Lemma Soft Forums

crap! sorry, I didn't time the demo so I can't say how long I took. D: not too long or short, though~ (but of course I wish it were longer, i.e. full game-size--*shot*)
I run linux and I encountered no errors. :0
boris is still my favourite. boooriiiiss~ ♥ and every time I saw casey's face I kept laughing... he's just such a goof I can't help myself! one little problem, though: some of the buttons were hard to press, especially the hand-written ones(right-click menu, opening screen, etc). rather than just the text space, perhaps you should make the buttons over an area/selection?
one last thing: keep up the quality! this is one of the games I am most looking forward to on this whole website, and for good reason! the characterizations you've showed us so far are lively and easy to get behind, and the art style perfectly ushers it along. go forth on the swan wings of zeus! that is totally not a weird way to end this what are you saying!

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dumb tumblr is dumb.

Oooh, thanks so much for your kind words! I'm really flattered that you liked it! We're doing our best to live up to people's expectations... and our own, hah. I'll keep your comment about the buttons in mind, I'll probably have to tinker with them a bit more, because the stupid imagemaps don't want to obey me. xD

(Also of course it's not a weird way, everyone knows about Zeus and his... Swan wings? Yep, not odd at all!)

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Bumpity bump. This thread has been quiet recently, hasn't it.

Buuut that doesn't mean we've been idling. In fact, hard work is taking place. Here's the proof:



Keep an eye on this place and our blog (if you aren't doing so already, which you are, aren't you? /narrows eyes) for updates and teasers. As always, comments are appreciated - you know how they're a great motivation to work harder, aye?

Oh, and one last thing: Something big is happening in the MSP (virtual) studio.

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A bit late in playing the demo, but here you go. :v

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First of all, thanks for your comment! I hope you found the demo enjoyable~


Yeah, mom (doesn't have an actual name yet <.< >.>) is pretty nice! She feels somewhat guilty, as her and Estelle's relationship is a bit strained due to certain things... So yeah, this is definitely not the last time you see her!

Hah, yeah, Ezio is a bit difficult to talk to at first (understatement!), but I promise he's not that bad! He's one of my favourite characters to write because of his eloquence and sarcasm.

About : I wish I could give you a logical explanation, but... Estelle is just a big baby and a sore loser. (Both when she was a kid and now that she's 'grown up'.)


About the text, it was actually a happy coincidence that it aligned with the lines of the textbox, because I have no clue as to how to adjust it. Now that you bring it up, though, we might move the name into a separate box to keep it aligned.

Also, yeah, I know there are some issues with the sprites. Sorry about that, I can assure you it won't be like that in the final game! Same with the black thumbnails - I don't know why they're acting up like that, but I'll fix them. (eventually)

Pffff, totally hadn't noticed that! Thanks for pointing it out xDD


Aww wee, it was educational? xD Time to put that in the genre tags! /Jk.

Thank you again! ^^ (The demo was actually gonna be even shorter, heh... ._.') But I'm glad it was interesting~ <3

***
In other news, as I'm madly writing, I've been thinking about the central themes of the game...

I think The Academy will turn out to be a coming of age story, and about coming to terms with things such as change, differences between people, even norms enforced by society... Of course, my intention is to keep it light-hearted, because our #1 goal is to create an enjoyable game. Expect it to be sprinkled with SERIOUS BUSINESS, though.

Also, each guy's route will have a somewhat central conflict (as in, your main objective is not to jump their bones c; ). For example, Casey's related to Anyone has any hunches about the other guys?

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Double-posting with some news!

As some of you know, there were problems with the Mac file. I re-saved it with a different name (like, 2 months ago), but MediaFire was acting up and wouldn't let me upload anything. But not anymore!

Here's the Mac demo: http://www.mediafire.com/?yjh2uq6zvfqz9vx

Here's hoping that it will work! xD

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Just played this! Like everyone else, I think the character art is awesome! So stylish and dynamic! I especially like Estelle’s unconventional heroine design – she really rocks the short hair. Putting in the extra effort to have changing outfits and hairstyles was a really nice touch (love how Casey’s hair streak changes color haha) and a great way to mark the passage of time.

The school themed main menu, prefs screen, and textbox were quirky and cool (for the text box, though, you might want to increase the bottom padding – in some scenes, like the very first one, the text would almost touch the bottom of the screen). Are you planning to apply a similar school style to the save/load + quit screens?

The characters were really fun. I liked the shy guy being the fire element and thought Shari and Dafydd were super cute together (please tell me there is a path where I can hook them up)! How do you pronounce Dafydd, actually? Does it sound like Taffy, or is that just him being quirky? ;p If I had to pick a path to try first, I think it would probably be Boris because he’s adorable. I like Dafydd, too, but it would kill me to go up against Shari and possibly break her heart. ;_;

And lastly, hahahaha the strangling scene cracked me up. Each of those facial expressions was priceless!

