[WIP] Perfect Nightmare - Pre-release added.

[Lanna]

Well...

The Takun/Sara ending was something I had in mind while working on the demo, but I decided not to include it because it'd mess up the original storyline too much. I might add it as some kind of bad end, but I'm not sure about that yet.

I'm guessing that most people are going to get the normal ending, where no pairing is involved.

The secret/true ending, unlocked by following the storyline exactly how I had it in mind, is the Takun/Will ending. It's not necessary to get the ending to play the upcoming VNs, but I think it's a nice addition since it includes some additional CGs and information on their past...which might be interesting considering their relationship is the main subject of the sequel.

[JinzouTamashii]

So what's the theme of your story?

[Mirielle]

Yeah, played the demo and LOVE it. Takun and Will are just cute cute cute. Actually, I really like them all, the interactions they have are really interesting and I am looking forward to seeing how it all unfolds!

Also, yeah, for male VA's (and female too), try the VAA - the forums are back up now. It gets a LOT of traffic, so you would not be short of auditions especially with the very attention grabbing art. And I'm going to try pimping this out for you too as well.

But, anyway, squeal!

[Lanna]

@JinzouTamashii:
I don't really know. I was actually talking about this with a friend of mine last week and we sort of came to the conclusion that the only way to describe the theme properly would be calling it "the meaning of life". Too bad my writing skills aren't good enough to write about something that deep...I've got a lot of work to do, that's for sure.

@Mirielle:
Yep, I just posted at the VAA, I hope I'll get some auditions. Thank you so much!

And to make this post slightly more interesting... Umm... Different outfits!



If you thought they couldn't look any gayer than they already do in their main outfits... I guess I just proved you wrong.

[JinzouTamashii]

らんなこ, I think you underestimate yourself...

Ask yourself what is the meaning in your own life.

[Danichuu]

Woah-- that demo was oodles of fun, so trying to imagine how much more fun the full game should be is like, getting me giddy. xD

I'd love to try for some of the voice acting but I can't find my good microphone, so that's out of the question. XD

[JinzouTamashii]

Lannako, am I getting through to you?

I'll actually say some hopefully inspiring words if you need to hear it in order for you to earnestly believe that they're true.

[renpao]

Wow, your art style reminds me of the 90's American cartoons, and I love it! It's very unique from all the VNs I've seen so far. C:

The vibrant colors and the expressions have also enticed me to try out the demo. XD

[Deji]

I played this yesterday~~
Loved the artwork <3

I had one major issue with the game, which was that, from my gameplay, I could choose what to do as two different characters, and that felt kind of weird D:

Other than that, I think it's pretty cool :3 Again I like the artwork and I like the comic/weird tone of the whole thing ^^ I think you could use screen shaking and sound effects for emphasis in some parts, I think it could help :>

Now on personal nitpicking you shouldn't pay attention to, I'm not very fond of gay-acting characters xD; and I still have troubles with Takun being male with such a thin waist >>; That doesn't compute in my head at all D: I bet he's missing some organs there, lol. But, again, that's personal nitpicking you should not pay attention to 8D

I'll be looking forward to future releases~~

Keep it up!

[Lanna]

@JinzouTamashii:
That's what I keep asking myself to make sure I'll be able to portray it in the VNs, that's not my main issue - I just think I'm really bad at writing proper dialogues. I really need to broaden my English vocabulary... somehow.

I really appreciate all of your kind words, and no matter whether it's intended or not, they all inspire me in a way.

@Danichuu & renpao:
Thank you! I sure hope the full version will live up to the demo. XD

@Deji:
Thanks to you as well! Don't worry about the nitpicking, haha, I'm up for any kind of feedback!

Ahh, yes, the gameplay... I wanted something different from other VNs - I don't want the players to focus on one character, but rather on the whole plot. I guess it's sort of a hit or miss thing, I personally like it, but I completely understand when people don't.

The shake/sound effects sound like a good sounds like a good idea! I was thinking of something like in the Phoenix Wright series, I just didn't get around creating sound effects yet...it's not like I'm lazy or anything. XD /shot

About Takun...

