Destiny Fails Us [Otome|Romance|Slice of Life] Oct. 7

[DestinyFailsUs]

Hi everyone! It's been a while since I've updated this thread, but I've been hard at work on the game.

Today is the anniversary of when we launched our Kickstarter campaign, and with all of our supporter's help we were funded and able to make Destiny Fails Us a reality.

Today, Tyler and I had to make an important announcement regarding the release date, you can read that here.

A lot has happened since I first started the game. The game has grown in a lot of ways and I am incredibly proud of how far it's come.

When I first started working on DFU, in the planning stages there were only 3 love interests: Vincent, James, and Samson. Now there's 6: Vincent, James, Samson, Alexander, Brian, and One-Hit-Wonder Boy. In the planning stages the game's story only lasted a month, now the story spans across 6 months and goes much deeper into Idril's family life, friends, relationships, school, and town.

Destiny Fails Us is something I'm excited for. I put in over 60 per week into it's development and I love every moment.

In recent months, we have finished the first draft of Act 1, we have made a lot of progress on Act 2, and we've shared background work in progress previews and music samples. On the first post, I updated the character previews with some updated headshots and information, and I've also included some supporting characters. You can also view the Character Information page on Tumblr to see some extra facts not on the first post.

You can find the music samples we've shared on our Kickstarter Updates [1 | 2], or on our tumblr. (More songs to be uploaded to Tumblr in the coming days)

As for backgrounds, you can find our Work in Progress previews uploaded to our DeviantART, Kickstarter Updates [1 | 2 | 3], and Tumblr.


To give you guys a preview, here's a progress comparison for the King's Cafe background. The top was done a little over a year ago, and the bottom is the most recent render from July.

Anyway, thank you so much for your support with DFU. I'm working very hard on making this game something you all will remember.

[G-Panda]

Woah, the game is coming along nicely~
Love what I've seen so far! (the new backgrounds are lovely) ^-^

[Rinima]

Oh good! A update I was kinda worried this project had died XD

It looks good so far! I'll be buying this when it comes out for sure (so long as I have the pennies)!

[DestinyFailsUs]

Character Sprite Update & Comparison

So I have been working really hard these last few weeks on some sprite updates. I counted my hours for the last week and it added up to 105 hours (mostly working more than 15 hours a day), so I'm really excited to show everyone some of the stuff I've been working on.

I decided I wanted to start sharing some of the updated sprites every week and I figured what better way to kick this into gear than starting with our main character, Idril.

I made a comparison shot of Idril's old sprite (taken from the status screen in last year's Kickstarter demo) and her updated sprite. I used her main school uniform and casual outfit for this comparison.

Idril also has a ton of outfits that she may wear in the game. These are some (not all) of the outfits:

Weather Related: Winter & Summer


Gym Uniforms


Various Casual Outfits


Various Formal/Dress Outfits

These pictures are from the tumblr post I made, so if you would like to see a higher resolution you can follow this link and click on the pictures. ^^

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In other news, in September had to get surgery (I'm fine now, don't worry!) and in order to pay my bills I opened a patreon page after a long debate with myself. I made a tumblr post about it here.

If you wanted to help support me while I continue to work long productive weeks on Destiny Fails Us, I'd really appreciate any help. Plus by supporting me on patreon, you can get exclusive patreon wallpaper packs, and download music samples/tracks from the game. I'll probably be adding more rewards in the future, but my main priority is to focus on Destiny Fails Us' game development.

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Woah, the game is coming along nicely~
Love what I've seen so far! (the new backgrounds are lovely) ^-^

Thank you! I'm glad you like what you've seen so far!

Oh good! A update I was kinda worried this project had died XD

It looks good so far! I'll be buying this when it comes out for sure (so long as I have the pennies)!

Thanks!

Haha, nope, the project definitely hasn't died! I've just been working on it almost every waking moment I've had in the last few months. So I mainly focused on keeping websites like Twitter & Tumblr updated frequently.

[piichimi]

I played through the demo, the GUI and story writting was very well done.
One thing that is quite bothersome to me is how you didn't credit the programs you used, for example, comipo
I think you should credit it in the original post so people won't get the impression that you actually drew them yourself.
Coming from a visual novel artist, it's quite offensive for people to take credit for drawing something that they had not.
Now I know you said you edited the sprites in photoshop as well, but it's still not the same as drawing them.

Though I do wonder, why did you choose to use comipo instead of drawing your sprites or hiring a sprite artist? o:

[DestinyFailsUs]

I played through the demo, the GUI and story writting was very well done.
One thing that is quite bothersome to me is how you didn't credit the programs you used, for example, comipo
I think you should credit it in the original post so people won't get the impression that you actually drew them yourself.
Coming from a visual novel artist, it's quite offensive for people to take credit for drawing something that they had not.
Now I know you said you edited the sprites in photoshop as well, but it's still not the same as drawing them.

