The Dreamweaver [NaNoRenO 2016]

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RumRat
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The Dreamweaver [NaNoRenO 2016]

#1 Post by RumRat »

"I am the Dreamweaver. It is my occupation, my title and my name."
"It is my very existence."
The Dreamweaver is a short kinetic novel featuring animated sprites and backgrounds. It is the first visual novel I've ever made so I hope you'll forgive me for it not being very polished.
Story
"A child's footsteps echo through the vast hallways of dreams."
Curious and playful, as only a child can be, the little girl ventures into a vast chamber, where she meets a man of smoke and stardust.
Characters


Kali
A little girl with golden locks.
Image
The Dreamweaver
The one who weaves the silver threads of your subconscious mind.
Image
Screenshots
Image
Image
Background sample

Image
(sorry for the gif quality, actual bg quality is not diminished in the vn)
Credits
Music by Alcaknight
Due to being busy and a nasty pc virus, the story had to be shortened and I couldn't do some art I had in mind for it, but hopefully some will still find it enjoyable. :D
Thanks to everyone on lemma for being awesome and supportive! :D
Last edited by RumRat on Sat Jun 25, 2016 7:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
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The Dreamweaver(NaNo 2016)

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ebi-hime
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Re: The Dreamweaver [NaNoRenO 2016]

#2 Post by ebi-hime »

Ooh, this was a really pretty VN. I loved the animated backgrounds, and that Kali had so many sprites to showcase her walking around, peering about corners, looking all curious... It added a lot of life to the VN, and was a really nice touch.
The design of the Dreamweaver was also really pretty - I love how elaborate his clothes are, and all the whites...
Actually, the aesthetic of the whole VN was very pretty. The whole thing felt very 'dream-like', which I guess fits the theme of the story perfectly? XD

I imagine the very cursive font would be a pain to read if the story was any longer, but since it was short and sweet, it wasn't a problem - and went well with the general atmosphere of the story.

Though it was short, I think there was some nice depth to the story:
the conversation about the importance of names was especially nice. Kali has some good characterisation - she's very believable for a young girl, and asks a lot of complex questions about the world in a very simple and innocent way. She contrasts nicely with the Dreamweaver, who seems more cynical (about the fact people don't often remember him/come back), so their interactions were interesting. It's nice to have characters who can play off each other like this.
The music, too, was really pretty - it suits the story well.

All in all, this was a really enjoyable experience. It's clear a lot of effort went into it, and I think you did a really good job! u///u
I have a lot of free & commercial VNs available on Steam and itchio.io if you want to check them out! ☆

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Re: The Dreamweaver [NaNoRenO 2016]

#3 Post by RumRat »

Hey, thanks a lot for the comment ebi-hime! :D
Originally, they were both supposed to have even more sprites, but I had to cut those, and some scenes out, since I shortened the story due to being too busy during March. XP

I was wondering about changing the font, but most of my friends I had test-play it said it wasn't too hard to read so I decided to leave it, since it fit the mood I was going for.

Regarding Kali being believable, I have a 6-year old sister, so that probably contributed some to writing her personality. though she's a lot brattier than Kali XD

Thank you again, I'm really glad you liked it. :)
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Re: The Dreamweaver [NaNoRenO 2016]

#4 Post by minyan »

I commented on itch.io but Imma post it here too ^^

Can I just say I love the music... and the backgrounds (those candelabras omg -drools- ...ahem). The atmosphere was really lovely. His- his spinning wheel and- and his outfit and... I'm really geeking out over the art... you're so talented. My one complaint was the bolded font on the names- it didn't quite fit with the rest, but... I'm really just nitpicking now xD The font was also a bit hard to read at times, but it was so pretty and fit so well I wouldn't say change it.

