List of VN creation resources: Difference between revisions

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==General information==
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==Game design, Writing, and General Resources==


==Resource collections==
{| class="wikitable sortable";
{{empty section}}
! Creator !! Link !! Price/<br/>License !! Design !! Writing !! Resources !! Guide !! Tool !! Details
|-
| IronForPistons || [https://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=53402 LSF] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Collection of resources from VN;Conference.
|-
| IronForPistons || [https://ironforpistons.wordpress.com/resources-for-vn-devs/ Wordpress] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Collection of resources for various aspects of design.
|-
| ? || [https://docs.google.com/document/d/10dGa1vmKhJsUgigQ1NBKUGC1J-Zb1dLHF-83WAFtGfY/edit?usp=sharing Google Drive] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Deprecated FAQ/glossary of visual novel terms. These definitions have been transfered to VNDev Wiki.
|-
| n/a || [https://app.diagrams.net/ Diagrams.net] || Free ||  ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Free flowchart program (formerly known as draw.io).
|-
| Visual Novel Design || [https://www.youtube.com/@vimi/ Youtube] || Free || Yes || Yes || Yes || Yes ||  || Videos that cover all the basics of Visual Novel Development.
|-
| BaiYu || [https://itch.io/jam/nanoreno-2019/topic/393412/developer-resources Itch] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Collection of resources from NaNoRenO 2019
|-
| n/a || [https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/ TimeAndDate] || Free ||  ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Lets you personalize list of real time across the world (also weather and sun/moon calculator).
|-
| Emily Short || [https://emshort.blog/2019/01/08/mailbag-self-training-in-narrative-design/ WordPress] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || Emily Short's blog post about how to improve as a narrative designer.
|-
| Emily Short || [https://emshort.blog/2011/05/03/an-alternative-taxonomy-for-interactive-stories/ WordPress] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || Emily Short's blog post about types of player relationships with stories.
|-
| Jon Ingold || [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lUJlS_0oZnYqdMmDiD8_WBkzh_zSuHeRCc4XbM0W8tM/edit?usp=sharing Google Drive] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || Notes on (with link to) an AdvX 2018 talk about writing dynamic dialogue.
|-
| Sam Kabo Ashwell || [https://heterogenoustasks.wordpress.com/2014/09/22/a-bestiary-of-player-agency/ WordPress] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || Sam Kabo Ashwell's blog post about types of player agency in game narrative.
|-
| Lunaterra || [https://itch.io/c/484684/visual-novel-assets-tutorials Itch] || Free/Paid ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Collection of assets, tutorials, and tools.
|-
| n/a || [https://windirstat.net/ Windirstat.net] || Free ||  ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Windows Directory Statistics Cleanup Tool
|-
| Ahoy || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F9ahZQ7oP0 Youtube] || Free || Yes ||  ||  ||  ||  || Video essay about The Secret of Monkey Island and the history of text adventure games.
|-
| Alex Forsythe || [https://gsuite.google.com/marketplace/app/code_blocks/100740430168 Google Drive] || Free ||  ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Open source add-on that allows for correctly formatted code and syntax highlighting in Google Docs.
|-
| Daniel Cook || [https://lostgarden.home.blog/2018/12/29/social-design-practices-for-human-scale-online-games/ WordPress] || Free || Yes ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Analysis of social design improving MMO game design.
|-
| n/a || [https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/ Cultural Atlas] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || In depth cultural differences of several dozen countries (of Austrailia's largest migrant populations) compared to an Austrailian standard.
|-
| n/a || [https://toggl.com/ Toggl] || Free/Paid ||  ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Time tracking with reporting to help balance what you're doing too much/too little of.
|-
| Brandon Sanderson || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4ZDBOc2tX8&list=PLDmaSCLuyrlMp3qpqFTrCVYXckumfcpJq Youtube] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || Brandon Sanderson's writing lectures on how to write a good story, plot, characters, and style.
|-
| n/a || [https://getsharex.com/ ShareX] || Free ||  ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Open source screen recorder for Windows with customizable settings.
|-
| n/a || [https://www.notion.so Notion] || Free/Paid ||  ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Project management workspace for individual or team use.
|-
| Hello Future Me || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcKMbVXpRRA Youtube] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || Hello Future Me's video offering advice on place names by analyzing the etymology of real and fictional places.
|-
| Cass Phillipps || [https://youtu.be/TEa9aSDHawA Youtube] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || GDC talk about designing effective narrative branches and player choices.
|-
| Radmatt || [https://radmatt.itch.io/dialogue-designer Itch] || Paid ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Multi-engine tool to design branching dialogue.
|-
| Trans Student Educational Resources  || [http://www.transstudent.org/definitions TSER] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || A glossary of LGBTQ+ terminology from Trans Student Educational Resources.
|-
| John H Young || [https://www.dropbox.com/s/7lr3mahq6l58nob/Our%20Deportment%20Flower%20Language%20Excerpt%201881.pdf Dropbox] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Dropbox pdf of meanings of flowers and precious stones. Sourced from an 1881 American etiquette guide (Our Deportment - John H Young).
|-
| Minute || [https://minute.itch.io/renedit Itch] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Yes || Ren'Edit is a tool to log notes/corrections while in game and automatically export them in a txt file.
|-
| ? || [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c0vKyyD-xzaVZZlyOvkFrDnOvRlb3LShzwY6AUFx4G8 Google Drive] || Free || Yes ||  ||  || Yes ||  || "The Last-Minute VN", a guide on how to create a VN in a short timespan.
|-
| ? || [https://docs.google.com/document/d/18LJ5F43dySGE8dzlpwvdWBFzfSBIgjQrkG23V4qnS7g/edit?usp=sharing Google Drive] || Free || Yes ||  ||  || Yes ||  || A simple game design doc template for visual novels.
|-
| Entertain the Elk || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQLJDxp2FEI Youtube] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || Entertain the Elk's "Speilberg: How to Introduce Characters", a short video on how to establish characters.
|-
| Innuendo Studio || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOw-Zq1CzcQ Youtube] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || Innuendo Studio's four part video essay on storytelling in video games.
|-
| [[Katy133]] || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Jv4cKevOLY  Youtube] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || Katy133's "How to Make a Story Grid", a short video on how to plan your VN's plot, character arcs, pacing, and themes.
|-
| Innuendo Studio || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N6y6LEwsKc Youtube] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || Innuendo Studio's "The Artist is Absent: Davey Wreden and The Beginner's Guide", a video essay on "Death of the Author" theory and interpreting canon through the game The Beginner's Guide.
|-
| Errant Signal || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKY1ORCSICY Youtube] || Free || Yes ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Errant Signal's "What Does It Mean To Player Character?", a video essay on types of player characters and how they're designed.
|-
| n/a || [https://coggle.it Coggle.it] || Free/Paid ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Yes || Coggle is a flowchart/branching tool that allows for real-time collaboration.
|-
| n/a || [https://simplenote.com Simplenote] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Yes || Simplenote is cross platform notetaking app with a tag system, backups, and markdown support.
|-
| Game Makers Toolkit || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwV_mA2cv_0 Youtube] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || Game Maker's Toolkit's "What Makes a Good Detective Game?", a video essay on how various detective games engage their players in the mystery.
|-
| Firgof || [https://firgof.itch.io/the-npc-with-a-thousand-faces-dt-exclusive Itch] || Free/Paid ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || Firgof's "The NPC With a Thousand Faces", a DevTalk+ exclusive free pdf on how to quickly create a complex NPC. Password is "notagoose".
|-
| Ebbigal || [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rtJQ7teHzWNmfJANr1RW6xE66jRu0TIKO-fB0VZhIN4/edit Google Drive] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || A Google Doc collection of resources on how to storyboard on a budget.
|-
| Mikhail Panko || [https://www.expresso-app.org/ Expresso] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Yes || Expresso is a browser app that analyzes your writing and provides metrics about your writing style.
|-
| Emma Coats (@lawnrocket) || [https://imgur.com/a/fPLnM Imgur] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || .@lawnrocket aka (Ex-Pixar) Emma Coats' 22 Rules of Storytelling.
|-
| Inkle || [https://soundcloud.com/inklestudios/all-about-fail-states Soundcloud] || Free || Yes ||  ||  || Yes ||  || "All About Fail States", an episode from Inkle Studio's narrative games podcast about fail states in mystery games.
|-
| Kate Chironis || [https://web.archive.org/web/20220819201313/https://twitter.com/kchironis/status/1320425206632960001 Twitter] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || Kate Chironis' Twitter thread on how to write barks for a game writing portfolio.
|-
| Writing With Color || [https://writingwithcolor.tumblr.com/Navigation2 Tumblr] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || Writing With Color's blog index containing guides on avoiding cultural/racial stereotypes.
|-
| Jesse Schell || [https://deck.artofgamedesign.com/#/ DeckofLenses] || Free || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Jesse Schell's game design flashcard game. Contains 100+ design principles and ideas.
|-
| n/a || [https://gamedevnexus.com/ GameDevNexus] || Free/Paid ||  ||  || Yes || Yes ||  || Game Dev Nexus hosts a collection of game design and business resources (formerly GameDevelop.io).
|-
| Hai Nguyen || [https://mechvibes.com/ Mechvibes] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Yes || Play mechanical keyboard sounds as you type on your own keyboard.
|-
| Circlejourney || [https://mega.nz/folder/gZdWDQAL#C4ju7Sc0yc4lBLhQfCrlKQ Mega] || Free ||  ||  || Yes || Yes ||  || A blank info sheet to introduce your project.
|-
| n/a || [https://hacknplan.com HacknPlan] || Free/Paid || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Project management for game development
|-
| Articy|| [https://www.articy.com/en/ articy:draft 3 Homepage]<br/>[https://store.steampowered.com/app/570090/articydraft_3/ articy:draft 3 Steam] || Free/Paid || Yes || Yes ||  ||  || Yes || Project management for game development. For teams and solo. Has student license option.
|}


==Backgrounds==
==Art, Characters, Backgrounds and Animation==
{{empty section}}


==Character sprites==
{{empty section}}


==Music and audio==
{| class="wikitable sortable";
{{expand section}}
! Creator !! Link !! Price/<br/>License !! Sprites !! BG !! Animation !! Guide !! Tool !! Details
 
