Hardcastle and Cromwell and other Chronicles

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DaFool
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Hardcastle and Cromwell and other Chronicles

#1 Post by DaFool »

I feel I might do better if I actually post journal-like updates, that way my obligation will be more than just to myself, so I will be more motivated.

Anyways, after a nice refreshing holiday season I was able to think about my Geomancer Chronicles project some more (as well as grab some new resources) and though a lot of ideas have been chucked out or replaced, it may be safe to say that I may have a plot outline which is (finally!) pretty much solid now. Also, I am now able to combine some of the ideas that required multiple projects last year.

I have the following people to thank for inspiration:
mugenjohncel in his decision to go all-out, as well as the positive community feedback he got
EwanG for demonstrating a way to make games that produces results
Counter Arts for the Battle Engine, so that I can finally achieve my dream without having to use a DSE

So may I now introduce the development thread for a new OEL Action-Adventure Yuri Kinetic Novel:
Hardcastle and Cromwell
a full story within the Geomancer Chronicles universe.

Plot: Serious and short-tempered Samuel Hardcastle and laid-back and smooth-talking Alexander Cromwell were the best tag-team cops in the LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department). A freak accident and sudden death caused the pair to have to fulfill unresolved karma. As a result they were both reincarnated halfway across the world as women in the province of Laguna.

Armed with their trusty quad-barrelled shotguns and Volkswagen Carmann Ghia, they must plow through typhoons, Communist rebels, perverted Japanese businessmen, Marcos loyalists, scary wolf-men from Mars, and the worst lot of them all...the dreaded blue-suited MMDA (Metro Manila Development Authority) Road Marshalls.

Feeling confident as women but retaining the insane libido from their previous lives, they go about searching for the original owners of their bodies as well as the fabled book that will offer the explanation for their fate, The Rise and Fall of Phallic Civilization.

The game will feature:
-Not ONE but TWO meganekko cowgirls in the tradition of Luc Besson's Bandidas

-Customized form of the Battle Engine featuring the following:
Stylish shotgun reloading sequences
Geomancer magical special attacks
And the best attack of them all:
Blow up Da Jeepney

- Unlock Nopan Mode feature with special Shining Pantsu easter egg (Yes, what you are currently thinking is correct)
- Ambient original acid jazz soundtrack composed exclusively for the game
- Partial context-based voice-acting

The game will be rated R for profanity, over-the-top comedic violence, suggestive situations, political incorrectness, and sexy event CGs. Classification will be interactive kinetic novel (for its linear story), GxGx?

I’ve learned a lot about the theoretics behind visual novel making, and I have the Lemmasoft Community (as well as the honest folks at Visual News) to thank for that. Please note that this project will not use Superdoll (still too early for that one), and though it may sound like a high-budget production, this will actually be a 'low-budget' game. I will reuse many of the BGs used in my Chapter 1 release as well as use other time-saving methods. At the same time, there will be NO character sprites, so it will feel like a sound novel most of the time. Most of the effort will be concentrated on drawing those event and battle CGs.

I will not release a demo but I might release a teaser picture or so if I feel like it. When I get a beta done, I will post this here, then call
for voice actors. Right now I am concentrating on creating the soundtrack since the whole pacing of the story depends on it. I've learned a lot since first touching a midi synthesizer last year, although I am still no musician. I may need help in mixing when the time comes.

The reason I am posting this is that I am really excited about the concept. It may be that I may not be up to par in providing the expected execution, but then if the framework is provided, that may inspire other artists to contribute in improving, for example, the music and graphics, so this may end up being a high-budget game after all.

So I am not yet calling for help, but suggestions are always appreciative anytime :D [/b]
Last edited by DaFool on Wed Feb 14, 2007 1:48 am, edited 1 time in total.

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#2 Post by mikey »

Volkswagen Carmann Ghia... Ah, I remember the sweet old days when Ghia made wonderful concept cars that had me drool over them...