Kali's poses were adorable, and the whole thing was just very sweet. Great job!
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Re: The Dreamweaver [NaNoRenO 2016]

#5 Post by Kumiho »

Oh gosh, this was so amazing ;u; Please have REALLY BAD fanart ;u; I'd draw something digitally but I can't find my tablet pen OTL

I was amazed by how many variations of sprite positions/sizes there were, and I really love how you had more than the typical "NVL/ADV" styles of display. Your art quality was of course pro as well! Everything felt super polished and, well, surreal. <3 The writing was definitely my favorite part of the VN, though 8') Everything felt so poignant, and I especially loved the bits about names & about the value of knots in dreams... or, actually, I pretty much loved the whole thing. Congrats on making this VN, and I'm seriously so impressed by the quality I don't even-

I almost want to ask for a sequel, but at the same time, I feel like it's more than beautiful enough as it is... ;u; Conflicts, man.

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Re: The Dreamweaver [NaNoRenO 2016]

#6 Post by RumRat »

Thank you so much for the comments! :D

minyan- (replied on itch, but I'll paste it here too) Thanks a lot, I'm glad you liked it. And the font, god, I know, it was either leave it this way and have it fit perfectly but be a bit difficult, or change it to Georgia, which would've made it easy to read, but take a lot out of the feel. After some friends insisting this was better though, I've decided to leave it, hope it wasn't too much of a bother. :"D

and Kumiho- as I said, the fanart is adorable, thank you so much, you're wonderful. <3 <3 <3
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The Dreamweaver(NaNo 2016)

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Re: The Dreamweaver [NaNoRenO 2016]

#7 Post by maria-chaaan »

Hi~! I played/read your VN and it is really gorgeous... quite dreamy to say the least. If you were aiming for a dreamy vibes, you achieved it so easily. I also like both of your characters. The girl is quite a delight with her intelligent questions and innocent remarks. She is just awesome. The Dreamweaver is also a splendid character, kind yet mysterious. I am also happy that he got a friend through Kali, I just hope she finds her way back. Me? I rarely find my way back to the dreams that I like the most. I hope she won't get lost so the Dreamweaver would be happy, too. I felt sad when he said, the most dreamers are not able to find their way back. Made me want to sleep and dream right at the moment I finished the VN... It's gorgeous~! Please keep it up! :3

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Re: The Dreamweaver [NaNoRenO 2016]

#8 Post by RumRat »

Thank you, I'm really glad you liked it, it's great to know that you liked the characters and that you could feel for them. :D
And I will, thanks, you can definitely look forward to more contributions from me to the visual novel world. :)
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Re: The Dreamweaver [NaNoRenO 2016]

#9 Post by RumRat »

'AreYouGaming' did a youtube playthrough video, you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zMwYJg7WRk

And I had to do a quick sketch in regards to his 'glocks' joke XD

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Re: The Dreamweaver [NaNoRenO 2016]

#10 Post by Alcor »

Just played this, and I loved it. All the assets are very pretty and dreamlike, and I especially appreciated how lively Kali's sprites look--her peering into corners, her poses when talking to the Dreamweaver--and how lovely the animated backgrounds are. It's such a short and sweet story; thank you so much for creating and sharing it!

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Re: The Dreamweaver [NaNoRenO 2016]

#11 Post by RumRat »

No, thank you for playing it. :D
The backgrounds were a hassle to make, and I'm still pretty insecure with my skill in that department, so I'm glad people seem to be liking them. :)
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Re: The Dreamweaver [NaNoRenO 2016]

#12 Post by SeaOtter »

I very much enjoyed this. Very very much. I think you know how awesome you did so I won't bother with going over the details. The art, the music, the dialogue-- all very fitting for the story. Some may say the characters and the ideas are not fleshed out-- that they are archetypes-- but that makes it so that we are not distracted by them and so that we can focus on the overall theme: dreams and imagination. Because you focused on one particular point, the story flowed along very naturally and concisely to its end.

I don't want to rush you but I would very much enjoy another work by you-- perhaps longer and more fleshed out. I understand that making games is arduous but you certainly have the talent for it.

That's all I really have to say. Thank you for the experience.

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Re: The Dreamweaver [NaNoRenO 2016]

#13 Post by philip »

@RumRat-

Very nice! The art is attractive and ethereal . . . . even though it is not a long story it's very well done and worth seeing . . . and reading.

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