a(t)rium [NaNo'17] - DEMO RELEASED

NaNoRenO is an event where creators make a game from scratch during the month of March.
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Alcor
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Re: a(t)rium [GxB] [genre undisclosed] [NaNo'17]

#61 Post by Alcor »

YuukiCrossPudding wrote:Congratulations on finishing the main menu CG! *throwsconfetti*
I'm really looking forward for the demo and the finished version as well ;;

Also here's a little fanart of Hisashi since he's so cutee! <3

Image
fghasdkasflaksjflka THIS IS TOO CUTE OMG

THANK YOU SO MUCH <3<3<3

ALSO I LOVE THAT HE'S FLOATING ON AN APPLE, IT'S V SYMBOLIC

GA:S:ALKS:FlakS:

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Re: a(t)rium [GxB] [genre undisclosed] [NaNo'17]

#62 Post by YuukiCrossPudding »

@ALCOR_etc

You're welcome and THANK YOU ;; since your project inspires me to draw more and made my day! ♡
There are lots of inspiring projects for nano17, but I don't think I can make fanart for them all atm *sobs*

Yeah :DD he's just so cute with all those apples in the chibi ver you draw and his fishbone hairpinsss. I.MUST.DRAW.HIM.WITH.AN.APPLE

It almost the end of March, go go go! o/

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Re: a(t)rium [GxB] [genre undisclosed] [NaNo'17]

#63 Post by haitori »

I keep seeing a(t)rium updates on my Tumblr feed so wanted to comment that the game looks fantastic!
The UI is adorable *v* and Hisashi is adorable *V*

Looking forward (to cute little succulents all over the game)!

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Alcor
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Re: a(t)rium [GxB] [genre undisclosed] [NaNo'17]

#64 Post by Alcor »

YuukiCrossPudding wrote:@ALCOR_etc

You're welcome and THANK YOU ;; since your project inspires me to draw more and made my day! ♡
There are lots of inspiring projects for nano17, but I don't think I can make fanart for them all atm *sobs*

Yeah :DD he's just so cute with all those apples in the chibi ver you draw and his fishbone hairpinsss. I.MUST.DRAW.HIM.WITH.AN.APPLE

It almost the end of March, go go go! o/
Awww, thank you so much, I'm so honored ;w;
And I totally agree about there being a lot of really awesome NaNo projects this year! I also want to make a bunch of fanart but... time ;_;
haitori wrote:I keep seeing a(t)rium updates on my Tumblr feed so wanted to comment that the game looks fantastic!
The UI is adorable *v* and Hisashi is adorable *V*

Looking forward (to cute little succulents all over the game)!
Thank you so much! It's really nice to hear that people are hearing about this project on tumblr, haha. Hope I don't disappoint!

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Re: a(t)rium [GxB] [genre undisclosed] [NaNo'17]

#65 Post by MimirollCookie »

This vn is looking good!
good luck!!
I fell in love with Hisashi!
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"If they can do it, you can do it too! make them do it. They can do it, right?" :lol:
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Re: a(t)rium [GxB] [genre undisclosed] [NaNo'17]

#66 Post by MimirollCookie »

Sorry I can't stop myself. ///
I decided to draw Hisashi! Sorry if it's not digital.
I messed up with the flower. :lol:
Anyways, I hope you like it! :)
20170328_185856-1.jpg
(Sorry for the bad quality)
Image
"If they can do it, you can do it too! make them do it. They can do it, right?" :lol:
Getting a new laptop. Hopefully going back to VN making! (BWAHAHA)

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Re: a(t)rium [GxB] [genre undisclosed] [NaNo'17]

#67 Post by Alcor »

MimirollCookie wrote:Sorry I can't stop myself. ///
I decided to draw Hisashi! Sorry if it's not digital.
I messed up with the flower. :lol:
Anyways, I hope you like it! :)
20170328_185856-1.jpg
(Sorry for the bad quality)
Oh, thank you so much for the fanart! No need to apologize; he looks adorable, and I love that he's traditional here! <3
May I post the fan art on the Studio Dipper tumblr? I can link to your deviantART (since it doesn't seem like you use tumblr)!

