New VR Developments (Part 4)

The constant quest to become more immersive is inspiring the development of new companion input devices (CID's). Traditionally, VR CID's have been hand controllers, but many new devices are available that allow for greater game immersion. Rifle controllers like the Aim controller used for PSVR allow for first person shooters to become even more realistic for the gamer. Steering devices for driving games and flight combat sims are also popular, but new, more expensive devices are being developed that allow for walking in place, like omnidirectional treadmills. Even more advanced devices allow for full-body suspension and motion tracking.

New VR Developments (Part 3)

Some advancements in VR tech do raise some concerns, however. Eye tracking technology is being pursued and, though still in its infancy, could significantly change the potential of VR. The good: it can change the depth of field to simulate natural vision more accurately. Virtual characters could react more realistically to where you are looking, and you could potentially select things with your vision alone. The bad: advertising companies are very interested in what you look at and how long you look at it. This could largely influence how developers program their software, with excessive product placement becoming a great source of revenue for software companies. Not to mention, what happens when Facebook, Google, or even the government starts to take an interest in what you look at? It all sounds very 1984, the precursor to Orwellian "thought crime" monitoring.

New VR Developments (Part 2)

VR headsets, also referred to as HMD's (Head Mounted Displays), have already gone cordless in a number of different models. Soon, most HMD's on the market will have cut the cord to produce more immersion and less hassle for VR users. Another new feature that we may be seeing in the near future is retinal projection, where the HMD uses tiny digital projectors and microscopic mirrors to project images directly onto your retina. Though this technology is not yet widespread, it is already being used in the Avegant Glyph HMD. Retinal projection may help cut the costs associated with most HMD devices that use two separate LCD or OLED displays, and it has also been shown to reduce eye strain.

New VR Developments (Part 1)

A lot has been happening in Virtual Reality lately! This technology is constantly growing and changing! One recent development is the Varjo VR-1, a VR headset designed with such high resolution that it matches human 20/20 vision! The device will set you back $6000 currently, but it's exciting to see that the days of low res, pixelated graphics in VR are coming to an end. VR software developers are constantly trying to hit a moving target as VR technology advances quickly, so it's hard to know where to jump in, especially when there are now so many distant headsets on the market.

Consumer choice in the tech industry (part 5)

A number of attempts have been made over the years by tech businesses to find a way to keep an income stream going. Some software companies put out new, improved versions of their software based on consumer feedback, but when the adoption rate was low, they needed to find another way to guarantee profit. The subscription model in software is now widely used, and instead of waiting for consumers to buy the latest version of their software, they force it on the consumers through mandatory patches. It doesn't matter if consumers preferred the former configuration and style, they are forced into relearning the system and accepting the new style. The old adage of “Don't fix it if it ain't broke” no longer applies, because companies frequently issue mandatory “upgrades” upon unwilling consumers. It's almost as if we no longer have the right to select what we like—we have to accept whatever they decide we should like at any given moment. Ultimately, we consumers don't have to buy these products, but if we see something we would like to own, shouldn't we get exactly that, with full functionality and a long product lifespan, rather than having it phased out of use or altered in peformance and appearance? Or should I just be called “old fashioned” for this preference?

Consumer choice in the tech industry (part 4)

The tech consumer is almost being forced to spend money to use certain products. For example, it's rare these days that I can find the software I need and buy to own. Most software companies demand monthly subscription fees to use their software, or the software deactivates. When a company abandons a piece of hardware, it is often the case that the lack of support for that hardware eventually renders it unusable, as software updates necessary for core functionality are no longer provided by the company. Compatibility issues arise without software patches, and eventually the hardware becomes entirely useless and obsolete, forcing the consumer to update to a newer product. An issue that arises for hardware, such as game consoles, is abandonment by software developers who no longer see profit in developing for a platform heading towards obsolescence.

