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Re: Chess of Blades [BxB][Mystery][Romance][DEMO!]

Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2017 9:40 am
by gammastre
Lesleigh63 wrote: Tue Aug 01, 2017 12:15 am I bought Requiescence and enjoyed it very much. Looking forward to buying this one too when it's finished.
Thank you~~

Re: Chess of Blades [BxB][Mystery][Romance][DEMO!]

Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2017 3:15 pm
by thornbush
I don't normally play BxB (or BL) games, so I wasn't necessarily expecting to like this, but it was really well-done. Rivian's a great character; he's such a snobbish little prick and I love it.

The demo doesn't really build suspense so much as introduce the characters/setting, but I love historical games, so I wasn't bothered by it.

Of the romantic interests, my favorite was probably Franz because I tend to like ~mysterious~ perverted bastards, lol, but honestly they're all likable and interesting in their own way.

Hazel and Silas are real cuties, too!

I also really enjoyed the art, particularly the background art. It's pretty intricate, and there seems to be a lot of different backgrounds in the game, which I'm pleased about.

I have one complaint, and it's that I wish there were more people of color. This VN just seems so...white, and in a fantasy setting, there's no great excuse for a lack of diversity.

I did enjoy the demo a lot, though, and I'm looking forward to the release of the full game! Good luck!

Re: Chess of Blades [BxB][Mystery][Romance][DEMO!]

Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2017 11:57 am
by Dovahkitteh
Update: BG sketches in the works! Sprite stuff has all been finished, so now we're on to finishing up the BGs before Mizu starts on CGs!

Festival #1
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Bedroom #2
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Gardens
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@Thornbush -- thanks for your feedback! It's great to hear from someone who doesn't usually play BL games, since the market tends to be pretty niche.

I certainly see where you're coming from re: diversity. Two characters, Franz and Kieran (who appears later) are actually intended to be not just "white," as the former is inspired by Arabia and the latter by East Asia. The setting in general heavily draws from Baroque/Victorian England, but it's true that being part of the "fantasy" genre allows for diversity and COB doesn't feature very much. But for the non-COB game projects my partner Gamma and I are currently plotting, we have more diverse casts, so even though COB's character designs are complete, know that there'll be wider representation to look forward to in the future!

Re: Chess of Blades [BxB][Mystery][Romance][DEMO!]

Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2017 9:55 pm
by Dovahkitteh
More sneak peeks!

Lineart of Garden BG
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Spooky Hallway BG WIP?!
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Riv reminiscing about the old days with Arden~

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Incidentally, the demo for COB has also been translated into Russian by some kind fans! We're tickled :mrgreen:

More to come! We're still aiming for an October release date and are working on some other new projects while art and voice acting are being completed.

Re: Chess of Blades [BxB][Mystery][Romance][DEMO!]

Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2017 8:57 pm
by Dovahkitteh
Some general updates!

An overview of COB's completed cast of sprites
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Finished background sneak peeks
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Soon to come -- voice acting teasers!

Re: Chess of Blades [BxB][Mystery][Romance][DEMO!]

Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2017 1:13 pm
by Dovahkitteh
Voice acting teaser for some COB side characters!


Re: Chess of Blades [BxB][Mystery][Romance][DEMO!]

Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2017 7:46 pm
by Dovahkitteh
Another update! BG progress, fun teases, and VA progress~

Castle Storage Room
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Riv's Dad gets a portrait?!
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The King gets a portrait too?!
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-----

Our voice acting is about 85% finished! The rest is being cranked out in the next couple weeks, but soon, we'll have it all done! The VA folder inside the project is getting pretty big...
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Re: Chess of Blades [BxB][Mystery][Romance][DEMO!]

Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2017 12:46 pm
by HimeNaya
The voice acting is looking SOOOOOO promising! The voices work so well with your characters appearances! <3 Can't wait to see more!

Re: Chess of Blades [BxB][Mystery][Romance][DEMO!]

Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2017 9:51 am
by Dovahkitteh
HimeNaya wrote: Wed Aug 30, 2017 12:46 pm The voice acting is looking SOOOOOO promising! The voices work so well with your characters appearances! <3 Can't wait to see more!
Thank you so much! Our VAs have been working super hard to keep up with the obscene amount of lines they have XD

A new music teaser for our festival track!


Speaking of the festival, here's a sneak peek at the WIP background~
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Re: Chess of Blades [BxB][Mystery][Romance][DEMO!]

Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2017 3:40 pm
by Jain
Downloaded the demo because again, I liked the art. Here are my thoughts as I played through it.

Love the title screen - all the red and gold, the white pieces scattered on the left, the black pieces clutched in the main character’s hand. Looks like SOMEONE’s a sore loser~

So far, so good with this intro. Gets to the point, starts with the main character, shows he’s feeling uncomfortable with the situation.

“Well go on already, laugh!” Stupid bloody puffed-up nobles” Is Rivian not a noble himself? It seems to me that he is, or else he wouldn’t get an intro to this little shindig. Unless he’s just being dismissive towards the others. We shall see.

