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A Simple Act [VN] [Friendship, Tragedy] [1/26/16]

Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 2:39 am
by Hazel-Bun
"It's just a game we play. Being kind is nothing more than a means to an end..."


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Title: A Simple Act (ASA)
Format: VN [Friendship; Tragedy; Coming of Age]
Tagline: "A stone dropped in still water..."

Setting: A quiet mountainous town named Edgewater.
Plot: A young woman has given up, given in. She can't stand the helping hands that try to bind and the nagging words of her mother. She breaks away and tries to spread her wings, only to be grounded by heavy rains. Looking for shelter instead she finds a ghost from a hazy past. A woman dressed in all white holding a little blue, polka dotted umbrella. They stand around, they sit and chat and the rain keeps pouring... yet the young woman, for the life of her, can't seem to piece together the whys, whens, and wheres.

Who is this strange woman?

Why does she seem so very... familiar?

She must make a choice to open up her heart, open up her past, and accept a little polka dotted umbrella. Her life forever changed by a simple act of kindness. Only the truth shall set you free...

Brought to you by Hazel-Bun of Cherubim Scribes & co.!

Characters +More:

"Get out of my face, dammit."
Elli Ferguson*

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"A troubled teen who runs away from home and is caught in the rain while doing so. She has a rather cynical view of the world, in the process of breaking a mean swearing habit, and isn't the best at connecting with others to boot. Meets Lily Moon at a run down rest stop while trying to sort things out."
*Name changeable

"Easy now! You’ll fall..."
Lily Moon

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"A strange woman who Elli encounters while trying to find shelter from the rain. Kind and beautiful even if her fashion sense is questionable, she offers up her umbrella to Elli and something seems to be hidden behind that ever present smile of hers."

"Elli? I'm scared."
Elvis Ferguson

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"Elli's little brother. He's a rather sickly little boy who rarely goes out much and is in a rebellious stage right now."

"You're nothing without me."
Armando Toldeo


"Elli's jealous, older, sort of ex-boyfriend."
Screenshots+ More:
(Coming Soon)
Resolution: 1280x720 (possibly two more resolutions)
Endings: 3 Main, A couple of Bad, 1 secret
Rating: Currently Pg-13 (Mentions of sensitive topics as well as frequent cursing)

Progress:
Story: Count (100%) (Done) (29,658 1st Draft)
Outline: 100% (Done)
Proofreading: 100% (The 1st draft)
Programming: 50% (Main menu, textbook, quick menus, and transitions functioning)
GUI: 100% (Done)
Demo: 0% (HA! It's like 3 years old so an updated one is in the works!)(Current one covers the first 5-10k)

Sprites:
Concepts: 100% (Done)
Completed: 5/5 (In-Progress) (Lines done w/o variations)

SFXs: DONE (There's a lot!)
Music: 5/5 (Done)
Logo: 1/1 (Done)
Icon: 1/1 (Done)
Backgrounds: 5/5 (Done & Animated)
CGs: 0/7 (w/o Variations)

Credits:
Writing: Hazel-Bun
GUI: Hijiri
Sprite Artists: truefaiterman & Hazel-Bun
Background Artist: Badriel
Music/SFX: Mike
Editing: Arachni42
Promo Art: sasquatchii
Video Editor: Tcodina
Programming: Alex from CScribes, death__storm & Hazel-Bun
Idea Bouncer: NeoSota9
(WIP)
<><><>
12/15/13

Will tidy up once it's not twelve in the morning. Wanted to have a new thread for an old WIP. Story is complete but in need of major revisions and art, etc. will be revamped once my current WIP is done (AtPF).
Old thread: http://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewto ... t=19607url

2/2/15

Revamped the thread! A lot of stuff is in the air as the old demo is not a good judgement of progress anymore haha two more artist and musician joined though so, expect more stuff soon!

2/5/15

Elli's sprites nearing completion. Anatomy/shading/expressions next. Music under production soon.