Consumer choice in the tech industry (part 3)

It's unfair, however, to blame the companies for this. They need to stay competitive, and they need to stay in business--to do so, they need a way to generate a steady profit. Otherwise, they can't continue to make the products we enjoy and pay the workers that research and make them. But think for a moment about a company that makes something like a handheld game console such as the PSVita or a smartphone. If the product is good, it will sell well--for a while. However, after a certain amount of time, the user "install base" (those that wanted the product and bought it) will begin to saturate. Just about everyone that wanted that product will eventually have one. After that point, how is a company going to keep a revenue stream going from that particular product? One common solution is to make a new and improved version of the product, which is common in the smartphone market. Another solution is to charge monthly subscription fees to use it, which most major software companies are now doing for products like Adobe, Photoshop, Finale, etc. How is this affecting the consumer, though?

Consumer choice in the tech industry (part 2)

We live in an exciting era, with new technology surfacing so fast that sometimes a newly purchased device is behind the curve before we open the packaging. We have to spend a good amount of money to adopt new technology, with the understanding that our investment will be outdated very quickly. If you have the money to continually buy the latest upgraded models, then this might not seem much of a concern, but I'm not really talking about finances. I'm talking about adoption: we might find a version of something we really like, but because of the developing market, we're essentially forced to abandon it and embrace something else. Even though we might sometimes like the newer version of something, it can be frustrating to frequently have to spend money update everything. What if you liked the way something was, but now have to accept the new version and adapt to it because your older version is intentionally phased out of functionality? It feels less and less like we have a choice about the products we use, but are instead being led around by the companies that rely on our business.

Consumer choice in the tech industry (part 1)

The title to this week's topic might sound a little dry, but this is about how we, as consumers, are affected by the business models of tech companies. I was thinking about this topic recently because a small hand-held console, the PSVita, is being phased out by Sony. I'll cover different examples this week, not just the Vita, but let's begin there, especially because the Vita's 7 year anniversary will be this Friday, February 22. I'm not here to say anything negative about Sony for their decision--in a way, my discussion may even serve as a defense, because at the end of the day, Sony is a business and if something is no longer profitable for them, then it's time to move on. But how are we affected by these inevitable decisions? The tech industry is moving fast, and there are new implications for the consumer when purchasing new hardware or software...

Guiding a Branching Choice Story (part 5)

Don't get me wrong—I'm not railroading my players. Instead, I want them to feel like there is a larger objective and course they must take to achieve that objective while making decisions along the way that will aim towards it. Many of the choices in the game will reveal additional story or character development but won't affect the overall course. Other choices affect the player's reputation among his crew members. And some choices will be based on overcoming challenges, with a few options resulting in logical mistakes anyone could easily make in those situations. I do have several major tangents in SEVN that result from choices, and these tangents can result in more challenging circumstances. In most cases, I provide players with options that can still get them back towards their main objective, though survival often becomes a priority before the main storyline can be resumed. There are a few situations where a bad choice can result in death or a “game over” type failure, but...there's always that “Load Game” option if you want to try again...hopefully a little wiser.

Guiding a Branching Choice Story (part 4)

The key to writing a cohesive storyline while still allowing the player to make choices is that the choices have to fit the circumstances and feel like natural, reasonable choices for that situation. This might seem difficult at first, because the story can easily spin off into an unintended direction if choices are presented at the wrong time. However, visual novel writers should not forget that they are writing the story, so each scenario can be adjusted so that the logical choices in that scenario don't endanger the intended storyline. As I've been writing SEVN, I have come across a few situations where the logical choices could have spun the story into a direction that entirely departed from the main storyline. To address this problem, I changed the scenario to prevent those choices from seeming logical. Therefore, it was easy to replace them with choices that made sense and didn't shatter my storyline. Another approach I used was to add in a circumstance or event that prevented the characters from having a choice at a particular moment.

Guiding a Branching Choice Story (part 3)

The RPG storytelling method called illusionism can be used when writing a visual novel, subtly steering the player along the story path. The player should always feel like their choices matter, so VN writers need to make sure that there is always a unique result for each choice. However, that does not mean that the writer needs to move the story off onto an entirely different trajectory—the writer is the one determining the choices, not the player. In a way, it can be compared to a parenting technique often used with children who want to make their own decisions. Rather than argue with the child and impose authority to force a particular choice, a parent can empower the child to feel like he or she is choosing by offering them 2 or 3 options. The parent selects the preferred options and then presents them to the child to decide, but the child feels a win because he or she makes the final decision...from those options. Magicians use the same technique when “forcing a card” on someone who thinks they actually made an unpredictable, random choice.