|-
{| class="wikitable sortable"
| Klawzie || [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzyyR-wUJsrZmj2yPzAP-Wx4f0v69K3IK Youtube] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Playlist of 23 videos with various Clip Studio Paint tutorials.
|-
| Kazuki Akamine || [http://foxcodex.html.xdomain.jp/ Xdomain.jp] || Free ||  ||  || Yes || Yes ||  || Details various types of movement used in graphic design.
|-
| AR14 || [https://ar14.itch.io/mannequin  itch.io] || Free/Paid || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Mannequin 2D Character Portrait Generator. Also has mods.
|-
| NoranekoGames || [https://itch.io/c/698965/yume-series-free-to-use-assets  itch.io] || Free || Yes || Yes || || || || Yume Series Free-to-Use Assets, includes sprites and backgrounds
|-
| NoranekoGames || [https://itch.io/c/1115123/new-style-free-to-use-assets  itch.io] || Free || Yes ||  || || || || New Style Free-to-Use Assets, includes sprites
|-
| puppetbomb || [https://puppetbomb.itch.io/college-students-sprite-pack  itch.io] || Free <br/>non-commercial use only || Yes || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Image Pack : College Life Three character sprites, two backgrounds.
|-
| Fungii || [https://itch.io/c/640317/sprite-assets itch.io] || Free/Paid  || Yes  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  Customisable Sprite Assets Collection
|-
| WitPOP (Red) || [https://itch.io/c/356434/reds-art-assets itch.io] || Free/Paid ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  Several different sprite packs, monsters, and fantasy inventory icons
|-
| Thomas Romain || [https://imgur.com/gallery/V5Prm Imgur] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Thomas Romain's tutorial on maintaining art perspective.
|-
| Mari Costa || [https://web.archive.org/web/20220522050937/https://twitter.com/marinscos/status/1052487837252313088 Twitter] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Comic tutorial on ambient colors.
|-
| ? || [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MoeA3QyQnxJRFSQd2BCqAjq_KkaW9KI4f6LGje-q0EM/edit?usp=drivesdk Google Drive] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Table of facial expressions (eye/mouth combinations) and what moods they convey.
|-
| Vice || [https://broadlygenderphotos.vice.com/ Vice] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Vice's first stock photo library featuring trans and non-binary models.
|-
| Selavi Games || [https://selavi.itch.io/visual-novel-backgrounds Itch] || Paid ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Collection of VN backgrounds.
|-
| BaM Animation || [https://youtu.be/NBE-RTFkXDk Youtube] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Short video on how to improve lineart.
|-
| Michael Sexton (@Everblue_Comic) || [https://www.patreon.com/posts/26834357 Patreon] || Free/Paid ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || List of free/non-subscription alternatives to Adobe products.
|-
| Kenney || [https://kenney.nl/ Kenney] || Free || Yes || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Kenney's CC assets.
|-
| n/a || [https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-camera-shots/ StudioBinder] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Guide to camera shots and angles.
|-
| n/a || [https://picrew.me/ Picrew] || Free || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Picrew character creator. Most creators only allow for personal use (not non-commerical use).
|-
| Ingthing || [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1fBN2yB00sii1ZKLA8z7GTZWgqKmXtZu2?usp=sharing Google Drive] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Cheat sheets for drawing human anatomy.
|-
| Sky-morishita || [https://www.deviantart.com/sky-morishita/art/Visual-Novel-Background-Tutorial-407190060 DeviantArt] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Guide on how to maintain proportions in VN background art.
|-
| Jake Bowkett || [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jUS5u1vFEK2X1ab8qs7hcdnACbsrDXZAtHg21HIXRYg/edit?usp=sharing Google Drive] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || .@jakebowkett's guide on how to design backgrounds.
|-
| n/a || [https://www.mrinitialman.com/OddsEnds/Sizes/compsizes.xhtml Mr Initial Man] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Compares heights of 2-6 people in metric or imperial measurements.
|-
| n/a || [https://coolors.co Coolors.co] || Free ||  ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Color palette generator.
|-
| Anatomy For Sculptors || [https://www.artstation.com/anatomy4sculptors ArtStation] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Anatomy references.
|-
| n/a || [https://wataokiba.net/%e7%b4%a0%e6%9d%90%e4%b8%80%e8%a6%a7/ Wataokiba] || Free || Yes ||  ||  ||  ||  || Collection of sprite sets.
|-
| n/a || [https://charat.me/en/genesis/ Charat.me] || Free || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Character generators for girls and boys.
|-
| n/a || [https://terawell.net/terawell/ Terawell] || Free/Paid ||  ||  ||  ||  || Yes || A 3D modeling software for humanoid figures.
|-
| Spiral Atlas || [https://spiralatlas.itch.io/regency-visual-novel-backgrounds Itch] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Painterly European (regency) VN backgrounds
|-
| n/a || [http://www.openculture.com/2015/03/download-422-free-art-books-from-the-metropolitan-museum-of-art.html Open Culture] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Article linking to the Metropolitan Museum's 600+ free art book collection available online or as PDFs. Links to other museums' art books.
|-
| n/a || [https://www.reddit.com/r/AmateurRoomPorn Reddit] || Free ||  ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Subreddit dedicated to real world interior design.
|-
| Hass Idriss || [https://www.hassidriss.com/aw20-she-rises-at-dusk Hass Idriss] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Hass Idriss' A/W 2020 runway line of dramatic, pseudo-fantasy dresses.
|-
| n/a || [https://quixel.com/mixer Quixel] || Free/Paid ||  ||  ||  ||  || Yes || A 3D modeling program.
|-
| Akua || [https://akua-kourin.itch.io/cc Itch] || Free || Yes ||  ||  ||  ||  || Bubblegum Boy is a single sprite with customizable expressions.
|-
| n/a || [http://reference.pictures/Hands/ Reference.pictures] || Paid ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || 500+ photos of hand references.
|-
| eTeks || [http://www.sweethome3d.com/ SweetHome3D] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Yes || Sweet Home 3D is an open source interior design program.
|-
| Frederic Delavier || [https://us.humankinetics.com/products/strength-training-anatomy-3rd-edition Human Kinetics] || Paid ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Strength Training Anatomy is an anatomically detailed fitness book. Contains illustrations of muscular and skeletal anatomy of dynamic positions.
|-
| n/a || [https://line-of-action.com/practice-tools/figure-drawing Line of Action] || Free/Paid ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Randomizes photo references for figure drawing practice with timed intervals.
|-
| n/a || [https://hnet.com/png-to-ico/ Hnet] || Free ||  ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Online tool to convert PNG files to ICO.
|-
| n/a || [https://cloudconvert.com/png-to-icns Cloud Convert] || Free/Paid ||  ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Online tool to convert PNG files to ICNS. Free for 25 images/day.
|-
| n/a || [https://color.adobe.com/create Adobe] || Free ||  ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Adobe's online color palette generator.
|-
| Puppsicle || [https://web.archive.org/web/20220202221528/https://twitter.com/puppsicle/status/1262247168682778624 Wayback Machine] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Puppsicle's inforgraphic of skin tones with shading and highlight values (original tweet deleted).
|-
| Jacob Geller || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yVs2E4aldg Youtube] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Jacob Geller's "Bad Graphics", a short video essay about the sameness of "good graphics" vs unconventional art styles in video games.
|-
| Kyle T Webster || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4TGHfPX1O4 Youtube] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Short video tutorial on how to use the "color dynamics" setting in Photoshop to create realistic brush strokes.
|-
| William Nguyen || [https://www.artstation.com/artwork/GX3Ax1 ArtStation] || Free ||  ||  ||  ||  || Yes || William Nguyen's 3D lighting reference tool.
|-
| n/a || [https://human.biodigital.com/index.html  Biodigital] || Free || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Real anatomy 3D human model (requires sign up to use).
|-
| Dan Fessler || [http://danfessler.com/blog/hd-index-painting-in-photoshop Dan Fessler] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Tutorial on how to use index painting in Photoshop to turn a painting into pixel art.
|-
| Photoshop Tutorials || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-uGN5P8TRM Youtube] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Short video tutorial on "How to Create Fluid Gradient Cover Art" in Photoshop.
|-
| Ctrl+Paint || [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI68ClDpxTYSodxPJSDzyukq18X7ZdRQg Youtube] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || A Youtube series on making concept art.
|-
| Vampbyte || [https://www.patreon.com/posts/34823016 Patreon] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Vampbyte's beginner's guide to Clip Studio Paint.
|-
| n/a || [https://www.nappy.co Nappy.co] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || High quality stock photos of black and brown people in various settings and poses.
|-
| n/a || [http://commons.nicovideo.jp/materials/ Nicovideo.jp] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Stock gallery with photos, videos, and SFX. Site is in Japanese.
|-
| Alex Hanson-White || [https://prominent.itch.io/crocotile3d Itch] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Yes || Crocotile 3D is a tool for creating 3D scenes with tiles.
|-
| Eri_duh || [https://www.clipstudio.net/how-to-draw/archives/161109 Clip Studio Paint] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || "Learn Anatomy to Improve Drawing Poses", an illustrated tutorial on basic anatomically correct poses.
|-
| Sinx Design || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88khFjZwkl0 Youtube] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Sinix Design's "Anatomy Quick Tips: Hair", a video tutorial on hair design.
|-
| n/a || [https://www.homestyler.com/int/ Home Styler] || Free/Paid ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Yes || 3D floorplan and interior design tool that uses photo-realistic rendering.
|-
| n/a || [https://www.myminifactory.com/scantheworld/ MyMiniFactory] || Free || Yes || Yes ||  ||  || Yes || Scan the World is an open source museum of 3D sculptures/cultural artefacts.
|-
| n/a || [https://www.pond5.com/free Pond5] || Free/Paid ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Library of high quality stock photos, videos, and music. Includes public domain/historic resources.
|-
| Dmitriy Chugai || [http://texturelib.com Texturelib] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Library of free, high resolution textures.
|-
| Vampbyte || [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13-AcQFfvwh56ELYvVRKNpyHKg0GNZuiizxr4mTxDfHM/edit Google Drive] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Vampbyte's masterlist of Clip Studio Paint tutorials.
|-
| Clip Studio Paint || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLAQjp_rxw4 Youtube] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || "How to: Import 3D Models", a short video tutorial for CSP.
|-
| Ikea || [https://ikeamuseum.com/en/catalogues/ikea-catalogues-through-the-ages/ Ikea] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || IKEA catalogs from 1950 to 2021.
|-
| CelestialFang || [https://twitter.com/CelestialFang/status/1309125246331637770 Twitter] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Thread on how to paint gemstones.
|-
| Devin Elle Kurtz || [https://tamberella.gumroad.com/ Gumroad] || Free/Paid ||  ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Devin Elle Kurtz's royalty free brush sets and textures.
|-
| Hanaou_twi || [https://assets.clip-studio.com/ja-jp/search?user=%E6%B7%B1%E7%94%B0%E8%8F%AF%E5%A4%AE&order=new Clip Studio Paint] || Free/Paid ||  ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Various tree/bush/leaf brushes for CSP.
|-
| Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas || [https://www.creativebloq.com/advice/understand-the-12-principles-of-animation Creativebloq] || Free ||  ||  || Yes || Yes ||  || The 12 Principles of Animation.
|-
| Clip Studio Paint || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y8euAjlcXI Youtube] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Clip Studio Paint's video tutorial of how to use it.
|-
| n/a || [https://www.pinterest.ie/alexbeyonce/anime-art-tutorials/ Pintrest] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Pintrest collection of various art tutorials.
|-
| n/a || [https://www.artmodeltips.com/ WordPress] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || (NSFW) References for nude artist models. Also contains glossary of figure drawing terms.
|-
| Clip Studio Paint || [https://www.clipstudio.net/how-to-draw Clip Studio Paint] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Clip Studio Paint's collection of art tutorials.
|-
| n/a || [https://freephotomuscle.com FreePhotoMuscle] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Muscle Plus is a stock photo library of muscular people doing everyday things. Site is in Japanese.
|-
| Smithsonian || [https://www.si.edu/openaccess Smithsonian] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Smithsonian Open Access, a CC0 collection of 2.8+ million art works.
|-
| [[Arimia]] || [https://arimiadev.com/free-to-use-battle-cgs/ Arimiadev] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Arimia's free battle CGs.
|-
| Kingcholera || [https://www.patreon.com/posts/2021-buff-pt-2-46610200?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=postshare Patreon] || Free || Yes ||  ||  ||  ||  || kingcholera's resource pack of 200+ 3D models of buff ladies with swords.
|-
| Amin Moazzen || [https://cubebrush.co/amin-moazzen/products/0poxug/gray-kitchen Cubebrush] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || 3D model of a kitchen.
|-
| Era7 || [https://cubebrush.co/era7/products/m9qlua/10-free-futuristic-anime-backgrounds-pack-39 Cubebrush] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Futuristic anime backgrounds of the sky/space.
|-
| Era7 || [https://cubebrush.co/era7/products/qbrqoa/30-anime-landscapes-pack-8 Cubebrush] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Anime landscape backgrounds.
|-
| n/a || [https://shotdeck.com/ Shotdeck] || Free/Paid ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Shotdeck is a database of screenshots from 1,000+ films used by film industry professionals. Has a free two week trial.
|-
| n/a || [https://twitter.com/spookyshep/status/1358953223911006212 Twitter] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Thread of graphic design TikToks.
|-
| Ostrich Burer Productions || [https://neeka-of-obp.itch.io/ Itch] || Free || Yes || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Ostrich Burger Productions' collection of assets.
|-
| SethIova || [https://web.archive.org/web/20211204120728/https://twitter.com/SethIova/status/1367481625378910210 Twitter] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Dropbox pack of 32 patterns.
|-
| Watabou || [https://watabou.itch.io/ Itch] || Free ||  ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Watabou's AI/procedural generator tools to create dungeons, cities, villages, maps, and etc.
|-
| MeltyPop || [https://ko-fi.com/album/Dating-SimNovel-backgrounds-U7U64G658#galleryItemView Ko-fi] || Free/Paid ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Royalty free backgrounds available for free or after a ko-fi donation.
|-
| Bunbuncita || [https://web.archive.org/web/20220824071126/https://twitter.com/bunbuncita/status/1389688008950132737 Twitter] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || 200 hand reference photos with/without items.
|-
| VisuStella || [https://itch.io/c/2047582/-visustella-armory-season-collection itch.io] || Paid ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  ||  A collection of all VisuStella Armory bundles.
|-
| VisuStella || [https://itch.io/c/3254520/-visustella-cuisine-season-1 itch.io] || Paid ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || VisuStella Cuisine Season 1
|-
| VisuStella || [https://itch.io/c/1976284/-visustella-atelier-season-1 itch.io] || Paid ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || VisuStella Atelier Season 1, features items like scrolls, herbs, ores, potions
|-
|-
! Creator
| VisuStella || [https://itch.io/c/3062719/-visustella-atelier-season-2 itch.io] || Paid ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || VisuStella Atelier Season 2, features items like scrolls, herbs, ores, potions
! Link
! Price/<br/>License
! Music
! SFX
! Voice
! Guide
! Tool
! Details
|-
|-
| FulminisIctus
| VisuStella || [https://visustella.itch.io/stella-character-generator itch.io] || Paid || Yes ||  ||  || || Yes || Stella Character Generator
| [https://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewtopic.php?t=48443 LSF]
| CC
| ✓
| ✓
|  
|  
|  
| Audio pack
|-
|-
| FulminisIctus
| VisuStella || [https://visustella.itch.io/stella-generator-animal-partsitch.io] || Paid || Yes ||  ||  || || Yes || Stella Character Generator DLC01: Animal Parts
| [https://www.patreon.com/FulminisIctus/posts?tag=Audio Patreon]
| Free
| ✓
|  
|  
|  
|  
| List of public/free audio assets
|-
|-
| Orpheo Fenn
| Kelly Larkin || [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KpwIJd4TuCB2FxkLryUqyIEeA35YF6XZ Google Drive] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || 28 paper scans in 10k resolution.
| [http://soundcloud.com/tavianstjamescc Soundcloud]
|-
| CC
| M. || [https://dont-touch-me.itch.io/iphone-mockup Itch] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || M.'s iPhone mockup.
| ✓
|-
|  
| n/a || [https://www.photopea.com/ Photopea] || Free ||  ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Free online recreation of Photoshop compatible with several file formats.
|  
|-
|  
| n/a || [https://setteidreams.net/ Settei Dreams] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Collection of model sheets, color designs, and artbooks for various animes.
|  
|-
|  
| Vice || [https://genderspectrum.vice.com/ Vice] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Vice's second stock photo library featuring trans and non-binary models.
|-
| Torcado || [https://torcado.itch.io/opti Itch] || Free ||  ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Torcado's Opti, a transparent media viewer.
|-
| n/a || [https://thenounproject.com/ The Noun Project] || Free/Paid ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || The Noun Project is a database of icons and photos.
|-
| Pumpkin Spike || [https://pumpkin-spike.itch.io/background-character-sprite-pack Itch] || Free || Yes ||  ||  ||  ||  || Pumpkin Spike's "Background Character Sprite Pack" with two customizable sprites.
|-
| Potat0Master || [https://potat0master.itch.io/free-visual-novel-backgrounds-mansion-pack Itch] || Free/Paid ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Potat0Master's "Free Visual Novel Backgrounds (Mansion Pack)" of 77+ royalty free images
|-
| Dustyroom || [https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/vfx/quibli-anime-shaders-and-tools-203178 Unity] || Paid ||  ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Unity shader pack "Quibli: Anime Shaders and Tools" for anime inspired styles.
|-
| Potat0Master || [https://potat0master.itch.io/free-character-sprite-for-visua-novel-nozomi Itch] || Free || Yes ||  ||  ||  ||  || Potat0Master's royalty free "Nozomi" character sprite with 19 expressions and 4 outfits.
|-
| Potat0Master || [https://potat0master.itch.io/free-character-sprite-for-visual-novels-ryoko-madoka Itch] || Free || Yes ||  ||  ||  ||  || Potat0Master's royalty free "Ryoko & Madoka" character sprites with 13+ expressions and 2 outfits each.
|-
| Brainwash Gang || [https://brainwash-gang.itch.io/pixel-art-texturing-brushes-for-brainwashing Itch] || Free ||  ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Brainwash Gang's 380+ free to use "Pixel Art Texturing Brushes"
|-
| Potat0Master || [https://potat0master.itch.io/free-character-sprite-for-visual-novels-kioshi-haruo Itch] || Free || Yes ||  ||  ||  ||  || Potat0Master's royalty free "Kioshi & Haruo" character sprites with 7+ expressions and 2 outfits each.
|-
| Potat0Master || [https://potat0master.itch.io/free-character-sprites-for-visual-novels-sensei-pack Itch] || Free/Paid || Yes ||  ||  ||  ||  || Potat0Master's royalty free "Sensai" sprites with 4 free and 3 paid characters with several expressions each.
|}
 
