Game Demo Video

I spent my last days after finals to make this game demo video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP-x_81kVs0

  I hope it stirs up your interest in the game!  The music is my own original composition.  It's part of a much longer song.

Your Favorite Instrument

I'm working on some of the music for the game, but I wanted some feedback before I proceeded further.

I am curious about what kind of music you might want to listen to while you are playing a game. Piano? Guitar? Etc? There are a lot of different options out there, and I really want your opinion. I set up a poll on the blog so that I can get some of your input. Please participate! I know there are many other instruments out there, so if your favorite isn't listed, feel free to comment here or on the forum.

Meet Veron

Veron is one of the obtainable dudes in this Visual Novel game.  He is stoic, silent and a werewolf.  And now there is a picture of him!  I invested in a drawing tablet from the Bamboo Create line last week, and it is EPIC, let me tell ya.

I realized about halfway through drawing this picture that it was in low resolution, (doh!) so I didn't put as much detail in it as I will be putting into the character close-ups.  This pic will probably end up being used for a small background sprite or something in the game itself.  Anyhoo, enjoy. ^-^

Click to view a bigger image of Veron's awesomeness

A little about Veron....

His Favorite color: Red
His Favorite pastime: Watching the stars
His opinion on brief interviews: "I hate them. Don't ever make me do this again."

Anyway, his part in the story is about 75% done now.  Which I guess means that the script is about 1/4 of the way completed. ...Wow. That's cool.  See? The minute I stop putting deadlines on myself, I begin cranking out work like there's no tomorrow. 

School's going great by the way.  As is the flyer business.

So Let it Be Written....

Well, after four weeks of juggling full-time college work, graphic design jobs and working on the game, I have learned much from my experience! These points in particular:

1. Wait until the game is done before putting it out there for the public. Nothing burns your fans like unfulfilled promises. By learning this now, I don't have to make this mistake further down the road.

2. I need support from fellow friends in the gaming industry. My work ethic is greater when I am receiving and sharing feedback with fellow game developers.

3. I enjoy working as a project manager; it would be great if I can get a team together in the future.

4. If I can get them, I want trained voice actors for my games. By enrolling in a voice acting class this semester, I have come to realize the difference between trained and untrained voice actors.

5. Always have fun with your work. Let writing always be something fun.

I also have taken a four-week Flash animation course during this time, which has fueled my desire to utilize Flash animation in future games and trailers.

Let it be known, the game is still in the makings and it will be completed! So let it be written, so let it be done.  The deadline, however, is being thrown out the window. It's ironic, but I have a feeling that now that the self-imposed deadline is gone, the game will be coming out sooner than I expected.

Back on Schedule

Well, I had to address a family emergency earlier this week, so I had the game idling for a bit, but now things have settled down and I've been able to shift gears again. Full speed ahead with game development! :)

Very short blog post = more work being put into the actual game itself. :)

Games VS Homework

I had to decide whether to do homework or game writing this last Friday. Game writing won with some great results. The script is 25% done!

I even got some artwork completed. ^-^ Have a look-see:

This is Okana, one of the main characters in the game.

I want to explain the story and the type of gameplay involved so that you know what to expect when you play it for the first time.

This game is geared towards a female audience. Sorry, guys, I have some ready-made plans for an RPG, but I need some competent programmers first. Programming is not my forte; writing is my forte.

Game Synopsis: You have been chosen to save one of three individuals from a dark carnival. Whoever you decide to save will be sharing the rest of the story with you. The way you talk and interact with him determines what kind of relationship you will build while the plot unfolds (more about the plot later).  It could turn out romantic, or friendly, or maybe you'll hate each other's guts by the end of it. It all depends on you. :)

The game is written like a story. As the main character, you decide how the story plays out with menu choices. A story you can interact with can be very exciting! In a perfect world, I would make a game where you could write out exactly what you wanted to say and then the other characters would respond accordingly. However, this is not a perfect world and I am sorry. It would've been awesome. :)

Now I have to go get some homework done. More news to come in a day or two!

Making Characters

Due partially to the fact that the song, “Rock Me, Amadeus,” kept me up last night, the script is now underway!

I don't use a word processor to write the script; it is much easier to write it directly into the coding program, Ren'Py, which is what I use to make the game. Ren'Py uses python coding and so there are strings of strange directions scattered throughout the story (they don't show up when you're playing the game itself). Here's a screenshot of what the script looks like when I'm using the Ren'Py program:

When I am building a character, it's a lot easier having an image to refer to instead of a list of written information, especially when I have to keep track of a lot of characters.

So instead of using this:

Elriss

Hair color/length/style- strawberry blonde, has bangs, long

Eye color- Green

Body type- Muscular

I can whip up something quick with HeroMachine or DollDivine to make this:

<OR>

(Please do not think this is another version of Elriss)

There are a lot of online games which can be tools for anyone to use. I like HeroMachine and DollDivine because they have a lot of options and are helpful in making quick character pictures. Check it out and have fun!

The actual art for this game will be made after the script is complete, because then I will have a complete list of scenes, character expressions and backgrounds that need to be made.

I also started composing yesterday for the game's soundtrack, so watch for some future updates and music samples. :-)