Allégro: a Ballet dating sim. [GxB & GxG]

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MelodyKnighton
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Allégro: a Ballet dating sim. [GxB & GxG]

#1 Post by MelodyKnighton »

Image


Plot:
This story follows Lola Fuentes, a strong willed young woman whose dream is to one day be a prima ballerina.
This is easier said than done. While she's athletic and skilled, she has no formal training and her struggling
family cannot afford to send her to the prestigious ballet school of her dreams: Bellamy Conservatory.

Upon discovering that the school offers a single full scholarship every year, Lola takes it upon herself to make
a submission tape that will blow them all away. It has everything, from neon leggings to strobe lights, all set
to the song 'Wannabe' by the Spice Girls. Honestly it was a bit of a train wreck but for some mysterious reason,
one week later she received her formal invitation to the academy.

No one knows why the Dean decided to accept her into the school, but it's obvious the rest of the students
and staff don't approve of her being there. Lola is different in more ways than one, but she's dead set on
proving them all wrong and getting the lead in the end of the semester performance of Swan Lake. Will she
discover the Dean's ulterior motives or even fall in love along the way? It's up to you to find out.

Attention:
I know this type of story can be misinterpreted, so I want to make note
of some basic info on the game.

-Lola is an underdog in the sense of her lack of professional experience,
not in her skill level. She's an amazing athlete and with slightly different
but still impressive talent.

-There will not be any weight loss or conforming to standard ballet norms in order
for Lola to get to her goals. That is not what this game is about. She
will have to refine her skills and techniques but this is a game about how
everyone is different and how it honestly doesn't matter that much.

-This is not a stat raiser game. It is 100% story driven.

-The GxG routes are as thought out and developed as the GxB ones. There will
not be any gay fetishizing. Just people falling in love with whomever they choose.

-If you have any concerns please let me know! It helps me as a creator to make
a better and more enjoyable game. : )


Characters:

Main=


Image
Lola: The main character. Lola is spunky and outgoing with a hot headed passion for ballet.
She grew up in a large mexican family with 4 older brothers, so wrestling and arguing are second nature
to her. Lola will fight for what she wants, and only her own naivity and ditzy innocence will get in her way.


Dateable=


Image
Naoko: Lola's roomate, a petite beauty with lots of talent for dancing,
which is pushed to the extreme due to intense pressure from her family and high
expectations. She was raised by her very traditional Japanese grandmother and
her elegance and calm demeanor reflects that. It would be easy for Naoko to
develop into a rival but is ballet but she seems uninterested in her competition.
Does Naoko even enjoy ballet anymore? And what is she really like under her
soft spoken facade.

Image
Felix: A student teacher at Bellamy right out of college and studying for
his masters in choreography. Felix grew up in Puerto Rico before moving to the
US with his father in highschool. He's extra harsh and strict with Lola, a complete
no-nonsense personality during school hours. Does he dislike her, or is he pushing her to succeed?

Eli: A senior at Bellamy and the premier male lead in all of the plays. He's
used to getting what he wants, and makes dancing look easy, but is he more than a
handsome face and a charming personality? Eli hasn't seen his family from Russia in
nearly a decade, having been raised by the Dean of the school specifically for his ballet prowess.

Cait: Lola's rival, the current premier female lead in the school, though
her dancing abilities are not quite up to par with what you would expect. Could
this favoritism be due to donations her two mothers make to the school, or perhaps
Cait's love for collecting and creating gossip to use against anyone that stands in her way.

Tucker: A prodigy pianist who is as talented as he is adorkable. Despite his
abilities, he still has a day job at the ballet school, composing music for their productions.
This humbleness and work ethic come from his endearing parents, both success stories
in their own right as doctors. Tucker befriends Lola quickly and roots for her behind
the scenes and is a very sweet and caring individual.

Supporting:

The Dean, Monsieur Bellamy: A mysterious man who is rarely seen or heard from.
He is soley responsible for Lola's admittance to the school. Was he impressed with her,
or is it all some cruel joke. Rumors are that Monsieur Bellamy was slated to become
famous in his youth, due to elegance and precision unmatched, but was injured in a car
accident that ended his budding career. They also say he's bitter towards anyone with
the abilities to someday surpass his former skill level. The only student to know what
he looks like is Eli, who was taken in by Monsieur Bellamy over ten years ago.

Madame Bellamy: Monsieur Bellamy's younger sister, the much less reclusive of the
two. She only received minor success as a dancer, and now teaches at the conservatory.
She's known for being strict for rules and tradition as well as being ruthless with her students.
Madame Bellamy picks favorites early in the year and makes life hell for those she doesn't approve of.


