Words Within Our Hearts [GXB Romance] (hey look we're back!)

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Cidz
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Words Within Our Hearts [GXB Romance] (hey look we're back!)

#1 Post by Cidz »

hey, sorry for a short opening thread. this is a game that we started a loonnngg time ago, however due to many reasons it kinda got put on hold for awhile, how long has it been a year or so? a long time...

but after talking to jubbz we got some new ideas and new ways to approach this. itll be a smaller game and we'll be the ones primarily working on it, but i think this time its more manageable.

anyway once we got it more planned out ill update this opening post.

i can say this much...instead of a school journalism club we're going with a kinda sorta super hero story (but minus maybe the superhero powers??)
Last edited by Cidz on Sat Jun 14, 2014 1:50 am, edited 16 times in total.

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Re: Words Within Our Hearts [GXB Romance]

#2 Post by Jubbz »

Hmm... no one's biting huh? Geez.
As you know, I'm called Jubbz, of the CSW Anime Blog. I started it, i run it. :D

Words Within Our Hearts (GxB VN)
Progress blog on the game
Current script progress: 20%.
I'm one of the writers of the Words within Our Hearts Otome Visual Novel, working on the scripts.
Completed Chris's route, and now working on Jeremy's. I'll re-do Avu's route when we get started on the sequel.

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Re: Words Within Our Hearts [GXB Romance]

#3 Post by fleet »

The girl characters don't look like they are 16 and 17 (more like 14 or 15).
Sounds like a VERY ambitious project. If you're looking for a background artist you should say how many backgrounds you'll need.
Some of my visual novels are at http://www.the-new-lagoon.com. They are NSFW
Poorly done hand-drawn art is still poorly done art. Be a Poser (or better yet, use DAZ Studio 3D) - dare to be different.

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Re: Words Within Our Hearts [GXB Romance]

#4 Post by Cidz »

Hmm..... you really think so? well I know Eva looks incredibly young, but that's sort of her thing. People mistake her for a grade-schooler and she gets mad over it lol. Oh, i really should of done that thanks! Actually I made a thread once in the recruitment area, i could link that or something. I have a list of backgrounds we need I'll have to go over it.

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Re: Words Within Our Hearts [GXB Romance]

#5 Post by CheeryMoya »

Alright, time for me to jump on the stalker bandwagon give you guys some actual feedback. And also start stalking this game properly.

First of all, let me gawk at all 11 obtainables. Has there ever been a game like this with so many bishies? Talk about a reverse harem! :lol: It's probably manageable since you have 4 writers on the job, but you need to make sure that all the writing styles sound somewhat similar to each other. Besides that, all of them need distinct personalities to make them unique and memorable. I'm already having trouble remembering some of their names and personalities >_>

I'm digging Gothic~Ichigo's sprites, so no qualms on the art. The character designs are easy on the eyes, which is important since I'll be looking at them for the whole game.

As for those questions you'd like some opinions on:
1. What do you think of the game overall? Does the plot interest you? What about the characters, do they seem interesting or too cliché?
I'm just so utterly overwhelmed by the amount of characters @_@ The plot is interesting enough, but I'm not sure if each character will be able to stand out from the crowd. I'm putting my faith in you guys to make them equally unique.

2. Are you ok with Jeremy's route being only available after you play through once of everyone's route (excluding Adrian)? Would you prefer he always be available? What about available after playing through a certain amount of routes?
NO HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO MY FIRST HASUBANDO HE HAS KOTETSU'S HAT I WANT THAT HAT SO BADLY WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO ME OTL That's unfair IMO, unless he's the canon love interest. I suggest you make him available after one playthrough; any more than that and you're out to kill off his fangirls.

3. Are you ok with Adrian being an extra route?
(Are you ok with it being a lesbian route?)
Handled in a mature way, then sure, go for it. I'm not into yuri, but I'm not against it either. Just remember that it's a delicate subject.
4. Are you ok with the routes being lengthy? Would you prefer shorter routes? Or a variety? (I can't tell you the exact length of each route but my guess is if you were to play like 2-3hrs it probably take you a couple days?)
Do I want to exchange length/quality for quantity? If possible, I'd have both.

