Black Doves [VN] [Circus, Drama, Fantasy, Romance] [5/30]

[Hazel-Bun]

“The moon is hollow, the Goddess weeps for her children and the fields run red with the blood of the innocent…”
- Saga of the Wolf

Title: Black Doves (BD)
Format: VN [Romance, Friendship, Drama, Circus-Theme, Fantasy, Supernatural]
Part(s): Phase One: "Let the Show Begin!"
Tagline: “Innocence is Relative"

Setting: Erdoo. For more info see ===> http://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewto ... t=19082url

Plot: Black Doves is a circus-themed fantasy with romantic elements woven in. It’s set in the alternative world of Erdoo were magic, science and the bizarre clash together.

Paloma, the MC, is a young woman who was captured from a nomadic tribe that lives in the mountains away from “civilization”. She is sold on the market to an eccentric ringmaster named The Magnificent Nebuchadnezzar the III. Along with another girl, Kin healer Trill, she navigates the treacherous waters of his dark circus pandering to the elite and wealthy. That and sort out her growing attraction to a dangerous Earth Kin shiftier known as The Beast.

In Phase One, you are tasked with helping Paloma survive the harsh journey to the dark circus, making allies along the way, keeping her sane and also getting to know her enemies firsthand. Your mission? To stay alive and gain trust in order to discover the core to the mystery surrounding Nebuchadnezzar's Wonderland... and the home she left behind in the ashes.

Brought to you by Hazel-Bun of Cherubim-Scribes and Co.

Cherubim-Scribes on the Web + Misc.
http://cherubim-scribes.tumblr.com/WIPs
https://twitter.com/CScribes
http://blackdovesvn.tumblr.com/
http://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewto ... 55&start=0
http://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewto ... 08&start=0

Characters +More:

"You're nothing but a snake."

Paloma of the Moon 'Little Dove'
"The main character, a tribal girl turned slave who now works for the circus. She has a sharp mind and stilted speech due to not having a firm grasp of the kingdoms language. Longs to return home and to find her sister, Luna."

"What's that Ma?"

Clover "Carrot"
"A young cyclops girl who 'works' for the circus, part of the side show. Half-kin, half-human, she's treated as less than by most of everyone around her. Even her fellow carnies like to shun her."

"Well we'll never know if we don't try!"

Trill
"Earth Kin healer sold to the circus, resembles Paloma's younger sister. Born into wealth as an adopted daughter by human parents, Trill struggles with her identity as 'one of them' and doesn't understand why she was suddenly forced out of her home."

"Now, now little girl. Calm yourself, the show's just begun~"

Beato
"Satyr who works for the circus, an archer who likes to tease the newbies. Skilled with a bow and arrow but unable to make strong connections with others, Beato oftentimes plays a fool to get others to like him despite his shortcomings."

"Be gone."

The Beast
"THE BEAST OF THE LOST CONTINENT, an unwilling circus attraction. Little is known about him other than the fact that he posses a pure bloodline, his golden eyes being a tell tale sign he is a rare Kin called 'Goldies'."

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all~ ages... let the show begin!"

The Magnificent Nebuchadnezzar the III
"The Ringmaster and owner of the dark circus Paloma is sold to. Every bit as mysterious as his circus venture, Nebuchadnezzar is one of the wealthiest men of his time after pioneering his traveling entertainment form drawing from the 'low-lifes' of society. Possesses a fold-able wooden arm."

Others...
Madame Red
Olga the Bull
Lord Dominic
Frank
Ellwood
Katherine Underwood
Screenshots+ More:
TB

Resolution: 1280x720
Platforms: Windows, Mac and Linux
Rating: 16+ (Violence, Language, Sensitive Topics)
Choices: 6
Endings: 3; Contains a few sudden deaths along the way so watch out!

Progress:
Story: Count (???) (3/3 Chapters Completed)
Outline: 100% (Done)
- Chapter 1 | Pax Romana (100%) (Completed) (Not Edited in Full Yet)
- Chapter 2 | Good Samaritan (100%) (Completed) (Not Edited in Full Yet)
- Chapter 3 | Eye of the Needle (100%) (Completed) (Not Edited in Full Yet)
- End Phase 1
- Ending 1 | Solomon's Throne
- Ending 2 | Prodigal Son
- Ending 3 | Lazarus's Rising

Proofreading: ??% (Will enter full proofing phase asap!)
Programming: 20% (Framework complete)
Script: ??%
GUI: 100% (Completed) (Crude but there lol)

Sprites:
Concepts: 100% (Done)
Completed: 7/7 (Only Paloma's is technically "finished", the rest are black n' white placeholders without expressions at the moment)

SFX: 8/TBA (Collected)
Logo: 1/1 (Done) (Ver. 1) (Will redo if I have the time)
Icon: 1/1 (Done)
Backgrounds: ??/?? (Collected) (Will filter when and if I get the time!)
Music: 13/TBA (Collected)

CGs: 0/TBA (If I can squeeze some in)

Credits:
Jamendo for the BGM
Freesound for the SFX
Dafont for the fonts
Haze for helping to edit the script
Iconarchive for the icons
Morguefile for the BGs
Reikun for the promotional art
<><><>

5/30/14

This game is still in production. On a mini-hiatus till the demo is ready for the public at large haha.

