(P)lanets 2 - the life of happiness has started! [otome]

[Kahtita]

I liked the newer sprite, it's quite better than the new one. Although i liked the old sprite, the newer one seems, you know, younger, as he is supposed to be, since he is 15 only. The old one seems, dunno, 18 at least. xD

Also, i liked the pref menu, buuut, it's a bit too bright, in my humble opinion. =~
I mean, it hurts the eyes a bit, that's all. >_>

I hope you have some nice vacations. =3

[eternalwishess]

The newest sprite definitely looks like it has a lot more life to it. I think it's the change in skin coloring that did the trick. I see the eyes are fixed too.
The main menu is kinda bright, but I don't mind x_x not a big problem. In fact, it gives an emphasis on the theme of the VN.

[Capsy]

The first (P)lanets game was one of the reasons I got interested in VNs and wanted to join this forum, so it's great to see that the sequel is coming along really well and you are making good progress! I really like the new configuration screen, it's all bright and shiny and wonderful. *.*

The main reason I'm looking forward to this sequel is that it seems to be focusing more on the psychic side of things, which is obviously the main hook for the series, but I felt it was never explored to its full potential in the first game. Being able to actually use your psychic power when you want to in (P)lanets 2 seems like it's going to be a lot of fun, having more control of the psychic side of things and not just the romancing boys side of things. That being said, winning over the boys looks like it's going to be a fun time too... I cant decide which one is my favourite! >u<

I'm looking forward very much to hearing more about the progress of this game! Keep up the good work!

[Acorn]

I'm very excited for the release of this game! The first (P)lanets was a lot of fun; it seemed to have a carefree sweetness that a lot of North American otome games seem to lack. Good job! n_n Your art is also improving tremendously, although I'd say you've always had a knack for colours, from what I can see. The cell-phone system sounds like it'll add a whole other dimension to the game, too. And being able to use your psy!

One the one main critisism I can give art-wise is on the length/looseness of their ties. Ties are generally supposed to go to or just below the belt, so it appears the ties they are wearing look far too small. They also look loosened, which is fine for a laid-back character; but for one who is generally neat and well kempt, the shirt would be buttoned up, and the tie neat (try Googling "shirt and tie", if I'm not explaining myself very well). Other than that though, I love their designs, and they're all super cute! Yusa is definitely my favourite so far. :3

Another critisism I have is of something from the first game. I don't know if this is the right place for it, but I really wanted to say something about it. I'll be blunt; I found the scene where Marin was almost raped pretty unnecessary. I mean, rape in Japanese otome games (particularly of the H variety) is a problem. These games are supposed to be aimed at women, and I don't think having every route have an unavoidable scene where the main character is completely powerless is a good thing. I know many women like the idea of being saved by a man (or being overpowered by one, which I don't think was the point in this case), and that's fine; I just don't think rape should enter the equation. Maybe it's a personal thing, but I have heard a lot of other otome fans complain about this as well. Anyway, I mean nothing personal by it! It's just something to think about.

Anyway, keep it up! You're doing an amazing job; you've got quite a fanbase. n_n

[teacup]

^w^ Thank you everyone~ I'm glad to know that I have improved Yusa's face. The next person getting a facelift will be Hitomi, though I haven't begun editing him yet. Then Mikah.
I think I'll keep Nemu the same, however.. he came out how I wanted him to pretty much. ^-^
I'll also consider making the pref screen a little less bright. My monitor is pretty bright so the colors probably don't seem as bright to me, sorry if I blinded anyone XD; Although neon colors have always been part of the color scheme.
And yes, although romancing the guys is well over half of the game's purpose, I am putting more of a focus on the psychic side of things. As I said earlier, each character's psychic power is very important to who they are as a person. :3
Word count has reached 15k. Demo soon...?

One the one main critisism I can give art-wise is on the length/looseness of their ties.

I see... I will be the first to admit I don't know anything about how a tie should look. XD I did a bit of research on it, but not enough it seems. The current sprites you see aren’t final; I’m still editing them quite a bit so I will keep this in mind!

Another critisism I have is of something from the first game. I don't know if this is the right place for it, but I really wanted to say something about it. I'll be blunt; I found the scene where Marin was almost raped pretty unnecessary.

