View Full Version : How visual novels be better for next generation consoles?
DragonmasterX
2006-06-15, 19:17
For PS1, most, if not all, visual novels had no voice acting. Dreamcast had a lot more with voice acting, and the trend continued on PS2.
What are PS3 visual novels going to do new/differently to justify the better technology?
I haven't seen any talk about this among English gamers, because they don't give a damn about this genre. Many probably don't even know it exists. How about among the Japanese fandom/media? Have you seen discussions on this?
For most studios, the answer is probably going to be 'not much'. Most of these games are developed with the PC in mind and only afterwards ported to a console, so trends in visual novels are far more likely to reflect changes in the PC gaming scene rather than console hardware potential.
I'll hazard a few guesses for those few games that are developed for the consoles, though:
1. Enhanced emphasis on the online capabilities of these new consoles means you'll probably be able to download some extras, or at least patches.
2. There'll be flashier graphics for SLGs and other games that aren't purely 'visual novels', and higher quality images and sound for those that are.
3. There'll be an increased degree of interactivity in areas like mini-games, given features like motion-sensing cameras/controllers.
4. A few of the bigger outfits might try something like cel-shaded characters, but the efforts so far have been pretty clumsy, and I doubt it'll be replacing hand-drawn art anytime soon.
Things I don't see happening:
1. More animation: this is a budget rather than a technical issue.
2. True online playability (ala Tokimemo Online) - give that these games are focused on human interaction rather than killing monsters, this doesn't seem feasible without a keyboard.
omgwtflolz
2006-06-15, 21:17
What are PS3 visual novels going to do new/differently to justify the better technology?
Nothing. Why should they have to?
Just tag on a new route or two and people'll buy it.
I seriously doubt visual novels moving to the PS3 any time soon. Heck, I still remember Baldr Force came out for Dreamcast after the system was mostly dead.
The Dreamcast will never die!!
Actually the dreamcast got a lot of VN ports after official support was dropped. One of the good things about it.
As for next generation, I don't expect anything different if all this time we haven't seen anything different on the PC. When the minimum reqs are still at 1999s level, nothing's going to be pushed anytime soon.
Voice synthesis. When I change my character's name, I don't want to hear the actress using the default and I don't want unnatural gaps in her speech. I want to hear my name dammit!
Tokimeki Memorial 2 had a very limited version of this way back on the PS1. Even if the PS3 doesn't live up to the ridiculous hype, it should be sufficiently powerful to do acceptable speech synthesis. It's about time.
Freakman
2006-06-16, 05:59
贅沢なやつだなまったく
Amon-chan
2006-06-16, 08:02
Voice synthesis. When I change my character's name, I don't want to hear the actress using the default and I don't want unnatural gaps in her speech. I want to hear my name dammit!
Tokimeki Memorial 2 had a very limited version of this way back on the PS1. Even if the PS3 doesn't live up to the ridiculous hype, it should be sufficiently powerful to do acceptable speech synthesis. It's about time.
If that ever happens, I'd love to hear it try to say "Haeleth". Even I don't know how to say it :D
A bit off topic, but where did you get the name "Haeleth" anyway? The font you're using in forum logo looks rather... gaelic. Or something like that. And what does "gemot" and "'áwendende" mean?
I highly doubt ANY Visual Novels will make it to the PS3. I think Wii is the most likely candidate, not because of the unique controller, but rather because Nintendo has no restrictions for developing on their consoles. Microsoft and Sony both require HD output, which costs tons of money to do. Thus why small companies have a hard time developing for them. As SNK mentioned, if you're going to spend millions making a game in HD, you'd want it to sell well in all territories and not just well in Japan.
How problematic is the hi-def issue? I've seen games move gradually from 640x480 to 800x600, and stepping up to 1024x768 doesn't seem all that impractical. Now, 1024x768 is no 1080p, but it's no 480i either ;o
I suspect PS3 simply due to inertia. AFAIK nobody's released a novel game for a non-GameBoy Nintendo platform in ten years. (Though no doubt someone will be along to correct me shortly!)
If that ever happens, I'd love to hear it try to say "Haeleth". Even I don't know how to say it :D
[h{lET] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-SAMPA).
It wouldn't be a problem for a game, because naturally I'd be using a phonetic transcription into kana anyway. :)
A bit off topic, but where did you get the name "Haeleth" anyway? [...] And what does "gemot" and "'áwendende" mean?
Old English, meaning something like man/warrior/hero. "Awendende" means "translating", and "gemot" means roughly "discussion group" (cf "moot").
Does this (http://www.ncsxshop.com/cgi-bin/shop/DOL-P-GL3J.html) count?