5. This game contains:
- some cursing and may contain a few politically incorrect words
like "Retard."


- some violence
(shooting, stabbing. possible animal cruelty, suicide, death threats, brutal beatings)


- Implied sex.
(Nothing shown, nothing explicit, but there is a scene in Avu's route where him and MC get intimate.)

Those first 2 things are sorta okay for me as long as you don't advocate
calling people retarded or violence.
The last thing is questionable, especially since
Avu and the protagonist are 16. I understand that teenagers have raging hormones, but is it really necessary for the story? Do they actually do it? I might be turned off by Spiral's route because of this.
Though as long as no explicit content is shown, the 16+ rating should be fine.

6. We plan on releasing this game with music, SFX, sprites, CGs, etc...you know everything you need for your standard VN. Then afterwards we thought of releasing a updated (still free) edition that's fully voiced. With extras like a CG gallery/music room, maybe extra little side stories...stuff like that. Do you like this idea or no? Do you like the idea of it being fully voiced? What kind of extra things would you like for the delux edition to include?
It's easy to include a CG gallery and Music Room into the regular release. A fully voiced VN of this scope would be amazing if the quality was good, and I'd definitely play the deluxe version even after finishing the first version. Extra side stories would be an incentive for other players to look at the deluxe version too.

7. We also thought of the overall theme of the game is staying true to yourself... And to kinda help stay connected to the title of the game, we wanted to included small arcana elements... like, give every main character a specific arcana. Would you like that, or no?
Arcana is a little overused IMO, but go ahead if it fits. Just don't shoehorn it in because you like the idea of it.

And I'm too exhausted to ask questions right now ._. BTW, you misspelled Martin~Sensei in his description (it says "Martin~Sesei"). You also better tell Jeremy and Megan to watch out because THEY WILL BE MINE.

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Re: Words Within Our Hearts [GXB Romance]

#6 Post by Jubbz »

CheeryMoya wrote:Alright, time for me to jump on the stalker bandwagon give you guys some actual feedback. And also start stalking this game properly.

First of all, let me gawk at all 11 obtainables. Has there ever been a game like this with so many bishies? Talk about a reverse harem! :lol: It's probably manageable since you have 4 writers on the job, but you need to make sure that all the writing styles sound somewhat similar to each other. Besides that, all of them need distinct personalities to make them unique and memorable. I'm already having trouble remembering some of their names and personalities >_>

I'm digging Gothic~Ichigo's sprites, so no qualms on the art. The character designs are easy on the eyes, which is important since I'll be looking at them for the whole game.

2. Are you ok with Jeremy's route being only available after you play through once of everyone's route (excluding Adrian)? Would you prefer he always be available? What about available after playing through a certain amount of routes?
NO HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO MY FIRST HASUBANDO HE HAS KOTETSU'S HAT I WANT THAT HAT SO BADLY WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO ME OTL That's unfair IMO, unless he's the canon love interest. I suggest you make him available after one playthrough; any more than that and you're out to kill off his fangirls.

4. Are you ok with the routes being lengthy? Would you prefer shorter routes? Or a variety? (I can't tell you the exact length of each route but my guess is if you were to play like 2-3hrs it probably take you a couple days?)
Do I want to exchange length/quality for quantity? If possible, I'd have both.

5. This game contains:
- some cursing and may contain a few politically incorrect words
like "Retard."


- some violence
(shooting, stabbing. possible animal cruelty, suicide, death threats, brutal beatings)


- Implied sex.
(Nothing shown, nothing explicit, but there is a scene in Avu's route where him and MC get intimate.)

Those first 2 things are sorta okay for me as long as you don't advocate
calling people retarded or violence.
The last thing is questionable, especially since
Avu and the protagonist are 16. I understand that teenagers have raging hormones, but is it really necessary for the story? Do they actually do it? I might be turned off by Spiral's route because of this.
Though as long as no explicit content is shown, the 16+ rating should be fine.

