Those Without Names [Slice of Life,Siblings][NaNo2015]

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Haze
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Re: Those Without Names [Slice of Life,Siblings][NaNo2015]

#46 Post by Haze »

Your game was featured in this talk about some VNs!

(I mainly listened to the talk because your game was in it. XD)

The part of the talk about your game basically amounts to "Play it; play it now!", which is awesome for you! Congrats!

Also, thanks for the ending guide; I'm going to try for the Attachment end soon! :D
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Re: Those Without Names [Slice of Life,Siblings][NaNo2015]

#47 Post by somestrangecircus »

Hey, great game! I've written a review of it here, and will be recommending it to folks wherever I can find.

Excellent job. I sincerely hope that you plan to continue developing visual novels.

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Re: Those Without Names [Slice of Life,Siblings][NaNo2015]

#48 Post by yuucie »

Wow, all these responses have been overwhelming. ;_; Thank you everyone!

@valerasoy Wow, thank you for such a heartfelt response. Welcome to lemmasoft! :'D

I've read a few books in my lifetime that made me feel the same way; like in the case that such a thing exists, I wonder if it'll be the same thing. It means a lot to have someone feel the same way about my story. If such a thing does exist, I hope it won't be too terribly lonely (I'm not sure if I can stand to be in such a place for long). At the same time, I would really like to see Earth in person, LOL :lol: . I'm also glad you related so strongly with the sibling themes. Since close sib relationships are rarely portrayed, I couldn't tell if the experiences were unique to me or if everyone else (who are close to their sibs) had similar experiences.

I'm so honoured to have inspired you to write something similar! Of course I'll be happy to! :D If you want to reach me easier, my twitter is @effortrequired! Otherwise, feel free to drop me a message whenever you feel like it. I look forward to seeing what you'll write! Thank you for taking the time to play, register and write up all your thoughts. I really do appreciate it!

@Akitsuki Aww ;__; It was a very emotional experience for me to write too (or maybe I'm overly sensitive), and one of my fears was not being able convey the same emotions in my writing as what I felt. I'm glad to see, at least for some people, it was successful.
I don't always get along with my own sibling, and sometimes I need time away from her, but I cannot imagine being without her in a way where she'll never come back. Too frightening. I would've clung onto Zero and cried and tell him to stay and wait with me.
Thank you for taking the time to leave me your final thoughts!

@Haze Omg, I was so scared watching that vid, haha! Then I was just in shock. I spent the entire time bracing myself. :lol: Thank you for the link! I'm glad it was generally well-received, even if it isn't a usual romance story (and I had worries that people who aren't close with their sibs wouldn't relate, or would find it incredibly boring; I nearly gave up a few times in the dark period of your soul developers seem to experience). I do wonder who thought it was forbidden love though, LOL! There was no such intention in my writing. :lol:

@somestrangecircus Oh wow, that was a very thorough and thoughtful review. Thank you so much for taking the time to write all of your thoughts in such depth! I do like the constructive crit, especially on my writing. It'll help me realize the areas I'm weak at (my blatant foreshadowing is a problem. Also closure in some ends, which I felt too). I'll keep working at writing, so thank you for your honest feedback! I'm glad you were able to enjoy it, despite some of it's pitfalls. I'm also sorry the missing sprites were so jarring. (Also, I didn't do the music, haha! They are royalty free. :D ) Once again, I really do appreciate the review, so thank you very much!

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Re: Those Without Names [Slice of Life,Siblings][NaNo2015]

#49 Post by wendybirdx »

oooommmggggg this was so perfeeeect!! <丶´Д`> seriously the art and the music and the locations and the development within a simple idea that was so great and the memories just wowowow
I just have a question, though - I thought they couldn't "dream up" people who weren't there, so how come she sees her brother in the denial ending? : o

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Re: Those Without Names [Slice of Life,Siblings][NaNo2015]

#50 Post by yuucie »

Thank you! I'm happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to play it.
I'm glad you asked! I wrote the Denial End to be a confusing state where it might be her waking up or experiencing a memory. You can't wish for people you know inside the Dream World, but you can see them in your memories (Eight does mention experiencing a few memories alone or with her parents at some point), but you can't really communicate with them in real time. Memories are like reliving something in your past.

The confusing part about the Denial End is that it feels like she's talking to him in real time, making it seem like it's really happening. Since she is reliving a memory, her memory could be of her in high school waking up to her brother and talking about feeling like she hasn't seen him in a while. She never mentioned what kind of dream she had (other than she thought they were in college), so it might not be the Dream World she dreamt up, just another past dream where she felt she was apart from him. So that was the memory part of the Denial End.

(The other part of the Denial End is if you truly believe she isn't dead, so she may have woken up for real. I leave it up to people to decide, really. But it's not called a denial end for nothing. :lol: )

I hope that wasn't too confusing to understand!

