Lemma Soft Forums

Demo is up! Yasss! It is about 1-1.5 hours playthrough. Try it and I hope you'll enjoy it!

INTRODUCTION
Hello, everyone! Well, this is my first VN and, hopefully, not the last, since I find the experience of making one quite enjoyable. Right now, only my sister and I are working on Howl of the Blood (she is doing the programming part and I am the script writer and artist).

STORY
In a land where Slavic gods are still alive and where forest are lush and magical, lays Trnogorye, biggest knezhewina on continent Aestrin. The ruler of this land, knez Belad, has two daughters: Tayena, the elder one, and Kalina. During her travel to the neighboring knezhewina to meet her fiancé, Kalina is kidnaped by a group of Wolcheks, a reclusive and usually peaceful wolf-people that live in the forest. Tayena and her childhood friend, Lalik, decide to join the rescue party. When they meet the rogue Wolcheks, Tayena learns about a certain dark event that deeply disturbed them in the past, and that it is somehow connected to her family. Soon she will discover many painful secrets that surround her and those close to her.

CHARACTERS [Edited 27.12.2019.]
Tayena Viogor - a bright and skillful young woman; the heiress of Trnogorye and the main character of this story.
Lalik Kohanov - a young wizard and a noble that serves the Viogor family; Tayena’s childhood friend
Elemir Yurosh - heir of the knezhewina Ubeya; Kalina’s fiancé
Ino of the clan Izusa - leader of the Wolchek fugitives
Kalina Viogor - Tayena’s younger sister
Sabbeha of the clan Izusa - healer
Aaek - ???

FEATURES [Edited 27.12.2019.]
* 5 romance interests (GxB/G) - a voluptuous woman is added ready to be wooed by you <3
* 5 endings (maybe more)
* Sprites and BG are original (well, BG are photographed and edited in Photoshop by me)
* CG’s (if there is a kind soul that can and want to draw for free, come forth, otherwise it will be done by... me.
* Free (maybe that itch.io thing with pay how much you want)

PROGRESS [Edited 27.12.2019.]
* Story 100%
* Script 30%
* Programming 10%
* Sprites 60% - progress!
* CG 10%
* Music 0%

RATING [Edited 27.12.2019.]
17+, for violence/blood, gore (not visual), mentioning of incest, moderate sexual themes (it's a bit steamier than originally intended)
Demo is ok for everyone.


PLATFORM
PC, MAC, LINUX

So, there you have it - my work in progress. Now, I would like to ask you a few questions:

1. Is the demo working?
2. What do you think of the words knez and knezhewina (and few others)? Those are terms for an old noble title and the land he rules. They were used in the country where I am from and they probably sound a bit weird to anyone outside the Balkans. If they sound too odd, I could change them to king and kingdom because they have almost the same meaning. Still, I would like to keep them because of the Old Slavic motifs I am using in this VN.
3. What do you think of the story? Are you interested?
4. How do you like the characters?
5. Do you have any advice or comment?

* If somebody wants to join our tiny team, feel free to PM me!

That’s it for now. Thank you so much for reading! Hope you enjoy!

- My synopsis may be a bit short. Is there something you would like to know or understand better?
Maybe further describing the setting would benefit readers. It seems like this is a place that doesn't actually exist, so describing the setting may be a good idea. Also, this is something that is essential to story-telling anyways. Maybe describe how this land is governed politically, assuming this would lead to no major spoilers. Other than that, I think your synopsis is decent.

- What do you think of words knez and knezhewina (and few others)?
I think that putting foreign terms on there would add more fascination. Although, I wouldn't know how to pronounce them. However, despite that, I think that this is a good thing to have. This is completely my opinion; I just happen to have an interest in different languages.

- Is my written English ok so far?
It's understandable, but if English is not your native language, I would probably recruit a proofreader or an editor to help you with grammatical and technical errors. I can point out your errors from your post, though:
* In a land where Slavic gods are still alive where the forests are lush and magical, lays Trnogorye, the biggest knezhewina on the continent of Aestrin.
* During her travels to the neighboring... Kalina is kidnapped...
* She will soon discover many painful secrets...