The purpose of that scene was simply to demonstrate the extent of Kaius’ power. A dramatic scene was necessary to make him lose control of his psych and unleash his full strength. It wasn’t meant to offend anyone nor was it to make the player like the idea of being saved by a man. I apologize if you found it offensive, and the second game won't have anything like that.
I’d prefer if this discussion doesn’t continue, since comments about the first game should be put on the thread for the first game, not this one. Although they are related, they’re two different games, so I’d rather only discuss (P)lanets 2 here. I hope this doesn’t seem defensive, that is not my intention. ^^;
Anyway, thank you very much for the comment Glad you’re looking forward to the game~

[xelacroix]

i like the chibis

[omgwtfsushi]

oh my..this looks so awesome!! i loved the first one and now i can't wait for this one!!!
you and your planets team are amazing!! thank you for sharing another awesome game!! XD

[Nanatsun]

It seems I ended up lying about watching it closely. ;A; I'm sorry, so many things happened at once in December, and now other things. Generally un-fun things.

Anyway! ... From where I left off... (This might be very long again..) Which would be... right when Hitomi's hair became a debate back on page 6.

I like Hitomi's change to brunette! There's a sad lack of male brunettes with glasses, or brunettes with blue eyes in general. I think he looked a bit more natural with auburn, but that's probably just because that's how he was introduced first. I think I can grow to like him just as much as a brunette! ... Ah, now we match...

Ren looks so.. pretty... ... ... ... I.. have a bad habit of writing one-shot fanfics when I get really into something. <_< Since I've made my tastes pretty clear... don't be surprised if I end up writing something weird with Ren in it!

The map looks great! Having the arrows actually point to where the locations are has strangely tickled me. I think I like it more than I should, if that makes sense. Gives a good perspective of how big the grounds are.

And oh my gosh... The screencap of Rinko running into Kaius is gorgeous :O I love his redone sprite. What a cool sen-- UPPERCLASSMAN. Now I'm wondering if he'll have mellowed out a bit. I'm kind of recalling that you said you wouldn't be showing for sure who the canon choice ended up being in the first game... Would him mellowing out be too much in Kaius' direction or not, I wonder... For that matter, what about all the girls? O_O Will they still have Lucan fever, and will them NOT having it be too far in Lucan's direction... Actually, the more I think of this, the more I think this would be a good chance to kind of set more of a definite boundary. I mean, you could only go one way at a time in the first game, obviously, but having some things have changed for the better like Kaius chilling the heck out and Lucan accepting responsibility for his crap would at least set a very good friendship between the first cast. Not to mention, having both of those things happen (I can't think of anything for Ryuu ughhh) would probably balance out the "who did Marin pick" thing to still be ambiguous.

I like Yusa's new face. His mouth looks muuuch better. Though, again since I'm not an artist, I can't say how to fix what I complain about, but his eyes... While they look more intense somehow, which is a good thing, they seem a little.... o_> like a lazy eye, slightly. Scrolling down, I really like Celianna's edit. I think I should probably shut my trap about the art and let her talk about it since she can actually say how it needs fixing and give examples.

I hope Altiera is here to stay. That CG is just flat-out eye-candy. Never thought someone so absorbed in a game could look cool. (Also somehow his handheld makes me think Sega Nomad rather than PSP, which also tickles me wonderfully.) I've seen commercial works (not from here) with far worse art, so you know you've got a winner if she's in it 'till the end!

The config screen... It does indeed look a bit too bright and hard to look at after a while, though to offer much suggestion would be hard, since as was also said, it does match the theme so far. XD (Though someone could make the argument that we don't spend much time there anyway..) I'd personally change the shade of yellow used for the speed and volume bars, though. It blends in a bit too easily with the window. And whatever picture you posted after that is gone D:

I'm a little more excited than I should be about seeing the ties be redone. Man, I felt like I was just being the nitpickiest when I first posted, but everyone else has brought up other good points, too. Even having worn ties before, for some reason, I never thought about their ties other than the colors...

Now for the other blog post... 8D... First thing I see is the screencap... and this is just my personal reaction, but I'd probably punch Yusa for saying that, just because it sounded so moody. (I have "violence fixes everything" hardwired into my brain from gaming <_<)

Unless it's completely relevant, I'll probably end up doing the first run just doing nothing but going to class to copy down the notes so I can skip in the next routes.. o_o Should probably make a minimum attendance thing to make sure people don't do that.

