Ask!

[TheHivemind]

If i remember right, everybody did a little bit for every route, which route was harder to make?
Is there something that inspired you guys to make the game?
Also, what do you think about the fact this games changed some lives somehow?
And last: did you had in mind, at some point to make more routes?

Thanks, i must say this game is really a masterpiece

Aura already answered the first question, so I'll skip that...

2. I got involved with the project because I was bored, initially. Then I thought that it would be neat to actually finish something for a change, and here we are.

3. The response overall to the game has been kind of staggering--people saying that their lives have been changed is just an order of magnitude more staggering than the concept of lots of people liking the game has been.

4. At one point someone (and I do not remember who, I just remember it wasn't me) had sketched out a plan for an actual Misha route, I think, but it never got past the initial outline. And honestly I don't even remember if it was a serious suggestion or if we were just bullshitting around.

[TheHivemind]

So, I know I'm a little behind but three nights ago I finished every good ending (Just finished Hanako's for a second time)I found the game a week ago... I loved the whole game and was instantly absorbed into it, I'm even a little obsessed.... So my question is, even if its further down the road, will there ever be more to do in this world? Some way to revisit without just playing the same things? Please? I actually found myself sad at each end because I wasn't ready to be done with that person.

Having written one romance set in a Japanese High School is enough for me. Indeed, one VN might turn out to have been enough for me (although I suppose you never know).

There's a difference between experiencing a story and thinking 'Oh, I wonder what happens next' and coming up with that story and thinking 'yeah, this is a good place to leave the characters.'

Now, did I think how those crazy kids would turn out after the path ends? Sure, but I've got no real need to explore that. At the same time, I have been on the other side of the coin, so I can understand wanting to know what happens afterwards. Storytelling is, after all, just a series of answers to the question 'and THEN what happened?' but at some point you get to the parts you wanted to tell and then there's no more desire to keep going.

[Pseudogenesis]

Storytelling is, after all, just a series of answers to the question 'and THEN what happened?'

I really like this.

[Kyvos]

There's a scene in Lilly's Act 4 where I'm not entirely sure who says someething. It's actually been bugging me for a while now, but I never thought to ask here. This is how the scene goes:
A single press on the fancy intercom system outside the gate produces a short electronic melody in the otherwise silent road. It's not long before a somewhat deep, gruff voice can be heard from it.

???:
This is the Hakamichi residence. Please state your name and why you're bothering us this late.

I press on despite inwardly wincing at the reasonable annoyance audible in his voice.

Hisao:
It's Hisao Nakai. I was hoping to meet Lilly or Akira, if they're still here.
Surprisingly, I manage to summon quite some energy to my voice, enough to make the other side of the intercom silent.
A few seconds pass, but just before I press the button again and ask what's going on, a light turns on outside the front door.
I strain my eyes to try and make out who is coming through, but as he comes past a large parked car with fishing rods sticking out the back, his identity becomes clear.
His face is typically placid and emotionless as he saunters up to the gate. He's still childlike in his mannerisms, despite his demeanor. With the press of a few buttons from behind the fence, the gate slowly opens.

Hideaki:
Hisao? What are you doing here?
I assumed the "???" was Jigoro, but since I can't really tell what's going on, I think it might be Hideaki. If anyone could clear it up a little, that'd be helpful, though I'm not sure anyone other than Suriko could say with complete certainty.

[Shadowyeclipse]

There's a scene in Lilly's Act 4 where I'm not entirely sure who says someething. It's actually been bugging me for a while now, but I never thought to ask here. This is how the scene goes:
A single press on the fancy intercom system outside the gate produces a short electronic melody in the otherwise silent road. It's not long before a somewhat deep, gruff voice can be heard from it.

???:
This is the Hakamichi residence. Please state your name and why you're bothering us this late.

I press on despite inwardly wincing at the reasonable annoyance audible in his voice.

Hisao:
It's Hisao Nakai. I was hoping to meet Lilly or Akira, if they're still here.
Surprisingly, I manage to summon quite some energy to my voice, enough to make the other side of the intercom silent.
A few seconds pass, but just before I press the button again and ask what's going on, a light turns on outside the front door.
I strain my eyes to try and make out who is coming through, but as he comes past a large parked car with fishing rods sticking out the back, his identity becomes clear.
His face is typically placid and emotionless as he saunters up to the gate. He's still childlike in his mannerisms, despite his demeanor. With the press of a few buttons from behind the fence, the gate slowly opens.

Hideaki:
Hisao? What are you doing here?
I assumed the "???" was Jigoro, but since I can't really tell what's going on, I think it might be Hideaki. If anyone could clear it up a little, that'd be helpful, though I'm not sure anyone other than Suriko could say with complete certainty.

It's Hideaki.

Jigoro would make a glue-sniffing reference.

[Kyvos]

It's Hideaki.

Jigoro would make a glue-sniffing reference.

