"Star Crossed" A BL VN ~ POSITIONS FILLED

[slashbunnychan]

NOTICE: All positions filled! The project will resume January 1st!

WARNING: Lengthy text wall ahead!

Hello, my name is Natalie (I go by Slashbunny or Jackrabbit on the net) and I am looking for people to form a Visual Novel team with me to work on a BL visual novel I’ve been building up on on-and-off for over a year.

I am currently working on a BL visual novel game called "Star Crossed" about magic, finding love, fighting monsters, and parallel worlds while trying to live a completely normal life. There will be yaoi in the game, but the game will be rated 13+ (although there might be an 18+ version). I’ve spent over a year building the world and its content and I think I’ve reached a comfortable point to start inviting other people in to help me out in creating the game. Here’s another thing: I do not do great for coding or programming so I currently do not have a functional demo, and my writing with original stories is so-so, same with my art. So I need help with just about everything in the game.


Team Goals
Have a fully functional demo, lasting around 15-20 minutes and explaining the story a bit, and have it free to play.
Start up a Patreon to get funding for the game and payment for additional help.
Create and commercialize a BL visual novel lasting several hours for each playthrough with multiple endings and achievements for replay value.
Make an OST to sell alongside the game containing any and all music used in the final game.
Have fun making a game with other talented people!

The Story
You play as Nico Sewick, a 19 year old college freshman living in a fiction modern day European city/country. He currently lives alone in his apartment while his parents are gone for a year, traveling for their work. Now going to one of the most prestigious universities on the continent on a Fine Arts scholarship, Nico thinks that he will have enough stress to worry over if not for the 3 unusually handsome men who move into the apartment across the hall from him, and end up going to the same school as him. Little does he know that these men are beyond normal and that they will change his life forever, whether he wants them to or not…

Pretty much the game is set in a fictional modern day city/country featuring a boy who is connected to strange magical powers, gets involved with 3 handsome men who also possess magic, is attacked by monsters on a near daily basis, and must go to college and maintain a normal life on top of it all. The game will last one year with multiple branching paths and has multiple endings ranging from bad to good to neutral. The game will contain yaoi/shonen-ai and will be rated 13 or 15+ (and there might even be an 18+ rated version with extra content and artwork for a higher cost, or the game settings will have an option to include/omit adult content).

The Project
Project Progress – Demo (finish in about 15 minutes and takes place at the beginning of the story)
Writing – 10-12 k >1%
Editing – 0%
BG Art – 10% (using placeholder images)
Character Art – Concept designs 25%; Final designs 0%
Music – 0%
CGs – 0%
Programming VN – 1%
Programming Map – 0%
Programming Gameplay (Battle system) – 0%
World Building – 75%
Other – 0%

Project Process – Final Game (will start when demo is complete)
Writing –
Editing –
BG Art –
Character Art –
Music –
CGs –
Programming VN –
Programming Map –
Programming Gameplay (Battle system) –
World Building –
Other –

Team Openings
Here is an in-general list of all the help I need:

• Coders – I am making this game in Ren’Py, but I also have Novelty and TyranoBuilder (you need to buy it but it has a drag-and-drop setup and is fairly easy in programming and coding); I will help out with basic coding regardless of the medium
• Writers – I can write, but I would prefer having multiple people together to write out events and such, help each other and share ideas
• Artists – Same as above; I can draw, but my art is so-so, at least for the project; I will be doing conceptual art and designs
• Programmers – My biggest flaw; I am not a great programmer
• Audio/Music – I can’t do this… nuff said

Filled Positions
Project Lead: Slashbunny

Coder: Slashbunny
Coder: CLOSED
GUI Coder: CLOSED

Programmers: We have a programmer, but we are looking for more

Musical Composer: CLOSED
Audio Tech: CLOSED

Writer: Slashbunny
Writer: CLOSED
Writer: CLOSED
Editors: CLOSED

Artist: CLOSED
Artist: filled, but undecided
Artist: CLOSED
Artist: CLOSED
Conceptual Work (artist, set and character designer, and world building): Slashbunny
I am willing to accept suggestions and multiple people to work with me in Conceptual Work.

