I have spent a considerable amount of time working on the code for Soundtrack of My Life (SOML) and continue to work on it as time permits. However, as I have been changing the game to operate more like a visual novel game, the art and positioning have become more challenging. It seems like the limitations of CSS and boxing are coming back to bite me. I am considering converting the game to Ren’Py, similar to my other active development title, Threshold.
After reviewing the code, I believe the game will function quite well in the Ren’Py engine, eliminating some of the annoying bugs related to image positioning and other issues that have plagued the game in recent weeks. However, there are some more complicated actions, such as the day and time management functions currently active, and some of the more unique musician mechanics.
But there has been another issue that has been plaguing me – audience target. This game is a beautiful story with an engaging narrative and choices that matter. However, upon reading some online discussions, many people who have released visual novel games on Steam and other platforms have complained that players tend to rush through the game content in hopes of reaching the sex scenes. Once they collect all of them, they are done with the game and may request a refund from Steam within the first week, destroying all profits. I did not write sex scenes in my game, and I do not plan to. Yes, there is a PG-13 scene for each love interest once you reach a certain point, but that’s as far as I’m willing to go. I worry that people will rush through my game and get frustrated when they can’t have erotic encounters with the character, and then request a refund. I will need to determine how to accommodate this, which may affect the length and style of my game in the future.
The game is currently under active development, and I intend to decide whether to offer either a Ren’Py port while maintaining the original game or replace the entire game with a Ren’Py-driven system. Stay tuned!