==Audio, Music and Voice==
 
{| class="wikitable sortable";
! Creator !! Link !! Price/<br/>License !! Music !! SFX !! Voice !! Guide !! Tool !! Details
|-
| Belgerum || [https://soundcloud.com/belgerum/ Soundcloud] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Belgerum's CC partial VA samples.
|-
| [[user:FulminisIctus|Tim Reichert]] || [https://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewtopic.php?t=48443 LSF] || Free/CC BY-NC 4.0 and CC BY 4.0 || Yes || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Visual Novel Audio Pack.
|-
| [[user:FulminisIctus|Tim Reichert]] || [https://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=54072 LSF] || Free/CC BY-NC 4.0 || Yes || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Visual Novel Audio Pack Vol. 2.
|-
| [[user:FulminisIctus|Tim Reichert]] || [https://www.patreon.com/FulminisIctus/posts?filters%5Btag%5D=Audio Patreon] || Free/CC (various) || Yes || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Various audio packs by Tim Reichert.
|-
| Kevin MacLeod || [https://incompetech.com/ Incompetech] || Free || Yes ||  ||  ||  ||  || Kevin MacLeod's library of CC music.
|-
| Kerstyn Unger || [https://kerstynungerva.itch.io/custom-voice-resource Itch] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Custom voice lines of 15 voices with 100+ lines each.
|-
| n/a || [https://www.videvo.net Videvo] || Free/Paid || Yes || Yes ||  ||  ||  || High quality stock videos, music, and sound effects.
|-
| n/a || [http://voiceactingclub.com/rates/ Voice Acting Club] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Guideline for voice acting rates for indie games.
|-
| Sam Haynes || [https://samhaynes1.bandcamp.com/album/something-wicked-2-royalty-free-halloween-and-horror-soundtrack-music-youtube-podsafe-copyright-free Bandcamp] || Paid || Yes ||  ||  ||  ||  || Sam Haynes' royalty free horror/Halloween music.
|-
| ProZD || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24Z8-88suVk Youtube] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || ProZD's "How Do You Get Into Voice Acting", a video with his perspective on how to enter the industry.
|-
| Tom Lehrer || [https://tomlehrersongs.com/ Tom Lehrer Songs] || Free || Yes ||  ||  ||  ||  || Tom Lehrer, an American musician and satirist, donated all of his music and lyrics into the public domain.
|-
| n/a || [https://music-kachofugetsu.com/ Kachofugetsu] || Free || Yes ||  ||  ||  ||  || Royalty free music library. Site is in Japanese.
|-
| n/a || [https://sonniss.com/gameaudiogdc2020/ Soniss] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || 50+ GB of royalty free sound effects.
|-
| Anders || [https://soundcloud.com/anttu-janhunen Soundcloud] || Free || Yes ||  ||  ||  ||  || Royalty free metal, progressive, and alternative music.
|-  
|-  
| Jeff Penny
| Minoh Workshop || [https://minoh.itch.io/minotaur-hotel/devlog/209741/the-budget-friendly-journey-to-get-good-music-for-an-indie-game-and-our-experience-with-ilicensemusic Itch] || Free || ||  ||  || Yes || || Itch devlog "The (Budget-Friendly) Journey to Get Good Music for an Indie Game and Our Experience with iLicenseMusic" by the Minotaur Hotel dev team about the pros/cons of various music licenses and services.
| [http://jeffpennymusic.tumblr.com/post/183321765618/a-game-devs-guide-to-audio-files Tumblr]
| Free
|  
|  
|  
| ✓
|  
| Guide to audio files
|-  
|-  
| Jeff Penny
| Presley Hynes || [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UEY8T8ClI2XHDnALzWf_x4MZGKoHPNYHlf2CqStSGWQ/edit#gid=337226210 Google Drive] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || Spreadsheet of audio plugins, SFX, and resources.
| [https://jeffpennymusic.tumblr.com/post/184428716888/an-indie-dev-guide-to-spatializing-audio Tumblr]
|-  
| Free
| n/a || [https://soundeffect-lab.info/ Sound Effect Lab] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Sound Effect Lab's library of SFX. Site is in Japanese.
|  
|-
|  
| n/a || [https://flutumusic.com/downloads/ Flutu Music] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  || || Free SFX packs for explosions and guns.
|  
| ✓
|  
| Guide to audio effects
|-
|-
| Bensound
| Orpheo Fenn || [http://soundcloud.com/tavianstjamescc Soundcloud] || CC || Yes ||  ||  ||  ||  || Orpheo Fenn's CC music.
| [https://www.bensound.com/ Bensound]
|-
| Free
| Jeff Penny || [http://jeffpennymusic.tumblr.com/post/183321765618/a-game-devs-guide-to-audio-files Tumblr] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Guide to audio files
| ✓
|-
|  
| Jeff Penny || [https://jeffpennymusic.tumblr.com/post/184428716888/an-indie-dev-guide-to-spatializing-audio Tumblr] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes || || Guide to audio effects
|  
|  
|  
| Royalty free music
|-
|-
| Arthur Mostovoy
| n/a || [https://www.bensound.com/ Bensound] || Free || Yes || || ||  ||  || Royalty free music
| [https://medium.com/@a.mstv/making-your-unity-game-scream-and-shout-and-not-killing-it-in-the-process-673a7384693c Medium]
| Free
|  
|  
|  
| ✓
|  
| Guide to optimize high quality audio for Unity.
|-
|-
| midi.city
| Arthur Mostovoy || [https://medium.com/@a.mstv/making-your-unity-game-scream-and-shout-and-not-killing-it-in-the-process-673a7384693c Medium] || Free || ||  ||  || Yes || || Guide to optimize high quality audio for Unity.
| [https://midi.city midi.city]
| Free
|  
|  
|  
|  
| ✓
| Online synthesizer with 100+ instruments.
|-
|-
| Notion
| Jack Anderson || [https://midi.city midi.city] || Free || || || ||  || Yes || Online synthesizer with 100+ instruments.
| [https://www.notion.so/foleso/7644178ad21745ce8e6aef427ae0d479?v=3481b5dff7a346269ec16133405a2fa8 Notion]
| Free
| ✓
| ✓
| ✓
|  
|  
| Notion page listing 80+ sources of background music, sfx, and VA tracks (with/without singing).
|-
|-
| Patricia Taxxon
| Foleso || [https://www.notion.so/7644178ad21745ce8e6aef427ae0d479?v=3481b5dff7a346269ec16133405a2fa8 Notion] || Free || Yes || Yes || Yes || || || Notion page listing 80+ sources of background music, sfx, and VA tracks (with/without singing).
| [https://patriciataxxon.bandcamp.com/ Bandcamp]
| Free
| ✓
|  
|  
|  
|  
|  
|-
|-
| Sideways
| Patricia Taxxon || [https://patriciataxxon.bandcamp.com/ Bandcamp] || Free || Yes || || ||  ||  || Patricia Taxxon's free to use music.
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itMJ-fUPXqE YouTube]
| Free
|  
|  
|  
| ✓
|  
| Video essay on how a a leitmotif can tell a story
|-
|-
| Jake Butineau
| Sideways || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itMJ-fUPXqE YouTube] || Free || || ||  || Yes ||  || Video essay on how a a leitmotif can tell a story.
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-A17rGHCnE YouTube]
| Free
|  
|  
|  
| ✓
|  
| Video essay on how glitched music conveys horror
|-
|-
| Spotify Code
| Jake Butineau || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-A17rGHCnE YouTube] || Free || ||  || || Yes ||  || Video essay on how glitched music conveys horror.
| [https://www.spotifycodes.com Spotify Code]
| Free
|  
|  
|  
| ✓
| ✓
| Create codes that people can scan to instantly hear your VN's OST (if it's on Spotify)
|-
|-
| Lee Rosevere
| Spotify Code || [https://www.spotifycodes.com Spotify Code] || Free || ||  ||  || || Yes || Create codes that people can scan to instantly hear your VN's OST if it's on Spotify.
| [https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/ Bandcamp]
| Free/Paid
| ✓
|  
|  
|  
|  
| CC license varies per album
|}
 