Portfolios or examples of past/current work are not required but much appreciated (to be sure of whatever skills you are offering are exactly what we need). This does not mean that you need to have completed a game to be considered for the job, or a professional. However I might be a bit picky as this is my first game project and I am looking to make this commercial. I am also looking for a particular style (present day anime style with a touch of fantasy).

What We Need
I pretty much need as much help as possible. I know for a first time project this is really big, but I am unable to think small when working on something I enjoy, that’s why for now just getting a working free demo up and running will count as the small short-term goal while the final completed project is the big long-term goal. Bellow I will list who/what I need from highest priority to lowest. While I will accept any and all help I can get – either hired or for free – the list bellow simply shows who I need more help than others. The lowest priority jobs will either be extra help or Patreon milestone goals.

I will take on the role of project lead/director, writer, editor, coder, and conceptual artist and designer.

• Writers – Tasked with writing the story in the different branching paths and the various events. No novels, but good writing will make the game interesting, and multiple events varying on the different actions and reactions in the game will increase replay value and make the game enjoyable. The demo will be at least 10 k words long, not including repeated events or tasks. The final game I am not sure yet.
o In General Events – these are the common non-route based events, such as going to work, going to class, shopping, doings a task, and so on
o Route Specific Events – the title says it all
o Editors – look for any typos or discrepancies in the writing, and make any suggestions in what is written

• Coders and Programmers – Tasked with making sure the game code and programming is functional. One person can work multiple jobs, but I would like the work to be spread out to lessen the workload, unless they do not mind the extra work.
o Game Code – in general game code; includes branching paths, multiple endings, completing tasks, raising and maintain stats, currency, and so on
o GUI Code – any specific code based on any specific GUI design; includes menus, inventory, and so on; don’t hate me if I forgot something when posting this
o Battle code/programming – any code and programming involved with the battle system

• Artists – Tasked with creating the art for the project. I want to emulate an anime style similar to the art in the Game Inspirations section with a flare of fantasy, and I don’t want too many artists (no more than 5 total preferred, but I will accept assistant artists and additional artists who are good at emulating/copying another artist) so that there will not be too many different art styles to confuse players.
o Character Sprites – The MC, the 3 main love interests, the 2 secret love interests, and at least a dozen side characters (not exact number); each character will have varying clothing sets based on the season, and changing expressions, with the MC and love interests getting additional clothes and expressions
o CG Art – I do not have an exact number of CG’s that I definitely need, at least until the writers have finished writing an event
o BG Art – this includes exterior and interior art; I can confirm that there are at least 5 exterior (market street, university, royal palace, park, and beach) and 5 interior (classroom, grocery store, library, diner/café, bookstore) BG’s that need to be done (some with the varying times and seasons), not including the MC’s home (which consists of at least 5-6 rooms); there are also some unique BG’s not included in the list as they will only appear in certain events or on specific routes; there are more places planned or I might have forgotten some
o GUI and Menu Art – I do have an in general design planned out for the GUI but they will be finalized and the art done for them when the GUI coder has been able to make working code for it
o Inventory Art – this applies to items you can buy for your inventory, NOT the actual inventory artwork (that is reserved for the GUI and menu art people); this includes consumables such as food, drinks, and items used to permanently or temporarily boost different stats (ex: study manuals for intelligence); this also includes clothing outfits, individual clothing pieces (tops, bottoms, and feet/shoes), costumes, and accessories, each focusing on a different fashion style (cool/cute, outgoing, classy/mature, and so on)
o Conceptual Art and Design – base concept art and designs; I prefer to have has few people working this job, but I am willing to accept any kind of help and design suggestions

• Audio/Music Composer – Tasked with creating the sounds and music to be used in the game. Will accept a single person or a small team to work this part.
o BG Audio – Various background sounds such as crowds, footsteps, street cars, trains, waves, and so on
o Battle Music – as there is an RPG like fighting system in the game special music needs to play when a monster shows up and when the player and love interests are engaged in battle; different music must also play when the player wins or loses
o BG Music – different background music based on the location; I do not have a confirmed number of BG music I need, but I would like to have different music based on the location, the character, and event; also I would like each love interest to have special theme music that plays when you are on their route
o Opening/Ending Sequence Music – this is not required right away and will need additional help with singers and songwriters (which will be a stretch goal/milestone); for the time being having looping music play for the main menu is fine, as well as the theme music for any of the love interests depending on what ending you get

Project
Communication will be held primarily through Skype – for team meetings and “getting to know everyone” chats – and emails. Skype calls can last an hour long or half the day, depending on everyone’s individual schedules, how many people are working on each part of the project, and how much work is done/needed to be done. If someone has finished part of their project before the next Skype meeting they can send me an email and we can have an early Skype call.

