[Guide] How to Make a Visual Novel Solo by Arimia
A compilation of advice from over 30 solo vn-devs!
@Kelly @gamedev Chris went through the numbers in this blog post and the one before and apparently, yeah.
https://howtomarketagame.com/2024/08/21/valve-just-took-away-a-valuable-visibility-tool/
According to one developer quoted in that post, about 75% of trackable wishlists of their sequel were achieved through crosspromotion from the first game's page.
@savvywolf @gamedev That doesn't really serve the purpose these cross promotion methods were devised for. These are meant to help you gather wishlists for your upcoming games, which is supposed to ensure a successful launch by getting you into steam's promotional algorithms (e.g. Popular Upcoming) as quickly as possible.
I agree that most of these techniques are too intrusive from a player perspective, though. I'd add a link in the main menu and heavily discount old games at most 🤔
How to cross promote under the new Steam Rules by Chris Zukowski
https://howtomarketagame.com/2024/08/26/how-to-cross-promote-under-the-new-steam-rules/
Submissiones open: NOVELASIA - SEA Visual Novel Showcase 2024
NOVELASIA is an upcoming event on YouTube celebrating visual novel games developed in Southeast Asia!
If you are a SEA-based VN-dev, you can find more info and submission forms here: https://southeast-asia-game.fandom.com/wiki/NOVELASIA\_-\_SEA\_Visual\_Novel\_Showcase\_2024
The deadline for submissions is on Sunday, 22th September 2024.
New Ren'Py Extension guiManipulate allows you to adjust the position of screens in-game
guiManipulate by bronoais is a Ren'Py extension to manipulate the UI Displayables and obtain the values modified to achieve the result being seen.
In this alpha version, only moving (xpos and ypos) is implemented. More are expected to be added in the future.
Download: https://brunoais.itch.io/renpy-guimanipulate ReadMe and source code: https://gitlab.com/brunoais/renpy-guiManipulate
@gamejams I would love to participate in Spooktober this year but I'll be too busy with my other projects to start a new one 😩
Notable Upcoming Game Jams in September 2024
Spooktober 6th Annual Visual Novel Jam September 1st - October 1st https://itch.io/jam/spooktober-2024
Brackeys Game Jam 2024.2 September 8th - September 15th https://itch.io/jam/brackeys-12
GBJAM 12 September 13th - September 23th https://itch.io/jam/gbjam-12
1-BIT JAM Nr. 4 September 26th - October 11th https://itch.io/jam/1-bit-jam-4
@Boomkop3 Yeah I guess 🤔 I wish they could provide an optional image-button UI for the socials widgets so theyre easier to see at least..
Chris also wrote that his next blog post will be about alternative strategies to cross-promote games. I'm curious what he'll come up with
[Blog] Valve just took away a valuable visibility tool
Blog post by Chris Zukowski (How to Market A Game)
https://howtomarketagame.com/2024/08/21/valve-just-took-away-a-valuable-visibility-tool/
@renpy If you want to try out the new audio filters, RenPyTom released the "AudioFilterTest" project in his March developer update, which lets you test them in real-time:
https://patreon.renpy.org/dev-2024-03.html#audiofiltertest
#RenPy
Ren'Py 8.3.0 and Ren'Py 7.8.0 have been released!
The biggest new features in this update are: \- Audio Filters, allowing for effects like high-pass and low-pass filters, reverb etc. \- Text shaders, which allow GLSL shaders to be applied to text. Making a whole new range of text effects possible
8.3.0 Download: https://www.renpy.org/release/8.3.0
7.8.0 Download: https://www.renpy.org/release/7.8.0
List of changes: https://www.renpy.org/doc/html/changelog.html
Breaking changes: https://www.renpy.org/doc/html/incompatible.html
PyNGtuber - A new Free and Open Source PNGtuber App
Showcase: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia5Hy\_je\_WA
Download here: https://gemmstone.itch.io/pyngtuber
Source Code: https://github.com/Gemmstone/PyNGtuber
@cevn I'm happy that they could go all out with the CGI this time around but I didn't agree with the art direction and some of the characterization. Reinhard and Kircheis' designs I especially dislike, where are their luscious locks... they look like run-of-the-mill ikemen now :BlobhajSadReach: And since they decided to continue the plot with a movie series I kind of lost track of it
The last 100+ episodes anime I've watched must've been all of the original Legend of The Galactic Heroes! It's a classic :blobcatcoffee:
Apart from that, Hunter x Hunter and Naruto
Voting for the GMTK Game Jam 2024 has started!