I was recognized as Rookie of the Year at Visual Novels Now. Also, (P)lanets was named one of the year's best otome games! I am soo thankful for the recognition I have got since I released (P)lanets. I truly didn't expect it... honestly, I only expected a few comments before it was forgotten about. xD I appreciate each and every person who takes the time to play (P)lanets. Thank you all for making 2011 a memorable year for me!! *w*

:OOO Oh my gosh... Congratulations!! Though I'm not really following any other projects, from the look of this sequel, 2012 will be just as great! If (P)lanets 2 doesn't hit the top 10, someone obviously wouldn't have been paying attention.

Now for new things I thought about! ... Which don't really matter! It just occurred to me to ask, but why is the P in the title in brackets? And... will the opening song also be a Vocaloid song this time? Subtitles would be good if it's going to be Japanese. I'm actually pretty into Vocaloid at the moment, so I'm interested~

Hopefully I'll be around a bit more now. I'm growing more and more excited for how this is going to turn out as things keep on improving. ^^

[teacup]

@omgwtfsushi
I should be the one thanking you! ^o^ Glad you're looking forward to the game!

Ren looks so.. pretty... ... ... ... I.. have a bad habit of writing one-shot fanfics when I get really into something. <_< Since I've made my tastes pretty clear... don't be surprised if I end up writing something weird with Ren in it!

I would actually enjoy reading a fan-fic about Ren, even if it is weird XD I haven't received any fanfictions yet, I'm very interested in seeing how it would turn out!

And oh my gosh... The screencap of Rinko running into Kaius is gorgeous :O I love his redone sprite. What a cool sen-- UPPERCLASSMAN. Now I'm wondering if he'll have mellowed out a bit. I'm kind of recalling that you said you wouldn't be showing for sure who the canon choice ended up being in the first game... Would him mellowing out be too much in Kaius' direction or not, I wonder... For that matter, what about all the girls? O_O Will they still have Lucan fever, and will them NOT having it be too far in Lucan's direction... Actually, the more I think of this, the more I think this would be a good chance to kind of set more of a definite boundary. I mean, you could only go one way at a time in the first game, obviously, but having some things have changed for the better like Kaius chilling the heck out and Lucan accepting responsibility for his crap would at least set a very good friendship between the first cast. Not to mention, having both of those things happen (I can't think of anything for Ryuu ughhh) would probably balance out the "who did Marin pick" thing to still be ambiguous.

I think I'm going to give players the assumption that each of the endings really happened. That way, fans of each guy can still imagine that their boy and Marin are still together. So they'll all act as if they ended up with Marin [as weird as that sounds, they're never going to actually mention who their girlfriend is XD]. For example,
Kaius no longer actually attends Planets - he's just an assisstant there to his dad and he's only around occasionally. Ogi-sensei mentions somewhere that Kaius dropped out of school to elope with his first love. Lucan is not a student at Planets because he was expelled and his fangirls are no longer brainwashed. But you'll see him elsewhere, outside of school Ryuu is in the same grade as Hitomi [juniors] because he is working on graduating.
Remember, this takes place one year after the first game, so Ryuu would be a third year by now! I think this is the best way to go so that no matter who your favorite in the first game was, it'll seem like he and Marin are still together.

I like Yusa's new face. His mouth looks muuuch better. Though, again since I'm not an artist, I can't say how to fix what I complain about, but his eyes... While they look more intense somehow, which is a good thing, they seem a little.... o_> like a lazy eye, slightly. Scrolling down, I really like Celianna's edit. I think I should probably shut my trap about the art and let her talk about it since she can actually say how it needs fixing and give examples.

Check out the sprites on the new thread. I've fixed Yusa since then [that's the picture that got deleted... I don't know why tinypic hates me so much =A=;] and I've also edited Mikah and Hitomi [and Nemu just slightly]. Please let me know what you think of them!
I haven't done anything with their ties yet, but I am planning to change those at some point!

I hope Altiera is here to stay. That CG is just flat-out eye-candy. Never thought someone so absorbed in a game could look cool. (Also somehow his handheld makes me think Sega Nomad rather than PSP, which also tickles me wonderfully.) I've seen commercial works (not from here) with far worse art, so you know you've got a winner if she's in it 'till the end!

I hope so too ;A;
Wait till you see the other CGs - there are four in the demo which I will release in the near future - they're just as good, if not better! I feel blessed to have such a great artist! This should eliminate all those complaints about my lazy/rushed CGs in the first game!

