Get yer Anime-themed games!

Sakura River Interactive

## FEATURES

- Your choices change the GENRE of the game!
- Every NPC lies to you at some point in the game
- Change the ending AND the final climax!
- Daily Life-sim
- RPG Battles!
- Shocking plot-twists!

An interactive story/game where you play the role of Ryou, a seemingly normal high school student in the land of Sorayama. Solve the mysteries that surround him while maintaining his friendships and saving Claire. Remain ignorant of the secrets and live a normal life or choose to learn the truth. Be careful where you put your priorities for it may prove fatal.

## STORY

“I am Ryou, a daydreamer and a student at Cyrstal Waters High . I have two very close female friends, Claire and Rina. I have a crush on my childhood friend Claire but she is already in a relationship. Rina seems to be attracted to me but… I can’t date Rina when I like Claire. I am a very idealistic but romantic kind of guy. It’s a complicated problem.

When I realized that Claire was suffering from an abusive relationship, everything changed. There was nothing Rina or I did that could get her out of it. There was one last resort. Breaking my romantic ideals to save Claire, I had to learn the art of seduction.

The only thing was… I started to learn that there was something going on in this town. Rumors of creatures running around at night, a close call, and a textbook history that doesn’t add up. Even Claire and Rina are connected somehow. Between finding out what is really going on and saving Claire, I don’t know if I could manage both.

If only I could stop daydreaming so much then I might have some time. Why are my daydreams so strong now when I need to focus?”

&nbsp;

## SCREENSHOTS

<img src="/uploads/fh-screen1.jpg" height="338" width="450" />

<img src="/uploads/fh-screen2.jpg" height="338" width="450" /><img src="/uploads/fh-screen3.jpg" height="338" width="450" />

<h2>FEATURES</h2>
<ul>
<li>Your choices change the GENRE of the game!</li>
<li>Every NPC lies to you at some point in the game</li>
<li>Change the ending AND the final climax!</li>
<li>Daily Life-sim</li>
<li>RPG Battles!</li>
<li>Shocking plot-twists!</li>
</ul>
An interactive story/game where you play the role of Ryou, a seemingly normal high school student in the land of Sorayama. Solve the mysteries that surround him while maintaining his friendships and saving Claire. Remain ignorant of the secrets and live a normal life or choose to learn the truth. Be careful where you put your priorities for it may prove fatal.
<h2>STORY</h2>
“I am Ryou, a daydreamer and a student at Cyrstal Waters High . I have two very close female friends, Claire and Rina. I have a crush on my childhood friend Claire but she is already in a relationship. Rina seems to be attracted to me but… I can’t date Rina when I like Claire. I am a very idealistic but romantic kind of guy. It’s a complicated problem.
When I realized that Claire was suffering from an abusive relationship, everything changed. There was nothing Rina or I did that could get her out of it. There was one last resort. Breaking my romantic ideals to save Claire, I had to learn the art of seduction.
The only thing was… I started to learn that there was something going on in this town. Rumors of creatures running around at night, a close call, and a textbook history that doesn’t add up. Even Claire and Rina are connected somehow. Between finding out what is really going on and saving Claire, I don’t know if I could manage both.
If only I could stop daydreaming so much then I might have some time. Why are my daydreams so strong now when I need to focus?”
 
<h2>SCREENSHOTS</h2>
<img src="/uploads/fh-screen1.jpg" height="338" width="450" />
<img src="/uploads/fh-screen2.jpg" height="338" width="450" /><img src="/uploads/fh-screen3.jpg" height="338" width="450" />

Fading Hearts

## FEATURES

- Indie game management-sim
- Manage funding, game ideas and your team
- Multiple endings
- Multiple growth paths for team member
- Discover the story behind each member

Play the role of Justin a high school student as he embarks on his dream journey to become a game developer. Having just won a programming contest he enlists the aid of Cleo the artist and Aki the music composer. How will the team grow and take on the hardships along the way?

## STORY

I am Ryou, a daydreamer and a student at Cyrstal Waters High . I have two very close female friends, Claire and Rina. I have a crush on my childhood friend Claire but she is already in a relationship. Rina seems to be attracted to me but… I can’t date Rina when I like Claire. I am a very idealistic but romantic kind of guy. It’s a complicated problem.

When I realized that Claire was suffering from an abusive relationship, everything changed. There was nothing Rina or I did that could get her out of it. There was one last resort. Breaking my romantic ideals to save Claire, I had to learn the art of seduction.

The only thing was… I started to learn that there was something going on in this town. Rumors of creatures running around at night, a close call, and a textbook history that doesn’t add up. Even Claire and Rina are connected somehow. Between finding out what is really going on and saving Claire, I don’t know if I could manage both.

If only I could stop daydreaming so much then I might have some time. Why are my daydreams so strong now when I need to focus?

## SCREENSHOTS

<img src="/uploads/screenshot-09.png" height="624" width="829" /><img src="/uploads/screenshot-10.png" height="621" width="828" />

## SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

- OS: Windows XP/Vista, Mac OS X 10.4+ (x86), Linux (x86, glibc 2.3+)
- Memory: 512 MB recommended
- CPU: 1.5 GHz recommended
- Hard Drive: 300 MB free space

&nbsp;

<h2>FEATURES</h2>
<ul>
<li>Indie game management-sim</li>
<li>Manage funding, game ideas and your team</li>
<li>Multiple endings</li>
<li>Multiple growth paths for team member</li>
<li>Discover the story behind each member</li>
</ul>
Play the role of Justin a high school student as he embarks on his dream journey to become a game developer. Having just won a programming contest he enlists the aid of Cleo the artist and Aki the music composer. How will the team grow and take on the hardships along the way?
<h2>STORY</h2>
I am Ryou, a daydreamer and a student at Cyrstal Waters High . I have two very close female friends, Claire and Rina. I have a crush on my childhood friend Claire but she is already in a relationship. Rina seems to be attracted to me but… I can’t date Rina when I like Claire. I am a very idealistic but romantic kind of guy. It’s a complicated problem.
When I realized that Claire was suffering from an abusive relationship, everything changed. There was nothing Rina or I did that could get her out of it. There was one last resort. Breaking my romantic ideals to save Claire, I had to learn the art of seduction.
The only thing was… I started to learn that there was something going on in this town. Rumors of creatures running around at night, a close call, and a textbook history that doesn’t add up. Even Claire and Rina are connected somehow. Between finding out what is really going on and saving Claire, I don’t know if I could manage both.
If only I could stop daydreaming so much then I might have some time. Why are my daydreams so strong now when I need to focus?
<h2>SCREENSHOTS</h2>
<img src="/uploads/screenshot-09.png" height="624" width="829" /><img src="/uploads/screenshot-10.png" height="621" width="828" />
<h2>SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS</h2>
<ul>
<li>OS: Windows XP/Vista, Mac OS X 10.4+ (x86), Linux (x86, glibc 2.3+)</li>
<li>Memory: 512 MB recommended</li>
<li>CPU: 1.5 GHz recommended</li>
<li>Hard Drive: 300 MB free space</li>
</ul>

Infinite Gameworks Episode 0

<img src="/uploads/ekaterina-shevchenko-zltlhekbh04-unsplash.jpg" alt="Gift box in wrapping paper with ribbon" title="How are gifts in Games and IRL" height="442" width="640" />

Photo by [Ekaterina Shevchenko](https://unsplash.com/@shekatherine?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/wrapped-gift-box-ZLTlHeKbh04?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash)

Giving decent gifts to npcs in games is usually a great way to increase affection. But IRL it's not the same. Could it be better in games?

# Gift Mechanics in Games

Give an okay gift to an NPC in a game then you increase their affection. If it's a gift that they want, the affection goes up more. Give something they don't like (like a spider maybe) then affection goes down. Simple right?

But as a gamer, you want to also go for a bigger increase in affection. So you mass "procure" their favorite item. And then you can marry them day one!

As a game designer this is not intended. So you put a limit on the amount of gifts you can give per day to 1. Now it's impossible to be that creepy and give a thousand cabbages in a single day.

You can still be creepy (and mostly thoughtless) if you give the same gift everyday even if it's their favourite. But they would still love you more. Such is the limitation of current gift giving in a lot of games currently. The games are still fun though.

But how is it in real life?

# Gift Mechanics IRL

We are going to assume the most naive interpretation of gift giving in real life. So no cultural traditions, holiday gift giving, financial sketchiness, political maneuvering etc... Each one of those would require a separate article and some I am not going to cover.

When giving a gift and it's accepted. There isn't an expectation of anything to be returned. There is an outward expectation that the giver and receiver would be on somewhat positive terms afterward.

But what if you want to be closer faster? Can't use the same "spam gift of their favourite item" trick you can sometimes use in video games. Even if you are limited to one gift a day, if you give the same gift over and over you get a diminishing effective. Why? Many potential factors really. Supply and demand, Equity Theory, humans brains desiring new stimulus, etc... Let's go over some of them.

## Supply and Demand

This should be straight forward. If supply is higher than demand then the value goes down. If it's the other way then the value goes up. If you bring so much supply of the same gift everyday then the value of your gift naturally goes down in the eyes of the receiver.

## Equity Theory Proposition III & IV

Has four propositions. We'll talk about only Proposition III & IV. Why? Because it kinda deserves an entire series of articles. This article is getting long and I can farm more content talking about Equity Theory.

Here they are.

> Proposition III: Given societal pressures, people are most comfortable when they perceive that they are getting roughly what they deserve from life and love. If people feel over-benefited, they may experience pity, guilt, and shame. If they feel under-benefited, they may experience anger, sadness, and resentment.
>
> Proposition IV: People in inequitable relationships will attempt to reduce their distress through a variety of techniques – by restoring psychological equity, actual equity, or leaving the relationship.
>
> Rapson, R. L., & Hatfield, E. (2012). Equity Theory in Close Relationships. *Handbook of Theories of Social Psychology*, 200–217. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446249222.n36

Interesting but how does it apply to our gift giving scenario?

According to proposition III the receiver of the everyday same gift would feel immensely guilty and shameful. Much distress! Why? Because they would feel over-benefited. But what would they do to fix it? According to proposition IV the receiver would make it equal mentally, actually or just stop interacting with the giver.

## The Classic "But I Gave You so many Gifts!" Scenario

So... what happens when the receiver asks the giver to stop? Giver gets confused and maybe angry and resentful as per Proposition III. Receiver experiences severe relationship whiplash from surface-level extreme positive to extreme negative. How this plays out? Many different ways.

# "Roughly" Equal is Relative... Probably

Now time for personal unverified anecdote theory. Why? Because I am not holding myself to a higher standard and declaring it so. So here we go!

So what if a middle class person dates a top 1% person? The give and take disparity tolerance is likely different. Usually it's around the price of a meal. But how much is a meal for a middle class person compared to a top 1%'er? One person would feel okay for a gift from the 1%'er but definitely not the other. And now the romantic comedy misunderstanding begins!

