Vicboys [GxB] [Period Drama, Comedy] [Commercial] DEMO OUT

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Smaymay
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Vicboys [GxB] [Period Drama, Comedy] [Commercial] DEMO OUT

#1 Post by Smaymay »

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A Dating Sim set in the Victorian Age

Follow the development on


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Vicboys is a dating sim set in Victorian England. You’ll play as an intriguing young woman whose arrival causes a great stir in the village of Vicville. But as the novelty fades, the townsfolk proceed with their lives, leaving you to your own. You must try to make a living for yourself, mingle with the citizens and find a way to fit in. Otherwise, you'll be forced to fight poverty... and loneliness. As a woman from a modest background, you won’t be restrained by the social conventions set by the upper class. But the fear of becoming an old spinster taints us all. As time passes you find your interest piqued by some of Vicville’s prominent bachelors.

But who will you pursue?
Will you…
· ask your neighbour for a little bit more sugar?
· count your blessings with the local philanthropist?
· be the needle to the tailor’s thread?
· win the heart of the shutterbug nobleman?
· be the teacher’s favourite subject?
· lure the mysterious lad out of his shell?
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The game follows the protagonist over a period of 1 year, as she attempts to find herself a suitable husband.
During this time she’ll encounter a rich variety of characters from different social classes who all play their own part in her story.
Eventhough Vicboys takes place in the Victorian era, you can still expect lots of humor and playful mockery of its genre.

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· 6 romanceable suitors
· Cutscenes with full voice acting
· Over 20 supporting characters who play an active role in your life
· A customizable MC name
· A branching narrative where your choices matter
· Multiple endings
· The opportunity to maintain a relationship instead of just obtaining one
· Additional gameplay elements like gift giving, letter writing and money earning
· High replay value due to unique conversations with each route
· Location navigation through a town map
· Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux

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Sakubaka is an indie game studio founded by two game artists from the Netherlands.
We also have the pleasure of working with an insanely talented voice cast and
a sound composer who will provide the game with an original soundtrack.

We both work on Vicboys in our spare time, so it's hard to determine when the game will be finished.
Due to personal issues, we had to put this project on hold for a bit but we're back on track now.

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26-12-2018 - We shared our Demo featuring the introduction of our game
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We would really appreciate it if you could answer the questions below, but any kind of feedback is welcome!
Your input is really valuable to our development process.

1. What’s your opinion on the characters? Do you have a favourite?
2. What do you think of the premise so far?
3. How do you feel about the additional game mechanics; gift gifting, letter writing and money earning?
4. How many hours of gameplay do you expect from a dating sim like this?
5. Did we leave anything out? Something else you'd like to know?

If you played the demo:
6. Did it make you excited or curious to play the rest of the game?
7. What do you think about the quality of the art, writing, GUI, voice acting, etc?
8. Any feedback, thoughts, comments?


Thank you all for reading this thread!
Last edited by Smaymay on Wed Dec 26, 2018 10:34 am, edited 11 times in total.

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Re: Vicboys [GxB] [Otome] [Period Drama, Romance, Humor]

#2 Post by Celianna »

This looks really lovely, and you two seem to be enjoying spending your time on it! And yay for other Dutch developers :)

I really enjoy the sweet and simple art style, so I'm definitely into this.


1. What’s your opinion on the characters? Do you have a favourite?
Let's see, Jeremy, Jaiden and Yasai would be my go-to characters. I especially like Jaiden's design, he's definitely different from the rest. I feel like there's no difference between Fabian and Dario - they have the same face shape and eye shape, so the only thing setting them apart is their haircut. I think you can easily solve this by making either one's eyes a little bit more unique.
2. What do you think of the premise so far?
Victorian settings don't do much for me, but I like it regardless. Just someone wooing one of 6 boys in the village with a healthy dose of humour, what's not to like?
3. How do you feel about the additional game mechanics; gift gifting, letter writing and money making?
Depends on how it's implemented. I dislike stat raising games, but I enjoy other mini games that enhance the story, so I would enjoy letters from the guys. Or sending them letters.
4. How many hours of gameplay do you expect from a datingsim like this?
Per route at least 2-3 hours.
5. How many CG’s do you expect from each route?
Depends on how long each route takes. If it's 3 hours, I expect at least several.
6. What do you expect from the audio (Keeping in mind that we’re on a student budget)?
No expectations! Make do with what you have.
7. Did I leave anything out? Any other questions or comments?
Tell us more about the routes and their plotlines, so we know what's in store :)
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A GxB game about designing your own clothes.