6. We plan on releasing this game with music, SFX, sprites, CGs, etc...you know everything you need for your standard VN. Then afterwards we thought of releasing a updated (still free) edition that's fully voiced. With extras like a CG gallery/music room, maybe extra little side stories...stuff like that. Do you like this idea or no? Do you like the idea of it being fully voiced? What kind of extra things would you like for the delux edition to include?
It's easy to include a CG gallery and Music Room into the regular release. A fully voiced VN of this scope would be amazing if the quality was good, and I'd definitely play the deluxe version even after finishing the first version. Extra side stories would be an incentive for other players to look at the deluxe version too.

7. We also thought of the overall theme of the game is staying true to yourself... And to kinda help stay connected to the title of the game, we wanted to included small arcana elements... like, give every main character a specific arcana. Would you like that, or no?
Arcana is a little overused IMO, but go ahead if it fits. Just don't shoehorn it in because you like the idea of it.

And I'm too exhausted to ask questions right now ._. BTW, you misspelled Martin~Sensei in his description (it says "Martin~Sesei"). You also better tell Jeremy and Megan to watch out because THEY WILL BE MINE.
Alright...

1. In regards to the violence... Well... it won't be gratuitous like you'd see in a horror manga, buuuuuuuuuuuuut.............. I have wrote in some violence already... It'll make sense in context...

2. There's a reason why Jeremy's route is kinda hidden until later...
That's because his backstory is a series of... unfortunate events that set off the story anyway.
But i do like your suggestion of making him available a little earlier... >.>

3. Implied sex... i'm finding it harder and harder to fit in. Heck, it might not even happen. Or it might. Who knows. I'm still kinda juggling the idea around when i'm writing Avu's route.

4.Avu's route is too damn long... honestly, what is wrong with me? :| I wanted to write a good amount of Character development for Avu, the kind of guy whose personality is the typical nice guy like your harem protagonist. But i wanted to like... make him an actual character at the same time. You know. And i know for sure Jeremy's route'll be the longest... orz
But anywho, if the routes are long, that's because i feel there's a certain length for proper character development, ya know?

5. Also, the whole arcana stuff... i thought it over, sounded awesome at first when i thought it up, but thinking now, it'd barely fit in (if at all) with the overall theme of the game. I mean, the only thing that'll reference the arcana at all is the titles of the routes themselves, but i don't think it'd be playing as big a role as i once planned. Will that fine at least?

<--- Yeah... If you guys wanna know, I'm like, 75% done with Avu's route, but I've been considering doing a re-write of it... or at least the middle bits.
And i just got started on Jeremy's route too. Only about... 5% done. Heh.

At least Chris's route is finished, 100%. Wheeeeee~
As you know, I'm called Jubbz, of the CSW Anime Blog. I started it, i run it. :D

Words Within Our Hearts (GxB VN)
Progress blog on the game
Current script progress: 20%.
I'm one of the writers of the Words within Our Hearts Otome Visual Novel, working on the scripts.
Completed Chris's route, and now working on Jeremy's. I'll re-do Avu's route when we get started on the sequel.

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Re: Words Within Our Hearts [GXB Romance]

#7 Post by Cidz »

Ah since Jubbz addressed some of the stuff you wrote about i probably wont say anything on that, no need since avu isnt the one im writting.

yeah, 11 characters are certainly....alot. I mean at least you cant say you dont have enough to choose from :D. but really we are trying our best to make them each unique. There's still more to the characters too, some stuff i didnt put down because i dont want to spoil. But i hope that we can make each character intersting in one way or another. Sure some might be more interesting then others, but i am confident in the crew to work hard at it. Ah we do our best to make sure it all matches up, our writing and overall story. We go over ideas with each other, get on group chats on AIM, etc...

ah, i am glad you are pleased with the art <3 i really think she does a great job!

2. HAHA well glad to know you enjoy Jeremy <3. Hmm.... well he is i guess the main guy (love interest) and there is also what Jubbz had said too. Jeremy's route also sometimes adds little extra pieces to the guys routes, and explain some things.
for example:
in masons route, part of mason's backstory is how he beat up a guy that severaly beat up jeremy... the reason isnt explained why that guy was beating up jeremy in masons route but will be in jeremy.
however thinking about it i think after playing through once, or a few times you can unlock his.. having to play through 11 routes would be a bit too much O_o

