretty interesting! It's closer to a kinetic novel than a visual novel--you still have choices, but it's not nearly as many as you might expect, depending on the types of visual novels you're used to. There is no upkeep, no real planning of your schedule. The person you play as, Hisao, has his own personality and pretty much does what he wants to given what few decisions you've made.

The story starts off with Hisao meeting a secret admirer in the woods during the winter. When she makes her confession, Hisao has a heart attack and spends the next few months in a hospital. After some brief angsting about his condition, he's transferred to Yamaku, a school for the disabled. After the initial culture shock, you follow Hisao through the school year, meeting and chatting with students, all of whom have different disabilities.

As one person puts it, "I was prepared to fap, /v/, but I wasn't prepared to feel". The point of the VN isn't to chat up babes and bone them, but really to show that they're just people with their own dreams and aspirations, their own fears and problems, same as anyone else. They're not defined by their disabilities, as Hisao eventually learns to come to terms with through the story.

There are several amusing moments, particularly when it comes to your hallmate, Kenji, and one of the potential girls, Rin.

It's really quite well-done--there are a few cinematic scenes, the art is lovely, and the music is fantastic. I haven't run into any real issues with it, nor have I noticed any glaring spelling or grammatical mistakes, things that can really ruin immersion. Best of all, it's completely free and there are several art books you can download from the site.

======

On the less free side, closer to freemium, I've been playing two games called My Candy Love and Star Project. While you can play for free, your actions are restricted by points awarded to you daily for each login. Another issue I've noticed is the translations for both of them aren't entirely the best--there's a lot of awkward translations, misspellings, and oddly formed sentences. And they are otome games, so if that's not your thing, you probably won't enjoy them much!

I find them enjoyable, limited as I may be because I find microtransactions annoying and unnecessary. The mini games from Star Project are enough to keep me entertained. MCL is more limited than SP, since you gain only 10 points and $15 a day--no more, no less. You have opportunities to play mini games to gain more, but those are also limited. SP is a little more generous since you regain points over time--at a rate of one point for every thirty seconds.

The characters in MCL don't really appeal to me, so it's just as well that I run out of things to do in the space of five minutes--usually less, haha. So far I've met the student council pretty boy who seems to be allergic to everything (I've apparently done everything I can to piss him off), the generic bad boy with a heart of gold (also managed to piss him off in every interaction I've had with him), and your childhood friend (difficult to piss off unless you do so actively--I think he suffers from Nice Guy Syndrome).

SP seems to still be in development, but I have met both the stars currently available, Touya and Ren. Touya is the goofy, stupid guy with a heart of gold, while Ren seems to be the mysterious tsundere asshole with a heart of gold. Needless to say, I'd rather deal with Touya and than Ren.

If you want something to do for a few minutes each day, you might enjoy them. Even though the stories are fairly standard--MCL is set in a high school and SP has you as the owner of a star management company--they're still pretty fun.

Edited November 25, 2012 by Emotional Outlet

[† Emotional Outlet]

Another two--this time kinetic novels. Both free and both quite short!

That Cheap and Sacred Thing

If you're into stories about AI, human relations with androids, and the like, you'll likely enjoy this. It's quite short, easily finished within half an hour depending on how quickly you read. It's fairly soft sci fi, so if you prefer your science fiction to be on the harder side, you might not be satisfied with what you're presented with. Either way, I'd recommend giving it a shot--it's free and short. You have little to lose.

It follows the story of Autumn and her seventeenth birthday--her friends have her hooked up for the day with what amounts to an android prostitute. You easily get a feel for the dissonance between Autumn's values and of her friends--ultimately serving as a surrogate for society's values in the world of TCaST. The art is lovely and, since it's so short, you don't really have much opportunity to get tired of the music.

Juniper's Knot

A little bit longer, but still quite short--perhaps at most an hour. Again, it's dependant on your reading speed. This one is fantasy, and largely--moreso than other VNs I've read--dialogue driven.

