Route formats

[OriginalRen]

I stand corrected, only route I liked was Sachi's, but I assumed it was like G-Senjou no Maou because I remember having to restart it after her route. Maybe i'am thinking of a vn from another developer.

 

I loved Sharin no Kuni's route format - was probably my favorite in any VN. I like the way that even if you decide to choose a girl, it doesn't branch from the main storyline.. It feels more realistic this way, as you aren't completely ignoring all the other characters in the story just because you've chosen a path.

 

I don't like losing the sight of characters in a VN, yet I do like getting to know some characters more than others. Sharin did a good job of this.

[O. Van Bruce]

stuff

 

Just to confirm:

 

Did you receive a call in the credits at the "end" of Steins;Gate?

 

And if I recall correctly, once you finish Chaos;Head once you have to go through it again taking some concrete delusions to get a different end.

[Zalor]

I really like the type of routes found in School Days.  Despite my dislike of most of the characters in that VN, I love that the story feels organic growing from your choices rather than feeling like a series of railroad switches like in games like Grisaia no Kajitsu(though on the whole, I like that VN better).  It feels more like I'm participating in the story instead of merely choosing which story I want to read.

 

I agree with this. Unfortunatly, most VN's go for the choose which story you want to read style. Honestly this often comes across as bad writing to me. It feels like the author didn't work out fully what he wants to say through the story, and than just pawns it off on the reader (that's not to say that this style is always bad, as I've also read some great VNs that use this format as well). The good thing about School Days is that there are very obvious consequences for your actions (which actually makes it feel very fluid and realistic). Where as with stories that go for a more epic feel, their choices can lead to sometimes unpredictable results and are often blown out of proportion.

 

As for my favorite style of route format (story structure). I usually prefer no choices. I'm more of a kinetic visual novel guy. I like VNs for their stories in the same way that I like books for their stories, and books don't have choices. 

[Vokoca]

Just to confirm:

 

Did you receive a call in the credits at the "end" of Steins;Gate?

 

And if I recall correctly, once you finish Chaos;Head once you have to go through it again taking some concrete delusions to get a different end.

Yeah, I did get the true ending, with the extra chapter and everything.

 

As for C;H, yeah, there is a different ending based on the delusions - though since that's considered a bad ending, I would count that more as a bonus than something you really have to get, in which case it would make sense for it to be hidden. But yeah, I do agree that the C;H triggers were really confusing. NOAH makes the visual cues much more apparent at the very least... and it is even supposed to have routes, though I have absolutely no idea how that would work. I'll have to check it out eventually, it's sitting on my Vita.

[Yume]

Everything is fine for me , as long the storywise is great! Xd

[Flutterz]

I loved Sharin no Kuni's route format - was probably my favorite in any VN. I like the way that even if you decide to choose a girl, it doesn't branch from the main storyline.. It feels more realistic this way, as you aren't completely ignoring all the other characters in the story just because you've chosen a path.

 

I don't like losing the sight of characters in a VN, yet I do like getting to know some characters more than others. Sharin did a good job of this.

On the other hand, the only thing that changes when you pick different girls is you get different H-scenes and a different epilogue, and that's it.

I wouldn't say you get to know the girl you chose any more than if you hadn't, unless you mean getting to know her that way.

[OriginalRen]

On the other hand, the only thing that changes when you pick different girls is you get different H-scenes and a different epilogue, and that's it.

I wouldn't say you get to know the girl you chose any more than if you hadn't, unless you mean getting to know her that way.

 

I see what you did there. But in all reality, I guess I just liked the change in pace with this game. I felt like I was "actually" dating someone by spending time away from the character, treating it more like a relationship, and not overly attaching myself to her by saying, "Oh hey guess what, we just met like a month ago, but I am in love with you. I always have been."

 

Now I do agree that they could have added a few more subplot scenes with the girl you choose on top of the actual main story in order to give her a "route," but I really did like the way this was structured and it was a nice change of pace as I said.

[Flutterz]

I see what you did there. But in all reality, I guess I just liked the change in pace with this game. I felt like I was "actually" dating someone by spending time away from the character, treating it more like a relationship, and not overly attaching myself to her by saying, "Oh hey guess what, we just met like a month ago, but I am in love with you. I always have been."

 

Now I do agree that they could have added a few more subplot scenes with the girl you choose on top of the actual main story in order to give her a "route," but I really did like the way this was structured and it was a nice change of pace as I said.

That is true, overall Sharin was really good, I just feel like most of the reason why it's good has nothing to do with the individual heroine routes.