3.
I will try my best to handle it as well as I can. I am still really unsure on what to do with Adrian, not sure if i want to go with all boy, or all girl, or what! I will have to save them for last, and give it conciderible concideration. However if i cant do a lesbian route tastefully i won't do it at all. I thought it might be kind of interesting to have it, throw something different in...
4. Well we dont want to rush it or anything, but I think there will be some routes that are longer then others. So, I think there will be a bit of variety with lengths, but nothing drastic (nothing like one route is 30 mins. the other is 30 hrs :P)

5. Nooooo we dont advocate it! Not at all.
I dont think the word "retard" will be used. Originally it was something Megan called people "You all are retards" "This is retarded" Because he thinks pretty much everyone is retarded and hes the only genius around. But Spiral is handling his route now (originally it was jubbz) and Spiral is quite against using that word, so it might not get used....still im not sure if Jeremy or chapperz might make him say it in other routes.
no, nothing explicit not at all... i think 16+ is a good raiting.


6. thats true! I think that I'll include the music and CG gallery in the original. But I'd like to do voices and extra stories, things like that in a delux version. Still we should finish the first version first haha, buuut food for thought at least!

oh geez did i!? thanks for pointing that out i better fix it! HAHA Jeremy and Megan are awesome, I think you will really like those routes <333 I really like all these guys actually, i hope that the others will as well.

and thanks soooooooo much for your feedback you dont know how happy this makes me >_< i was getting a bit discouraged because for awhile i wasnt getting anything, i just wanted to at least get peoples opinions on some things or at least know if people are interested or not lol.

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Re: Words Within Our Hearts [GXB Romance]

#8 Post by SilverxBlue »

1. What do you think of the game overall? Does the plot interest you? What about the characters, do they seem interesting or too cliché?
The plot interests me, but the huge amount of characters are indeed a bit overwhelming. And I'm a bit afraid to see some of them become the "Just there" characters. (Haha! Sorry, I couldn't find a good enough word. What I meant to say was characters that were just put there, they're not related to anyone or anything whatsoever and have such little screen time.)

2. Are you ok with Jeremy's route being only available after you play through once of everyone's route (excluding Adrian)? Would you prefer he always be available? What about available after playing through a certain amount of routes?
Well, since I am a bit of a completionist when it comes to games or VNs, I'd say go for it, but I can't say the same for potential Jeremy fangirls. Maybe one playthrough is just enough?

3. Are you ok with Adrian being an extra route?
(Are you ok with it being a lesbian route?)
I really have no problem with homosexual relationships, but please don't make Adrian's subplot look like Yuri fanboy/fangirl fodder.
4. Are you ok with the routes being lengthy? Would you prefer shorter routes? Or a variety? (I can't tell you the exact length of each route but my guess is if you were to play like 2-3hrs it probably take you a couple days?)
Well, I don't really care about the length, as long as there isn't huge amounts of purple prose, then I'm good.

5. This game contains:
- some cursing and may contain a few politically incorrect words
like "Retard."
Fine by me. Maybe you should rate it 13+ though
- some violence
(shooting, stabbing. possible animal cruelty, suicide, death threats, brutal beatings)
Or maybe 16+
- Implied sex.
(Nothing shown, nothing explicit, but there is a scene in Avu's route where him and MC get intimate.)
Yep, 16+.
- Also contains yaoi and yuri elements.
** Everything above is NOT explicit in any way, it's used in moderation and/or implied. It's used to suit a character and/or scene. We plan on giving this a 16+ rating due to everything above. Do you think this is a fair rating? If not, what would you rate it as? Also are you ok with everything? Only some things? Is there anything you aren't ok with? And if so why how can we improve or change it?
Well, I'm fine with it. And 16+ sounds good.

6. We plan on releasing this game with music, SFX, sprites, CGs, etc...you know everything you need for your standard VN. Then afterwards we thought of releasing a updated (still free) edition that's fully voiced. With extras like a CG gallery/music room, maybe extra little side stories...stuff like that. Do you like this idea or no? Do you like the idea of it being fully voiced? What kind of extra things would you like for the delux edition to include?
I may be able to play it, but if it's just voice then I'm sorry but no.

Maybe a few bonus scenes, or maybe a secret character (I don't think this is necessary since you have a lot of characters already) would let me play the deluxe edition.