“Why can’t you be an upstanding son like that? You’re a shame to this family!” Ouch, feels kinda harsh. I would kinda argue that Rivian hasn’t really shown us any abilities or prowess other than he is capable of standing upright at this point, so this comment is kinda odd. Maybe this person is judging just based off Rivian (or his family’s) reputation.

I like the background with all the extras. I’ve seen a few VN’s with shadows to stand in for all the background people so I am very happy to see this.


“After his concisely polite words, the servants turns and elegantly descend the staircase once more.” Would probably just leave it at “polite”. Also, how does one elegantly descend the stairs? Do you do it while bowing or ballroom dancing?

Arden “Rivian! I know you remember me, its only been four years.” Would have maybe liked to see a more casual reference, like “How long has it been since that festival in (insert location here)?” And then have Rivian answer, or think on the time that has spanned since their last meeting.

“The familiar face of an energetic young man appears in front of me.” Would rather Rivian just go “Arden!” instead of getting this description, since we see him, and we should soon see Arden’s energetic personality.

Arden “Everyone loved and respected your father so much when he worked as the king’s chief general and strategist.” Comes off a bit awkward here, seeing as the both of them know this information. Feels like Arden is turning to the audience as he says this.
Also, wouldn’t Rivian’s father have a title more like “General” or something instead of just “Lord”?

Ohh, more pretty backgrounds!

??? “I see. May I ask if you managed to meet with Sir Arden? He was very excited about seeing you.” Very strange for a servant to put themselves forward in this way. Even if Rivian isn’t a stickler for this kind of thing, it doesn’t seem likely the servant would know that and feel free to speak more freely/casually with him.

Silas: “Hello Hazel. Is something the matter?"
This conversation between a tiny child in a maid’s uniform and another servant— it doesn’t seem to me that they would have this conversation in front of Rivian. Again, it is nice to see that Rivian doesn’t hold his rank above others, but I would expect Silas to at least attempt to draw Hazel away to continue the conversation.

Silas: “The young gentleman here is free to enter the ballroom you know. He might be willing to take you.” Same issue as above — I find it very strange that a servant would feel so comfortable with a noble he had just met. It just seems far too familiar to me. I could maaaaybe understand if the lines between nobles and the common folk aren’t so stark in this world but that hasn’t really been established or suggested so far. I get that Rivian would much rather hang out with servants than mingle with the “stupid bloody puffed-up nobles” but still.

“The tall tanned man bows lowly before me, lifting his head with a subtle glimmer in his eyes.” Would probably drop the detail that he is tanned, and just stick to the description that he “bows lowly”. Maybe throw in a line about the difference in their heights.

R “Who does this bastard think he is?!” Earlier, I was thinking Rivian was complaining a bit too much but getting molested on the balcony of your guest room — yep, that’s something to be pissed about.

“…brimming with a confidence that arouses a desire to knee him in the family jewels” - good luck R, he has the complete advantage of you at the moment. Also, I like the creative use of zooms here before drawing back to revel the entire scene.

??? “And some of them are former citizens or allies of smaller nations, whose armies were crushed under your kingdom’s fists.” In addition to the previous comment about places beyond this kingdom’s borders, I feel as though Rivian should name drop a few of those locations, either verbally or in his thoughts.

Rivian “I’m not my father.” Teehee. That’s the last of your problems, at present.

R “Quit with your fancy words and tell me what the point of this all is!” Feel as though this line should be a lot shorter. Just a, “What do you want?” "What do you want from me?” or “Why are you telling me this?”
Or if I’m being silly, “Am I under arrest or am I free to go?”

??? “Mark my words: something unpleasant is going to happen very soon, within the walls of this fancy resort you pretty little nobles are trapped in.” Call the army! Call the navy! Summon the police!

R “This is the absolute worst nightmare I could have imagined” Oh, not getting forcibly fondled by a super tall, intimidating stranger? Just getting a overly-handy warning?

Thoughts about Franz. I love his character design. I also giggled at his thought process: “I COULD for reasons yet to be explained give the little lordling a warning, or I could pin him to the balcony and then the wall just to press my point (teehee, and not just the point!). Let’s do that, then!”

Franz “I’ll be returning to my own room then, unless you’re planning on inviting me inside yours.” This comment by Franz and his attempt to kiss R’s hand has me curious as to what this culture’s view towards same-sex relationships is. R is annoyed, but more at the situation than F’s presumption. If same-sex relationships are no big deal, that’s one thing. But if they’re seen as something outside the norm, it might deserve a little bit of a mention here. Even if it’s a common and not a big deal in R’s culture or to R himself, that might not be the case in others, especially as it has been hinted than Franz is not from around here. Even if same-sex relationships are not a big deal in general, these types of relationships might be seen differently if the lovers are nobles, where there are other considerations involved such as the inheritance of titles and property or the legitimacy of children.