 
==Voice Acting==
{{expand section}}
 
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|-
! Creator
| Lee Rosevere || [https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/ Bandcamp] || Free/Paid || Yes ||  ||  ||  ||  || Lee Rosevere's library of music (CC license varies per album).
! Link
! Price/<br/>License
! Music
! SFX
! Voice
! Guide
! Tool
! Details
|-
|-
| MAHO! Cody
| MAHO! Cody || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKlBMofvOq0&list=PLyrIVUR5VXKAVu8IJkxGgZCDw1V5ZwTSf YouTube] || Free || ||  || Yes || Yes || || Working with Voice Actors as an Indie Dev (3-part video series)
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKlBMofvOq0&list=PLyrIVUR5VXKAVu8IJkxGgZCDw1V5ZwTSf YouTube]
|-
| Free
| WitPOP || [https://itch.io/c/1480373/audio-assets itch.io] || Free ||  ||  || Yes  ||  ||  ||  Audio Assets Packs
|  
|  
|  
| ✓
|  
| Working with Voice Actors as an Indie Dev (3-part video series)
|}
|}


==Engines==
==Programming, UI and Engines==
{{main|Visual novel engine}}
{{main|Visual novel engine}}


{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable sortable";
|-
! Creator !! Link !! Price/<br/>License !! Programming !! UI !! Fonts !! Guide !! Tool !! Details
! Name
|-
! Creator/Developer
| Jaime Scribbles || [https://jaimescribblesgames.com/2019/02/16/customizable-character-tutorial/ Wordpress] || Free || Yes ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Tutorial on how to create customizable characters with layered images in Ren'py.
! Link
|-
! Price
| ? || [https://blog.mbaas.nifcloud.com/entry/3630 mbaas.nifcloud.com] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Screenshots of game UI.
! Details
|-
|-
| ? || [http://www.pentacom.jp/pentacom/bitfontmaker2/gallery/ Pentacom.jp] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Yes || Library of public domain/CC pixel fonts and pixel font creator.
| '''[[Ren'Py]]'''
|-
| PyTom
| The Kinto Project Authors at ookami Inc. || [https://github.com/ookamiinc/kinto Github] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Kinto, an OFL (free) Japanese font compatible with Latin fonts.
| https://www.renpy.org/
|-
| Free
| MonteBearo Limited || [https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/tools/visual-scripting/discourse-146948 Unity] || Paid ||  ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Unity narrative tool "Discourse".
| Supports Python 3
|-
| Game Maker's Toolkit || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9TzqNQBmr0 Youtube] || Free ||  ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Video essay on how to make dialogue mechanics more involved than basic skill checks.
|-
| minute || [https://minute.itch.io/renpy-accessibility Itch] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || minute's accessibility pack for Ren'py to include text, sound, and visual options.
|-
| Tofurocks || [https://tofurocks.itch.io/renpy-gui-template Itch] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Ren'py All-in-One GUI template with built in accessibility options and bonus screens.
|-
| Github || [https://gitbook.com  Github] || Free/Paid ||  ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Github's documentation tool.
|-
| Woowa Brothers || [https://www.woowahan.com/en/fonts Woowahan.com] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Korean fonts.
|-
| ? || [https://www.google.com/get/noto/ Google] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || OFL Google fonts inclusive of 75+ non-latin based languages.
|-
| Multimokia || [https://github.com/multimokia/Renpy-Weather-Utils Github] || Free || Yes ||  ||  ||  ||  || Multimokia's utility that allows a Ren'py game to reflect the player's local weather.
|-
| Tim Holman & Claudio Guglieri || [https://meettheipsums.com Meettheipsums.com] || Free || Yes ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Themed lorem ipsum generators (tv, film, pets, food, industry buzzwords, etc)
|-
| Ko-panda || [https://kopacurve.blog.fc2.com/blog-category-27.html fc2.com] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || VN GUI. Site is in Japanese.
|-
| Karwai Pun || [https://accessibility.blog.gov.uk/2016/09/02/dos-and-donts-on-designing-for-accessibility/ Gov.uk] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || Posters with design accessibility guidelines.
|-
| Foleso || [https://foleso.itch.io/bridal-style-visual-novel-ui Itch] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Foleso's Bridal Style VN GUI.
|-
| Tom Gantzer || [https://web.archive.org/web/20210825025527/https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/TomGantzer/20200113/356281/Designing_Main_Menu_Screens_for_Visually_ImpairedGamers.php Game Developer (formerly Gamasutra)] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || How to design menu screens for visually impaired gamers.
|-
| ? || [https://developer.apple.com/design/tips/ Apple] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || Apple's guide to UI design
|-
| Everest Pipkin || [https://tinytools.directory/ Tinytools.directory] || Free/Paid || Yes ||  ||  || Yes || Yes || Everest Pipkin's list of open source, experimental, and tiny tools for game dev/design.
|-
| Oneirocritica Games || [https://oneirocritica-games.itch.io/custom-pronoun-system-renpy Itch] || Free || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Oneirocritica Games' free Custom Pronoun System for Ren'py that prompts the player to customize their pronouns.
|-
| [[Katy133]] || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOCJRwpi5bc  Youtube] || Free || Yes ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Katy133's tutorial on creating noir lighting in Ren'py.
|-
| ? || [http://gameaccessibilityguidelines.com/ Wordpress] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || The Game Accessibility Guidelines provide basic/intermediate/advanced suggestions to balance the development cost, gameplay improvement, and player reach of accessible game design.
|-
| Game Dev Guide || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwdweCX5aMI Youtube] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || "Make UI That Looks Good in Unity", a video on UI design/implementation in Unity. The broader design aspect is useful for non-Unity UI.
|-
| Braille Institute || [https://www.brailleinstitute.org/freefont brailleinstitute.org] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || A free font by the Braille Institute with distinct characters and increased readability for low vision readers.
|-  
| Wattson || [https://wattson.itch.io/kinetic-text-tags Itch] || Free || Yes ||  ||  ||  ||  || Kinetic (moving) text styles for Ren'py.
|-
| Edd Coates || [https://www.gameuidatabase.com/ gameuidatabase.com] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || The Game UI Database contains 30,000+ screenshots from 700+ games.
|-
| npckc || [https://npckc.itch.io/pronoun-tool Itch] || Free ||  ||  ||  ||  || Yes || npckc's Pronoun Tool for Ren'py.
|-
| ? || [https://www.angelcode.com/products/bmfont/ angelcode.com] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Yes || Open source Bitmap Font Generator creates bitmap fonts from TrueType fonts.
|-
| Shawna-p || [https://github.com/shawna-p/mysterious-messenger Github] || Free || Yes || Yes ||  ||  || Yes || Shawna-p's "Mysterious Messenger", a framework for creating calls, texts, chatrooms, and emails in Ren'py.
|-
| salinsley || [https://salinsley.gumroad.com/l/bobadate Gumroad] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Boba Date, a cutesy font inspired by shojo manga.
|-
| M. || [https://twitter.com/M_is_scared/status/1375892086910672897?s=20 Twitter] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || M.'s short video "How To Make Great Looking UI for Visual Novels" Part 1.
|-
| M. || [https://twitter.com/M_is_scared/status/1399016924835573763?s=20 Twitter] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || M.'s short video "How To Make Great Looking UI for Visual Novels" Part 2.
|-
| r3dhummingbird || [https://r3dhummingbird.itch.io/renpy-rhythm-game Itch] || Free || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Yes || r3dhummingbird's "Ren'py Rhythm Game", an open source template for rhythm games.
|-
| J (ludowoods) || [https://ludowoods.itch.io/twine-to-renpy-tool Itch] || Free || Yes ||  ||  || Yes ||  || J (ludowoods)'s "Twine to Ren'py", a tool to convert a Twine html file into a Ren'py rpy file.
|-
| Fiction Factory Games || [https://web.archive.org/web/20221031230613/https://twitter.com/ArcadeSpiritsVN/status/1134319941413326848 Twitter] || Free || Yes ||  ||  ||  ||  || Arcade Spirits' custom pronoun code.
|-
| Sakeozo || [https://ko-fi.com/s/afbfa7ae55 Ko-fi] || Paid ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Sakeozo's "Secret ASL Font" for personal use.
|-
| Al-Fe || [https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/en-US/product/visual-novel-machinery Unreal] || Paid || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Unreal Engine plugin for a visual novel framework.
|-
| Nguyen || [https://newincreative.notion.site/newincreative/The-Vault-Nguyen-s-Design-Resource-stash-dd710673638a4c16a571574ff72d05f9 Notion] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || Library of resources, articles, and videos about UI/UX design.
|-
| puppetbomb || [https://puppetbomb.itch.io/ui-wave itch.io] || Free <br/> Non-commercial use only||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  ||  I Pack: Japanese Wave Pattern
|-
|-
| '''[[NaniNovel]]'''
| brunoais || [https://brunoais.itch.io/renpy-guimanipulate]||Free ||Yes || Yes || || Yes || Yes|| Visual UI editor for Ren'py
| Elringus
| https://naninovel.com/
| One time purchase
| Supports Unity
|-
| '''[[TyranoBuilder]]'''
| STRIKEWORKS
| https://www.nyu-media.com/tyranobuilder-visual-novel-studio
| One time purchase
|  
|-
| '''[[VNMaker|Visual Novel Maker]]'''
| Degica
| https://visualnovelmaker.com/
| One time purchase
|  
|}
|}


