List of VN creation resources

From VNDev Wiki

General Information

Resource collections

Backgrounds

Character sprites

Music and Audio

Creator Link Price/
License
Music SFX Voice Guide Tool Details
FulminisIctus LSF CC Audio pack
FulminisIctus Patreon Free List of public/free audio assets
Orpheo Fenn Soundcloud CC
Jeff Penny Tumblr Free Guide to audio files
Jeff Penny Tumblr Free Guide to audio effects
Bensound Bensound Free Royalty free music
Arthur Mostovoy Medium Free Guide to optimize high quality audio for Unity.
midi.city midi.city Free Online synthesizer with 100+ instruments.
Notion Notion Free Notion page listing 80+ sources of background music, sfx, and VA tracks (with/without singing).
Patricia Taxxon Bandcamp Free
Sideways YouTube Free Video essay on how a a leitmotif can tell a story
Jake Butineau YouTube Free Video essay on how glitched music conveys horror
Spotify Code Spotify Code Free Create codes that people can scan to instantly hear your VN's OST (if it's on Spotify)
Lee Rosevere Bandcamp Free/Paid CC license varies per album

Engines

Main article: Visual novel engine
Name Creator/Developer Link Price Details
Ren'Py PyTom https://www.renpy.org/ Free Supports Python 3
NaniNovel Elringus https://naninovel.com/ One time purchase Supports Unity
TyranoBuilder STRIKEWORKS https://www.nyu-media.com/tyranobuilder-visual-novel-studio One time purchase
Visual Novel Maker Degica https://visualnovelmaker.com/ One time purchase

Business

Link Information Price Tags
DeviantArt Invoice Guide for PayPal Free
Shopify How to write a freelance contract Free
Youtube Portfolio Design - How to Build a Portfolio Free
Google Docs Spreadsheet of over 400 open calls, residencies, grants, galleries, etc. for creative endeavors (Source (Twitter)) Free


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
How to survive NaNoRenO Vimi 2022 video showing two teams with different planning approaches and what happens when disrupting events occur Link
Enamored Risks Postmortem Arimia 2020 article detailing the planning, coordination, production and promotion of a NaNoRenO VN 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