Knack [sci-fi][suspense][bxg][strategy?]Update 7/27

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Clestae
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Knack [sci-fi][suspense][bxg][strategy?]Update 7/27

#1 Post by Clestae »

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(I'm not sure if I really like that logo, subject to change *cough*

"Bitter chills engulf the body to skew the senses. Thick shadows consume the heart to twist the feelings. What will happen to the world when Cold engulfs Heat and Shadow consumes Light?"

Updates:
I unfortunately currently lack any artists to help me with this project (I originally had a sprite artist who decided to opt out >.>). However, I am currently halfway done the prologue section that determines what "path" you end up on. I've been using some sprite and background placeholders for the meantime.
So far I have five paths planned out. There are between 5-9 endings per path (...yes this is a lot of endings, and yes I hope to make them as unique as possible--we'll see how that turns out). My reasons for having so many endings was because there are many choices in the game that I felt would realistically result in different outcomes.

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Setting:
In the small island nation of Moloria, science advancement has allowed people to discover they have the ability to manipulate certain types of energy, namely heat and light. This ability is known as knacking. The process of knacking works by transferring energy from one area to another, which makes it seem as if heat or light "increased" in that particular spot.
However, a small interest group from the capital city, known as the Vanphyrians, took over the capital and subjected the people to a tyrannical rule. They were nicknamed the "Vampires" because their powers of knacking allowed them to seemingly "suck" heat and light away from an area. This made it seem like they could cause areas to be cold and dark, but people who can knack know that coldness and darkness aren't actual substances. Cold is the absence of heat; dark is the absence of light.
These new rulers only had a few laws. Never speak poorly of the Vanphyrians and their sponsors. Never disobey a Vanphyrian officer. Never knack.

Story:
A boy wakes up in a poorly furnished bedroom. He has no idea where he is and cannot put a name to his face.
After some searching around, he discovers his name is Rufus and he is a student at a boarding school called the Elite Scholars Academy (ESA), a prestigious school for strong-minded and able-bodied students.
Before Rufus can take all of this in, he discovers a little demon named Somber lives with him. Somber tells him the true reason why Rufus lost his memory: it was a sacrifice for the ability to add darkness and coldness as actual substances. In other words, Rufus is able to create entirely foreign substances.
But the old Rufus held many secrets, and now he has to figure them out quickly if he wants to survive.
Why did Rufus get these powers? What exactly is the ESA trying to accomplish? And what consequences will Rufus's decisions have on his fate and several others?

Characters:
Rufus Vahnbrite
The main protagonist and character the player controls. He has lost his memory because he gave it up for the ability to add darkness and coldness as actual substances. He is a very calculating and intelligent, and also is talented in strategy. He isn't a very strong or athletic person, but is able to protect himself through martial arts. Rufus sadly discovers that he is also an Inept--someone who is not capable of knacking heat and light.

Somber
Demons were supposed to just be legends in Moloria. It is said that if you can find a demon and be willing to give up either your memory, a major limb, or your soul in fifteen years, you will be granted untold power.
Somber is sarcastic and apathetic; he normally finds humans stupid and cares very little for them. However, Rufus interests him, and he figures he'll stick around for awhile to see the results.

Medina Saelum
A fellow student of ESA and was apparently sort of a friend of Rufus's. She's quiet and stoic, and not only a good judge of character, but also decent at diplomacy and manipulation. She figures out early on that Rufus lost his memories and helps him get readjusted. She's very attuned to the team's morale and mentality, and becomes a motherly figure for many. Medina is best at light knacking and also talented with technology, specifically computers and coding.

Falura Bentine
Another student at ESA, and insists she is Rufus's best friend. She's excitable and often hyperactive. She obviously likes Rufus, although her adoration can border on obsession sometimes. Falura is best at heat knacking, and she's good with machinery.

Thytor Brisk
One of the more athletic students at ESA and Kadsey's cousin. Thytor is large and strong, but has a soft heart. He's a bit of a comedian, but is also very good at fighting. Thytor also has an uncanny ability to drive any vehicle he touches. He is also an Inept.

Kadsey Brisk
Another student at ESA and Thytor's cousin. She's kind, but passionate about the school's purpose. Has strong endurance, although not very physically strong. What she lacks in strength, however, she makes up in knack ability; she has incredible knacking skills in both heat and light.

Brennan Deverel
A student at ESA for his intelligence. Brennan seems like one of the "cool" kids at the school; put-together, approachable, and charismatic. He also has some talent in strategy and often a leader. Is somewhat proficient at knacking.

Lyzel Fore
A student at ESA. Lyzel is quiet and serious for almost any situation, although this hides a fiery willpower. She doesn't cooperate well, especially if she does not trust the leader (which is very hard to earn). Lyzel is proficient with almost any kind of weapon, and it is difficult to catch her off-guard. She is inept in heat knacking, but she can knack light.

