Magicians of Delphine[GxB][BxB][Dating Sim]ALPHA(July 8)

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akemicchi
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Re: Magicians of Delphine[GxB][BxB][Dating Sim]-- DEMO (July

#211 Post by akemicchi »

Googaboga wrote:I'm sorry you're going through a rough patch when it comes to your opinion on your game akemicchi v.v. That's a hard place to be. I hope you can get back to enjoying working on the project soon :].

And seriously, I've been following this thread and your blog (I haven't commented cause I'm lame like that) but I think everything is amazing and all the things you're doing with MoD are really inspiring :>. Also the little comics you do are super cute/funny X3. If there's something I can do to help you feel better, let me know ^^.
Ahaha, thank you, and sorry about that. It's just one of my moodswings. Some days I get swept up by emotions really easily; it feels like a void I'll never get out of even though I know I've got things to do. orz

Thank you! :'D I appreciate your kindness! I'm sorry for making you wait so long though. I've pretty much given up on NaNoWriMo for now so I have more time to dedicate on your stuff. ^^

---
LliiraAnna wrote:It's ok, don't push yourself, we'll wait. Hope you'll feel better soon. You're awesome, really, looking at how much work you've invested into this project - oh, and the project is awesome too, of course :3
Thank you! I've been feeling better the past few days. :) Ahaha, and I'm only working this hard because I've already invested countless hours on this thing. ^^; I've long reached the point of no return, so I'm determined to finish this at a quality I'll be happy with.

---
Shaples wrote:Ahhhh, I'm so sad that you're feeling down on this game, because it is SO GOOD. I just finished the demo and I already want to go back and play it again to pursue different characters to see what events I missed even though it's only a demo.
W-Whoa, wow, thank you so much...! I'm really glad you're liking it so far!

1.) Hahahaha, was it too much at once? I've written that darn opening like three times and I still can't figure out a good one. 9v9 I've gotten numerous complaints about the beginning, so it'll definitely be rewritten! Hopefully the fourth try will be better this time. I'm really glad the rest of it is pretty funny! :D I worry that I'm the only one that laughs at the jokes... ;;;

2.) Haha, thanks! I'll pay more attention to Sitri and Faeran's speech. I only realized later on that it might be difficult/obnoxious to read for some people, so I'll trim the apostrophe use to a few key words and certain suffixes (-ings for example). :) I'm glad a lot of the characters were likable! I love making characters, and I'm happy they're alright. ^^

3.) _(:3/ L)_ You're too nice! And hey, Yue is your favorite! Hardly anyone likes Yue that much. He's kind of all over the place even though he's my personal favorite, haha.

4.) Awesome. The story (war & politics stuff) will pick up a little more as the year goes on, but Part I is all character focused. Unfortunately, most of the plot questions won't be answered until Part II when Aleo gets on someone's route and becomes even more involved in the state of affairs of the countries.

5.) Ahaha, of course! This game will be released someday unless I randomly die. :'D I'll just be really slow about it, ahaha... ;;;
Shaples wrote:I really hope you start feeling better soon! It really sucks feeling down on your work (especially when you can't see that it's soooo goooood!!), but yeah, take your time and keep up the good work. It'll be well worth the wait!
Thank you. :') Thanks for your kind words, too!

---
Green Glasses Girl wrote:I agree that easing the player into the world and their role might be a good introduction. The gameplay I caught onto relatively fast, so I had no problem with it. :D
Great! I'll try to focus on those two and think up of a proper introduction for it, then. :) Thank you very much for your honesty! It definitely helps!

~*~

In other news, I drew a really quick 4koma today.
Image

And the atogaki!

Image

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Re: Magicians of Delphine[GxB][BxB][Dating Sim]-- DEMO (July

#212 Post by daijinahito »

Ok, I'm hooked. You just have to finish this game and you will have my undying loyalty as a fan. It's really rare when someone actually writes a main character with a personality I like. And, uh, Sho is amazing. He's probably the cutest tsundere ever. xD; I'm not sure if you can go BxB in this, but I sure hope so! If not, I'd even be happy with a platonic friendship route. : > Or I guess I could be a female. But, I hate playing females.... Oh, and I love all the two mini comics just above this post, snicker. Please keep up the great work, I'll be rooting for this game!!

