Essence [post-apocalyptic GxB] [scifi/dramedy] DEMO UP!

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SheerGlade
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Re: Essence [post-apocalyptic GxB] [scifi/dramedy] DEMO UP!

#91 Post by SheerGlade »

Thanks for checking it out, kassikatastrofy, and for patiently following my progress, Kikaharu. <3 And thank you so much for the encouragement, Blushingandroidtrash (and for having such an adorable username XD)!

It seriously overwhelms me that people are still playing and supporting this project...To everyone who's played and patiently awaiting the game - your support means so much. I'm often disheartened by the amount of time I've already taken and my progress's limits, but I love and grow even more motivated to complete Essence because of the players who enjoy it and believe it's worth it. So thank you for all your kindness, everyone. <3 Again, I'm sorry how long development is taking, and it probably won't be the last time I apologize (ehe ^^;), but I promise it's not for lack of investment or motivation. I'm still working hard - I just want to make everything as good as possible.

Anyway, they're not sprites or complete work, but I posted some character WIPs on DA if anyone would like to see. ^^ They're kinda...quirky so I understand if people don't like them, but that's the kind of stuff I want to hear. :D Whether you like or dislike them, think something could be improved/altered, please be open with me! I thrive on honest feedback.

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Re: Essence [post-apocalyptic GxB] [scifi/dramedy] DEMO UP!

#92 Post by Kikaharu »

SheerGlade wrote:Thanks for checking it out, kassikatastrofy, and for patiently following my progress, Kikaharu. <3 And thank you so much for the encouragement, Blushingandroidtrash (and for having such an adorable username XD)!

It seriously overwhelms me that people are still playing and supporting this project...To everyone who's played and patiently awaiting the game - your support means so much. I'm often disheartened by the amount of time I've already taken and my progress's limits, but I love and grow even more motivated to complete Essence because of the players who enjoy it and believe it's worth it. So thank you for all your kindness, everyone. <3 Again, I'm sorry how long development is taking, and it probably won't be the last time I apologize (ehe ^^;), but I promise it's not for lack of investment or motivation. I'm still working hard - I just want to make everything as good as possible.

Anyway, they're not sprites or complete work, but I posted some character WIPs on DA if anyone would like to see. ^^ They're kinda...quirky so I understand if people don't like them, but that's the kind of stuff I want to hear. :D Whether you like or dislike them, think something could be improved/altered, please be open with me! I thrive on honest feedback.
I have wrote you a comment on dA so hopefully you will like the thoughts about it.

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Re: Essence [post-apocalyptic GxB] [scifi/dramedy] DEMO UP!

#93 Post by Lyyli »

A little bit late maybe but I just wanted to comment that I support you if you decide to include H-scenes or not, I'll still play it and love every single of it. I'm actually quite curious how it would all work with Alice being what she is.
I can wait no matter how long <3
Meep.

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Re: Essence [post-apocalyptic GxB] [scifi/dramedy] DEMO UP!

#94 Post by SheerGlade »

Thanks for the support, Lyyli, and your patience!

It's complicated since Alice's body doesn't...ahem, function like a "standard" human's, but I hope to convey the intimacy and bonding between her and her partner nonetheless. ;D;

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Re: Essence [post-apocalyptic GxB] [scifi/dramedy] DEMO UP!

#95 Post by pyla8 »

I like these changes so much! TBH (tho I might've already said this lol) I hate Mak's old look. Everyone's starting to look more streamlined (?) and this could be weird but like they're all human. I thought Mak was some weird dog-thing race when I saw him. This is such a marked improvement! I like looking at him now.

Grimes looks like a ninja! Yes thank you! Ivan looks beautiful. (Don't hold this against me but I kinda always really wanted him to be an RO) I know this is concept art and will change, but the eyes living on top of Ada's hair is a little weird. I'd prefer just eyes covered by hair, you know? But that's me. I get the nose thing. Plus big noses can be really good. I so love this change to Putrice. All wins w/ your changes to Grimes/Ivan/Putrice imo. Mak and Alice are so pretty! I love his tattoos and her butterfly.

Also the eyes (except for Ivan and Linus) are pretty but then creep me out a little.

I'm so excited about what you're doing and so glad you're still working on it.

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Re: Essence [post-apocalyptic GxB] [scifi/dramedy] DEMO UP!

#96 Post by SheerGlade »

As always I take forever to reply ;D; hnnnnggg. but thank you, pyla~ I lol'd so hard at Mak being a "dog-thing race." I'd say he'd be appalled to hear that but if he could see his old sprite he'd totally agree (and so do I, for the record. idk how my favorite character ended up with the worst sprite but GAhhh it's awful, yes). I do hope he's at least tolerable now XD

Ahhh yeah Van has always been an RO :'D happy to hear you were looking forward to him and I hope his route doesn't disappoint! I agree about Ada's eyes, eheh; I'll probably either lower their opacity or shorten her bangs a bit. Ahahaha I'm actually glad to hear someone doesn't hate Cath's beak (though I recently gave him a nose job; updated the image since it was too ridiculous even for me)! And I'm super happy you like Grime's, Van's, and Putrice's redesigns, too ;u; I had so much fun figuring them out so I hope others enjoy them.

