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THE STORY… sort of

Nigel is a house painter. While trying to earn money with his two colleagues (Terri and Arthur) and taking care of 6-year-old Alicia, Nigel decides to take in a new tenant: Morwenna.

Despite being new to this whole ‘parenting’ thing, Nigel is becoming a good parent for Alicia. She and Nigel are having a pretty okay life. However, there have been recent reports of mysterious disappearances around the neighbourhood. And Morwenna seems to be acting stranger and stranger...

The story is set in London, Canada. The game takes place over the course of several days.

THE CHARACTERS Nigel: The player character. Nigel is a house painter who is trying to balance between his freelance jobs as a painter and taking care of Alicia. He wants to be a good father.

Dry and snarky, he’s the most down-to-Earth of the group. It was his idea to start the independent painting company, called Three Guys That Paint, with his two friends.

Nigel likes the simple life, has no real ambitions at moving on from his house painting job (he likes it just fine), and is perfectly content to hang out with Alicia, and his friends-slash-colleagues, Terri and Arthur.

Alicia: Alicia is an energetic 6-year-old who loves spaceships and dinosaurs. She is sweet and curious, but she can also be a little mischievous and has quite an adventurous nature.

Morwenna: Morwenna is Nigel’s new tenant. She seems kind of weird and eccentric, mysteriously accepting Nigel’s tenant ad and wanting to get involved in his life. She wears a chunky wrist device (whatever it does, Nigel hasn’t got a clue), and dresses like a 1960’s mod.

Terri: Terri is one of Nigel’s co-workers. She is the most sensible of the group. Terri may be friendly, but at her core, she’s tough-as-nails. She is a rational, skeptical, and confident woman.

Arthur: Arthur is Nigel’s other co-worker. He is an energetic, enthusiastic and excitable person. He thinks, speaks, acts and reacts quickly. But because he's wrapped just a little too tight, sometimes his excitement can overwhelm him--making him the character most likely to panic. He is more nervous and apprehensive than his co-workers. Arthur may not be the most easy-going of the friends, but he's probably the most enthusiastic.

Others: There are other characters involved. Shh…

THE TEAM
Art & Writing...................Katy133
Programming Assistance.....Thee Forsaken One

FEATURES

- Multiple endings.
- Romanceable characters: Three love interests (the latter three characters listed above).

PLAN

Outline --> Writing -- Concept Art --> Sprites -- Backgrounds -- CGs --> Music --> GUI --> Programming

PROGRESS

Writing: 100% done
Sprites: 100% done
BGs: 100% done
CGs: 100% done
GUI: 100% done
VN Programing: 100% done
GUI Programing: 100% done
Audio: 100% done

CONCEPT ART



QUESTIONS

1. First impressions in general? (On story, game type etc.?)
2. Any characters that you're already interested in? Or characters you're already skeptical about?
3. Which character will you probably try to romance first?
4. Comments on the art style?

(Sorry I'm really bad at answering questions...)

1. First impressions in general? (On story, game type etc.?)
I love the whole parenting aspect to it. I rarely see many VNs tackle looking after kids.

Also I'm just glad to see more BxG/B combos in general. I love romancing all genders, and I see more GxG/B, so... kudos on that. =)

2. Any characters that you're already interested in? Or characters you're already skeptical about?
"Others: There are other characters involved. Shh…" I wanna know more. XD

3. Which character will you probably try to romance first?
Terri, she sounds fun. Actually they all do. XD

I've said it before, but glad to see more Canadian settings. Good luck on the nano. >o<

Just a note that assisting with the coding for this project. The idea intrigued me so I'm quite excited to see where it goes.

To me, the premise for this story sounds more at home with a television drama, or a sitcom. I can imagine a story like this being successful in those mediums. But judging by the tone, I'm assuming you're leaning more towards comedy.

This feels more like a story I should watch rather than play. Partly because the idea of being a single father trying to start a business, doesn't sound very fun. It might have its lighter moments, but it's still a large responsibility. Hence, this story sounds better as a kinetic novel.

The only way I can see this game being fun is if you make it a kind of rpg; managing the business while also parenting. If you want to make it more of a story than a game, then I still recommend making it kinetic. It doesn't sound plausible to throw people into such a distinctive and serious role few of us can relate to. Since the character isn't a more or less blank template like other rpg protagonists, even if the game has many choices, it's difficult for players to feel like they're growing as people and establishing their personalities in the story. Why? Because the protagonist already has a defined history and personality.