- What do you think of the story?
Considering my interest in foreign cultures (and terms), I would consider this interesting. I like all the dark elements that seem to be thrown in the story as well. Also, the fact that there is an abduction by wolf-people fascinates me (this applies to all the visual novels). In a nutshell: I am looking forward to this story-wise.

- What do you think of the art? The white-out section is something you might not want to read if you can't handle extremely brutal honesty.
I like that you have a unique style of art. If you have read the white-out part, I hope you have no hurt feelings, and I just want to let you know that you always have room for improvement. After all, everybody has to start somewhere; even the professional artists spend years on trying to improve. If you do the same, you will get better in no time, I'm sure of it. - What are you expecting out of the story?
* Good/proficient grammar.
* A dark story with some notable and surprising twists.
* An innovative and original story that lacks in the level of cliché.

- Do you have any advice or comment?
If you are interested in having someone do assets such as art and GUI, some writing and proofreading maybe as well... I would suggest recruiting someone. There are many artists (some who are willing to do art for free to expand upon their portfolios), writers, proofreaders, composers etc. in this forum who I'm sure would be happy to help.

Also, if you have those foreign terms, you might want to incorporate an encyclopedia feature. Some examples of games that have this are Nusantara: Legend of the Winged Ones and Hakuouki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom (English ver.) That way, (English) readers will not be confused by all of these strange words.

Otherwise, I wish you luck and a good success on this game!

otometea wrote:- My synopsis may be a bit short. Is there something you would like to know or understand better?
Maybe further describing the setting would benefit readers. It seems like this is a place that doesn't actually exist, so describing the setting may be a good idea. Also, this is something that is essential to story-telling anyways. Maybe describe how this land is governed politically, assuming this would lead to no major spoilers. Other than that, I think your synopsis is decent.

- What do you think of words knez and knezhewina (and few others)?
I think that putting foreign terms on there would add more fascination. Although, I wouldn't know how to pronounce them. However, despite that, I think that this is a good thing to have. This is completely my opinion; I just happen to have an interest in different languages.

- Is my written English ok so far?
It's understandable, but if English is not your native language, I would probably recruit a proofreader or an editor to help you with grammatical and technical errors. I can point out your errors from your post, though:
* In a land where Slavic gods are still alive where the forests are lush and magical, lays Trnogorye, the biggest knezhewina on the continent of Aestrin.
* During her travels to the neighboring... Kalina is kidnapped...
* She will soon discover many painful secrets...

- What do you think of the story?
Considering my interest in foreign cultures (and terms), I would consider this interesting. I like all the dark elements that seem to be thrown in the story as well. Also, the fact that there is an abduction by wolf-people fascinates me (this applies to all the visual novels). In a nutshell: I am looking forward to this story-wise.

- What do you think of the art? The white-out section is something you might not want to read if you can't handle extremely brutal honesty.
I like that you have a unique style of art. If you have read the white-out part, I hope you have no hurt feelings, and I just want to let you know that you always have room for improvement. After all, everybody has to start somewhere; even the professional artists spend years on trying to improve. If you do the same, you will get better in no time, I'm sure of it.

I have seen better art; a lot better art. The facial expressions are sort of crooked, and a bit weird. Especially the eye structure. I also think the eyelashes are a bit too thick. The style doesn't really fit to my personal liking, but I can and will admit that you have a unique style that only applies for you.

- What are you expecting out of the story?
* Good/proficient grammar.
* A dark story with some notable and surprising twists.
* An innovative and original story that lacks in the level of cliché.

- Do you have any advice or comment?
If you are interested in having someone do assets such as art and GUI, some writing and proofreading maybe as well... I would suggest recruiting someone. There are many artists (some who are willing to do art for free to expand upon their portfolios), writers, proofreaders, composers etc. in this forum who I'm sure would be happy to help.

Also, if you have those foreign terms, you might want to incorporate an encyclopedia feature. Some examples of games that have this are Nusantara: Legend of the Winged Ones and Hakuouki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom (English ver.) That way, (English) readers will not be confused by all of these strange words.

Otherwise, I wish you luck and a good success on this game!

Thank you so much for your comment!

