Lost & Found [Updated 6/14/15!]

[kisa]

Please don't be dead.
I've been waiting for this game to come out.

*watches from the creeperbush* +v+

[sasquatchii]

Hey guys!! Oh my gosh, it's been 8 months since I last updated! I have really been slacking, huh? So sorry for leaving you all hanging like that.

I just noticed this thread yesterday when I was browsing LSF at work. I had no idea people had commented in it, I feel terrible for neglecting to update! I just thought that if I quietly left this thread alone then people would forget all about it and then be pleasantly surprised when I did finally finish it xD

Lost and Found is not dead!! It'd take a lot to kill off this project. I am still really excited to be working on this (even 8 months later!) and think about it all the time. However, I was not making a whole lot of progress on this when I was working on it. I'd scrap things, redo them, decide the revisions weren't good enough, and redo them again. I was constantly second guessing myself, and worrying about things "not being good enough". I was terrified that the story I'd end up telling wouldn't do justice to the story I had in my head. I was also extremely nervous about working in Ren'Py.

So I decided to table L&F and work on a project that I could completely screw up, no pressure! Thus my kinetic novel/work in progress "In the Air" was born. (And look, it even has a dog in it!!)



The story/scripting for ITA is 100% done, as is the GUI. All I have to do now are finish a few sprites & backgrounds, and finish coding the damn thing. The entire thing is about 7,000 words, and I don't think it'll be too much longer until I'm able to finally release it!

Of course, as this is my first VN, it's far from perfect! Even now as I'm working on the game in Ren'Py & then playing other visual novels I keep seeing all these awesome things that would be so cool to incorporate into my own game, but I'm resisting the urge, and just pushing forward

So, yeah. Apologies if this update was a bit disappointing! But I'm really glad that I'm working on my other visual novel, because I'm giving myself the freedom and permission to screw up, experiment, learn, and make mistakes. I promise that I will be back soon, once In the Air is done, to pick up where I left off

[Rinima]

You can not believe my intense relief that this project isn't dead

And woo! Lets look forward to your new project~

[sasquatchii]

Hey guys!! Just wanted to post a mini-update! L&F is alive and well, and, against my better judgement and the advice of a handful of people on the forums, I'm going to turn it into a simple stat-raising game! I'm going to be participating in SuNoFes, and hope to have this finished within the month! We'll see

And don't worry, there will still be lots of story and weird tidbits and things told from Dog's point of view! It will not be a survival-type stat raiser, but there will be certain attributes to Dog that some "pursuable humans" (sorry, I don't have a good term for the pursuable people in the game yet) will prefer one way whereas others will prefer another way. I got this idea from The Dire Wolf Project, which breaks up the different aspects of a dog's temperament.

For example:



Bonded VS Independent:
Bonded dogs are those dogs that innately desire close territory as well as a desire to please and do what is asked by their owners. Some would replace the word bonded with loyal, although this trait is more than just loyalty, but also includes a genetic desire for a tight, close or familiar territory. Independent, in contrast, is a dog that has a very broad idea of territory such as a herd protection dog and a desire to do whatever is most beneficial to them at the moment. They do not mind being out of sight of their owners and can roam far and wide if allowed. They do not have a desire to please, but only tend to want to have their own way. When off leash, they are reluctant to return unless the reward is higher than their off leash interests.

It might be surprising to hear, but there are some people who prefer independent dogs to bonded dogs! Independent dogs can be fun (but challenging), it really depends on the owner's personality and what they're looking for. A good example of an independent dog breed would be a husky (possbly a 9/10 on the scale). Huskies can sometimes be seen as "aloof" because they'd rather explore than stick close to their humans, but they're actually really intelligent and a ton of fun if you're an active person who loves the outdoors! (And they are badass biking buddies)

Chihuahuas, on the other hand, tend to be extremely bonded to their people (I'd say they usually range to around 1-3 on the scale). If you're looking for a loyal cuddle bug, a chihuahua is a good bet! They LOVE to be close to their people. I work in an office where I'm allowed to bring dogs, and when I bring my pup Neeko (a hunting dog mix that is more independent) he runs around the office like a nut, and I have to contain him within my area or else he'd be annoying. Bruce, our chihuahua (pictured below), will stick by my side the entire time, though! He hangs out in my area without me having to leash him or put up a baby gate, and if I walk through the office, he'll follow without being asked to! I never thought I'd own a chihuahua... but they are quite awesome if you don't treat them like human infants and teach them basic obedience!


I would say Bruce is about a 3 on the bonded VS Independent scale. He is the most cuddly and affectionate dog I've ever had!
Of course, there are some people out there might find this level of cuddliness annoying if they prefer a dog that is more independent and free-spirited!

But enough of me gushing about chihuahuas! I also should mention that I am not going to be using any of the people sprites that I posted earlier, there are too many conflicting styles. While I want each character to have their own unique look, I am going to spend a lot of time simplifying and making the sprites look cohesive (WIP Below)!

