I'm making this WIP thread because I'm bursting at the seams to be able to share updates on my game, and also this is a good place to get constructive criticism and help. I really hope that I can make something people will enjoy. So let's get to it!
Dammerung is my homage to the Dracula mythos and classic horror, albeit a bastardized romance version. A lot of my favorite stories feature vampires, and I really wanted to bring together the things about them that I like best. This is a romance story, and the "monster and woman fall in love" trope is pretty strong in it, but I also am working on making my leading lady as realistic as possible. I definitely want to work with the ideas of the tragic monster (think frankenstein and phantom of the opera) and the thematic differences between men and the monsters they become.
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Synopsis
You are Dahlia Singh, an intrepid explorer and professional photographer, well known among photography lovers for your eerie photos of abandoned places. You are on a tour of Europe photographing supposedly haunted castles when our story begins. You come to a small and secluded village in Germany on your way to Berlin, and there you hear stories of a haunted Estate. Naturally, this piques your interest, and so you venture off - but what will you do when the rumors prove true?
Dahlia Singh
"This is absolutely, completely, unequivocally and absurdly impossible."
Dahlia is a violently independent woman. Brusque and a little abrasive, her traveling lifestyle suits her somewhat prickly personality. Despite this and her tendency for swearing, Dahlia is loyal and of strong moral fiber.
the monster called Alucard
"I am a monster, and you are a fool."
The Monster has been called many names, most forgotten by all but him. What is he? Why was he imprisoned? The Monster has the answers to your questions, but his compliance comes at a price.
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So what do y'all think? The art is all by me, I've just learned how to digitally color so my shading is totally wonky.. These are probably the final character designs, the only differences in the future would be better coloring. (the sizing got messed up when I resized orz)
Also, I have no idea how to code but hell, I've never written anything before either so I'll learn! (or I will get friends to help o-|-< )
Any advice or criticism is totally awesome!! Thanks so much!! <3
STATUS:
Writing: 20%
Programming: 0% (I want to start this when I get the script 50% written, is that acceptable? or should I start earlier?)
Sprites: 25%
Backgrounds: I might use free backgrounds, and I might take a stab at making my own. I'll jump that hurdle soon!
STATUS 2/20/14:
Writing: 40%
Programming: 0% - I just downloaded Ren'Py and I'm using this tutorial to learn coding basics!
Sprites: 90% - I only have a few more sprites for Alucard and then I'm done uwu
Backgrounds: this hurdle has not been jumped o-|-<
CGs: I'm gonna have CGs now! woo!
STATUS 2/24/2014:
Writing: 60% (i went through what I've written, and realized that I'm a lot closer than I thought!)
Programming: 10% (i started! yeah!)
Sprites: 50% (I changed Alucard's sprites, so I have to redo them)
Backgrounds: I'm debating between asking a friend to help or doing them myself
CGs: 10%
STATUS 6/17/2014:
Writing: 80% (this feels wrong because I have so much left, but comparatively it isn't much at all)
Programming: 10%
Sprites: 100%
Backgrounds: 10% (I'm making them myself!)
CGs: ????
STATUS 9/11/2014
????????????
1/11: My goal is to be done by June, which will give me six months to make this.
2/20: I'm still on track for June! I now plan to have a demo out by April first.
3/8: Just finished my new design for Alucard, I like it a lot better! Luckily I had extra time, so I'm still on track.
3/15: Sprites are COMPLETELY done!! ahh!!
4/6: wehhhhhhhh. I've been really busy and I'm slogging through the writing. Progress is being made, just much more slowly.
4/19: currently working on the writing, but I just got a job so progress will be much slower.
5/17: I'm still alive!! still working!! Writing is taking waaay longer than I anticipated... orz
6/17: Still chugging along, why does writing take so long?! June is here, and I don't have a demo yet. BUT this is cause I have a job & I'm moving in July, so I'm not terribly upset. I will finish this project!!
7/23: ok, I'm still doing like, a LOT of writing. I have like, ten thousand words right now. The current goal is to get the first chapter finished (I've been jumping around) and then work on bringing the other elements of the game together so I can bring out a demo sometime soon.
9/11: at this point I don't even know how much writing is left. I may be writing for the rest of my life. But on the bright side, when you do everything yourself you can procrastinate by working on different parts of the project! I'm finished with 1/10 of my backgrounds. I'm at the weird space of "everything is so much closer than it was eight months ago, but still hilariously incomplete".
10/6: I don't want this project to take more than a year, but I also need to find a job! UGH being a starving artist is difficult when art can't be your source of income. :'(
2/16/2015: surprise! I'm not dead!!!! I'm STILL writing. I should have more time for it now, though. Sorry for the long silence, I just don't really have a lot to say about my progress!!
5/31/2015: This is just taking so much longer than I ever imagined. I've got 20k words and I'm not even halfway! I didn't think I was starting with a large project, but apparently I did.
10/1/2015: god... So since the end of may, I got a full time job, my computer died, I got a chromebook, and through all of it I am STILL working on this. I should probably feel like I'm doing poorly but I'm actually just really, really pleased that this beast is still lurching along. All of the art needs to be updated though....maybe when I finish the demo. A demo is ACTUALLY in progress.