Who is Mike?[Mystery/Thriller,Supernatural]FULL RELEASE!

[ColaCat]

I've played this game so many times (how else would I proofread it, right?) and honestly I have never got the same ending twice. Which is actually a good thing, because you learn more information each time you play. There are 10 endings in all (so I'm told) and each one (that I've got) is brilliant. About 17 play-throughs in and I'm still not tired of it! XD

[ameliori]

I've played this game so many times (how else would I proofread it, right?) and honestly I have never got the same ending twice. Which is actually a good thing, because you learn more information each time you play. There are 10 endings in all (so I'm told) and each one (that I've got) is brilliant. About 17 play-throughs in and I'm still not tired of it! XD

Oh ColaCat Thank you so much for lending a hand to this project. I am indebted! And that feedback is so encouraging! Thank you!

++

UPDATE!
Finished inking all the CG Scenes! Here are some samples:



Sorry if I can't post all of them! Some of the pictures are very spoiler-y! Also, there's a bit of a gap between the sprites and the CG art, as you would notice. The curse of having a slow-moving project sometimes is you kinda forget the style it was originally in hehe ^^; I'd like to think it's an improvement (hopefully!).

I'll be starting on color soon Leave your thoughts anytime!

[ColaCat]

Looking good!

Tell me when you update the demo and I'll try the newer version. Until the I'll hold fire.

[ameliori]

Looking good!

Tell me when you update the demo and I'll try the newer version. Until the I'll hold fire.

Thanks Colacat I'll PM you about it soon!

[ameliori]

Update!
I am happy to announce that the CGs are finally done! Wooh! *happy dance* Here's a sample of the artwork so players know what to expect.



I'm so excited, the game is at 80% completion! The CGs were a big bulk of the game so I'm glad we got through that milestone! Here is my checklist for next tasks:

- Music and Sound Effects
- Script Polish
- Gallery Programming
- UI Design
- Final Proofs
- Blogs and Marketing

Again, any kind of help will be greatly appreciated on this final stretch! I hope you are as excited as me for the completion!

Couple of questions:

1. DO you think it's a good idea to make a blog for this VN?
2. Would you be interested in extra pieces of art as bonus items in the game or would you rather access them in an official website?
3. What do you expect from the demo?
4. Any other comments/critiques?
5. Am I missing any other components in making a VN work?

[ColaCat]

Oh, send me the updated version and I'll give it some more playthroughs.

[ameliori]

That I will! It might take longer though, since I'll be making sure it's worth your while next time haha!

UPDATE:
Here are some UI's I made. They're all pretty simple and straightforward so I didn't have to think too much about the design lol.





They aren't final but I probably won't be tweaking them too much anymore. My next task on the list is the audio. Ahhh~! Without the CGs weighing on my mind, everything feels lighter in comparison hahaha!

[ColaCat]

They look good! Ah, don't worry! I loved playing it through before, so you don't need to panic about it not being worth the time!

[Lesleigh63]

Update!

I'm so excited, the game is at 80% completion! The CGs were a big bulk of the game so I'm glad we got through that milestone! Here is my checklist for next tasks:

- Music and Sound Effects
- Script Polish
- Gallery Programming
- UI Design
- Final Proofs
- Blogs and Marketing

Again, any kind of help will be greatly appreciated on this final stretch! I hope you are as excited as me for the completion!


Couple of questions:

1. DO you think it's a good idea to make a blog for this VN?
2. Would you be interested in extra pieces of art as bonus items in the game or would you rather access them in an official website?
3. What do you expect from the demo?
4. Any other comments/critiques?
5. Am I missing any other components in making a VN work?

Well congratulations on the progress.
I'd be inclined to include some artwork on your GUI start page (perhaps the CG of them hugging showing underneath the glass). Art has a big impact on me with respect to what I decide to download and give a try. So if you intend to use your GUI start page as a form of advertising you want it to attract players.
Perhaps also have a small image on your preferences screen as there's a lot of spare space on the bottom left.

1. Up to you. Traffic through it may depend on how strong your social presence is and how many contacts you've already made. I think Obscura asked the same thing recently with the commercial release of her first big game and Winter Wolves had an interesting reply. Try looking for Obscura's post it was within the last week or two.
2. I'd prefer them in the game. I don't want to have to go online to a website.
3. I'd want to get a feel for what the game is about and a sense of what the characters are like. Sometimes a demo is one of the paths. If the game is short, a demo may not be necessary.

Hope this helps.

(Okay, just checked and Obscura's post was about starting a forum, not a blog - sorry)

[Googaboga]

Woo, that's great. I'm really looking forward to the release ^v^.


1. DO you think it's a good idea to make a blog for this VN?

I don't know :'D. I suppose it couldn't hurt though.

2. Would you be interested in extra pieces of art as bonus items in the game or would you rather access them in an official website?

I'd prefer having them in the game, but either way is cool.

3. What do you expect from the demo?

I don't play demos, it makes it too hard to wait for a full game. But I'd say having it be long enough for a few choices to happen would be good.

4. Any other comments/critiques?

The CGs look very nice :3.

5. Am I missing any other components in making a VN work?

I don't think so. Though I'm not the most knowledgeable on that subject.

