Yaoi Jam [BxB][DEMO] - Lethe - Romance/Mystery [HIATUS]

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Yaoi Jam [BxB][DEMO] - Lethe - Romance/Mystery [HIATUS]

#1 Post by 78909087 »

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Oblivion, concealment, to forget.
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REMOVED GUI DUE TO DEMO. Still a big thanks to Shortycake for the chibis as seen above!

LAST UPDATED: 04-Sep
This project has been put on hiatus due to loss of property and personal issues.
Apologies to all :(
Since September 1st, voice acting has been a go!
Voice acting will be tested by reproducing the demo with more story, plus the added voicing.
This will take about a month to finalise the applicants, get voice and code it in.
Any longer than the estimate will be announced through comment and cleanse of misinformation on this thread!

You wake up in hospital.
Your name is easy to remember- why you're here, isn't.
There are 28 days unaccounted for in your memory.
The doctor gives you two words.
Retrograde amnesia.
The longer you are awake, the more questions you have.
Why are the police involved?
What happened on the rooftop.
Why did you fall.
The longer they spoke, the more you understood.
There was a death that night- locked away in the memories you no longer had.

Concept sketches! (By Red-Baby) You can find her FB group here!
Removed concepts. All sprite art is still thanks to Red-Baby, so check her out.
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This is the Main Character, you! (Custom name in game)
You wake up pretty beaten with amnesia.
There is a lot of information to put together, while juggling your return to school.
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This is Jaden!
He is your childhood friend, a mischievous delinquent.
He's been in trouble more than you could ever keep track of, but has never been disloyal to you.
Bitchy, fashionable, and speaks his mind.
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This is Cameron!
You don't remember him when you wake up.
He is not very vocalised. Stoic, calm, seems impossible to bother.
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Doctor Quinn. The doctor who diagnosed you.
She's proud of her aboriginal heritage and strives to do her best.
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This is Mark. Mark is a nurse. Mark is very good at being a nurse. Mark is also very good at having a small presence.
What does Mark know?
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This is the policeman currently on your case, Caleb.
He seems like he's a little on edge.
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This is the policewoman currently on your case, Jo.
She seems well rounded, and especially collected beside Caleb.
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This is the gym teacher!...
Yep.
This is the current sprite progress. All the main characters, plus the hospital staff! (with height chart for reference)
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This is an example of how the sprites are progressing!
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As it has very sadly come to my attention, it is nearly impossible for me to deliver a game I can be proud of on my own. Due to this, I'm looking for other people who would be interested in working with me on a game to submit for the Yaoi Game Jam- a two month period starting the 1st of June, until August.
The Yaoi Jam has come to a conclusion!
The team so far consists of Red-Baby on sprites, and me on writing and coding.
I'm also happy to announce that Shortycake has decided to join the project by drawing a chibi design for the GUI!
The idea for this game is a high-school, romance mystery based around 'Amnesia'.
Both Jaden and Cameron are romance-able, and both tie into the amnesia in their own way.
I wanted to explore the natural healing process of amnesia, in the way that memories are randomly 'regained' and it can be difficult to discern if they are real or not. The choices in-game will not only affect your relationship with both boys, but also how you perceive what you 'remember'.
The settings will switch between hospital, school, and the apartment you stay at.

I'd like to know people's ideas on this kind of amnesia vn.

Which character do you like the most! Who do you think has the most hidden secrets?
Any fanart is welcomed.
Planned rewards!
Once the complete game is released, anyone who has sent in fan-art, or assisted in the creating will get a secret code to enter into the game which unlocks some behind-the-scenes. This includes the process that led to the finished result. Character development. Short notes from team members, a thank-you message and a small amount of other goodies. Anyone who completes all possible endings will also receive this code in-game.

Feel free to discuss any theories in the thread, but please use the spoiler tag!

Current progress:
  • Planning: 90%
    Writing: 25%
    BG Art: 70%
    Sprite Art: 90%
    Chibi Art: 100%
    Music: 10%
    General coding: 30%
    GUI: 85%

Progress Log!