Glad you're liking Hisashi so much, haha. Hope he's fun to see in-game :D

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Re: a(t)rium [GxB] [genre undisclosed] [NaNo'17]

#68 Post by MimirollCookie »

ALCOR_etc wrote:
MimirollCookie wrote:Sorry I can't stop myself. ///
I decided to draw Hisashi! Sorry if it's not digital.
I messed up with the flower. :lol:
Anyways, I hope you like it! :)
20170328_185856-1.jpg
(Sorry for the bad quality)
Oh, thank you so much for the fanart! No need to apologize; he looks adorable, and I love that he's traditional here! <3
May I post the fan art on the Studio Dipper tumblr? I can link to your deviantART (since it doesn't seem like you use tumblr)!

Glad you're liking Hisashi so much, haha. Hope he's fun to see in-game :D

Sure! Feel free! :)
I can't wait for this game!! :)
Image
"If they can do it, you can do it too! make them do it. They can do it, right?" :lol:
Getting a new laptop. Hopefully going back to VN making! (BWAHAHA)

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Re: a(t)rium [NaNo'17] - DEMO RELEASED

#69 Post by Alcor »

Alright, I pretty much haven't slept for three days, but I've finally done it:

The demo for a(t)rium is done, and it can be downloaded HERE

A new thread for a(t)rium will be made soon, when work on this project resumes. After I finish up with bookSLEEPer (to be released tomorrow, with whatever we've got!), I will be taking a short break to play the other games made for NaNo 2017.

I'm really proud of the fun GUI things I've done with this game, and I hope you enjoy them as well! My writing is pretty meh, but I hope it isn't the most atrocious thing you've ever read.

If you play this, I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback! Meanwhile, I should go sleep... after finishing a few more things, of course.
LIST OF WHAT I MADE FOR THIS PROJECT IN A MONTH+2DAYS:
- 4719 words
- 4 sprites, with 150+ expressions between then
- 3 backgrounds
- 2 music tracks (arranged by Caelem, so this credit should really go to him)
- GUI, with some extra features that I'm oddly proud of
- programming that doesn't break TOO often (thanks to Windchimes for this!)

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Re: a(t)rium [NaNo'17] - DEMO RELEASED

#70 Post by Zelan »

WOOHOO! You did it!! I can't get over how many expressions you made, that's absolutely fantastic.

(I promise I am working on writing I just had to take a day to finish my frikken music history project but now it's DONE so I will write like there's no tomorrow)

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Re: a(t)rium [NaNo'17] - DEMO RELEASED

#71 Post by Alcor »

Zelan wrote:WOOHOO! You did it!! I can't get over how many expressions you made, that's absolutely fantastic.

(I promise I am working on writing I just had to take a day to finish my frikken music history project but now it's DONE so I will write like there's no tomorrow)
Aaaah, thanks Zelan! :D

And hey, no worries, real life comes first. Good luck! <3

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Re: a(t)rium [NaNo'17] - DEMO RELEASED

#72 Post by Zelan »

I just played it! I love Amaranth, she's such an adorable MC. The bit with her meeting Kennith was hilarious, I loved it. cx

And I like all of the extra features that the phone had! Definitely not something that you see in many VNs (the only other one I can think of is don't take it personally, babe).

Not much to say on the plot since it was basically just "introduce the characters," but the character interactions were so cute. Hisashi is amazing ("yeah I'll just hire this girl it'll be fine") and I love how he just sort of... stands around smiling at everyone.

And of course youR ART is so wonderful, I can't even. <3 I love Amaranth's angry frown expression, it's so clearly showing "this pisses me off and I want you to know it." And it took me way too long to notice, but you've got Shamrock Cafe in that one background. c; Nice reference, bro.