==Business==
==Production, Business and Marketing==
{{expand section}}
{| class="wikitable sortable";
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Creator !! Link !! Price/<br/>License !! Production !! Business !! Marketing !! Guide !! Tool !! Details
|-
|-
! Link
| Everest Pipkin || [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KWIzznlFNs_rQCEzW5ub6ehwaLcwR80xbuOokXwRa_Y/edit#gid=0 Google Drive] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Spreadsheet of over 400 open calls, residencies, grants, galleries, etc. for creative endeavors
! Information
|-
! Price
| Quiet Days || [https://quietdaysco.tumblr.com/post/183872767120/the-process-research Tumblr] || Free || Yes || Yes || Yes || Yes ||  || Dev blog listing processes about targeting an audience, developing the story, project management, game design, and marketing.
! Tags
|-
|-
| Tom Francis || [https://www.pentadact.com/2019-04-10-steam-quirks-for-developers/ Pentadact] || Free ||  ||  || Yes || Yes ||  || Short advice for Steam best practices.
| [https://www.deviantart.com/onisuu/art/Invoice-Guide-for-PayPal-657095358 DeviantArt]
|-
| Invoice Guide for PayPal
| Belgerum || [https://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/comments/bag8qt/so_you_want_to_have_a_kickass_steam_page/ Reddit] || Free ||  ||  || Yes || Yes ||  || Long advice on how to make a good Steam page.
| Free
|-
|  
| ? || [https://www.mentionlytics.com/ mentionlytics] || Free/Paid ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Yes || Service that monitors social media mentions.
|-
| Stavros Pilatis || [https://web.archive.org/web/20210825025943/https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/StavrosPilatis/20190514/342519/Using_YOUR_YouTube_Channel_To_Market_Your_Games.php Game Developer] || Free ||  ||  || Yes || Yes ||  || How to use Youtube to market your games.
|-
| Game Maker's Toolkit || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CSYA9R70R8 Youtube] || Free ||  ||  || Yes || Yes ||  || Short video "How to Make an Indie Game Trailer"
|-
| Adrian (@DragonSoldier2k) || [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uyK3OCZ5YZDVXyPATRM_Q61HKNA-CFwqOfDyGDqE2gc/edit Google Drive] || Free ||  ||  || Yes || Yes ||  || Short guide on how to market games on Imgur.
|-
| Burak Tezateser || [https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/marketing-an-upcoming-steam-game Game Developer] || Free ||  ||  || Yes || Yes ||  || Long guide on pre-release Steam marketing.
|-
| Chris Zukowski || [http://howtomarketagame.com/2018/02/02/how-to-build-your-marketing-system/ HowToMarketAGame] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Detailed guide on different stages of marketing.
|-
| ? || [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/477524861653352463/588811717195071494/Promo_emails_and_forums_-yaoi_otome_adult.docx Microsoft Word] || Free ||  ||  || Yes || Yes ||  || Docx file of sites, tags, reviewers, and subreddits for NSFW games.
|-
| Chris Zukowski || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ5H6DeaKKs Youtube] || Free ||  ||  || Yes || Yes ||  || GDC talk about using email lists to create a dedicated fanclub.
|-
| Chris Zukowski || [https://howtomarketagame.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/GDC19_Zukowski_Email_DirectorsCut.pdf HowToMarketAGame] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Pdf file of the GDC fanclub talk's presentation.
|-  
| Chris Zukowski || [https://howtomarketagame.com/2018/10/31/boyfriend-dungeon-the-secrets-of-their-email-marketing-strategy/ HowToMarketAGame] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Analysis of Boyfriend Dungeon's email marketing strategy.
|-
| Chris Zukowski || [https://howtomarketagame.com/2019/07/15/if-paul-mccartney-needs-to-market-himself-you-do-too/ HowToMarketAGame] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Paul McCartney's marketing lets fans text him.
|-
| Ross Manthorp || [https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-07-25-kickstarter-veterans-on-how-to-run-a-successful-crowdfunding-campaign Games Industry] || Free ||  ||  || Yes || Yes ||  || Article on how to run a Kickstarter campaign.
|-  
| onisuu || [https://www.deviantart.com/onisuu/art/Invoice-Guide-for-PayPal-657095358 DeviantArt] || Free ||  ||  || Yes || Yes ||  || Detailed guide on how to send a PayPal invoice.
|-
| ? || [https://academy.hubspot.com/courses/marketing?page=1 Hubspot Academy] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Yes || Free online marketing courses.
|-
| Matt Brown || [https://www.shopify.com/partners/blog/how-to-write-a-freelance-contract-101 Shopify] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Article on what to include in a freelance contract.
|-
| Represent Me || [https://representme.charity/ Represent Me] || Paid ||  || Yes || Yes ||  ||  || Not-for-profit Represent Me maintains a list of nonbinary inclusive localizers.
|-
| Sam Coster || [https://gdcvault.com/play/1025189/Marketing-Judo-How-to-Sell Dropbox] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || GDC talk about how to market your game.
|-
| GCAP || [https://youtu.be/PNCgFbc53iU Youtube] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || GCAP talk about how to market games on Steam.
|-
| Mark Ramsey || [https://medium.com/dolphin-squad/bringing-twitter-tweets-into-discord-channels-e8ded1581da8 Medium] || Free ||  ||  || Yes || Yes ||  || How to use IFFF to automate posting tweets in discord.
|-
| Ulyana Chernyak || [https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/the-timing-windows-of-game-sales-and-releases Game Developer] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Breakdown of what time of year is good to release a game.
|-
| Level Up Translation || [https://www.leveluptranslation.com Level Up Translation] || Paid ||  || Yes || Yes ||  ||  || Professional game localization service.
|-
| Victoria Tran || [https://web.archive.org/web/20200901195725/https://twitter.com/TheVTran/status/1184911699431833601 Twitter] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Victoria Tran's thread about indie social media metrics.
|-
| Philomena Schwab || [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JV780_Rc6PqQKf6PLlzkdr8EPvlf8C2aNSR9ROCpP5Q/edit?usp=sharing Google Drive] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Philomena Schwab's Master's thesis "Community Building for Indie Game Developers" that gives an in depth analysis of the subject.
|-
| Gracebruxner || [https://medium.com/@gracebruxner/making-merch-for-your-indie-game-37e434c98ab7 Medium] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Gracebruxner's article on when/why/how to make merch for your indie game.
|-
| Extra Credits || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_maWKR7Ivs Youtube] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Extra Credit's video on how to make a game dev portfolio.
|-
| JanDavidHassel || [https://twitter.com/JanDavidHassel/lists/game-press Twitter] || Free ||  ||  || Yes || Yes ||  || Twitter list of people working in game press.
|-
| Victoria Tran || [https://medium.com/@kitfoxgames/the-0-marketing-game-guide-e649a5ac83f4 Medium] || Free ||  ||  || Yes || Yes ||  || Victoria Tran's guide to "$0" marketing budgets.
|-
| Elizabeth Arens || [https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-image-sizes-guide/ Sprout Social] || Free ||  ||  || Yes || Yes ||  || "Always Up-To-Date" guide to media image sizes for several social networks.
|-
| ? || [https://clickup.com Clickup] || Free/Paid || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Project management tool with a lot of features to customize.
|-
| Laura Roeder || [https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/twitter-in-stream-images/ Social Media Examiner] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || How to make your Twitter photos stand out. References old Twitter dimensions.
|-
| Minoh Workshop || [https://minoh.itch.io/minotaur-hotel/devlog/125081/how-to-get-your-game-noticed-search-engine-optimization-for-itch Itch] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Itch devlog/pdf "How to Get Your Game Noticed: Search Engine Optimization for Itch" tailored for visual novels by the dev team for Minotaur Hotel.
|-
| ? || [https://www.reddit.com/r/HungryArtists/ Reddit] || Paid ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Yes || A subreddit of freelance artists looking for work.
|-
| JP3 || [http://vnsnow.com/some-things-to-keep-in-mind-while-planning-a-commercial-vn/ VNs Now] || Free || Yes || Yes || Yes || Yes ||  || A checklist for important factors of commercial VN development.
|-
| ? || [https://www.scriptreaderpro.com/tv-show-bible-examples/ Script reader pro] || Free || Yes ||  ||  ||  ||  || 40 downloadable pitch bibles for TV shows of various genres.
|-
| Tim Ruswick || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aSE9lYriK8 Youtube] || Free || Yes ||  ||  ||  ||  || "Hang Around People Better Than You", a short video about how to improve game dev skills.
|-
| [[Katy133]] || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIZFnBibBus Youtube] || Free ||  || Yes ||  || Yes ||  || Katy133's tutorial on how to make DIY merch (shrink film pins and charms).
|-
| ? || [https://socialblade.com/ Social Blade] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Yes || Social Blade is a public database of social media statistics of any user. Includes Youtube, Twitch, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, etc.
|-
|  Adriaan de Jongh || [https://docontract.com/ Docontract] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Yes || Contract() is a template work for hire agreement tailored for game devs.
|-
| Howard Ho || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyrC8PR8Npo Youtube] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Howard Ho's "How the Hamilfilm Trailer Works", a short video about how to use music in trailers.
|-
| Derek Lieu || [https://youtu.be/jDekF5IuSLo Youtube] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Short video on how long game trailers should be.
|-
| AtokNiiro || [https://twitter.com/atokniiro/status/1292279430199431168?s=21 Twitter] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Twitter image aspect ratios.
|-
| CoMiGo || [https://comigo.itch.io/better-creator-pages Itch] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Yes || CoMiGo's "Better creator pages at itch.io", a guide to organizing your Itch profile.
|-
| x || [https://www.workwithindies.com/ Work With Indies] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Yes || Work With Indies is a job board focused on indie studios.
|-
| Victoria Tran || [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRm1dp1O0XHnApELN6PVFv6ElhRtiyka1JXb_UA5vSqucM8nsPlxQNwrq-JPfCfYZwz8mKw7z7L4CDW/pubhtml Google Drive] || Free/Paid ||  ||  || Yes || Yes ||  || Victoria Tran's collection of marketing and community resources spreadsheet.
|-
| Raw Fury || [https://rawfury.com/developer-resources/ Raw Fury] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Yes || Publisher Raw Fury's template publishing agreements and legal, financial, marketing, and production documents.
|-
| Jannik Boysen || [https://jannikboysen.itch.io/easy-releasy Itch] || Free || Yes ||  ||  || Yes || Yes || Jannik Boysen's "Easy Releasy" provides templates to design Itch pages.
|-
| Arimia || [https://arimiadev.com/game-dev-social-media-post-ideas/ Arimia Dev] || Free ||  ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Arimia's list of "40+ Game Dev Social Media Post Ideas".
|-
| Arimia || [https://arimiadev.com/2020-social-media-calendar-for-indie-games/ Arimia Dev] || Free ||  ||  || Yes || Yes ||  || Arimia's "2020 Social Media Calendar for Indie Games", a cheat sheet of what to post on what day.
|-
| Arimia || [https://arimiadev.com/social-media-marketing-for-indie-games-2021-guide/ Arimia Dev] || Free ||  ||  || Yes || Yes ||  || Arimia's "Social Media Marketing for Indie Games – 2021 Guide", a detailed guide on how to market your game.
|-
| Arimia || [https://arimiadev.com/game-development-checklist/ Arimia Dev] || Free || Yes ||  ||  || Yes ||  || Arimia's "Game Development Checklist", a series of questions to ask yourself before/during/after game development.
|-
| vextera || [https://vextera.tumblr.com/post/171636967749/volume-commissions-mini-tutorial-the-recent-black Tumblr] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  ||  || A tutorial on volume commissions for artists: cheap, fast work that is profitable by quantity over quality.
|-
| Eldritch Crow || [https://eldritchcrow.itch.io/freelance-general-contract-template Itch] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Yes || Eldritch Crow's "Freelance Work General Contract Template"
|-
| Coda || [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_W0bEvYcKyCDV3290weTkbukWJ18evR4uIvCfdpeqvA/edit?usp=drivesdk Google Drive] || Free ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Yes || Coda's "Asset List & Budget" spreadsheet template to track assets, budget, and shortlist contractors.
|-
| ? || [https://www.milanote.com Milanote] || Free || Yes ||  ||  ||  || Yes || Workspace with built in templates for moodboards, game design documents, worldbuilding, level design, etc.
|-  
|-  
| [https://www.shopify.com/partners/blog/how-to-write-a-freelance-contract-101 Shopify]
| Atlassian || [https://trello.com Trello] || Free/Paid || || || Yes || || Yes || Web-based Kanban board process management tool.
| How to write a freelance contract
| Free
|
|-
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_maWKR7Ivs Youtube]
| Portfolio Design - How to Build a Portfolio
| Free
|
|-
| [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KWIzznlFNs_rQCEzW5ub6ehwaLcwR80xbuOokXwRa_Y/edit#gid=0 Google Docs]
| Spreadsheet of over 400 open calls, residencies, grants, galleries, etc. for creative endeavors ([https://twitter.com/everestpipkin/status/1198407074016825346 Source (Twitter)])
| Free
|  
|-
|-
| HelloBonsai || [https://www.hellobonsai.com/a/online-contract-maker Bonsai Contract Maker] || Free/Paid ||  || Yes ||  ||  || Yes || Bonsai has general business management software for freelancers and small business, including a contract maker.
|}
|}