After enough people have applied for the open positions (at least one person per position) there will be a big Skype meeting to introduce everyone, discuss the project in detail and to sort out everyone’s work situation. This is the point when everyone who applied for the jobs can stay on the team or drop out. If too many important people drop out then the project will not progress and the positions will be open again.
When the project goes into full swing there will be periodic Skype calls between different team members and sometimes with everyone in the group. When these calls take place they can vary based on everyone’s schedules, but below is a preferred meeting schedule:

• Everyone – At least once a month to see how much work is completed to be able to post an update on any of the blogs, or if there is enough completed to release a demo or an early alpha version of the game
• Writers – Once a week with the project leader and editors to exchange ideas, share what they have written so far, what they have finished, and what they are going to do next; finished works are then given to the artists so they can start drawing any needed art based on the events
• Artists – Once every other week with the project leader and conceptual people to share what they’ve worked on so far, compare their work with the conceptual designs to make sure everything looks correct, and discuss what to work on next; when writers are finished with an event artists will be tasked with making any specific art for the event (CGs, clothing pieces, or BGs); finished artwork is sent to the coders so they can start coding or alter any current coding for the various events of the game
• Coders and Programmers – Once every other week or two weeks with the project leader to show what they have finished so far, how much they have left to complete, and what to work on next; finished code and programming will be saved as a incomplete demo that can either be played by team members only, or by the general public, or by paid patrons as an early alpha; must fix or rewrite old or current code if any bugs are found
• Audio/Music Composure – Once a month with the project leader to show what they’ve done so far, how much they still need to finish, and present what they finished and what they will work on next; finished work is sent to the coders so that they can add in the music and audio to the various scenes and events in the game

Project Pacing
I do not wish to spend too much time on this project – no more than a year preferably – but I don’t want to rush it and put out a half-assed game. So for that everyone will have a schedule for when they have to get their parts of the project finished. These are not finalized schedules and will change based on how many people are working the job, how fast they are, how busy they are with their private lives, and whether their job is of a higher priority than others. The idea behind this is if we get the game finished faster and put out sooner then everyone will get their payment sooner.

• Writing – This is a fairly important job as the artists cannot create any unique artwork if the event is not finished and coders cannot alter the code in the right way to accommodate the story. So hopefully we can try and get at least 5 events written every one to two weeks, less time if there are multiple writers on board. Meetings will be held regularly – usually an hour long every week – between me and the other writers to exchange ideas and to talk about what we’ve worked on so far. We will exchange what we’ve worked on so far and come to an agreement to either use one writer’s work or more or combine any of them.

• Character Artists – This project is more open but I would prefer to have one character sprite finished (along with their various expressions and outfit changes) every two weeks, shorter if there are multiple artists or if the current artist is fast.

• Background Artist – As there is not a set number of locations just yet, not including backgrounds that will be shown in the demo (it mostly depends on how the story will progress, which relies on the writers) so maybe 2-3 backgrounds – including season and daytime changes – every month, but the timetable may change once it is decided how many backgrounds there will be and how fast the artist is (and if there will be more than one artist on board).

• CG Artist – The CG artist cannot start working until the writers have finished writing any events, but once an event is written and it is decided when and where the CGs will go then at least 2-3 CGs every few weeks, depending on how fast the artist(s) works.

• Coders and Programmers – This is a very open job and it just depends on how fast the coders and programmers work, but I would like to see some progress every few weeks

• Music/Audio – Same as coders and programmers

If these schedules seem too tight I can change them accordingly.

