It's been a while! I have, once again, been pretty busy the last couple of months. Development on Memories (working title) has had its difficulties, but I feel like I am over the hurdle now which is great!
As with LoveIRL, I felt I'd accidentally bitten off more than I could chew with Memories. I originally planned it to be a 6-9 month project, but it quickly became a 12-18 month one, and I still wanted to add to it! I had to reel it back in somehow, so the last couple of weeks I've been assessing my writing style and the scenes within the game. I've decided to replace the jumbled mess I had with narration, which is a writing style I don't often use, but in Memories, it works really well. I've also cut back on the number of scenes within the game to focus on the core of the story. I thought I'd already done this, twice in fact, but there was still some fat left to trim. I've even removed a few scenes I really loved, but for now, this is best thing to do. It wasn't easy though. I think the hardest part for any developer or artist is to throw away parts of the work they love... *SIGH* it's for the greater good, I need to remember that! There's still a good chance that a couple of the scenes will make their way back anyway, depending on how healthy development is looking 6 months down the line. Hmm, we'll see.
Anyway, all the story is already programmed into the game and ready to rock. I'm just making my edits and cuts from the game's actual script. Perhaps that's a little ham-fisted, but it works for me. The game, so far, is just missing a lot of artwork and UI, so I have my work cut out for me, haha! It means I can't share too much with you all, but I can already see a vast improvement in my artwork already, which is pleasing.
Anyway, all the story is already programmed into the game and ready to rock. I'm just making my edits and cuts from the game's actual script. Perhaps that's a little ham-fisted, but it works for me. The game, so far, is just missing a lot of artwork and UI, so I have my work cut out for me, haha! It means I can't share too much with you all, but I can already see a vast improvement in my artwork already, which is pleasing.
This piece is from the latest scene I've finished. From what I've shown previously, you may notice the art style is a little different. That's because I've changed it to have a more striking, retro aesthetic. The colours used in each scene will reflect the emotions that are attached to them.
These two characters are Millie's Father and her best friend, Katie. At present, I am only focusing on main character sprites and backgrounds. I'm refraining from drawing CGs and animations at the moment, until my full redraft is complete. The reason being time. I don't want this project to explode with me adding a ton of minor details when the whole thing is still being changed.
I mentioned a while back that I wasn't going to add animation to Memories but, you know me, I love animation and I feel it adds so much needed life to visual novels. So, once the game is in alpha, I'm going to reassess adding more animation to the characters. All the sprites are currently static placeholders, but I believe this will be a better way to work so that the game has a solid foundation. Artwork takes the most time, so it's best not to waste it.
These two characters are Millie's Father and her best friend, Katie. At present, I am only focusing on main character sprites and backgrounds. I'm refraining from drawing CGs and animations at the moment, until my full redraft is complete. The reason being time. I don't want this project to explode with me adding a ton of minor details when the whole thing is still being changed.
I mentioned a while back that I wasn't going to add animation to Memories but, you know me, I love animation and I feel it adds so much needed life to visual novels. So, once the game is in alpha, I'm going to reassess adding more animation to the characters. All the sprites are currently static placeholders, but I believe this will be a better way to work so that the game has a solid foundation. Artwork takes the most time, so it's best not to waste it.
Anyway, One Night Stand has had a few developments of its own the last couple of months. Russian language support is soon to be added on Steam and itch.io, and I'll be announcing a release date in the next few weeks! Stay tuned :)
If you follow me on Twitter and Facebook as well, you may have noticed I got One Night Stand running on my iPad. This is something else I have going on in the works, however, I am waiting on some more languages before bringing the game to iPhone and iPad. On that note, if anyone knows a Spanish <-> English translator, please let me know!
If you follow me on Twitter and Facebook as well, you may have noticed I got One Night Stand running on my iPad. This is something else I have going on in the works, however, I am waiting on some more languages before bringing the game to iPhone and iPad. On that note, if anyone knows a Spanish <-> English translator, please let me know!
I think that just about wraps everything up. I have lots of work to be getting on with, so I'll be keeping these blog posts as short and concise as I can! Until next time!