==VN jam guides==
==VN jam guides==
Line 287: Line 628:
| article discussing VN jams and their effect on long-term projects
| article discussing VN jams and their effect on long-term projects
| [https://shibalist.itch.io/heart-sigil-elchemia/devlog/401491/reflections-developing-for-the-long-term Link]
| [https://shibalist.itch.io/heart-sigil-elchemia/devlog/401491/reflections-developing-for-the-long-term Link]
|-
| The ultimate VN jam advice
| mikey
| 2022
| short article about the concept of planning under the assumption the jam is half its actual length
| [https://atpprojects.medium.com/the-ultimate-vn-jam-advice-24b3c78c9190 Link]
|-
|-
| How to survive NaNoRenO
| How to survive NaNoRenO
Line 293: Line 640:
| video showing two teams with different planning approaches and what happens when disrupting events occur
| video showing two teams with different planning approaches and what happens when disrupting events occur
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU7VYaKKWDc Link]
| [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU7VYaKKWDc Link]
|-
| Director's Guidebook on Ren'Py and VN Game Jams
| tamafry
| 2021
| a detailed description of how to structure a VN production
| [https://tamafry.notion.site/tamafry/Director-s-Guidebook-6e9327f638a242218f09130302e3569e Link]
|-  
|-  
| Enamored Risks Postmortem
| Arimia
| 2020
| article detailing the planning, coordination, production and promotion of a NaNoRenO VN
| [https://arimiadev.com/enamored-risks-postmortem/ Link]
|-
| The last-minute VN
| The last-minute VN
| mikey
| mikey
Line 305: Line 652:
| article on how to create a very short VN by focusing on location first, and characters last
| article on how to create a very short VN by focusing on location first, and characters last
| [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c0vKyyD-xzaVZZlyOvkFrDnOvRlb3LShzwY6AUFx4G8 Link]
| [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c0vKyyD-xzaVZZlyOvkFrDnOvRlb3LShzwY6AUFx4G8 Link]
|}
==VN postmortems==
Postmortems are writeups detailing devs' experiences after having made a visual novel, and often serve as case studies for others to gain insight or pick up pointers for their own production.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Name
! Author
! Year / Update
! Description
! Link
|-
| Postmortem: Spooktober Visual Novel Jam
| shino
| 2022
| a postmortem that doubles as a guide on planning, recruiting, and devving for jams in the context of Lachesis ∨ Atropos, created for Spooktober VN Jam
| [https://4noki.itch.io/lachesis-or-atropos/devlog/436598/postmortem-spooktober-visual-novel-jam Link]
|-
| my love/hate letter to Berlin: Nowhereplatz, U3 postmortem
| mlkrn
| 2022
| a detailed postmortem about all aspects of making Nowhereplatz, U3, a VN for the Spooktober VN Jam
| [https://mlkrn.itch.io/nowhereplatz/devlog/435368/my-lovehate-letter-to-berlin-nowhereplatz-u3-postmortem Link]
|-
| Stuff I learned during the Spooktober VN jam
| SeaLiteral
| 2022
| a summary of the production process and lessons learned while creating Leaving the Glowsheep, made for the Spooktober VN Jam
| [https://sealiteral.itch.io/leaving-the-glowsheep/devlog/434302/stuff-i-learned-during-the-spooktober-vn-jam Link]
|-
| cinderAI postmortem
| Opheliaveu
| 2022
| short postmortem with overall reflections on the game cinderAI, made for the Spooktober VN Jam
| [https://opheliaveu.itch.io/cinderai/devlog/433343/opheliaveus-cinderai-post-mortem Link]
|-
| Jamming while traveling
| Ebbasuke
| 2022
| postmortem with detailed schedules and tasks for The Spirit of Outa, made for the O2A2 VN Jam
| [https://ebbasuke.itch.io/the-spirit-of-outa/devlog/412989/o2a2-2022-postmortem-jamming-while-traveling Link]
|-
| Glimmers of the Past Postmortem
| Eishelin
| 2022
| postmortem with details for visuals, for Glimmers of the Past, made for the O2A2 VN Jam
| [https://eishelin.itch.io/glimmers-of-the-past/devlog/411279/glimmers-of-the-past-postmortem Link]
|-
| My first experiences with game development
| Zedie
| 2022
| postmortem for My Angel Can't Be This Beautiful, made for the O2A2 VN Jam
| [https://zedie.itch.io/my-angel/devlog/411135/my-first-experiences-with-game-development Link]
|-
| First Jam, First Game
| Vystarlit
| 2022
| postmortem for a first-time jam experience for Death & Romance, made for the O2A2 VN Jam
| [https://vystarlit.itch.io/death-and-romance/devlog/411013/first-jam-first-game Link]
|-
| Enamored Risks Postmortem
| Arimia
| 2020
| week by week details in this postmortem for Enamored Risks, made for the NaNoRenO Jam
| [https://arimiadev.com/enamored-risks-postmortem/ Link]
|}
|}

Latest revision as of 05:06, 20 November 2024

 This article has been marked for cleanup. You can help by editing & proofreading its content to make it more clear and to comply with the Manual of Style.

Game design, Writing, and General Resources

Creator Link Price/
License		 Design Writing Resources Guide Tool Details
IronForPistons LSF Free Yes Collection of resources from VN;Conference.
IronForPistons Wordpress Free Yes Collection of resources for various aspects of design.
? Google Drive Free Yes Deprecated FAQ/glossary of visual novel terms. These definitions have been transfered to VNDev Wiki.
n/a Diagrams.net Free Yes Free flowchart program (formerly known as draw.io).
Visual Novel Design Youtube Free Yes Yes Yes Yes Videos that cover all the basics of Visual Novel Development.
BaiYu Itch Free Yes Collection of resources from NaNoRenO 2019
n/a TimeAndDate Free Yes Lets you personalize list of real time across the world (also weather and sun/moon calculator).
Emily Short WordPress Free Yes Yes Emily Short's blog post about how to improve as a narrative designer.
Emily Short WordPress Free Yes Yes Emily Short's blog post about types of player relationships with stories.
Jon Ingold Google Drive Free Yes Yes Notes on (with link to) an AdvX 2018 talk about writing dynamic dialogue.
Sam Kabo Ashwell WordPress Free Yes Yes Sam Kabo Ashwell's blog post about types of player agency in game narrative.
Lunaterra Itch Free/Paid Yes Collection of assets, tutorials, and tools.
n/a Windirstat.net Free Yes Windows Directory Statistics Cleanup Tool
Ahoy Youtube Free Yes Video essay about The Secret of Monkey Island and the history of text adventure games.
Alex Forsythe Google Drive Free Yes Open source add-on that allows for correctly formatted code and syntax highlighting in Google Docs.
Daniel Cook WordPress Free Yes Yes Analysis of social design improving MMO game design.
n/a Cultural Atlas Free Yes Yes In depth cultural differences of several dozen countries (of Austrailia's largest migrant populations) compared to an Austrailian standard.
n/a Toggl Free/Paid Yes Time tracking with reporting to help balance what you're doing too much/too little of.
Brandon Sanderson Youtube Free Yes Yes Brandon Sanderson's writing lectures on how to write a good story, plot, characters, and style.
n/a ShareX Free Yes Open source screen recorder for Windows with customizable settings.
n/a Notion Free/Paid Yes Project management workspace for individual or team use.
Hello Future Me Youtube Free Yes Yes Hello Future Me's video offering advice on place names by analyzing the etymology of real and fictional places.
Cass Phillipps Youtube Free Yes Yes GDC talk about designing effective narrative branches and player choices.
Radmatt Itch Paid Yes Multi-engine tool to design branching dialogue.
Trans Student Educational Resources TSER Free Yes A glossary of LGBTQ+ terminology from Trans Student Educational Resources.
John H Young Dropbox Free Yes Dropbox pdf of meanings of flowers and precious stones. Sourced from an 1881 American etiquette guide (Our Deportment - John H Young).
Minute Itch Free Yes Yes Ren'Edit is a tool to log notes/corrections while in game and automatically export them in a txt file.
? Google Drive Free Yes Yes "The Last-Minute VN", a guide on how to create a VN in a short timespan.
? Google Drive Free Yes Yes A simple game design doc template for visual novels.
Entertain the Elk Youtube Free Yes Yes Entertain the Elk's "Speilberg: How to Introduce Characters", a short video on how to establish characters.
Innuendo Studio Youtube Free Yes Yes Innuendo Studio's four part video essay on storytelling in video games.
Katy133 Youtube Free Yes Yes Katy133's "How to Make a Story Grid", a short video on how to plan your VN's plot, character arcs, pacing, and themes.
Innuendo Studio Youtube Free Yes Yes Innuendo Studio's "The Artist is Absent: Davey Wreden and The Beginner's Guide", a video essay on "Death of the Author" theory and interpreting canon through the game The Beginner's Guide.
Errant Signal Youtube Free Yes Yes Errant Signal's "What Does It Mean To Player Character?", a video essay on types of player characters and how they're designed.
n/a Coggle.it Free/Paid Yes Yes Coggle is a flowchart/branching tool that allows for real-time collaboration.
n/a Simplenote Free Yes Yes Simplenote is cross platform notetaking app with a tag system, backups, and markdown support.
Game Makers Toolkit Youtube Free Yes Yes Game Maker's Toolkit's "What Makes a Good Detective Game?", a video essay on how various detective games engage their players in the mystery.
Firgof Itch Free/Paid Yes Yes Firgof's "The NPC With a Thousand Faces", a DevTalk+ exclusive free pdf on how to quickly create a complex NPC. Password is "notagoose".
Ebbigal Google Drive Free Yes Yes A Google Doc collection of resources on how to storyboard on a budget.
Mikhail Panko Expresso Free Yes Yes Expresso is a browser app that analyzes your writing and provides metrics about your writing style.
Emma Coats (@lawnrocket) Imgur Free Yes Yes .@lawnrocket aka (Ex-Pixar) Emma Coats' 22 Rules of Storytelling.
Inkle Soundcloud Free Yes Yes "All About Fail States", an episode from Inkle Studio's narrative games podcast about fail states in mystery games.
Kate Chironis Twitter Free Yes Yes Kate Chironis' Twitter thread on how to write barks for a game writing portfolio.
Writing With Color Tumblr Free Yes Yes Writing With Color's blog index containing guides on avoiding cultural/racial stereotypes.
Jesse Schell DeckofLenses Free Yes Yes Jesse Schell's game design flashcard game. Contains 100+ design principles and ideas.
n/a GameDevNexus Free/Paid Yes Yes Game Dev Nexus hosts a collection of game design and business resources (formerly GameDevelop.io).
Hai Nguyen Mechvibes Free Yes Yes Play mechanical keyboard sounds as you type on your own keyboard.
Circlejourney Mega Free Yes Yes A blank info sheet to introduce your project.
n/a HacknPlan Free/Paid Yes Yes Project management for game development
Articy articy:draft 3 Homepage
articy:draft 3 Steam		 Free/Paid Yes Yes Yes Project management for game development. For teams and solo. Has student license option.