Just remember, it's all about perception!

<aside>Equity Theory is the Reason why Ryou likes Claire at first in Fading Hearts. </aside>

# So Can Games Do Better?

Short answer: Yes but its more work.

Long answer: Player can still try to maximize value. The game developer has to make a much more but somewhat doable item/gift system.

Let's make a quick design for illustration. Every item has a list of tags/needs it satisfies and some sort of amount the item satisfies the need by. Also a perceived monetary value should be added. For each need it also keeps track a method it satisfies them by. Let's make them display, equip, and consume.

Then give each NPC a list of needs, wants, etc. Then when you give a gift it should satisfy a need. The need satisfied should also increase relationship points or something. The need should slowly go back up over time.

NPCs should also track give-and-take (GAT) value gap and also have a GAT tolerance level. NPC should start rejecting gifts if the GAT tolerance level gets exceeded. There would be also be situational GAT tolerance modifiers like emergencies, hunger, etc...

As the NPC gets the item more often, there would be a supply-and-demand modifier and maybe an over-exposure modifier since the brain wants to experience new things as well.

# So You are Saying it's Possible...

Yes... very doable. Just a lot more data and testing to see if actually functions as expected. Also may require some sort of time mechanic.

So enjoy this theoretical gift giving system that you will likely never play! Hooray! Though this could be expanded for a wider economy sim of NPCs. Stay tuned next time! Maybe I'll talk more about Equity Theory!

<img src="/uploads/ekaterina-shevchenko-zltlhekbh04-unsplash.jpg" alt="Gift box in wrapping paper with ribbon" title="How are gifts in Games and IRL" height="442" width="640" />
Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@shekatherine?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash">Ekaterina Shevchenko</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/wrapped-gift-box-ZLTlHeKbh04?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash">Unsplash</a>
Giving decent gifts to npcs in games is usually a great way to increase affection. But IRL it's not the same. Could it be better in games?
<h1>Gift Mechanics in Games</h1>
Give an okay gift to an NPC in a game then you increase their affection. If it's a gift that they want, the affection goes up more. Give something they don't like (like a spider maybe) then affection goes down. Simple right?
But as a gamer, you want to also go for a bigger increase in affection. So you mass &quot;procure&quot; their favorite item. And then you can marry them day one!
As a game designer this is not intended. So you put a limit on the amount of gifts you can give per day to 1. Now it's impossible to be that creepy and give a thousand cabbages in a single day.
You can still be creepy (and mostly thoughtless) if you give the same gift everyday even if it's their favourite. But they would still love you more. Such is the limitation of current gift giving in a lot of games currently. The games are still fun though.
But how is it in real life?
<h1>Gift Mechanics IRL</h1>
We are going to assume the most naive interpretation of gift giving in real life. So no cultural traditions, holiday gift giving, financial sketchiness, political maneuvering etc... Each one of those would require a separate article and some I am not going to cover.
When giving a gift and it's accepted. There isn't an expectation of anything to be returned. There is an outward expectation that the giver and receiver would be on somewhat positive terms afterward.
But what if you want to be closer faster? Can't use the same &quot;spam gift of their favourite item&quot; trick you can sometimes use in video games. Even if you are limited to one gift a day, if you give the same gift over and over you get a diminishing effective. Why? Many potential factors really. Supply and demand, Equity Theory, humans brains desiring new stimulus, etc... Let's go over some of them.
<h2>Supply and Demand</h2>
This should be straight forward. If supply is higher than demand then the value goes down. If it's the other way then the value goes up. If you bring so much supply of the same gift everyday then the value of your gift naturally goes down in the eyes of the receiver.
<h2>Equity Theory Proposition III &amp; IV</h2>
Has four propositions. We'll talk about only Proposition III &amp; IV. Why? Because it kinda deserves an entire series of articles. This article is getting long and I can farm more content talking about Equity Theory.
Here they are.
<blockquote>
Proposition III: Given societal pressures, people are most comfortable when they perceive that they are getting roughly what they deserve from life and love. If people feel over-benefited, they may experience pity, guilt, and shame. If they feel under-benefited, they may experience anger, sadness, and resentment.
Proposition IV: People in inequitable relationships will attempt to reduce their distress through a variety of techniques – by restoring psychological equity, actual equity, or leaving the relationship.
Rapson, R. L., &amp; Hatfield, E. (2012). Equity Theory in Close Relationships. Handbook of Theories of Social Psychology, 200–217. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446249222.n36
</blockquote>
Interesting but how does it apply to our gift giving scenario?
According to proposition III the receiver of the everyday same gift would feel immensely guilty and shameful. Much distress! Why? Because they would feel over-benefited. But what would they do to fix it? According to proposition IV the receiver would make it equal mentally, actually or just stop interacting with the giver.
<h2>The Classic &quot;But I Gave You so many Gifts!&quot; Scenario</h2>
So... what happens when the receiver asks the giver to stop? Giver gets confused and maybe angry and resentful as per Proposition III. Receiver experiences severe relationship whiplash from surface-level extreme positive to extreme negative. How this plays out? Many different ways.
<h1>&quot;Roughly&quot; Equal is Relative... Probably</h1>
Now time for personal unverified anecdote theory. Why? Because I am not holding myself to a higher standard and declaring it so. So here we go!
So what if a middle class person dates a top 1% person? The give and take disparity tolerance is likely different. Usually it's around the price of a meal. But how much is a meal for a middle class person compared to a top 1%'er? One person would feel okay for a gift from the 1%'er but definitely not the other. And now the romantic comedy misunderstanding begins!
Just remember, it's all about perception!
<aside>Equity Theory is the Reason why Ryou likes Claire at first in Fading Hearts. </aside>
<h1>So Can Games Do Better?</h1>
Short answer: Yes but its more work.
Long answer: Player can still try to maximize value. The game developer has to make a much more but somewhat doable item/gift system.
Let's make a quick design for illustration. Every item has a list of tags/needs it satisfies and some sort of amount the item satisfies the need by. Also a perceived monetary value should be added. For each need it also keeps track a method it satisfies them by. Let's make them display, equip, and consume.
Then give each NPC a list of needs, wants, etc. Then when you give a gift it should satisfy a need. The need satisfied should also increase relationship points or something. The need should slowly go back up over time.
NPCs should also track give-and-take (GAT) value gap and also have a GAT tolerance level. NPC should start rejecting gifts if the GAT tolerance level gets exceeded. There would be also be situational GAT tolerance modifiers like emergencies, hunger, etc...
As the NPC gets the item more often, there would be a supply-and-demand modifier and maybe an over-exposure modifier since the brain wants to experience new things as well.
<h1>So You are Saying it's Possible...</h1>
Yes... very doable. Just a lot more data and testing to see if actually functions as expected. Also may require some sort of time mechanic.
So enjoy this theoretical gift giving system that you will likely never play! Hooray! Though this could be expanded for a wider economy sim of NPCs. Stay tuned next time! Maybe I'll talk more about Equity Theory!

Giving Gifts in Games and IRL

<img src="/uploads/Attraction-by-Exposure.png" style="width: fit-content; max-height: 30vh;" />

One of the most common ways to "get the love interest" in Visual Novels is simple. Get all of their events. But is that true for real life?

But first let's explore exposure as a video game mechanic.

# Exposure as a Dating Sim Game Mechanic

The most basic mechanic for Visual Novels and Dating Sims is very simple.
You trigger as many events as you can with the desired love interest.
Then you increase your affection rating somehow as a result. Sometimes
you may need to make a few correct choices. However at least this put
you on their "path".

As an aside understanding this strategy was key in funneling players to get the
"worst ending" in Fading Hearts accidentally. They would try this strategy
on one of the love interests, make choices that are extremely tempting yet
wrong, then get the worst but most deeply cathartic ending. The numbers and timing was tuned so that this would consistently happen if they followed that
strategy.

Then they would have a huge desire to discover how this worst ending occurred. And when they did they discovered the method would understand the meaning behind it.

But more on that some other time.

# Mere Exposure IRL

How does this work in real life? Almost the same actually. It really helps
you get in the door and talking with a person you are interested in. Foot in
the door. Just like in the video games.

However if you have consistent negative interactions all the
time without some sort of random reward schedule it won't work further.
And let's be honest... having all positive interactions all the time
sometimes feel unnatural. So there really needs to be decent follow up.

Marketing tends to "Mere Exposure" this a lot with spamming advertisements at a basic level.

# Fiction Mimicks Reality

So this basic dating-sim mechanic of exposure is very similiar to how it functions
in real life. From what it can do and it's limitations.

Next time we'll get into how a dating game mechanic doesn't quite match up
to how it goes in real life.

[Disclaimer: This article is absolutely written to (likely ineffectively)
convince you buy our games while you gain knowledge. Enjoy the content!]

<img src="/uploads/Attraction-by-Exposure.png" style="width: fit-content; max-height: 30vh;" />
One of the most common ways to &quot;get the love interest&quot; in Visual Novels is simple. Get all of their events. But is that true for real life?
But first let's explore exposure as a video game mechanic.
<h1>Exposure as a Dating Sim Game Mechanic</h1>
The most basic mechanic for Visual Novels and Dating Sims is very simple.
You trigger as many events as you can with the desired love interest.
Then you increase your affection rating somehow as a result. Sometimes
you may need to make a few correct choices. However at least this put
you on their &quot;path&quot;.
As an aside understanding this strategy was key in funneling players to get the
&quot;worst ending&quot; in Fading Hearts accidentally. They would try this strategy
on one of the love interests, make choices that are extremely tempting yet
wrong, then get the worst but most deeply cathartic ending. The numbers and timing was tuned so that this would consistently happen if they followed that
strategy.
Then they would have a huge desire to discover how this worst ending occurred. And when they did they discovered the method would understand the meaning behind it.
But more on that some other time.
<h1>Mere Exposure IRL</h1>
How does this work in real life? Almost the same actually. It really helps
you get in the door and talking with a person you are interested in. Foot in
the door. Just like in the video games.
However if you have consistent negative interactions all the
time without some sort of random reward schedule it won't work further.
And let's be honest... having all positive interactions all the time
sometimes feel unnatural. So there really needs to be decent follow up.
Marketing tends to &quot;Mere Exposure&quot; this a lot with spamming advertisements at a basic level.
<h1>Fiction Mimicks Reality</h1>
So this basic dating-sim mechanic of exposure is very similiar to how it functions
in real life. From what it can do and it's limitations.
Next time we'll get into how a dating game mechanic doesn't quite match up
to how it goes in real life.
[Disclaimer: This article is absolutely written to (likely ineffectively)
convince you buy our games while you gain knowledge. Enjoy the content!]

Exposure as Attraction

Sometimes you see a bunch of articles written on a website for free. Why? Allow me to unveil the curtain.