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Re: Magicians of Delphine[GxB][BxB][Dating Sim]-- DEMO (July

#213 Post by Shaples »

akemicchi wrote:Hahahaha, was it too much at once? I've written that darn opening like three times and I still can't figure out a good one. 9v9 I've gotten numerous complaints about the beginning, so it'll definitely be rewritten! Hopefully the fourth try will be better this time.
I uh... May have gone back and replayed the demo ( :oops: ) and in retrospect I think the problem with the beginning isn't that there's too much information, I think it's that it bounces around so much. The very very beginning part reads like an introduction for the player to give us a quick look into the world of the game (and I think it serves that function quite nicely). But as soon as it cuts to the main game, we find out this story was being told to Aleo, which is weird, because 1) it doesn't read like a story some old lady is telling a new recruit in the back of a wagon and 2) In the intro, it feels like this is world-defining info that everyone would know, so why would someone be talking about it once-upon-a-time style? It's a weird tone shift on its own, and jumping straight from there into battle feels even more abrupt. Then the flashback to Reziel is another weird shift in time/space/setting.

As I'm writing this, though, I think the solution might be easier than it seems. Leave the introduction as an introduction for the player (rather than for Aleo), then have it cut directly to the scene with Aleo and Reziel. By putting those two next to each other, you might be able to trim down some of the length of the intro (which some people have mentioned thinking is a little too long), since we're getting similar information in that dialogue (how the world is NOW vs how the world was with dragon/magician/human wars). Plus, then everything would be in chronological order. It also just feels more natural to flash forward from "The king wants to use us as tools of his war" to her being in a caravan of soldiers. Put the title flash after the Reziel scene to hint at the time/scene change, then have Aleo wake up drooling on someone (not because she's tired from battle, but because she's a dope), and THEN have the caravan get attacked, and go into battle. That way, we have a little more buffer between the intro and the battle mechanics. It takes away some of the surprise of LOL I'M ACTUALLY A MAGICIAN! but I think it would fix the pacing/tone shift whiplash. Then she and Tiberus can have their chat post-battle (maybe making their way to camp on horseback?) when they get news of the next battle and then everything just continues on from there the way it is.

Of course, this is all just me thinking out loud, so feel free to take it or leave it. But reordering the scenes might fix a lot of the problems with the beginning without you actually having to change much of what happens.
akemicchi wrote:Hardly anyone likes Yue that much.
Whaaaaat!? HOW CAN THAT BE!? Yue is amazing and super interesting! He's a playful, teasing, super adorable kid brother WHO IS ALSO A CRAZY DEADLY ASSASSIN. Sho is the one everyone wants to trick into liking them, but Yue is the character I most want to figure out. Also, when he and Aleo meet for the first time, him teasing her and her getting SO MAD is one of the funniest parts of the game so far. YUE 4 LYFE!

Also, omg those comics :lol:

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Re: Magicians of Delphine[GxB][BxB][Dating Sim]-- DEMO (July

#214 Post by akemicchi »

Hi everyone! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!! :)

@ daijinahito

aaaah, thanks so much! I'm glad you like what I have so far. :'D And I'm really glad (and relieved) you like Aleo! Main characters usually make or break a game for me if they're not blank-slate, generic MCs. So, I'm happy Aleo is alright. :') And I'm also glad Sho's a cute tsundere, hahaha.

Aleo's gender is mostly an aesthetic choice so the development of the relationships should be the same for most of the characters. The only character that isn't a romantic route will probably be Faeran, who'll mostly be about platonic love and close friendship (with a hint of friendship-romance fluff). Sho's route is romantic, so you can have BL in it if you choose a male protagonist! 8D Some dialogue in the game changes depending on the gender, too, but not enough to warrant another playthrough as the opposite gender. Except Yue's route. I might just change him to have one reaction, though. (It's too much work doing separate reactions between the two genders.)

I should probably mention the game doesn't have any situations that are remotely sexual, not even a make-out scene. It's pretty much just tons of fluff like hand-holding and a few pecks here and there when it comes to the romance. If anyone's expecting something more, this game isn't going to have it. ;v; There's a lot of violence in it though, especially in the later parts. Not in the relationships, of course, but you know... it's a war with supernatural characters. People are bound to die in violent ways.