Though I do wonder, why did you choose to use comipo instead of drawing your sprites or hiring a sprite artist? o:

I glad you enjoyed the demo. So many improvements and changes have happened since that came out over a year ago, so I hope you'll enjoy what's to come. ^^

I never took credit for ComiPo. It's just a tool that I use to create, and what I'm taking credit for is the work that I do. I'm not just plopping the models onto the space and calling it good, nor am I loading premade scenes/examples and just switching the characters. Honestly, the amount of work I'm currently doing inside the program is very minimal. I'm using outside programs to do my own drawing, modeling, and texturing to make my work stand out.

ComiPo comes with a stigma in certain communities on the internet. The people that use this program are often seen as lazy and unambitious. It's quite offensive to have someone assume things about you that are untrue. I've been working my hardest and doing my best, and I'm currently clocking in at over 100 hours/week.

I started using ComiPo because it was fun. It was a creative outlet that I desperately needed while I was depressed. I've been using the program for several years at this point, and I've received a fair amount of harassment and hateful messages for using the program. Using ComiPo is no longer fun, it's just a tool - and I plan to use it to the best of my abilities, with a lot of outside assistance.

Most of the sprite examples posted here are being updated weekly at the moment. So far Idril's updated sprite is the only WIP preview I've shared. I'll be updating soon with another character at some point today.

[Rinima]

I never took credit for ComiPo.

I don't think they're asking you to take the credit for ComiPo, but to state that you used the program in the production.

I'm actually suggest you credit them, even if you only use them a little, else you could run into some legal trouble later on (though don't take my word for this, I'm not a legal expert).

[piichimi]

I mean like, say that the sprites are from comipo so people don't get the impression that you drew them yourself.
Like when someone says "Really nice sprite art! It's gorgeous!"
You should say "Thank you, but the Sprites came from Comipo, I just had edited them" or something of the sort, just so it doesn't seem like you're taking all the credit away from the original program. I honestly don't find anything wrong with using the program as long as you credit it. I would like to see the process of the sprite making sometime, just so I can get a feel for how hard you work on the sprites. Not saying I don't believe that you don't work hard or anything. Just out of curiosity, and to compare it to making Sprites from scratch, because that's what I do, and drawing sprites for me usually takes about 5 hours with hard work, so it's hard for me to imagine why making sprites for you would take longer, but I would probably understand better if I saw the actual process. I'm sure a lot of other people would like to see too, just in case they would like to make a visual novel using comipo too.
I'm anxious to see the full version of the game. I really liked the story. Usually I don't like Otome games much, despite being female myself, I usually like to put myself into a male protagonist's shoes. Not quite sure the reason for this though. lol. But this Otome game I actually enjoy quite a lot. Good luck!

[DestinyFailsUs]

I'm actually suggest you credit them, even if you only use them a little, else you could run into some legal trouble later on (though don't take my word for this, I'm not a legal expert).

Thanks for your concern. I contacted the japanese developers a few years ago when I first contemplated commercial works created with ComiPo. I was told that crediting them was optional, as everything that I create using the program (sprites, CGs, comics, etc.) is mine to use and they cannot claim ownership on what I make or my own characters. What I cannot do is use the original 3D/2D files (characters, items, backgrounds, etc.) or their mascot and use them in another program like Unity or claim direct ownership to those. The rep I talked to looked over my work and verified that it was perfectly fine.

I mean like, say that the sprites are from comipo so people don't get the impression that you drew them yourself.
Like when someone says "Really nice sprite art! It's gorgeous!"
You should say "Thank you, but the Sprites came from Comipo, I just had edited them" or something of the sort, just so it doesn't seem like you're taking all the credit away from the original program. I honestly don't find anything wrong with using the program as long as you credit it. I would like to see the process of the sprite making sometime, just so I can get a feel for how hard you work on the sprites. Not saying I don't believe that you don't work hard or anything. Just out of curiosity, and to compare it to making Sprites from scratch, because that's what I do, and drawing sprites for me usually takes about 5 hours with hard work, so it's hard for me to imagine why making sprites for you would take longer, but I would probably understand better if I saw the actual process. I'm sure a lot of other people would like to see too, just in case they would like to make a visual novel using comipo too.
I'm anxious to see the full version of the game. I really liked the story. Usually I don't like Otome games much, despite being female myself, I usually like to put myself into a male protagonist's shoes. Not quite sure the reason for this though. lol. But this Otome game I actually enjoy quite a lot. Good luck!

