How long is it?

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Today many other indies like cliffski are making a post about the “game length” problem. Indeed, a question I often heard in forums when talking about games is “How long is it”? Like if long=good!

I know this well because I make games that, typically, are very short to play, since they’re story-based and are very similar to books, movies, comics. I think it’s totally absurd to judge a game by the length (unless it lasts 15 minutes of course!!!). For several reasons, most of them already very well explained by Cliff.

Making some comparison: you’d rather watch a dull, boring long movie, or a short but exciting, innovative, interesting one? This might look like an idiot question (and, it is) but then, why some people complain about games length, IF the game story is good? (I’m talking specifically about VN/dating sims).

One of the best recent examples is the game Jisei by Sakevisual. The game IS short. If you play it all at once, will last an hour or so. Yet, has an interesting plot, has high production values and good voice acting. You would rather play a very long but banal visual novel instead? Of course I know you might say: I want an interesting AND long story. Well, that’s what everyone would like to play, but since writing VN is like writing a book or a comic, you can well imagine that is not easy at all to make a story at same time interesting AND long.

On the opposite, there are many examples in tv-series that insisted on length (starting a new season when they should have stopped) and the result was that they produced a very crap result, reducing the overall interest of their fans.

Beside, most new games that comes out are based on the MMORPG/social system. Basically to make each action you must wait several minutes, or repeat certain tasks. While those games are fun, especially at the beginning (I played a lot Everquest for example), after a while they’re super boring, and really would be better shorter but with better gameplay/variety.

Just yesterday I wanted to buy a game on steam. I browsed all the various FPS, but I found really nothing interesting and ended up buying an adventure game (Alter Ego) because I enjoyed the atmosphere, description, the quality. I am still playing it so not sure how long it is, but for sure I’m enjoying it much more than any of those all-identic FPS games that comes out today.

Introducing “Remember Me” Otome game

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As I wrote in previous posts, I decided to move my otome games production to a more girly site (which I’m still building though). As you can imagine the name “Winter Wolves” doesn’t recall exactly a romantic, cute, girly atmosphere 😀

There are already some games “in progress”, but the  first game that is likely going to be released will be called “Remember Me”, and will be a dating sim. I have yet to decide if it will also incorporate a minigame (time management) like the farming sim. If you want let me know your opinion on this with comments or forum posts: should the game be a plain dating sim or have also a minigame?

I don’t want to reveal too much info about it yet, but it will have all the required elements to be a true otome game:

  • Romance – the game will be VERY romantic. The starting situation already is very romantic even if a bit dramatic.
  • No Sex – the game will be absolutely family friendly like all the games I’ll release on that new domain/brand. For the men reading, don’t worry, if I can find more reliable writer/artists I plan to make some more male-oriented ones to put them in Tycoon Games website 😉
  • Manga art – the art will be cute manga, Flower Shop style. I might even combine some comic scenes like Vera Blanc game but still keeping a cute/girly manga style.
  • Handsome boys to date – there will be plenty of cool, handsome boys to date. Some will be romantic, some will be workaholics, others will be shallow but who knows, maybe with your help they might change their attitude?
  • Cuteness power – flowers, pets like young kitties and puppies. Poems, romantic situations. You got the idea.
  • Good writing – I’ll completely outsource the writing so hopefully the quality and style will be much better than my past attempts.

Speaking of this first game, the main character is a sort of homage to a friend developer of mine, Amanda Fitch. Indeed, in this game you’ll control the character of “Amarantha”. A very uncommon name for a girl, it comes from the amaranth flower, which is derived from Greek (amarantos) meaning “unfading”.

She works in a ice cream parlor during summer, she likes to write poems, and her friends call her Amy.

The one below happens right before the main game scene, as you see things doesn’t seem to start particularly well but… with an Otome game the Happy End is guaranteed!

Your gentle touch
The warmth of your embrace
The passion of your kiss
Precious times
That felt ever so divine

I though that they would never leave
But…
Even though I can’t reach you anymore
I can’t open my eyes to find you there
I’ll always have my memories

Though they are not as warm as the hands
That always made me feel so safe
I know they will never disappear
As you now have

My beloved,
My heart is forever yours
Even if you’re lost
Beyond where my trembling voice
Can reach you

Even if your memories fade
Or disappear into the darkness
I’ll never forget the precious times
When we faced the world together

My beloved,
For today,
For tomorrow,
For the days that may never return,
Never forget the words we once exchanged…
“I love you…”

The revenge of point’n’click adventures

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I’ve always loved point’n’click adventures, of all kinds. First person view, or 3rd person (with the characters walking on the screen).

Unfortunately I’ve never been able to make one, because they are probably the kind of game that require most art assets. Also, I wasn’t sure that there was a market big enough to justify that kind of investment. However, recently things seems to have changed. Not just indies, but even some bigger studios are starting to produce adventure games, even if most of them are full 3d ones, real-time.

I really don’t like 3d real time. It might be good for certain settings, and surely gives more freedom so you can have very complex puzzles. But still I think 2d painted art is the best you can have in an adventure game. A good solution/compromise is 2d pre-rendered backdrops with 3d real-time sprites though.