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Re: Vicboys [GxB] [Otome] [Period Drama, Romance, Humor]

#3 Post by potouto »

I have been following the progress on tumblr for a while now, it looks just so adorable I can't help myself <3
also, 'whose arrival' woops

1. What’s your opinion on the characters? Do you have a favourite?

Honestly, I like them all since everyone are so lovely! I would say Petrus and Jeremy out of biased opinion because they fit my favourite "types". Combine them both for the ultimate love interest! Though, Kyuuri looks cute as well, I am a very conflicted person. Please come back after the game's release hoho

2. What do you think of the premise so far?

Ooh, the fear of dying alone and old. I think it's fitting for the settings. It's cute but I can't say it's actually my favourite. No worry, I will play for the characters and the cute designs! I'm sure the writing will come out very lovely <:

3. How do you feel about the additional game mechanics; gift gifting, letter writing and money making?

Hmm, I'm indifferent with them. I suppose the best thing is that, don't get the feature creep <3 I hope to see the final game soon!

4. How many hours of gameplay do you expect from a datingsim like this?


I tend to read one route properly then skip the read text in the next route so maybe something like, 10-12 hours at the least if full play.

5. How many CG’s do you expect from each route?

Hmm, honestly, number wouldn't be a problem from me as long as the writing works out? The number I often see range from 6-12, it also depends on the length of the story. Just do whatever you think is fit!

6. What do you expect from the audio (Keeping in mind that we’re on a student budget)?


I figure it would be nice to use classical music? It's just a thought, you do you and fit in what works for you!

7. Did I leave anything out? Any other questions or comments?

The game is very lovely, I would love to know more about the actual content in it, anything like screenshots, gameplay, etc. would be great! I'm very excited for this game to come out!
status: zzz

yeah well | commission | website

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Re: Vicboys [GxB] [Otome] [Period Drama, Romance, Humor]

#4 Post by Smaymay »

Celianna
How nice to meet a fellow dutchie on this forum haha. "Bedankt voor je lieve woorden."
I feel like there's no difference between Fabian and Dario - they have the same face shape and eye shape, so the only thing setting them apart is their haircut. I think you can easily solve this by making either one's eyes a little bit more unique.
I won't go into much detail with this because everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I get that they share similarities between their jaw shape, hair colour and face angle. But our character artist put a lot of effort in giving everyone distinctive features - from their eyelids to noses, lip thickness and different body shapes. I personally believe she did a great job. So we won't change anything to their designs. Nevertheless, thank you for sharing your honest thoughts!
Depends on how it's implemented. I dislike stat raising games, but I enjoy other mini games that enhance the story, so I would enjoy letters from the guys. Or sending them letters.
We actually were planning to feature a stat system but scrapped that pretty quick. It felt like a forced piece of gameplay and our story didn't benefit from it at all. But the idea of exchanging gifts and letters between the protagonist and her love interest (And maybe even side characters) felt more natural to us. It fits well in the context of the victorian age. So I'm glad you like it! Once we set with a definitive GUI design I'll make sure to include some screenshots from these systems.
Tell us more about the routes and their plotlines, so we know what's in store :)
Oh believe me we're eager to tell you everything about what we got planned for the protagonist and her suitors. It's pretty difficult though to elaborate on the plotlines of the routes, without giving away too much spoilers. But I can see why people would want a bit more information before diving into a route. We'll try to find a way to communicate more of the plot.

Since we're currently in an early state of the production process, we have the opportunity to change the scope of our game a bit. Your feedback and expectations really helps us with our development!

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Re: Vicboys [GxB] [Otome] [Period Drama, Romance, Humor]

#5 Post by Desichan »

1. Ohmigosh, I'm just like shocked, because I genuinely like them all, from what you've shown here! That's really not common for, me, so that is pretty cool! My favorite is probably Jaiden, but yeah, they all seem amazing!

2. I think the premise sounds really fun, and I love the victorian era, so that makes things even more exciting!

3. That could be pretty cool, though if it's not there, I wouldn't be particularly upset, good luck working on those features!

Anyway just wanna add, your art is lovely, and the game looks amazing, do your best! I hope it works out well!
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Re: Vicboys [GxB] [Otome] [Period Drama, Romance, Humor]