The theme was "Built to Scale", and there are a whopping 7708 entries! You can check them out here: https://itch.io/jam/gmtk-2024/entries
Voting is public, so everyone can participate by going to the submissions page and opening their personal randomized queue of games to play and rate:
@renpy I've been using the tasks in the Ren'Py VSCode template to do some of these things until now. This is interesting 👀
VSCode Extension - Ren'Py Launch and Sync by Paisley Softworks
This extension allow you to:
\- start and quit ren'py in your project \- warp to a specific line or jump to a label in your game \- update cursor position in the editor as dialogue progresses \- automatically enable autoreload
Download: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=PaisleySoftworks.renpyWarp
@yuri Synopsis:
Magical girls are a specific class of worker that has spent years mastering the drawing of magic from their planet’s five moons. They use this magic to fight creatures of darkness that congregate in the no-man's-land between cities. Kotori, a plucky new magical girl, hopes to find a job in one of the famous guilds of Larimar City. During a test for a guild, she and her familiar Brie Butternuggets will meet Kaida and Gigi, who are on a mission of their own for the Songbird Guild.
Demo Release: The Songbird Guild, a yuri magical girl RPG/Visual Novel hybrid by YuriSoft
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1238940/The\_Songbird\_Guild/
Itch.io: https://yurisoft.itch.io/the-songbird-guild-demo
VNDB: https://vndb.org/v52242
New Rules for Steam Store Page Descriptions
TLDR You may no longer add: \- Links to external sites (use dedicated fields instead) \- Links or images pointing to other games on Steam \- Images that mimic Steam UI elements
https://store.steampowered.com/news/group/4145017/view/4201376568915048835
The first prerelease of Ren'Py 8.3 and Ren'Py 7.8 is out!
These releases will bring audio filters and text shaders, along with many other improvements.
Ren'Py 8.3.0 Downloads:
https://www.renpy.org/release/8.3.0
Ren'Py 7.8.0 Downloads :
https://www.renpy.org/release/7.8.0
A full list of changes to Ren'Py can be found at:
https://www.renpy.org/dev-doc/html/changelog.html
A list of changes that may require you to update your game can be found at:
Draknek just announced their "New Voices Puzzle Grant" for 2024!
It's a USD$15,000 grant for developers from traditionally underrepresented groups who are working on puzzle games! Includes 1-on-1 mentorship and super flexible terms when it comes to how the money is used. Deadline is October 7th 2024.
More info in the link here: https://grants.draknek.org
The Melbourne Queer Games 2024 Festival is open for submissions until August 23, 2024
There are no geographical restrictions regarding the submissions. Queer games from all over the world are eligible, and entry is free!
How To Market A Game: What Steam’s big demo update means for your marketing strategy
New blog post by HTMAG on what to do after the steam demo changes:
The Yuri Game Jam is celebrating its 10th Anniversary 🎉 (October 1st 2024 - December 2nd 2024)
The jam is all about games centered around relationships between women. Other forms of media are also allowed!
Tales to Thrill Jam will start in 1 week (August 7th - September 1st)
It's an unranked visual novel game jam in which you can pick one of the following themes:
\- Possessive Possessions \- Lost & Found \- Forgotten Promise
Some of these templates would look right at home in a VN for the upcoming spooktober jam 👀
Skolaztika also has a bunch of other high-quality templates, so taking a look at their profile is worth it
4 free Ren'Py GUI templates you can use for your next visual novel
All of these are full HD drop-into-your-project-and-go templates, free to use in personal and commercial works!
Pastel Stripes by Skolaztika
https://skolaztika.itch.io/pastel-stripes-renpy-gui
Dark Elegance by Skolaztika
https://skolaztika.itch.io/dark-elegance-renpy-gui
Pastel Fairytale by chimeriquement
https://chimeriquement.itch.io/pastel-fairytale-gui
Custom Gui by Kick14
A Tithe in Blood, upcoming dark yuri visual Novel by Studio Élan
Synopsis:
Grief-stricken, a young woman discovers blood magic and uses it to explore an alternate universe. There, she finds the bright & beautiful Yasue, a full-fledged mage. But things aren't as they appear…
Demo and VNDB:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2989270/A\_Tithe\_in\_Blood/
I am personally looking forward to the Josei After Dark Jam though *cough* 👀 (August 1st - November 1st)
Berin @mastodon.social she/her, 20+,🇩🇪 doing some gamedev with renpy Interests: FFXIV and games in general, art, anime, and books Lots of random retoots!
FFXIV: G'raha Tia enthusiast, Light/Zodiark, resident glamour addict of the Mangolei FC ❤
I stream on twitch sometimes!