It would be very beneficial to have a proofreader, I agree, but that is not my top priority. The thing I am more concerned about is achieving the same level of depth, meaning and style in English that I naturally have in my native language. It is one thing to know how to translate a word or a sentence, and completely other to make it feel the same way like in the original language, if you know what I mean.

I'm glad you like foreign terms and cultures, and I was definitely thinking about an encyclopedia part of the game.

Thank you for your extremely brutal honesty about my art I agree with everything you said. I really don't see myself as an artist, so when you said my style is unique (in a good way I hope), it was a big praise for me. I didn't consider hiring an artist. I might look for someone after the demo. I would really like to work with someone who likes the story and did not apply for the job only to improve his portfolio.

UPDATE

Hello, everyone!

I have been working on the script quite a lot lately and it is 8 000 words long so far. I have a couple of more things to write and there will be enough material for a demo.

Also, here are WIP sprites of the romanceable characters.

1. My synopsis may be a bit short. Is there something you would like to know or understand better?
I think it's great - a synopsis should be long enough to get me interested, but not too detailed that it gives a lot away. Yours has a perfect balance between the two!
2. What do you think of words knez and knezhewina (and few others)? Those are terms for an old noble title and the land he rules. They were used in the country where I am from and they probably sound a bit weird to anyone outside the Balkans. If they sound too odd, I could change them to king and kingdom because they have almost the same meaning. Still, I would like to keep them because of the Old Slavic motifs I am using in this VN.
I agree with otometea - I like when words like this are used to add to the feel of the world. An encyclopedia could work like she suggested, but if those two words are the only two non-English words, it probably wouldn't be necessary.
3. Is my written English ok so far?
Yup! Although it isn't perfect, it's perfectly understandable, and that's the most important part. otometea has already pointed out all of the mistakes that I saw.
4. What do you think of the story?
It seems awesome! I love fantasy, it's my favorite genre. And the kidnapping bit seems very exciting.
5. What do you think of the art?
I don't know much about art, so if I'm being honest I should tell you that I like pretty much any art since all of it's better than mine. cx I like you art style, though!
6. What are you expecting out of the story?
Hmmm...I always have trouble answering questions like this, but I guess I would say some really intense and emotional scenes?
7. Do you have any advice or comment?
If you need a proofreader/editor, I would be happy to do that for you. c:

1. My synopsis may be a bit short. Is there something you would like to know or understand better?
I think as a synopsis it works really well. Certainly got me interested

2. What do you think of words knez and knezhewina (and few others)?
I think it's brilliant to use different terms. I certainly enjoy learning from other cultures, so it will be great to find out more about it. It might be good to put in an encyclopedia, as other suggested, if you are offering it to a mainly English speaking audience.

3. Is my written English ok so far?
I'd say it's very good. A proof reader might be good for the finished product, but in all fairness I haven't had issue with it. I cannot say even a word in a different language, so I have extreme respect for anyone even attempting something like this in a language not their own and have little problem with a few errors because of it!

4. What do you think of the story?
I think it sound very interesting. Especially bringing in different folklore and culture, adds a original element to it

5. What do you think of the art?
It gets across the characters, and that's the main purpose of the art. I really like the costume designs.

6. What are you expecting out of the story?
Unique elements due to the different setting.

7. Do you have any advice or comment?
I'm really looking forward to this Good luck with the progress!

Zelan wrote:1. My synopsis may be a bit short. Is there something you would like to know or understand better?
I think it's great - a synopsis should be long enough to get me interested, but not too detailed that it gives a lot away. Yours has a perfect balance between the two!
2. What do you think of words knez and knezhewina (and few others)? Those are terms for an old noble title and the land he rules. They were used in the country where I am from and they probably sound a bit weird to anyone outside the Balkans. If they sound too odd, I could change them to king and kingdom because they have almost the same meaning. Still, I would like to keep them because of the Old Slavic motifs I am using in this VN.
I agree with otometea - I like when words like this are used to add to the feel of the world. An encyclopedia could work like she suggested, but if those two words are the only two non-English words, it probably wouldn't be necessary.
3. Is my written English ok so far?
Yup! Although it isn't perfect, it's perfectly understandable, and that's the most important part. otometea has already pointed out all of the mistakes that I saw.
4. What do you think of the story?
It seems awesome! I love fantasy, it's my favorite genre. And the kidnapping bit seems very exciting.
5. What do you think of the art?
I don't know much about art, so if I'm being honest I should tell you that I like pretty much any art since all of it's better than mine. cx I like you art style, though!
6. What are you expecting out of the story?
Hmmm...I always have trouble answering questions like this, but I guess I would say some really intense and emotional scenes?
7. Do you have any advice or comment?
If you need a proofreader/editor, I would be happy to do that for you. c:

Thank you for your reply!
There will be more foreign words so we will definitely include an encyclopedia.
Thank you so much for your offer! I'll PM you or contact you any other way you want. Thanks a bunch!