[Mad Harlequin]

While I'm sorry to see your old human sprites go, I'm glad to see you're working on this project again and have a clear goal in mind.

P.S: Bruce is adorable!

[sasquatchii]

While I'm sorry to see your old human sprites go, I'm glad to see you're working on this project again and have a clear goal in mind.

P.S: Bruce is adorable!

Aww, thanks for the kind words!! Having a clear goal really makes things easier

[sasquatchii]

Time for an update!!

It's the end of week 1 (out of the 8 week span that is SuNoFes).

This week I mostly focused on coding the first part of my game and getting technical with how I wanted things placed! I also worked out my stat system a little more, and I'm reaaally excited to implement it! I wanted to create something fun and not at all tedious like how you see in most stat-raising games, so I'm planning on lots of variety & a strong focus on story! (rather than the same old monotonous things over and over again).



I feel really happy and confident with where I am at this point, it's kind of like seeing the light at the end of a very long tunnel. Who knows? Maybe I'll even finish this in 7 weeks! That would be AMAZING



Next week I'm going to focus more on GUI & also the scripting/story!

[sasquatchii]

Oh - I also wanted to ask anyone interested, I've created a stat-raising system for 6 different "traits", and I've been having SO MUCH FUN coming up with cool names for the stats.

Here are the main stats that you will have in the game:








Every time you raise or lower your stat, you will go up or down on the scale, and will be awarded a new "trait title", complete with a really cute illustration or icon to drive home that certain aspect of your temperament.

Here's what I've got so far:

FRIENDLY >>> AGGRESSIVE
10. Crowd Pleaser 9. Cuddle Bug 8. Good Natured 7. Social Climber 6. Nice Doggie 5. Cool Cucumber 4. Twitchy Eye 3. Wild Thing 2. Rabid Dog 1. Hellhound

CONFIDENT >>> NERVOUS
10. Heroic 9. Fearless 8. Gutsy 7. Bold 6. Plucky Puppy 5. Natural 4. Socially Awkward 3. Spineless 2. Doormat 1. Trainwreck

RELAXED >>> HYPERACTIVE
10. Lazy Bum 9. Couch Potato 8. Mellow 7. Low-key 6. Calm Canine 5. Tail Chaser 4. Goofball 3. Mischevious Mutt 2. Obnoxious 1. Cuckoo

Some of these I'm really happy with, like Hell Hound, Cuddle Bug, & Couch Potato.

There are others that are less fun, such as Bold, Twitchy Eye, Low-Key. Does anyone have any better ideas for cool trait titles? I'm wide open to ideas, criticisms, & feedback

[Rinima]

I like the idea of stats! And it helps that those stats are awesome XD *aims for hell hound, trainwreck and cuckoo if possible*

[sasquatchii]

I like the idea of stats! And it helps that those stats are awesome XD *aims for hell hound, trainwreck and cuckoo if possible*

Hahahaha oh it will definitely be possible! (And one character will even prefer one of those, odd as that sounds!)

[RokAbiel]

I'm really looking forward to this game! It's too adorable for my words to express xD

[infel]

Yay an update! I was so afraid you'd stop this game ;_;. I'm really happy that's not the case. I've been really excited to play this because it look so fun and colorful. As for the art it's still perfect. I really like that new sprite as well =). I know that once this comes out I'm going to have a lot of fun playing it ^^.

[sasquatchii]

Yay an update! I was so afraid you'd stop this game ;_;. I'm really happy that's not the case. I've been really excited to play this because it look so fun and colorful. As for the art it's still perfect. I really like that new sprite as well =). I know that once this comes out I'm going to have a lot of fun playing it ^^.

I'm really looking forward to this game! It's too adorable for my words to express xD

Thank you both for the kind and awesome words!! It's really encouraging to know that people are looking forward to this. I hope that it can live up to the expectations once it's finally done!

[sasquatchii]

It's Sunday, & the end of week 2/8 (I'm still hoping to finish by August 1st, the end of SuNoFes.) I've still got six weeks left to power through and make an awesome game!



This week I finished designing the game's GUI! Phew, what a relief! I was actually feeling a little ambivalent about how the whole GUI was going to look & feel, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

I haven't actually implemented all of it yet— that will be an ongoing thing that I'll work on throughout the next few weeks. I'm sort of dreading trying to figure out how to customize the day planner & stats to work exactly as I'd like them, but I don't think it'll be too painful, because people on here are especially helpful when it comes to answering Ren'Py related questions!

This next week I'll be focusing on trying to complete & wrap up all of the writing for this game! Hopefully I'll manage. Writing what I've got so far has been really cathartic and fun. I just hope others don't mind the stream of consciousness and silliness that is sprinkled throughout

Also, any feedback & criticism is always appreciated!

[Mad Harlequin]

I love what you've done with the GUI! It's easy to read and not overloaded with fancy-schmancy stuff, but still looks nice.

Keep up the great work!