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Re: Those Without Names [Slice of Life,Siblings][NaNo2015]

#51 Post by sasquatchii »

Wow. Just wow. This is the second VN I've ever played that I've teared up during, and I got the acceptance ending!! Which to me, was an awesome and wonderful ending.
The way that Ember and Leo dealt with their dying grandfather in the hospital is what really got me... I can (sadly) relate. Reading that was absolutely heart wrenching, basically delivering something like an emotional sucker punch right to my sternum.
Beyond that, I really loved the pacing of the story, the writing, the music, the art, the interface design- everything! You guys did an amazing job.
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Re: Those Without Names [Slice of Life,Siblings][NaNo2015]

#52 Post by Corvo »

The story was good, I could relate with the characters; the art was good. You are talented.
The denial end was unsettling. For a moment I thought something like: "oh, who cares if it's a lie, if it's realistic enough".

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Re: Those Without Names [Slice of Life,Siblings][NaNo2015]

#53 Post by wendybirdx »

yuucie wrote:Thank you! I'm happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to play it.
I'm glad you asked! I wrote the Denial End to be a confusing state where it might be her waking up or experiencing a memory. You can't wish for people you know inside the Dream World, but you can see them in your memories (Eight does mention experiencing a few memories alone or with her parents at some point), but you can't really communicate with them in real time. Memories are like reliving something in your past.

The confusing part about the Denial End is that it feels like she's talking to him in real time, making it seem like it's really happening. Since she is reliving a memory, her memory could be of her in high school waking up to her brother and talking about feeling like she hasn't seen him in a while. She never mentioned what kind of dream she had (other than she thought they were in college), so it might not be the Dream World she dreamt up, just another past dream where she felt she was apart from him. So that was the memory part of the Denial End.

(The other part of the Denial End is if you truly believe she isn't dead, so she may have woken up for real. I leave it up to people to decide, really. But it's not called a denial end for nothing. :lol: )

I hope that wasn't too confusing to understand!
omgg you are a genius haha THAT'S AMAZING
thank you so much for taking the time to explain! it makes much more sense now c:

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Re: Those Without Names [Slice of Life,Siblings][NaNo2015]

#54 Post by Lire »

Hi yucie,

Thank you for making this VN.
Here's my review about it.
http://scan-vn.blogspot.com/2015/05/tho ... names.html

Also, thanks for the walkthrough.. i did found some difficulties on finding some ending..
Also.. also.. Why u no add CG!!
Just kidding lol, i like the graphic and music! >_<)/

Thanks again!
Not enough time..
Or i'm a genius in wasting time.. :lol:

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Re: Those Without Names [Slice of Life,Siblings][NaNo2015]

#55 Post by Steamgirl »

A really moving VN with dark undertones that don't overwhelm. I played it through 3 times to get the "happy" ending. Though I do wonder what will become of Thirteen... I have my theories about him...

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Re: Those Without Names [Slice of Life,Siblings][NaNo2015]

#56 Post by yuucie »

Ahh sorry for the late reply! @_@ Thanks for all the responses, it means the world to me.

@sasquatchii Thank you, especially for reaching out to me on twitter! I'm really glad you were moved, as it was an emotional experience writing it. (Unfortunately, I'm the only person who worked on the game, but thank you for all your kind compliments!)
I completely understand your feelings about the hospital scene. It was something I also had to go through as a child, which is never easy for anyone. /hugs you
I am a fan of your VN podcast too. Whenever I have to draw art, I put on an episode and zone out listening, and somehow artwork magically gets done.

@Corvo Thank you! I'm happy the characters were relatable!
My sister got the denial end first, and she liked it because she said if this happened to her, she didn't care if it wasn't true, as long as she could go back to a time where everything was easier and she was close to me again. I did write it to be unsettling, so I'm glad it worked for you!
@wendybirdx Glad it helped! Thank you especially for taking the time to play and comment on the game. It means so much to me.

@Lire Thank you for writing the review! I'm so glad you liked it and could relate to the characters, even if you found the story predictable. The music is from DST: IWant (This is his site where I got the music: http://www.nosoapradio.us/ In the center, there's a list of music. Scroll down to the alphabet "I" and you should find IWant!) I really love the music too, and spent a lot of time writing while listening to it (it helped me set the mood in my writing, so I'm happy you enjoyed it too!)

Hahaha! I would've loved to add CGs if I had time. Since I was the solo person working on the game unfortunately, I didn't have the time to dedicate to CGs. :wink: Thank you once again for writing up such a nice review of the game!

