Undead Lily gameplay ?

[Oniyuri]

Personally I actually enjoy card games and sometimes wished for one with a bit more story, but that's likely because I mostly play single player campaigns. That was the main reason why I tried out PSCD, but yeah... as stated previously I was unfortunately still put off by the art.

Having said that, you are probably correct in thinking that the majority of players would want a card game with either minimal story (i.e. text to read) or none at all, since that is just what players are used to and have come to expect from card games.

I think your idea about splitting the game into a card game component and a VN component may have merit, but I guess whether it is feasible would depend on how difficult or time consuming it would be to implement. Some things to consider from my perspective... Using the "card game" as the base with the VN part as DLC runs the risk of upsetting/alienating the people that are purely interested in the VN part. Also considering how people tend to react these days, if you were to sell the game as a whole with the options of "Battle mode", "VN mode" or "Battle + VN mode" within the game itself, there is a chance that the people only interested in e.g. the card game portion would complain about paying for the VN as well (when they have no intention of playing the VN part). So like you mentioned, having a free demo base with the card game and the VN as separate DLC may be the best option if you still want to implement both.

But in the end you need to do what's best for you and what you believe will sell

On another note, you can sign me up as a "beta reader" if you want

[Franka]

Bionic Heart 2 was... sci-fi.

I think this game is outside the usual VN comfort zone as well, from what I know of it so far, which is why I made that comparison (and I think it will do about the same if released as a "pure" VN - but I've been known to be wrong on too many occasions to count).

In a perfect world, I would take an Undead Lily VN and an Undead Lily card game, and the two would never have to meet. But I'm saying that since I have great interest in a card game, and very little interest in the VN as it is currently outlined - thereby proving you right, except I'd buy it and "live with" (hopefully be pleasantly surprised by) the VN if I could have the card game.

This game has really been up and down for me, I was interested in the game as a weirded out super hero game, then it looked like it was going in some other direction and I lost interest, then there was a card game and everything was great (!), now there's not and I lost interest again.

[Troyen]

I think that people who buy and play your games are used to more of a "game play" element like stat-raising, battle mode, etc. But I think it's ok to take a risk and leave this element out and go for a pure VN if you believe that the story itself will sell well. It might be a good idea to ask for a few beta readers to take a look at it and give their opinions and all. ^^

I've always hated the stat-raising part in VNs anyway because they just get in the way of exploring all the different choices and alternate endings. My favorite VN (Royal Trap) had no such stat-raising mechanic. (OTOH, I did enjoy Magic Diary, but there the stats you raised felt like they had meaning because of the dungeon tests. Most games don't go that far and just have you grinding to reach some hidden number.)

Also, I blame Bionic Heart 2 on the art, not the sci-fi.

[jack1974]

On another note, you can sign me up as a "beta reader" if you want

Cool, will email you then

This game has really been up and down for me, I was interested in the game as a weirded out super hero game, then it looked like it was going in some other direction and I lost interest, then there was a card game and everything was great (!), now there's not and I lost interest again.

Haha well that's because is a game I started back in 2011 and like always happens, had trouble with writers before.
To be honest in the past I wasn't really successful with gameplay games, so I kind of lost confidence in myself and my skills. However, the many people appreaciating SOTW and PSCD gameplay sort of boosted my morale, and depending on the feedback on what has been written already of UL VN, I might decide to just go with a card game and minimal story

The thing is that while for "established" games like a dating sim, or even a RPG, things are more "standard", so it's hard to do something wrong. C14 Dating went smoothly, people like it, all good. While I don't know yet, I am willing to bet that people will like QoT too (apart for yaysword complaining about my RPG rules, but that's normal ). But when you try something different/unique it's hard to know if will work or not. And the best thing is to try with something SMALL AND SIMPLE. UL has 10 characters and 32 CGs... I've listened too much to what people want and not what I realistically should do based on budget, time, etc.

I've always hated the stat-raising part in VNs anyway because they just get in the way of exploring all the different choices and alternate endings. My favorite VN (Royal Trap) had no such stat-raising mechanic.

In next Friday's blog I'll also talk about stat raising and grinding Something I strive to eliminate in future games. There can be stat raising but shouldn't be grinding / boring.

[Maruok]

I know I am pretty new here, but if you still need some extra beta reader, I volunteer too!

[jack1974]

Sure, the more the merrier I just emailed you.

[ValHallen]

Why not make some kind of battle with choices? Like:

Characters X, Y and Z went to the realm of fire and found their enemies the characters R, S and T.
What you do?

Attack R
Attack S
Attack T

[jack1974]

Haha well it's more complex than that
I need to make sure first the story works, before adding stuff. Otherwise, it's better to make a pure-gameplay game with a SHORT story around it.

[jack1974]

So I started doing this private beta reading. I'll get some feedback and then together with writer decide what to do.
Yesterday before going to sleep, I quickly wrote how that could work as RPG. I'm ashamed because I think would have been a much better idea
In future I'll definitely NEVER work on so many games at once anymore. You can't simply manage it, and I want to have more control over what is being done, integrate better with gameplay, etc

[Pace675]

Oooo Undead Lily the RPG....color me interested.

Ya I understand too much work makes brain go boom, but look at the bright side you are going to have a ton of releases the next two years!