08.06.06
VN Marathon / VN Graphics
Cymbalta Without Prescription Elavil No Prescription Lotrisone For Sale Propecia Generic Buy Inderal Online Amoxil Without Prescription Prevacid No Prescription Zyban For Sale Clarinex Generic Buy Zyban OnlineVN Marathon
As part of my VN project model research, of course I need to play completed visual novels. There are lots of independent developers in the internet just like myself and they really inspire me to move on and improve myself. Of course there are also those established companies however getting their visual novels is harder than expected (I wish I could buy even the original releases but unfortunately they’re not even available in our country).
Yesterday I played 5 visual novels developed using Ren’Py, 1 visual novel developed using Blade (the Japanese version) and Fate/Stay Night trial version (by Type-Moon developed using ONScripter). Of course hands down among them FS/N topped in terms of quality, second comes the visual novel developed using Blade and finally the ones developed using Ren’Py.
In terms of storyline quality all of them “might” be equal, however what poses a huge significant gap between independent developers and established companies is “graphics quality”. I can’t blame the independent developers because some of them are not equipped with people who specializes in graphics which established companies could afford. But they have to aware that this is “visual novel” they are dealing with.
In my opinion the quality of a visual novel is scaled with the following criteria: storyline 50% graphics 35% and sound effects 15%. That 35% is still a significant chunk to deal with and a team of developers can’t ignore it. Although I’m aware that a visual novel could survive even with just “passing” graphics, however catching the attention of the readers/players is achieved through the visual candies a visual novel can offer.
I think that the prior argument is a logical explanation why H-game visual novels, despite of lacking a good storyline (I don’t mean to generalize all) still get the attention of a significant number of audience. A visual novel has to please the readers not only in terms of good reading experience, but also good visual experience.
Some Thoughts About VN Graphics
Graphics of a visual novel could extend to three main types. First is the game interface graphics which is composed of the menus, opening screen, credits, in-game transition screens, etc. Second is the background which is responsible for establishing the location of the scenarios. In my opinion, backgrounds could be used in two ways. One way is the conventional “location scene” BG and the other is “character scene” BG which is used to emphasize a significant point/event in the storyline. Finally the third main stype of visual novel graphics is the character images which are used to represent the characters in the story (obviously). I think in terms of significance the character images tops the other two.
I believe that the character image coupled with the dialogue are the two most significant aspects that determines the impact of a visual novel. For one reason, it is the first two elements that directly contact the player/reader. When reading a visual novel the reader initially looks at the character image to have an impression of the character’s emotion, then reads the dialogue to know what the character have to say. The background image comes next which is responsible for amplifying the mood of the scenario. There are a significant number of times that background images are only coupled with narration dialogues. In this way the author effectively emphasizes and establishes that location and scenario he wants to impart to the reader. Followed in terms of significance is the game interface graphics which imparts a pleasing environment when doing miscellaneous stuff (like setup, saving and loading). It is also responsible for creating the “overall impression” of the game.
All elements of a visual novel are important. To accomplish a top quality visual novel you need to ensure that all of the elements are also of top quality even upto the minute details. For an anime fan like me, I could easily put a large amount of weight on “graphics quality” when it comes to evaluating visual novels. Storyline might be the most significant aspect of the game, however graphics is what initiates the contact with the player/readers. Graphics is the factor that creates the important “first impression”. Developers must be aware that some players/readers actually judge VNs only by graphics so therefore they must put a significant effort on developing this aspect.