What makes a Visual Novel good or great?

Topaztan wrote:Ah, there are so many good male voice actors that make nice ero-noises~.
=u= I imagine what it must be like to record that though, I mean,
especially with the dummy head mics and being in a professional studio
setting. Lol, the whole ordeal is so awkward sounding.

by experiment you mean stop squealing kimochiiii, right?? I'm sure with practice the female seiyuu will get better as well.

I actually read more into how these "sounds" are made. (#／。＼#) It's not exactly uncommon knowledge, but it isn't widespread, either. I know that (hidden for mature content):

Spoiler:

A part of me thinks that it might be fun. Though, I certainly would have a hard time if the other staff can see what I'm doing. Maybe if I'm in a room where they couldn't see how I'm acting, then I'd feel more secure.

Laramie Castiel wrote:I actually read more into how these "sounds" are made. (#／。＼#) It's not exactly uncommon knowledge, but it isn't widespread, either. I know that (hidden for mature content):

Spoiler:

A part of me thinks that it might be fun. Though, I certainly would have a hard time if the other staff can see what I'm doing. Maybe if I'm in a room where they couldn't see how I'm acting, then I'd feel more secure.

THE MORE YOU KNOW~ ★彡 But, actually it makes sense to record ero-nosies like that. If I had to do it I know I'd start giggling at myself. xD;

When they're recording in a studio isn't there a sound-proof box like room with a microphone and a script and then there is a window where the audio directors communicate with the voice actor and they listen to whatever is happening? Bad explanation is bad, but maybe this is only how they record songs. I'm not sure... orz.

I guess the seiyuu would be comfortable/professional enough with the audio-tech people to record things like that, I know that it's unusual to record with another person though.

Topaztan wrote:THE MORE YOU KNOW~ ★彡 But, actually it makes sense to record ero-nosies
like that. If I had to do it I know I'd start giggling at myself. xD;

When
they're recording in a studio isn't there a sound-proof box like room
with a microphone and a script and then there is a window where the
audio directors communicate with the voice actor and they listen to
whatever is happening? Bad explanation is bad, but maybe this is only
how they record songs. I'm not sure... orz.

I guess the seiyuu
would be comfortable/professional enough with the audio-tech people to
record things like that, I know that it's unusual to record with another
person though.

Y-you like Encyclopedia Dramatica, too?! ★彡

Yeah, that's right. A manga about a girl working in the eroge industry as a seiyuu called "Koe de Oshigoto" has taught me much!

That's true. Maybe I'd wear sunglasses or something. I'm one of those people that can delude myself into believing that I'm "blending in" when I wear sunnies. It makes me feel secure, lol dunno wtf I'm saying anymore.

It is unusual to record with others, unless of course, they're recording a mob or something. I can see why recording individually would be best. Just imagine how embarrassing it would be if you had to record an ero scene with another person! If they sound too nice, I might go "kya!" (#／。＼#) So much respect, man.

Laramie Castiel wrote:
Y-you like Encyclopedia Dramatica, too?! ★彡

Yeah, that's right. A manga about a girl working in the eroge industry as a seiyuu called "Koe de Oshigoto" has taught me much! ;)

That's true. Maybe I'd wear sunglasses or something. I'm one of those people that can delude myself into believing that I'm "blending in" when I wear sunnies. It makes me feel secure, lol dunno wtf I'm saying anymore.

It is unusual to record with others, unless of course, they're recording a mob or something. I can see why recording individually would be best. Just imagine how embarrassing it would be if you had to record an ero scene with another person! If they sound too nice, I might go "kya!" (#／。＼#) So much respect, man.

Yes, of course~ All the sites I enjoy are for people who abuse tabbed browsing. :D

Somehow... I'm not surprised. xD There is a manga for almost everything out there.

It's 'kay I know what you mean about the sunglasses thing, I do the same thing but with my hair. Because bangs covering your forehead makes you soooo much less exposed to the outside world. A

I imagine you wouldn't need professionals to record a mob though, maybe just gather all the available employees and have them complain in front of the microphone. Or at least, that's how I'd record it. xD; This is why voice acting is so much harder than acting, you aren't saying the lines to anyone in particular so some things might be less embarrassing but you're still a one person act. Imagination is required. Beats having to sit across from a person an read an eroge script. >///>

Yeah, a lot of mob recordings seem to work that way. I've seen documentaries and such about it a few years ago in Japan. Also, with voice acting, you can't use physical gestures to make up for a weakness in dialogue delivery. Plus, a rough 60% of human communications are made through physical cues, so yeah, voice actors do have a disadvantage there.