Arsir Canan
Arsir barges through and asks questions later. He's large and brutish and doesn't have a lot to say. The words he does say are often clipped and harsh. Arsir is an Inept, although he seems to have an uncontrolled ability to knack heat sometimes. He's a tank in human form; he may not have fighting finesse, but he can outlast anyone.

Vision:
My vision for this game is to have several menu trees, and having each decision not only be important for endings and consequences, but also somewhat shape Rufus's thoughts and personality. Rufus does not start as a complete blank slate, but losing his memories does give him a chance to start over, and I want players to feel as if each decision has some reflection on Rufus's new interests and such. This includes possible love interests.

This isn't intended to be a horror game, or too much of a mystery, but I hope to keep players in suspense. There are a lot of things I'm refraining from revealing in the plot description that is actually discovered within the first half hour or so of play. This decision is so the players can focus on deciding what is best for Rufus, given these reveals. I also want that moment of panic and confusion before the player decides they have to put these thoughts aside and figure out what to do next.

Relationships:
I intend on having a couple of romance paths as well. I have decided to stick with heterosexual choices, mostly because this isn't meant to be a dating sim, and I'm already racking up a lot of endings…and having more might make my head spin! The romances are not meant to be a side thing, but something that strongly affects the plot. That being said, there are only a few endings planned where these romances are actually happy and successful.

While there are no official "friendship" paths planned, I do intend to have a branch of endings where you get to learn more fully about the other characters.

Strategy:
A possibility I haven't fully figured out yet. I'm hoping to have a part of the story where you actually have to plan for an infiltration mission (the reason why is, erm, one of the spoilers I failed to mention haha). This might either just be menu/VN style where you have to make a number of correct decisions or else get a bad ending/game over, or might try to figure out a better mechanic. You wouldn't actually be doing the infiltration; you'd be planning it. Anyway, just something I've still got to think about.
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Last edited by Clestae on Sun Jul 27, 2014 5:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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gekiganwing
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Re: Knack [sci-fi][suspense][bxg][strategy?]

#2 Post by gekiganwing »

Right now, most of the top search engine results for "Knack" are for a Playstation 4 game with the same name. Other results include famous band The Knack, and a furniture store in South Carolina. I suppose it's okay to have a vague title. But if you're planning to sell it as an indie game (are you?), then you might benefit from a longer title. Not everyone will look for "knack visual novel."
Clestae wrote:My vision for this game is to have several menu trees, and having each decision not only be important for endings and consequences, but also somewhat shape Rufus's thoughts and personality. Rufus does not start as a complete blank slate, but losing his memories does give him a chance to start over, and I want players to feel as if each decision has some reflection on Rufus's new interests and such. This includes possible love interests.
In other words, you want your readers to refine the main character's goals through choices... right?
Clestae wrote:I intend on having a couple of romance paths as well. I have decided to stick with heterosexual choices, mostly because this isn't meant to be a dating sim, and I'm already racking up a lot of endings...
I use the term "dating simulation" to refer to any computer game with 1) genuine simulation gameplay, driven by statistics and schedule management, and 2) an emphasis on fictional relationships. I believe the term can encompass any kind of pairing, and include just about any level of content, from the equivalent of a PG-rated movie all the way to NC-17.

So yeah, if you want to just write a visual novel -- a story with decisions leading to multiple endings -- that's fine. Just make sure to state that clearly.
Clestae wrote:While there are no official "friendship" paths planned, I do intend to have a branch of endings where you get to learn more fully about the other characters.
Good idea. In my opinion, a good ending in a story with some romance doesn't need to be equated with "main character finds love." You can use alternate endings to show your fictional world and explore as many ways to resolve the story as you want.

Clestae
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Re: Knack [sci-fi][suspense][bxg][strategy?]

#3 Post by Clestae »

gekiganwing wrote:Right now, most of the top search engine results for "Knack" are for a Playstation 4 game with the same name. Other results include famous band The Knack, and a furniture store in South Carolina. I suppose it's okay to have a vague title. But if you're planning to sell it as an indie game (are you?), then you might benefit from a longer title. Not everyone will look for "knack visual novel."
At the moment I'm not sure if I'm going to go commercial on this. If I feel like my game elements are up to par (the art, music, GUI, etc.) then I was thinking as a sort of $5 indie game. Otherwise I might just make it free.
Sigh the issue of title plagued me from day one. Originally the title was "Cold Shadows" but I felt it was rather lame, so I finally changed it to "Knack." To be completely honest, I'm not really sure what title I want >.<

In other words, you want your readers to refine the main character's goals through choices... right?
His goals and his general attitude about things, aka personality.
One of the biggest choices you make in the game is whether to become a leader of this group, or sit quietly while someone else takes charge. Another is whether you let your friends know your true identity or not. Both of these have obvious consequences, but also lend itself to shaping the new Rufus (bold vs. timid, honest vs. manipulative, etc.). But there are hopefully going to be several of these kinds of choices.
So like any visual novel I guess :P I just hope it's presented in an interesting way.