Harliqueen wrote:1. My synopsis may be a bit short. Is there something you would like to know or understand better?
I think as a synopsis it works really well. Certainly got me interested

2. What do you think of words knez and knezhewina (and few others)?
I think it's brilliant to use different terms. I certainly enjoy learning from other cultures, so it will be great to find out more about it. It might be good to put in an encyclopedia, as other suggested, if you are offering it to a mainly English speaking audience.

3. Is my written English ok so far?
I'd say it's very good. A proof reader might be good for the finished product, but in all fairness I haven't had issue with it. I cannot say even a word in a different language, so I have extreme respect for anyone even attempting something like this in a language not their own and have little problem with a few errors because of it!

4. What do you think of the story?
I think it sound very interesting. Especially bringing in different folklore and culture, adds a original element to it

5. What do you think of the art?
It gets across the characters, and that's the main purpose of the art. I really like the costume designs.

6. What are you expecting out of the story?
Unique elements due to the different setting.

7. Do you have any advice or comment?
I'm really looking forward to this Good luck with the progress!

Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm really glad you like the costume designs, they are inspired by Old Slavic folklore

* UPDATE *

Hello, everyone!

Script for the demo is finished! It has about 13 000 words and I would describe it as some kind of introductory chapter. You'll be able to learn more about the main characters, setting and mythology.

Unfortunately, sprites will be almost non-existent and there will be no CGs. We'll use tracks from this talented guy's site viewtopic.php?f=52&t=36650, but in the complete game, I hope to have my own composers

The other bad news is that I am leaving my country to work on a cruise ship. So, I definitely won't be able to work on art, but I will give my best to work on the script.

My sister will do the coding and answering from now on, and, eventually, upload the demo

So, see you in 9 months time and best of luck to everyone!

Everyone, I am pleased to announce that DEMO IS UP! Hope you enjoy!

A CG I may or may not put in the final version. This event occurs somewhere around the middle of the story and is one of the more lighthearted episodes.

Ok, first of all, I'm not dead, and this is not all I have done in these past two months.
Now, this is the new Tayena in her sleeping/everyday gown. You can see the change in my style which has developed thanks to my graphic tablet. WOOHOO! Upgrade! Hope you like it.
There will be another Tayena's sprite and she will have the same clothes and hair style like the old version.
I am working on the boys and the script at the moment.
That's it for now. Ciao!

Hi, everyone!

Wow... This is embarrassing... It's been almost a year since my last post Believe it or not, I've been working quite actively on the novel. However, the progress is slow. There will be another demo - this time it will be around 38000 words long (which is approximately the third of the whole story - I think... ) and it will have all the new sprites, bgs and music. When it comes to CGs, I don't think I will even think about them for the time being. Otherwise, I will never finish this VN.

The script for the demo is finished and now... I am working on the sprites.

So, here are the new guys. Hope you like their enhanced versions

The new sprites look great! ^_^ Your art has improved a lot since you first started working on this VN. I posted above that I liked the original art style but this is even better.

Yay! I am so glad you still like them! Thank you so much for the feedback - it means a lot!

@Kaina Blue-

Just finished playing through the demo. It's very well done, both the artwork and the story. I look forward to future updates . . . just hope it doesn't take two years for the next one!

I found your original art style to be more than acceptable; having gotten used to it, I am not sure how I will react to the changes.

I agree that an encyclopedia feature might be nice to explain the foreign words, but the lack of one will certainly not deter me from reading and enjoying the story.

And your English is just fine . . . in fact, better than that of some native English speakers that I have come across.

Keep up the good work!

philip