I'll talk about the "why" and "what" of content marketing. Then how it benifits the consumers as well as the producers of content marketing.

Then discover the dumb history of how I used to do content marketing purely by accident. Why I stopped and how I am trying to get back on the content marketing train.

Then I explain why I am putting out webnovels.

## Why Content Marketing?

Before social media there was email/newsletters. Imagine providing free content to consume before the days of youtube. Still asking to smash the subscibe button but then you gave an email address instead.

You give your email address. I give you free content. A much easier ask than asking you to shell out cash for a product/service when we just met.

And assuming I give you good content in your email inbox that educates or entertains, then you feel you got more out of this than I did. So when I then try to sell something that costs something you are more willing to buy.

You get fun content that is like youtube only with words and no algorithm. I get a better chance at selling stuff to you.

## Why Did I Start Content Marketing Long Ago... Accidentally?

I had no idea what content marketing was when I started. I looked around and I just thought it was something businesses did. I also "felt" I should put up articles on our website.

To be honest... it was also a good way to hammer out ideas onto paper and organize them. Then get early feedback directly from people who enjoyed who we are trying sell to.

## Why Stop the Content Marketing Train?

So here I was pumping out content about the game dev journey as well as commenting about various game industry related stuff. Then what? Was I really getting more sales from this? I probably was actually getting sales but I didn't measure that. If I didn't measure it properly then I wasn't seeing the benefit! If I don't see the benefit, then why should I keep going with it?

You can see the flawed reasoning right? All made sense when I was stressed out and getting trapped in my own head though. That's why data is important.

## So Why Start Content Marketing Again?

<s>Because it's fun!</s> Because now I got metrics running on website! Because I can let the players join me on the journey as I create games! Because my ability to code websites got absurdly strong! Because my content pipeline for content marketing only requires my phone after I set it up! Hahahaha!

Not to mention I can write webnovels (tales) like this too.

## Why Webnovels?

Webnovels allow us to create game adaptations/collaborations(?)... with ourselves! It also gives me a way to test story ideas. Also... we made Visual Novels before.

Let's not forget the Anime market is also starting to get into web comics/manhua/etc. And I predicted the oncoming wave of Villianess anime thanks to reading light novels/web novels in like... 2018.

Also maybe release a light novel series at some point?

## Why Gamer... Life... Articles?

Here is the other thing I'm doing. Gamer Life articles. With all the knowledge and studying about Sexuality, Marriages, and Families as part of my University Minor, I can write a few articles. Are they studies? No. But at least I can look at them with a "Gamer" lens.

Let's not forget the roots of this company was making games with some dating-sim mechanics. So it does indeed fit. Not to mention sometimes we convert several attachment/attraction/etc theories into game mechanics.

There are some content creators out there that does psychology stuff through a gamer lens as well. Just not really enough of them. Hopefully we can fill that gap a little.

## You Get Enjoyable Content, We Get Market Testing and Future Content Hooks

That's all it is. Don't know anyone else who is going to use web novels as content marketing. Hope you all enjoy it.

If you want to get that free content directly in your email inbox SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter!

(Ah... we did the YouTube thing. Maybe I should start saying "Smash that Subscribe Button")

Sometimes you see a bunch of articles written on a website for free. Why? Allow me to unveil the curtain.
I'll talk about the &quot;why&quot; and &quot;what&quot; of content marketing. Then how it benifits the consumers as well as the producers of content marketing.
Then discover the dumb history of how I used to do content marketing purely by accident. Why I stopped and how I am trying to get back on the content marketing train.
Then I explain why I am putting out webnovels.
<h2>Why Content Marketing?</h2>
Before social media there was email/newsletters. Imagine providing free content to consume before the days of youtube. Still asking to smash the subscibe button but then you gave an email address instead.
You give your email address. I give you free content. A much easier ask than asking you to shell out cash for a product/service when we just met.
And assuming I give you good content in your email inbox that educates or entertains, then you feel you got more out of this than I did. So when I then try to sell something that costs something you are more willing to buy.
You get fun content that is like youtube only with words and no algorithm. I get a better chance at selling stuff to you.
<h2>Why Did I Start Content Marketing Long Ago... Accidentally?</h2>
I had no idea what content marketing was when I started. I looked around and I just thought it was something businesses did. I also &quot;felt&quot; I should put up articles on our website.
To be honest... it was also a good way to hammer out ideas onto paper and organize them. Then get early feedback directly from people who enjoyed who we are trying sell to.
<h2>Why Stop the Content Marketing Train?</h2>
So here I was pumping out content about the game dev journey as well as commenting about various game industry related stuff. Then what? Was I really getting more sales from this? I probably was actually getting sales but I didn't measure that. If I didn't measure it properly then I wasn't seeing the benefit! If I don't see the benefit, then why should I keep going with it?
You can see the flawed reasoning right? All made sense when I was stressed out and getting trapped in my own head though. That's why data is important.
<h2>So Why Start Content Marketing Again?</h2>
<s>Because it's fun!</s> Because now I got metrics running on website! Because I can let the players join me on the journey as I create games! Because my ability to code websites got absurdly strong! Because my content pipeline for content marketing only requires my phone after I set it up! Hahahaha!
Not to mention I can write webnovels (tales) like this too.
<h2>Why Webnovels?</h2>
Webnovels allow us to create game adaptations/collaborations(?)... with ourselves! It also gives me a way to test story ideas. Also... we made Visual Novels before.
Let's not forget the Anime market is also starting to get into web comics/manhua/etc. And I predicted the oncoming wave of Villianess anime thanks to reading light novels/web novels in like... 2018.
Also maybe release a light novel series at some point?
<h2>Why Gamer... Life... Articles?</h2>
Here is the other thing I'm doing. Gamer Life articles. With all the knowledge and studying about Sexuality, Marriages, and Families as part of my University Minor, I can write a few articles. Are they studies? No. But at least I can look at them with a &quot;Gamer&quot; lens.
Let's not forget the roots of this company was making games with some dating-sim mechanics. So it does indeed fit. Not to mention sometimes we convert several attachment/attraction/etc theories into game mechanics.
There are some content creators out there that does psychology stuff through a gamer lens as well. Just not really enough of them. Hopefully we can fill that gap a little.
<h2>You Get Enjoyable Content, We Get Market Testing and Future Content Hooks</h2>
That's all it is. Don't know anyone else who is going to use web novels as content marketing. Hope you all enjoy it.
If you want to get that free content directly in your email inbox SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter!
(Ah... we did the YouTube thing. Maybe I should start saying &quot;Smash that Subscribe Button&quot;)

New Wave of Content Marketing for You to Enjoy

![](/uploads/preview-prototype-001.png)Good news! Almost have basic loop for the "car game". Reset car mechanic is done. Basic gig cycle is done with a bug or two to fix. After the "car upgrade" mechanic needs to be worked on. I might need to actually work on vibe for the prototype. Then after I might talk about how timeless moments shaped me.

## Basic Game Loop Almost Done!

So now players can pick up and deliver food and get paid! The general fun part! I might need to tweak the values a bit for more money. Because the player would need some money to buy upgrades. Might also might also implement a refuelling mechanic.

Also made car reset work when pressing a button. Might also disable special abilities for like 30 seconds when using it. Might encourage better driving if you want to do the fun stuff. However will allow more players to enjoy the game overall.

Some ideas I'm thinking about for upgrades. Engines (horsepower, fuel efficiency, cost), Tires (drift or grip, durability(?), cost), aftermarket parts(various things and style), insulation containers (Hot, cold, plastic, steel, with Tiers) for bonus cash on applicable food.

## Timeless Moments

One thing that makes video games great for me as a medium? Those timeless moments in video games that stick with you. The time that you saw an impossible comeback happen. The time where you lost one of the characters you grew attached to in the game but you had to fight through the tears while taking on a tough boss fight.

With all that is going on in the game industry and all of the distaste of live service games, why is it that I have only been experiencing those moments in live service games now? I think the decision makers have forgotten the experience of these moments. That games are all about giving the player an experience to remember.

Hopefully, with this game we'll be able to bring a little bit of that experience to you when you play it.

<img src="/uploads/preview-prototype-001.png" alt="">Good news! Almost have basic loop for the &quot;car game&quot;. Reset car mechanic is done. Basic gig cycle is done with a bug or two to fix. After the &quot;car upgrade&quot; mechanic needs to be worked on. I might need to actually work on vibe for the prototype. Then after I might talk about how timeless moments shaped me.
<h2>Basic Game Loop Almost Done!</h2>
So now players can pick up and deliver food and get paid! The general fun part! I might need to tweak the values a bit for more money. Because the player would need some money to buy upgrades. Might also might also implement a refuelling mechanic.
Also made car reset work when pressing a button. Might also disable special abilities for like 30 seconds when using it. Might encourage better driving if you want to do the fun stuff. However will allow more players to enjoy the game overall.
Some ideas I'm thinking about for upgrades. Engines (horsepower, fuel efficiency, cost), Tires (drift or grip, durability(?), cost), aftermarket parts(various things and style), insulation containers (Hot, cold, plastic, steel, with Tiers) for bonus cash on applicable food.
<h2>Timeless Moments</h2>
One thing that makes video games great for me as a medium? Those timeless moments in video games that stick with you. The time that you saw an impossible comeback happen. The time where you lost one of the characters you grew attached to in the game but you had to fight through the tears while taking on a tough boss fight.
With all that is going on in the game industry and all of the distaste of live service games, why is it that I have only been experiencing those moments in live service games now? I think the decision makers have forgotten the experience of these moments. That games are all about giving the player an experience to remember.
Hopefully, with this game we'll be able to bring a little bit of that experience to you when you play it.

Dev Log: Making the Basic Loop of Eurobeat Food Delivery

You've probably heard of all the of layoffs in the video game industry. But is it game over or a new age?<img height="1080" width="1920" src="/uploads/roger-ce-anyvvx7zl48-unsplash-1.jpg" />

It's never been easier to make a game with all the "free-to-dev" game engines out there. But "Game dev is hard" you keep hearing. Game dev studio releases an award winning game but gets shut down soon after. Live service games are winning the big bucks. But live service game hoppers are a thing. And many live service games fail. Live service games just eat up attention and gamer time that normally goes to single player games.

So many seemingly contradictory statements are out. What's going on? <aside>This is one of the actual hard parts of game dev. Making game design choices... that work somewhat decently.</aside>

Well maybe the "game" has... changed. (har har)

Let's break down some of these statements from my (biased) point of view.

## Never Been Easier to Make Games but Game Dev is HARD

So how do we make sense of this? In a way these are both correct once you add in the implied words.

Why is game dev easier than ever before? The barrier for non-programmers have been vastly reduced for developing many game genres.

Making a game (of random of low quality) is far easier than ever before. We can paraphrase it further. Making a game that fills checkbox face value requirements of a game design is easier than ever.