His gender and the way he behaves are a huge theme in the story, all I can say right now though is that there's a reason for everything. His behaviour is sort of a facade, buuut if I said any more than that, I'd spoil the whole story, so... if anyone really needs to know, PM me or something? XD

I don't have an excuse for his weight though, his extreme anorexia is just a part of his character design. XD

[Blane Doyle]

Just played this through in one sitting.

I'm in love with this game!

First, the music was really interesting and unique, it fit the scenes really well. The character designs are just... wow, nostalgic and really fun to see! Especially Takun, I love his design SO much and I don't know why.
And Sara seems so... understandable? Relate-able? She's so similar to me in reactions its kinda weird.
Oddly, even if it seemed like she could be two separate characters in one I did not find it strange at all... probably because I'm like that and some of my friends are too.

The story is also very interesting, I look forward to where this is going.
I also love the dialogue, its hilarious! I can tell this is a game I'll enjoy playing when a full version comes out!

[Lanna]

Copy/paste from my Twitter - Current progress - 1863 screens of dialogue. 14848 words. 30 menus.
I feel sorry for whoever's gonna proof-read this for me.

My main problem right now is that I really have no idea how long the VN should be. 1 hour until it's done, 3 hours, 5 hours? More, less? This is only the first chapter after all, so I'm not sure what'd work best. Any opinions on that, anyone?

As usual, if anyone wants to see new screenshots & characters, feel free to check out the blog.

@Bane Reiko:
Thank you, I'm glad you liked it!

Yeah, Sara's behaviour is pretty much based on what I experience all the time - I personally don't know anyone IRL who really has a set personality, so I try to make her understandable by giving her a wide range of emotions. I'm glad it works! lol

[PyTom]

1 hour until it's done, 3 hours, 5 hours? More, less?

A game is too short if it doesn't tell me a complete story. A lot of games stop just at the point where the characters have met, which is way too early. The story should first make me sympathetic to the characters, and then challenge them, and then have them overcome the challenge (or not).

A game is too long if there's too much unnecessaryness in it. Everything in it should deal with the plot (or the characters, and even there, we don't want to be overwhelmed with information about the characters that will never be relevant).

With these definitions, a game can be both too short and too long at the same time.

[mysterialize]

Wow. I played through the demo, and I really liked this.

I know it's been said many times, but hey, I see no good reason not to repeat it: your art is just awesome. I've never seen anything quite like it, and there's something... just likable about it.

The story also just plain seems fun, in pretty much every conceivable way. I finished the demo, and really wanted to see more of it.

I do have two minor complaints, but neither of them are that big of a deal:

For one, I was a little confused by the dialogue at a couple points. It was never anything too bothersome, but, for example, the beginning, seemed a little like it didn't quite make it clear enough about what people were talking about. Once I got to ask questions, it was cleared up, but I spent most of the time before the first choices just trying to put things together.

Secondly, I wasn't too fond of the music, personally. I realize it's supposed to be quirky and all, and it manages that, but I just got the sense that I wouldn't really be willing to listen to it through a full length game, even if it changed around a little. It wasn't bad, per-say. It was just a little grating after an extended period of time.

Otherwise, this looks really promising and awesome. I really want to see it when it's finished.

[Lanna]

@PyTom:
That's a good point, thanks for your input!

I'm telling the story in several chapters, so I guess it's okay if the first one isn't a whole story yet - but what you said about the characters is definitely important. I hope I've achieved this with my first game...and if not, I hope to improve it in the sequels.

In the end I just stopped at around 15k words, I'll see what people think about it once it's released and then I'll either make the other games just as short (or long, I don't know...) or maybe a little longer than that.

@mysterialize:
Thank you, I'm very glad to hear that!

Haha, that's a really bad habit of mine - I always tell stories that way. Make it confusing at first, then explain it, add more confusing stuff, explain it slowly but surely again... the whole game is basically like that, lol.

Yeah, the music - gets repetitive quickly, and the whole game only has about 7 different songs anyway (one of them being nearly unused), that is something I'll definitely have to improve. Though it won't be my main focus for a while, I'm sure the voice acting will make it a lot more bearable. XD