By the end of production on your first visual novel, you will know how to make a good vn, and you will also know that the one you just made sucks. It’s like… you won’t know how to run a marathon until you run one, then you’ll know how much training you’ll need, what type of shoes and clothing, etc.
The first time however, you’re going to add too many characters. You’re going to be too ambitious and wide in your vision. And what you create will take years to update with new episodes.
By the time you’ve finished, you’ve learned how to switch from thinking vertically to landscape mode like 1080p, and how much more detail a wide frame requires. By then, you’ve tweaked and rendered your characters so much in so many different looks and angles, that you’ve finally actually perfected them. And now you’re ready to start making your visual novel… except you’re already done.
That’s how we feel. And that’s why so many devs start a new game while developing new episodes for the first one… so they can do it right. For us, we got some things right, but we got some things wrong. And that’s why we don’t have a Patreon… so we don’t have to hear every joe blow complaining to us about whatever thing we didn’t do enough of, or what we did too much of, or how long it’s taken since the last update. We’re doing our best. We like it. Hope you do too… but every human is different, so if you don’t, it’s all good.
Above and below are outtake renders from Club Facade on Ehko Island