[Puchin]

Oh. My. God. I wanted to check the works of other NaNo2014 people and then I see this... Just awesome. And you just started... I want the month to be over so I can play your game...

*cries* I just noticed how much of a newbie I am compared to your super good work!

Really interesting, I'm sure this will awesome!

[Morhighan]

I'm rooting for you, Hazelbun!

This looks great!

[Hazel-Bun]

@ Puchin ;0; Thank you so much! Your support really keeps me going!! And pee-sha your game looks so cute what are you talking about lol I'm sure it'll be amazing. If you ever need some help, don't be afarid to ask me, the fourms or the interwebs. The strangers around these parts are pretty good about that sort of thing

@Morhighan Thanks man! Your game looks super interesting as well ^^ I feel bad for the wife already. Hope you feel better as well and dot stress over money or the lack therefore to much as that hurts your health as well.

Here's an old concept of The Beast for ya'.

[Googaboga]

Sounds great Hazel ^^. This nanoreno is already shaping up to be a good one.

Now I'm gonna go comment on all of the projects XD.

[ketskari]

The story, world and characters are looking very intriguing. I'm looking forward to trying this. :)

[Hazel-Bun]

@Googaboga and ketskari Thanks a lot guys! Haha comment away and spread the well wishes (ovo)/~*~*~*~*

Oh my goodness I'm hecka dumb and didn't sleep till 4AM so thought today was the second and just forgive me while I jump off a cliff

Here's some color schemes and finalized images for Paloma's side sprite and Clovers full. Sending over the opening scene shortly to get edited and then will post the whole thing to get feedback! Here's a small bit of it for you to get a taste...*

“The moon is hollow, the Goddess weeps for her children and the fields run red with the blood of the innocent…”
- Saga of the Wolf

n "...Mama…”

n “...Mama? W-Where are you. My sister, it hurts…”

n “Save me. Don’t leave me, you can’t leave me alone just yet. Why aren’t you speaking? Why won’t you cry out!? Stop it.”
n “You are stronger than this. Stronger than the gash across your stomach and hoof prints on your neck. Stronger, we are stronger than these savages…”
n “...”

n “So why won’t you answer me save me get up don’t leave me why aren’t you breathing please I beg you-- M-Mama?!”

n “I lost much more than my Mama that day, in the flames that scorched my tribes sacred mountains and turned the first winter snows black, burnt their flesh. Doused it in a red so crimson that Pax-Zijin himself had to turn his back on his wicked brethren.”
n “The old legends speak of the Kin’s Goddess weeping at the destruction of her creation. If there is a God, a Goddess, some form of supreme being up above, surely their tears have filled the great oceans and over run their rivers as did the blood of the innocent slain in the night.”
n “Holy are the martyrs, pitiful are the weak. Hate runs deep in the savages and ignorance of our impending doom among us, ‘the blessed’.”

n “Homes can be rebuilt, families reformed, friends buried but not forgotten… the Earth will be reborn once spring returns. But my heart and soul was crushed into tiny embers and blew away with the wind that day, so far away now yet so close, so painful, it hurts.”
n "I am nothing now, just an empty shell, awaiting the inevitable that is Death who seems to allude me with each and every breath.”

* I promise the whole story isn't so emo lol just setting a tone for the beginning as she enters the slave market.

[Hazel-Bun]

Some quick and messy screenshots. None of the GUI inside the actual game (So the textbox, etc,) is final, just place holders. Is the text legible?

Though others are right in saying that GUI is not something to focus on when doing a nanoreno project, I feel like it motivates me in a way. Seeing it all come together as I work on the assets and writing is much more fun then staring at a blank screen/the default stuff all day everyday haha Though everything is still kind of glitch-y seeing as I'm no programmer but eh, it's something no?

[Ophelia]

Since there are vertical stripes, a black outline around the letters would definitely help make them more pleasant to read.

[Steamgirl]

Very interested in this! Sounds like an ambitious project but making lots of progress already!

[Noctelle]

Ahh, your entry is looking great I like the characters so far especially clover, shes really cute!, good luck on the project :> you seem to be motoring through it! :>

[Flowers from Nowhere]

I'm with Ophelia. I love the look of your menus but the text does tend to disappear into the stripes. A black outline should take care of it.

[Hazel-Bun]

@ Flowers from Nowhere and Ophelia Does this look better? I put the black logo underneath the golden one to create a shadowed effect. Is this easier to read against the vertical stripes? Also added some other versions from bouncing ideas on Twitter.

@ Noctelle and Steamgirl Thanks guys. Haha it does seem really ambitious but it's more of an overly long prologue than anything else. If I stick to my outline, the finally word count should hover around 15,000 ~ 20,000 words with around five distinct choices. But I'm getting ahead of myself, one chapter at a time ")

Haha Clover is one of my favorites to draw. I have a weakness for cute children and especially cute cyclopes children!

[Hazel-Bun]

Made some progress with the script and got all the files sent over to trollfish ^^

After I have a little bit more to show, I'll start recruiting some help to see this project through. As in help I mean stuff I can't do myself that well (aka programming) if my bud Alex gets too busy (another member of C.Scribes).

I'm going to devote this week to GUI and writing the script which currently stands at about 2,000 words in total. The textbox and menus are my next goal along with getting chapter 1-2 plus choices done by this Friday.

[arttorney]

I like the letters with the white.