Chasing the Stars [BxB] [DEMO available] [RELEASED]

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Cirrocumulus-Cloud
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Re: Chasing the Stars [BxB] [steampunk-ish, college] [KS +DE

#31 Post by Cirrocumulus-Cloud »

I want to back your project so badly, but I just pre-ordered Collar x Malice the other day and got charged for two Yuuri Katsuki Nendoroids, so my wallet is crying. Will try to spread the word, though! You're already more than 10% of the way there after less than a day~

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Re: Chasing the Stars [BxB] [steampunk-ish, college] [KS +DE

#32 Post by Ertal77 »

Cirrocumulus-Cloud wrote:I want to back your project so badly, but I just pre-ordered Collar x Malice the other day and got charged for two Yuuri Katsuki Nendoroids, so my wallet is crying. Will try to spread the word, though! You're already more than 10% of the way there after less than a day~
:lol: :lol: :lol:
I understand you so baaaadly... Those nendos will be the death of us! (and where the hell is Yurio's?)
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Re: Chasing the Stars [BxB] [steampunk-ish, college] [KS +DE

#33 Post by Cirrocumulus-Cloud »

Ertal77 wrote:
Cirrocumulus-Cloud wrote:I want to back your project so badly, but I just pre-ordered Collar x Malice the other day and got charged for two Yuuri Katsuki Nendoroids, so my wallet is crying. Will try to spread the word, though! You're already more than 10% of the way there after less than a day~
:lol: :lol: :lol:
I understand you so baaaadly... Those nendos will be the death of us! (and where the hell is Yurio's?)
(Off Topic YoI fangirling: I own some Nendoroid More suits so I will make a wedding scene once my two Victor Nendos release. :lol:

Oh, Yurio is already painted! He looks very good so far, really hope that they will open pre-orders for him soon though.)

I like the stretch goals of the kickstarter, btw! They seem very reasonable and easy enough to achieve. Sometimes stretch goals seem like distant dreams that would need a TON more time, resources and money to be implemented. (Like completely new routes, complete voice acting etc).

Makes this project seem far more rooted in reality in comparison. The money goal also seems very low compared to most other kickstarters that I have come across. I wish you a ton of luck!

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Re: Chasing the Stars [BxB] [steampunk-ish, college] [KS +DE

#34 Post by Ertal77 »

Cirrocumulus-Cloud wrote:
I like the stretch goals of the kickstarter, btw! They seem very reasonable and easy enough to achieve. Sometimes stretch goals seem like distant dreams that would need a TON more time, resources and money to be implemented. (Like completely new routes, complete voice acting etc).

Makes this project seem far more rooted in reality in comparison. The money goal also seems very low compared to most other kickstarters that I have come across. I wish you a ton of luck!
Thank you so much! I asked for the minimum I need to secure it; I've seen some VN Kickstarters going astray because they set their expectations too high. A good part of the VN is already paid for, and since it will be commercial I don't mind if I have to wait until the final release to recover my investment. So the more money we get will mean only more fun!
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Re: Chasing the Stars [BxB] [steampunk-ish, college] [KS +DE

#35 Post by Ertal77 »

I would swear I made an update this morning but now it's gone?

I apologize to the admins if the picture was too NSFW for this subforum and they have been forced to delete it, if that's the case.

Anyway! 69% funded in less than 48 hours! :D

I didn't expect this would work so well! Kurosilver has finished an example for the dress-up option in the game, that will be available if we reach 2500$ (you will have to see it on the KS page, just in case it's not allowed here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/10 ... sual-novel).

One of the rewards in the campaign is designing outfits for our characters, and I'm really excited to see the guys wearing other clothes and underwear!
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Re: Chasing the Stars [BxB] [steampunk-ish, college] [KS +DE

#36 Post by runeraccoon »

I love the style/art direction so much. If I have credit card, I would snatch this in an instant, gah. Good luck with your endeavor and hopefully there'll be paypal payment for the game QVQ

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Re: Chasing the Stars [BxB] [steampunk-ish, college] [KS +DE

#37 Post by Ertal77 »

fuicchi wrote:I love the style/art direction so much. If I have credit card, I would snatch this in an instant, gah. Good luck with your endeavor and hopefully there'll be paypal payment for the game QVQ
In the Kickstarter page you will find the option to back the game through Paypal too. Just choose your reward! :wink:
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Re: Chasing the Stars [BxB] [steampunk-ish, college] [KS +DE

#38 Post by runeraccoon »

Awesome! * V *

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Re: Chasing the Stars [BxB] [steampunk-ish, college] [KS +DEMO]

#39 Post by Ertal77 »

WE ARE FUNDED!!
114% funded as for now, yay!! Thank you very much to all the people who have backed the project, shared it or showed their support in any way!

There's a video trailer for the project in the first post now! :D
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Re: Chasing the Stars [BxB] [steampunk-ish, college] [KS +DEMO]

#40 Post by AshenhartKrie »

First impressions: I'm loving the art and direction. Steampunk is a favourite genre of mine.
Demo impressions: the music does not fit at ALL. It's far too upbeat for something I'd expect of a steampunk game; while it does seem suitable for science fiction its too.... electronic? For steampunk. Something more natural in tone would suit much better. Piano or violin perhaps. I definitely agree with what illuminate said about Lila's character sprite. Unsure if this is a placeholder but it was incredibly jarring and far too bright with the otherwise muted tones.
Minor typos: namely, "Blamey" where I imagine you mean "Blimey" and "I'm a stupid." Which I would suggest changing to "I'm so stupid" or even just "I'm stupid." There were a few other things I noticed; having an editor on board to help pick up these small mistakes would be beneficial, especially if English isn't your first language. Some of the text disappears behind Tir's character portrait as well.
I also feel like Dr Roswell's attitude is.... I'm not sure. Doesn't seem what I'd expect, especially not towards a bright student who he had previously considered as a member of his team. I would have expected him to be more welcoming or pleased, ESPECIALLY if Tir's grades are as good as he says, and his little blurb in the intro post states that he's cheerful. He didn't seem cheerful when we met him.