2/12/15

- Added a shadowed version of Elli!
- Added lineart of Elvis and Lily, along with their quotes.

2/15/15

Uploaded a gif. of the sprite making process, along with two colored versions of Elvis!

2/22/15

GUI shot!

2/24/15

- New programmer is coming on board!
- Elli's first name can now be changed.

2/27/15

Added a shot of Elli's boyfriend, Armando Ricardo Toledo aka Dante aka Trouble with a capital T.

3/2/15

- Added two CG sketches & a pencil sketch of the last sprites

3/12/15

- Armando's lines are complete
- GUI 100% (may change if more features are added)
- death_storm is polishing up the demo and coding in the existing GUI

4/9/15

- Writing snippet added
- All base line art finished for the sprites

4/17/15

- Art snaps and now officially a WIP thread
- BGs being commissioned
- Working towards a summer demo release (may or may not be private than public)

9/30/15

- Demo BGs done and animated (thanks Brad <3)!
- Sprite art to follow
- Editing on the existing demo script underway
- Some images of the in-game old and new demo art
- Mike is almost finished with the OST/original sfx's
- I've added in the new intro for CScribes w/ the voice over

12/10/15

- Mike has finished all the audio for the demo (potentially the entire game)

1/26/16

- Happy New Year! New screenshot on Pg. 2
- Also, I'll be revising/mapping the script shortly
- No firm public demo date but closed beta testing soon

Re: A Simple Act [VN] [Friendship; Tragedy] [2/2/15]

Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 12:53 am
by Hazel-Bun
Some sketches of the other two characters! I'm slowly chipping away at the re-write or edits if you will to the script.

Re: A Simple Act [VN] [Friendship; Tragedy] [2/2/15]

Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 1:55 pm
by Hazel-Bun
Elli's base colors are done :) Work on the music should start soon. Other artist is lining the next two sprites.

Re: A Simple Act [VN] [Friendship; Tragedy] [2/5/15]

Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2015 2:35 pm
by Hazel-Bun
Could this be moved to W.I.P admins? Also, a little banner as always! A video editor/designer has joined the team :) A CG artist (might) also be joining soon. Elvis' an Lily Moon's cleaned sprites coming soon.

Re: A Simple Act [VN] [Friendship; Tragedy] [2/5/15]

Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 3:56 am
by potouto
The game looks kinda sad ;_; you know how much do I love sad games, they are just the food for my soul. In my opinion, Elli looks like the troubled child going through the phase, very suited for her description!! Hope you will finish this soon :>

Re: A Simple Act [VN] [Friendship; Tragedy] [2/5/15]

Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2015 2:06 pm
by Hazel-Bun
@Josie Thanks man <3 It is suppose to be sad... even a little creepy at times. I'm glad Elli looks the part and, we're trying ^^

Here's a shadowed version for darker scenes. I'm still grappling with her colors but, will start on her second pose/expressions soon. Re-write/editing is going steady, and I should have a functioning build near April to show off to the public, without all the old assets!

Re: A Simple Act [VN] [Friendship; Tragedy] [2/12/15]

Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2015 8:50 am
by Haze
Elli's sprite looks amazing; it has a very professional look. Did you do the lineart, and truefaiterman did the colors or something like that?

Re: A Simple Act [VN] [Friendship; Tragedy] [2/12/15]

Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2015 8:48 pm
by Hazel-Bun
@Haze Thanks! Basically the process is I ink the traditional sketches and upload them, truefaiterman inks them digitally (with a technique I'm trying to learn), and I do the coloring :D I hope you like the rest once they're done, including Elli!

Uploaded a little gif. of the process, as well as a flat colored Elvis aside from his hair/eyes.

Re: A Simple Act [VN] [Friendship; Tragedy] [2/15/15]

Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2015 8:58 pm
by Hazel-Bun
Worked on some GUI today!

