I honestly had never heard of a post mortem until Devtober, so thank you for this because it's a really good idea and much better than a summary. This game was done solo, but I was still so caught up in it I forgot about my college work sometimes! lol
(Spoilers for my game, but I encourage you to read on!)
Why did I decide to make a game? Why a visual novel?
I had originally considered making a 3d/2d RPG (thanks Undertale), but I found that many more games and stories I cherished were in the visual novel format (DDLC, the Danganronpa series, Steins; Gate, Clannad). This is when I decided it was time to try making my own at the beginning of August.
Characters and storyline?
I value these two things the most in anything and everything.
Waaaay back in the day, I had some original characters I used for animatics for myself, but never really saw the light of day when it came to unique dialogue and narrative. This is when I decided to create a story surrounding them... but where do I start? It took several months for me to figure out what story and world I wanted them to be in (isekai???), but to successfully convey what I wanted to, I needed them all to be equal (animal people). I found what is important to me; I wanted to show contemporary issues many preteens, teens, and even adults might have in their life, and that has to do with manipulation, bad habits, stalking, relationships, and the romanticization of them.
The actual game development/programming?
I made the game PUQFFAL!!! using Ren'Py, an engine that I had only started learning at the beginning of August. If you want to make a game, you have to learn an engine, and to learn the engine, you have to be persistent and care enough to do so. There were many ups and downs and bugs I had, but in the end, it was so so worth it. Look everything you want to know up (the internet is here for a reason) and reference your inspirations.
I had started earlier than most people, but started lagging a little. This is when I found Devtober in the game jams section, and it helped my motivation quite a bit.
Music, sprites, art?
These were the fun part of the project and another reason I chose a visual novel format! My tip is that if you're just starting to draw, please use references and study them. I used them and they helped me improve, so you should too! I definitely was not able to complete the CGs in time, but it personally didn't distract from the story, so I hope it isn't a big distraction for the players. Looking back now, I believe some of the sprites could be better (make sure to flip your screen when drawing!). It was the first time I created music (I used BandLab), and I would've never known how easy it was to make music if it wasn't for my game. You should try it out yourself!
Social media and advertising?
I did not know that this was going to be a part of my project so I did this part pretty late, but there's no other way to have people know about your game if you don't tell them! This forced me to use media I had never touched in my life (Twitter, Reddit, Lemma Soft Forums, TikTok) to attempt at gaining a following. It only partially worked, but I found some others with the same interests as me, so it's a win in my opinion. Be consistent with your posts and start early!
This has been such a blast for me that I'm going to make even more games like these after this jam. Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day!
- MintGlow
(P.S. I'll add more if I think of other tips/good/bad! )
Link to the game if you're curious: https://mintglow.itch.io/puqffal