The config screen... It does indeed look a bit too bright and hard to look at after a while, though to offer much suggestion would be hard, since as was also said, it does match the theme so far. XD (Though someone could make the argument that we don't spend much time there anyway..) I'd personally change the shade of yellow used for the speed and volume bars, though. It blends in a bit too easily with the window.

I see, I'll tamper with the colors a bit and see if I can get a less blinding yellow. Never had a taste for UI design, haha. But yeah, as you said, you're probably only going to be spending a couple of seconds on the config screen so hopefully the bright colors aren't such a big deal XD

Now for the other blog post... 8D... First thing I see is the screencap... and this is just my personal reaction, but I'd probably punch Yusa for saying that, just because it sounded so moody. (I have "violence fixes everything" hardwired into my brain from gaming <_<)

Yusa IS very moody. Well, maybe that isn't the right word.. he's just.. slightly erratic. With good reason, of course!

Unless it's completely relevant, I'll probably end up doing the first run just doing nothing but going to class to copy down the notes so I can skip in the next routes.. o_o Should probably make a minimum attendance thing to make sure people don't do that.

I'm still working on this aspect of the game so I'm not entirely sure how that would work out. ^^;
For now, I have it planned that your attendance has a slight effect on the ending you get. One boy in particular will ask you to skip class with him on a regular basis, so by going to lessons everyday, you'll basically be eliminating him as a romantic option.

:OOO Oh my gosh... Congratulations!! Though I'm not really following any other projects, from the look of this sequel, 2012 will be just as great! If (P)lanets 2 doesn't hit the top 10, someone obviously wouldn't have been paying attention.

Thank you so much! I was really surprised when I saw, and honored ;o;!

Now for new things I thought about! ... Which don't really matter! It just occurred to me to ask, but why is the P in the title in brackets? And... will the opening song also be a Vocaloid song this time? Subtitles would be good if it's going to be Japanese. I'm actually pretty into Vocaloid at the moment, so I'm interested~

Because the P in (P)lanets stands for Psychic - which is an incredibly important part of the story. Figured I should emphasis the 'psychic' part by putting it in brackets.
And yes, the opening song is Vocaloid again! It's slightly less energetic/catchy than the first song but it's still very cute and the best I can find at the moment. I'll provide subtitles if I can find them - I don't think I'm capable of typing them myself however ^^;

Hopefully I'll be around a bit more now. I'm growing more and more excited for how this is going to turn out as things keep on improving. ^^

Thank you very much! I hope you'll stick around, I really enjoy your long comments!!

[Nanatsun]

I think I'm going to give players the assumption that each of the endings really happened. That way, fans of each guy can still imagine that their boy and Marin are still together. So they'll all act as if they ended up with Marin [as weird as that sounds, they're never going to actually mention who their girlfriend is XD].

Those all sound great... But Ryuu with Hitomi, heee... I wonder how many days Hitomi will also be quite tired. ....gaahhhh, now I'm also thinking of a harem ending. lol

Check out the sprites on the new thread. I've fixed Yusa since then [that's the picture that got deleted... I don't know why tinypic hates me so much =A=;] and I've also edited Mikah and Hitomi [and Nemu just slightly]. Please let me know what you think of them!

Ah-- is there a Player Chat thread for that new thread? I'm not familiar with the rules, but from what was said there, using that thread for feedback is a nono?
mmmuhhh, ;A; Hitomi... that face.. is the kind you cup with both hands when kissing from above. I get the feeling I won't be shoving this out of my mind for today... especially with the sad-looking expression he has in the bottom screenshot...
This Nemu puts me back on the wall about who gets to be first route for me... Though, his eyes also look kinda <_>...
Yusa, as said, looks much better.
Mikah actually looks calmer... o_o I... suddenly like him a lot more than before.

I'm still working on this aspect of the game so I'm not entirely sure how that would work out. ^^;
For now, I have it planned that your attendance has a slight effect on the ending you get. One boy in particular will ask you to skip class with him on a regular basis, so by going to lessons everyday, you'll basically be eliminating him as a romantic option.

I guess that's one thing, but... something of a minimum attendance should probably be added to keep us from skipping too much o_o I mean sure, we can know all there is from previous runs, but schools tend to look down on constant ditchers no matter how many A+'s they get. Maybe make it something of a sudden bad end at some point if you've been ditching too much. ... This isn't a suggestion, but I just pictured a weird meta scene with them accusing Rinko of cheating with "someone else's" (previous run) notes... hehe.