R “What the hell is happening with this damn place?” I gotta admit, the serving staff is completely unprofessional, and R got a little manhandled two seconds after retiring to his room. Surely it can’t get any worse than this.

R “I’m now I’m neighbors with some perverted foreigner” as R might not have had the time to think about it during the — conversation — with Franz, he has the space to consider it now. Does Franz’s dress remind R of the clothing worn in a certain nearby country? Or his accent? Does something about the set of his features hint at where he comes from? Aside from filiing in some info about the world, it would also be beneficial to ascertaining Franz’s warning and his trustworthiness. If R’s dad smashed Franz’s country into rubble, he’s not exactly the best source of info one could ask for. But if Franz hails from a place that is not angry and hot for revenge, then it might be worth taking some of what he said to heart.

R “You damned sorry excuse for a butler or whatever the hell you are!… I’m a man of noble blood, not a nanny!” Yup. Which is why there is no universe where Silas should have offered R’s nanny services.

S “There is no need to apologize, sir.” There’s every reason to apologize! This was a major mistep! Silas should be out of a job or had his pay docked if the head of the household found out that a servant put an “honored" guest in charge of the chaperoning of another member of the staff.

“I just have to become one with my xenophobia” While i chuckled here, I feel like the use of the word xenophobia here is a bit, odd? Feels a bit too modern or something, a bit out of place.

R “Chocolates from Pruivia are just so superb and the cakes from the Rotarian capital are to die for.” Yay!

R “Ahem. I was just going to pick some lint off your shoulder, you see.” Teehee. I like this little weirdo.

R “I’m Rivian. Varrison, that is.” Yeah, you might want to just walk away now, R. There’s no one you can be cool now.

R “Gos, talk about unpleasant. Did snooping over his shoulder really warrant this kind of treatment?” Aww, that’s so cute, he’s like a puppy that doesn’t know when to not bother people. YES, you blonde knucklehead. Did that encounter with Franz start some kind of “invade other people’s space” tag?

R “Clearly the king tolerates him for qualities other than his horrible personality” Yeah, If you ask me its all that beautiful hair! So silky looking and long!

R “I’m starting to wonder what the sentence is for punching the Grand Inquisitor” probably chained up in a dungeon somewhere. Thirty lashes, at least.

L “… not even the Varrison name will save you from the consequences” At this point, I’m wondering a bit about the nobility system in this. R was introduced as the son of Lord and Lady Varrison. Just how much influence does the son of an influential general have, if he doesn’t have any other titles or accomplishments of distinction.

R “Perhaps this celebration won’t be so bad after all” Ahahah! After what’s already happened on your first evening? That’s what you think! Mwhahahaha~

Ah - demo over? Rather abruptly, and a good bit shorter than than the other VN, to my disappointment.

Overall thoughts: (give me a bit, still thinking it over).

Re: Chess of Blades [BxB][Mystery][Romance][DEMO!]

Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2017 9:45 am
by Dovahkitteh
@Arta -- Thanks again for your super detailed comments~ I'll be going back through the demo again for edits before long, so the feedback's much appreciated :D It definitely is a lot shorter than Req's demo, partially because we trimmed so much of the "fat" in the massive prologue :lol:

Another short music teaser to share with you guys today, this time of the "Intense" track for those uncertain moments~


Re: Chess of Blades [BxB][Mystery][Romance][DEMO!]

Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 10:24 am
by Dovahkitteh
An update:

Voice acting is now at 93% complete! We don't have that many lines left, phew! It's been a long haul, but our actors have been fantastic :D

Backgrounds are almost done -- only one left, then our artist will be moving onto CGs!

Festival Arena
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Festival Side Alley
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WIP for Secret BG...?
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Re: Chess of Blades [BxB][Mystery][Romance][DEMO!]

Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2017 10:12 am
by Dovahkitteh
Hey everyone! Some exciting news: Voice acting is around 95% complete; all we have left are redoes for Rivian and a minor side character!

BGs are done, so Mizu is now sketching out CGs. I've also been working on programming, and you can see some screenshots from the latest build here!

Celeste at the festival
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Franz doing Franz things
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A wild Alistair appears
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Fight CG Sketch 1 (featuring Mizu's grand placeholder faces)
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Fight CG Sketch 2
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Re: Chess of Blades [BxB][Mystery][Romance][DEMO!]

Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 12:21 pm
by Dovahkitteh
Updates galore! CGs in the works, and in-game screenshots to share!!

CGs

Arden and Riv on the balcony
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Lin and Riv at the festival
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Franz and Riv having an intimate moment~
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Screenshots

Riv maybe interrupting something
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Arden guard dog mode activate!
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Lin doing Lin things
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Re: Chess of Blades [BxB][Mystery][Romance][DEMO!]

Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 3:52 pm
by Helios
The UI has changed? I seem to recall it was more... royal in the demo.

Regardless - Really looking forward to this game. :> Do you have any ETA on release date?