Change of pace is always nice, though. I really liked World End Economical in part due to it being a change of pace.

[Zakamutt]

To get the true end in s;g you need to make friends with kurisu, which takes a somewhat complicated exchange of triggers with no real indication as to what is the right answer. There are probably more things, though idk. I'm wondering if you actually saw the true ending for some reason now.

You get to save both mayuri and kurisu, among other things

EDIT: welp you did. lucky maybe? Oo

I personally locked myself out of Kurisu in like chapter 4 by going for mayuri, maybe my walkthrough was bad

[Vokoca]

To get the true end in s;g you need to make friends with kurisu, which takes a somewhat complicated exchange of triggers with no real indication as to what is the right answer. There are probably more things, though idk. I'm wondering if you actually saw the true ending for some reason now.

You get to save both mayuri and kurisu, among other things

EDIT: welp you did. lucky maybe? Oo

I personally locked myself out of Kurisu in like chapter 4 by going for mayuri, maybe my walkthrough was bad

Well, I never got Mayuri's ending, on the other hand... so I guess that explains it. Though the rest of the endings I did get, and those only depended on one choice, or at least that's how it seemed to me.

 

The message system definitely was confusing, especially with the way you never knew what each choice would actually do. :x

[O. Van Bruce]

He mentioned geetting the extra chapter so he definietly got the true end. Must have been a Lucky shot he had when playing it for the first time, considering the message options needed to befriend Kurisu.

[Lambda]

Given the story is just as good otherwise, I enjoy choices where I can genuinely choose between the choices without necessily knowing what girl/guy's route I'm going to get (nothing as obvious as Muv Luv's "Whose bento are we having today?!"). I enjoy seeing where I'd end up just choosing what I would in that situation (normally, a bad end). To that effect, I like it when there are lots of choices. After getting on the route, a few choices that branch to short bad ends are fine. I like if the bad ends reveal something about the character ro setting or plot that the good ends don't, as well (or points that would be revealed farther in on the good route). Other than that, I'm on that character's route for the long haul, so I don't need the expanse of choices I'd like on the common route.

[wattstax]

In that regard how to you decide your choices? Are you trying to get in character and choose the most suitable one, or do you choose on your own personal preferences?

[Scars Unseen]

In that regard how to you decide your choices? Are you trying to get in character and choose the most suitable one, or do you choose on your own personal preferences?

In School Days(the only VN I've played so far that matches what Lambda is describing) I went into each playthrough with a base assumption("I'm going to stay true to one girl or the other," "I'm going to let one of them change my mind if given the chance," etc) and make my choices based on that.  What I like about School Days(and it's one of the only things I like about it) is that most choices lead to logical consequences without telegraphing what's going to happen before you make the choice.  This allows you to make decisions more naturally as they come.

 

Compare the choices in Schools Days to those in Grisaia no Kajitsu(which route do you want to take today?) and in Steins;Gate(here, let me give you a bunch of choices that make sense neither before nor after you choose them, assuming that you even recognize that choices are being offered in the first place).  Note that I like both of those games better than School Days.  I just prefer School Days' route format.

[wattstax]

Note that I like both of those games better than School Days. I just prefer School Days' route format.

Hehe, too late. Copy-Pasted your text, re-edit it and publish it now under your name in a newly opened "Love School Days"-Thread!

Just kidding

I get your point and it really sounds much more interesting in game play valuation. Too bad I will never play the game as I just heard too many ba critics about it.

What I dislike about specific route formats (like Grisaia) is the fact that you will only get the complete (background-)story when playing all the routes. But they will never emerge together as a whole, as every route is considered self-dependant. Meh...

[Scars Unseen]

Hehe, too late. Copy-Pasted your text, re-edit it and publish it now under your name in a newly opened "Love School Days"-Thread!

Just kidding

I get your point and it really sounds much more interesting in game play valuation. Too bad I will never play the game as I just heard too many ba critics about it.

What I dislike about specific route formats (like Grisaia) is the fact that you will only get the complete (background-)story when playing all the routes. But they will never emerge together as a whole, as every route is considered self-dependant. Meh...

 

I actually would recommend playing School Days despite the(valid) criticism.  Getting through a route is pretty quick compared to other VNs, and the presentation really is good.  The writing isn't bad either insofar as the VN does what it is trying to do effectively.  It's just the characters that are unlikable(mainly the protagonist), but they aren't really meant to be.  It's not like Muv-Luv Extra where I think I'm supposed to be laughing, but it comes across like humor written by Data from Star Trek.