---

@ Shaples

Haha, the introduction sounds like a huge mess and, in retrospect, it is really messy! I was hoping to fill it in with features I don't have yet to slow it down, but you're right about the shifts in perspective with unrelated characters and the weird pacing. Gotta work on that!

Whoa!! Hey, that's a good idea! Skip the old lady, jump straight into Reziel and Aleo after the intro, and have the wagon get attacked then... In fact, I might just cut out the wagon attack since an actual battle is supposed to start right after that... I might fix up Reziel and Aleo's conversation in the beginning a little, too. In any case, I'll try it the way you suggested! It's a really good idea! Thank you so much! :D

Hahaha! I never thought about him that way! I'm glad either way that some people like him. Hopefully when you do figure him out, you'll like him more! :D (Or maybe not; his role in the story is kind of...)

Thanks again! :D I really appreciate your input! It'll definitely help the story become better.

~*~

By the way, guys, by the way--! I got fanart the other day!!
It's the Aleos! :D
http://fav.me/d87ni6a

Thank you so much, Souruuriin!! ^^

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Re: Magicians of Delphine[GxB][BxB][Dating Sim]-- DEMO (July

#215 Post by Shaples »

akemicchi wrote:Thanks again! :D I really appreciate your input! It'll definitely help the story become better.
aahh I'm so glad you think so, and you're very welcome! I'm really looking forward to your next release ^_^

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Re: Magicians of Delphine[GxB][BxB][Dating Sim]-- DEMO (July

#216 Post by chaos »

ahh i miss this game TT i hope you're doing well even if the game making is going slow~ i'm still around even i don't post that regularly haha c:

love that comic btw. sho the dad... that even sounds weird in pretext HAHA.
vynuxys' new account, do forgive.

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Re: Magicians of Delphine[GxB][BxB][Dating Sim]-- DEMO (July

#217 Post by akemicchi »

chaos wrote:ahh i miss this game TT i hope you're doing well even if the game making is going slow~ i'm still around even i don't post that regularly haha c:

love that comic btw. sho the dad... that even sounds weird in pretext HAHA.
Hey there! Thanks!! :D I'm doing well-- just have a few days where I'm up and down about this game. It's cool that you're still around. ^^ I hope you're doing well, too! :D

'Weird' is the only kind of joke I have in my arsenal, lol

~*~

I'm working on Art Assets this month. FINALLY. I'VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS FOR SO LONG.
Statistics:

The game contains 17,822 dialogue blocks, containing 242,945 words and
1,305,428 characters, for an average of 13.6 words and 73 characters per
block.

The game contains 136 menus, 228 images, and 26 screens.
I've drawn about 90 images since the last time I posted statistics, though most of them are just CG variations. I still need to delete about 45 .JPGs because I've replaced them with their finished .PNG counterparts. I'm halfway through sketching the planned CGs (51/95), and I'm working on getting the sprites of minor characters finished (13/20). There are a few CGs that I have planned that I don't like, so I'll probably scrap them sometime as I find less things I want to bother drawing. It probably won't be a hundred CGs that I'll end up with. o_O; I don't think I'll ever finish if I had to draw a hundred CGs, hahaha... "orz
rez_close1.jpg
I also got fanart!! ^^ This is from kylie! Thank you, kylie! I love it. ^q^////
Image

That's it! Until next time. >v>

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Re: Magicians of Delphine[GxB][BxB][Dating Sim]-- DEMO (July

#218 Post by Demetis »

51/95..... o___o I'm seriously impressed with your drawing rate omg XD
And also with the discipline you are keeping up with this >w<b Through hard times and all XD

The last attached draft of Aleo and Reziel is just..... <3
-cries-
He's not even my fav character but for being so handsome I really wanna steal that rude old man
//slapped out of window 8D

In short: just dropping by saying you are keeping up a great work and I can't wait till the next demo >w<b...etc

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Re: Magicians of Delphine[GxB][BxB][Dating Sim]-- DEMO (July

#219 Post by Ferdokki »

I'm so sure I've heard the word/name "Delphine" before, but I can't put my finger on where I heard it...>.< Oh well.
This game looks nice. =) I'm interested in playing. =D

The male version of Aleo kinda reminds me of Vocaloid KAITO, and the female Aleo looks like a spunky, older version of the vocaloid Aoki Lapis. I love them both. ^____^
In general, all the characters are adorable and have interesting personalities. =D