But even if you limit the choices to a handful, it still feels like out of place intervention on our part. It's not like it's a puzzle game we're trying to solve through this character. It's just a story about an everyman and his life. When we take such an established character and decide for him, "Date this person instead of that person," it almost invalidates his personality and makes it feel too malleable. And once again, feels like out of place intervention.

Well, those were my thoughts on it. Overall, it sounds interesting, and I hope what I've shared can help you.

Thee Forsaken One wrote:Just a note that assisting with the coding for this project. The idea intrigued me so I'm quite excited to see where it goes.

I've added a Team section in the description.

plainviewer wrote:Well, those were my thoughts on it. Overall, it sounds interesting, and I hope what I've shared can help you.

Thank you. I'll keep your points in mind as I'm developing this.

plainviewer wrote:This feels more like a story I should watch rather than play. Partly because the idea of being a single father trying to start a business, doesn't sound very fun. It might have its lighter moments, but it's still a large responsibility. Hence, this story sounds better as a kinetic novel.

No-one ever said that a game /has/ to be fun, they only have to be engaging There have been games that have been completely ruined by trying to be 'fun' when all they had to do was tell their story. Visual Novels are a medium, if there is a story that can be told in a book or movie, it can also potentially be told here. I personally always look forward to when somebody does something new and refreshing with the medium, especially if it gives me a perspective I wouldn't have otherwise had! Single working dad is something I will never be, so yay!

1. First impressions in general? (On story, game type etc.?)

I like the premise. Like KittyKatStar mentioned, making the main character a parent is interesting. Not a huge amount of games really explore being a father, at least not in any real way, so I like that.


2. Any characters that you're already interested in? Or characters you're already skeptical about?

Nigel. Why his description is fairly simple, I like him, and can feel for someone who is happy just having a quiet life with some good friends for company, raising a daughter.


3. Which character will you probably try to romance first?

Hard to say, but maybe Morwenna simply because she seems more connected to the mystery.




Also, like Auro said, VNs are a medium that can hypothetically be used to tell any type of story that could be in a book or movie. So I say go for it with this premise.

1. First impressions in general? (On story, game type etc.?)

I think it's cool. I'm also someone who likes the idea of the MC being a parent and it seems like there will be some interesting twists in this game C:.

2. Any characters that you're already interested in? Or characters you're already skeptical about?

Nigel and Alicia are the people I'm most interested in.

3. Which character will you probably try to romance first?

I don't know. I don't normally plan that out until I've started the game ':].


Good luck ^^.

At a first glance, it looks like a pretty nice setting for a slice of life story. I'm curious about what direction Morwenna will take the story in, though. The concept art is also pretty cool.
Alicia sounds like she's going to be pretty cute and fun to be with.
Morwenna seems like the most interesting first choice.

Good luck with your project!

Katy133 wrote:1. First impressions in general? (On story, game type etc.?)
2. Any characters that you're already interested in? Or characters you're already skeptical about?
3. Which character will you probably try to romance first?

1. Well, the two pieces of concept art give me the impression that this is some sort of supernatural story. It's described like a slife, though. Is there something you're not telling us...?

2. Alicia; she seems like a fun character!

3. Probably Terri.

Sorry; the above is me. Don't know why I wasn't logged in...

I've now added a character lineup to the first post. Now you can see what the main characters look like.

THE MAIN CHARACTERS ARE SUCH CUTIES.

I had no idea what Terri would look like (since she's who I picked to romance first), but I'm totally in love with her design. And Arthur's. Alicia is such a cutie, and I wanna give Nigel a pat on the back and a hug. XD

Arthur is wearing a quilt. I'm sold.
Lovely lineup! <33

I wanted to post here sooner, but I forgot somehow. So hooray for remembering!

I love the concept already because we've got a story about a parent---a single dad, at that! We don't see many of those here. I guess it's safe to say that I'm most interested in Nigel and Alicia right now. I want to see how they interact. I don't really have a preference as far as the romance options are concerned.

The character designs are great! (A kilt!) I especially like that Morwenna's eyes are different from the other characters' to highlight her "weirdness."

Is she an alien? I know you can't say, but I have a feeling she might be . . .