Guiding a Branching Choice Story (part 2)

One thing that can be difficult with offering branching choice options in a visual novel is that you can easily become derailed from the main storyline if you're not careful. Though this is acceptable in a tabletop RPG setting, the GM usually prefers to keep the players moving along a particular story path. Why? Because that is the route that has already been carefully considered and prepared, with character development, plot twists, and meaningful, memorable moments along the way. There is nothing wrong with improvising, and this can often be a treat to creative players who decided to take the story a different direction. Inflexible GM's might try and force the players along an preplanned storyline, a practice known as “railroading.” Clever GM's, however, might be able to subtly steer the players back to the main story route using a little improvisation to create some plausible connective tissue. Players might think that their own choices brought them there, but the GM knows that some story manipulation occurred behind the scenes to bring players back from their wandering. This technique is known among RPG gamers as “illusionism.”

Guiding a Branching Choice Story (part 1)

I was thinking about interactive storytelling this weekend and how it is what I've been doing for many years of my life through GM'ing RPG game sessions. I didn't realize it until recently, but I'm almost doing the same thing as I write the story for the upcoming Solar Echoes Visual Novel (code name: “SEVN” or “Project 7”). The branching choices I'm providing to the player in this VN are much like the options table-top RPG players are presented with by their GM. Of course, the only limit to a table-top RPG is your imagination, and the limit to a VN is the writing and the programming. There are a lot of angles to consider when writing for this medium, but I'm finding that my experience running tabletop RPG's is really helpful towards guiding the story along. The true challenge lies in how player choices are handled...

How much reveal?

I'll be honest, I'm totally excited to show everything that is happening with the development of this VN, but I'm also very wary about timing. I already have several amazing looking backgrounds, an almost completed range of character sprites (only 1 more main character to go!), some of the starship art, and even one of the CG scenes, which looks fantastic and is beyond my expectations. But how much should I really share with everyone online? Advertising wisdom suggests sneak peaks, but not full disclosure yet. The game is so far from being complete—Fall 2019 at the earliest—that I don't want to reveal much now and then lose the enthusiasm that has started to resonate for this game. I want people to play the game when it releases without having seen all these amazing scenes already. So I'm honestly struggling to decide how much to show. I guess opinions depend on personality, too: I was the kid who asked my parents where they were hiding my Christmas presents so that I wouldn't accidentally discover them—and I waited until Christmas, because I love surprises. My little sister, however...So, what type are you, and how much would you like to see?

Looping Music in VN's

It seems to be a standard in VN's to have persistent, looping music that changes once in a while depending on the scene. My personal preference would be to only have music part of the time at key moments—more like a movie—but I quickly realized that only works in a VN with voice-acting. Otherwise, it's awkwardly silent. I do plan to run a Kickstarter campaign sometime in the next few months, and voice-acting will be a stretch goal, but because it's so expensive, I'm not sure it will happen. In the meantime, I'm already composing more music for the VN in case I need to have persistent, looping music throughout. I intend for all the music in my VN to be original music. I was wondering, which of these instrument choices do you like or dislike: Guitar (classical and electric), piano, and violin. I may also include a limited amount of synthesized music, but the main instruments I have access to and can compose for are guitar, piano, and violin, which I'd use in different combinations, including solo instrument arrangements. There is also a possibility of me purchasing some software to add synthesized instruments as well. Thoughts?

VN: Dialogue Text Preference?

One thing I've been examining is the different styles out there for the dialogue text in a VN. I decided against the portrait-in-text-window and have a little raised tab on the left for the character name. However, I've been wondering about the text area itself...I've noticed that if I start the text on the far left with a small margin, and allow it to stretch all the way to the right with a small margin. It tends to take my eye away from the center of the screen where the character sprites are located. Some VN's clump their text together in the center of that large text window and keep it there, though it often rolls over to 3 or 4 lines of text. If I did this, I'd remove that little tab for the name on the left and bring the character name down inside the text area, positioning it to the left of the dialogue text. What do you prefer? (Example below does not include art from the actual game...just place-holder art)

VN: Hidden Score Tracking?