Both Japanese and Western worlds of voice acting is tough, but in the Western world, you pretty much can't survive if you don't have a good tonal range, since a lot of the jobs are in cartoons and voice overs. Producers of cartoons prefer to have a small cast, and assign multiple roles. The Simpsons, South Park and Fairly OddParents are examples of this.

As for the Japanese world, talent is sadly, not necessary. Of course, most seiyuu are excellent at their jobs, because without attending voice acting school, you're rarely considered by casting agents. They have the technical know-how and are trained extensively. However, there are a small handful of seiyuu that are hired pretty much for their looks. That's not to say they have zero talent, it's just that they wouldn't be nearly as well-received if they weren't attractive. This is more common in female than male seiyuu, since (supposedly) most otaku are male.

I sometimes incite a lot of rage for saying this, but a good example of this is Hirano Aya. She's an okay voice actress- certainly not terrible. She wouldn't be nearly as popular without voicing fanservice and moe characters. Her actual acting is average. However, seiyuu otaku also love her 'cause she's SO PURRDY. Well, until her hundreds of scandals.

I'm derailing the thread again, but I couldn't help but "muse" about the seiyuu industry. You know, since I'm a pretty hopeless seiyuu otaku.

Wow thanks for all of the advice! I needed it because i'm "new" to this XD

But anyways Thanks ya

No worries! =D

Hope you can find a one to your liking~ [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Can I still post my opinion on what makes a vn great? o:

Of course you can! =D

Yay ^w^
Then let my rambling begin :3
1. PLOT It's a visual novel, so of course plot should be really important The plot must be well written and well thought out. It must be interesting to keep the reader's attention and making them want to know more. The plot is even better if there is some sort of twist in it, but not some sort of twist that you can see miles away.
2. CHARACTERS Every good story must have characters in them :3. It would only be an incomprehensible and boring essay if there weren't any characters in it >.<The characters must be interesting both visually and for the story. Characters with plenty of debt, personality and an interesting background can make a good plot shine. But let's not lose sight of those minor characters in all that brightness x3. Bring some life into them. Give them some personalities and debt, too :3. They are called supporting characters for a reason: if they can't support the story, then it all falls apart D: It's also bad to have only one kind of personality for all of your characters. It would make the whole story one boring note [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] Add variety by mixing lots and lots of different kinds of personalities. Not only would they make the plot better, but it would also please a lot more people, too. :3
3. IDEA Also known as "originality" in my dictionary and that is just my personal opinion. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] I know that some people like common stories like fairy tales or historical dramatic event reproduction or saving the world. But for me, those kind a vn never stand out. They would stand out a bit more if they referenced or included some sort of fact that I never knew of. Those vn that really stand out to me are those who are so original that it would make you think "Wow even I wouldn't of thought of that!" A good example of a great idea would be the kinetic novel called Heart and Soul. I really like the idea he/she had for the story, but the plot just fell flat on it's face >.< Another good example for a vn with a great idea would 999: 9 Hours, 9 People, 9 Doors. Even though there I've read other mangas and vns that had the same "survive this deadly game" kinda idea, but it was made even better by making something that I never knew about into the plot: the morphogenetic field theory, and it's pretty heavy in the plot, too. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] Barely anyone knows about this theory, so by adding something unknown and making it a big part of the plot made the vn feel like its something completely different than a simple "survival" story 83.
4. MUSIC This is pretty self explanatory. Good music that naturally loop can add more feelings to the story. But it can also ruin the mood of the story if the wrong kind of music is played at the wrong place.
5. VOICE ACTING I'm not a voice actor fan, honestly I just find voice actors to be a bonus, but if there is voice acting, it better be good voice acting that fits with the character.

That's all the important stuff for me :3. For me, I don't even care about all the extra stuff a game offers. Just give me a good story with everything I said above and I'll like it :study: [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Now i see what most people like or dislike. That will help me choose if I should play or not [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

You guys are really helpful thank you
It's ok to keep posting on what you like or dislike I like to hear what people think