I realised, something I didn’t account for on my last blog post, was QA and script editing! I didn’t forget, I just can’t put a percentage on it; it’s very hard to measure, but every game’s gotta do it, or, you know... Well, that’s what I’ve been spending the last 2 weeks doing, anyway. It’s tough going. I’m still not done, though I have been rather ill this week (damn you Autumnal cold!). I have a lot of script to edit and code to add, in addition to small bug fixes and improvements here and there. It’s all rather boring, I guess, and to you guys, I’ve nothing to show for it (yet).
So, here’s my new studio! I got a new orange desk chair and it’s awesome. The swivels on that parquet flooring... man, you would not believe.
I’m surrounded by toys, art books, comics and tech: it’s great! My favourite things are my cat face clock (present from best mate), Chillingo “icons I worked on” print (present from Chillingo), Utena figurine (present from myself) and the unopened sake bottle (present from my boyfriend) – we’re saving that for a special evening, potentially this game’s release date. Hmm... it may not last that long!
Going back to my QA and editing; I’m nearly to the end of it, although by then, I’ll need to go back and test other routes (ooh, I do love visual novels!). After that, I’ll be working on updating the UI in between little bits of artwork. Aah, being indie’s great. No, really, it is: I love jumping from job to job. Doing a little too much of everything is what Lucy’s do best! Heh, I’ve never been someone to focus on just one specialisation, and that’s typically seen as a bad thing, but I like to see it as “hey, maybe I make a better indie developer”? Well, let’s hope so.
So, here’s my new studio! I got a new orange desk chair and it’s awesome. The swivels on that parquet flooring... man, you would not believe.
I’m surrounded by toys, art books, comics and tech: it’s great! My favourite things are my cat face clock (present from best mate), Chillingo “icons I worked on” print (present from Chillingo), Utena figurine (present from myself) and the unopened sake bottle (present from my boyfriend) – we’re saving that for a special evening, potentially this game’s release date. Hmm... it may not last that long!
Going back to my QA and editing; I’m nearly to the end of it, although by then, I’ll need to go back and test other routes (ooh, I do love visual novels!). After that, I’ll be working on updating the UI in between little bits of artwork. Aah, being indie’s great. No, really, it is: I love jumping from job to job. Doing a little too much of everything is what Lucy’s do best! Heh, I’ve never been someone to focus on just one specialisation, and that’s typically seen as a bad thing, but I like to see it as “hey, maybe I make a better indie developer”? Well, let’s hope so.
Anyway, I mentioned “little bits of artwork”, so here’s another CG scene I’ve been working on. I really like this one, it’s so moody. Zoe looks like she has a lot of stuff on her mind...
It looks like it’s from a comic, which is the approach I want (I love comics!), though I hope the players will appreciate it too. Many visual novels have a strong anime style, though, in my opinion, there’s no need for that; it’s kind of over-used. I mean, ok – I am inspired by anime, it’s pretty obvious, but I’ve certainly strayed far from the norm, which could put many hard-core visual novel fans off. Although, just because the genre originated in Japan, doesn’t mean it all has to be anime styled, especially when a lot of these games are now made in the West. Personally, I believe we need more variations on art style within visual novels – less kawaii anime girls, more diverse characters and themes. I think the kawaii anime girl stereotype actually hurts the genre, because there can be so much more to it that that. Compare visual novels with books and you’ll suddenly see the imbalance. I’m hoping a slight variation on art style will attract a wider audience, anyway. Who knows, this could prove to be a huge mistake, but I believe it’s a risk worth taking.
It looks like it’s from a comic, which is the approach I want (I love comics!), though I hope the players will appreciate it too. Many visual novels have a strong anime style, though, in my opinion, there’s no need for that; it’s kind of over-used. I mean, ok – I am inspired by anime, it’s pretty obvious, but I’ve certainly strayed far from the norm, which could put many hard-core visual novel fans off. Although, just because the genre originated in Japan, doesn’t mean it all has to be anime styled, especially when a lot of these games are now made in the West. Personally, I believe we need more variations on art style within visual novels – less kawaii anime girls, more diverse characters and themes. I think the kawaii anime girl stereotype actually hurts the genre, because there can be so much more to it that that. Compare visual novels with books and you’ll suddenly see the imbalance. I’m hoping a slight variation on art style will attract a wider audience, anyway. Who knows, this could prove to be a huge mistake, but I believe it’s a risk worth taking.