Getting into game development.

[Setsuna Yuki]

I have an idea, art and creative story skills. Art isn't an issue, I have a general story idea.

I want to make a branching choice VN that possibly has some sandbox exploration to it.

I'm not sure which engine to dabble with as its been 10+ years since I did anything like this (which is like a century on the internet).

HTML 5, Renpy, etc?

What is less likely to make me want to blow my brains out doing?

 

[AlterxArt]

Basic guidelines to avoid being hated on.
A- Most people on these sites (F95/Itch.Io/l***corner, etc)
hate really hard on RPGM games.
B- They also hate non-consequential choices.
C- They also hate when you mix NTR with NON-NTR
D- They also hate bad english writting.
E - They also hate to grind if there's no content to back it up.


Basic guidelines to actually release something.
A - Its is better to start small and escalate later, better to deliver a tiny project than not to deliver anything at all.
B - Its is important to keep constant communication with your audience, that way you'll actually have someone play your game when you release it.
C - Pick an art style you can pump content of fairly easy, VNs have tons of scenes making art for yours should be as easy as drinking water so you don't burn yourself doing it.

 

[Insomnimaniac Games]

Sandbox VN tells me either Renpy or Unity are probably your best bets. Twine can work, but UI seems to be a bit more difficult. (Just going off the twine games I've played and how many of them have the same terrible UI)

But, general advice that fits all engines, keep some sort of documentation for variables and such. Way easier to track a google doc than doing things all in-engine.

Basic guidelines to avoid being hated on.

While all that is true-ish, it's not going to stop haters. You're definitely going to get them, regardless of how good the game actually is.

 

[Setsuna Yuki]

I already decided against RPGM as my engine. The cursed bleeping of the menus, I hate it so much.

As for art, it'll all be me or a friend I trust. We've been experimenting with using AI to blend rough art, using it more of a filter than straight up using full AI generated stuff. Going to be fully transparent with it. Will save on time and money.

 

[Insomnimaniac Games]

I already decided against RPGM as my engine. The cursed bleeping of the menus, I hate it so much.

I doubt it's your only reason, but you know you can mute that, right?

 

[Setsuna Yuki]

I doubt it's your only reason, but you know you can mute that, right?

Yes, but not when you first launch some of them.

Mainly so much time wasted walking... if I was doing like a murder mystery game inside a mansion, it'd be great.

 

[Raynare Studios]

best of luck. doing the same here. but just doing a simple VN. nothing nuts.

 

[Insomnimaniac Games]

Yes, but not when you first launch some of them.

Oh, I meant as the developer. The menu beep is something entirely in our control.

 

[Setsuna Yuki]

Oh, I meant as the developer. The menu beep is something entirely in our control.

...the bastards. XD

Anyways.
It'll probably be 2 to 3 months before I even put a demo out. I work a full-time job, 3-4 days a week working 12h. My brain often gets fried.

 

[Raynare Studios]

...the bastards. XD

Anyways.
It'll probably be 2 to 3 months before I even put a demo out. I work a full-time job, 3-4 days a week working 12h. My brain often gets fried.

i feel your pain

 

[Insomnimaniac Games]

It'll probably be 2 to 3 months before I even put a demo out.

Hey, my second game took even longer, so that's not a bad thing. And I've done this before.

 

[Setsuna Yuki]

So far I've boiled down to either a magic conspiracy type game (like Bible Black or A Spell for All) or a game with Monster Girls living in the same building (player is a landlord or something?).

 

[goditseb]

Sandbox VN tells me either Renpy or Unity are probably your best bets. Twine can work, but UI seems to be a bit more difficult. (Just going off the twine games I've played and how many of them have the same terrible UI)

But, general advice that fits all engines, keep some sort of documentation for variables and such. Way easier to track a google doc than doing things all in-engine.

While all that is true-ish, it's not going to stop haters. You're definitely going to get them, regardless of how good the game actually is.

What about *Scratch? Do you have any experience or knowledge about it?
I really struggle with basic Renpy stuff like maps and inventories. That's why I abandoned my project three years ago.

 

[Insomnimaniac Games]

What about Snatch 3? Do you have any experience or knowledge about it?
I really struggle with basic Renpy stuff like maps and inventories. That's why I abandoned my project three years ago.

I've never heard of it, and a google search gives me nothing, so there's probably not a lot of documentation. With the Renpy stuff, I'll let people way more experienced than I answer that.

 

[mibc9394]

I started out using Unity with Naninovel plugin to make my text-based adventure game (which you can see in my signiture), and after a month of development and experiments I switched to Renpy. I think if you are going to developing any text-based game, you will gain a huge support when using renpy because of the community. Using renpy is easy to find solutions online. Also, renpy is very easy to extend as long as you have some python knowledge, and because of its large online community and the entire engine being text based, it's very easy to offload a lot of coding work to AI.

So, in short, Renpy.

 

[goditseb]

I've never heard of it, and a google search gives me nothing, so there's probably not a lot of documentation. With the Renpy stuff, I'll let people way more experienced than I answer that.

Sorry I meant Scratch .. not Snatch.. mistake ..

 

[hseeker123]

Make sure when you start releasing builds for people to test, that you actually have something worth releasing. Many people release a "version 0.0001" that has like 1.5 minutes of gameplay and almost no art. What's the point?

 

[SirLecherous]

So far I've boiled down to either a magic conspiracy type game (like Bible Black or A Spell for All) or a game with Monster Girls living in the same building (player is a landlord or something?).

So what's it gonna be... game concept n engine? Btw the monster girl may get more reception the degens here + in this space have a deep appreciation for non human...females...especially the anthropomorphic types.

If u make your mc shota and some how is lost father(tragic or otherwise) but dad wanted more than milk from a cow n fucked the cow(could have been a wolf too idk) now one of his tenants is also his half sister and they fucking desipte knowing. Or Mc trying to currupt his inncoent mom to fuck especially due to their loss.Your game would crowned as legendary.

Lastly have 1 or few Futanari in there and you don't need to market or find and audience they will find you willing to pay. Oh yeah and tiddyz > Any other body part.




Shota Mc + Anthropomorphic females + Incest + Brain dead Harem + Futa + Tits = Money Printer...

Btw there is also an Anti list if you desire monies( not a strange desire since success depends on content and teams can do more content faster and teams need to paid and money is needed to pay teams etc).

 

[Insomnimaniac Games]

~Snip~

This reads like a request.

 

[465135473216]

This reads like a request.

It is and you better start working on it
-
If your goal is to focus on story and art and not gameplay then renpy it is.
You should not focus on pleasing everyone, see what kink you like and build your community around that, when you have done all the content you can do then start to branch off.