Lemma Soft Forums

You can download the demo here:
Windows, Linux demo (mediafire)
Mac demo (mediafire again)

Demo Features:
Word count: 10,006
Menus: 4
Features all main characters and a bit more than a month in-game time.
CGs: 5

Credits:
Drawing, CGs - Dee
Writing, programming - Veniae
BGs - NickelBuckle9
Music - Kevin MacLeod

Share your opinions, impressions and critique! But most importantly, enjoy! <3



Imagine a world just like ours, but with one major difference. The Elements. Earth, Water, Air, Fire, Light and Darkness. They are present in every living organism and are the reason for the world to function.

Every human is born with the affinity for one or two of these Elements. To a certain extent, they define a person's basic character traits and appearance. However, controlling them is beyond the powers of the majority. Despite that, it is not impossible to bring your Element under control.

That is what one of the most elitist high schools, The Academy for Proficiency in Elemental Bending, is teaching. A limited number of people from around the world are presented with the opportunity to study there. If they demonstrate the dedication and diligence, they are bound to succeed.

But this is far from easy, especially for 16-year-old Estelle Devlin, whose priorities are somewhat different. Take her role during Sophomore Year and guide her in making decisions... Which, as we all know, is easier said than done.

Navigate Estelle through a variety of awkward and funny moments and observe as she learns more about the others and herself. Will she be able to make new friends, or strengthen her bonds with her current ones? And where does the line between friendship and romance lie?



Estelle Devlin

Age: 16
Sophomore Year
Element: Light
The story's protagonist. An outgoing, cheerful girl with a sarcastic streak. A bit whimsical and immature, but a loyal friend.
Trivia: Loves drawing.

Casey Abrahams

Age: 16
Sophomore Year
Element: Air
Estelle's childhood friend. A ditz with an open and positive demeanour and an addiction to video games. A complete scaredy-cat with an inclination to whine and complain.
Trivia: Loves puns and nicknames.
"The dork sure gets on my nerves sometimes, what with his lazyness and all, but I still love him to bits."

Ezio Licciardi

Age: 17
Junior Year
Element: Primary Water, Secondary Light
A prefect at the Academy. Except that his parents are filthy rich, there's not much known about him and not many people who are ready to get past his arrogant behaviour to find out.
"Honestly, this guy needs a separate room only for his ego... Actually, make that a city."

Boris Yankov

Age: 16
Sophomore Year
Element: Fire
A bashful guy who seems to share Estelle and Casey's obsession with games. He appears to be good-natured and kind. Looks like he enjoys hanging out with the gang.
"Although he seems to be really shy, I did meet him at a detention."

Dafydd Terfel

Age: 17
Junior Year
Element: Earth
A son of a School Council Member. A very down-to-earth type and the one that would act like a big brother. However, he has his playful side - and a very dry sense of humour.
Trivia: He's quite lazy - sleeps in class, but gets good grades. Loves cooking.
"Dafydd is always fun to be around, and watching Shari blush makes it all the more amusing."

Alain

Old version
Age: 19
???
Element: Darkness
A very deadpan guy who appears to be rather reserved and passive at first sight.
"He's not a student. I wonder what he's doing on the island?"

Shari Toulson

Age: 16
Sophomore Year
Element: Earth
Estelle and Casey's best friend and a very level-headed girl. The most mature of the trio and very caring. A bit of a hippie.
Trivia: A Buddhist and a vegetarian.
"Shari is my closest friend for as long as I can remember. I know I can always rely on her and vice versa."



~5 love interests
~15+ endings
~Different outfits for each season



Veniae (yours truly) - Writing, programming, ideas (obviously)
Dee - Drawing (Sprites and CGs), proofreading, ideas
Dream9 - Backgrounds



Story: ~95%
Script: 34%
Sprites: 65%
BGs: 70%
CGs: ~10%
Music: 25%
*The numbers are merely my speculation.




