Skyfish [BxB] [Friendship] [Fantasy, LGBT+ friendly]

[Aviala]

This is a wip of one of the gameplay sections!
Yesterday I teamed up with my coder Tasmir to write a game design document that describes this gameplay section.
It's gonna be pretty complicated, so I wouldn't call it "just" a minigame. It's a turn-based strategic airship battle where you have to give commands to the crew and try to damage the enemy ship as much as possible while keeping damage to the ship and the crew minimal.

There are many things the player has to keep in mind: shooting the cannons at the right time, fixing damage, getting the crew ready for boarding battle and much more.
The outcome of the battle will influence the plot. If crew members get serious injuries, it will take time for them to heal, and the injuries will show up on the sprites.

I will also add an option to skip the gameplay parts if the player so chooses, though I'm hoping the gameplay will be so much fun that most players won't skip it.

[underbliss]

Ahmygosh that looks awesome! Sounds completely like the sort of gameplay I really dig that to my tastes jives really well with visual novels, and the interface insofar as I can make of it looks awesome!

[Aviala]

Thank you! The development is going pretty smoothly. The only worry I have is that the gameplay might have too many elements and confuse the player... but I'm going to add some sort of tutorial and hopefully itll be easy enough to understand.

[Dylan_Bain]

May I make a suggestion?

I think the game looks really interesting, but one thing holding me back from wanting to play it is the nudity. I understand that some people are fine with that, but maybe you could add a 'Disable Nudity' button or something in the menu. Katawa Shoujo did something like that and it was made with Ren'Py, so it is a possibility.

Just an idea

[Aviala]

Thank you for the suggestion! Most of it isn't going to be sexual nudity, but I understand that it might be a problem for some people anyway now that you pointed it out. I didn't really realize that this might be a problem since I have no problem with nudity so thanks!

I'll definitely look into adding some kind of disable nudity option. Do you think adding some kind of undergarments would be enough? There are some scenes I have in mind that kind of require at least partial nudity, like possible swimming scenes. My world doesn't have swimsuits in it so I figured they probably swim naked, but adding some kind of underwear on those scenes won't be a big problem.

Also, what are your opinions on nudity with tactically placed objects as censors? It feels a bit funny to be asking this, but I'm kinda wondering where I'd be crossing the line. I don't want to add a "disable nudity" button and then have someone traumatized over some scene with (for example) a character standing behind a sofa that's blocking their nether regions from sight but you can tell the character is naked.

I don't know if my game will include anything like this but I'm just asking for opinions because I don't really understand the subject very well. I come from Finland where men and women often go to sauna together and it's a completely normal and non-sexual situation.

On a side note, adding a "Blood on/off" button might also be a good idea. Hmm.

[Dylan_Bain]

Glad i could help!

Yeah, I don't think tactically-placed-objects would be too bad an idea. Many people do this, and it isn't considered wrong. I come from scotland and I see it on kids tv all the time! It is only really seeing the down-there's that would upset people.

Undergarments might be a good idea, but sometimes people use other methods that might work in a swimming-pool sittuation. One idea would be to use smoke to cover the bits up, or maybe bubbles. Assuming the game is at least 15+, I highly doubt anyone would care so long as they are covered up.

Thanks for taking the time to read this! I am looking forward to Skyfish!
Dylan_Bain

(By the way, love the art for Fionn)

[Aviala]

Okay, I've seen stuff like that done before. Oh, the classic steam/smoke... :''D

Thanks for the comments and I'm glad you like Fionn's design!

[Aviala]

I cleaned up the first post and added some fancy images for the headlines.
Also, head to

http://skyfishgame.tumblr.com/

to get a sneak peek of the upcoming character introduction portraits! ;)

I'll post them here as well once I get the colouring and info text done. I'm thinking of using this kind of style for the CG's since I want to add animated bits which might be too hard with painted, lineartless art. I'll have to think about it. Opinions are always welcome! Would you rather have animation and lineart (and probably cell-shaded) CG's or painted CG's with no animation?

[Hazel-Bun]

Loving the demo so far I can see the love and care you've put into this project so far.

[Aviala]

Thank you! I'm working really hard to make the game as good as possible.

Lately I've been doing more character design work with Tasmir, who's helped me out a lot! I was feeling pretty anxious when I tried to fill out some character questionnaires alone, and I just didn't seem to get any ideas... But as soon as Tasmir stepped in to help me out, everything started falling into place. It's not that he's doing all the work, I just seem to need someone to do idea bouncing with (and to keep me from getting distracted).

Overall, the project is coming along really well! :D

[Aviala]

I created a twitter account for the group, so if you're not on tumblr or if you're interested in seeing shorter and more casual development updates, twitter is your friend! It's also a great place to contact me if you have any questions or comments!
https://twitter.com/Lizard_Hazard

Other news:
I've been taking it easy with Skyfish since I've been pretty stressed out, but I've managed to do some character design work. It takes a long time to make sure the characters are well-rounded and interesting. We're currently working in about 2-5 hour bursts every few days or so because for some reason this stuff wears me out really quickly, and after doing intensive design work I need a small break. I'd like to do some actual writing or CG's or anything, but I can't do writing before the characters are done, and I can't start doing the CG's before I get some writing done. It's a horrible chain reaction where I can't work on the project as much as I'd like to because there's only design work that can be done right now. The demo was short enough for the lack of detailed character backstories not to matter much, but at this point I need the characters to be well-rounded.

Maybe it's good to take it slow every once in a while, but I'd really like to get doing the CG's soon!

[underbliss]

Ah, I hope you get the rest you need quickly. I totally get you with that weird chain, and how draining design especially can be, coupled with the desire to work on the aspects that probably inspired you to vn's in the first place mushed horribly with being unable to do them till you finish the draining design!

It SUCKS!

Followed the twitter, I look forward to updates! <3

[Aviala]

Thanks!
Design is fun, but it's just so incredibly draining that I can't do it for long periods of time at once. I'm happy with how the world and the characters have turned out but I still have so much to do, it's overwhelming. I agree, sometimes it really sucks. :'D

Anyway, thank you for commenting and supporting me! It really means a lot to me and helps me keep motivated. <3

[Aviala]

Hey there everyone! I have great news!

I was recently approached by a Japanese company, and it turns out they want to help me fund my project. The only minus side is that I'll have to redo most of the art, but the funding will cover the extra costs so I don't mind. I'll also get help with adding fully animated sequences and really cute gameplay sections, like additional dating sim elements!

Here's some very early concept art I did with the new style.



Wish me luck!

[Aviala]

I guess it was pretty obvious but.... April Fools!
Sadly I'm still as poor as ever. :") Funding? I wish.

On a side note, Tasmir came up with 35 family members for Captain yesterday. He had to face the hard reality that I can't draw sprites for all of them. :")