It's the story of a lost young boy coming across a demon, told in both of their perspectives. I don't really know what else to say that doesn't give away much of the story. It was enjoyable and certainly thought-provoking. The characterisation of the demon and the boy were well done, even in such a short span. The music is fantastic, the art is gorgeous, and the ending was quite satisfying.

======

And on a slightly different tangent, here's a link to sakevisual and Hanako Games. I've played VNs from both of them and have greatly enjoyed them, so check them out when you have time!

[Alice]

I just tried one recently myself. I tried out Clannad. I had never played before and was curious since I heard so many others talking about them. It's okay. I got pretty bored with it. It was way to slow for me. Maybe its because I've scene the anime several times and already know how it goes.

[Breathless]

I really like Narcissu! I've played it so many times, It's so bittersweet - It made me addicted to that sad feeling! I downloaded Narcissu 2 too but I never got around finishing it, It looks good though but just a lesser version of the first game. Anyone who wants to play the first one I recommend it, you can find it here! (It's a free VN I think by a Doujin Group: Stage-Nana, so no guilt downloading it!) Oh, and there's only one path, no choices, but don't be put off by that! It's amazing!

-It's about a boy with a terminal illness and his life in the hospital! I don't know what else to say without spoiling things.

Also check out Yume miru Kisu, it's another tear jerking visual novel! It's by Ruf, it's looks and writings are so perfect! It does have H scenes which add some depth to the characters, but it does feel like they're there just for the sake of being there sometimes.

-Kouhei Kagami is a Japanese student with excellent grades and a fairly normal social life, but feels empty and transparent inside. The story revolves a pivotal moment in Kouhei's life where three girls, that have more problems than himself, get involved with him and make his mundane life a roller coaster of emotions. -wiki

Little Busters Ecstasy is one I played recently, I've only gotten one good end and one neutral end so far and from what I hear it starts to get good from the second. I haven't played the original Little Busters but from the reviews I've read the Ecstasy version is an improvement on the flaws in the script, (and there are extra routes)! So if you're looking into LB get the Ex! version.

-Little busters is a group of childhood friends that set up and complete missions! Their mission? Create the strongest baseball team! I've only scratched the surface of this game so I can't tell you too much. It's a fun light-hearted visual novel! at least I thought so, but... Anyway, it's great! An anime adaption of it just released this year, I think it's up to episode 8-ish. Check either out if you have the time!

Also, this is the Visual Novel Database, if you ever want to know about a visual novel you can probably find alot of information here.

[† Emotional Outlet]

It does have H scenes which add some depth to the characters, but it does feel like they're there just for the sake of being there sometimes.

Yeah, I get that feeling from some VNs I've played. I dunno, I prefer fades to black--not from any real prudishness, but because really explicit scenes just seem out of place to me in a VN. I think it's because while I'm reading the text, there's just a static pornographic image in the background, haha.

But thanks for the recommendation for narcissu. I just downloaded it, so I'll give it a read later today. I like kinetic novels well enough, so no worries there.

Maybe sometime this weekend I'll compile a list of recommended VNs and KNs (free and otherwise), as well as creators and resources. I know I've seen a few names pop up a few times throughout the thread here.

[Breathless]

Yeah, I get that feeling from some VNs I've played. I dunno, I prefer fades to black--not from any real prudishness, but because really explicit scenes just seem out of place to me in a VN. I think it's because while I'm reading the text, there's just a static pornographic image in the background, haha.

Yeah! That's exactly what it feels like ahah! Unfortunately I still live at home with my family, and even more unfortunately my laptop broke, so getting my fix of Visual Novels can get prettyyyyyyyy awkward on the shared computer some times! :$

But thanks for the recommendation for narcissu. I just downloaded it, so I'll give it a read later today. I like kinetic novels well enough, so no worries there.

No problem, I hope you enjoy Narcissu! (let me know what you think of it! It's an all time favorite for me!)

Maybe sometime this weekend I'll compile a list of recommended VNs and KNs (free and otherwise), as well as creators and resources. I know I've seen a few names pop up a few times throughout the thread here.

That actually sounds like a tonne of fun! Good luck!