7. We also thought of the overall theme of the game is staying true to yourself... And to kinda help stay connected to the title of the game, we wanted to included small arcana elements... like, give every main character a specific arcana. Would you like that, or no?

I'm not sure... The only time I've seen the Arcana used in a video game is when I'm playing Persona, and being the Persona fangirl that I am, then go for it! :)
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Re: Words Within Our Hearts [GXB Romance]

#9 Post by Cidz »

1. Hmm. you know i think people are right, 11 characters IS overwhelming, so how would you and anyone else feel if we split the game up into 2 games? the 2nd one can be a continuation of the 1st so we would still have the protag, and overall plot. But i think if we split the characters up into two games (plus we kinda thought about adding a couple more >_> ) into lets say oh 6 in one game and 7 in the other would that be a bit more manageable?

2. Ah well...if we split it up into two games i think waiting for jeremys route might be a bit easier, but chances are we might just make it after a couple routes like 2 or 3.

3.
noooooo no no no. not at all! i do not want to make it some yuri foddler! still i am unsure if this is what i'll do....but i wanted opinions anyways.
4. purple prose? hmm...well i dont think thers anything too lengthy dont think anyone has major monologues (maybe jeremy might have a couple lengthy monologues when explainging his story? im not too sure on that...)

5. ah ok, glad you are ok with it and you think the ratiing fits.

6. well...i thought voiced, extra small stories, hmmm secret character well i could place adrian in this...

7. haha yah well it might be something, i think jubbz said it might be really minor afterall or not used.


thanks again wow! feedback from 3 people this really does make me happy <3333 super happy! oh i forgot to add if anyones curious as to why so many characters its because they are all loosely based on the bloggers of CSW an anime blog run by Jubbz himself <3 we thought it might be fun to make an otome game out of it (since most of the bloggers on there are male >_> ) its quite the team (altho honestly some of them quit/fired by now, still would like to add them.) well i really would like to split this game, if we do might make things more easier on the players and everyone working on it.

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Re: Words Within Our Hearts [GXB Romance]

#10 Post by CheeryMoya »

Jubbz wrote:4.Avu's route is too damn long... honestly, what is wrong with me? I wanted to write a good amount of Character development for Avu, the kind of guy whose personality is the typical nice guy like your harem protagonist. But i wanted to like... make him an actual character at the same time. You know. And i know for sure Jeremy's route'll be the longest... orz
What seems to be a long read to one person may be average for another. What's the wordcount for the longest route and shortest route respectively? You'll need to balance it out eventually for the characters with less wordcount, because it'll feel unfair to fans of those characters.
Cidz wrote:2. HAHA well glad to know you enjoy Jeremy <3. Hmm.... well he is i guess the main guy (love interest)
It's the fact that he's like my perfect cup of coffee: tall, dark, and handsome. And also because of the hat. He sounds like a genuinely nice guy before shit hit the fan, and I respect a guy who will bake cookies for his club. I will steal that hat from him. If his route will explain other events, then I can wait a couple (meaning 2-3) playthroughs to get him. Just don't make it absolutely mandatory to go through all the routes. I. Need. That. Hat. Plus you don't see tsundere guys that often :3
Cidz wrote:1. Hmm. you know i think people are right, 11 characters IS overwhelming, so how would you and anyone else feel if we split the game up into 2 games? the 2nd one can be a continuation of the 1st so we would still have the protag, and overall plot. But i think if we split the characters up into two games (plus we kinda thought about adding a couple more >_> ) into lets say oh 6 in one game and 7 in the other would that be a bit more manageable?
Maybe, but don't you already have some character's routes done? I have no idea how you'll be able to make this all work, but you'll just have to work out the kinks with your team. This is what you get for having so many bishies in a single game @_@

BTW, this question just wandered into my mind just now: doesn't it feel strange to be writing characters based on your blogging buddies? Do the personalities of the character match the blogger? Juuuuuuust curious...