Hehehe, also sorry for everyone's creepy, intense gazes ;D I kinda have a thing for freaky eyes so you can blame that on me. Thanks so much; your feedback's precious to meee TuT

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Re: Essence [post-apocalyptic GxB] [scifi/dramedy] DEMO UP!

#97 Post by pyla8 »

Hey is your avatar Mak (cause of the hair)? Everyone loves Cath. I love it when authors have a favorite different than the audience. I think it's nifty.

You have no idea how happy/excited/frustrated you've made me lol. I can't believe Ivan's romanceable! But how long until the update? xp (picture an emoji that is endearing)

Yeah, I checked out the new one. His nose is much less. It's good. I like the bandaid. And fyi, I don't like Grimes, Van's, and Putrice's redesigns. I love them. I can't wait to see Grimes, especially, once she's drawn and colored in.

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Re: Essence [post-apocalyptic GxB] [scifi/dramedy] DEMO UP!

#98 Post by plaster »

Oh man, what a blast. I had this in my random freeware games folder from forever ago so I'm sure you can imagine how UPSET I AM TO REMEMBER IT'S ONLY A DEMO.
I love Alice and Steven (path culminates in invisible sex scene? y/y). Cath's alright too, although he is a royal jerk. hehe

I will be following the development of Essence with EXCITEMENT!

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#99 Post by naarbeckie »

Please please please PLEASE tell me that Linus will be a romanceable character. I think I might die if he's not.

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Re: Essence [post-apocalyptic GxB] [scifi/dramedy] DEMO UP!

#100 Post by SheerGlade »

//appears 10,000 years later

@pyla: My avatar is indeed Mak ;D who I envision with with thick-rimmed glasses, some kind of sweater/cardigan, and a cup of coffee 85% of the time. The other 15% he's actually in the garden like he's supposed to be. I'm really happy you like Grime's, Putrice's, and Van's redesigns and hope you enjoy the routes where they appear more TuT unfortunately I can't give an estimate on an updated demo that won't sound either too hopeful or too ridiculously far in the future. I want to make sure I have all my shoop together before I go blabbing this time.

@plaster: AAhhhh, thank you!! I'm upset it's still only a (gross) demo, too, but thank you so much for playing and following my progress. I'm sorry I hide under a rock the majority of the time, but your support means a lot! Also, we're agreed on Cath's regal status ;p

@naarbeckie: I regret to inform you that Linus and Mak are in a homosexual relationship Bab is indeed a romanceable bachelor! And one of my favorites, at that - for Alice and myself.

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Re: Essence [post-apocalyptic GxB] [scifi/dramedy] DEMO UP!

#101 Post by GreyLadyHelenaR »

I'm usually not a fan of post-apocalyptic stories, but the art and the invisible dude were tempting me so I tried the demo and I LOVED IT. There were parts where I laughed so hard my roommate threatened to kick me out. And Alice! She's so awesome! I'm gonna spend all night replaying it because Cath is an adorable little sh*t and Steven is my favorite out of all of them. Can't wait to play the full game! :D
Last edited by GreyLadyHelenaR on Tue Sep 29, 2015 7:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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#102 Post by bloodband »

I only just saw this last night and had to play it. I have so many thoughts and feelings on it and I also see that it's kinda old but I'm going to give feedback anyways. I'm so glad to see you are still working on it. This game made me have an existential crisis. I usually hate post-apocalyptic but only because they always focus on zombies. Also I love robots/androids/cyborgs what have you. Having the MC be one is even more amazing.

Oh god I'm terrible at writing okay lemme try and get all my thoughts collected in readable format.

I loved the writing and the pacing. I loved Alice's inner thoughts too, it really helped keep everything together in both silly and serious situations. Alice as an MC is also really great, I like her a lot. Especially everything with Cath. Usually I hate his type, because the MC will just sit there and take it or their relationship is shown as mostly playful even when the guy is being cruel. It's so refreshing to not only see her fight back, defend herself, stand up for herself, but also actually show it as a... well a not friendly relationship. Showing it for what it is instead of a weird sugar-coating I see in lots of otome that try to depict rivalmances(I can't think of a better word for it really). I mean I still kinda hate him for being a lil shit, but I want to see how him and Alice... uhh.. would work out?

