Lemma Soft Forums

So, hello. I have some strange aversion to working on a project in secret, so I'm going to blare it out loud and clearly here. I'm making a game!

Ahem. I've spent the last half a year or so using Ren'Py making small, simple projects to get myself used to the system. Since this is my first 'official' project, it's likely going to be rather simple in its interface - by which I mean I don't plan to get fancy with that at all. Don't plan to doesn't mean I won't, though; if I feel that I can add something that will have a profound impact on the game without really deviating from what I want, I'll end up doing the work for it, probably.

Well, as simple as the interface is going to be, I like to think that the game itself, especially the story, is quite complex. You take on the role of an eighteen-year-old girl, a high school senior, named Susan Newman who wakes up from a three-month coma with no memories of her life before. The object of the game is, at the very core, your attempts to regain your memories. This comes completely from interaction with the rest of the cast, through what they tell you. Everyone you meet is hiding something from you, though, and everyone lies to you. Your task is to figure out what's true and what's not - some things may seem obviously a lie, but are in fact truth; then again, some obvious lies really are lies. There'll be ways to figure out whether something's true or false, but you'll have to be sharp - there's no telling when that clue will come.

While Susan is a high schooler, you never once step foot in the school. I don't want to sully my story with more high school drama than necessary. The game's main setting is the ever-busy downtown, tthough you'll also visit other places including the hospital, your own home, and a nearby park. Your choices on what to believe and what to do cause the story to branch - while there's only one true ending, there are several others, some with positive outcomes and others with unhappy endings. Again, look out for the hints and clues along the way, though they can be very subtle.

There's a rather diverse cast, with several key players. Even without her memories,Susan still gets a feeling of deja vu around someone she knew from her previous life. In the cast, we have Susan's mother Diane, who serves more as an obstacle in the game due to her overprotective tendencies; a young man named Mark Clemens, who is apparentally Susan's boyfriend, Blake Petty, a medical school student who claims to know Susan quite well, though she doesn't feel that deja vu around him; Brian Richards, who claims to have absolutely no connection with Susan despite the deja vu she gets around him; Jennifer McCarrey, apparentally Susan's best friend who promises to help Susan regain her memories yet obviously withholds information; and more. Everyone holds a piece to the puzzle - the trick is getting the pieces, because none of the characters honestly want to give them up.

I can't provide you with any screenshots at the moment, as it's all text-based right now, and that's not even done. I honestly have no talent outside of writing, but I have a couple of people I can blackmail for for character artwork and music. Still hunting for a background artist, but I don't want to trouble any of you here with that (unless I have to, stay tuned!). So that's the overview of the game I'm working on right now. It's not an especially deep overview... which is why they call it an overview, I guess. Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy it once I'm done - I'm definitely enjoying making it. Thanks for reading.

Sounds interesting. If the investigation part is done well, this could be a real blast to play ^^. You'll have to take into account that the player will take things as they come and knowing what's true and not will probably be difficult (I mean... who to believe if two clues contradict themselves?).

This sounds like a real blast to play, espeically if you get the investigation piece well thought out! Granted, I'm a little biased because I like mystery games like this but...I like the premise, and like *having to piece everything together*. Motivations behind why they are withholding info might be good to know too. Example: does Diane withhold info from Susan because she just wants to protect her daughter? While that's not critical, it helps understand why the various character are withholding the info. Out of friendship? Protection? *Eh, she'll never know"?

If you can get this to work, count me in on those playing it

Hello, hello. A couple days later, and I'm happy to say that I have a character artist and a composer. A background artist continues to elude me, but I'm optimistic. Everything seems to be going well, all in all. Also, mah artist has begun the creation of the preliminary drawings - ones that are to get her in swing with the characters or somethin'. I don't know, I'm a writer, not an artist. Anyways, to showcase her work, the art that is to be in the game, here is the preliminary drawing of Brian Richards, the guy that looks like a girl.



It's kind of... rough, compared to her usual work, but you can still see her style clearly in it. Well, it's just the preliminary, I guess roughness is to be expected.

So yeah. He's the distant type. Not cold, exactly, but he definitely tries not to get close to people. Also, he looks like a girl. Both are part of his character, part of his mystery, and part of the mystery as a whole. Yes, even his appearance, strange as that may be. Outside of the main character, he's probably got the most personal mystery out of the entire cast. What does his mystery have to do with your own? You'll have to play to see.

Looking good I say ^^. As for the roughness, it just looks like an oekaki drawing (or in more technical terms, there's no anti-aliasing so the lines are rough), but I suppose it's just for roughs... and even if it's not, it could actually be artsy