Some nitpicks:

I was surprised at the lack of elemental power usage, besides a few mentions here and there, since it sounded like a major part of the game concept. So far, I feel like this story could actually be set at a normal high school. Any reason to add elemental powers into the mix?

Since the background is in black and white during the flashback, maybe you could also use black and white sprites as well?

I think “Mom” should be capitalized when it’s used as name

At the part where you choose whether to go October Fest, Estelle says Casey suggested hanging out at his dorm instead. I don’t actually think he said that earlier, but I may have missed it?

Oh, and since you asked, I think it took me about 30-40 min to play the demo.


Cue some wild mass guessing!

Lol, yeah, I have no idea. At any rate, good luck with everything, and I look forward to seeing the finished game!

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AXIOM.01 (girl detective game) - WIP thread/site
The Pirate Mermaid (twisted fairytale otome) - WIP thread/demo
a2 ~a due~ (music, language, love ~ early NaNoRenO project) - game complete!

Okay, I'll answer the Elements question first, because it's kinda important.

Thing is, The Academy is not the only game we are planning on setting in this universe. So its function is to establish the world and tell the player about the Elements and how they work without being particularly, hmm, 'magical'. Since the game is more slice-of-life-y, and Bending is not a very easy thing to do even for students at the Academy, there isn't so much focus on it. (Unlike the other games we're planning which will involve a lot more of it... If we ever manage to complete them, LOL)

That said, you will be seeing more of the Elements, but if you're expecting mad magic fights, don't hold your breath. xD They will be minor things that sweeten/spice up the story. For example, Also, the Elements influence society a lot, so there is discrimination/stereotyping.

Hope that explains it!

I'm glad you like the look of the game! Yeah, the GUI is not 100% ready, I'm still not happy with some things, but the thought of having to deal with imagemaps again scares me... >.> <.<

Also, it's pronounced like Taffy, yeah, only with 'd'. I'm glad you liked the characters, as the story is largely character-driven.

I like the idea of black and white sprites! And it's easy to do, so... sure, why not? xD Noted about 'Mom' and Casey's suggestion. Will fix that!

About your guesses, I can say that one is correct and three are partly correct! /lame attempt at being cryptic

Finally, thanks a lot for your comment! ^^ Much appreciated!

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Ohh, I see, I didn't realize it was part of a series! Though I think the world you've created and the powers aspect is so interesting that it would be a shame not to see more of it, even in this early installment. I understand that the main characters aren't very experienced, but perhaps the teachers or older students might be able to "show off" a little bit more haha. That and the "minor things" you've mentioned would be really interesting to see earlier in the game - would really add to the feel of the world, imo at least. ^^

Lol imagemaps! Screens all the way! (gets smacked)

Awesomeness! Haha, I'd been pronouncing Dafydd as "Dafid" in the my head, so that makes a lot more sense to me now.

Ah, now the question is, which one was completely wrong? I'm gonna guess the last one lol.

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AXIOM.01 (girl detective game) - WIP thread/site
The Pirate Mermaid (twisted fairytale otome) - WIP thread/demo
a2 ~a due~ (music, language, love ~ early NaNoRenO project) - game complete!

Oh well, I agree about that. It's not too late to include some more of that, so I'll keep it in mind when I start revising the early parts of the game. ^^ Thanks again!

Hahah, yeah, it's the last one. How did you guess? xD

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Heh, sorry if I am being too bossy. ^^; Ultimately, you're the one who knows what's best for your game, so you of course don't have to listen to anything I say haha. I trust you to make the best judgement.

Lol, I knew it! Hahaha, probably because it sounded like the plot for a Captain Planet episode.

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AXIOM.01 (girl detective game) - WIP thread/site
The Pirate Mermaid (twisted fairytale otome) - WIP thread/demo
a2 ~a due~ (music, language, love ~ early NaNoRenO project) - game complete!

No, you're not bossy! Your suggestions are pretty nice, so thanks for them!


LOL.

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Hey ho, dudes and dudettes! How are you wonderful people doing? Just coming here to mention that our progress hasn't been restricted to writing and coding and what not this past months. In fact, since I love being nitpicky and crazy perfectionist with my art, I decided that ALL of the sprites needed a complete revamp! WOO! So I've been working my ass off, and I come bearing fruits. Let me present you... Alain 2.0!



What do you guys think?

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Mushroom Samba Productions

I think the hair on the top of his head is a little too indented/close to his skull for how fluffy it looks, but I'm mainly impressed by the fact that the wrinkles on his shirt and the shading makes sense and look good.

Agreeing with Explosions&NickCage. You should make the top of his hair a little bit taller to fit proportion-wise.
Shading seems a little bit off for his pants, for his right leg.
Overall, he looks very cool/better than before. c:

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