The Empty Orchestra [VN] [NaNoRenO '14]

[Starling]

So it's been almost three years since I've poked my head out here, but the siren call of VN Making has gotten to me again. So Happy Backwards is at it again!



Characters
Yuiri Nakanishi

Age: 26
Occupation: Office Lady
About: Yuiri has always just followed where everyone else has pointed her to go. She got good grades in school, like she was supposed to. She stayed out of trouble and got into a good High School, like she was supposed to. She went to college for a degree in nothing she'd use and promptly got hired at a company that would little more than have her as decoration and tea server until she gets married and quits... like she's supposed to.

Yuiri has found herself lacking any meaning to her life. She gets up, goes to work, goes to karaoke afterwards to let off steam, goes home, sleeps and then it all starts up again. She wonders when everything got so predictable, so monotonous. She's stuck.

Takehiro Hamaura

Age: 20
Occupation: Student / Part Time Worker
About: Takehiro works at the the Karaoke place that Yuiri frequents as he goes to school. He works most weeknights, so he sees her several times a week.

He is serious, studious and introverted. He has never found going out in big groups of people to be that invigorating, but instead stressful. The day the game takes place he has been dumped by his long time girlfriend due to being "boring" and he is shocked to realize he doesn't actually care she's gone, but he is dwelling on her accusation.

Genre
Slice-of-life

Plot
One slightly spontaneous act. One night. Two people who realize they aren't exactly the most exciting people in the world.

The game isn't meant to be exciting or filled with huge dramatic moments, it's meant to just show two people interacting. Two people who might not be so unlike yourself. It takes place in Osaka, Japan and is themed around karaoke and music.

Features
*2 Major Paths
*4 Endings
*2 Ending CGs
*2 Character Sprites
*Photo Backgrounds
If Time
*2 Event CGs
*Illustrated Backgrounds
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The CGs are my major challenge for this VN. That was the biggest let down for a lot of people with Rapunzel.
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Progress
UPDATED 3/20/14
(Constantly updating twitter @OsakaStarling)
Writing Stats
FINISHED
*17,000 Words
*37 Menus so far
Introduction - 100%
Yuiri Path - 100%
Takehiro Path 100%
Art Stats
FINISHED
Yuiri Sprite - 100%
Expressions 20%
Takehiro Sprite - 100%
Expressions 100%
Work Outfit 100%
CGs - 100%
Backgrounds - 100%
Other Stats
GUI - 40%
Scripting 75%
Sound 0%
Music 0%

Screenshots

[pickle131]

Ahhh something centred around karaoke!!! I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this - extreme fan of anything karaoke related -

[Starling]

^I am also pretty obsessed, lol. I was going every week for a while for 1-2 hour sessions. The idea for this kinda spiraled out of the literal meaning of the word... which would be the title XD~

ANYWAYS

Been working on this everyday and today I finished the title screen so I thought I would show it off! (Since the opening post is just above I won't double post it haha). Spent today working on GUI.

Writing progress has been updated as well, I'm about halfway with Takehiro's path.

[Googaboga]

This sounds really nice :]. I like the characters too.

That's a pretty title screen ^^.

[Starling]

This sounds really nice :]. I like the characters too.

That's a pretty title screen ^^.

Thank you ^_^

So writing is completely finished! I also took almost all the photos for the backgrounds (all except for the ones inside karaoke, gonna get those tomorrow. As I was taking them I came up with the idea for an extra. Every location that Yuiri and Takehiro go to are real, you can even follow their paths on a map, so I thought it might be nice to have a little description of where the photos were taken and the areas. I could share a bit of Osaka with the players.

So hopefully I'll have time *crosses fingers*

[Googaboga]

Congrats on finishing all the writing C:. That map idea sounds really cool.

[Auro-Cyanide]

Oh, this sounds pretty interesting! I'm looking forward to seeing how the two 'boring people's' interactions go down Good luck with the game making!

[Vintehin]

"The Empty Orchestra" : Propably the best VN's name of this year ! Sounds great

[Starling]

Okay! All the backgrounds photos have been taken and edited/filtered! Thought I'd upload a taste of it


This would be one of the entrances to Osaka Castle Park (you can see the castle itself up near the top in the middle). Half of one of the paths takes place there.

Oh, this sounds pretty interesting! I'm looking forward to seeing how the two 'boring people's' interactions go down Good luck with the game making!

Thank you! Good luck to you as well!

"The Empty Orchestra" : Propably the best VN's name of this year ! Sounds great

Ahahaa, I'm actually super happy to hear that so thank you. I'm really quite proud of the title as it pretty much sums up most of the themes I have going on on top of the fact that it is the literal translation of "Kara(Empty)oke(Orchestra).

Tomorrow is a holiday here in Japan, so I don't have to go to work. On top of that my friends are all busy so I have no plans. Guess what I'm going to be focusing on? XD~!

[Starling]

Here's an update!

The game is more than half scripted. I have finished drawing Takehiro's Sprite's expressions and second outfit and I have started getting Yuiri's expressions all finished up.

Oh~ and here's a screenshot of what I have so far:



Cheers! Here's the home stretch!

[Starling]

Another update to say that all of the art elements for the game are complete! So it's just coding, production and gui things left to do!

I don't want to spoil the game by posting a full CG so here's a teaser



4 Days!