Anyhow, that's a wild mix - and meganekko cowgirls, Besson-style (for all the people who said it was bad, I actually liked that film a lot), and I hope that Ghia will transform just like Taxi ;)

Also, I noticed a resemblance to Hardcastle and McCormick, now COYOTE was yet another childhood dream... gah, I'm going all sentimental here.

Yes yes, I know it won't be a driving game, but I'd play it just for all the names ^_^

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#3 Post by Nafai »

Heh... Since I'm from Manila, I actually got most of those terms. ^_^ If the jokes/scenarios are too locality specific though, keep in mind that they may not fly with a general, international audience. I know that an argument espousing caution in the use of 'native culture' sounds ironic in a hobby that seems to go to great lengths to understand/emulate what to most of its audience is a 'foreign' culture (i.e. Japanese), but still, I thought I'd mention it.

What else? Well I know the description was fairly tongue in cheek, but 'reincarnation' might not technically be a proper term for what occurred if the 'new' bodies had 'original owners'. Just quibbling, but at this stage, there's not much else to suggest improvements on.

Best of luck with this. It sounds fun ^_^

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#4 Post by PyTom »

Quad-barreled shotguns? My single-barrel Mossberg 500 pump action is heavy enough as it is. I'm not sure I would want to try to heft a quad-barrel 12-gauge, even if it's a break-open design.

(Of course, for home defense, I think the pump-action is best. The distinctive noise it makes means you probably won't have to use it.)
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#5 Post by mikey »

PyTom wrote:The distinctive noise it makes means you probably won't have to use it.
The same could be said about a pet rattlesnake. ^_^

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#6 Post by Mirielle »

Oh...my... my mother was from Laguna. I was there just last year. (And going again sometime this year!) And I too get quite a few of those references. Yay, Philippines!

This sounds like a really interesting game, although probably another that I'll have to wait 2 1/2 years to play.

I'll most probably audition when you decide to open auditions, however if you are planning to use the VAA to find talent and you do have ecchi scenes to voice act, then...the VAA kinda has a "Mahoro-view" on the situation. So, they kind of discourage hentai productions because quite a few of the VA's there are minors. But if it's merely slight or moderate peverted-ness that requires speaking then, by all means, hold auditions there.

But I'm merely an amatuer!

Anyway, this seems to be a very interesting and intriguing game~ Best of luck to you to finish it!
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#7 Post by DaFool »

Wheee! Two lazy days at work and I was able to crank out two chapters, roughly 100 lines each (5 minutes reading regular pace). All the bgs are in place, the only thing missing are the event CGs.

No battles yet... I'm thinking of introducing the first battle in Chapter 3, then for Chapter 4 it'll be non-stop gunslinging action.

The funny thing is that the damn thing is starting to play like Collage (from al|together 2006). Except this time, instead of a stupid menu choice that leads to bad end, there will actually be a decent fight scene.

So yeah, 4 chapters. Not very ambitious, but hey. :)

Which means, I am almost 50% (discounting any trouble I find implementing the battle engine)

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#8 Post by Counter Arts »

If you need help with the battle engine, just let me know. I'm not sure if you're using mine or not though.

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#9 Post by DaFool »

Yeah, I'm going use whatever you've got and integrate it, thanks. Although I haven't yet started to tinker with it. I assume it would work as smoothly as in the sample demo code.

Currently in the middle of Chapter 3 right now -- "whew" lots and lots of dialogue, mainly explaining the whole background and purpose of the characters. It just might end up 2 chapters in 1. It's going to be a long road until we can finally have the characters kicking some ass.

Musicwise, I am 4/5 done! Wheee!. After a burst of inspiration this weekend, I got the theme musics for Chapters 1-3 as well as the Battle Music. All that's left is the 4th Chapter / Main Theme music. And these aren't jingles, I've learned a lot in musicmaking since then...these are full soundtracks with intros, refrains, and even jam sessions!