Re: A Simple Act [VN] [Friendship; Tragedy] [2/27/15]

Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 1:23 pm
by Hazel-Bun
Elli's boyfriend, Armando Ricardo Toledo aka Dante aka Trouble with a capital T. Last sprite aside from the one I can't show quite yet. True got Elli's bag along with Lily Moon's second pose done. I'll show that later!

Re: A Simple Act [VN] [Friendship; Tragedy] [2/27/15]

Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2015 10:08 pm
by Hazel-Bun
Here are two variations of the first CG sketch! I also added the pencil sketches of the last sprites. Flower boy and daredevil yeah~

NaNoRenO has started so updates will be slower.

Re: A Simple Act [VN] [Friendship; Tragedy] [3/2/15]

Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 9:17 am
by Hazel-Bun
Armando is done! One more sprite to go and all the character all will be complete :D I'll move onto CGs next, the first three for the demo at least.

Re: A Simple Act [VN] [Friendship; Tragedy] [3/12/15]

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2015 11:55 am
by Hazel-Bun
Hey all! Now that's NaNo's over, A Simple Act is back in action with updates :) I've learned a lot from "Sunrise" and will do my best to reflect that in ASA.

Here is a writing snippet from the beginning of the game featuring Elli, as I can only show a portion of the new sprite. Over two years old so will be going through extensive revisions haha
I had run as far as my legs could take me and as fast as my body was able to handle before stopping near a tree to catch my breath. For a moment, I wasn’t very sure where I’d ended up at but gathered that I was somewhere in the forest near town, secluded and getting darker by the second.

I couldn't grasp how far I was from home, or where exactly in the forest I’d ended up. All I knew for certain was that I was out in the boonies somewhere in Rolling Oak. No one would find me, I thought with a sad little smile, and no one would come looking either.

It was an unusually warm spring day for this mountainous region, tucked in the heartlands and isolated from the outside world. The type of place you drove through when trying to get to better places, ohhhed and then hightailed it back to civilization.

The air was thick and just the slightest bit musky and my skin was already soaked from the short run. Morning dew still hung on the leaves even this far into the afternoon. It was quiet, peaceful, isolated. A perfect place to end up a missing person case.

Every now and then I had to swat at what I prayed to God was just a mosquito and not some ancient super tick. Another tan and batch of freckles was surely coming my way but, at least, in the forest, the trees offered some protection.

Sucking in short, stunted breaths, I spat silent curses as a pounding headache started to rap my temples like a pinball bouncing back and forth. Lights were flashing behind my eyes like I'd hit the jackpot. The shattered sanity jackpot, that is.

Lucky me!

Wonderful!

"Crap... Why oh, why didn't I plan ahead? How in the hell am I supposed to get out of here?!"

The forest was a beast in of itself. Long, winding paths in a maze of confusion leading to nowhere, rarely kept up for a population of barely three thousand…

Up here, "Knocking on the Pearly Gates" as the locals like to put it, it was rare to even see a familiar face for a couple miles or so. Lots of open fields in the dips of large hills and small villages dotted the "picturesque" countryside I'd been whisked away to a few months pass.

It was like the town’s builders knew how dull and lifeless the place was going to be and wanted there to be no escape whatsoever. For shits and giggles I bet.

I could walk the roads, but they were so pit-filled and isolated that I’d probably end up on the front page as a hit n’ run before I got to the next town over, for sure. You'd think they'd at least make it easy to get from one place to the next without ending up smack dab in the middle of nowhere, right?

Re: A Simple Act [VN] [Friendship; Tragedy] [4/9/15]

Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2015 3:08 pm
by Hazel-Bun
Now officially a WIP thread. The BGs are now being commissioned, and will contain some light animation work as well. Still working it all out though, but I've received logos before and they were amazing.

I'll be working towards a functioning demo in the summer. It may or may not be a closed one before a public release. Here are two art shots as I start adding variations to be lined. Elli is in love with the gothic clown subculture, while Elvis is getting a logo on his shirt.

Re: A Simple Act [VN] [Friendship; Tragedy] [4/17/15]

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2015 4:35 pm
by DangKem
Awesome work you have here :)