We Walk Amongst Graves [Mystery | Thriller | Otome] [NaNo17]

NaNoRenO is an event where creators make a game from scratch during the month of March.
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konett
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We Walk Amongst Graves [Mystery | Thriller | Otome] [NaNo17]

#1 Post by konett »

A Walk Amongst Graves
      • Mystery - Thriller - Otome
  • PREMISE _ _ _ _ _ _
    A young woman ends up at the abandoned church with churchyard located in the mountain woods, but soon after her arrival she discovers that she has been trapped inside. Her only means of escape is a smattering of clues hidden within the grounds, and a trio of men that dwell between the gravestones. Things take a turn when it becomes clear that they all have their own motives, and the monster that lurks around isn't picky about who it will consume first.

    A Walk Amongst Graves is a short game where unraveling the mystery gets you either out of the graveyard or into the grave. You play by going around the grounds, uncovering clues and solving little puzzles, while being assisted (or hindered) by the other inhabitants. But just when you think you are getting somewhere, night falls and everything gets turned on it's head.
  • CHARACTERS _ _ _
    O U T S I D E R . . . A curious young woman.
    H U N T E R . . . A gruff guy of few words who shares his food.
    G H O S T . . . A friendly boy that likes jokes who shares his knowledge.
    S T R A N G E R . . . A flirty man that -redacted- and shares warmth.
    B E A S T . . . A strange entity that roams at night.
  • PREVIEW _ _ _ _ _ _
    B A C K G R O U N D S . . .
    Image

    D E S I G N S . . .
    Image Image
    (From Left to Right: GHOST, STRANGER, HUNTER)
    Although GHOST's design will stay, the style for the actual finishing of the sprites will be different than what is shown here.
  • FEATURES _ _ _ _ _ _
    3 Routes
    7 Endings
    7± CGs
    Exploration Mechanic
  • PROGRESS _ _ _ _ _ _
    Outline (90%)
    Writing (8/20±)
    Character Design (3/3)
    Sprites (0/3)
    Backgrounds (7/9)
    CGs Sketches (2/7)
    GUI (Attempted)
    Coding (Not Started)
  • NOTES _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
    I originally started this project last October and wrote the outline, designed the characters and experimented with a background style suitable, that I ended up using. I wasn't originally going to participate in NaNo this year, but I decided to bite the bullet and finally finish one of my games.
    . . .
    This game came to be as a project for my close friends who enjoy otome games with certain type of characters, but I decided to make it a little bit more twisted and less romantic than the norm. I'm sure I'm not the only one who is a bit tired of how some romantic routes in games pass abusive behaviors are romantic/sexy/ect., so I want to make a kind of game that doesn't give those types of relationships a payoff. I don't know if I'll be able to properly write a story like this, but I want to try my best.
    . . .
    To save time I've opted to used photos as bases for the backgrounds and painted over / changed them to fit my needs.
    I kept the character descriptions very vague, because part of the mystery is finding out who these people are and why they're there.
    . . .
    Special thanks to potouto and vogelvrind for giving feedback on the writing.
Last edited by konett on Sun Mar 12, 2017 2:46 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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Re: We Walk Amongst Graves [Mystery|Thriller|Otome][NaNo17]

#2 Post by Amiralo »

Ahhh the art and the premise looks really good!
And I am a sucker for romances that are not that romantic in nature. Hopefully there will be some nice, deep exploration that explores the darker parts of the "romance" without fetishizing it.

Looking forward to the finished product!
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Re: We Walk Amongst Graves [Mystery|Thriller|Otome][NaNo17]

#3 Post by potouto »

My opinion is not biased, nope, not at all. I honestly like this project so much :0
I'm super pumped for this game, it has such an interesting concept!
I'm sure you will handle it well! It's going to be so pretty and then the story will stab me in the face, I can't wait for it :>
*raises knife* please finish it though c :
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Re: We Walk Amongst Graves [Mystery|Thriller|Otome][NaNo17]

#4 Post by parttimestorier »

Ooh, this sounds like a really interesting concept and the art looks great so far!
I'm sure I'm not the only one who is a bit tired of how some romantic routes in games pass abusive behaviors are romantic/sexy/ect., so I want to make a kind of game that doesn't give those types of relationships a payoff.
Absolutely - I can definitely enjoy stories that involve unhealthy relationships and characters with serious issues, but I hate it when all of those problems are just sort of written off as "it's okay because he loves her!" or whatever when you get to the end of the route. I would love to see something that takes a more serious and darker perspective on stuff like that. Good luck with everything. :)
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Re: We Walk Amongst Graves [Mystery|Thriller|Otome][NaNo17]