#6 Post by Smaymay »

potouto
NO WAY. How great are the odds. Thank you for your kind words. We'll take your indecisiveness about your favourite as a compliment! You can always date them all of course. We won't stop you...
And thank you btw for correcting me. "Whose"... woops indeed.
Ooh, the fear of dying alone and old. I think it's fitting for the settings. It's cute but I can't say it's actually my favourite. No worry, I will play for the characters and the cute designs! I'm sure the writing will come out very lovely <:
I'm glad you would play the game even though the premise isn't totally your cup of tea. But I can assure you, the fear of dying alone won't be the only message we want to convey through our story. And I appreciate your faith in our writing haha.
Hmm, I'm indifferent with them. I suppose the best thing is that, don't get the feature creep <3 I hope to see the final game soon!
Good thing you mentioned the feature creep. We started off with an awful lot of features and I'm glad we slimmed it down to this.
I figure it would be nice to use classical music? It's just a thought, you do you and fit in what works for you!
We have a library with some great music pieces from this time period who are also in the public domain. So you can expect to hear an iconic waltz at some point in the game.
The game is very lovely, I would love to know more about the actual content in it, anything like screenshots, gameplay, etc. would be great! I'm very excited for this game to come out!
Once the GUI design is finished I'll make sure to post some screenshots and tell a bit more about the gameplay.

Thank you for your lovely feedback and sharing your expectations!

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Re: Vicboys [GxB] [Otome] [Period Drama, Romance, Humor]

#7 Post by Smaymay »

Desichan
Ohmigosh, I'm just like shocked, because I genuinely like them all, from what you've shown here! That's really not common for, me, so that is pretty cool! My favorite is probably Jaiden, but yeah, they all seem amazing!
When you're developing your characters and their personalities there's always this one fear creeping up in the back of your mind that they're not equally fun or appealing. So I'm really glad you feel this way.

I'll make sure to pass your wonderful compliments to our character artist. Thank you for "cheering us on" like this! :)

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Re: Vicboys [GxB] [Otome] [Period Drama, Romance, Humor]

#8 Post by Oracle »

I love the art. WHY ARE THE GUYS SO CUTE!!!!?????
Let's change the world one note at a time~
Check out my Soundcloud!

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Re: Vicboys [GxB] [Otome] [Period Drama, Romance, Humor]

#9 Post by Smaymay »

Oracle
I KNOW RIGHT?! ... I can say that... :? I'm not the character artist. But thank you so much for your compliment! :D

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Re: Vicboys [GxB] [Otome] [Period Drama, Romance, Humor]

#10 Post by Oracle »

You're welcome! Is this a free to download vn?
Let's change the world one note at a time~
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Re: Vicboys [GxB] [Otome] [Period Drama, Romance, Humor]

#11 Post by Smaymay »

We hope to make a living out of developing games like this so it won't be a free vn.
We plan to publish it on steam once it's done so we can't tell you much about the price yet.
But we will release a demo though! Then you can decide for yourself if it's worth the purchase. :)

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Re: Vicboys [GxB] [Otome] [Period Drama, Romance, Humor]

#12 Post by Oracle »

Ok thanks fam!
Let's change the world one note at a time~
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Re: Vicboys [GxB] [Otome] [Period Drama, Romance, Humor]

#13 Post by alsixpaca »

This looks so cool ! I really love the Victorian age :00

What’s your opinion on the characters? Do you have a favourite?
My fav is definitly Petrus,, i have a weakness for long blonde hair lol

What do you think of the premise so far?
I think its very interesting ! I have a feeling it goes well with humor (quessing you guys aren't gonna take it really serious,, since it has a humor tag but I might me wrong lol)

How do you feel about the additional game mechanics; gift gifting, letter writing and money making?
sounds fun to me

How many hours of gameplay do you expect from a datingsim like this?
uhh I dont know ??? I do expect a little longer, since its on PC. So maybe 3 hours per route ?

How many CG’s do you expect from each route?
Of course I would like a lot ((they all seem like they have good bodies to show off lol) but I think 5 to 8 is a good choice

What do you expect from the audio (Keeping in mind that we’re on a student budget)?
Classical music yeah ,, are you guys gonna have voice acting as well ?

Did I leave anything out? Any other questions or comments?
Do you also have art of any of the other characters ? since you mentioned there are quite a lot

Good luck with the development !!

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Re: Vicboys [GxB] [Period Drama, Romance, Humor] [Commercia

#14 Post by Smaymay »

alsixpaca
What's not to love about the Victorian age. Haha.
Of course I would like a lot ((they all seem like they have good bodies to show off lol) but I think 5 to 8 is a good choice
Well if you dig a little deeper into our development blog you'll probably find a picture to your liking. :)
Classical music yeah ,, are you guys gonna have voice acting as well ?
We are definitely going to feature classical music in our game! But voice acting as well. We actually posted an open call for voice actors yesterday. If you happen to be interested you can read more about it here.
Do you also have art of any of the other characters ? since you mentioned there are quite a lot.
We only revealed the suitors and one big supporting character so far. You can find more concept art on our blog. We plan to reveal a character every month until the demo comes out.

Thanks for your feedback and sharing your expectations!

