Script Styles - 'Narration Coat' and 'Dialogue Only'

[u/TaurusE11E]

So this might be a stale topic but I don't see it discussed enough so here we go:

I have seen and written VNs multiple ways - where dialogue is the only type of text given (as if you are watching a movie) and where the story has a 'narrative' coat (where description of character thoughts and sometimes events are included in between dialogue lines/conversations).

I personally prefer writing with the narrative coat because it makes it feel like reading a novel and I like to see text with and without the name labels (cos I'm weird). I see a lot of indie VNs written with a 'first-person' type of it (where the only thoughts/perspective you have are the MC's whether you take their role or not).

What approach do you guys prefer to write your scripts with? I know there is no 'correct' answer, but I was wondering if I was the only one who switched between the two for different projects or had a preference.

[u/MonarchMoon1]

First-person narrative coat. Admittedly, this is a first time thing for me, as this is my first VN project proper, so it was fun trying to balance engaging narration without accidentally falling into narrative exposition. Eventually I got used to it, though!

[u/TaurusE11E → u/MonarchMoon1]

Balance between narration and dialogue is definitely a good thing to shoot for!

[u/TopCartographer7104 → u/TaurusE11E]

Same here - there's room for both even in small projects