I LOVE YOUR CREATIVE MIND AND HARD WORK PLEASE DON'T THINK I'M A FREAK. *______________________________________*

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Re: Magicians of Delphine[GxB][BxB][Dating Sim]-- DEMO (July

#220 Post by underbliss »

Hi! This isn't going to be particularly helpful, I think, but I thought I would reply because I just finished playing your alpha and if nothing else it seems encouragement is always nice~

It's not often these games make me spontaneously burst into laughter and, I'm not sure if its the way you draw, how expressive your sprites are (even unfinished as most of them were), but seriously, some of the timing and expressions and reactions were so perfect I was laughing lots. As others have mentioned protagonists often tend to annoy me but Aleo is adorable and for what seems like once, ever, she/he ranks high on my favorite characters in the game and that is something that I never expected to happen.

So this isnt technical critique or a suggestion on how to improve so much as touching on what I think you're doing very, very right and encouragement in that regard. The expressions and personalities and writing are in so many ways all that make these games worth playing even when 'gameplay' and whatever else is amazing, I think all of us who like VN's can agree to that on some degree, so that you're getting a hold on that so well I think speaks really well for the (obvious) potential of this~

Aside from the characters, the systems that you have set up so far (or the way you seem to be going with some of the others you've not finished) are really engaging and fun. I'm totally going to be looking forward to any future releases of this one and I hope you've been enjoying making the game as much as it's been to test it so far~

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Re: Magicians of Delphine[GxB][BxB][Dating Sim]-- DEMO (July

#221 Post by akemicchi »

Hello everybody! Happy New Year!! I hope everyone's enjoying their holidays! Let's hope 2015 will be a productive year for everyone! :)

@ Demetis
LOL, thank you so much! Yesss, everyone flock to the rude old man. They're all just sketches so I can do them pretty fast as long as I'm inspired and don't care about quality lol. I really appreciate the encouragement! I'm aiming for a February/March release for the polished demo because I want to participate in NaNoRenO but... I seriously doubt I'll make it, haha...

@ Ferdokki
Delphine's a woman's name; maybe that's where you've heard it? :D I know there's a character in Skyrim whose name is Delphine, too.

Hahaha, really! I know about Kaito and had to google Aoki Lapis, but they do look similar! :)

Thank you so much! \o/ Of course I don't think that; I really appreciate that you've taken your time to comment and say such nice things! Thanks again!

@ underbliss
W-Wow, thank you. I'm all for good harsh critiques and patching up my mistakes, but hearing what I'm doing right is just as helpful, too. I'm really happy to hear all these things-- that you thought the game was engaging and fun, and that the main character is among your favorites in the game. Hopefully I can make things better as I go on.

Thanks again! :D

~*~

Not much in terms of updates! Gonna try another 50,000 word stint this month so I can finish Part I once and for all. By the way, I'll be looking for proofreaders for Magicians of Delphine in a month or two's time! Just a heads up. If anyone's interested, just check back! :D There'll be about 20,000 words for each route, and the common route is around 40,000 words. I'm thinking of assigning people with specific routes. I won't be able to compensate anyone for their time, though. All I can do is credit you in the game, ahaha... o|-< If any proofreaders/editors want art, though, I could compensate you guys with that? A skill trade or something! :)

Anyway, other things I'll work on is getting art assets done, too. I want to start the year working hard! o|-<

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Re: Magicians of Delphine[GxB][BxB][Dating Sim]-- DEMO (July

#222 Post by 15385bic »

akemicchi wrote:Hello everybody! Happy New Year!! I hope everyone's enjoying their holidays! Let's hope 2015 will be a productive year for everyone!

