(Just to warn you, this game will feature some swearing and light sexual content. They're teenagers, after all.)
In Sapporo East High School, there are many students, and each of them are special. Here are three.
- Sapporo East is one of the top high schools in the the Hokkaido prefecture, and (President of the Student Council) Murakami Satoshi is one of the top students. He earns good marks, sets regional track records, and every girl dreams of holding his hand. He's friendly, funny, and focused on making it into Tokyo University, just one stop on the way to the Diet.
- Hokkaido is one of the coldest prefectures in Japan, and (member of feminist punk act "Quickly Revolt") Ichikawa Eri is one of its coldest students. "Eddy," as she'd rather be known, passes classes only because failing them would be too much trouble. She couldn't give less of a shit about the Japanese "educational-industrial" complex, openly boasts of losing her virginity, and dreams of touring South America with her band.
- Japan is one of the richest countries in the world, and (7th Dan Go player) Sawahata Midori is one of its richest citizens. Sophisticated, brilliant, and uncommonly thin, "Princess" Midori is both the most-envied and least-liked student in Sapporo East. While polite, she mostly keeps to herself, but this hasn't stopped rumors of her travels, riches, and boyfriends; none of it true, of course, but Midori doesn't mind.
Honestly, this game is just a lot of fun to write, design, and program. Putting together this weird, fun GUI (with inspiration from Collage, my favorite visual novel) has been educational and awesome. I'll apply some of the skills I've picked up to This Is Not A Game, though obviously not the aesthetic as a whole. (Seriously, these games are, like, at opposite ends of the spectrum.)
Programming has also been an enjoyable challenge; I have to account for which chapters have used which characters, and incorporate the decisions made (and not made), when displaying subsequent stories. On that note, I get to write small variations that add up to huge differences in the story, which is nice, but even better: with three different characters, I get to cover overlapping events with three different writing styles. Seriously, this game is such a blast to make. Looking forward to hopping between my two projects, pulling lessons from one and applying it to the other.
Progress?
Story: 25% - (I've finished Satoshi Chapter 1, Satoshi Chapter 2, & Eri Chapter 2.)
GUI: 40% - (Still need to redo the preferences and save menus, as well as the GUI for Midori's chapters.)
Art: 50% - (Still need backgrounds for Chapter 3 and the Epilogues.)
Sound & Music: 50% - (I have lots of sound effects and musical cues, but I still need more for Chapter 3 and the Epilogues.)