I use the term "dating simulation" to refer to any computer game with 1) genuine simulation gameplay, driven by statistics and schedule management, and 2) an emphasis on fictional relationships. I believe the term can encompass any kind of pairing, and include just about any level of content, from the equivalent of a PG-rated movie all the way to NC-17.

So yeah, if you want to just write a visual novel -- a story with decisions leading to multiple endings -- that's fine. Just make sure to state that clearly.
It is just a visual novel :P Romance is simply part of the visual novel, and the only thing that may not directly qualify under "visual novel game mechanics" is the strategy part, but I still need to figure that out.

Good idea. In my opinion, a good ending in a story with some romance doesn't need to be equated with "main character finds love." You can use alternate endings to show your fictional world and explore as many ways to resolve the story as you want.
Indeed that's the plan! Hopefully I convey it as such :)
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Re: Knack [sci-fi][suspense][bxg][strategy?]

#4 Post by Ran08 »

To be perfectly honest, I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi, but this sounds interesting, so I'd like to give it a try when it comes out. Hahaha. :D

I'm curious about this "knacking" ability. "Never knack", yet how come they came up with the idea of knacking? :o And does it have any sort of benefits too?

Also, I kinda agree with gegikanwing, haha, maybe you should make the title longer or something. It could be something as simple as, "Knack: [insert words here]". But that's just my personal opinion of course. If you really like the title, then you should keep it. ^^
My vision for this game is to have several menu trees, and having each decision not only be important for endings and consequences, but also somewhat shape Rufus's thoughts and personality. Rufus does not start as a complete blank slate, but losing his memories does give him a chance to start over, and I want players to feel as if each decision has some reflection on Rufus's new interests and such. This includes possible love interests.
Yay, I like the concept of "starting over". Haha. It seems really interesting and fun. ^^ I guess you'll make use of a lot of flags then? Haha, oh my, good luck. XD
I intend on having a couple of romance paths as well. The romances are not meant to be a side thing, but something that strongly affects the plot.
Oh! As a fan of otome games, I am happy that you decided to include romance in this game. Hahaha. I know it's not an otome, but at least there will be a nice little love story. Mehehehe. :") It's also really nice that they're not just side things that you decided to add in to the last minute, but real stuff that will affect the plot. Yeah, I like that. Haha.

Anyway, I wish you good luck on this game! :) If you need any help, feel free to PM me! *winks*

Clestae
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Re: Knack [sci-fi][suspense][bxg][strategy?]

#5 Post by Clestae »

Just to let people know, this game was under hiatus for awhile, but it's now hopefully going to be up again! Unfortunately I have no artists, but I will be updating the first post with some new info soon~
I'm curious about this "knacking" ability. "Never knack", yet how come they came up with the idea of knacking? :o And does it have any sort of benefits too?
The idea was that it's like their "science". If anyone has ever watched Fullmetal Alchemist, the idea of alchemy is considered "science" to them (while to us it looks like magic), so that's where I'm trying to go with it :P Also, the "never knack" is more of a law implemented by this tyrannical new government in a way to keep their rule. Knacking has the potential to be powerful in certain hands and so by banning knacking, the government keeps their rule.
I'm not sure if I made that clear in the first paragraph...I'll edit it soon.
Also, I kinda agree with gegikanwing, haha, maybe you should make the title longer or something. It could be something as simple as, "Knack: [insert words here]". But that's just my personal opinion of course. If you really like the title, then you should keep it. ^^
No no I do see your point. Most VNs have longer names, anyway. And it is easier to search for it if the name has some more to it. I'm gonna play around with words and such ^_^
Yay, I like the concept of "starting over". Haha. It seems really interesting and fun. ^^ I guess you'll make use of a lot of flags then? Haha, oh my, good luck. XD
Oh yes, the amount of flags in the first section alone is scary o_o Thankfully I had some prior knowledge of python before trying out ren'py, so it hasn't been too crazy so far.

I'm not planning on using "persistents" at the moment, but I am considering perhaps preventing players from achieving the "true end paths" until they reach the other ones? I'm not sure. It will entirely depend on whether the players get more out of the story if they play through some of the other endings first. Hm.
Oh! As a fan of otome games, I am happy that you decided to include romance in this game. Hahaha. I know it's not an otome, but at least there will be a nice little love story. Mehehehe. :") It's also really nice that they're not just side things that you decided to add in to the last minute, but real stuff that will affect the plot. Yeah, I like that. Haha.
I'm a big sappy romantic myself, and I do enjoy writing it, so... XD However, I wanted the romances to mean something. So there aren't many romance choices (right now I think it's...two), and one of them is considered more "true ending" than the other. But the relationship will hopefully have meaning, so that is the intent :P

Thanks Ran~! And yes people, this is back! Just needs some sprucing up lol
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