Not gonna lie, the instant I saw Ivan I thought "oh god I hope I can pick him". I cannot even imagine how that would work except for badly, I am apparently hopeless for long hair on guys. I see now that there will be 9 romances, who are the girl options? I'm very happy for GxG routes btw! NSFW stuff I also would like but it would be best to have a filter/separate version for it. Let's see for all the characters I'll just put it all in spoilers just in case...
Cath is such a lil shit. I don't know whether I should feel pity for him or just hate him. It's a very confusing feeling. I still really like him but he's pretty frustrating. In a good way! I can't completely hate someone that likes cats though.
Ivan, Putrice, and Grime... I'll put them all together since they don't have much screen time aside from being awful and getting their asses handed to them every time they show up. They were quite entertaining, I enjoyed them and I'm quite curious about the rewriting of Putrice you mentioned. I definitely have an Ivan bias... his accent is so cute... They really fit the whole dorky Team Rocket ideal while also managing to seem threatening.
Linus and Mak. I like them both, I like their dynamic together. I'd rather not pick and just have them both. :3
Ada is still a mystery, I like her but I don't know what to think of her. I really don't blame her for being so cold towards Alice. She's super cute though. I'm assuming she has a route?
Steven. I also like him but right more it's more of in a familial way. (I'm sorry Steven) That being said I'd still play his route! That's only my current opinion from the demo.
Acer and Daemon. I'm sorry but... I really hate Acer. He's unbearable. I see that you've redone the designs so I'll just say I'm very glad for it because he looked like a 5 year old before. And he hardly acted like a teenager. He was more like a child. I understand trying to portray him as obnoxious and hyperactive but it crossed a line and got kinda unbelievable. Daemon was interesting. I was so glad to see Alice treat him with respect once she realized how shy he was and make sure she was trying not to make him uncomfortable. In general I like shy types and it was cute he had a sadistic side. Does he photosynthesis through his hair? I'm just thinking he sure does cover up for someone that needs sunlight.
On the more technical side... I actually super loved the auto-moving dialogue during certain parts. It surprised me at first but I felt like it helped the more action intense scenes flow. It was very appropriate for all the of Acer's verbal diarrhea too. That being said I can understand it being removed since some people are slower readers. I read super fast so it never bothered me. The one thing that bothered me is that a lot of the 4th wall breaking stuff went too far. I don't mind it but during certain parts it was just too much.

I also don't have a deviantart but I wanted to say here I love the updated art a lot. It's so stylized and whimsical looking. Especially Alice's hair oh gosh~<3
You have no idea how happy it made me to see Putrice's updated look. She looks so adorable and I'm so glad to see a cute fat girl! I'd just say it might be better to just call her fat, and not BBW. BBW usually is in reference to fetish porn and... kinda makes it sound icky? I know it's just semantics but I figured I'd mention it. /shrug
My one critique is that Mak, Daemon and Acer's eyes seem off? I think it's because they are bigger but instead of being drawn to looking at their irises, I'm drawn to the whites of their eyes first? Making them a bit smaller would help I think... Also definitely don't be afraid to exaggerate and make them look "ugly". I know it was posted a while ago but people having unique features aside from neon hair makes them a million times more interesting! Other than that they look so amazing ;w; Ivan being tallest yes this is good I am pleased >:3

Oops I wrote a lot. Uhh disregard anything I said that is irrelevant because of changes I guess? I'm so very excited for this I just had to post even if it was all irrelevant~

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Re: Essence [post-apocalyptic GxB] [scifi/dramedy] DEMO UP!

#103 Post by naarbeckie »

I agree with almost every single thing bloodband said! I am beyond excited for this game. I've been a fan of otome games for years, and I feel like there's recently been a surge of extremely interesting and thought-provoking games (yours is absolutely one of those), which makes me a very happy lady. I adore all the new designs - don't be afraid to make your characters unique and interesting or "ugly". Everyone will still love them because they are fantastic. I love love love!!!!! Steven's new style. You already know I love Linus, but honestly I feel kind of torn between him and Steven. Also, I am curious about who exactly the pursuable characters will be. Since there seems to be 10 characters (excluding Alice), with three of them being villains, I'm not sure who is available for ~romance~ and who's not.

Anyhoo, thank you for all the work you've put into this so far and (hopefully) all the work you will continue to put into it! I can't wait for the final product!

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#104 Post by SheerGlade »

@GreyLadyHelenaR: //awkwardly stares at you til deciding to bring it in for an even awkwarder tackle-hug. ahaha sorry, I'm just honored that you'd try it despite being outside your tastes and ESPECIALLY that it made you laugh that hard (I'm sorry about your roommate but happy you didn't actually get kicked out! XD). Seriously, it means a lot ;u;

@bloodband: Your message gave me such a boost TvT Like with GreyLady, I'm really flattered you'd try the game in spite of the genre - and that you enjoyed it - AND even more that you wrote so much feedback - THANK. YOU. So much <3 I'm glad you like the antagonism between Cath and Alice because I've tried to strengthen it in my newer drafts; in the end I may have to tone it down some, but I really enjoy writing their snarky interchanges. And I'm glad Van has some fans! ;u; His route may turn out better than you think ;) I have a real soft spot for him so I'm excited to portray his character (hopefully with a lot more understanding) in the newer content.