Art:


Logo=
Image

Chibi Lola (possibly for the menu)=
Image

Theater BG=
Image

Dorm BG=
Image


About:

-Commercial game ($10 kickstarter price)

-5 dateable characters (3 male, 2 female)

-12 possible endings

-1 pose each character

-5 outfits each character (more available for main character in the store)

-8 expressions each character

-8 backgrounds

-7 CG's (possibly twice as many if kickstarter succeeds)


Progress:
Outline= 80%
Script= 10%
Sprites= 30%
BG's= 30%
CG's= 0%
Logo= 100%
GUI= 10%


Comments:

If you like the idea of this game and want to join the team (for a cut of the profits if we take it commerical), I can always use help with the following:

-GUI
-video editor
-Music

Links:

-Website: http://www.losmuertosstudios.com/
-Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/LosMuertosGames
-Our Tumblr: http://losmuertosstudios.tumblr.com/
Last edited by MelodyKnighton on Sun Jun 15, 2014 9:00 pm, edited 9 times in total.

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Re: Allégro: a Ballet dating sim. [GxB & GxG]

#2 Post by Evolution »

Have you ever seen the movie Billy Elliot? It's a wonderful film, though I'm mentioning it more specifically because certain aspects of your plot are reminiscent of it.

I love your main character's design, in any case, and I would certainly be interested in seeing how a ballet-centric visual novel is handled!

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Re: Allégro: a Ballet dating sim. [GxB & GxG]

#3 Post by Rinima »

Yay! It's on the WIP :P
Also, I like Naoko's design, she's very pretty :3

MelodyKnighton wrote: -A possible Eroge rated M edition will be released at the same time as the extended edition
if there's a demand for it. It will be $9.99 and will feature 2 more dateable characters,
one male, one female, as well as three times as many backgrounds and CG's.
Hahaha, I was joking when I posted that original comment on the idea thread (not sure if that was what prompted it or what?), but I'd buy that ;)
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Re: Allégro: a Ballet dating sim. [GxB & GxG]

#4 Post by MelodyKnighton »

Evolution wrote:Have you ever seen the movie Billy Elliot? It's a wonderful film, though I'm mentioning it more specifically because certain aspects of your plot are reminiscent of it.

I love your main character's design, in any case, and I would certainly be interested in seeing how a ballet-centric visual novel is handled!

I love Billy Elliot! I'm a total sucker for underdog ballet movies, which is probably why this game is happening. haha.

Rinima wrote:Hahaha, I was joking when I posted that original comment on the idea thread (not sure if that was what prompted it or what?), but I'd buy that ;)
Haha I figured you were joking, but I thought 'hey that's a neat idea'. I normally stick to PG-rated things, so no promises it will definitely happen, but I like the idea of pushing myself out of my comfort zone a bit and making some really tasteful sexy time art from a female gaze, simply because there's not enough of it out there.

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Re: Allégro: a Ballet dating sim. [GxB & GxG]

#5 Post by Kyra10 »

Oohhh, this looks awesome!
I've always wanted to play a ballet dating sim. :D
I'm so excited for this game! Good luck!

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Re: Allégro: a Ballet dating sim. [GxB & GxG]

#6 Post by Angie »

Naoko design is lovely <3 I'm glad it's a wip now! Good luck!
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Re: Allégro: a Ballet dating sim. [GxB & GxG]

#7 Post by KittyKatStar »

I love the ballet setting and the art design. <3 Good luck with the game!
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Re: Allégro: a Ballet dating sim. [GxB & GxG]

#8 Post by papillon »

Good luck - I'd like to see how this develops!

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Re: Allégro: a Ballet dating sim. [GxB & GxG]

#9 Post by Jackpop »

Good Luck with the game!

I'm really excited about this.
The sprites up so far are absolutely gorgeous, and I love Lola as unconventional main character.
Will definitely be following this as it develops. <3

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Re: Allégro: a Ballet dating sim. [GxB & GxG]

#10 Post by Taleweaver »

While I really like the art style and quality, Lola's thighs look almost comically large, even for someone who doesn't practice ballet. I'm a little afraid that this is going to be one of the games where "stat-raising" means "losing weight for the sake of your career/love", as in "you can only win if you're perfect".

Maybe I'm interpreting a little much into a single image, but are you sure you're setting the right message?
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Re: Allégro: a Ballet dating sim. [GxB & GxG]

#11 Post by Mad Harlequin »

Taleweaver wrote:While I really like the art style and quality, Lola's thighs look almost comically large, even for someone who doesn't practice ballet. I'm a little afraid that this is going to be one of the games where "stat-raising" means "losing weight for the sake of your career/love", as in "you can only win if you're perfect".

Maybe I'm interpreting a little much into a single image, but are you sure you're setting the right message?
Excellent point. I'm ashamed I didn't realize this myself.
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Re: Allégro: a Ballet dating sim. [GxB & GxG]

#12 Post by Angie »

Mad Harlequin wrote:
Taleweaver wrote:While I really like the art style and quality, Lola's thighs look almost comically large, even for someone who doesn't practice ballet. I'm a little afraid that this is going to be one of the games where "stat-raising" means "losing weight for the sake of your career/love", as in "you can only win if you're perfect".