It wouldn't be a problem for a game, because naturally I'd be using a phonetic transcription into kana anyway. :)
Well maybe it's not that hard then to make it actually pronounce the name. However...do you really expect it do pronounce it correctly no matter the mood of the speaker? I'm sure you wouldn't be to happy if your name sounded the same for 漫談、 痴話喧嘩 and your beloved (?) おねだり (edit: okay for console games probably not the problem). I think the tone of the voice could not really fit to the actual line. I think it's a larger large job to make it sound to fit and fulfill your request for it to pronounce any combination of kana. Who except for you would need ハレス? It'd understand if it had several pronouncations depending on the mood for あきら or so but not for ハレス.
Using synthesis shouldn't be able to solve this problem entirely either. It would probably also sound out of place.
And I don't even know why the next generation should be able to do this...after all this is probably not a problem of cpu or gpu power.
ariaandkia
2006-06-17, 12:21
Actually, it isn't that hard if you just completly toss out the voice acting (except for a model for synthesis).
With a voice model, you can easily make a synthesis that works. However... It takes up space, which is why I doubt that they would ever do that. (Basically, you take in a whole bunch of voice patterns from a voice actor or whatever, and you use that as a model of how the synthesis sounds.
However, you need to do a whole bunch of combinations in order to make it right. (ex. voice for th, voice for wo, voice for we, etc.) Then, you'd need a minor AI program to discern patterns such as oooooh = ooh (elongated). After all of that is done, voice synthesis is quite easy.
Trust me, I use voice synth all the time. (I have to stay anon for transactions and people don't tend to like talking to a machine. ^_^ ' So I can at least make it not sound like a machine. (I'm so going to get shot....))
So I can at least make it not sound like a machine. Wouldn't it sound like one of the 2channel cats in those flash movies, though? Not very moé.
Another rather super duper rare and unlikely feature: The ability to type out your own choice?
The fact why there is near to nil official translated visual novels may due to one simple reason found in most people's mind- Why buy a cd which is virtually a talking book when I can buy a cd game I like?
That explains why my roommates gave me skeptical looks when I am playing games such as Kanon.
Another rather super duper rare and unlikely feature: The ability to type out your own choice?
The fact why there is near to nil official translated visual novels may due to one simple reason found in most people's mind- Why buy a cd which is virtually a talking book when I can buy a cd game I like?
That explains why my roommates gave me skeptical looks when I am playing games such as Kanon.
It would not be unlikely, it would be IMPOSSIBLE. They'd have to write the outcome of every possible choice, and the choice are, well, endless. Even if they worked for a thousand years, they would never be able to do it.
Unless you're suggesting something like that old game I tried where you type 'jump' and the character jumps. Or 'climb' and he climbs. But I'm assuming you mean something much more complicated :P
omgwtflolz
2006-06-18, 11:28
Starship Titanic. :P
Not suggesting that it works, just pointing out that it isn't impossible.
Natural language input wouldn't be a big advance for the next-gen consoles; it's not a question of computing power but of AI capability. I don't think it will work any better than Starship Titanic.
Come to think of it, what do the next-gen consoles do better? The PS3 and 360 just have better graphics, which is not really necessary. The Wii could probably bring a more interesting gameplay element (http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/6430/11358675972799db.png)...
Nanatuha
2006-06-18, 16:00
Come to think of it, what do the next-gen consoles do better? The PS3 and 360 just have better graphics, which is not really necessary. The Wii could probably bring a more interesting gameplay element (http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/6430/11358675972799db.png)...
I-interesting! However, DAパンツ has already passed the road, imperfectly though. ﾊﾟﾝﾂヽ(゜Д゜)ノﾊﾟﾝﾂ
http://www.russel.co.jp/hp/adult/da_pantu/da_pantu_game.html (Note: quite pervert)
The best advantage for dating-sim would be expansion of media capacity.
I recently played Leaf's game after a long time, and I was impressed that they used two same musics for beginning part (fade-in) and refrain part.
In the CD media era, unused musics were quite common, because music cut down first when creator found that the capacity was insufficient. It was important matter how to reduce capacity. I couldn't imagine such a luxurious idea so far.
On the other hand, it would be difficult to make experimental works further and further. I love freak works as much as masterpiece, though.
AetherParadigm
2006-06-18, 21:22
Well, as far as text input goes, there's always this game - Facade:
http://www.interactivestory.net/
..but like others, it still has a ways to go before it can properly interpret responses - response length is limited, it has a limited response range and passive tense confuses it. However, next generation media like Blu-ray would help with the sheer size it requires (over a gig for a few minutes of play time).
How about fully animated characters that look like they're truly in the scene instead of pasted on the background? Not that I don't enjoy the style, but it'd improve the level of immersion, for sure.
mr.aufziehvogel
2006-06-19, 07:12
i dont think that next gen consoles will improve anything.
i mean, they could set the resolution to 1280x720 or even 1920x1080 but i dont think they will make better charakters or anything like that. they dont get enough money for that...
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