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Re: Words Within Our Hearts [GXB Romance]

#11 Post by Jubbz »

CheeryMoya wrote:
Jubbz wrote:4.Avu's route is too damn long... honestly, what is wrong with me? I wanted to write a good amount of Character development for Avu, the kind of guy whose personality is the typical nice guy like your harem protagonist. But i wanted to like... make him an actual character at the same time. You know. And i know for sure Jeremy's route'll be the longest... orz
What seems to be a long read to one person may be average for another. What's the wordcount for the longest route and shortest route respectively? You'll need to balance it out eventually for the characters with less wordcount, because it'll feel unfair to fans of those characters.
True... the draft i have now is over 100 pages in Microsoft Word. Make that what you will.

We don't know whose route will be the shortest yet, since only Chris's route is officially complete, and Mason's route is getting a re-write.
CheeryMoya wrote:BTW, this question just wandered into my mind just now: doesn't it feel strange to be writing characters based on your blogging buddies? Do the personalities of the character match the blogger? Juuuuuuust curious...
Yes and No. I mean, the guys won't be 100% based off of us. Just loosely.
I do think it'll be kinda fun for the people who regularly read our blog to guess what's part of the real and what's not.

I totally want a WMG page on tvtropes just for people to figure out what's real and what's not! :3
As you know, I'm called Jubbz, of the CSW Anime Blog. I started it, i run it. :D

Words Within Our Hearts (GxB VN)
Progress blog on the game
Current script progress: 20%.
I'm one of the writers of the Words within Our Hearts Otome Visual Novel, working on the scripts.
Completed Chris's route, and now working on Jeremy's. I'll re-do Avu's route when we get started on the sequel.

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Re: Words Within Our Hearts [GXB Romance]

#12 Post by Cidz »

not sure on the wordcount.. i can tell you that chris route is around 70+ pages? thatll probably be one of the shorter ones.

Jeremy is a genuinly nice guy, its just that well...with alot that goes on with him (and a troubled past) sometimes he doesnt seem like it. and yeah, he really cares about his crew, he really wants to do his best... what he really needs is a hug the poor guy >_> hmm...yeah i think waiting a couple routes until you unlock his is fair. having to play through them all is rather much. Yeah I love tsundere guys.

hmm...actually i just talked to them tonight and last night about it. and we are going to split the characters up into two games. it wont be hard at all actually... for the first game the dateable guys will be: chris, avu, kitsu, stephen, mason, mr. martin, and megan. thats 7 guys. and the rest will be supporting non-dateable. for the 2nd game will have jeremy, victor, justin, adrian (still as a secret character) and possibly 3 new brand new guys...again making it around 7.. jeremy will probably still be accessable after a couple chars are unlocked or maybe he can just be accessable from the get-go if hes going to be in the 2nd game.

actually not at all! i find it quite fun and ammusing and so do they. The idea of bishie-fying them is kind of a fun thing to do lol and they all get a kick out of it. Hmm well I would say they are loosely based on each guy. So you have certain quirks or personality traits, dislikes/likes, etc.... Also when the idea first arose to make this game i went around to each guy and asked them if they were ok with it and had any idea on what kind of character they wanted to be. so these guys are all partially made by thier real life counterparts. some even helped come up with plot ideas as well. Although some didnt really give any details just a "yeah sure go for it!" so we kind of had to make them up (cck didnt say anything about chris, and justin just said to make justice chaotic-neutral type...)

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Re: Words Within Our Hearts [GXB Romance]

#13 Post by Cidz »

** Update **
So after some late night talking with the team, we decided to make some changes to the 2nd game.
First it'll actually be a sequel. We decided to make it take place 1 year later after the 1st game takes place. (So the 2nd years will be 3rd yrs, and the 3rd yrs. would of graduated.) Jeremy will be in the 1st game, and leave the club to Avu, who will take charge of it in the 2nd game. There he wil recuit new members (and by that i mean the remaining 11 and 3 new guys...so 7 total.). And also there will be a new MC, as well as 2 new friends, (the friend characters will be in the 1st one)


so in short the 1st game will now have: Jeremy, Chris, Kitsu, Megan, Mason, and Mr. Martin. (Plus - Mia, Mina, Alice, and Eva.)
2nd game which will be more of a sequel will have: Victor, Justin, Stephen, and the 3 new guys.

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Re: Words Within Our Hearts [GXB Romance]

#14 Post by Tag- »

I finally have time to sit down and write a proper response.