Game Inspirations
Here is a list of other Otome and Visual Novel games that I take a lot of hints and inspiration from.
Backstage Pass
https://cdns.kinguin.net/media//categor ... 0-1024.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eBVo_gcU4xw/ ... 2B0.9d.png
https://cdns.kinguin.net/media//categor ... 0-1024.jpg
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I35s-SBY8zo/ ... 2B0.9d.png

Nicole
http://static.winterwolves.com/assets/n ... cole04.jpg
http://static.winterwolves.com/assets/n ... cole09.jpg
https://lh6.ggpht.com/dY8KtsIz0TIGkGj-U ... FOH8Q=h900
https://thelonelylacuna.files.wordpress ... cole-3.jpg

Dandelion ~ Wishes Brought to You
http://games.renpy.org/media/screenshot ... 00.png.jpg
https://monochromehorizon.files.wordpre ... -stats.jpg
https://monochromehorizon.files.wordpre ... w-menu.jpg

Current Game Plans
Currently I have several plans for the final game and how I want gameplay to work. Let me know if you think any of these plans can/should be expanded on, elaborated more, or if you have better ideas on how they should work. This will help give people ideas on where I need help in the most and where they can provide their services. Some of these are being put into the game as a form of practice for another future game project using a similar but more complex feature.

The game will be split up into 5 parts: a school system, a relationship maintaining system, a dating sim, a battle rpg like system, and a stat raising/maintaining system.

• Physical and Mental Stat raising system – The player must raise certain stats – such as strength, dexterity, stamina, intelligence, social, and so on – so that they can do better in school, at different jobs, and during battles (ex: high intelligence will increase GPA faster, and a high strength will help you in battles); some stats will become available after certain events (i.e. magic)

• Personal Stat maintaining system – What’s different with the personal stats is that they affect the player personally and will constantly change throughout the game; this includes fatigue, health, and hunger (ex: you lose health by not eating or resting properly and losing in battles, and you also gain fatigue faster with poor health or an empty stomach); how the player manages their personal stats will also affect the outcome of certain events in the game, affect certain stats and will change how people view the MC/player (ex: passing out from high fatigue makes you lose points in physical stats, and getting sick gets other characters worried over the MC); ignoring these stats will have the MC faint from exhaustion, be sent to the clinic from getting sick, or getting so hungry that he stops what he’s doing to eat until satisfied

• Daily to Weekly Schedule – There is a schedule (Monday through to Saturday, with Sunday being a free day) that the player has to maintain and fill up with various actions, tasks and jobs that will affect various stats – such as cleaning, reading, eating, sleeping, studying, and so on; each task and action takes up a certain amount of time and can only be done at certain times of the day throughout the week (ex: you can only study in the evening, or you can only work part-time on Saturdays); a good example of this type of system is the daily to weekly schedule seen in “Backstage Pass” (have link to images here), except in that game you only have a limited number of slots to fill with tasks and actions (morning and evening) while in this game I want there to be more slots to fill with specific actions and tasks (morning, midday/afternoon, evening and night); to even this out with other games with the same feature and not make it seem too long is that certain tasks and activities can take up one slot while others can take up two or three (ex: cleaning and studying takes up one slot while working part-time takes up two); all tasks are optional but not doing certain ones can have an impact – mostly negative – on the overall gameplay (ex: not going to class and doing homework lowers the MC’s GPA so much that he loses his scholarship and is kicked out of school, leading to the “dropped out” ending)

• Jobs and School – The player has to go to school to maintain a good GPA and keep their scholarship to stay in school, and they have to work to save up money to buy food and gifts and other items that affect stats, work and school performance; completing a job successfully earns the player currency that they can use to buy things, and going to school, studying and going to tutoring sessions keeps their GPA up; there is the possibility of multiple jobs that take up various amounts of time and provide varying amounts of payment, but will require certain stat levels in order to do (if your GPA and intelligence are high enough you can work as a tutor or a teacher’s aide)

• Maintaining Relationships – Like in other VN games the player has to maintain a relationship with multiple characters; once on a particular character’s route how you maintain the MC’s relationship with them changes the ending of the game; there is currently at least 3 different characters you can pursue a route with, with 2 other characters available after getting a certain ending in the first 3 routes; unlike other games you need to maintain a positive or at least a neutral relationship with the other love interests even if you are not on their route, as that can also affect gameplay and the overall ending