Maybe I'm interpreting a little much into a single image, but are you sure you're setting the right message?
Excellent point. I'm ashamed I didn't realize this myself.
Isn't the idea more like... Her thighs are the sign of her athletic figure (it's muscles not fat you see) and that will help her to be a different kind of ballerina - not the delicate one, but skilled and able to use all her good points so her figure doesn't matter that much?
From what I understood, it's Lola's figure and even if she would want to, it's impossible for her to lose that much weight (unless she goes for anorexia, maybe).
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Re: Allégro: a Ballet dating sim. [GxB & GxG]

#13 Post by MelodyKnighton »

Taleweaver wrote:While I really like the art style and quality, Lola's thighs look almost comically large, even for someone who doesn't practice ballet. I'm a little afraid that this is going to be one of the games where "stat-raising" means "losing weight for the sake of your career/love", as in "you can only win if you're perfect".

Maybe I'm interpreting a little much into a single image, but are you sure you're setting the right message?

I think you're misinterpreting the game a bit, but I do appreciate the concern. It's sad that so many games have messages like that, to the point where we assume it will go that way for all new games. There's no reason for you to give me a benefit of the doubt over just some art, but I assure you that was never the route this was going, in fact the game is about the exact opposite.

Lola has some thunder thighs of steel (and she practices ballet every day, just not with a formal teacher, so those are some serious muscles), and they are there because she's a strong athlete. Look at Olympic gymnasts, volley ball players, swimmers, ect. Most women in a psychical sport have some very strong and impressive thighs and Lola is no different, she can leap circles around her competition and she's extremely proud of them. Why wouldn't she be?

Also this is not a stat raising sim, but even if it was, there would not be a weight loss element. There will be some moments in the game where she has to deal with realistic pressure from other's about her size, but the plot is about proving you can do everything despite your differences, not conforming to what works for everyone else.

But thanks again for voicing your very valid concerns. It shows me that I need to more clearly explain the story in order to get away from preconceived notions of the genre. If anyone else is worried about something, please speak up. It helps me as a creator, and hopefully it will lead to an even better game. : )

[EDIT: added an 'attention' section first post to address any concerns more clearly.]

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Re: Allégro: a Ballet dating sim. [GxB & GxG]

#14 Post by KittyKatStar »

If it helps, when I looked at Lola's sprite, I never saw her as overweight or someone who *had* to lose weight. ^^; I thought she had a lovely body type. When I took jazz and hip-hop there were a number of girls with that body type that did fine (yea different dancing, and it wasn't a competitive thing so... ^^; )

I coach gymnastics (and did gymnastics) and a LOT of good gymnasts are super tiny things. However I've still seen talented 5'8" gymnasts with strong thighs able to compete, etc. (I think any gymnast with a height over 5'4" is considered pretty tall for the sport.) But there are people like Marie-Sophie Hindermann and Cara Pomeroy who prove that tall gymnasts can go far. I wasn't considered that uh delicate and slender (or flexible) in gymnastics so most of my routines focused on power jumps and energy and faster-paced stuff.

So I saw Lola as someone with a body type not that common in ballet, and finding where she shines in ballet. (Similar to a short person wanting to play basketball/volleyball where having height is an advantage in the sport.)
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Re: Allégro: a Ballet dating sim. [GxB & GxG]

#15 Post by MelodyKnighton »

KittyKatStar wrote:If it helps, when I looked at Lola's sprite, I never saw her as overweight or someone who *had* to lose weight. ^^; I thought she had a lovely body type. When I took jazz and hip-hop there were a number of girls with that body type that did fine (yea different dancing, and it wasn't a competitive thing so... ^^; )

I coach gymnastics (and did gymnastics) and a LOT of good gymnasts are super tiny things. However I've still seen talented 5'8" gymnasts with strong thighs able to compete, etc. (I think any gymnast with a height over 5'4" is considered pretty tall for the sport.) But there are people like Marie-Sophie Hindermann and Cara Pomeroy who prove that tall gymnasts can go far. I wasn't considered that uh delicate and slender (or flexible) in gymnastics so most of my routines focused on power jumps and energy and faster-paced stuff.

So I saw Lola as someone with a body type not that common in ballet, and finding where she shines in ballet.
Exactly this. It never even dawned on me that Lola's figure would be misinterpreted because to me she was just a slightly exaggerated illustration of female athletes in real life that I admire as well as my own Latina family. Women come in all shapes and sizes and weight/muscle isn't always evenly distributed.

So it didn't seem odd to me at the time, but I guess if you've been burned enough with commercial games about weight loss or any other kind of shaming, it can be easy to read into things, which is a sad truth about the industry I guess. It's too bad that when we see a non-standard main character that we have to worry about him/her adapting to the norm in order to succeed. Do you think it's because we expect that in the 'real world' or just because it's what we've been told to expect?

Either way, it's awesome to get some feedback from someone who was in a similar field. Would you mind if I picked your brain via pm when I get more into the writing of the game? It's always nice to get some first hand knowledge from female athletes about training and things of that sort.

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