Oh-ho, questions. I like questions, they help me direct my thoughts in a certain direction instead of having jumbled, incoherent thoughts.

First of all, I like the fact you've decided to split it into two games, it'll be easier for the player to distinguish and remember characters. (Or at least, it will be for me). I'm curious though, are you planning to completely finish both and then release them within a short amount of time within each other, or will you guys be focusing on releasing the first game before completing the second one?

The art is fantastic, Gothic~Ichigo is extremely talented; all the characters look distinguishable and reflect their personalities well :D

And as for the questions:

1. What do you think of the game overall? Does the plot interest you? What about the characters, do they seem interesting or too cliché?
I think that all school based stories are overused in general, but that's not to say that it can't be pulled off well or that I dislike it. If it's executed well I don't mind a bit of cliche. My thought of the length of the game is that it's definitely very ambitious, but it seems like you've got a good team working part of it, so the project doesn't seem impossible to create. As for the characters, I agree that the sheer amount of them makes it hard to remember each face and personality. I think this will probably change later on when we're 'getting to know' each character. I just hope that each of them play an equal role in the story and have vaguely equal face time. Too often I see people stick characters in just so they have that 'designated best friend/etc'.


2. Are you ok with Jeremy's route being only available after you play through once of everyone's route (excluding Adrian)? Would you prefer he always be available? What about available after playing through a certain amount of routes?
I don't mind Jeremy's route being unlockable, but I think making players play through every single path (especially with your proposed word lengths of each route) is a bit much; it could ruin the likeliness of players bothering to play his path. One or two routes seems like a good amount to finish.


3. Are you ok with Adrian being an extra route?
(Are you ok with it being a lesbian route?)
Definitely no qualms here. Since you've said that the fact about Adrian being female isn't there just for yuri fodder, it seems like it'd be a genuinely intersting path, so if you do go through with it, I'll be curious as to how the relationship will turn out to be.

4. Are you ok with the routes being lengthy? Would you prefer shorter routes? Or a variety? (I can't tell you the exact length of each route but my guess is if you were to play like 2-3hrs it probably take you a couple days?)
I like a really fleshed out story, so a long word count is fine with me, as long as the text wasn't repetitive and dragged out. (I had such a problem with that in HnKnA). If it were a stat raising sim that took that long to play I'd probably have some issues though.

5. This game contains:
- some cursing and may contain a few politically incorrect words
like "Retard."

I don't mind. 'Retard' being used in that sort of context (I'm assuming you're using it for a character to describe someone else as being stupid) doesn't bother me.

- some violence
(shooting, stabbing. possible animal cruelty, suicide, death threats, brutal beatings)

As long as they make sense in the context and aren't pulled out willy-nilly I don't have any problems with that.

- Implied sex.
(Nothing shown, nothing explicit, but there is a scene in Avu's route where him and MC get intimate.)

Erm, as CheeryMoya stated, their ages are slightly worrying, but since it isn't explicit, I wouldn't be turned away completely.

Also contains yaoi and yuri elements.
No problems here either, as long as they're not just thrown in to grab at the yaoi and yuri fangirls/boys.

** Everything above is NOT explicit in any way, it's used in moderation and/or implied. It's used to suit a character and/or scene. We plan on giving this a 16+ rating due to everything above. Do you think this is a fair rating? If not, what would you rate it as? Also are you ok with everything? Only some things? Is there anything you aren't ok with? And if so why how can we improve or change it?
16+ seems fair, although you should probably add brief warnings with it so that perhaps those slightly younger and older know what they're getting into.


6. We plan on releasing this game with music, SFX, sprites, CGs, etc...you know everything you need for your standard VN. Then afterwards we thought of releasing a updated (still free) edition that's fully voiced. With extras like a CG gallery/music room, maybe extra little side stories...stuff like that. Do you like this idea or no? Do you like the idea of it being fully voiced? What kind of extra things would you like for the delux edition to include?
I prefer having a CG gallery with the game, since this is quite the lengthy project, it'd be nice to see a mark of my 'progress' while going through each route. I'm pretty neutral about the game being voiced, but as long as it's done well it'd be nice to see it included. Are you going to include an option to turn them off though? If not, that might be a good idea to consider. As for extras I'd like to see, how about creator's thoughts? Like what each person thought of their role, the characters, the good/bad times working on it, what was hard/easy, etc. I love reading stuff like that after playing a route or finishing a game; it makes me feel happy for the creators as well.