I'll make a process picture in the next few days, so you can understand how much work I actually do put into these sprites. I can understand that it may be difficult to see exactly how much work I do, especially when I have only shared one character's updated WIP sprite. I know how much work drawing a sprite is, and making sprites the way I do it is just using another tool. Saying that I "just edited" them is a bit of an understatement when I'm spending hours upon hours creating original content outside of the program.

That being said, I wouldn't recommend this program to others - I have personal reasons (I don't want anyone else to be subjected to the hate I've gotten since I started using it years ago - I don't like to be open about it, but it still happens. -_-), and the fact that the program itself is so incredibly limited - which is why I do so much outside work with modeling and drawing.

Thanks, I really do hope you enjoy the full game when it comes out. I can understand where you're coming from about playing males, most of the short stories I've written have had a male protagonist. I'm not quite sure the reason for that either, especially since I personally prefer to play female protagonists when given the choice. DFU is different though since it's a semi autobiographical story, including a lot of events from mine and my boyfriend's lives.

Also, I wanted to make sure you guys knew I wasn't irritated earlier - I think I might have come off that way after re-reading it. I'm just serious about the work I've been doing with this game and in the next few weeks I'll be sharing some of the other sprites I've been working on that I'm really excited about.

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That being said, it's been about a week since I revealed Idril's sprite so next I have Lily's sprite!

Here's a side by side with her old sprite and her new WIP sprite. She is wearing her school uniform & her main casual outfit. She can wear more outfits in-game depending on the situation, time of year, weather, etc.

To view the tumblr post with Lily's sprite, go here.

[StarGirl]

I played through the demo & I enjoyed the game a lot. I'm looking forward to the full game!
It looks like there's been so much improvement too! The backgrounds are beautiful.
Lily is looking very pretty, I love her new hairstyle and tan skin.

[DestinyFailsUs]

This week I'm showing off Atali Evans' sprite. The first image is another side-by-side comparison with her old and new sprites (school uniform & main casual outfit). The second image shows off some other outfits she may wear (more in-game).

Atali Evans is a 15 year old girl and is 5’9” tall. She is a student aide in the faculty office at Moirai High School, and she is the manager of the Boy’s Basketball team.

Next week I'll be back with the final sprite reveal for the month of October!

Also, this month I'm uploading two wallpapers to my patreon. I have already uploaded a Halloween themed wallpaper and will be uploading the other one next week. For more information you can go to my tumblr or visit my patreon page.

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I played through the demo & I enjoyed the game a lot. I'm looking forward to the full game!
It looks like there's been so much improvement too! The backgrounds are beautiful.
Lily is looking very pretty, I love her new hairstyle and tan skin.

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the demo.
Thank you so much! I'm really happy with how she looks so far.

[Rinima]

Your sprites are much, much better now, the poses look far more natural and the clothes seem to fall better Also well done with the BG's, they look much more professional from what I've seen.

I'm curious though, but why does Atali have cat ears?

And your MMD on youtube is awesome, brought a smile to my face XD

[DestinyFailsUs]

Your sprites are much, much better now, the poses look far more natural and the clothes seem to fall better Also well done with the BG's, they look much more professional from what I've seen.

I'm curious though, but why does Atali have cat ears?

And your MMD on youtube is awesome, brought a smile to my face XD

Thank you so much. I've been working really hard to improve on the BGs and sprites, so it makes me really happy to hear that.

I can't say too much at the moment as to why she wears those cat ears, but I can say it gets covered in her friendship route.

Thanks ^^ Some of them are really old but they're fun to make. I think my favorite one to make had to be the "Here It Goes Again" video.

[Rinima]

Thanks ^^ Some of them are really old but they're fun to make. I think my favorite one to make had to be the "Here It Goes Again" video.

Haha, funnily enough, that's the one I was talking about XD

[DestinyFailsUs]

Hey everyone! This week I bring you the last sprite comparison/preview for October. This time it's Alaska.

I had a lot of fun working on her sprite, so I'm really excited to share her with you all!


Sprite Comparison of her old and new sprite. Showing off her school uniform & main casual outfit.


Athletic Wear: Basketball Uniform & Gym Uniform


Other Casual Outfits: Letterman Jacket & Tank Top

Alaska Price is a 15 year old girl whose birthday happens to be on Valentine’s Day. She is 5’7” and is on the Moirai High School basketball team. She spends a lot of time at home watching cartoons and eating junk food.

This is the last sprite preview for October. In a few days I'll be uploading another wallpaper to my patreon starring the 4 characters I've shared this month (Idril, Lily, Atali, Alaska). I hope enjoyed the sprite previews this month.