There is a concept called "asset flip" games. You can buy entire game mechanics and game art assets in online digital game dev stores. Low effort games that pull together several premade assets to make a "game". These kinds of games tend to lack a soul to them and suffer from inconsistent quality and incohesive style. Progression exists but sometimes is odd.

Even for one-person dev teams, what usually happens is the devs playtest their own games and make adjustsments themselves. Quite often their own "game taste" is left behind when the devs make game design choices. Players can almost instinctively feel the style of game design. Almost like how cooks who cook the same receipe sometimes makes food that tastes different.

This is one of the actual hard parts of game dev. Making game design choices... that work somewhat decently.

Then the other part of why game dev is hard? Wide variety of skills that are needed to make the parts of the game. Interactive storytelling, testing, making the art assets (2d or 3d), level design, ui design, sound, composing music are all parts to making a decent game.

So programming is no longer a hard requirement to make a lot of games because of game engines. All the other parts of game dev is still hard. But now game devs can easily skip tuning or iterating on the game and sacrifice a game's quality, look, and feel.

## Live Service Games Hidden Impact

Live service games are everywhere now. For major video game corporations, it seems like Live Service games are the only way forward. Players spend more time and money on live service games than ever before. And that's time and money that could have been spent on single player games for better or for worse. "Dead game" is now a commonly used term on the internet. Sometimes it's now accidentally used for single player games in terms of concurrent player count?

To make decent money as a AAA studio the way forward is Live Service... mostly. Many decent single player games have released by AAA studios that players liked but the companies tended to deem as financial failures anyways. Why is that? It's the kind of open question.

Yet some indie games of astonishingly small size made millions with their mostly single player games. What is going on?

It's good to keep in mind for big AAA studios their scale is massive. A few million dollars is a magnitude too small for them. Magnitude. Meaning a digit too small. Also have you taken a look at how long the credits are? Every one of them needs to get paid. Then what do you have afterwards in terms of net profits?

As for the actual answer of why large game dev corporations need that much live service money to make that profit? I only have theories. Maybe it's because they overextended? Maybe short term growth is always demanded from them? Maybe it's because they are trying to grow in a market that is already saturated? Or something else? Who knows?

Also live service games, by their very nature, take up more time from players. Then also many developers are trying rush into them. Which takes up even more time from them.

Not that live service games are bad. It's just good to understand what single player games are competing against.

## Is There Hope?

I do see hope. A long time ago before the age of digital distribution and "royalty-fee-only-when-selling-games" game engines, there was an indie game market. Perhaps another time I will talk about my small glimpse into it.

You've probably heard of all the of layoffs in the video game industry. But is it game over or a new age?<img height="1080" width="1920" src="/uploads/roger-ce-anyvvx7zl48-unsplash-1.jpg" />
It's never been easier to make a game with all the &quot;free-to-dev&quot; game engines out there. But &quot;Game dev is hard&quot; you keep hearing. Game dev studio releases an award winning game but gets shut down soon after. Live service games are winning the big bucks. But live service game hoppers are a thing. And many live service games fail. Live service games just eat up attention and gamer time that normally goes to single player games.
So many seemingly contradictory statements are out. What's going on? <aside>This is one of the actual hard parts of game dev. Making game design choices... that work somewhat decently.</aside>
Well maybe the &quot;game&quot; has... changed. (har har)
Let's break down some of these statements from my (biased) point of view.
<h2>Never Been Easier to Make Games but Game Dev is HARD</h2>
So how do we make sense of this? In a way these are both correct once you add in the implied words.
Why is game dev easier than ever before? The barrier for non-programmers have been vastly reduced for developing many game genres.
Making a game (of random of low quality) is far easier than ever before. We can paraphrase it further. Making a game that fills checkbox face value requirements of a game design is easier than ever.
There is a concept called &quot;asset flip&quot; games. You can buy entire game mechanics and game art assets in online digital game dev stores. Low effort games that pull together several premade assets to make a &quot;game&quot;. These kinds of games tend to lack a soul to them and suffer from inconsistent quality and incohesive style. Progression exists but sometimes is odd.
Even for one-person dev teams, what usually happens is the devs playtest their own games and make adjustsments themselves. Quite often their own &quot;game taste&quot; is left behind when the devs make game design choices. Players can almost instinctively feel the style of game design. Almost like how cooks who cook the same receipe sometimes makes food that tastes different.
This is one of the actual hard parts of game dev. Making game design choices... that work somewhat decently.
Then the other part of why game dev is hard? Wide variety of skills that are needed to make the parts of the game. Interactive storytelling, testing, making the art assets (2d or 3d), level design, ui design, sound, composing music are all parts to making a decent game.
So programming is no longer a hard requirement to make a lot of games because of game engines. All the other parts of game dev is still hard. But now game devs can easily skip tuning or iterating on the game and sacrifice a game's quality, look, and feel.
<h2>Live Service Games Hidden Impact</h2>
Live service games are everywhere now. For major video game corporations, it seems like Live Service games are the only way forward. Players spend more time and money on live service games than ever before. And that's time and money that could have been spent on single player games for better or for worse. &quot;Dead game&quot; is now a commonly used term on the internet. Sometimes it's now accidentally used for single player games in terms of concurrent player count?
To make decent money as a AAA studio the way forward is Live Service... mostly. Many decent single player games have released by AAA studios that players liked but the companies tended to deem as financial failures anyways. Why is that? It's the kind of open question.
Yet some indie games of astonishingly small size made millions with their mostly single player games. What is going on?
It's good to keep in mind for big AAA studios their scale is massive. A few million dollars is a magnitude too small for them. Magnitude. Meaning a digit too small. Also have you taken a look at how long the credits are? Every one of them needs to get paid. Then what do you have afterwards in terms of net profits?
As for the actual answer of why large game dev corporations need that much live service money to make that profit? I only have theories. Maybe it's because they overextended? Maybe short term growth is always demanded from them? Maybe it's because they are trying to grow in a market that is already saturated? Or something else? Who knows?
Also live service games, by their very nature, take up more time from players. Then also many developers are trying rush into them. Which takes up even more time from them.
Not that live service games are bad. It's just good to understand what single player games are competing against.
<h2>Is There Hope?</h2>
I do see hope. A long time ago before the age of digital distribution and &quot;royalty-fee-only-when-selling-games&quot; game engines, there was an indie game market. Perhaps another time I will talk about my small glimpse into it.

Video Game Crash or New Age of Games?

<img src="/uploads/denise-jans-9uv9cah1hoq-unsplash.jpg" alt="Compass on a city map" title="Why this way?" height="427" width="640" />

What's with the new webnovel and life article direction? It's to get more content to you all while we make the games.

Yes, this is content marketing. But what I didn't realize I did that by mistake a long ago... and it felt right... somehow. And was fun... and sometimes theraputic! My writing soul gets nutured. And my webdev spirit gets therapy because I get to design it how I want!

And for the first fiction series (that may be made into a game eventually) it's an <a href="https://sakurariver.ca/tales/isekai-club" title="Isekai Club" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Isekai Club</a>. Why? Because Isekai stuff is my guilty pleasure. Especially some of the RPGLit ones.

As a game dev who enjoys game/RPGLit... it is extremely tempting to go make an RPG out of an RPGLite. Probably would be more of a parody if anything. Hahaha!

Also the life articles are also a venue to dump out my brain filled with life advice. And also to merge it with a game developer's point of view. [Surprisingly one dating-sim mechanic is remakably similar to real life.](/lifeForGamers/exposure-as-attraction)

So sit back... enjoy the content on the site!

<img src="/uploads/denise-jans-9uv9cah1hoq-unsplash.jpg" alt="Compass on a city map" title="Why this way?" height="427" width="640" />
What's with the new webnovel and life article direction? It's to get more content to you all while we make the games.
Yes, this is content marketing. But what I didn't realize I did that by mistake a long ago... and it felt right... somehow. And was fun... and sometimes theraputic! My writing soul gets nutured. And my webdev spirit gets therapy because I get to design it how I want!
And for the first fiction series (that may be made into a game eventually) it's an <a href="https://sakurariver.ca/tales/isekai-club" title="Isekai Club" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Isekai Club</a>. Why? Because Isekai stuff is my guilty pleasure. Especially some of the RPGLit ones.
As a game dev who enjoys game/RPGLit... it is extremely tempting to go make an RPG out of an RPGLite. Probably would be more of a parody if anything. Hahaha!
Also the life articles are also a venue to dump out my brain filled with life advice. And also to merge it with a game developer's point of view. <a href="/lifeForGamers/exposure-as-attraction">Surprisingly one dating-sim mechanic is remakably similar to real life.</a>
So sit back... enjoy the content on the site!

New Experimental Direction

<img src="/uploads/drifting-car.jpg" alt="Car drifting image in UE5 " height="451" width="742" />

Wow... trying to make a drifting car game that actually uses physics and is easy to pick up for a non-racing audience is hard. It is easy to just get a pre-packaged car drifting kit and plop it into our game. We in fact bought two of them. Then I realized that it isn't as easy to pick up for those without experience in driving games or that it wouldn't use the chaos physics engine. So we may have to market more... uh... Eurobeats instead of drifting for beginners. Have easy to use parts. Then have an option for drifting parts for those players who are good at drifting.

We'll need to use the chaos physics engine just so that it integrates well with our other games. There is the plan to implement "Standalone DLC" games. Where one game can act like DLC for another. There has been a physical version of this out years ago related to a certain hedgehog. So why isn't this more common in the digital age? Very sad.

Looking at all of these features of the car physics already made... wow. There are all these options to customize the car handing in Unreal Engine 5. It makes for an amazing opportunity to customize your car with parts as progression gameplay. But we're not really a specialized driving sim game company. So it would be important to us to make sure the audience understands that this game isn't that. The setting is literally the same place as _Fading Hearts._ You know... the one with magical girls flying around?

&nbsp;

<img src="/uploads/drifting-car.jpg" alt="Car drifting image in UE5 " height="451" width="742" />
Wow... trying to make a drifting car game that actually uses physics and is easy to pick up for a non-racing audience is hard. It is easy to just get a pre-packaged car drifting kit and plop it into our game. We in fact bought two of them. Then I realized that it isn't as easy to pick up for those without experience in driving games or that it wouldn't use the chaos physics engine. So we may have to market more... uh... Eurobeats instead of drifting for beginners. Have easy to use parts. Then have an option for drifting parts for those players who are good at drifting.
We'll need to use the chaos physics engine just so that it integrates well with our other games. There is the plan to implement &quot;Standalone DLC&quot; games. Where one game can act like DLC for another. There has been a physical version of this out years ago related to a certain hedgehog. So why isn't this more common in the digital age? Very sad.
Looking at all of these features of the car physics already made... wow. There are all these options to customize the car handing in Unreal Engine 5. It makes for an amazing opportunity to customize your car with parts as progression gameplay. But we're not really a specialized driving sim game company. So it would be important to us to make sure the audience understands that this game isn't that. The setting is literally the same place as Fading Hearts. You know... the one with magical girls flying around?