I dunno. I don't think Hideaki would sound that annoyed, nor do I think his voice would be deep and gruff. Also, I could much more easily see Jigoro getting annoyed and not bothering to get the door himself. Finally, I'm pretty sure Hisao would recognize Hideaki's voice, given how much thought he put into describing it, while he's never met Jigoro.

[Girder]

I don't know who to ask, but, what Lancer Evo do Akira have? If I must guess, is it an Evo 7 ?

[cpl_crud]

I don't know if the Hanako writers are active on this forum, but I have a question:

I was listening to an interview with Cpl_Crud, (I know he didn't write the final route, however,) who said he based the Hanako route on the book Life of Pi.

I'm wondering if the Hanako writers knew of this, and adapted it to the story themselves, because the fact she is reading the book in her route seems like a bit of a shout-out.

Hanako wasn't really based on the Life of Pi; it just happened to be the book that I was reading at the time.

If it were last month, it would have been 1Q84. This week is would have been How to Win Friends and Influence People.

But still, some things (like the Tile Game) just seemed to pique people's attention in the right manner, so they got interested in it. I do also see that Life of Pi has been made into a movie, which will be released next year.

[ThatOneGamer]

I've got two questions:


- What do you think makes a great VN? And how KS is doing in that regard?
- If some VN enterprise asked you to join their rank what would you do and why? (assuming they want you for your experience and not to make something KS related)

[TheHivemind]

I've got two questions:


- What do you think makes a great VN? And how KS is doing in that regard?
- If some VN enterprise asked you to join their rank what would you do and why? (assuming they want you for your experience and not to make something KS related)

1. This is actually a huge, complex question that deserves more thought than I'm going to probably give it here--simply put a great VN takes advantage of the unique properties of the medium in order to deliver a satisfying narrative experience. Which leads to the question 'well, what are the unique properties of a VN?' I think I farted about with that question on the blog at one point (the only blog post I ever did, I think), but we're looking at something that uses words, pictures, music, and (maybe) interactivity to make its point. I don't know that branching paths are that critical, but your 'ideal' VN is probably going to have those paths. KS seems to have done okay in terms of being a 'great' VN, or at least it's a decent VN--there's some interactivity there (not enough for some, too much for others), I think the art team did a good job, our music is good, and I will be saying our direction is fantastic basically forever. The stories themselves have their fans, so that's pretty solid too. There's things we probably could have done better, but it's certainly gained its own little following, so that's nice.

2. It is very unlikely that it would happen, but if someone came to me with a really fucking cool concept I'd consider writing for it. It would need to be really cool, though.

[Silentcook]

I'll skip to the second question: first I'd want to see what the project is about.

Then if I like what I see and it's going to be freeware, I'd join with a caveat that I have nowhere near the amount of free time I had when we made KS.

If I like what I see and it's going to be commercial, I'd waffle and probably not join since I suspect the complications over money wouldn't be worth what I'd get paid, plus I don't really need any extra income.

If I don't like what I see, I wouldn't join for love or money.

[Reksho]

What would you say are the biggest differences between writing fiction and non-fiction?

[BlackWaltzTheThird]

Forgive the inane questions, but it's late and I'm bored.

-With whom, among both 4LS and out of anyone ever, would you most like to have a beer/other beverage of your choosing?
-What would your dream project be (whether a VN or otherwise)?
-Were you guys ever friends on like Facebook or similar things, and did this have an effect on your working relationship(s) with them? (Just FYI, I'm asking that for a reason, not just out of curiosity.
-Did you personally ever have to quote-unquote "fire" anyone, and how'd it go (other than "not well")?
-What is your favourite colour?
-What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen sparrow?

[TheHivemind]

What would you say are the biggest differences between writing fiction and non-fiction?

One is made up and the other is not.

[Aura]

Forgive the inane questions, but it's late and I'm bored.

-With whom, among both 4LS and out of anyone ever, would you most like to have a beer/other beverage of your choosing?
-What would your dream project be (whether a VN or otherwise)?
-Were you guys ever friends on like Facebook or similar things, and did this have an effect on your working relationship(s) with them? (Just FYI, I'm asking that for a reason, not just out of curiosity.
-Did you personally ever have to quote-unquote "fire" anyone, and how'd it go (other than "not well")?
-What is your favourite colour?
-What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen sparrow?

1. My main man delta would probably make the best drinking buddy.
2. I don't really have one. Maybe publishing a novel?
3. Yes and yes, significantly. Not on facebook, but we chat daily with each other, play games and watch movies together and do other friend stuff as long as it doesn't require physical proximity. Anyway, at least I work better with people I get along with. Also, if we weren't knit together so closely the project would probably have died so there's that.
4. No. We only ever fired one person directly and I didn't have to do it. It went ok though.
5. Green
6. Holy Grail is the least funny Monty Python movie. Also, wrong bird.