Alright, since you're here, pull out your notebook:

As you know, story flow and visuals are the lifeblood of a visual novel game. I won't try to compare between them - they have equal amounts of importance, so it is best to put your foot into both instead of relying on one to make up for the other.

I will, however, designate the visuals as what brings attention to the visual novel's story, which is why it's as equally important. And I don't just mean characters, either - I would daresay that between sprites and "full page" artwork (the non-sprite kind), the latter is more important.

The full-page artwork has a standard of having to be as good or better than the sprites themselves, since it is a break from the dynamics of character expression. It becomes even more essential if the story is being told with no sprites at all (yes this is a thing, and VNs that do this can be really good - just more dependent on their story). This is a ton of work to do, so it is perfectly normal (if not recommended) to get artists to help you with this, regardless of "creative ability level".

Now for the two types of non-sprite art: backgrounds(BGs) and CGs, or "cutscene graphics":

Naturally this little chart doesn't cover everything, but here are the main takeaways from it:

• BGs set the stage on which your story is told. They do not have to be crystal clear, that is entirely up to artistic license. There normally has to be one for every non-CG scene in the VN story, even if it's just a solid color/gradient (yes, those are perfectly fine and can honestly serve as a good mood indicator/thought analysis marker for a character in focus).

• Animated or not, CGs function as a cutscene - they give a "break" from the "sprite and BG" format. They have to do the work of both elements at the same time in one shot/sequence, which is why they tend to look as defined as sprites or BGs (if not more so for emphasis on the depicted event).

• The difficulty in telling BGs and CGs apart depends on the work they are in. In my works, I make it easy - there will always be a "CG gallery" in my VNs, so whatever art ends up inside is something I have classified as a CG. Some artists may put EVERY non-sprite art in their VN galleries, but they will most likely label it so that you know what they want you to focus on.

They don't just exist in visual novels either, any game with a story or even a detailed tutorial can have both of these! They are extremely essential to visual novels, and doing your best will guarantee at least one pair of invested eyes catching sight of your work!

That's all for now, so I hope this advice helps and that you consider playing my game's full release when it drops!

#renpy #tyranobuilder #python #pygame #visualnovel #interactive #fiction #advice #support #gamedev #community #cutscene #background #eternalfrenemiesproject #VN #storygame #rpg