Programming Drifting


![](/uploads/sora-sagano-8sozj8jf0s8-unsplash.jpg "Photo by Sora Sagano on Unsplash")

And so... here we go again! Launching another website... and we're making 3d games now?

That's right. For the longest time we've held the skills for 3D game production at a faster pace than producing 2D games. Studied game design theories adapted for 3D games. Studied netcode theories for FPS and RTS games. Yet... we focused on making 2D-based games.

While I love 2D Visual Novels, making 3D games seems to be far inside my own skillset. Or rather a lower hanging fruit in terms of indie game production.

Also why jump to Unreal Engine and not Unity? At first it was because I knew at least the basics of an older C++ version. Then I realized I could get away with just using blueprints for most things except for multi-threading. I could do multi-threading but there isn't a powerful use for it until I get into crazy simulation stuff.

I also want to explore more concepts such as Standalone-DLC games. Where like every game would be an expansion of another game. In a kind of web. Imagine you got a 3rd person shooter game. Then you have an action RPG game you're playing. Everything looks grim in the RPG. Then the character you built in the 3rd person shooter comes in and saves the day.

Look forward to more info later.


<img src="/uploads/sora-sagano-8sozj8jf0s8-unsplash.jpg" alt="" title="Photo by Sora Sagano on Unsplash">
And so... here we go again! Launching another website... and we're making 3d games now?
That's right. For the longest time we've held the skills for 3D game production at a faster pace than producing 2D games. Studied game design theories adapted for 3D games. Studied netcode theories for FPS and RTS games. Yet... we focused on making 2D-based games.
While I love 2D Visual Novels, making 3D games seems to be far inside my own skillset. Or rather a lower hanging fruit in terms of indie game production.
Also why jump to Unreal Engine and not Unity? At first it was because I knew at least the basics of an older C++ version. Then I realized I could get away with just using blueprints for most things except for multi-threading. I could do multi-threading but there isn't a powerful use for it until I get into crazy simulation stuff.
I also want to explore more concepts such as Standalone-DLC games. Where like every game would be an expansion of another game. In a kind of web. Imagine you got a 3rd person shooter game. Then you have an action RPG game you're playing. Everything looks grim in the RPG. Then the character you built in the 3rd person shooter comes in and saves the day.
Look forward to more info later.

Unreal 5?! + New Website Launch... Again

<img src="/uploads/dp-title-card-large.png" height="591" width="783" />

The rise of visual novels on Steam and the new popularity of narrative-focused games have progressed games as a medium, however, there is the reoccurring question:

_Is it truly a game?_

This is interesting as many might consider some visual novels as games and others as not. What’s the difference? One question comes to light: _Is it a game of skill?_ We’ll explore this question and perhaps come closer to an answer.

# How can story be about skill?

There are two general ways that the story itself (in isolation from other game mechanics) can be about skill: _perceiving the story and influencing the story_.

When I say perceive I’m not talking about a surface understanding, I’m talking about the ability to read between the lines as a form of skill. One only needs to look to the _Ace Attorney_ games for a prime example of this. Can you figure out the contradiction in a person’s testimony?

Influencing the story is about taking the game rules (which may or may not come from the story) and using them to alter the events in the story. Technically, quick time events (QTE) kinda count, however, _Mass Effect_ and _Deus Ex: Human Revolution_ are better examples. An NPC’s personality counts as a game rule. If you understand the character’s personality then you can better influence them.

# Why are visual novels sometimes not considered games?

The more traditional visual novels (especially Japanese commercial ones that sell well) aren’t really designed to be interactive. They let you choose which side character gets to become the main character in their story. This allows you to explore each character’s story more in-depth than the traditional linear format.

There is a _common_ route which would be considered the trunk of the story, and there’s also separate _character routes_ that start when the common ends. To access that character route you usually need to faithfully trigger that character’s events. In old visual novels you had to “save scum” to do it, whereas modern ones now use icons or other means to indicate which choices trigger which character’s events.

For the traditional visual novel you aren’t intended to be challenged. Why? Because players would just look up all the correct answers on the internet, bypassing the challenge of finding those choices. Visual novel developers realized this, but seeing as how players stopped complaining and sales were still good, there wasn’t a reason for challenge.

This works well for getting the best story experience and reduces the barrier between the story and player. However, someone who’s treating it as a game will search for the “gameplay”, get frustrated, and quits, even though visual novels were never designed with that in mind.

Then there are visual novels which don’t follow that framework, and sometimes get a negative impression from veterans of the genre as a result. Why? Because it prevents them from accessing the story, but traditional gamers favour it more because it gives the challenge that they desire.

# The hybrid visual novel

One game that successfully uses story as gameplay is _Long Live the Queen_ by Hanako Games. It mixes stat-based gameplay with visual novel elements. Hence, the hybrid visual novel.

You play as a princess soon-to-be crowned Queen after her mother passes away, however, many people want her dead both within and outside the kingdom. The question is, why do they want the princess killed and does this have anything to do with her mother’s death?

In _Long Live the Queen_ understanding the story is key. Sometimes considered the _Dark Souls_ of visual novels, the game is filled with skill checks which dictate whether you pass or fail certain tasks. Knowing when, how and under what conditions each story event happens will help players survive.

As you can imagine, the standard way of following a walkthrough doesn’t work here, that’s because the skills you train are related to the story. If a walkthrough tells you to build up your military skills over a certain point of time, then you know that something military-related is going to happen in the future. Although non-linear in scope, making a walkthrough that is _completely_ spoiler-free would be really hard.

# Show me your skills

When players argue about whether something is a game, they usually mean skill-based games. Story can test a gamer’s skills, but many visual novels were not designed to be tests of skill in the first place. This is the reason why “walking simulators” may not be considered games by some as well.

However, like _Long Live the Queen_, there are more visual novels being released that feature story as skill-based gameplay. Slowly but surely more players will start to see that story and gameplay can coincide and offer a fulfilling experience outside of industry norms.

<img src="/uploads/dp-title-card-large.png" height="591" width="783" />
The rise of visual novels on Steam and the new popularity of narrative-focused games have progressed games as a medium, however, there is the reoccurring question:
Is it truly a game?
This is interesting as many might consider some visual novels as games and others as not. What’s the difference? One question comes to light: Is it a game of skill? We’ll explore this question and perhaps come closer to an answer.
<h1>How can story be about skill?</h1>
There are two general ways that the story itself (in isolation from other game mechanics) can be about skill: perceiving the story and influencing the story.
When I say perceive I’m not talking about a surface understanding, I’m talking about the ability to read between the lines as a form of skill. One only needs to look to the Ace Attorney games for a prime example of this. Can you figure out the contradiction in a person’s testimony?
Influencing the story is about taking the game rules (which may or may not come from the story) and using them to alter the events in the story. Technically, quick time events (QTE) kinda count, however, Mass Effect and Deus Ex: Human Revolution are better examples. An NPC’s personality counts as a game rule. If you understand the character’s personality then you can better influence them.
<h1>Why are visual novels sometimes not considered games?</h1>
The more traditional visual novels (especially Japanese commercial ones that sell well) aren’t really designed to be interactive. They let you choose which side character gets to become the main character in their story. This allows you to explore each character’s story more in-depth than the traditional linear format.
There is a common route which would be considered the trunk of the story, and there’s also separate character routes that start when the common ends. To access that character route you usually need to faithfully trigger that character’s events. In old visual novels you had to “save scum” to do it, whereas modern ones now use icons or other means to indicate which choices trigger which character’s events.
For the traditional visual novel you aren’t intended to be challenged. Why? Because players would just look up all the correct answers on the internet, bypassing the challenge of finding those choices. Visual novel developers realized this, but seeing as how players stopped complaining and sales were still good, there wasn’t a reason for challenge.
This works well for getting the best story experience and reduces the barrier between the story and player. However, someone who’s treating it as a game will search for the “gameplay”, get frustrated, and quits, even though visual novels were never designed with that in mind.
Then there are visual novels which don’t follow that framework, and sometimes get a negative impression from veterans of the genre as a result. Why? Because it prevents them from accessing the story, but traditional gamers favour it more because it gives the challenge that they desire.
<h1>The hybrid visual novel</h1>
One game that successfully uses story as gameplay is Long Live the Queen by Hanako Games. It mixes stat-based gameplay with visual novel elements. Hence, the hybrid visual novel.
You play as a princess soon-to-be crowned Queen after her mother passes away, however, many people want her dead both within and outside the kingdom. The question is, why do they want the princess killed and does this have anything to do with her mother’s death?
In Long Live the Queen understanding the story is key. Sometimes considered the Dark Souls of visual novels, the game is filled with skill checks which dictate whether you pass or fail certain tasks. Knowing when, how and under what conditions each story event happens will help players survive.
As you can imagine, the standard way of following a walkthrough doesn’t work here, that’s because the skills you train are related to the story. If a walkthrough tells you to build up your military skills over a certain point of time, then you know that something military-related is going to happen in the future. Although non-linear in scope, making a walkthrough that is completely spoiler-free would be really hard.
<h1>Show me your skills</h1>
When players argue about whether something is a game, they usually mean skill-based games. Story can test a gamer’s skills, but many visual novels were not designed to be tests of skill in the first place. This is the reason why “walking simulators” may not be considered games by some as well.
However, like Long Live the Queen, there are more visual novels being released that feature story as skill-based gameplay. Slowly but surely more players will start to see that story and gameplay can coincide and offer a fulfilling experience outside of industry norms.

Story as a Game of Skill


So a new visual novel engine is heading for the English market. Comes at an interesting time where Visual Novels have penetrated the Steam market and is growing. But what of this new visual novel engine from the perspective of a developer who has pushed Ren’py to the limit? Rather interesting thoughts.

Keep in mind this is based on screenshots of the interface. References to Ren’py will naturally be made.

I will try to keep in mind the perspectives from the super-indies and the money-making indies as much as possible.

### Easy-to-Use IDE Interface a Half-Step Away from Writer’s Comfort Zone

The interface looks extremely welcoming and friendly to new people to this area. If it has a built in spell-checker it would be amazing. Lots of visual elements to indicate what everything does.

However, writers aren’t actually scared of huge walls of text. They feel comfortable in this. Look at any word processor and the word density is big.

So the minor nag that might happen is that writers would have to do more scrolling around since they can’t see as much. Maybe there would be an option to decrease the size of the visual elements? They are still helpful.

Of course you can view the source text files directly for more dense reading. However, when you expose some writers to anything that looks like coding with equals signs and brackets they may be more reluctant to change things like position of characters for example.

Compared to Ren’py, for most basic scripting I can literally hand off the raw script to editors and writers and they would be able to understand it.

