This is a similar subject to the previous post I made on sprite dynamics, and a lot of the same points apply. Interplay between the text and visuals in a CG can convey information which isn’t accessible in the text alone. But, there are some considerations which are specific to CGs, and I’d like Complex Relations to do a good job with those, so I might as well share some of my thoughts on that.

Although a lot of the principles are the same, there are some VNs with good sprite dynamics, but stiff and static CGs. One important consideration here is that a game’s sprite art palette is an investment which can be used across the entire game, but all the CGs are one-offs. Developers have more incentive to skimp on them knowing that all the work that goes into them will only stretch as far as a single scene.

There’s another issue that weighs particularly on CGs compared to other scenes though. Since CGs are used mainly for scenes which can’t easily be depicted with sprite dynamics, they also tend to be scenes which involve more diverse or complex movement- exactly the thing which would make them more difficult and expensive to animate in its entirety.

If you haven’t already seen it, I recommend checking out the VN/Puzzle game Blank Space. In particular, play it with the optional R-18 patch applied (if you’re following Complex Relations, I’m going to assume you’re over 18.) It’s a great game with some really exceptional writing, including exceptionally written sexual content. But, it also gives a sense of just how much sex scenes in visual novels are constrained by their art budgets. The game’s sexual content is pure text, and colorful and diverse enough to bust a game’s budget within a single scene.

Obviously, we’ve foregone the whole “not using art” approach with Complex Relations’ CGs. That means that the content has to be written around the need to be able to convey them with a practical amount of art. Not just to be able to convey the basic elements, but to actually immerse the player in the content of the scene. If I write the scenes first, and then only afterwards try to figure out how to make the art work, either the scenes are going to end up half-assed, or the game’s expenses are going to balloon out of control.

Ideally though, I’d like the game’s CGs to meet a significantly higher standard than “not half-assed.” In particular, I want to be able to pace the scenes out with generous use of visual beats. Has anyone tried counting the number of image transitions in the final CG of the demo? I wasn’t aiming specifically for a large number of transitions, but I wanted to achieve a balanced back-and-forth between the text and visuals. That’s why a lot of image changes which would happen all at once in most VNs are desynchronized in that scene. Hoshiineko has been a real pleasure to work with on this game with her level of attention to detail, and I’d like to showcase that even more in future scenes.

Since I’m still picking things up as I go along, I’m happy for any feedback on what people think of the visual side of the game so far. The demo has already provided some learning experiences I’m looking forward to building on in the rest of the game.