[ameliori]

They look good! Ah, don't worry! I loved playing it through before, so you don't need to panic about it not being worth the time!

Colacat, you give me strength! XDD

Well congratulations on the progress.
I'd be inclined to include some artwork on your GUI start page (perhaps the CG of them hugging showing underneath the glass). Art has a big impact on me with respect to what I decide to download and give a try. So if you intend to use your GUI start page as a form of advertising you want it to attract players.
Perhaps also have a small image on your preferences screen as there's a lot of spare space on the bottom left.

This is some smart advice, Lesleigh! Thanks a lot. It makes sense the splash page is striking. I will try to make something for that. Thanks for the feedback on the questionnaire too.

Woo, that's great. I'm really looking forward to the release ^v^.


1. DO you think it's a good idea to make a blog for this VN?
I don't know :'D. I suppose it couldn't hurt though.
2. Would you be interested in extra pieces of art as bonus items in the game or would you rather access them in an official website?
I'd prefer having them in the game, but either way is cool.
3. What do you expect from the demo?
I don't play demos, it makes it too hard to wait for a full game. But I'd say having it be long enough for a few choices to happen would be good.
4. Any other comments/critiques?
The CGs look very nice :3.
5. Am I missing any other components in making a VN work?
I don't think so. Though I'm not the most knowledgeable on that subject.

As always, thanks for the feedback, Googaboga! I'm really inspired you're going to play the game once it's out! Woohoo! I guess I shouldn't call the release a "demo" anymore. I keep using that word, when a short game like this wouldn't really need one haha!

++

UPDATE!

Sent the files over to Marionette, who will be assisting the project in implementing the UI's. Due to the holidays, expect a bit of delay in progress. I'll still be working on the game whenever I can though, so it's not going to go on hiatus. Thanks for keeping track guys!

[ColaCat]

I'm glad! I don't want you to go into a decline!

[ameliori]

UPDATE

Good news, guys! The UI's are up and running, thanks to the incredible Marionette! I also made a new design for the splash page.




Seeing the UI and the splash page functional makes me giddy with delight. It all looks "real" now, if you know what i mean! It isn't just a draft WIP anymore, but a real project. Ahh.. so wonderful!

There's still work to be done though:

- Music and Sound Effects
- Script Polish
- Final Proofs
- Blogs and Marketing

Thanks to everyone who contributed!

@ColaCat: Too late to decline now! If I do, I'd have wasted other people's time, not just my own >_<

Here's to finishing this project as the new year approaches!

[ColaCat]

Looks great! Can't wait for the next readthrough!

[Ferdokki]

This looks great, very cool!! =D
When I first read about the doppelganger aspect, I was like, "Meh, whatevs" cuz the description was kinda short and sounded a bit clichéd. But once I started scrolling and looking through your updates...holy smokes, I was blown away! This looks really cool, and I can't wait to get my hands (fingers, since I'm using my laptop?) on it! *__*

1. DO you think it's a good idea to make a blog for this VN?
Hrmm...it's up to you. Depends on how many people you think/know are following this game and how intense of followers they are.
You can make one, but if no one visits, it's kind of a waste. =/ On the other hand, you can make one to gather more attention and publicity, and that's always good! =D (Unless you're Kim Kardashian. If you're KK, you've already got enough of both for no freakin' reason. =P )
I myself am not much of a blog reader; I kind of find it a hassle, mostly because I can never remember to go read and keep up with updates.

2. Would you be interested in extra pieces of art as bonus items in the game or would you rather access them in an official website?
Bonus items, please! It gives me an incentive to work towards! n__n
At the end of "RE: Alistair++", there was a CG gallery, and some of the CGs wouldn't unlock unless you got certain endings. I thought that was kinda exciting. =)

3. What do you expect from the demo?
This is kind of a given, but I'd like some intro of the main plotline, and at least 1 (one) encounter with all of the major characters.
Idk how your game is structured, but I usually enjoy having at least 1 or 2 choice options/branches (idk what they're called, sorry I'm stupid! >.<) popping up sometime during the demo so that I feel involved in what happens, instead of feeling like I'm reading a giant prologue text. For a demo, you don't have to make them be super exciting or life-changing or anything, simple stuff works too.
In a past VN I was working on as a writer, we had simple options for our demo. Like, the protagonist was getting ready in the morning, and we let the player choose her routine or what things she did/didn't want to do. It didn't superbly affect the story in any way, but it provides some interaction between the player and the game.

4. Any other comments/critiques?
I LOVE your artwork. It's SO cool. Your splash page is da-bomb-dot-com. And the art looks so much like something out of a real cartoon! Like, seriously, I can just imagine these characters in the pics waiting to move/animate at any minute, they look so great! I especially love the CG where Sarah and Mike are hugging, the lighting for the image is perfect.
My one critique is that on the "Options" page, the space between your game settings and the "Return" button looks kinda big. Maybe you could reduce some of the space in-between those options? Of course, if it's a hassle/hard, don't worry about it. It's not super distracting or anything.

5. Am I missing any other components in making a VN work?
I don't think so, your progress looks great so far! I'm far more excited in this than I thought I would be! =D Keep up the great work!