### Based on HTML5 Technology… Which a lot of People are Good At

TyranoBuilder is based on HTML5. So if you had to get a web programming job or even made your own website, you would feel right at home with a few minor speed bumps. Also a lot of people out there who are good at HTML5 so finding talent wouldn’t be as hard.

Sometimes you do choose a technology because a lot of people out there are good at it. As a Computer Science major who likes all the programmically efficient algorithms, it really hurts me to admit it. But it’s true.

### Source Files are in Plaintext for your Source Control Needs

While this may seem like a minor point, it would be a **MAJOR** dealbreaker if the source was not saved in plain-text. Especially with larger teams. Using source control is incredibly helpful.

### Standalone Desktop Theoretically Should be Bloaty… But Probably Most People Wouldn’t Care that Much

If you are exporting to a standalone desktop application, it “should” be somewhat bloaty in size and computational complexity. You have to bring along a HTML5 simulator or something to run it.

However considering that Visual Novels aren’t by nature computationally complex by any means and people watch HD Cat Videos for fun, the only people who would notice are the techie people. It wouldn’t be as huge of a factor in the case for Visual Novels.

Ren’py is still scripted but should run closer to the “native” application performance than TyranoBuilder. At least in file size. Although this point is more due to me being aware of more Ren’py specific optimizations that have been done over many years.

“But what about Sakura River’s games? You guys are always trying to do something interesting! At least you talk about it!” That brings us to our next point.

### JavaScript Programming Going Wild

JavaScript is a Turing complete language. So the crazy story structure of Fading Hearts should be possible on TyranoBuilder as well. I can’t say this for every “interactive story” engine out there however. Heck, industry-strength interactive story design tools can’t model Fading Hearts properly or easily.

But TyranoBuilder can… and that says something about the potential and future-proofing of it.

### Live2D is Possible… With Some Programming

That’s right! If you’ve been dying to use Live2D in your Visual Novel, you can with TyranoBuilder. However since using Live2D does require more programming, you’ll need some programming chops to use it.

I hear in the future there might be something for the less-programmically minded however.

I’ve been wanting a feature like this for Ren’py for so long. It currently doesn’t exist for Live2D.

### Ren’Py Steam Integration in Pre-Release… TyranoBuilder Steam Integration is Under Consideration

This is an interesting point that only directly affects developers on Steam. However TyranoBuilder in English is being sold on Steam.

I am so unsure of what to make of this. The casual developers in English require a Steam account to get TyranoBuilder. Ren’py developers don’t require Steam to get Ren’py. However Ren’py will have Steam API support very soon.

You see, for more people to accept TyranoBuilder (in English) you need English games released on it commercially. At least one as “proof” that it can be done (this is a business-minded thinking). The path of least resistance is through Steam at this point. If you’re going to release on Steam everyone is going to try to convince you to get achievements and trading cards.

### Cost Factor of Free vs. Price of a Dinner

This is an interesting part to talk about. For those on the super-shoestring **and** for those making money on Steam, Ren’py is going to be the choice.

However TyranoBuilder isn’t that expensive to get. It also can be easier to find HTML5 programming talent if you’re doing a business. So it might save you on labour costs.

So this part really depends on your particular situation.

### Conclusion? How’s Your Money/HTML5/Writing/Desire for Live2D?

So both can compete with each other with trade-offs here and there. If money is a concern then Ren’Py is usually the safer bet unless you have easy access to HTML5 talent than Ren’Py talent. The exception(or not) is if you are on Steam. Writers might feel they may have to scroll more often. TyranoBuilder should be easier to get into than Ren’py but not by that much. If you want Live2D and have programming chops, then go for TyranoBuilder.

Hopefully that sums everything up. They are definitely comparable (at this point). And keep in mind, this is by looking at screenshots of TyranoBuilder and working with Ren’py. So kinda uneven exposure bias.

Let’s see how well these thoughts hold up in the future though.


So a new visual novel engine is heading for the English market. Comes at an interesting time where Visual Novels have penetrated the Steam market and is growing. But what of this new visual novel engine from the perspective of a developer who has pushed Ren’py to the limit? Rather interesting thoughts.
Keep in mind this is based on screenshots of the interface. References to Ren’py will naturally be made.
I will try to keep in mind the perspectives from the super-indies and the money-making indies as much as possible.
<h3>Easy-to-Use IDE Interface a Half-Step Away from Writer’s Comfort Zone</h3>
The interface looks extremely welcoming and friendly to new people to this area. If it has a built in spell-checker it would be amazing. Lots of visual elements to indicate what everything does.
However, writers aren’t actually scared of huge walls of text. They feel comfortable in this. Look at any word processor and the word density is big.
So the minor nag that might happen is that writers would have to do more scrolling around since they can’t see as much. Maybe there would be an option to decrease the size of the visual elements? They are still helpful.
Of course you can view the source text files directly for more dense reading. However, when you expose some writers to anything that looks like coding with equals signs and brackets they may be more reluctant to change things like position of characters for example.
Compared to Ren’py, for most basic scripting I can literally hand off the raw script to editors and writers and they would be able to understand it.
<h3>Based on HTML5 Technology… Which a lot of People are Good At</h3>
TyranoBuilder is based on HTML5. So if you had to get a web programming job or even made your own website, you would feel right at home with a few minor speed bumps. Also a lot of people out there who are good at HTML5 so finding talent wouldn’t be as hard.
Sometimes you do choose a technology because a lot of people out there are good at it. As a Computer Science major who likes all the programmically efficient algorithms, it really hurts me to admit it. But it’s true.
<h3>Source Files are in Plaintext for your Source Control Needs</h3>
While this may seem like a minor point, it would be a MAJOR dealbreaker if the source was not saved in plain-text. Especially with larger teams. Using source control is incredibly helpful.
<h3>Standalone Desktop Theoretically Should be Bloaty… But Probably Most People Wouldn’t Care that Much</h3>
If you are exporting to a standalone desktop application, it “should” be somewhat bloaty in size and computational complexity. You have to bring along a HTML5 simulator or something to run it.
However considering that Visual Novels aren’t by nature computationally complex by any means and people watch HD Cat Videos for fun, the only people who would notice are the techie people. It wouldn’t be as huge of a factor in the case for Visual Novels.
Ren’py is still scripted but should run closer to the “native” application performance than TyranoBuilder. At least in file size. Although this point is more due to me being aware of more Ren’py specific optimizations that have been done over many years.
“But what about Sakura River’s games? You guys are always trying to do something interesting! At least you talk about it!” That brings us to our next point.
<h3>JavaScript Programming Going Wild</h3>
JavaScript is a Turing complete language. So the crazy story structure of Fading Hearts should be possible on TyranoBuilder as well. I can’t say this for every “interactive story” engine out there however. Heck, industry-strength interactive story design tools can’t model Fading Hearts properly or easily.
But TyranoBuilder can… and that says something about the potential and future-proofing of it.
<h3>Live2D is Possible… With Some Programming</h3>
That’s right! If you’ve been dying to use Live2D in your Visual Novel, you can with TyranoBuilder. However since using Live2D does require more programming, you’ll need some programming chops to use it.
I hear in the future there might be something for the less-programmically minded however.
I’ve been wanting a feature like this for Ren’py for so long. It currently doesn’t exist for Live2D.
<h3>Ren’Py Steam Integration in Pre-Release… TyranoBuilder Steam Integration is Under Consideration</h3>
This is an interesting point that only directly affects developers on Steam. However TyranoBuilder in English is being sold on Steam.
I am so unsure of what to make of this. The casual developers in English require a Steam account to get TyranoBuilder. Ren’py developers don’t require Steam to get Ren’py. However Ren’py will have Steam API support very soon.
You see, for more people to accept TyranoBuilder (in English) you need English games released on it commercially. At least one as “proof” that it can be done (this is a business-minded thinking). The path of least resistance is through Steam at this point. If you’re going to release on Steam everyone is going to try to convince you to get achievements and trading cards.
<h3>Cost Factor of Free vs. Price of a Dinner</h3>
This is an interesting part to talk about. For those on the super-shoestring and for those making money on Steam, Ren’py is going to be the choice.
However TyranoBuilder isn’t that expensive to get. It also can be easier to find HTML5 programming talent if you’re doing a business. So it might save you on labour costs.
So this part really depends on your particular situation.
<h3>Conclusion? How’s Your Money/HTML5/Writing/Desire for Live2D?</h3>
So both can compete with each other with trade-offs here and there. If money is a concern then Ren’Py is usually the safer bet unless you have easy access to HTML5 talent than Ren’Py talent. The exception(or not) is if you are on Steam. Writers might feel they may have to scroll more often. TyranoBuilder should be easier to get into than Ren’py but not by that much. If you want Live2D and have programming chops, then go for TyranoBuilder.
Hopefully that sums everything up. They are definitely comparable (at this point). And keep in mind, this is by looking at screenshots of TyranoBuilder and working with Ren’py. So kinda uneven exposure bias.
Let’s see how well these thoughts hold up in the future though.

 Pre-Release Thoughts on TyranoBuilder

"Requesting takeoff on pad 15." Selestia spoke into a mic. She scanned her cockpit displays. "Modules look good. Navigation says I have enough fuel for the 2 jumps."

"Request approved. Cleared for take off on pad 15." A robotic voice replied with a slight hum of radio noise. Huge metal doors opened up slowly to a starry background around a distant white star and glowing curvature of a planet. The star's light shone onto a sleek blue and white space ship docked in the hanger.

"Requesting takeoff on pad 8." Yuya spoke through muffled radio. "Looking forward to fighting the space war Selestia?"

Yuya and Selestia were sitting in gamer chairs in front of a computer each. Each had a headset with rainbow cycle glowing branding. Yuya had a taro bubble tea with tapioca pearls on a mounted cup holder. Selestia had a red coloured drink with green jelly rectangle bits at the bottom. Both had wider straws than usual.

"I want something to test out my newly tuned gimbals aims-for-me ship weapons on." Selestia replied. "I tried the fixed ship weapons for stronger damage. But I saw you use the gimbaled weapons to take out so many more ships than I did."

"I want to SEE you use gimbaled weapons. You're a far better combat pilot than me in this online game." Yuya laughed. "I'm the one who taught you how disabling the flight stabilizer can let you do some cool moves. Now you're the one flying circles around me." Yuya took a quick sip of his drink and sighed. "The teacher is being left behind..."

"Don't worry! I still have plenty to learn in this simulator." Selestia tried to cheer up Yuya. "There is exploration, commercial passenger fights, trading... even making factories to produce goods! Not to mention programming!"

Two mid-sized space ships left the space station's central shaft. The metallic cyan ship was more angular. The blue and white ship more sleek. Behind them?  A few enormous large rings that were extremely slowly spinning around the central shaft. The inner surface of the rings were transparent revealing the buildings, parks, and farms inside.

"Cleared the station. Ready to warp to the war zone. Ready Yuya?" Selestia asked.