I really appreciate the encouragement! I'm aiming for a February/March release

~*~

Not much in terms of updates! Gonna try another 50,000 word stint this month so I can finish Part I once and for all. By the way, I'll be looking for proofreaders for Magicians of Delphine in a month or two's time! Just a heads up. If anyone's interested, just check back! :D There'll be about 20,000 words for each route, and the common route is around 40,000 words. I'm thinking of assigning people with specific routes. I won't be able to compensate anyone for their time, though. All I can do is credit you in the game, ahaha... o|-< If any proofreaders/editors want art, though, I could compensate you guys with that? A skill trade or something! :)

Anyway, other things I'll work on is getting art assets done, too. I want to start the year working hard! o|-<
i cant believe the progress on this! looking above at your images stats and how much you can write amg! if i could trust myselfelf to proofread i woul but knowing me OTL i suck o3o also by then i know i will prob be busy >.>'

ur a machine...the way you can pump out such gorgeous images AND do everything yourself...yup. a machine... ;p

happy new year 2015 and good luck to finishing this. *A* really looking forward to it

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Re: Magicians of Delphine[GxB][BxB][Dating Sim]ALPHA(July 8)

#223 Post by Ferdokki »

Ooooh, I'd LOVE to proofread a route/section/paragraph when you need proofreaders! <(*o*)> I'll be on the lookout for when you call for proofreaders. *___*

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Re: Magicians of Delphine[GxB][BxB][Dating Sim]ALPHA(July 8)

#224 Post by bootsy »

1. How was the pacing of the gameplay and writing? Was it too fast? Too slow? Did you feel it was a hindrance in some way, either in speed, or amount of clicks, or...?
The pacing was perfect for me! As you'd mentioned in the OP it was very light-hearted, and I liked that for an introduction. It was cosy getting to know the cast.
The gameplay felt fine, and I'm really interested in the battle system. But otherwise the pacing felt great. I don't know if it was intentional, but it felt wayy easier to have the option to invite someone to the festival as opposed to the option to ask someone to escort you on Tiberus' mission.
2. How were the characters? Were they interesting? Likeable? Annoying? Tell me how you feel about them.
I loved all of them. They were awesome and each pretty unique in their own ways. And very sweet to boot.
The only character I didn't find myself particularly drawn to was Rima, but even she's great once you get to know her. I particularly liked how they interacted with each other though and how you designed the relationships each character had with another outside of relation to Aleo.
2. Who's your favorite character? ;)
Honestly, this is a really hard decision. I adored all of them, and the only ones that weren't particularly my favorites were Sho and Rima. I wasn't too keen on Reziel at first, but I loved his reactions to everything, especially when you stroke his ego. Giving him the ribbon and hearing his obvious disapproval while he runs off with it was hilarious too. And he ended up being surprisingly sweet on top of it.
Not gonna lie though Faeran's smile is bad for my heart.
What are you expecting-- plot-wise, character-wise, gameplay-wise-- based on the alpha?
I have a lot of speculation about the summoning and especially Reziel's role in the story, but I'm not gonna say~
I do expect proper smooching though.
Any questions about the game? Feedback? Critique? Type away!
I'd love to get to know Ethel a little better, maybe play with him or have him more involved. I feel like he was almost never brought up despite the apparent rarity of dragons and the fact that he seems to accompany Aleo all the time.
Aleo is also the friggen cutest. Minus sleepy Tiberus, which gave me diabetes, so thanks.

I'm amazed I hadn't heard of this WIP until now though because it's amazing. The quality is really good and I'm looking forward to an updated demo or the final product. First time in a long time where I actually bothered to go through each character's route :D

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Re: Magicians of Delphine[GxB][BxB][Dating Sim]ALPHA(July 8)

#225 Post by shanks »

Played the demo for hours. Could play for hours more. It's incredibly well-done.

1. How was the pacing of the gameplay and writing? Was it too fast? Too slow? Did you feel it was a hindrance in some way, either in speed, or amount of clicks, or...? I didn't have any problems with the pacing, and I adore the writing. Just a few specks of spelling mistakes here and there, but the meat of the writing and dialogue is bomb. Fantastic!
2. How were the characters? Were they interesting? Likeable? Annoying? Tell me how you feel about them. I have to say, just from that picture on post 1, I thought I'd dislike Faeran and Rima, but...
3. Who's your favorite character? ;) They turned out to be my absolute favorites. >///<
4. What are you expecting-- plot-wise, character-wise, gameplay-wise-- based on the alpha? Honestly, I have no idea where this could be going, which is a very good thing.
5. Any questions about the game? Feedback? Critique? Type away! I'm guessing it's probably because it's just a demo, but there's going to be an obvious way to save, right? Obviously XD All in all, I can't praise this enough. I'm cutting my words short because if I really let loose on all the things I love about it this post would never end.

Amazing, amazing, please keep up the good work and I'm looking forward to eventually seeing a polished product! <3

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