The Outbreak: Episode 1 [Kinetic Novel] [Horror/Thriller]

[capnbozzy]

This release thread is obsolete. Please go to The Outbreak: Day Zero thread for the latest version of The Outbreak series.

Click here to jump to v2.1.1 Release

Download: PC, Mac, Linux

(These builds are outdated)

Plot: The Outbreak is a post-apocalyptic kinetic novel horror series about a drug addict and medical student who fight to survive after a deadly virus is unleashed in the hospital of a major city.

Duration: The length of each episode is intended to be about 15 minutes, or about the same time it takes to read a single issue of a standard 22-page comic book.

Credits: The series was inspired primarily by 28 Days Later and The Walking Dead. I did everything except for the music, which was provided by Kevin MacLeod, and the photos used for the backgrounds were sourced from Google Images (the credits go to their respective owners).

I hope you enjoy the first episode! I plan on continuing the series as long as I have the time and energy to do so. I might add more custom art like character avatars and backgrounds to future episodes if I can find an interested artist. I'm also considering porting this project to Flash to see what platform works best, so it's possible I may not post future episodes on this forum. Lastly, I made a WordPress site for the series, the address is theoutbreakseries.wordpress.com. Thanks!

[tiya_nofurita]

Oooooh ! I can't wait for the next episodes ! This simply piques my interest

Edit : please continue on Ren'Py format, it's the most convenience media for me

[capnbozzy]

Oooooh ! I can't wait for the next episodes ! This simply piques my interest

Edit : please continue on Ren'Py format, it's the most convenience media for me

Tiya, thank you for your feedback; I will most definitely take it into consideration. I will keep this thread updated with any new information on the series.

[tiya_nofurita]

I'm both drug addict and medical pharmacy student XD (okay, now it's irrelevant)

Oh yes, and please make the story longer :p 15-20 minutes is just too....short?

[Haze]

This was really good. It kept my interest the whole time I was reading, and when it was over, I was like "That's it?!" I really want to see more. Can't wait for the next episodes.

Let me just say this: no character sprites isn't too bad, but

no sounds effects for when Ben had to shoot some people at the end was a little weird.

I personally think you should continue the series in Renpy, but I'm biased, so if you think Flash would work better, then go ahead and use it.

[capnbozzy]

This was really good. It kept my interest the whole time I was reading, and when it was over, I was like "That's it?!" I really want to see more. Can't wait for the next episodes.

Let me just say this: no character sprites isn't too bad, but

no sounds effects for when Ben had to shoot some people at the end was a little weird.

I personally think you should continue the series in Renpy, but I'm biased, so if you think Flash would work better, then go ahead and use it.

Thank you for your feedback; I'm glad you enjoyed it. I agree sound effects and sprites would be better, so I will look into that. I wasn't sure how this project would be received, since it's a much different genre than the typical Japanese dating sims/visual novels that I've seen here, which is why I was considering moving to Flash. I'm seeing there is interest here, so I will most likely do cross-platform releases.

[gekiganwing]

I wasn't sure how this project would be received, since it's a much different genre than the typical Japanese dating sims/visual novels that I've seen here, which is why I was considering moving to Flash. I'm seeing there is interest here...

Most of what's discussed here on Lemma Soft is written by English-speaking fans for other English-speaking fans. That said, it's not always easy to distinguish translated games from OEL media (styles I would describe as "vaguely similar to, or inspired by recent anime-manga series"). Unless you're a strange person like me, who describes Avatar the Last Airbender as clearly American in origin. Most of fandom looks down on OELVNs and comics with disdain. This is one of the few visual novel forums in which people can talk about EVNs without being flamed, scorned, or ignored.

While I'm not all that interested in horror stories, I'm hoping to see visual novel fandom grow and try new things. I encourage people to use whatever art style they like, and tell the stort of stories they want. If you're having difficulty getting feedback, be sure to ask on indie game forums.

[capnbozzy]

@gekiganwing: Thank you for this information. I figured this was the case, and I will take your advice into consideration.

[dorne]

I liked it. Its pretty atmospheric and having it all in black and white is a good design choice. True there should be a bit more sound effects where it can add to the senses. I would not mind what media you use for this project, since it is a kinetic novel. I will wait and see for your new releases on this. In a way you could probably do this without character avatars like what you have done, but more interest can be drummed if you did include character portraits in it here.

In terms of people viewing this, you certainly need to pitch it well, and I like your title image. In terms of demographics I have not figured out what most people want in this forum yet. It may be that you may also want to find interest in other forums as well.

[capnbozzy]

Download: PC, Mac, Linux, Android (APK file) or on Google Play

The Outbreak: Episode 1 v2.1 Release

After a few more weeks of hard work, I've finally completed polishing Episode 1. This is the quality that will be presented in future episodes, and I think you'll really like the results. This release also brings the first public Android build. I've only tested the app on a Kindle Fire, so I don't know how it looks on other devices, so let me know how it runs if you get a chance to try it out. I'm going to release it on Google Play later on, but for now you can just sideload the APK onto your device.

Changelog:

-Optimized audio for much smaller file size
-Added new sound effects and music
-Added character avatars and new background art
-Added new main menu art and icon
-Minor script revisions and additions

Plot: A recovering heroin addict and a medical student fight to survive after a deadly virus is unleashed in the hospital of a major city.

Synopsis: Ben and his nurse, Amy, try to escape after a deadly virus is unleashed inside the hospital. Adam, a medical student, tries to make it back home through the city.

Duration: The length of each episode is intended to be about 15 minutes, or about the same time it takes to read a single issue of a standard 22-page comic book.

Credits: The series was inspired primarily by 28 Days Later and The Walking Dead. I did everything except for the music, which was provided by Kevin MacLeod, and the photos used for the backgrounds were sourced from Google Images (the credits go to their respective owners).

Schedule: At this point I'm aiming to release a new episode by the 15th of each month.

Website: www.theoutbreakseries.wordpress.com

[dorne]

Tried the android version. I noticed the music and sound effects, it definitely added a cinematic feel to it. The character avatars did help in characterizing who is who, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Will be waiting for the next installments!

[capnbozzy]

@dorne: Thanks for checking it out; glad you liked the changes. Just curious, did you try it out on an Android phone or a tablet? Lastly, I suggest using headphones when playing on Android devices to hear all sound effects and music clearly.

[capnbozzy]

I just uploaded version 2.1 and updated the links in my previous post. This is the final build that I will be submitting to the Google Play store today. I'll post an update with the link to the store page when it becomes available.

[dorne]

@dorne: Thanks for checking it out; glad you liked the changes. Just curious, did you try it out on an Android phone or a tablet? Lastly, I suggest using headphones when playing on Android devices to hear all sound effects and music clearly.

I used an android phone, Samsung Galaxy Nexus. And yes I did use my headphones the sound was clear.

[capnbozzy]

@dorne: Awesome, glad to hear it works okay. Thank you.

The Android app is now available on Google Play. Here is the link.