So I had an idea. Since I am a one woman team I've been feeling a bit stifled because I have no one to bounce ideas off of, and I figured it may be a good idea to have a space where we can take basic ideas of format things and get some feedback. This is that space...a moon bounce of ideas.
For instance I am doing a twine style text adventure. but I'm struggling to include hand drawn images or photography I've done and I'd love to hear feelings about this?
Well, first of all, I'd love to contribute to anybody's game making process in any way I can. I am an avid fan of Yuri and am quite well versed in the subject. I myself am also a writer, so I often times take some time to look at some of my inspirations and try to see what I like in them. For example, there's the matter if you want your main character to know right off the bat she is a homosexual. Obviously for this jam you'd want it to be obvious to the player even if it isn't apparent to the character(s). Pieces by Takemiya Jin come to mind with characters who are outspoken with their gayness. Then you look at works like Girl Friends by Morinaga Milk or Octave by Akiyama Haru, where the main character with no prior love experience slowly (or quickly, in your case) falls in love with a fellow female (a gender previously not thought possible) and figures out their sexuality as they come to experience this love. For you, this would obviously be a more thought driven story. I'd suggest you really think about your character's personality and adjust that to how she should act to her given circumstance. She doesn't have to be likeable, relatable, or a proper representative of any certain demographic. She just has to act like a human does. How would you react to a situation? How would a friend, a family member, a rival, an enemy, an idol, and so on and so forth. We all act crazy sometimes, we cry, we laugh, but the way we do it really all depends on the what kind of person you are. Try to use a distinct voice. Talk in a way that feels natural for the character. How would this girl say something if she is talking to the player directly, or a close friend, or a therapist. That's all I have to say for now. I'd love to learn more about your story and go more in depth from there.
My first idea was a Twine game, but I've been intimidated by writing lately so I decided to avoid it here (but I'm definitely going to force myself to face that one). As for including drawings, there are a couple of games that I love that do that exceptionally well. Snowy McAlly's A Little Witch Story has polished art, but still pretty accessible (http://littlewitchstory.com/) and I think it works super well. If your art is a little rougher than that, Victorian Detective uses some rough sketches really effectively (http://textadventures.co.uk/games/view/w207ce4zeku...).
As for feels, I'd say it isn't essential for a text adventure, but art can definitely add to the narrative by setting the mood and illustrating certain things. All that to say, I'd encourage you to give it a go. It doesn't have to be every passage, just where you think it would really help (A Little Witch Story is a good model for this, too.)
If there's anything you particularly have troubles on, don't feel intimidated to ask about it. I've been given plenty of good advice over the years with my writing and I've proven to be a very good editor and critic of works. I can totally understand that the hardest part is getting started, believe me when I say that. I think what matters most is to look at what you feel are some good stories and pick up the good habits those writers all share. There's nothing wrong with playing around with ideas you've seen from other writers. It's not always about thinking of something new. What you should do is take something people already know and make it your own. On a separate note, read what you write out loud, get second opinions, and don't be afraid to give it a second or even a third read through. Take breaks, too. Give yourself time to process what you have just written to let new ideas work their way in later on. Overall, be sure you don't get caught up so much on the little details that you fail to see the big picture. I, myself, have been guilty of that from time to time. Focus on what truly counts.
I agree with anthkris. Think of your text story like a real physical book. In a typical published novel, illustrations are usually dispersed when you need to show something in more detail that descriptions alone don't do justice. Like, say if you were describing a certain scenario in a beautiful landscape but use a comparison that might seem foreign to some readers. For a small effort,viewers don't necessarily expect anything close to perfection. A game jam is more of an idea showcase. As long as we the readers get a general grasp as to what you would do if your piece was completely finished and polished through much more hours of work, I feel it gets the job done. Consider a certain style of illustration you like. Maybe something with exaggerated borders, super-deformed features, simply drawn faces, or even a more basic color scheme or layout. It doesn't really matter how much effort you put into it, as long as it fits the style of your game and looks aesthetically okay it should be alright. You seem to be overthinking the whole process a little bit. With a good reference in mind, you should be able to convey what you need to. There's no shame in that whatsoever.
I'd personally feel more inclined to play a dating sim than a text adventure. If you wanted to do illustrations to begin with, I feel it would be a natural transition to do something like a visual novel or a dating sim. But that all depends on how much you can get done in the time alotted for either one. How far are you along with your current project?
Well the adventure is divided into four acts with two different routes based on whether the player chooses to go a more mystical route or go more political. So far I'm a quarter of the way through finalizing Act one, with Acts three and two drafted with code. I feel like this jam would do better with a dating sim version of the adventure. It's all text(Twine) and the dating sim is wrapped up in the adventure, so it is partially written.
I'd say, based on the information, it's simply a matter of prioritizing what you feel is the better work and what you're better at coding/writing/illustrating. Keep in mind we're not too far into the jam where you couldn't start to change the direction of your project if you want to. If you recall the previous yuri-related game jam, a personal favorite of mine created by TeamANPIM was started a week before the original deadline. Although you yourself are working at this alone, I feel if you make changes while you still can, it'll be that much more painless reaching the final goal.
Also keep in mind, if at any point you want to share in private what you have written, I'd be more than happy to give you my feedback. If you have a skype, my username is mattomasutamindo (weird name, I know). I've got nothing but time, but feel free to decline my offer. It's not exactly the most comfortable thing to do, I know.
Yeah that's definitely an issue! But the constraints are also useful for forcing that scoping to happen! I'd play any of the above, I'll admit. I guess the nice thing is that you've written most of it and if you can't finish all of the visuals, the Twine version would be a useful prototype that you could get feedback on and build off of.