Art, Characters, Backgrounds and Animation

Creator Link Price/
License		 Sprites BG Animation Guide Tool Details
Klawzie Youtube Free Yes Playlist of 23 videos with various Clip Studio Paint tutorials.
Kazuki Akamine Xdomain.jp Free Yes Yes Details various types of movement used in graphic design.
AR14 itch.io Free/Paid Yes Yes Mannequin 2D Character Portrait Generator. Also has mods.
NoranekoGames itch.io Free Yes Yes Yume Series Free-to-Use Assets, includes sprites and backgrounds
NoranekoGames itch.io Free Yes New Style Free-to-Use Assets, includes sprites
puppetbomb itch.io Free
non-commercial use only		 Yes Yes Image Pack : College Life Three character sprites, two backgrounds.
Fungii itch.io Free/Paid Yes Customisable Sprite Assets Collection
WitPOP (Red) itch.io Free/Paid Several different sprite packs, monsters, and fantasy inventory icons
Thomas Romain Imgur Free Yes Thomas Romain's tutorial on maintaining art perspective.
Mari Costa Twitter Free Yes Comic tutorial on ambient colors.
? Google Drive Free Yes Table of facial expressions (eye/mouth combinations) and what moods they convey.
Vice Vice Free Yes Vice's first stock photo library featuring trans and non-binary models.
Selavi Games Itch Paid Yes Collection of VN backgrounds.
BaM Animation Youtube Free Yes Short video on how to improve lineart.
Michael Sexton (@Everblue_Comic) Patreon Free/Paid Yes List of free/non-subscription alternatives to Adobe products.
Kenney Kenney Free Yes Yes Kenney's CC assets.
n/a StudioBinder Free Yes Guide to camera shots and angles.
n/a Picrew Free Yes Yes Picrew character creator. Most creators only allow for personal use (not non-commerical use).
Ingthing Google Drive Free Yes Cheat sheets for drawing human anatomy.
Sky-morishita DeviantArt Free Yes Guide on how to maintain proportions in VN background art.
Jake Bowkett Google Drive Free Yes .@jakebowkett's guide on how to design backgrounds.
n/a Mr Initial Man Free Yes Compares heights of 2-6 people in metric or imperial measurements.
n/a Coolors.co Free Yes Color palette generator.
Anatomy For Sculptors ArtStation Free Yes Anatomy references.
n/a Wataokiba Free Yes Collection of sprite sets.
n/a Charat.me Free Yes Yes Character generators for girls and boys.
n/a Terawell Free/Paid Yes A 3D modeling software for humanoid figures.
Spiral Atlas Itch Free Yes Painterly European (regency) VN backgrounds
n/a Open Culture Free Yes Article linking to the Metropolitan Museum's 600+ free art book collection available online or as PDFs. Links to other museums' art books.
n/a Reddit Free Yes Subreddit dedicated to real world interior design.
Hass Idriss Hass Idriss Free Yes Hass Idriss' A/W 2020 runway line of dramatic, pseudo-fantasy dresses.
n/a Quixel Free/Paid Yes A 3D modeling program.
Akua Itch Free Yes Bubblegum Boy is a single sprite with customizable expressions.
n/a Reference.pictures Paid Yes 500+ photos of hand references.
eTeks SweetHome3D Free Yes Yes Sweet Home 3D is an open source interior design program.
Frederic Delavier Human Kinetics Paid Yes Strength Training Anatomy is an anatomically detailed fitness book. Contains illustrations of muscular and skeletal anatomy of dynamic positions.
n/a Line of Action Free/Paid Yes Randomizes photo references for figure drawing practice with timed intervals.
n/a Hnet Free Yes Online tool to convert PNG files to ICO.
n/a Cloud Convert Free/Paid Yes Online tool to convert PNG files to ICNS. Free for 25 images/day.
n/a Adobe Free Yes Adobe's online color palette generator.
Puppsicle Wayback Machine Free Yes Puppsicle's inforgraphic of skin tones with shading and highlight values (original tweet deleted).
Jacob Geller Youtube Free Yes Jacob Geller's "Bad Graphics", a short video essay about the sameness of "good graphics" vs unconventional art styles in video games.
Kyle T Webster Youtube Free Yes Short video tutorial on how to use the "color dynamics" setting in Photoshop to create realistic brush strokes.
William Nguyen ArtStation Free Yes William Nguyen's 3D lighting reference tool.
n/a Biodigital Free Yes Yes Real anatomy 3D human model (requires sign up to use).
Dan Fessler Dan Fessler Free Yes Tutorial on how to use index painting in Photoshop to turn a painting into pixel art.
Photoshop Tutorials Youtube Free Yes Short video tutorial on "How to Create Fluid Gradient Cover Art" in Photoshop.
Ctrl+Paint Youtube Free Yes A Youtube series on making concept art.
Vampbyte Patreon Free Yes Vampbyte's beginner's guide to Clip Studio Paint.
n/a Nappy.co Free Yes High quality stock photos of black and brown people in various settings and poses.
n/a Nicovideo.jp Free Yes Stock gallery with photos, videos, and SFX. Site is in Japanese.
Alex Hanson-White Itch Free Yes Yes Crocotile 3D is a tool for creating 3D scenes with tiles.
Eri_duh Clip Studio Paint Free Yes "Learn Anatomy to Improve Drawing Poses", an illustrated tutorial on basic anatomically correct poses.
Sinx Design Youtube Free Yes Sinix Design's "Anatomy Quick Tips: Hair", a video tutorial on hair design.
n/a Home Styler Free/Paid Yes Yes 3D floorplan and interior design tool that uses photo-realistic rendering.
n/a MyMiniFactory Free Yes Yes Yes Scan the World is an open source museum of 3D sculptures/cultural artefacts.
n/a Pond5 Free/Paid Yes Library of high quality stock photos, videos, and music. Includes public domain/historic resources.
Dmitriy Chugai Texturelib Free Yes Library of free, high resolution textures.
Vampbyte Google Drive Free Yes Vampbyte's masterlist of Clip Studio Paint tutorials.
Clip Studio Paint Youtube Free Yes "How to: Import 3D Models", a short video tutorial for CSP.
Ikea Ikea Free Yes IKEA catalogs from 1950 to 2021.
CelestialFang Twitter Free Yes Thread on how to paint gemstones.
Devin Elle Kurtz Gumroad Free/Paid Yes Devin Elle Kurtz's royalty free brush sets and textures.
Hanaou_twi Clip Studio Paint Free/Paid Yes Various tree/bush/leaf brushes for CSP.
Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas Creativebloq Free Yes Yes The 12 Principles of Animation.
Clip Studio Paint Youtube Free Yes Clip Studio Paint's video tutorial of how to use it.
n/a Pintrest Free Yes Pintrest collection of various art tutorials.
n/a WordPress Free Yes (NSFW) References for nude artist models. Also contains glossary of figure drawing terms.
Clip Studio Paint Clip Studio Paint Free Yes Clip Studio Paint's collection of art tutorials.
n/a FreePhotoMuscle Free Yes Muscle Plus is a stock photo library of muscular people doing everyday things. Site is in Japanese.
Smithsonian Smithsonian Free Yes Smithsonian Open Access, a CC0 collection of 2.8+ million art works.
Arimia Arimiadev Free Yes Arimia's free battle CGs.
Kingcholera Patreon Free Yes kingcholera's resource pack of 200+ 3D models of buff ladies with swords.
Amin Moazzen Cubebrush Free Yes 3D model of a kitchen.
Era7 Cubebrush Free Yes Futuristic anime backgrounds of the sky/space.
Era7 Cubebrush Free Yes Anime landscape backgrounds.
n/a Shotdeck Free/Paid Yes Shotdeck is a database of screenshots from 1,000+ films used by film industry professionals. Has a free two week trial.
n/a Twitter Free Yes Thread of graphic design TikToks.
Ostrich Burer Productions Itch Free Yes Yes Ostrich Burger Productions' collection of assets.
SethIova Twitter Free Yes Dropbox pack of 32 patterns.
Watabou Itch Free Yes Watabou's AI/procedural generator tools to create dungeons, cities, villages, maps, and etc.
MeltyPop Ko-fi Free/Paid Yes Royalty free backgrounds available for free or after a ko-fi donation.
Bunbuncita Twitter Free Yes 200 hand reference photos with/without items.
VisuStella itch.io Paid Yes A collection of all VisuStella Armory bundles.
VisuStella itch.io Paid Yes VisuStella Cuisine Season 1
VisuStella itch.io Paid Yes VisuStella Atelier Season 1, features items like scrolls, herbs, ores, potions
VisuStella itch.io Paid Yes VisuStella Atelier Season 2, features items like scrolls, herbs, ores, potions
VisuStella itch.io Paid Yes Yes Stella Character Generator
VisuStella [1] Paid Yes Yes Stella Character Generator DLC01: Animal Parts
Kelly Larkin Google Drive Free Yes 28 paper scans in 10k resolution.
M. Itch Free Yes M.'s iPhone mockup.
n/a Photopea Free Yes Free online recreation of Photoshop compatible with several file formats.
n/a Settei Dreams Free Yes Collection of model sheets, color designs, and artbooks for various animes.
Vice Vice Free Yes Vice's second stock photo library featuring trans and non-binary models.
Torcado Itch Free Yes Torcado's Opti, a transparent media viewer.
n/a The Noun Project Free/Paid Yes Yes The Noun Project is a database of icons and photos.
Pumpkin Spike Itch Free Yes Pumpkin Spike's "Background Character Sprite Pack" with two customizable sprites.
Potat0Master Itch Free/Paid Yes Potat0Master's "Free Visual Novel Backgrounds (Mansion Pack)" of 77+ royalty free images
Dustyroom Unity Paid Yes Unity shader pack "Quibli: Anime Shaders and Tools" for anime inspired styles.
Potat0Master Itch Free Yes Potat0Master's royalty free "Nozomi" character sprite with 19 expressions and 4 outfits.
Potat0Master Itch Free Yes Potat0Master's royalty free "Ryoko & Madoka" character sprites with 13+ expressions and 2 outfits each.
Brainwash Gang Itch Free Yes Brainwash Gang's 380+ free to use "Pixel Art Texturing Brushes"
Potat0Master Itch Free Yes Potat0Master's royalty free "Kioshi & Haruo" character sprites with 7+ expressions and 2 outfits each.
Potat0Master Itch Free/Paid Yes Potat0Master's royalty free "Sensai" sprites with 4 free and 3 paid characters with several expressions each.

Audio, Music and Voice

Creator Link Price/
License		 Music SFX Voice Guide Tool Details
Belgerum Soundcloud Free Yes Belgerum's CC partial VA samples.
Tim Reichert LSF Free/CC BY-NC 4.0 and CC BY 4.0 Yes Yes Visual Novel Audio Pack.
Tim Reichert LSF Free/CC BY-NC 4.0 Yes Yes Visual Novel Audio Pack Vol. 2.
Tim Reichert Patreon Free/CC (various) Yes Yes Various audio packs by Tim Reichert.
Kevin MacLeod Incompetech Free Yes Kevin MacLeod's library of CC music.
Kerstyn Unger Itch Free Yes Custom voice lines of 15 voices with 100+ lines each.
n/a Videvo Free/Paid Yes Yes High quality stock videos, music, and sound effects.
n/a Voice Acting Club Free Yes Guideline for voice acting rates for indie games.
Sam Haynes Bandcamp Paid Yes Sam Haynes' royalty free horror/Halloween music.
ProZD Youtube Free Yes ProZD's "How Do You Get Into Voice Acting", a video with his perspective on how to enter the industry.
Tom Lehrer Tom Lehrer Songs Free Yes Tom Lehrer, an American musician and satirist, donated all of his music and lyrics into the public domain.
n/a Kachofugetsu Free Yes Royalty free music library. Site is in Japanese.
n/a Soniss Free Yes 50+ GB of royalty free sound effects.
Anders Soundcloud Free Yes Royalty free metal, progressive, and alternative music.
Minoh Workshop Itch Free Yes Itch devlog "The (Budget-Friendly) Journey to Get Good Music for an Indie Game and Our Experience with iLicenseMusic" by the Minotaur Hotel dev team about the pros/cons of various music licenses and services.
Presley Hynes Google Drive Free Yes Yes Spreadsheet of audio plugins, SFX, and resources.
n/a Sound Effect Lab Free Yes Sound Effect Lab's library of SFX. Site is in Japanese.
n/a Flutu Music Free Yes Free SFX packs for explosions and guns.
Orpheo Fenn Soundcloud CC Yes Orpheo Fenn's CC music.
Jeff Penny Tumblr Free Yes Guide to audio files
Jeff Penny Tumblr Free Yes Guide to audio effects
n/a Bensound Free Yes Royalty free music
Arthur Mostovoy Medium Free Yes Guide to optimize high quality audio for Unity.
Jack Anderson midi.city Free Yes Online synthesizer with 100+ instruments.
Foleso Notion Free Yes Yes Yes Notion page listing 80+ sources of background music, sfx, and VA tracks (with/without singing).
Patricia Taxxon Bandcamp Free Yes Patricia Taxxon's free to use music.
Sideways YouTube Free Yes Video essay on how a a leitmotif can tell a story.
Jake Butineau YouTube Free Yes Video essay on how glitched music conveys horror.
Spotify Code Spotify Code Free Yes Create codes that people can scan to instantly hear your VN's OST if it's on Spotify.
Lee Rosevere Bandcamp Free/Paid Yes Lee Rosevere's library of music (CC license varies per album).
MAHO! Cody YouTube Free Yes Yes Working with Voice Actors as an Indie Dev (3-part video series)
WitPOP itch.io Free Yes Audio Assets Packs