7. We also thought of the overall theme of the game is staying true to yourself... And to kinda help stay connected to the title of the game, we wanted to included small arcana elements... like, give every main character a specific arcana. Would you like that, or no?
I....have no idea what that is so, uh.....go for it?
PM me if needed

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Re: Words Within Our Hearts [GXB Romance]

#15 Post by Cidz »

Ah, I'm glad you like questions. I like them too that way we get specific things answered (of course I don't mind if people say things outside these questions lol.)

I'm glad you like the idea of splitting the characters, it'll be easier all around I think. Oh we plan on releasing the first game, then start working on the 2nd after that. Plus then we can get some feedback on the 1st, and see if we need to make any improvements on the 2nd.

I'm so glad to get such a talented artist <3


1. Ah yeah, the school theme is used alot, but I still think it'll be fun to do since it centers around a school club. Well with splitting the game too i think it'll make it easier for us to flesh out the characters and take our time more. It wont be so much "oh geez this'll take longer then Katawa Shoujo to make >_<" XD Also having trouble remembering the characters, is another reason we wanted to split the game. (I'll admit even I can't remember them all half the time >_> ) Well in the 1st game we'll primarily be focusing on the main characters (with the exception of Avu who is going to be in the 2nd game, but plays a big part in the 1st. I mean he kind of needs to anyways, so people wont be like "wait...why is this strange guy taking charge of the club?" in the 2nd.) The other characters, for now will have small roles, probably wont even need sprites. However in the 2nd they will have their time to shine, as they now get their own routes, and character development. The friends as well get character development, as they each have their own little mini-arc hidden inside certain guy's routes.

2. Hmm, well we're going to put him in the 1st game. That has about 6 characters I think (After I reply to this, I'm going to do some editing to that front page with all the recent changes) And I think maybe about oh, half-way through it can be unlockable? So how does 3 sound? if not, perhaps after playing through once.

3.
Ah, glad you don't mind. No I want to do it tastefully. I just have to give this alot of thought, which is why I'm putting Adrian in the 2nd game. Gives me more time to think it over rather then rushing it lol.
4. Nope, wont be repetitive or dragged out, we'll make sure to that! Also nope, not a stat-raising game, just a story with choices and several endings.

5. "I don't mind. 'Retard' being used in that sort of context (I'm assuming you're using it for a character to describe someone else as being stupid) doesn't bother me." - Yeah, that's basically what it's used for, the character is incredibly condescending as well. However since someone else is handling this character (Megan) route, I don't even know if it'll get used at all.

As long as they make sense in the context and aren't pulled out willy-nilly I don't have any problems with that. - No, not pulled out of nowhere, it makes sense and serves a purpose.

Erm, as CheeryMoya stated, their ages are slightly worrying, but since it isn't explicit, I wouldn't be turned away completely. - Well jubbz is going to rewrite Avu's route anyways, and he said now that he thinks about it, doesn't think it'll fit in after all. But if he was going to use it, it wasn't going to be explicit.

No problems here either, as long as they're not just thrown in to grab at the yaoi and yuri fangirls/boys. - Nah, not really. They're used as part of a characters personality (Mia is a yaoi fangirl.) and parodied off thier actual real life counterparts. So, might not be that serious but not thrown in for the yaoi/yuri fanbase.

16+ seems fair, although you should probably add brief warnings with it so that perhaps those slightly younger and older know what they're getting into. - Ah ok thanks. Yeah I planned on doing that.

6. Well, with cutting it into two games. I think we can add perhaps all that stuff in the 1st? At least have the CG gallery, Music Room, and Voiced. I like that idea of having more behind the scenes stuff, and creator commentary. I thought of adding a sort of reference list as well. Since this is all loosely based off real people and real events, it might be fun to add a "In this scene it references this part that happened with us, etc...."

7. Arcana is the 22 cards in a Tarot Deck such as Strength, Wisdom, Lovers, etc.....I don't think we'll go with that after all, as it really doesn't fit in too well. Still, food for thought lol.

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