• Wardrobe/Clothing system – The player gets a default outfit they wear with every season (summer clothes for summer and winter clothes for winter), but it is possible to buy different clothing sets and/or individual clothing items and accessories to make your own outfits; different characters will have a certain preference of clothing styles and will react as such to your choice in fashion (ex: one character likes the fun/cute style, another likes the cool/outgoing style, and another likes the mature/classy style); it is also possible to receive special outfits, clothes and accessories as gifts the player can wear; some clothing items and accessories can also affect different stats and can be useful during battles (ex: wearing glasses raises intelligence, and wearing sports shoes raises speed/dexterity)

• Battle System – This is one feature that I need the most help with planning and setting up; I was thinking of something like a more interactive battle system like the one seen in Dmmd (DRAMatical Murder) or maybe something that is like the lovechild of Pokemon and the fighting system seen in Loveless; this is a pretty important feature in the game and I would prefer not to omit it

• Achievements – Either in game or Steam related; this is not required for the final game and can be counted as a milestone or stretch goal, but it would be fun to have it in the game; various achievements based on gameplay and endings

Stretch Goals / Milestones
Below is a list of possible milestones and stretch goals that the team could meet when the Patreon is activated. These are not required for the final game that I have in mind (read what I want to see in the Current Game Plans section) but they could be interesting to see in the game and could even be added on as extra content/DLCs after the game is finished. Let me know if any of these stretch goals need to be expanded on or if they are even feasible.

• Attitude/Mood System and meter – The character’s mood/attitude will affect the player’s performance and the various characters will react differently to different attitudes; there will also be a positive-to-negative meter that will change based on actions and reactions; how the play can influence the MC’s attitude is still under debate; if it is set up more as a mood system then certain activities, actions and reactions can affect their mood/attitude (not being social enough makes the MC withdrawn or lonely)

• Fully Voiced Characters – Requires hiring voice actors, either first-timers, small or famous, depending on who we manage to find and hire. Every character will be voiced, both major and minor.

• Animated Opening/Ending Sequence – Requires hiring animators and singers/song writers, either first-timers, small or famous, depending on who we manage to find and hire. An animated opening and ending for the game with their own original songs. This could also lead to an OST release.

• Animated Sprites/Backgrounds – Requires extra coding and hiring animators, or for the artists to know animation. Sprites will either be fully animated or semi animated, same with the backgrounds. (This does NOT include changing expressions or similar)

Project Goals
The goal is to create a fully functional BL visual novel – with more than 6 hours of gameplay over 50 k words long, and multiple endings and events in each playthrough for replay value, along with achievements and such – to be released on Steam. I do not want to spend too much time on the game, but I don’t want to have a deadline to make anyone feel like they need to rush. So – depending on what people say – we will make a playable early alpha version that patrons on Patreon can play, or make an early-release version to be bought and played through Steam, or we will just release a free demo and wait to get the game greenlit when it is finished or really close to being finished (around 95% complete).

Payment
When the project is sold on Steam and on a separate blog (if it is decided), all team members will receive a percentage of the monthly funds. Team members will not receive a set monthly paycheck in the game’s early stages, unless a Patreon is opened at which each team member will receive their respectable payments each month based on funds.

Below is how I would like to separate funds:
Project Lead – 10%
Writers – 10%
Editors – 5%
BG Artists – 10%
Character Artists– 10%
Music – 5%
CG Artists – 10%
Programmers – 15%
Coders – 15%
(Numbers are not final)

I think programmers and coders should get a higher percentage as they are responsible of making the game work. Music and audio composers get less but if an OST is made they will get the funds from that.

When Will The Project Start?
The project will start after these 3 criteria are met:
1) Enough people applied for the open job positions
2) There has been some type of team meeting where everyone will be sent some type of agreement that they will have to agree to by signing and sending it back to me (this is to ensure that everyone agrees to any rules I set up and are okay with the plan for the project)
3) Everyone’s schedules are set for their workloads and everyone agrees with the schedules layout
Once the criteria are met everyone will start working on their parts of the project and I will make an update on this post and on the game blog.