The choices you make in a VN can affect the branching story paths and the outcome of the game. But do you like seeing what's going on “under the hood?” Some games have a meter or other form of tracking to let you know how you're doing with your choices, such as a “relationship meter.” These metrics can pull you out of the game a bit, though, reminding you that you're playing a game and suspending your immersion. Other games don't have active tracking of your progress, so you just have to hope you've made good decisions and that you are accruing those good variables behind the scenes. My preference is keeping things hidden so that you can fully immerse yourself in the story as you interact with the characters. But, to be fair, I'm a little less strict with earning a good ending because players had no way to be certain of exactly how they were doing. What do you think?

Optional Gameplay? (Part 1)

I've been wondering recently if visual novel players prefer not to have any mini-games at all because it breaks the reading immersion, or if it really just depends on the mini-game. I've noticed that in some VN games, the mini-games exist but there's also an option to skip and continue with the story. Skipping the mini-game results in an auto-win, so in a way, this invalidates the mini-game itself: why bother with it if I can just push a button and bypass it altogether without repercussion? For me, if I bought a fighting game with all the characters and bonuses already unlocked, I'd have far less incentive to play. If I bought an RPG with the main character already at max level with the best equipment, I'd be far less interested in the combat system if I knew I'd win easily every time. I think removing a challenge can invalidate an experience. What about you?

A Week in the Wasteland (part 6)

On a side note, I also got the chance to play the Fallout board game with a friend a week later, and when we were about halfway through, his son joined us as well. It was a really interesting dynamic to play the game with other players on the board! One hilarious moment was when his son began the game and literally went right to Vault 84, which my friend and I had been wandering around the map looking for, for at least 1 hour! That Vault had been right next to the beginning tile, and we'd totally walked right past it, even though the area was revealed! Since the three of us were competing to gain the most influence, sometimes we'd coordinate...but more often, we'd try to sabotage each other. For instance, I led a pack of raiders, a super mutant, and some enlarged rad-bugs after me--they move towards the closest player--and then ran past my friend, leaving him surrounded the next round by a bunch of enemies. Despite his insanely tough power armor, (which thankfully makes him a slow runner, too, haha!) he actually took a lot of damage from the enemies and had to spend time camping to heal up. Meanwhile, I got ahead of him and was able to complete a few quests before he could. We never finished our game together because of work, but I certainly had a solid head start on him! I'm looking forward to trying the Fallout board game with friends again when I get a chance!

A Week in the Wasteland (part 5)

I had many more adventures during the game, and I must say, I really love the quest system. If you choose to quest or have an encounter, you pull a card, read the text, and choose one of the options offered. Sometimes the options have a test of your luck with the dice, others have immediate awards, and still others chain to other quests--noted by numbered cards you need to pull from the gigantic deck of almost 200 cards--and then “stage” that card, which is an extension of your quest that you can activate the next time you choose to. One thing I realized a bit late in the game was that, after I'd gone through the deck of agenda cards (which activate certain foes each round), the deck is reshuffled and then begins again, BUT...the two factions automatically advance one step closer, gaining more influence and essentially “leveling up” in difficulty every two steps. I needed 11 influence to win the game, and realized at the end of the agenda deck that the very next turn, one of the factions would win automatically! I frantically looked at all my options with the remaining 2 actions I had left, and amazingly, I had a perk that let me shop—there were items in my inventory I could sell that would raise the amount I needed to purchase another item that I could turn in for one more agenda card. When I got that agenda card and read that I gained 1 influence for each step my faction was ahead of the other, I rejoiced because it was exactly 3 steps ahead! I gained 3 influence, putting me at the 11 necessary for me to win the game, JUST before I would have had to reshuffle the agenda card deck and give the winning move to my faction instead of me! This is such a fun game!