(As of 2/1/12)



http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m49 ... eenie1.png
http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m49 ... eenie2.png
http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m49 ... eenie3.png
Prefs Screen http://mushroomsambaproductions.files.w ... =488&h=382
GUI and stuff http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m49 ... eenie9.png

***

We've had this project out in the open for quite a while now, and so far the responses have been... positive? As a team of perfectionists, we'd like to make the best and most enjoyable game possible, which is why we value your feedback! (:

Reading this summary, what did you think about the overall idea? Does it sound cliche and if so, why? (I'm putting stress on this, because we think originality is very important.)
Which of the characters catches your fancy the most/the least? Why?
How long do you think a slice-of-life spanning a school year should be?
Do you have any other suggestions, thoughts or comments?

Thank you for reading!

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The thing is you can't be original "all the way" anymore since "everything has been made," but from what I see, you kept my interest. With your concise descriptions, I was able to depict some interesting characters you have created. I hope you explain how "elements" and "secondary" elements work in your future game. ^^ Good luck~ Oh D: and it might not be bad to add a screen shot are two...unless you aren't done with the UI (that...one lay out things) But I hope to see more progress.

I like the cartoonish art. You stated that your game/story will be humorous... can we expect a cartoon-like exaggerated world where crazy things happen, and the characters aren't surprised?

Not sure about Shari's race or ethnicity, but I'm hoping this character can trace her family back to somewhere other than Europe or east Asia. We only have a few characters in romance games who have more diverse backgrounds.

@MusicaFate: Thank you for the feedback! And there are a few screenshots in the first post, almost at the bottom, you might have not noticed them.

@gekiganwing: Thanks! (: As for exaggeration... No, not so much. Although there will be crack endings, which will be kind of like that. (: And yes, we're looking for diversity, so Shari's not from Europe or East Asia. xD

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CHIRP CHIRP DEMO FIRST POST CHIRP

Enjoy and happy Saturday, everyone! <3

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*ungodly shrieks of excitement*
Downloading the demo now.

I'll tell you what I think of it when I've played it through!

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I support Mr. Darcy~ <3

Thank you! I'm so glad! (Also, I replied on our blog xD)

I really really reallyreally hope you'll like it!

_________________

Demo not working for me... downloads fine but apparently: 3/17/12 5:38:18 PM [Demo] Elements: The Academy[5657] Python applications can not currently run from paths containing a '/' (or ':' from the Terminal).

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Thank you for all your kindness!
Will proofread (grammar/typos) for hugs!

When reading the update, my facial expressions transformed as follows: ---> --> ---> DDDDD
This + Spring Break = Tears of Joy. This just made my day.

Before I gush any longer, though, I thought I'd just report a few bugs:
Regardless, this demo just upgraded me from a lurker to a stalker devoted fan. Best of luck with the rest of the game!

I had a the same error happen around the same time, mine happened

But on a lighter note, I was essentially squealing the entire time I was playing! I love Casey and Boris the best, and Estelle's interactions with the two made me want to start dancing like a loon. The characters all mesh together really well, and that little flashback to Estelle's home life made me very curious. Shari's interactions with Dafydd are adorable and hilarious. I can't wait for more- keep up the good work!

(also: I want to just marry Boris. He's so adorable!)

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I support Mr. Darcy~ <3

OMG!!!!!! I have been stalking this from time to time and it finally on a demo.
I. WANT. TO. TRY.

OMG guys thank you~ You're too nice <3 I'm really, really glad you enjoyed it!

I'll look into these issues ASAP, it's kinda weird - Dee didn't tell me about any bugs like that, but anyway. Sorry for that, it will be fixed so you can enjoy the rest of it. (:

_________________

OMG will be downloading~

Is this uploaded version bug-free?

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JESUS CHRIST, GOOGLING HOW TO UNRAR STUFF IS EASIER THAN WAITING FOR 1000 DAYS FOR A REPLY. SRSLY.

Okay, fixed the Displayable bug, but I'm really puzzled about the error distorsion reported. Does anyone happen to have an idea what it's about?

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Just finished the demo. I really, really liked that every character had their own, distinct personality. Even if there was no romance involved, there's enough life to hold up a story.

I did get that bug, so I might try again later on today. Anyway, I don't wanna rush you, so I'll just say that I can wait, but I am really excited to see the finished thing.

Good luck!
If I left any feedback that you might've wanted to know, I'm sorry. I could always answer anything you'd still like to know.



Edit: Damn! I forgot to mention, that the art style is really unique, and I'm impressed by how none of the characters look the same. Ok... enough gushing.