@Steamgirl I'm relieved that the darker themes wasn't overwhelming. It was something I wanted to balance carefully, since the strength of the siblings' relationship is what I wanted to focus on, and not the sad/painful parts. I'd love to hear your theories on Thirteen! I'm so glad he's such a hit with people. :wink:

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Re: Those Without Names [Slice of Life,Siblings][NaNo2015]

#57 Post by Kokoro Hane »

Played this game for the first time, plan to get the rest of the endings. But anyway, this game was beautiful! What really attracted me was that it was a visual novel about a brother and sister, and you portrayed it beautifully! I have a brother who is very close to me, so I can definitely say you got the brother and sister portrayal correct!
Seriously, this had me tear up throughout the whole thing. I loved how close Eight and Zero were to each, that they could rely on each other. It is sad that the dream world is actually an in-between life and death, and how they have to let go. I got the Denial Ending: Awake...?! Makes me wonder how her brother died, and how she died. I wonder if we'll find out in her Awakening ending, which I am sure she has?

My favorite part was when Thirteen mistaken Eight as Zero's girlfriend, and they yelled NO! I've personally experienced, several times, the horror of people thinking my brother and I are boyfriend and girlfriend, so I probably laughed and enjoyed this part more than most people would xD
A beautiful game; when I get all the endings, I plan to review it on my anime/manga/VN blog, and I'll link you to the review ^.^
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Re: Those Without Names [Slice of Life,Siblings][NaNo2015]

#58 Post by neuropsy »

If I had to describe the game in one word, this is what I'd say: captivating.

The premise immediately had me hooked. From the beginning of the game, I found the writing beautiful. There's a cadence to the narration, a subtly poetry laced within the words. The story flowed smoothly and transitioned well, while keeping me heavily interested throughout. Where are they? Who are they? During the whole duration of my playthrough, not a single moment went by where I'd consider myself bored.

I really like the characters, too--all very unique, likable, and distinct, without personifying any overused and exaggerated character tropes. I'm so happy you explained more about Seven and Thirteen in your Extra section, as I was very curious about them. Seven's story especially tugs on my heartstrings.

The art is soft and pleasing to look at. The GUI was very well done, too (I have to just mention the 'Do you want to wake up?' prompt when you try to exit). Excellent game, overall. Excellent. I'll be forcing people to play it.

You almost had me tearing up over here throughout the visual novel, especially with Seven's story. You're immensely talented!

On a personal note, the dream-like setting of the game resonated with me because I actually have issues with lucidity. Although I'm completely aware in my dreams, I can't fully control them. About a week ago, I actually had a dream that recreated my room, and I wasn't sure whether I was dreaming or in the real world. I noticed an out-of-place bottle near my bed, and promptly hid under my blanket to grab my phone in an attempt to message my friends on Facebook. My mind began to buzz, and that's when I realized I had my answer--I was in a lucid nightmare.

I've had many similar other dreams too, not all of them pleasant. If you ever want to hear more for ideas for future stories or whatnot, feel free to contact me.
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Re: Those Without Names [Slice of Life,Siblings][NaNo2015]

#59 Post by HnubNtuj »

Wow, that
Default Ending
really tore me up. The game was beautifully rendered and I was amazed at how fluid the writing was. Zero and Eight's relationship really touched me, especially since I'm really close with my siblings too. Another interesting thing to note is how the music you chose wasn't distracting at all. Despite their subtlety, it still enhanced the feeling of the scenes. Great job on this project!

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Re: Those Without Names [Slice of Life,Siblings][NaNo2015]

#60 Post by Ghost-Rain »

Man, this game made me cry. I believe it was due to the
default ending or the denial one
Probably that second one that I mentioned, because I got it after the
acceptance ending
That hurt. That really hurt, especially due to the order of endings that I got. I had to get up and walk around for a couple minutes, while rubbing the tears out of my eyes. Not that it stopped a couple from falling anyway.

You did an amazing job on this. Not all dreams are pleasant and some actually seem very realistic if still distorted slightly.

Is the music available for download? :) I always want the music from VNs, especially very memorable ones like this. This one will be staying on my computer (which hardly ever happens). Fantastic job.

....But I noticed that I seemed to have missed an ending. Looks like I'll have to scour the posts to see, if I can find hints to get it. And if my heart will put up with you pulling its string a little more for that matter!
I hope it doesn't haunt me like the denial ending, when I do get to it. What happened there? I think she fabricated her own little world from her imagination to escape from the truth. It couldn't have been an actual dream to me, because she didn't remember their names. That hinted at her presence in the 'dream' world. Part of me wondered, if they had somehow gotten out together at first. I had considered the brother's actions as odd possibly due to the dream world experiences and remembering it, but...nope. No dice. He gave no firm signs of remembering anything in the dream world i.e. "I had a weird dream, where we couldn't remember our names and you thought that something terrible had happened to us." "... ... ...Do you remember my name?" "..." And she goes back through her memories yet again. I think that ending was pretty self-exclamatory. She denied their deaths as ever happening. I guess in that sense, that's what I wanted to happen. It would have prodded her to get out and accept her death.
Time to look for that last ending.

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