Well, development is proceeding. The script plans were more-or-less finalised at the end of January, and I started writing script at the beginning of February. I seem to be averaging about one chapter/episode per month, which puts the expected release date something like mid-summer
But I hope to make it worth the wait!
SunKitten is producing me the most AWESOME character art I've seen from her
I really want to post some examples here, but I don't have any backgrounds to put them against yet. I'll post a couple of teaser screenshots in a month or two, but for the moment you'll have to believe me on how very cool the characters look
Thanks all for your enthusiastic responses! I'm really excited about the game and really enjoying writing the script, but it does encourage me greatly to know that people here are excited about it too
azureXtwilight wrote:(But I don't really like Kei doing sumthing behind Takuya's back...
)
Don't worry. You don't have to. That's the beauty of the choices you get to make in visual novels
I'm not keen on it myself, but it's a route I want to provide for those who do want to see what'd happen.
teankun wrote:I was wondering how it was going to continue, but that idea is ingenious. I did not know you could do that with Renpy. That is very original and creative: an VN game with not only multiple endings but multiple beginnings.
I suppose so. It just seemed obvious to me (particularly since I included the MultiPersistent data in ER1), but yes, having an eightfold branch in the first scene is more divergent beginnings than most VNs provide!
teankun wrote:Does this mean there could be a love triangle? Please do. I enjoy stories that involve two male childhood best friends fighting over their female childhood best friend (like Macross Plus).
Then you'll enjoy one or two of the Mermaid Liaisons paths
teankun wrote:I will admit one hang up I had about ER1 was that is seemed to convenient that when Takuya asks Kei back which girl he prefers he says “Tohko” unless Takuya says “Tohko” of which Kei says “none of them.” So, if you go for Tohko in #2 after Kei says “None of them” in #1, does that mean he was lying or just changed his mind?
Hmm. I think the idea was that Kei's thoughts and actions would be influenced by little subtle cues from Takuya; Kei was never that into fiercely competing with Takuya, particularly over girls, so before Kei started developing feelings for Tohko himself, if Takuya seemed to be going that way then he'd divert his attention elsewhere.
EDIT: Oh, wait, I misunderstood. If Kei said in Elven Relations that he wasn't interested in Tohko, but then in Mermaid Liaisons he decides to pursue her? Then yes, it's most likely that he changed his mind. A year and a half has passed, after all
teankun wrote:Can you give any idea how intense them fighting over her would be? Would fists fly? Maybe you could use the combat mode but instead of the party verses monsters or bandits have it between Kei and Takuya.
Finally, will Tohko simply dump Takuya or would she feel confused or uneasy about best friends turning against each other? (Again like Macross Plus) Give me angst. I really go for angst.
Interesting ideas. I'm not sure if I'll use them, but there's definitely going to be potential for angst on a couple of the game's routes!
Tsundere Lightning wrote:Excellent. Though I'd curious as to how you'd handle Kei/Tokho/Tayuka, seeing as Tohko and Kei both don't seem the cheatin' type.
Nor the poly type, if Tokho's tsundere streak is any indica... AAAARGH I'M ON FIRE!!!
Nyuk nyuk
You're certainly right about poly. As for cheating, well, it doesn't come exactly naturally to anyone involved, but unfaithfulness is something that by all accounts rather sneaks up on people.
herenvardo wrote:As an RPG'er with a WoW'ish avatar it's quite obvious that I'm all in for combats ^^. However, I feel that those purists who don't like RPG-ish stuff in VN's as much as us shouldn't be left out. That's why I thought, since the first time I played ER1, that making the combats optional was one of the best choices ever taken: I strongly encourage you to keep that choice, so you can make everybody happy.
Thank you! Yes, based on everyone's responses here I plan to include a combat engine similar to in ER1. The combats:
* Will be optional like in ER1
* Will be (in some/most cases) more relevant to the plot than in ER1
* Will of course have a two-way relation between the characters' feelings towards Kei and his and their actions in combat, as in ER1
* Will hopefully have the textual non-minigame version more relevant and less repetitive than in ER1
* Miiight have a difficulty setting in preferences as per herenvardo's suggestion - I like the idea, at least
* Probably won't have an AI alternative, because that'd show players how to beat them
I had hoped to include some small element of character progression - like Tohko acquiring a new spell in-between combats, based on your choices, or something like that. However, the plot isn't really lending itself to that working out particularly well. I might still find a way to fit it in, but it's looking more like my dreams of a hybrid ren'ai VN with combats and character customisation and advancement will have to wait for my turn-based tactical ren'ai game that I plan to write with the UnitEngine some time in 2010.
herenvardo wrote:Well, that's just my opinion on the topic. I really hope, regardless of what you finally choose, that ER2 will be at least as good as ER1 was
That is my aim, in every area