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Re: a(t)rium [NaNo'17] - DEMO RELEASED

#73 Post by MagusDei »

So, just tried this out. First, the things I am less qualified to comment upon: the visual design was gorgeous, I really liked the character designs, the gui, and everything else. The only comment I can perhaps say, I would have liked more animation, in the sense of transitions and transforms. The music was likewise both fitting and a pleasure to listen to, somewhat mystifying, yet peaceful.

Then, moving to my own forte, narrative design. I liked the phone. While the idea is not new as such, it is well-done and believable. I felt that the mechanic added to my engagement rather than distracting from it.

Of the characters, Amaranth certainly kindled my protective instincts and tender feelings (by which I mean she was cute. Sorry, my diction alternates between the erudite and the 'just plain confusing'). The second most likable character was Hisashi, if only because he was the most developed of the boys. I recognize the character archetype that Ken represents, but I can't say I warmed up to him just yet. Still, his relation to Ross did interest me (is Ken a mad scientist? Some form of time manipulation is certainly implied.) So to sum it up, I find Ken interesting, but not likable (yet), while I find Ross likable, but not interesting, and Hisashi I find both likable and interesting.

Amie's paranoia was also pretty funny (is this the beginning of a running gag?)

One thing which I found somewhat problematic here, which is more of a personal grudge than anything specific to a(t)rium, was the long introduction scene without choices. The phone mechanic alleviated this somewhat, so kudos to you for that! But I have something of a personal preference for beginnings which provide you with choices almost immediately. Again, this is just my preference, and long introductory scenes are typical for visual novels, so it's not actually that much of a problem.

So overall, my experience was very positive, and I'll be looking forward to the full version! Thank you for making this!

P.S. What is behind the door, you ask? I should think it is rather obvious. A portal to the netherworld of archetypal consciousness, guarded by incomprehensible, sentient fractals, the color of amaranth, observing creation from beyond the limited dimensions of space and time known to man, while serving their dark lord Azathoth, the kernel of madness and existential angst who lies screaming at the center of the universe!

Why, that is the only conceivable possibility.

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Re: a(t)rium [NaNo'17] - DEMO RELEASED

#74 Post by Alcor »

Zelan wrote:I just played it! I love Amaranth, she's such an adorable MC. The bit with her meeting Kennith was hilarious, I loved it. cx

And I like all of the extra features that the phone had! Definitely not something that you see in many VNs (the only other one I can think of is don't take it personally, babe).

Not much to say on the plot since it was basically just "introduce the characters," but the character interactions were so cute. Hisashi is amazing ("yeah I'll just hire this girl it'll be fine") and I love how he just sort of... stands around smiling at everyone.

And of course youR ART is so wonderful, I can't even. <3 I love Amaranth's angry frown expression, it's so clearly showing "this pisses me off and I want you to know it." And it took me way too long to notice, but you've got Shamrock Cafe in that one background. c; Nice reference, bro.
Thank you so much for giving it a try, Zelan! I think Amaranth is the most fun (funnest?) character I've written in a long while. Her awkward encounter with Ken was a joy to write, but I could feel secondhand embarrassment... Amie, you poor girl. :'D

I'm really glad you like Hisashi! To be honest, he turned out a bit different from how I originally conceptualized him, but I think that worked out okay. I thought he was a nice guy, but not this nice; he's like a big bro??

and I'M SO HAPPY SOMEONE CAUGHT THAT REFERENCE. If I'm really sick of drawing backgrounds by the time I get to the ones for BL4NK, I *might* recycle that (unlikely, though, because of some stylistic differences... I'll just have to suffer.)

