The Pirate Mermaid [GxB][Fantasy] - New Demo Out!

[ofdawnandtwilight]

Also... Aro and I are considering revamping the current game assets to make it more... visually appealing. Here's an attempt of the prince sprite revamp.

Princy~XD
What do you think? Do you prefer the old style, or the new style?

OMFG
How can that even happen I'm telling you what is this witchcraft
Done. I'm so done.

In other words, this looks very awesome and someone please remind me why I've never commented before :'D
The art went from gorgeous to whatisthisidonteven gorgeous.
I unfortunately haven't had the right time to play the demo yet so there's nothing much to go on for me except that everything looks really high quality and it's amazing that it'll be free (I think, I haven't been checking things for a long time now ^^;; )

So, yeah, keep up the great work, one more game to add to my to-do-list once holidays come for me x)
And thanks for working very hard on this, it's undoubtedly gonna come out great

[CheeryMoya]

Also... Aro and I are considering revamping the current game assets to make it more... visually appealing. Here's an attempt of the prince sprite revamp.

hello yes I am here

I've been looking at this WIP on and off and I played a bit of the demo, I liked it. The only shame was that it was being developed at the default Ren'Py resolution; I dunno if anyone said this before but you guys gotta make it bigger or else it's such a waste (,,#ﾟДﾟ) All those neat effects... orz

The new sprite definitely has better anatomy and more detail, plus those abs (ღ˘⌣˘ღ) Then again, is the style switch worth it? You'll need to redo all the CGs, main menu, etc. And would it match with the chibis, or the mood of the game overall? Don't get me wrong, I'm in love with the realistic art, but it would be a lot of work on your guys' part and it'd push development back a few steps. My otome kokoro screams "DO IT YES I NEED THIS" but the developer in me whispers that it'd be better to just improve upon the sprites while keeping the anime style for consistency's sake, opting for realism in a new project.

W-we do need more games with art that isn't directly anime-inspired though.

[Obscura]

You already know my feelings about this but OMFG he looks PERFECT. Coloring, anatomy (well balanced for a merman!), and details. So effing impressed. Is this game free because I'm going to buy it anyway... :-p

[KissOfDeath]

I downloaded this early March but forgot to give feedback to you in the hopes that it would be helpful. I don't really have anything constructive-wise, just compliments really ^^; I liked the fact that the MC has tanned skin because we don't see that much around these parts; so at least I can pretend she's african-american/black, what I've always wanted in an MC xD definitely made this game stand out from the jump. The concept - Pirate-Mermaid - I was really feelin' it because it's my two favorite things combined

SPOILER ALERT NEXT IF YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED THE DEMO YET!!!

My favorite part of the demo was one of the choices you could make while talking to the sorcerer about what he would like in exchange. The choice went something like ' offer your singing voice' and there was an audio of absolutely atrocious singing and I literally rolled on the floor for a straight 5 mins at that LOL

The only thing I was sad about was that it was so short but if I am patient, the full game'll be here before I know it, so good luck with devel. Wish I could help, but all I can really do is proofread and apparently I can't even do that well according to some people...

Also I agree with Omnificent, The revamped sprite looks waaaay better and hotter than the first and I think it would 'go' with the backgrounds more if that makes any sense...? xD

As for a default name? I always called her either Valencia or Velma (i don't know, maybe I just associate the letter 'V' with female pirates) because I thought they were pirate-y and semi-badass but that's just me; I also like Robin too, but either way if there's a name change option her name will start with a 'V' ! lol

Anyway, keep on keeping on, and I will quietly stalk this thread, watching this game from the shadows. Cheers to you guys, and good luck!

[Nebty]

Also... Aro and I are considering revamping the current game assets to make it more... visually appealing. Here's an attempt of the prince sprite revamp.

Princy~XD
What do you think? Do you prefer the old style, or the new style?

*picks jaw up off the floor* Oh my god, he's so gorgeous! I love the improved anatomy (abs: yet another reason why Mikali is my favourite), the face, the fact that he isn't quite so shiny...

However, as much as I adore the second image, how much work would it be to revamp your current assets? With a stylistic change that drastic you'd pretty much have to re-do everything from what I can see (and would you have to give up the chibis? ;_;) Perhaps there's some sort of stylistic middle-ground? Improved anatomy and colouring but still keeping it similar enough that the contrast isn't jarring?