Bahaha, I agree with you - Acer really can be obnoxious - and while he's still pretty squirrelly in my rewriting, I hope you'll find him a little more bearable XD And yes, his redesign was VERY necessary. Daemon photosynthesizes by occasionally disrobing and streaking through the terrarium Good question; chlorophyll colors Daemon's hair but he can also photosynthesize by extending vines, etc.

I'm happy you like the redesigns ;u; Thank you, too, for the tips on Putrice, Mak, Daemon, and Acer - I definitely don't want to create a "fetishy" impression, and I appreciate any feedback on the art as I'm working toward a definite style. Thank you for everything T-T You're awesome.

@naarbeckie: gGHghGHhhh ;-; I don't even know how to thank you for a compliment like that...but tHANK you SO MUCH //sheds manly tears. And in answer to your question...

I hesitate to say anything, but since more than a few people have asked, a tentative announcement: out of the nine romanceable characters - Cath, Linus, Acer, Mak, Ada, Daemon, Steven, Vanya (Ivan), and Jessica (Putrice) - six identify as male and three as female at the story's onset, though I will formally address them as the gender they currently present. I've been reluctant to say anything before now because I wanted to be sure I had a thorough grasp on my characters before announcing the newer routes - and that I knew how I wanted to phrase it. I can assure you I'm not withholding the cast's respective gender identities for some cheap gimmick like a "shocking reveal," as I feel that would be disrespectful. Some characters, however, are not yet "out" at the story's onset - so I'm notifying players beforehand but leaving the details inside. (: At no point are gender and/or sexuality major themes; I don't want to make a commentary, only to respectfully portray my characters.

Thanks again for reading, playing, and sharing, everyone ;u;

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#105 Post by bloodband »

SheerGlade wrote: @bloodband: Your message gave me such a boost TvT Like with GreyLady, I'm really flattered you'd try the game in spite of the genre - and that you enjoyed it - AND even more that you wrote so much feedback - THANK. YOU. So much <3 I'm glad you like the antagonism between Cath and Alice because I've tried to strengthen it in my newer drafts; in the end I may have to tone it down some, but I really enjoy writing their snarky interchanges. And I'm glad Van has some fans! ;u; His route may turn out better than you think ;) I have a real soft spot for him so I'm excited to portray his character (hopefully with a lot more understanding) in the newer content.
I'm very much looking forward too it! I'm really only unsure about Van because all of Malware doesn't get much screen time aside from being antagonistic so I'm just not sure what to expect. I'll believe in you then! (i'm so excited)
Bahaha, I agree with you - Acer really can be obnoxious - and while he's still pretty squirrelly in my rewriting, I hope you'll find him a little more bearable XD And yes, his redesign was VERY necessary. Daemon photosynthesizes by occasionally disrobing and streaking through the terrarium Good question; chlorophyll colors Daemon's hair but he can also photosynthesize by extending vines, etc.

I'm happy you like the redesigns ;u; Thank you, too, for the tips on Putrice, Mak, Daemon, and Acer - I definitely don't want to create a "fetishy" impression, and I appreciate any feedback on the art as I'm working toward a definite style. Thank you for everything T-T You're awesome.
That's good to hear, I hope I didn't come off too intense! I am totally open to changing my opinion on Acer. ^^
I'm glad Steven is the only streaker~
It's no problem, I mention it mostly because it's something I've experienced personally. ^^; I hope I was helpful~
I hesitate to say anything, but since more than a few people have asked, a tentative announcement: out of the nine romanceable characters - Cath, Linus, Acer, Mak, Ada, Daemon, Steven, Vanya (Ivan), and Jessica (Putrice) - six identify as male and three as female at the story's onset, though I will formally address them as the gender they currently present. I've been reluctant to say anything before now because I wanted to be sure I had a thorough grasp on my characters before announcing the newer routes - and that I knew how I wanted to phrase it. I can assure you I'm not withholding the cast's respective gender identities for some cheap gimmick like a "shocking reveal," as I feel that would be disrespectful. Some characters, however, are not yet "out" at the story's onset - so I'm notifying players beforehand but leaving the details inside. (: At no point are gender and/or sexuality major themes; I don't want to make a commentary, only to respectfully portray my characters.

Thanks again for reading, playing, and sharing, everyone ;u;
/shakes in excitement

So much yes to all of this >:3
I will not so patiently be awaiting updates and the eventual release. I can only assume how much extra work is going into it with redoing the sprites and what not! I will be cheering you on... silently... in spirit...!

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