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Re: Vicboys [GxB] [Period Drama, Romance, Humor] [Commercia

#15 Post by LuckyCats »

Ok here goes, this is my first lemma comment I'm sorry if its a little too long
I have a lot to say and a lot i'm curious about :3

1. What’s your opinion on the characters? Do you have a favourite?
_________________________________________________________________

From what Ive gleaned from the character profiles, expressions, etc here are
my thoughts on each character so far.

Jeremy: He's freakin adorable one of my favorite personality types in otome
games is tsundere. I love the gap between their stoic outer persona and their
smushy insides I feel like hes the flagship character of the game and a true
"child" of your tsun tree logo X3
Also i really like that he is visibly of Asian descent i dont see that often in otome.

Fabian: Neutral until i saw his valentines day card on your blog, never had a
guys affections measured in orphans sold X'D
That thought in the back of my mind leaves me terribly amused whenever i see stuff on him now.
Appearance wise hes very debonair and charming of course.

Yasai: Omg this precious sunflower with his golden hair and aquamarine eyes
and freckles! I love everything about his character design (seriously those
eyes <3) and am curious as to how he ended up with an Asian name when he is
so light skinned and light eyed. He looks to have a determined and refreshing
personality. plus I have to say also loved his valentines day card and thought it was fitting for his job.

Dario: I think he'd look really fetching and fey with dual colored eyes.
Personally i think it would be really a charming aspect like yasais freckles. Not asking it
to be changed just a thought(yes i am the heterochromatic fan lol)

Peyton: Personality wise i feel i dont know enough but I'll definitely play his route.
Appearance wise Im fond of bishonen long haired golden types, hes surprisingly
hairy from his shirtless pic on your blog i didn't expect that
i feel like thats a good choice for him though.

Jaiden: One of my favorites elegant, mysterious, those cross earrings, that regal overall color pallete.
Plus his vday card slays me. Love his hair too its my favorite one of all the styles.
Very curious about his character and interested in learning more.
Can we see him with his hair pulled back in a ponytail? *eyes sparkling*

Overall on favorite characters Jermey, Yasai, Jaiden, Petrus are my favorite ones but
i will gladly play all of them. Your art style is lovely and has a charming
feeling to it. I like that they all have different builds, heights, eyes etc
I look forward to seeing new character art and sketches on your blog


2. What do you think of the premise so far?
____________________________________________
I really like the Victorian era i can already see from the outfits the
influence of the times and I'm sure that the backgrounds and mindsets of all
characters will be very interesting and reflect that.
As for the fear of dying alone part err that's kind of sad... but i am 100% certain that you will have a humorous spin on it.
I present the valentines cards as evidence of sakubakas splendid humour to the courts XD
Seriously to anyone that takes the time to read my comment check out their
blog ALL of it is worth seeing.


3. How do you feel about the additional game mechanics; gift gifting,
letter writing and money making?

_________________________________________________________
Im all in on the letters part 120% :D
I'm not sure if you've played any of solmare or voltage inc otome games for
iphone/android but some of their games have letters from the guys to you at
the end of each chapter. Usually a small paragraph or so.
I believe that it really gives a unique insight into the guys thoughts on what happened in that chapter and their personalities.
So yes please letters lol

About sending letters yourself:
How would that work?
Would the player choose an overall tone for the letter and the letter you
receive back be based on that?
Example sending a letter with a joking/flirty/polite/tsun tone you'll get a
different letter from the guy based on your initial approach?

About money making:
What kind of mini games do you have in mind? I think that
could be fun. I like gift giving and would like to see the different reactions from the guys based on if they
loved, hated, felt neutral to the gift and so on.


4. How many hours of gameplay do you expect from a datingsim like this?
_______________________________________________________________________
At least 3 hours per route of course i welcome more hours but minimum 3 hours


5. How many CG’s do you expect from each route?
_________________________________________________
Going over all the otomes in my library cg amounts ranged between 5-10 so id say an absolute minimum
of at least 5 cg but more cg is super welcome. Ideally there would be 10 *sparkling eyes*



6. What do you expect from the audio (Keeping in mind that we’re on a student budget)?
________________________________________________________________________________
I'm not really sure what kind of audio you have access to or what to expect other than that it be pleasant and classical.
Whatever you have to work with is cool i trust that you guys will find something fitting.
Can i request Fur Elise be one of the tracks if thats a free option for you?



7. Did I leave anything out? Any other questions or comments?
______________________________________________________________
How many ends are you planning for each character? Will there be bad ends?

Your tsun tree is adorable, how long did it take you to decide on that logo?

What are some of sakubaka teams favorite otome games?

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