I'd say go for it if you feel it will improve the game and not generate too much extra work. I'll love the end result regardless, but I will say that I really like the improvements to the sprite.

EDIT: Though, Mikali, I find your lack of nipples disturbing.

[Flowers from Nowhere]

I kinda prefer the old art. Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful, but I think the cartoony style really fits the humorous story. The plot's pretty serious stuff but it's presented in a very light hearted manner and I think semi-realistic art sets the wrong mood for that.

On the other hand, it's the sort of thing I probably wouldn't even notice if I was just playing the game so don't hold back on my account if you like it better.

[Cain0425]

i like the old art better

[Reikun]

Just a comment about the anatomy of the new style: his scales are going the wrong way. When fish swim, the scales face the opposite direction they are swimming to make them faster/more hydrodynamic. His scales should go in the same direction as the old sprite unless he only swims backwards like a nautilus.

Edit: Curious to see how Jack comes out in the new style~

[try10]

WOW, just WOW! I love the new one so much! Such perfection! He looks gorgeous!

[LliiraAnna]

I think the new one is better XD But that's only imo.

[philip]

This once promising thread seems to have degenerated into a discussion of the revamped mermaid sprite. The author of the game has been thinking about revamping all the sprites. My advice is: get back on track and FINISH THE GAME!!! Once it is done and released, and you are basking in the plaudits from us for a story well done, then you can go back and make refinements to your hearts content, if you still have the motivation and desire to do so. This forum is littered with the shells of what appeared to be promising story efforts; some even released demos, then over time the progress posts were further and further apart until finally ceasing, and the download link disappeared, so what appeared to be an interesting new story is never finished. I don't want to appear to be critical, I would just suggest to the author(s) that they get refocused and proceed with the task at hand.

[Arowana]

Thanks so much for the feedback, everybody - we really appreciated all the input! After considering everyone's comments, Nellie and I are thinking that, even though we both really like the semi-realistic style, people are right in saying that it does not fit as well with the game's chibi art and more lighthearted scenes.

As a result, we are leaning back towards a more cartoony "anime" style. If that's the case, though, we will make sure to improve the existing sprites so they don't look as derpy. We'll also try to use the semi-realistic art style for future games!

Some other points we wanted to address:

@ CheeryMoya
Thanks for trying the demo! The resolution is actually 1280x960 (Renpy default is 800x600), which I think is decently big? (unless you prefer widescreen, haha, but that's a whole 'nother can of worms)

@ Reikun
Oh wow, I didn't even notice the scale thing, and I took an oceanography class. <-- fails at life. Thanks for pointing it out!

@ philip
Thank you for your concern! I can relate to the disappointment of having a game I've looked forward to disappear, and I definitely don't want that to happen here.

However, we believe that receiving feedback on how to improve the sprite art (or any other game aspects) now, rather than later, will be more beneficial in the long run. After all, we'd much rather change the art now than at the end, else we'd have many more graphics to redo. Since this is a game that Nellie and I have worked hard on and care a lot about, we also feel strongly about putting our best effort forward from the get-go, rather than releasing something we're unsatisfied with and having to redo it later (we already did that for NaNoRenO! xD )

So no worries - this discussion, as well as any other feedback we receive, will not cause us to lose our focus. I'm still busy writing the script, while Nellie is working on BGs and other sprite designs. Your feedback only helps us, and we appreciate everyone who shows a sincere interest in our work and takes the time to answer our questions/leave comments on the art, story, demo, etc.! All of you are helping us make the best game we can and motivating us to work even harder. xD

[Mimi_Melody]

Ah do you mind if I ask for the progress? I know you're improving the art and all (and yes, light-hearted and "cartoony" art is better )
Like some rough percentages?
Art ?%, music ?%, BG ?%....etc?

[wyverngem]

Going against the grain, but I liked the older sprites to be honest. Not saying that the new is bad or anything, just liked the old version.

[Omnificent]

The main beef I have with the old sprites is that they look stiffer and less expressive with their lines, plus more generic in style. If you could combine the softness and expressiveness of the new style with the simplicity of the old style that would probably be perfect.