1. Is the general plot appealing to you? Is it boring, interesting...?
The idea of it certainly seems interesting, although I'd like to see more steampunk elements.

2. Is there something specific you would like to see in a BL visual novel?
A lack of fetishisation, for one. As a gay man I find it very hard to find games or books that are about other gay men that aren't branded as 'yaoi'. What I want is to see a game with a gay protagonist treated the same way as a hetero dating sim, or marketed TOWARDS gay/bi men. This means including beta testers and sensitivity editors that are gay or bi men.

3. What do you thing about the multiple endings and the possibility of changing to another character's route? Is is too open for your taste?
I don't have an opinion on this really, so long as its clear when its happening. Heirs and Graces, for example, has 'jealousy scenes' which trigger at a certain point if you have a high score with two characters.

4. Do you like the characters so far? Which one do you like best?
Based on design, Biel. Based on characterisation, Pol. This may change in the future.

5. Any suggestion or criticism?
Please look for beta testers/editors who are bi or gay men and take their feedback on board. Its really hit and miss for guys like me these days, especially when so many gay visual novels are targeted towards women.

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Re: Chasing the Stars [BxB] [steampunk-ish, college] [KS +DEMO]

#41 Post by Ertal77 »

Thank you for your insight!
We have two people currently editing the text, not only for grammar mistakes but also for style. I hope the outcome is good enough for readers both native English and from other countries :)

Dr. Rossell is an open and cheerful person... but he was disappointed and even hurt when his brilliant student refused to work with him the previous year, so he's not too fond of Tirs right now (well, when the game action's begin, I mean).

You are completely right about the lack of BL games targeting gay and bisexual men. I must admit that being a woman myself and used to write slash fanfiction mostly for women, I never thought men would have any interest in my VN stories. Truth is, when A Hand in the Darkness, my first VN, was released, I got a lot of messages from male gamers. It was a bit overwhelming... and a bit embarrassing. I still think that story was too bland for the taste of most men, but the reviews I got from male players were quite positive. It's true that I always try to keep the romantic relationships and sexual scenes realistic, and the plot revolves more than a bit about homophobia, but I still used a lot of yaoi tropes as a starting point. The fact that gay players still like it... means that their expectations of representation in videogames are really low :/

So for Chasing the Stars the main characters live in a politically correct place where it's perfectly normal being gay and no one has a problem with it, that for start. And in the story, the MC relationships are secondary to the plot. In fact, as we talked about in the Discord the other day, I'm seriously considering adding the option in which Tirs reaches the good end WITHOUT engaging in any sexual or romantic relationship, added to the one that allows skipping even the kisses scenes. I want a game where the fact that the main character is gay and has the chance to have sex or fall in love is not the main focus.

...I'm aware that's not a very popular idea, and without a great commercial campaign this will mean the outcome won't do great in sales, but it's something I really want to do. So as far as some people enjoy it with me, I'll be happy enough!
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Re: Chasing the Stars [BxB] [steampunk-ish, college] [KS +DEMO]

#42 Post by AshenhartKrie »

I actually quite like that idea, and I think it would approve to a number of people as well. I actually gushed about this to some friends of mine who are into similar things to be honest. I think it would be really refreshing to have friendship routes in addition to romance routes. I enjoyed the demo and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing it complete c:

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Re: Chasing the Stars [BxB] [steampunk-ish, college] [KS +DEMO]

#43 Post by Ertal77 »

We have now a Discord channel in the Yaoi Consortium!

https://discordapp.com/invite/YKaBjza

(Warning: the channel is NSFW, so please only join if you are over 18 and enjoy yaoi)

Our KS campaign has been rather quiet these last days... So please share our link with friends or groups who could be interested! Thank you! :wink:
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Re: Chasing the Stars [BxB] [KICKSTARTER +DEMO]

#44 Post by Ertal77 »

HALFWAY THERE!

We are now at day 15 of the Kickstarter, so exactly in the middle of the time span of the campaign. We have reached almost, almost 3000$ while I write this… so that means we’ll get that dakimakura option!

I would like to hear your thoughts on the matter: what character would you like to have in a dakimakura? SFW, slightly spicy or totally NSFW?

This is Kurosilver Tumblr, in case you want to know what kind of dakis designs they make or know more about their art (warning: their blog is completely NSFW and full of naked baras, so enter at your own risk): http://ikurosilver.tumblr.com/

I’ll add the tier with the daki reward as soon as I do an estimation of the lowest price I can put it. It will be available as a separate purchase after the KS finishes, of course.

Please keep sharing our campaign so we can reach the partial voice acting stretch goal!
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Re: Chasing the Stars [BxB] [KICKSTARTER +DEMO]

#45 Post by Dovahkitteh »

Grats on the halfway mark! Woooo, dakimakura :D

Personally, I'd be all over a NSFW dakimakura, no pun intended~ (Biel pls *cough*) I think the standard seems to be in the "slightly spicy" category, but I'm not really sure; maybe a Twitter poll would be worth doing for that.
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