Will The Game Include Adult Content?
Maybe, maybe not, but depending on the opinions of everyone on the team we might release an 18+ rated version containing extra art and content for a higher price, or make the game and have an option in the game settings that shows 18+ rated content. The game regardless of rating will contain violence, weapon use, black magic, some blood, some spooky dark fantasy elements, minor drug and alcohol use (cigs and booze), and mentions of mental illness or issues.

Are You Interested?
There are a few requirements that must be met if you want to be hired on for the project:

a) In the event that it is decided to make the game 18+ with the option to hide/omit adult content in the game settings, all team members MUST be of legal adult age in their state/country! No exceptions! I am taking this project very seriously.
b) You must be fine with not being paid until either the Patreon is opened and we start getting monthly funds or I have saved up enough money to pay you based on your job and the overall pay rate for the game. You will not work pro-bono, but you will not receive a set monthly paycheck while working on the project in its earliest stages. When the game is completed and is being sold on Steam, you will receive a percentage of the monthly sales based on your work.
c) You must be dedicated. This project will take at least a year to finish. Once you sign on for the project you are expected to stay with us until the very end. Do NOT drop off the face of the earth without any warning to us. Do NOT ignore messages or start on your part of the project then stop all together, unless you have a very valid reason why. And if I really like the work you do on the project I will invite you back for any future projects.
d) Everyone has a personal life and that is okay. If something comes up and you need to take a break, let me know right away so that I can have a team meeting and we can rearrange our work schedules to accommodate the change. This also applies if you suddenly can no longer work on the project and need to drop out. Depending on what you have finished by this point your content will be removed from the game and you will receive no credit or I can buy your work/assets and you will receive credit for them. The choice is yours.

If you meet the requirements please leave a note here on the forum and also send me a PM.

[Noyemi K]

Hey there, I'm interested in composing your music (and battle music, basically all your music needs) for this game.

[slashbunnychan]

Hey there, I'm interested in composing your music (and battle music, basically all your music needs) for this game.

Sent you a PM! Thanks for your interest!

[Bonesy0]

Hi,

Depending on when you'd be starting I'd be interesting in helping out with coding, both on the GUI and engine sides of things. I can help with some other miscellaneous things too as needed, I've kinda been pushed around a lot of positions over time. My site's under construction right now, but you can check some games I've worked on at: http://tophatentertainment.us/games/, or PM me for a full portfolio.

Thanks!
-Joe

[slashbunnychan]

Hi,

Depending on when you'd be starting I'd be interesting in helping out with coding, both on the GUI and engine sides of things. I can help with some other miscellaneous things too as needed, I've kinda been pushed around a lot of positions over time. My site's under construction right now, but you can check some games I've worked on at: http://tophatentertainment.us/games/, or PM me for a full portfolio.

Thanks!
-Joe

Sent you a PM!

[DarkChibiShadow]

Hi there!
I work on BL very consistently and would love to help with sprites, backgrounds, CG's, or anything like that!

Here's my Tumblr (18+ warning) http://dcsart.tumblr.com/ and here's my background portfolio: http://imgur.com/a/mLmvM and sprite portfolio: http://imgur.com/a/QB1pI

Hope to hear from you!

[WhiteCharisma]

I want to help for your project
I have 8 years old of exeprience in making video & sound analyse.
I can make a opening/ending video and i can do the BG Sound effect.
I can analyste audio spectrum & quality check too, i have audiophile equipment and study on it, so i can help with no problem in that.
I can try to do voice actor too, i have a deep voice and i'm french, that can fit well i think because the story are in an european country. I have do a voice for a short film too so you can see my voice.
My skype id is : dz.lolo
my username is whitecharisma.
I hope we can tchat

[Vegeluxia]

Hi! I have an art posting here if you're interested at taking a peak. I love doing character work. I also have experience collaborating heavily with other artists and have no issues doing so.

However, if I'm not quite what you're looking for in regards to art, I'm also interested in writing. I'll shoot you a PM with some examples.