"Ready! Can't wait till I see you in action Celeste! Engage warp!" Yuya pushed the throttle and the stars streaked into a blur. A grin crept on his face as the two ship disappeared from sight.

\---

An even expression appeared on Yuya's mouth. An orange warning saying "Warning! In warzone!" shines on his face. Several mechanical drones with tiny thruster manuver a tiny debris field of twisted metal. They bring back to Yuya's ship whatever is useful in a streak of a tiny glowing thruster. Yuya sighed. "You good over there Selest?"

"I am doing great!" Selestia's ship zipped around the space battle field. Three enemy craft with red strips were following behind closely. Her ship turned left then spun 180 degrees. She started flying backwards with her guns pointed directly towards the enemy ships. "Firing laser cannons!" The laser blasts struck one of the ships. The enemy ship exploded. "That's one..." She started firing on the other two ships.

"The day you discover shards would be a dark day for your foes." Yuya... laughed. "Not much for me to do while you take on the entire enemy fleet yourself."

"How alluring! Definitely interested in hearing about shards. What are they?" Selestia asked with a perked up voice. An enemy ship exploded in the background.

"Does massive damage but only effective at really close range. Think a shotgun for ships."

"Ah... I must try these shards out! Perhaps I can take out 3 ships every 10 seconds than just 1 ship! I'm so excited!" The last enemy ship exploded as her last laser shots landed. "Phew! That was exhilarating! Now to collect... wait..." Selestia fiddled with her screens. "I can only launch one drone and only have very tiny cargo space. There really was not much space to put more non-violent ship parts."

"That's the problem with specialist ships. They are quite poor if not unfeasible doing stuff outside of their specialty." Yuya shrugged. "You either play as a team with different roles for each ship, or you get a multi-role ship. Multi-role ships are effective in many roles. But still weaker than specialist ships in the specialized role. Blah blah game balance... I usually try to make up the difference of a multi-role ship with skills."

"A tough lesson to learn... I'll be leaving all this wonderful cargo behind." Selestia pouted.

"No worries... I got you covered. I do have a multirole ship that can help you pick up all stuff floating around." My swarm of drones were sent out and collected everything in 10 seconds. "I'll give you your share when I sell them. You want 70%?"

"My word... that was quite fast! But is me getting 70% fair?"

"I don't quite need the money as much and you worked harder for it. Hmm..." Yuya put his hand on his chin. "I know!"

"Sir... your time has expired. Would you like to add more time?" Yuya took off his VR helmet. Yuya and Selestia were seated beside each other in a chair with red stripes on black leather. There was a multi-color-cycling glow coming from well-lit computers on the desks in front of them. Monitors in front of them were equally well adorned with RGB lights on the back and sides.

"Hmm... I'll take a drink to go actually."

\-----

"Are you sure me telling you more about my... isekai story that I'm writing... worth your share it?" Selestia asks Yuya walking beside him on the sidewalk. The twilight fills the skies with the lights of various shops bring a little light on the ground and pavement.

"Haha... I got enough money in that game already. Not to mention more ships than I know what to do with." Yuya looked to Selestia. "Now before we reach the train station, tell me a little bit more about your story! Especially where you think the story is going!"

"Alright... I guess if you have that much money then information is more useful. Give me a second to ponder." She looked to her walking feet. Then she looked to Yuya. "I think I know where I shall continue."

&nbsp;

&quot;Requesting takeoff on pad 15.&quot; Selestia spoke into a mic. She scanned her cockpit displays. &quot;Modules look good. Navigation says I have enough fuel for the 2 jumps.&quot;
&quot;Request approved. Cleared for take off on pad 15.&quot; A robotic voice replied with a slight hum of radio noise. Huge metal doors opened up slowly to a starry background around a distant white star and glowing curvature of a planet. The star's light shone onto a sleek blue and white space ship docked in the hanger.
&quot;Requesting takeoff on pad 8.&quot; Yuya spoke through muffled radio. &quot;Looking forward to fighting the space war Selestia?&quot;
Yuya and Selestia were sitting in gamer chairs in front of a computer each. Each had a headset with rainbow cycle glowing branding. Yuya had a taro bubble tea with tapioca pearls on a mounted cup holder. Selestia had a red coloured drink with green jelly rectangle bits at the bottom. Both had wider straws than usual.
&quot;I want something to test out my newly tuned gimbals aims-for-me ship weapons on.&quot; Selestia replied. &quot;I tried the fixed ship weapons for stronger damage. But I saw you use the gimbaled weapons to take out so many more ships than I did.&quot;
&quot;I want to SEE you use gimbaled weapons. You're a far better combat pilot than me in this online game.&quot; Yuya laughed. &quot;I'm the one who taught you how disabling the flight stabilizer can let you do some cool moves. Now you're the one flying circles around me.&quot; Yuya took a quick sip of his drink and sighed. &quot;The teacher is being left behind...&quot;
&quot;Don't worry! I still have plenty to learn in this simulator.&quot; Selestia tried to cheer up Yuya. &quot;There is exploration, commercial passenger fights, trading... even making factories to produce goods! Not to mention programming!&quot;
Two mid-sized space ships left the space station's central shaft. The metallic cyan ship was more angular. The blue and white ship more sleek. Behind them? A few enormous large rings that were extremely slowly spinning around the central shaft. The inner surface of the rings were transparent revealing the buildings, parks, and farms inside.
&quot;Cleared the station. Ready to warp to the war zone. Ready Yuya?&quot; Selestia asked.
&quot;Ready! Can't wait till I see you in action Celeste! Engage warp!&quot; Yuya pushed the throttle and the stars streaked into a blur. A grin crept on his face as the two ship disappeared from sight.
---
An even expression appeared on Yuya's mouth. An orange warning saying &quot;Warning! In warzone!&quot; shines on his face. Several mechanical drones with tiny thruster manuver a tiny debris field of twisted metal. They bring back to Yuya's ship whatever is useful in a streak of a tiny glowing thruster. Yuya sighed. &quot;You good over there Selest?&quot;
&quot;I am doing great!&quot; Selestia's ship zipped around the space battle field. Three enemy craft with red strips were following behind closely. Her ship turned left then spun 180 degrees. She started flying backwards with her guns pointed directly towards the enemy ships. &quot;Firing laser cannons!&quot; The laser blasts struck one of the ships. The enemy ship exploded. &quot;That's one...&quot; She started firing on the other two ships.
&quot;The day you discover shards would be a dark day for your foes.&quot; Yuya... laughed. &quot;Not much for me to do while you take on the entire enemy fleet yourself.&quot;
&quot;How alluring! Definitely interested in hearing about shards. What are they?&quot; Selestia asked with a perked up voice. An enemy ship exploded in the background.
&quot;Does massive damage but only effective at really close range. Think a shotgun for ships.&quot;
&quot;Ah... I must try these shards out! Perhaps I can take out 3 ships every 10 seconds than just 1 ship! I'm so excited!&quot; The last enemy ship exploded as her last laser shots landed. &quot;Phew! That was exhilarating! Now to collect... wait...&quot; Selestia fiddled with her screens. &quot;I can only launch one drone and only have very tiny cargo space. There really was not much space to put more non-violent ship parts.&quot;
&quot;That's the problem with specialist ships. They are quite poor if not unfeasible doing stuff outside of their specialty.&quot; Yuya shrugged. &quot;You either play as a team with different roles for each ship, or you get a multi-role ship. Multi-role ships are effective in many roles. But still weaker than specialist ships in the specialized role. Blah blah game balance... I usually try to make up the difference of a multi-role ship with skills.&quot;
&quot;A tough lesson to learn... I'll be leaving all this wonderful cargo behind.&quot; Selestia pouted.
&quot;No worries... I got you covered. I do have a multirole ship that can help you pick up all stuff floating around.&quot; My swarm of drones were sent out and collected everything in 10 seconds. &quot;I'll give you your share when I sell them. You want 70%?&quot;
&quot;My word... that was quite fast! But is me getting 70% fair?&quot;
&quot;I don't quite need the money as much and you worked harder for it. Hmm...&quot; Yuya put his hand on his chin. &quot;I know!&quot;
&quot;Sir... your time has expired. Would you like to add more time?&quot; Yuya took off his VR helmet. Yuya and Selestia were seated beside each other in a chair with red stripes on black leather. There was a multi-color-cycling glow coming from well-lit computers on the desks in front of them. Monitors in front of them were equally well adorned with RGB lights on the back and sides.
&quot;Hmm... I'll take a drink to go actually.&quot;
-----
&quot;Are you sure me telling you more about my... isekai story that I'm writing... worth your share it?&quot; Selestia asks Yuya walking beside him on the sidewalk. The twilight fills the skies with the lights of various shops bring a little light on the ground and pavement.
&quot;Haha... I got enough money in that game already. Not to mention more ships than I know what to do with.&quot; Yuya looked to Selestia. &quot;Now before we reach the train station, tell me a little bit more about your story! Especially where you think the story is going!&quot;
&quot;Alright... I guess if you have that much money then information is more useful. Give me a second to ponder.&quot; She looked to her walking feet. Then she looked to Yuya. &quot;I think I know where I shall continue.&quot;

Space Sim Cafe


“So then people who were freed from control of their lord started their own town government?” A girl in curly locks in a school uniform exclaimed. “Then they suffered from higher taxes than before? Ohohoho!” She held her hand beside her mouth and laughed. “I thought you were merely a naive, idealistic writer. But you do have the guts to write some juicy inconvenient realism! I applaud you Selestia!” The girl across from her crossed her arms with a frown, looking away.

There were five students sitting around a table in a small room. A few cabinets with posters on the doors filled with colourful illustrated characters and extremely long titles distributed throughout the room. Also a small windowed fridge filled with cool beverages in cans.

“While I am grateful for your words, I cannot help but feel you are still mocking me.” Selestia pouted. “But now I am stuck on how to continue from here. Any ideas on how to progress this story?”

“They should look to faith for a way forward and guidance.” Honoka put her hands in prayer. Sitting at the table her eyes were closed in momentary mediation. “Build a temple and uplift the people!”

“Stop trying to insert your story into my story Honoka!” Celestia shouted. “This… story… is really important to me.” Honoka’s eyes opened and startled.

“I am trying to help.” Honoka said despondent. “Sometimes having something to believe can give people strength and power.”

“While true, Honoka, for a space-themed story with no aliens nor cosmic horrors, religious themes may not be as popular.” A teenager put his hands palms up. “If there were some void abominations then audiences would be more receptive. Usually human-only space stories tend to shy away from religion as a topic… unless it’s like a critique on society or something.”

“Yuya…” Honoka spoke dejectedly.

“Let’s not forget I enjoy your eastern style monotheistic world.” Yuya smiled. “It’s unique compared to the stories I’ve read. But if you keep encouraging everyone else to adopt it, it wouldn’t be unique anymore. Also your magical action scenes are pretty cool.”