[wattstax]

I actually would recommend playing School Days despite the(valid) criticism. Getting through a route is pretty quick compared to other VNs, and the presentation really is good. The writing isn't bad either insofar as the VN does what it is trying to do effectively. It's just the characters that are unlikable(mainly the protagonist), but they aren't really meant to be. It's not like Muv-Luv Extra where I think I'm supposed to be laughing, but it comes across like humor written by Data from Star Trek.

The more dark structure and the killing part is to my liking, honestly. Maybe I try it when I happen to find the game somewhere for a reasonable price. Your points sound interesting enough.

Will see about Muv-Luv then. Have to play it anyway before starting Alternative. But nice Data-reference. I keep my hopes low

[laiktail]

Just curious, how does the s;g phone trigger system work? I've never played Steins;Gate but it sounds really crazy. 

[Scars Unseen]

Just curious, how does the s;g phone trigger system work? I've never played Steins;Gate but it sounds really crazy. 

All interaction in the game is made through your phone.  Other characters will call you or send you text messages, and you can reply to those text messages by clicking on one of two(or sometimes three) underlined sections of text.  The problem is that neither the messages you receive nor the replies you send have any context within the game to indicate that they are anything other than idle chatting.  There is no clear line of cause and effect in the game.  The exception to this is that a few times throughout the game you can use the phone on your own initiative rather than in response to someone else's message, and these times always(I think?) have an effect on the plot.

 

It's a muddled mess of a system, and Steins;Gate succeeds in spite of it rather than because of it.  I still recommend the game as a pretty amazing sci-fi visual novel.  I just also recommend using a guide, because it's hard to figure out how to do anything without one.

[Lambda]

In that regard how to you decide your choices? Are you trying to get in character and choose the most suitable one, or do you choose on your own personal preferences?

My own personal preferences, mainly. Basically I think "given this incredibly simplistic take on the situation, what would I like to choose" (like, if I were in a situation were someone would die at ay minute, would I trust this person" or "do I feel like just going home right now or going somewhere random")? I don't typically take the main character's feelings into account. Thus, bad ends. I make some really unintelligent decisions. I can't think of stellar examples right now, because a lot of games have obvious route choices, and the last few I've played have been obvious or linear, so sorry if that's unclear.

 

School Days does that? Hm... it's becoming a more attractive prospect by the minute! Thanks Scars Unseen! Hadn't really considered it before (other than the anime for the shock factor and Cross Days for fujoshi-related reasons)...

[Drakenero]

All interaction in the game is made through your phone.  Other characters will call you or send you text messages, and you can reply to those text messages by clicking on one of two(or sometimes three) underlined sections of text.  The problem is that neither the messages you receive nor the replies you send have any context within the game to indicate that they are anything other than idle chatting.  There is no clear line of cause and effect in the game.  The exception to this is that a few times throughout the game you can use the phone on your own initiative rather than in response to someone else's message, and these times always(I think?) have an effect on the plot.

 

It's a muddled mess of a system, and Steins;Gate succeeds in spite of it rather than because of it.  I still recommend the game as a pretty amazing sci-fi visual novel.  I just also recommend using a guide, because it's hard to figure out how to do anything without one.

I didn't like the system of Steins;Gates.I got Suzuha's ending without knowing what option I picked.But the game has a good story and that's why I kept playing it 

[fun2novel]

Didn't like the way you make choices in steins gate. I'm all for creative ways to present choices but in s;g you never know what you're doing. It also uses the one true path with side heroine paths.

 

Chaos head was interesting too but in the first playthrough none of the choices really matter.

 

As much as a simple common route -> branching to other individual paths works really well I think I like the forced route order too. I like it when you finish one route then another opens then another and so on. This not only feels rewarding but also gives the author better control of the story and in turn you don't feel like you're reading a story non-linearly but in the best order. Remember11 uses a forced route order and it works great. 12Riven uses something like this where you have the common route then it branches into two routes. If you get the correct endings for both of them then a new true route opens up.

 

But no matter what I think everything should serve the story. That means no meaningless paths, if there is a branch it better reveal something more about the main story that wasn't shown in the other paths.

 

This is when it comes to story visual novels. If it's a romance/slice-life/love story then it can just use the often used common route then branch into your favorite girl's route and then the end.

[FruitsPunchSamurai]

I tend to favor vns with many choices. Makes it more fun and i also like vns with bad ends as well as good ends. I don't really mind how routes are formatted really. 

[farispie]

I sorta preferred grisisa no kajitsu's format since it didn't require alot of back tracing too get things done.

[fun2novel]

I don't know too many choices means it's going to be a pain shooting for 100%.

 

What kind of format does Grisaia has?