discussion Help and Tips with game making

[Flamypaisen]

I tried making a VN using Koikatsu and Ren'Py, but I was struggling, and then my PC decided it was a good idea to literally catch fire. I went a LONG time without a computer and ended up giving up on the project which, to be fair, had a tiny amount of content, maybe less than 10 minutes' worth.

Lately, I’ve been wanting to give it another shot, it’s been years since my first attempt but my quality hasn't improved one bit; in fact, it might have even gotten worse. That said, with Ren'Py, certain videos are a big help. My real issue is the artistic side of things within Koikatsu itself; I don't really mind if my characters look ugly the problem lies elsewhere.
One of those issues is environments; for instance, if I wanted to create a scene in a shopping mall, Koikatsu doesn't have one as far as I know and my modeling skills are non-existent. I also wouldn't know where to find free environments for Koikatsu.

I face several obstacles hindering my desire to create my own project ranging from small issues, like having to make a kinetic novel instead of one with multiple branching paths, to bigger challenges like the artwork or language barriers (since I’m not a native English speaker). That’s why I’m here asking if anyone else has gone through something similar or has any tips on making the game; I’m no genius, but if even just one person played my game and enjoyed it, I’d be happy and I don't want to have to give up again.

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[Flamypaisen]

By the way, you don't have to comment here only if you're sharing tips; feel free to say what made you want to make a game, whether you went through with it or not just let it all out.

 

[373578807]

The koikatsu community is pretty insular. Most of the time you have to go to paid‑member sites to get scenes and characters made by creators. like fanbox patreon .Every now and then some get released for free, but those are rare. You can check out various forums. Quite a lot of free assets are shared on Chinese‑language forums like

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it’s a closed‑off community; sign‑ups only open up every so often.）. The main issue is that the community is really small. Creators also often vanish out of nowhere for no clear reason.

 

[373578807]

When it comes to Koikatsu, Asian creators from China, Japan and South‑Korea dominate its usage. Their communities generally share plenty of resources and technical know‑how. As a Chinese‑speaker, I don’t know much about Japanese or Korean forums. These two closed‑off forums are my go‑to spots, though I don’t actually make Visual Novels myself. I just play around with the assets and hoard them like a pack‑rat.
Keep an eye out: registration occasionally opens during Chinese New Year or National Day. You could also try searching Google using Asian‑language keywords. Or follow talented modellers and scene creators on Pixiv, Fanbox and Patreon. If their paid tiers are too pricey, check pawchive to grab their content. You can also consult AI; there’s always some way to get things done.
Honestly, I got fed up with Grok’s nonsense and ended up coming over to this forum.