And yes, the opening song is Vocaloid again! It's slightly less energetic/catchy than the first song but it's still very cute and the best I can find at the moment. I'll provide subtitles if I can find them - I don't think I'm capable of typing them myself however ^^;

I personally wasn't a fan of the song that was used last time, actually <_< Dunno why. It's not a bad song, it just didn't stick with me.
If the opening movie is just on youtube again, I think adding subtitles with the caption feature would be best. If it's going to be in the game, well... If my dad ever gives me back my desktop, I could add them myself if there's an existing translation. I don't have a good example on my laptop right now, but if you're interested, I could PM you a test video I forgot I had uploaded until now. It's unlisted and I don't really want people looking at it since the audio for it isn't anywhere near done <_<

[teacup]

Those all sound great... But Ryuu with Hitomi, heee... I wonder how many days Hitomi will also be quite tired. ....gaahhhh, now I'm also thinking of a harem ending. lol

Oh boy, a harem ending... I don't think I could write something like that seriously XD If I put in an ending like that, it'd have to be a troll/joke ending, lol.

Ah-- is there a Player Chat thread for that new thread? I'm not familiar with the rules, but from what was said there, using that thread for feedback is a nono?

Yeah, a few of the shorter posts got moved into a Player's Chat which I didn't create. I believe Pytom made it. I'm still a bit confused about the rules, but from what I understand, actual feedback and/or critique [like what you've been giving me thus far ] belongs in the new thread. Comments that are shorter or just giving encouragement go in Player's Chat. And as for this thread... I don't even know what it's good for anymore, honestly XD; I requested to have this thread merged with my Player's Chat thread, but for some reason it seems like that's not gonna happen.
So I'm not 100% sure, but I think that if you continue to post all these [super useful!] comments, you should put them in the new thread instead of this one. Confusing...

I'm glad you like the changes I made to the sprites! I'm especially happy with Hitomi - I really wanted him to look like a puppy in a way XD As for Nemu, that's just the shape of his eyes, which always have a tired/sleepy look to them - but if it looks weird, I'll see about changing it.
Funny how just changing Mikah's face made a difference in your impression of him!

I guess that's one thing, but... something of a minimum attendance should probably be added to keep us from skipping too much o_o I mean sure, we can know all there is from previous runs, but schools tend to look down on constant ditchers no matter how many A+'s they get. Maybe make it something of a sudden bad end at some point if you've been ditching too much. ... This isn't a suggestion, but I just pictured a weird meta scene with them accusing Rinko of cheating with "someone else's" (previous run) notes... hehe.

That's a good idea. Maybe if you've skipped so many days that you have a bare minimum amount of knowledge, the next time you try to skip, Rinko will think to herself "Actually, I think I should go to class today..." or something like that. I'd be able to implement that pretty easily, actually. :3 Thanks for the suggestion!
Also the idea of using your notes from a previous run seems really... interesting XD Almost like a time paradox or something happening haha.
Kinda reminds me of the game 999, if you've played it

I personally wasn't a fan of the song that was used last time, actually <_< Dunno why. It's not a bad song, it just didn't stick with me.

In that case, you might actually prefer the new song I've chosen XD
I picked the first song because the lyrics were about both love and planets/space... which seemed kinda perfect.

I could PM you a test video I forgot I had uploaded until now. It's unlisted and I don't really want people looking at it since the audio for it isn't anywhere near done <_<

Haha, sure!
I have yet to find an existing translation for the lyrics but I'll keep looking around. ^^;
I'm still kinda iffy about using a song when I'm not totally sure what they're singing about...

[shadowolffe]

OHHHH SHI-----------------------.
Since when did this got pulled out of your brain??
It's going to be cute, just like the last one (~-^w^)~

[PinkiiDesu]

Meep ~! I just played the first one and ADORED it(:
Looking foward to the second one!
I'm going for the childhood friend... Im a sucker for childhood friends :333

and i absolutely adore her psych ~!

[aya001]

Loved the first game, and when looking throught the WIP I just found this and.... can't wait to play this one, keep the good work!!!!! ^_^

[Mumble315]

Awesome >w<
I loved the first game, and I can't wait for this one to come out x3