Thanks for leaving a comment! Feedback is super appreciated <3

---
MagusDei wrote:So, just tried this out.
Hello, and thank you so much for trying the demo! Your feedback is very helpful, and I really appreciate that you took the time to write it out. I'll reply paragraph by paragraph, because you cover a lot of great points.
MagusDei wrote:First, the things I am less qualified to comment upon: the visual design was gorgeous, I really liked the character designs, the gui, and everything else. The only comment I can perhaps say, I would have liked more animation, in the sense of transitions and transforms. The music was likewise both fitting and a pleasure to listen to, somewhat mystifying, yet peaceful.
I'm glad you enjoyed the visual aspects of the game; I'm primarily a designer and illustrator, so it makes me really happy to hear that. I don't think I used any transitions other than dissolve, so you're right, I can definitely try to do more animation-wise. I'm not great at python, but I'll try to program in more effects and whatnot!

It's also great to hear that you enjoyed the music. I'm really grateful to Caelem for helping me arrange the music, since while I write (really simplistic) music, I can't mix music for my life.
MagusDei wrote:Then, moving to my own forte, narrative design. I liked the phone. While the idea is not new as such, it is well-done and believable. I felt that the mechanic added to my engagement rather than distracting from it.
This is a relief to hear! The phone was added more as a last-minute gimmick than anything else, but I had a lot of fun implementing it and thought it could be a nice addition to some of the scenes later in the story. I wasn't sure if the whole updating features thing was clear, though.
MagusDei wrote:Of the characters, Amaranth certainly kindled my protective instincts and tender feelings (by which I mean she was cute. Sorry, my diction alternates between the erudite and the 'just plain confusing'). The second most likable character was Hisashi, if only because he was the most developed of the boys. I recognize the character archetype that Ken represents, but I can't say I warmed up to him just yet. Still, his relation to Ross did interest me (is Ken a mad scientist? Some form of time manipulation is certainly implied.) So to sum it up, I find Ken interesting, but not likable (yet), while I find Ross likable, but not interesting, and Hisashi I find both likable and interesting.

Amie's paranoia was also pretty funny (is this the beginning of a running gag?)
That's a very good evaluation, actually, and I agree with it. (Not giving away what Ken does right now, but that's an interesting guess.)

And yup, Amie's tendency to jump to conclusions is pretty important throughout the story, and is a core part of her personality/characterization!
MagusDei wrote:One thing which I found somewhat problematic here, which is more of a personal grudge than anything specific to a(t)rium, was the long introduction scene without choices. The phone mechanic alleviated this somewhat, so kudos to you for that! But I have something of a personal preference for beginnings which provide you with choices almost immediately. Again, this is just my preference, and long introductory scenes are typical for visual novels, so it's not actually that much of a problem.
That is a very good point. While writing the demo outline (which was shorter than I would've liked), I realized that the demo wouldn't include choices, and that players might not enjoy that. However, I wasn't able to figure out a choice that wasn't arbitrary. I'll see what I can do for the updated demo, however! Thank you for your feedback on this.
MagusDei wrote:So overall, my experience was very positive, and I'll be looking forward to the full version! Thank you for making this!

P.S. What is behind the door, you ask? I should think it is rather obvious. A portal to the netherworld of archetypal consciousness, guarded by incomprehensible, sentient fractals, the color of amaranth, observing creation from beyond the limited dimensions of space and time known to man, while serving their dark lord Azathoth, the kernel of madness and existential angst who lies screaming at the center of the universe!

Why, that is the only conceivable possibility.
That is hands-down the best guess I've seen thus far. :D

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Re: a(t)rium [NaNo'17] - DEMO RELEASED

#75 Post by Alcor »

Just a quick update: Studio Dipper (developer of a(t)rium and BL4NK x RE4DER) and Ebullience Games (developer of Red String of Fate, AIRIS, and The Masquerade Killer) are now sister studios! We have a joint discord server here, and we'd love for people to join us to talk about any of our games (including Lads in Distress)!

MORE DETAILS HERE

(Our alliance is named 'the Visual Novel Asterism' or 'ASTER*SM'!)

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