Programming, UI and Engines

Main article: Visual novel engine
Creator Link Price/
License		 Programming UI Fonts Guide Tool Details
Jaime Scribbles Wordpress Free Yes Yes Tutorial on how to create customizable characters with layered images in Ren'py.
? mbaas.nifcloud.com Free Yes Screenshots of game UI.
? Pentacom.jp Free Yes Yes Library of public domain/CC pixel fonts and pixel font creator.
The Kinto Project Authors at ookami Inc. Github Free Yes Kinto, an OFL (free) Japanese font compatible with Latin fonts.
MonteBearo Limited Unity Paid Yes Unity narrative tool "Discourse".
Game Maker's Toolkit Youtube Free Yes Video essay on how to make dialogue mechanics more involved than basic skill checks.
minute Itch Free Yes minute's accessibility pack for Ren'py to include text, sound, and visual options.
Tofurocks Itch Free Yes Ren'py All-in-One GUI template with built in accessibility options and bonus screens.
Github Github Free/Paid Yes Github's documentation tool.
Woowa Brothers Woowahan.com Free Yes Korean fonts.
? Google Free Yes OFL Google fonts inclusive of 75+ non-latin based languages.
Multimokia Github Free Yes Multimokia's utility that allows a Ren'py game to reflect the player's local weather.
Tim Holman & Claudio Guglieri Meettheipsums.com Free Yes Yes Themed lorem ipsum generators (tv, film, pets, food, industry buzzwords, etc)
Ko-panda fc2.com Free Yes VN GUI. Site is in Japanese.
Karwai Pun Gov.uk Free Yes Yes Posters with design accessibility guidelines.
Foleso Itch Free Yes Foleso's Bridal Style VN GUI.
Tom Gantzer Game Developer (formerly Gamasutra) Free Yes Yes How to design menu screens for visually impaired gamers.
? Apple Free Yes Yes Apple's guide to UI design
Everest Pipkin Tinytools.directory Free/Paid Yes Yes Yes Everest Pipkin's list of open source, experimental, and tiny tools for game dev/design.
Oneirocritica Games Itch Free Yes Yes Oneirocritica Games' free Custom Pronoun System for Ren'py that prompts the player to customize their pronouns.
Katy133 Youtube Free Yes Yes Katy133's tutorial on creating noir lighting in Ren'py.
? Wordpress Free Yes Yes The Game Accessibility Guidelines provide basic/intermediate/advanced suggestions to balance the development cost, gameplay improvement, and player reach of accessible game design.
Game Dev Guide Youtube Free Yes Yes "Make UI That Looks Good in Unity", a video on UI design/implementation in Unity. The broader design aspect is useful for non-Unity UI.
Braille Institute brailleinstitute.org Free Yes A free font by the Braille Institute with distinct characters and increased readability for low vision readers.
Wattson Itch Free Yes Kinetic (moving) text styles for Ren'py.
Edd Coates gameuidatabase.com Free Yes Yes The Game UI Database contains 30,000+ screenshots from 700+ games.
npckc Itch Free Yes npckc's Pronoun Tool for Ren'py.
? angelcode.com Free Yes Yes Open source Bitmap Font Generator creates bitmap fonts from TrueType fonts.
Shawna-p Github Free Yes Yes Yes Shawna-p's "Mysterious Messenger", a framework for creating calls, texts, chatrooms, and emails in Ren'py.
salinsley Gumroad Free Yes Boba Date, a cutesy font inspired by shojo manga.
M. Twitter Free Yes Yes M.'s short video "How To Make Great Looking UI for Visual Novels" Part 1.
M. Twitter Free Yes Yes M.'s short video "How To Make Great Looking UI for Visual Novels" Part 2.
r3dhummingbird Itch Free Yes Yes r3dhummingbird's "Ren'py Rhythm Game", an open source template for rhythm games.
J (ludowoods) Itch Free Yes Yes J (ludowoods)'s "Twine to Ren'py", a tool to convert a Twine html file into a Ren'py rpy file.
Fiction Factory Games Twitter Free Yes Arcade Spirits' custom pronoun code.
Sakeozo Ko-fi Paid Yes Sakeozo's "Secret ASL Font" for personal use.
Al-Fe Unreal Paid Yes Yes Unreal Engine plugin for a visual novel framework.
Nguyen Notion Free Yes Yes Library of resources, articles, and videos about UI/UX design.
puppetbomb itch.io Free
Non-commercial use only		 Yes I Pack: Japanese Wave Pattern
brunoais [2] Free Yes Yes Yes Yes Visual UI editor for Ren'py

Production, Business and Marketing

Creator Link Price/
License		 Production Business Marketing Guide Tool Details
Everest Pipkin Google Drive Free Yes Spreadsheet of over 400 open calls, residencies, grants, galleries, etc. for creative endeavors
Quiet Days Tumblr Free Yes Yes Yes Yes Dev blog listing processes about targeting an audience, developing the story, project management, game design, and marketing.
Tom Francis Pentadact Free Yes Yes Short advice for Steam best practices.
Belgerum Reddit Free Yes Yes Long advice on how to make a good Steam page.
? mentionlytics Free/Paid Yes Yes Service that monitors social media mentions.
Stavros Pilatis Game Developer Free Yes Yes How to use Youtube to market your games.
Game Maker's Toolkit Youtube Free Yes Yes Short video "How to Make an Indie Game Trailer"
Adrian (@DragonSoldier2k) Google Drive Free Yes Yes Short guide on how to market games on Imgur.
Burak Tezateser Game Developer Free Yes Yes Long guide on pre-release Steam marketing.
Chris Zukowski HowToMarketAGame Free Yes Detailed guide on different stages of marketing.
? Microsoft Word Free Yes Yes Docx file of sites, tags, reviewers, and subreddits for NSFW games.
Chris Zukowski Youtube Free Yes Yes GDC talk about using email lists to create a dedicated fanclub.
Chris Zukowski HowToMarketAGame Free Yes Pdf file of the GDC fanclub talk's presentation.
Chris Zukowski HowToMarketAGame Free Yes Analysis of Boyfriend Dungeon's email marketing strategy.
Chris Zukowski HowToMarketAGame Free Yes Paul McCartney's marketing lets fans text him.
Ross Manthorp Games Industry Free Yes Yes Article on how to run a Kickstarter campaign.
onisuu DeviantArt Free Yes Yes Detailed guide on how to send a PayPal invoice.
? Hubspot Academy Free Yes Yes Free online marketing courses.
Matt Brown Shopify Free Yes Article on what to include in a freelance contract.
Represent Me Represent Me Paid Yes Yes Not-for-profit Represent Me maintains a list of nonbinary inclusive localizers.
Sam Coster Dropbox Free Yes GDC talk about how to market your game.
GCAP Youtube Free Yes GCAP talk about how to market games on Steam.
Mark Ramsey Medium Free Yes Yes How to use IFFF to automate posting tweets in discord.
Ulyana Chernyak Game Developer Free Yes Breakdown of what time of year is good to release a game.
Level Up Translation Level Up Translation Paid Yes Yes Professional game localization service.
Victoria Tran Twitter Free Yes Victoria Tran's thread about indie social media metrics.
Philomena Schwab Google Drive Free Yes Philomena Schwab's Master's thesis "Community Building for Indie Game Developers" that gives an in depth analysis of the subject.
Gracebruxner Medium Free Yes Gracebruxner's article on when/why/how to make merch for your indie game.
Extra Credits Youtube Free Yes Extra Credit's video on how to make a game dev portfolio.
JanDavidHassel Twitter Free Yes Yes Twitter list of people working in game press.
Victoria Tran Medium Free Yes Yes Victoria Tran's guide to "$0" marketing budgets.
Elizabeth Arens Sprout Social Free Yes Yes "Always Up-To-Date" guide to media image sizes for several social networks.
? Clickup Free/Paid Yes Yes Project management tool with a lot of features to customize.
Laura Roeder Social Media Examiner Free Yes How to make your Twitter photos stand out. References old Twitter dimensions.
Minoh Workshop Itch Free Yes Itch devlog/pdf "How to Get Your Game Noticed: Search Engine Optimization for Itch" tailored for visual novels by the dev team for Minotaur Hotel.
? Reddit Paid Yes Yes A subreddit of freelance artists looking for work.
JP3 VNs Now Free Yes Yes Yes Yes A checklist for important factors of commercial VN development.
? Script reader pro Free Yes 40 downloadable pitch bibles for TV shows of various genres.
Tim Ruswick Youtube Free Yes "Hang Around People Better Than You", a short video about how to improve game dev skills.
Katy133 Youtube Free Yes Yes Katy133's tutorial on how to make DIY merch (shrink film pins and charms).
? Social Blade Free Yes Yes Social Blade is a public database of social media statistics of any user. Includes Youtube, Twitch, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, etc.
Adriaan de Jongh Docontract Free Yes Yes Contract() is a template work for hire agreement tailored for game devs.
Howard Ho Youtube Free Yes Howard Ho's "How the Hamilfilm Trailer Works", a short video about how to use music in trailers.
Derek Lieu Youtube Free Yes Short video on how long game trailers should be.
AtokNiiro Twitter Free Yes Twitter image aspect ratios.
CoMiGo Itch Free Yes Yes CoMiGo's "Better creator pages at itch.io", a guide to organizing your Itch profile.
x Work With Indies Free Yes Yes Work With Indies is a job board focused on indie studios.
Victoria Tran Google Drive Free/Paid Yes Yes Victoria Tran's collection of marketing and community resources spreadsheet.
Raw Fury Raw Fury Free Yes Yes Publisher Raw Fury's template publishing agreements and legal, financial, marketing, and production documents.
Jannik Boysen Itch Free Yes Yes Yes Jannik Boysen's "Easy Releasy" provides templates to design Itch pages.
Arimia Arimia Dev Free Yes Arimia's list of "40+ Game Dev Social Media Post Ideas".
Arimia Arimia Dev Free Yes Yes Arimia's "2020 Social Media Calendar for Indie Games", a cheat sheet of what to post on what day.
Arimia Arimia Dev Free Yes Yes Arimia's "Social Media Marketing for Indie Games – 2021 Guide", a detailed guide on how to market your game.
Arimia Arimia Dev Free Yes Yes Arimia's "Game Development Checklist", a series of questions to ask yourself before/during/after game development.
vextera Tumblr Free Yes A tutorial on volume commissions for artists: cheap, fast work that is profitable by quantity over quality.
Eldritch Crow Itch Free Yes Yes Eldritch Crow's "Freelance Work General Contract Template"
Coda Google Drive Free Yes Yes Coda's "Asset List & Budget" spreadsheet template to track assets, budget, and shortlist contractors.
? Milanote Free Yes Yes Workspace with built in templates for moodboards, game design documents, worldbuilding, level design, etc.
Atlassian Trello Free/Paid Yes Yes Web-based Kanban board process management tool.
HelloBonsai Bonsai Contract Maker Free/Paid Yes Yes Bonsai has general business management software for freelancers and small business, including a contract maker.

VN jam guides

Due to the popularity of jams, ideas, tips, or useful articles pertaining specifically to VN Jams have been created. These usually come in form of "how tos", or specific approaches on jam participation. Common themes include:

  • proper planning (including margins)
  • adjusting on the fly (e.g. cutting content)
  • smart use of resources,
  • pacing oneself
  • prioritizing finishing over perfection

Below are specific case studies or full guides designed to give insight and support with jam participation or some of its aspects, usually authored by single individuals.

Name Author Year / Update Description Link
Reflections: Developing for the Long-Term shibalist 2022 article discussing VN jams and their effect on long-term projects Link
The ultimate VN jam advice mikey 2022 short article about the concept of planning under the assumption the jam is half its actual length Link
How to survive NaNoRenO Vimi 2022 video showing two teams with different planning approaches and what happens when disrupting events occur Link
Director's Guidebook on Ren'Py and VN Game Jams tamafry 2021 a detailed description of how to structure a VN production Link
The last-minute VN mikey 2015 article on how to create a very short VN by focusing on location first, and characters last Link

VN postmortems

Postmortems are writeups detailing devs' experiences after having made a visual novel, and often serve as case studies for others to gain insight or pick up pointers for their own production.

Name Author Year / Update Description Link
Postmortem: Spooktober Visual Novel Jam shino 2022 a postmortem that doubles as a guide on planning, recruiting, and devving for jams in the context of Lachesis ∨ Atropos, created for Spooktober VN Jam Link
my love/hate letter to Berlin: Nowhereplatz, U3 postmortem mlkrn 2022 a detailed postmortem about all aspects of making Nowhereplatz, U3, a VN for the Spooktober VN Jam Link
Stuff I learned during the Spooktober VN jam SeaLiteral 2022 a summary of the production process and lessons learned while creating Leaving the Glowsheep, made for the Spooktober VN Jam Link
cinderAI postmortem Opheliaveu 2022 short postmortem with overall reflections on the game cinderAI, made for the Spooktober VN Jam Link
Jamming while traveling Ebbasuke 2022 postmortem with detailed schedules and tasks for The Spirit of Outa, made for the O2A2 VN Jam Link
Glimmers of the Past Postmortem Eishelin 2022 postmortem with details for visuals, for Glimmers of the Past, made for the O2A2 VN Jam Link
My first experiences with game development Zedie 2022 postmortem for My Angel Can't Be This Beautiful, made for the O2A2 VN Jam Link
First Jam, First Game Vystarlit 2022 postmortem for a first-time jam experience for Death & Romance, made for the O2A2 VN Jam Link
Enamored Risks Postmortem Arimia 2020 week by week details in this postmortem for Enamored Risks, made for the NaNoRenO Jam Link
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