#5 Post by Avior »

Wow, I'm really excited for this! The art is beautiful already, and I'm definitely not gonna turn down the chance to wander around a graveyard, haha. And of course, darker themed otomes and VNs are always exciting! I'm definitely keeping an eye on your game, good luck with Nano!
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Re: We Walk Amongst Graves [Mystery|Thriller|Otome][NaNo17]

#6 Post by Kokoro Hane »

This looks fantastic! I love mysteries, so I am definitely looking forward to the release of this one~
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Re: We Walk Amongst Graves [Mystery|Thriller|Otome][NaNo17]

#7 Post by konett »

@Amiralo
Thank you!
I'm trying my best to get my intentions across I'm my writing, so I hope I'll be able to explore it properly.

@potouto
Hahaha, I hope it'll live up to your expectations!
(I'm gonna finish it! ò^ó)99)

@parttimestorier
Thanks!
Yeah, I can enjoy the dramatic value those types of relationships add to a story, but the ones that i find iffy are those that act likes it's not a big deal, or semi normal. I'm using the behaviours I've seen in such story lines and twisting them to suit my needs to this story.

@Avior
Thanks C:
I originally come to this story after many iterations of stories with the graveyard setting, so I'm happy I'm finally turning one of them into something, haha.

@Kokoro Hane
Thank you CC:

_ _ _

*** Added a Feature list to the top post. I completely forgot to add it when I created the thread.

I've been ill these past few days, so I haven't made the progress I've wanted, but I did do somethings.
I started coding in the game logic and assets, to make pasting in scenes a smoother transition later on.

I've also sketched out one of the character's sprites, STRANGER. Included in the image is the current sketch of the logo.
I'm planning on doing 2 poses for each of the 3 characters, and I'll probably finish them in the same style as my current lemmasoft avatar.

Image

On the writing front: I cleaned up and extended some scenes, while merging some scenes together to improve the flow. The first act and half of the second act will function as the 'common route', where the basic rules and clues to solving the mystery are given, and you are introduced to the route characters. After that there will be a way to hunt for clues yourself by choosing where to go in the graveyard. During that time you can also visit/talk to the characters to learn more about them and get anything helpful they may have. Once you've triggered the right flags a route will activate and from there on out it's played to get Ending A or Ending B for that route.

  • WEEKEND PLAN . . .
    Write up to key scene 10.
    Finish sketches for the character sprites.
    Code exploration mechanic.

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Re: We Walk Amongst Graves [Mystery | Thriller | Otome] [NaN

#8 Post by Ghost of Crux »

I'm sure I'm not the only one who is a bit tired of how some romantic routes in games pass abusive behaviors are romantic/sexy/ect., so I want to make a kind of game that doesn't give those types of relationships a payoff. I don't know if I'll be able to properly write a story like this, but I want to try my best.
I'M SOLD.

This, as well as the absolutely fantastic title, and the incredibly gorgeous art style is just a great combination. I'm in love with the background palette-- it's so good. I'm really, really looking forward to this. I wish you all the luck!
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Re: We Walk Amongst Graves [Mystery | Thriller | Otome] [NaN

#9 Post by Mashiro-chi »

Wow, this looks very promising!! especially after your" tired of how some romantic routes in games pass abusive behaviors are romantic/sexy/ect., so I want to make a kind of game that doesn't give those types of relationships a payoff." This,this is what I have been waiting for! And beautiful art + mystery plot is just a plus!!

I'll wait and cheering for you!! good luck!
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Re: We Walk Amongst Graves [Mystery | Thriller | Otome] [NaN

#10 Post by Plutoparfait »

Ahhh I'm really looking forward to this~ !! the art is so pretty

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Re: We Walk Amongst Graves [Mystery | Thriller | Otome] [NaN

#11 Post by konett »

Thanks for the compliments and feedback!

I got really ill in the middle of March, which not only halted the production on this game, but also all my freelance work. I had to spend the rest of the month catching up so that I could pay my bills haha. I won't be able to push through this like I would've been in March, but I plan to dedicate a week per month to this game to get it done by summer.

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Re: We Walk Amongst Graves [Mystery | Thriller | Otome] [NaN

#12 Post by Banya »

It looks really cool!
Kinda reminds me of the Liar Soft style (which is my favourite, btw), I'm definetly going to play it!

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