29/05 This post was made in the Ideas thread!
01/06 Project launched!
03/06 Title screen created!
Red-Baby works furiously on creating sprites!
04/06 Project moved to WiP thread!
05/06 Updated thread with first sprites!
08/06
ShortyCakes begins working on chibis!
13/06 Added GUI examples, Chibi examples and progress update!
14/06 Updated GUI samples!
20/06 Sneak-peaks of Sprite progress!
28/06 Word count is at 8000 and progressing smoothly at last!
05/07 Build .2 is distributed for testing purposes!
06/07
Red-Baby begins creating casual outfits for characters!
07/07 Link to
Red-Baby's Facebook group for publication added!
13/07 More in-depth testing is under-way.
20/07 Begin finalising demo progress.
25/07 Cleaning up files.
30/07 Small-scale distributing demos for testing.
31/07 Working on fixing music compression issues.
06/08 Minor fixes. Building final demo commences.
07/08 Submitting game to Yaoi Jam.
08/08 Re-submitting after fixing overlooked error.
14/08 Small updates to this post.
20/08 Large update to cleanliness of this post.
24/08 Added fan rewards.
30/08 The branching routes begin!
01/09 Voice acting is a go- the deadline has hit.
02/09 Shortlisted Voice Actors.
04/09 Another cleansing of the OP, plus more information.

And HERE WE ARE.

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Thank-you for reading.
Last edited by 78909087 on Wed Feb 28, 2018 1:08 pm, edited 32 times in total.
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Re: Yaoi Game Jam- Lethe (Working title) Romance/Mystery [fr

#2 Post by gekiganwing »

78909087 wrote:I'd like to know people's ideas on this kind of amnesia vn.
Is it too cliché?
Do you believe that your story has merit? Do you care about your plot, characters, and fictional world? If you think that your story is worth telling, then it will show in what you write.

On a side note, I believe that you will benefit by reading Roger Ebert's review of 'Striking Distance'. It challenges the reader to think about how they would assemble familiar elements and shape them into a compelling story.
78909087 wrote: Would it benefit by being more cliché and sticking to the belief that memories can be 'triggered'?
Easy Amnesia is a plot element which isn't especially realistic. However, it can be an interesting part of a work of fiction.
78909087 wrote: Is this kind of game something that you believe can realistically be completed in two months?
Think about the following aspects:

* How many characters have major roles in the story.
* How many plot-relevant choices and endings you want to create.
* How much time and effort you can dedicate.

You will likely benefit by keeping the scope of your VN small, and creating just a few branching paths and endings.

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Re: Yaoi Game Jam- Lethe (Working title) Romance/Mystery [fr

#3 Post by 78909087 »

gekiganwing wrote: Do you believe that your story has merit? Do you care about your plot, characters, and fictional world? If you think that your story is worth telling, then it will show in what you write.

On a side note, I believe that you will benefit by reading Roger Ebert's review of 'Striking Distance'. It challenges the reader to think about how they would assemble familiar elements and shape them into a compelling story.
I understand the general 'care for you characters' thing, and it's why I'm starting this with an ideas post- so that I don't come to regret writing, or dislike my creation.
Also- I gave the review a read, but I don't think I can do that with the story I have in mind.
gekiganwing wrote:Easy Amnesia is a plot element which isn't especially realistic. However, it can be an interesting part of a work of fiction.
I also took a look at this. While I did study amnesia for a while, and I am playing into the clichéd retrograde amnesia, I've been doing my best to avoid using the amnesia as a convenient 'excuse'. It has it's own role in the story, but it's not necessarily the main focus. In this idea, amnesia shares the stage with all other aspects of the game.
gekiganwing wrote: Think about the following aspects:

* How many characters have major roles in the story.
* How many plot-relevant choices and endings you want to create.
* How much time and effort you can dedicate.