Does it means that I’m thinking about making an adventure game? Well, for now I want to finish the current projects. Then, I want to experiment with some online games.

But next year, depending also how some things go, I might start thinking about it seriously (depends also if my favourite artist Rebecca will have enough time to do it)!

In the past I’ve experimented with lots of genres, and still I like to experiment, however the main kind of games I like are story-based games: RPGs, adventures and all the VN variants (dating sim, etc). I believe an adventure based on Vera Blanc character might be interesting, with many puzzles and horror-themed situations (zombies, vampires, and so on).

Now better I stop thinking about it and focus on finishing my current games though! 😀 A new alpha of Planet Stronghold should be ready next week for sure (just waiting for artist to finish a few background images).

Simulate my life, please

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Of my upcoming games, there’s basically no “pure-VN” game. Flower Shop spin-off will have mini and meta games (more details in the coming weeks), and the other two otome game projects will have all a dating sim / life sim structure.

I know is a bit hard to define what is a “pure VN” and what isn’t. As practical example, Heileen is a pure VN: mainly text and choices (there are also quests but they’re not complex as the quest you might find in a RPG game). Summer Session instead is clearly a dating sim: you have stats to raise, several places to visit, character relationships, and so on.

What’s the difference then between a dating sim and a life sim? This is really tough. I might say that Summer Session and Flower Shop were dating sim, while Spirited Heart was a life sim. But really in this case the difference is much more subtle! I dare to say that dating sim focus more on the romance/relationship, while life sim have also other aspect. Spirited Heart has romance option but you can play it completely ignoring that, trying to raise your stats and become the best researcher, dancer, and so on.

I always loved life simulation games: I played The sims until the latest installation. However, while they’re very nice and varied to play, they miss completely dialogues as you might know. Making “dynamic dialogues” that change every time is impossible even for EA. However I would prefer some sort of “scenarios” where you have specific character background, life goals, relationship, etc. Sort of smaller scale, but more detailed.

On other news, I might be opening a new website soon specifically for otome games, since in my main website I always focused more on RPG/Strategy games. Games like Spirited Heart are OK, but for the new ones I’ll use a separate website. Beside I’ve read somewhere that if you put too many choices in front of the user he gets confused (I seem to recall the number was 12, don’t ask me why!).

So makes sense to keep in homepage only the best selling games, but some games deserve space anyway. So, better start a new domain with a new specific market in mind.

Point of the situation

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It’s almost end of July, and this year so far I released 3 of the 5 planned games for 2010. The Flower Shop and Card Sweethearts were already in production since last year, while Vera Blanc: Full Moon was entirely made this year.

I am quite satisfied for how things are going looking at my planned releases, a lot less about the actual revenues 🙂 But to be honest it’s not something under my control: the crisis and the return of middleman are making the life of indies way much tougher than was just 2-3 years ago…

Unfortunately it means that some things are very likely not going to happen. A 3rd episode of Vera, despite the game has received unanymous praise from all the press, isn’t going to be made, at least this year, and surely not in this format. But let’s proceed with order:

  • this September 2010 the 2nd episode, Vera Blanc: Ghost In The Castle will be released since it only need proofreading and the person doing it assured me would be made in time
  • probably this October/November I should be finished with Planet Stronghold, at least the initial release. I might do add-ons and updates on it depending how it will perform
  • about at the same time (hard to tell really) the Flower Shop spin-off, “Winter In Fairbrook“, should be finished, in time for Christmas (it would be perfect themed game for it)
  • then there’s also Spirited Heart spin-off! That will be HUGE, but at the moment I’m still thinking if to make it as regular downloadable, or as online-only games (more likely the latter)

So if I actually manage to mantain that schedule, I would release 6 games, and not 5 as originary planned. It would be cool 🙂

Then, what next ? What will happen to the character of Vera? Will I keep doing downloadables?

I don’t know. I have lots of ideas in my mind right now: following the rule #4 of my “Five Golden Rules” post, I want to experiment:

  • I’m thinking about doing a 3d game with Unity3d. Which one? Hmm… what about a remake of Universal Boxing Manager with the fights all in 3d? sounds cool eh? 😀
  • I’m also thinking to make a HOG/Adventure game. Yes, you heard me right 😀 Not sure yet if using Vera, or with another setting, but story-driven games interests me, but to make decent money is obvious that VN isn’t the right choice anymore…
  • Make some online games in JS. I have someone porting a game of mine online… but I woud like to make a game from scratch thought to be played online. What kind of game? I would love something steampunk/post-nuclear, playable like Urban Dead. No, not a full 3d MMORPG of course! 🙂
  • I said that lots of times: I was also thinking to make a webcomic based on Vera Blanc, but first I need to raise some money to pay good artists. I don’t want the comic to look bad
  • I would also like to make a sort of sequel to Magic Stones. I have already lot of art ready, but probably that will be used to make another webgame idea I’m working on since some time
  • I have an idea for a dating sim, but for girls. I think the plot is very nice, I have to see if the writer I found is reliable enough to work on that until the end

That’s it! I don’t know yet which of those ideas will turn into concrete games and which ones will just remain ideas… but for now, I’ll finish all the project I started, and then will have to seriously think what to do next.