I'm excited to share with you my latest project - a choose-your-own-adventure visual novel game inspired by "The Explorers Guild: Volume One: A Passage to Shambhala" and Atlas Obscura. In this case study, I'll take you through the development process, from using low-code/no-code tools like Ren'Py and Midjourney to the challenges and opportunities that came up along the way.

When I first started thinking about developing a game, I knew I wanted a platform that was user-friendly, flexible and could be used without extensive coding experience. After some research, I chose Ren'Py because of its intuitive interface and its use of Python as a scripting language. This allowed me to focus on the creative aspects of game development, like writing the story and designing the characters, while still having enough control over the programming to implement the game mechanics I wanted.

With Ren'Py, I was able to create the framework for my game, but I still needed to create the art assets and writing prompts to make it all come together. This is where Midjourney came in handy. It allowed me to write prompts that produced the specific types of images I needed for my game, and even helped me maintain the same art style and tones across all the prompts. This made it easier to create a cohesive visual novel that felt like it was all part of the same world.

My visual novel game follows the user as they join an Explorer Guild and are given an assignment depending on the type of guild they choose. Along the way, they'll encounter a variety of obstacles and choices that will either help or hinder their progress toward their ultimate goal - obtaining a valuable artifact. The game mechanics rely on the player making the right choices to progress and complete the game.

One of the best things about creating a choose-your-own-adventure game is the ability to create unique narratives and stories for each playthrough. In my game, each story has a different objective and plot, which makes every playthrough feel fresh and exciting. The game's setting draws inspiration from "The Explorers Guild: Volume One: A Passage to Shambhala" and Atlas Obscura, which allowed me to create a rich and immersive world for the player to explore.

While developing this game was a lot of fun, it wasn't without its challenges. The biggest challenge was getting the prompt writing just right so that it maintained a consistent style and tone throughout the game. However, this also presented an opportunity - the ability to constantly build out new stories and have phased releases. Additionally, I'm already working on a generator that will allow anyone to create their own choose-your-own-adventure visual novel game with scripts created by me. This has the potential to open up a whole new market for my skills and services.

Notion has been an invaluable tool in organizing the vast amount of data for my visual novel. I've used it to keep track of each scene, plot, option, and asset, making it easy to reference and update as needed. The database feature has been particularly useful in ensuring that everything is properly categorized and easy to find.

One of the exciting upcoming features I have in the works is an AI generator for visual novels. Using my findings as prompts, the generator will be able to create unique storylines for users to enjoy. I'm thrilled to see this project come to life and offer even more opportunities for creativity and exploration in the world of visual novels.

Another upcoming feature is the addition of mini-games to the visual novel. These point-and-click games will allow users to solve puzzles and other challenges in order to advance in the storyline. I'm excited to see how this feature will bring the visual novel to life and offer even more engagement for players.

Overall, this project has been an incredible journey in exploring the world of visual novels and game development. I'm proud of what we've been able to accomplish so far and excited to see what the future holds for this project.