You will likely benefit by keeping the scope of your VN small, and creating just a few branching paths and endings.
I did think about this; so let me expand on what I know for sure.
-There are three major roles, with about 5 minor roles, and then a handful of 'pop-in' characters here and there. Writing those roles isn't necessarily a problem for me. (And I don't have to focus on developing much individuality- past the major and minor, anyway.)

-Plot-relevant choices are usually the only choices I keep in-game, to be honest. Having useless choices doesn't resonate well with me.

And lastly

- I'm in a place in my life where I have a lot of spare time, though I understand that I will need to schedule and keep to it in order to finish on a schedule.
Right now, I'm trying to expand on my ideas for the story before looking for a team and then putting this together. The idea excites me, but I don't want to get ahead of myself and disappoint anyone.

Also- bonus questions:
What do you think of the working title? If it does make it to the finished product, do you think there should be some definition, perhaps immediately after loading, though not necessarily the title?
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Re: Yaoi Game Jam- Lethe (Working title) Romance/Mystery [fr

#4 Post by 78909087 »

As of right now, I am working on this game to make it a reality.
I had forgotten to exclusively write that this is a highschool-based game, and I'm wondering if anyone has opinions on whether it should have 18+ content. I'll add this question and the one before to the OP.
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Re: Yaoi Game Jam [BxB] - Lethe - Romance/Mystery [free]

#5 Post by 78909087 »

Characters now have names! Also, Red-Baby has joined the team for sprites!
I'm getting pumped.
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Re: Yaoi Jam [BxB] - Lethe -Romance/Mystery -Move to WIP ple

#6 Post by 78909087 »

Updated OP- game under development!
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Re: Yaoi Jam [BxB] - Lethe -Romance/Mystery -Move to WIP ple

#7 Post by 78909087 »

Could I please get an admin to move this to Works In Progress?

Another update! This time with full-body sprites, and a snap of the title screen.
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Re: Yaoi Jam [BxB] - Lethe -Romance/Mystery

#8 Post by 78909087 »

Yet another update! This time, including a few new sprite designs- including the aboriginal doctor, and the nurse.

See how they measure up with the height chart, and learn... As much as you already know about them.
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Re: Yaoi Jam [BxB] - Lethe -Romance/Mystery

#9 Post by 78909087 »

Updated Recruitment thread, looking for chibi artists...
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Re: Yaoi Jam [BxB] - Lethe -Romance/Mystery

#10 Post by 78909087 »

Another update about the current users assisting with the project.
Hopefully, Lethe's GUI will soon include a picture of the main characters in chibi form!
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Re: Yaoi Jam [BxB] - Lethe -Romance/Mystery

#11 Post by Red-Baby »

Woot! Welcome to the team shortycakes :)

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Re: Yaoi Jam [BxB] - Lethe -Romance/Mystery

#12 Post by shortycake »

Red-Baby wrote:Woot! Welcome to the team shortycakes :)
Thank you very much! I'll try my best to make them into cute chibis! XD

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Re: Yaoi Jam [BxB] - Lethe -Romance/Mystery

#13 Post by Zelan »

In your opinion, should there be/would it benefit from 18+ content?
This is a personal opinion for everyone that you ask, but I would say it depends on the story that you're trying to tell. Would it be significant at all, or would it just be fanservice?

There's nothing inherently wrong with fanservice, but it's not something that's generally appealing to me. Of course, I can't speak for everyone else; I would suggest reading this thread to hear some other opinions. Shouldn't take you too long - it's only two pages, and the last few posts are pretty short. c:

To build off of some of the things said in the thread: Your VN seems to have at least somewhat of a heavy tone, what with the amnesia and the murder. It's probably going to be pretty serious, and having the guys suddenly decide "uhhh yeah let's have sex now" would probably be jarring unless you set up the scene in a way that made sense. Admittedly, I don't know much about your story, but I can't imagine a scene like that.

Good examples of games which have, in my opinion, successfully used 18+ content, would be Katawa Shoujo and Cute Demon Crashers!, which also happen to be the first two VNs that I ever played. The most important thing that these two did was make it clear that there would be 18+ content.
Katawa Shoujo had an easily visible option to remove the sex scenes (it was in the menu, so you saw it every time you went to save your game), and Cute Demon Crashers! had a warning that popped up as soon as you started the game.