“That is true… yes. Thank you Yuya!” Honoka’s lips smiled yet eyebrows troubled.

“Back to Selestia’s story.” Yuya stroked his chin. “Hmm… how to continue? Common tale of Nobility or Royality doing a slow transition won’t work. I know!” Yuya snapped his finger smoothly into pointing at Selestia. “You need a heroic or sagely character to lead the people. No need to be actually sagely or hero-king-like. Just the appearance! They should prioritize education for the masses and maybe slowly transition into a democracy over generations. Cliche and idealistic… but should be compatible for Selestia’s style.”

“Thank you Yuya!” Seleatia shouted with glee. “This really helps me out a lot.”

“Anything to help your Isekai writing journey!” Yuya smiled. Selestia looked at Yuya for a second. Then she smiled.

“That’s right!” Selestia nodded. Yuya looked around and saw a brown short haired girl with her head on the table.

“Rihoko…” Yuya spoke with concern. “... are you doing alright?” One of her hands raised up and waved off in Yuya’s direction.

“Ah… it’s not a big deal.” Rihoko spoke a grumpy lower voice. “My story is also kinda stuck. Cash flow in the… protag’s company… is kinda low. Between the lack of goods, people not having money to buy stuff… even the low tax of 60% doesn’t help.”

“That’s quite the low tax.” Curly locks tossed in the air while a fan opened up in front of herself. “Why, the peasants should be grateful for such a kind tax.” Selestia and Yuya’s eyes’ widened. Silence filled the room.

“Ahh… you play the part of villainess well Miu!” Yuya laughed as he recovered from the shock. “That’s something you only do if you are deliberately trying to suppress the populace at the cost of money.” Miu paused with a stalled expression of laughter.

“Ohohoho… that’s right. You have to have that much money to do that.” Miu’s voice shook a little bit as she hid her mouth behind her fan. “Though I do forget the percentage to maximize tax revenue. What was it again?”

“Simplified for the wider audience, 6%-18% depending on what services the government provides. Country ideology and various details notwithstanding… blah blah blah…” Yuya shrugged. Selestia, Miu, and Rihoko stopped and looked at Yuya. “What? That is the taxes we got here.” A moment of silence. Honoka looks around confused.

“I’m feeling a little lost.” Honoka spoke up. “Can someone explain why everyone is looking kinda funny?”

“Well sometimes you need to decrease taxes to get more taxes.” Yuya laughed. “It sounds weird but here is what happens.” He took a deep breath. Then let the air out of his lungs. “So… if taxes are lower, then people buy more. This means more taxes.” Yuya shrugged. “While usually you should try to get the correct ratios, those amounts should generate a lot more actual revenue than 50%. Your main concern would be trying to make sure inflation stays at a healthy rate.” Everyone else except Honoka nodded.

“Wow… never thought about that.” Selestia broke the silence. “I’ll make sure to take note of that.”

“Not sure about that Yuya. I…” Rihoko put her hand to her chin. “... probably have to think about that for a bit. My protag isn’t part of the nobility nor royalty.”

“Hmm… interesting.” Yuya grinned. “I commonly see the main character already have that power and just straight up implement it. Usually the obstacle is the fallout from other nobles accusing you of “stealing” the people away with low taxes. Now you don’t even have the power to set the taxes.” Yuya took out a pen and started to twirl it in thought. “Hmm… this idea could work if the situation is right.”

“What situation would that be?” Rihoko tilted her head.

“Having a friend who is a fresh new noble with useless lands might work.” Yuya did his signature fingersnap. The twirling pen now flopped to the table. “Oops! Oh well. If it’s new and kinda like not useful lands by their society’s values our new friend noble might be given an excuse to have to absurdly lower taxes. New noble friend might be set up for failure anyways. Other nobles won’t think they are a threat till it’s too late.”

“Ah… but if you had a noble friend they could just give you a special exception on the tax right? Ohoho!” Miu folded up her fan with a flick of her wrist and a crisp sound.

“That can work too! Good thinking Miu!” Yuya replied with glee. “Much easier to pull off. Throw in a plot to save a noble’s family member or something and you can ask for that! Not as overpowered as the original plan but far less situational.”

“No one can beat me when it comes to writing about Nobles!” Miu opened her fan again.
DING-DONG! The school-bell rang.

“Well that’s the bell! I declare this club meeting to be over! Enjoy your writing! See you tomorrow everyone!” Yuya got up followed by the rest of the members. They started to pack up and leave the room. Selestia walked up to Yuya.

“Alright Yuya.” Selestia spoke brightly. “You ready to show me that space game at the net cafe?”


“So then people who were freed from control of their lord started their own town government?” A girl in curly locks in a school uniform exclaimed. “Then they suffered from higher taxes than before? Ohohoho!” She held her hand beside her mouth and laughed. “I thought you were merely a naive, idealistic writer. But you do have the guts to write some juicy inconvenient realism! I applaud you Selestia!” The girl across from her crossed her arms with a frown, looking away.
There were five students sitting around a table in a small room. A few cabinets with posters on the doors filled with colourful illustrated characters and extremely long titles distributed throughout the room. Also a small windowed fridge filled with cool beverages in cans.
“While I am grateful for your words, I cannot help but feel you are still mocking me.” Selestia pouted. “But now I am stuck on how to continue from here. Any ideas on how to progress this story?”
“They should look to faith for a way forward and guidance.” Honoka put her hands in prayer. Sitting at the table her eyes were closed in momentary mediation. “Build a temple and uplift the people!”
“Stop trying to insert your story into my story Honoka!” Celestia shouted. “This… story… is really important to me.” Honoka’s eyes opened and startled.
“I am trying to help.” Honoka said despondent. “Sometimes having something to believe can give people strength and power.”
“While true, Honoka, for a space-themed story with no aliens nor cosmic horrors, religious themes may not be as popular.” A teenager put his hands palms up. “If there were some void abominations then audiences would be more receptive. Usually human-only space stories tend to shy away from religion as a topic… unless it’s like a critique on society or something.”
“Yuya…” Honoka spoke dejectedly.
“Let’s not forget I enjoy your eastern style monotheistic world.” Yuya smiled. “It’s unique compared to the stories I’ve read. But if you keep encouraging everyone else to adopt it, it wouldn’t be unique anymore. Also your magical action scenes are pretty cool.”
“That is true… yes. Thank you Yuya!” Honoka’s lips smiled yet eyebrows troubled.
“Back to Selestia’s story.” Yuya stroked his chin. “Hmm… how to continue? Common tale of Nobility or Royality doing a slow transition won’t work. I know!” Yuya snapped his finger smoothly into pointing at Selestia. “You need a heroic or sagely character to lead the people. No need to be actually sagely or hero-king-like. Just the appearance! They should prioritize education for the masses and maybe slowly transition into a democracy over generations. Cliche and idealistic… but should be compatible for Selestia’s style.”
“Thank you Yuya!” Seleatia shouted with glee. “This really helps me out a lot.”
“Anything to help your Isekai writing journey!” Yuya smiled. Selestia looked at Yuya for a second. Then she smiled.
“That’s right!” Selestia nodded. Yuya looked around and saw a brown short haired girl with her head on the table.
“Rihoko…” Yuya spoke with concern. “... are you doing alright?” One of her hands raised up and waved off in Yuya’s direction.
“Ah… it’s not a big deal.” Rihoko spoke a grumpy lower voice. “My story is also kinda stuck. Cash flow in the… protag’s company… is kinda low. Between the lack of goods, people not having money to buy stuff… even the low tax of 60% doesn’t help.”
“That’s quite the low tax.” Curly locks tossed in the air while a fan opened up in front of herself. “Why, the peasants should be grateful for such a kind tax.” Selestia and Yuya’s eyes’ widened. Silence filled the room.
“Ahh… you play the part of villainess well Miu!” Yuya laughed as he recovered from the shock. “That’s something you only do if you are deliberately trying to suppress the populace at the cost of money.” Miu paused with a stalled expression of laughter.
“Ohohoho… that’s right. You have to have that much money to do that.” Miu’s voice shook a little bit as she hid her mouth behind her fan. “Though I do forget the percentage to maximize tax revenue. What was it again?”
“Simplified for the wider audience, 6%-18% depending on what services the government provides. Country ideology and various details notwithstanding… blah blah blah…” Yuya shrugged. Selestia, Miu, and Rihoko stopped and looked at Yuya. “What? That is the taxes we got here.” A moment of silence. Honoka looks around confused.
“I’m feeling a little lost.” Honoka spoke up. “Can someone explain why everyone is looking kinda funny?”
“Well sometimes you need to decrease taxes to get more taxes.” Yuya laughed. “It sounds weird but here is what happens.” He took a deep breath. Then let the air out of his lungs. “So… if taxes are lower, then people buy more. This means more taxes.” Yuya shrugged. “While usually you should try to get the correct ratios, those amounts should generate a lot more actual revenue than 50%. Your main concern would be trying to make sure inflation stays at a healthy rate.” Everyone else except Honoka nodded.
“Wow… never thought about that.” Selestia broke the silence. “I’ll make sure to take note of that.”
“Not sure about that Yuya. I…” Rihoko put her hand to her chin. “... probably have to think about that for a bit. My protag isn’t part of the nobility nor royalty.”
“Hmm… interesting.” Yuya grinned. “I commonly see the main character already have that power and just straight up implement it. Usually the obstacle is the fallout from other nobles accusing you of “stealing” the people away with low taxes. Now you don’t even have the power to set the taxes.” Yuya took out a pen and started to twirl it in thought. “Hmm… this idea could work if the situation is right.”
“What situation would that be?” Rihoko tilted her head.
“Having a friend who is a fresh new noble with useless lands might work.” Yuya did his signature fingersnap. The twirling pen now flopped to the table. “Oops! Oh well. If it’s new and kinda like not useful lands by their society’s values our new friend noble might be given an excuse to have to absurdly lower taxes. New noble friend might be set up for failure anyways. Other nobles won’t think they are a threat till it’s too late.”
“Ah… but if you had a noble friend they could just give you a special exception on the tax right? Ohoho!” Miu folded up her fan with a flick of her wrist and a crisp sound.
“That can work too! Good thinking Miu!” Yuya replied with glee. “Much easier to pull off. Throw in a plot to save a noble’s family member or something and you can ask for that! Not as overpowered as the original plan but far less situational.”
“No one can beat me when it comes to writing about Nobles!” Miu opened her fan again.
DING-DONG! The school-bell rang.
“Well that’s the bell! I declare this club meeting to be over! Enjoy your writing! See you tomorrow everyone!” Yuya got up followed by the rest of the members. They started to pack up and leave the room. Selestia walked up to Yuya.
“Alright Yuya.” Selestia spoke brightly. “You ready to show me that space game at the net cafe?”

Tales

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Tales

Life for Gamers