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#10 Post by DaFool »

Anyone want to have a particular models of shotguns to use? I'll then research the designs of those models and artistically render them into quad-barrels. (Yep, I going for all-out Phallic Power here...even my soundtracks can outthump anything for a kilometer radius...went overboard on the percussions.)

Note that I've never really handled a gun in my life, much less a shotgun, although I have seen the rifle my father keeps in storage and am aware of another one he sort of stole from my late grandfather.

Kinda ridiculous, since I kinda feel like those counterstrike junkies who get into debates with real gun owners.

I was going to use the SPAS 12, but realized its overused in movies. But given no other suggestions, I'll just go with one SPAS 12 and PyTom's Mossberg 500. What I really want to know is what is a truly sexy gun? Please suggest googlable names, both military and civilian models. I think I'll use one of each. Then I can draw the character designs of petite girls holding those things to be something worth drooling over.

And I don't know what local bank security guards look. Google says SPAS 12 but they look more like homemade contraptions to me than anything military-spec. Oh well.

Many thanks.

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#11 Post by PyTom »

Hm... if you're into handguns, check out the Smith & Wesson Model 500. I think it's primary purpose is to be posed with by pretty girls.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%26W_Model_500

Take a look at the barrel length to get an idea of the size of this thing... and realize the barrel ends at the cylinder.

I'm not sure why one would go quad-barrel with a pump-action shotgun. It would just increase the weight by a huge amount, and where would the tube magazine go?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mossberg_500

Is what I have. Let's start just having fired a shell. The slide is forward, and the hole in the side is blocked by the breech block. You push the slide back, and the breech block moves with it, pulling the old shell out and ejecting it. This also cocks the firing pin. When the slide is all the way back, a shell from the magazine (the tube under the slide) is in place to be loaded. Pushing the slide forward pushes it into the chamber (inside the barrel), and locks the breech into place. Point the shotgun at the target (you point a shotgun, you don't really aim it), and apply enough pressure to the trigger (which doesn't move until the gun fires). The trigger breaks, the firing pin snaps forward, and (Blam!) the shotgun fires.

Always wear hearing and eye protection. Always treat a gun as loaded, and never point it at something you're not willing to destroy.
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#12 Post by DaFool »

I'd have to add another credit list in my game:

Firearms Consultant - PyTom :D

I really appreciate now all the effort that's put into shows like Black Lagoon and Ghost in the Shell. It also helped to have military otakus working on those shows.

It just reinforces the idea that you are best writing at what you are an expert on. (Anyway, I should be more competent regarding cars, maybe :D And by the way, I just added an arch enemy to the scenario...one that drives a Honda Jazz (sold as Honda Fit in America)).

On second thought, I should probably drop the silly quad-barrel idea. Having one nice barrel is enough as it is, and its easier to keep things realistic than fancy.

I'll do more research then (hopefully there are online videos or whatever)when the time comes submit a linetest sequence for evaluation.

But a quick question I have now is: How does the spent shell get out? Is the tragectory illustrated here correct. And is there smoke, and if so, what color is it?
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#13 Post by DaFool »

Gaah, stupid me. It should be like this:
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#14 Post by Keitsu Han'ei »

mmm. based on the movies i've watched... don't they just slid out almost immediately after shots? from where you're pointing? even mangam those shells just fly...
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#15 Post by DaFool »

Yeah, but this is anime-style. Which means over-the-top slow-motion. :shock:
It's supposed to look more impressive than in real life. So more attention has to be paid to physics.

Okay, another question: Paired with which one:
Remington 870 or Winchester 1300?
Or just two variants, I dunno.
I like the S&W, but remember I'm going strictly cowgirls here, with long jackets, high boots and really long guns (two-handed).

If someones going to make a Ghost in the Shell Yuri Eroge, then I guess that would be me 8)

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