These two games had different themes, neither of which seems to be similar to your theme. Katawa Shoujo is, at its core, a romance game. The point is to get the girl. Are there deep themes explored while you try to accomplish that goal? Absolutely. Then again, the only good ends are ends where you end up with a girl; the best that you can hope for if you fail is a neutral ending. Because of its status as a heavily plot-driven romance game, there were 18+ scenes in this VN, ranging from 1-3 per route. The exact number made sense in terms of the personalities of each girl, and each scene had significance for the plot
(except maybe some of Emi's - she was a bit of a foxy little sex demon)
.

Cute Demon Crashers! was a game made specifically for the sex scenes. The theme behind the game, as described in the pop-up, is "consent and feeling safe in intimacy," or something along those lines, anyway. It had intimate scenes by nature to develop this theme. Plus, it had filters, so that you could play the game and enjoy the intimate scenes without having breasts and genitalia distracting you and/or grossing you out, if you were that type of person.

The point of all of those paragraphs is this: from my perspective, it doesn't seem to me like 18+ content would work well for your game. Ultimately, however, the choice is yours, so you should use your best judgment to decide on this issue.

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Re: Yaoi Jam [BxB] - Lethe -Romance/Mystery

#14 Post by 78909087 »

Zelan wrote:This is a personal opinion for everyone that you ask, but I would say it depends on the story that you're trying to tell. Would it be significant at all, or would it just be fanservice?
Actually, thank-you for this. I hadn't given it much thought, despite how simple it sounds.
I'm quite used to writing fanservice, but realising the huge difference between having a story that I want to portray and pleasing the reader is a healthy dose of reality for me.
Zelan wrote:To build off of some of the things said in the thread: Your VN seems to have at least somewhat of a heavy tone, what with the amnesia and the murder. It's probably going to be pretty serious, and having the guys suddenly decide "uhhh yeah let's have sex now" would probably be jarring unless you set up the scene in a way that made sense. Admittedly, I don't know much about your story, but I can't imagine a scene like that.
I do agree, from the outside it does seem a little too heavy for that sort of thing. In this game, rather than a heavy risk, I'm hoping to give the player a better idea of a 'realistic' mystery. No running off to muddy the crime scene- no being caught investigating- no placing yourself in harms way every day... I wanted to capture a sense of helplessness and paranoia. I think in a way, the romance augments the game- you learn more about these people, who you both doubt and rely on, and you have to decide whether or not to trust them. In my opinion, 18+ content could further augment how the player views the characters- opening yourself up to trust and love a character even when you're uncertain about the specifics.
Zelan wrote:Good examples of games which have, in my opinion, successfully used 18+ content, would be Katawa Shoujo and Cute Demon Crashers!, which also happen to be the first two VNs that I ever played. The most important thing that these two did was make it clear that there would be 18+ content.
Katawa Shoujo had an easily visible option to remove the sex scenes (it was in the menu, so you saw it every time you went to save your game), and Cute Demon Crashers! had a warning that popped up as soon as you started the game.
This made me think a lot more about the options available to me. I played both of the above games, too (and Katawa Shoujo was my first VN) but I never really paid attention to the fact that the option was presented to me. Having a disclaimer would be a very good idea, considering I'm giving it some serious thought.
Zelan wrote:The point of all of those paragraphs is this: from my perspective, it doesn't seem to me like 18+ content would work well for your game. Ultimately, however, the choice is yours, so you should use your best judgment to decide on this issue.
Thank-you so much for your contributions! You've allowed me to think about some more specific ideas, and I'm taking a closer look at my characters and plot to see whether it's worth adding it.
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Re: Yaoi Jam [BxB][BL] - Lethe - Romance/Mystery

#15 Post by 78909087 »

Updated with new GUI, chibi sneek-peeks, and progress updates!
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