[DEMO UP] For Better or Worse [GxB] [Romance]

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Mama J
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[DEMO UP] For Better or Worse [GxB] [Romance]

#1 Post by Mama J »

Hey, hey pretty people! THE DEMO - the fixed version, hehe - is OUT AND AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD STOP READING AND GO OVER TO THIS PAGE RIGHT NOW

https://julienne-bitana.itch.io/for-better-or-worse

SERIOUSLY WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE

....... sorry for yelling but we're just *so* excited for y'all to see the updated version :lol: CG is fixed, the true end to the demo script thing is up, credits are up, like -- we could not have done it without the amazing person that is Valhalla (: Of course, Juliastorybored, Iceramyst, Nathan Ford, and Silveth all deserve a big and well-earned round of applause as well! It was an incredibly amazing two and a half weeks of making the game and setting everything up. We've had a great time with everyone.

ANYWAY, I'm blabbing away. So, yeah, if you could go and download and show support, give us critiques and suggestions, etc. that would be extremely helpful! Right now, we're in the process of making a Kickstarter to fund the rest of the game and as soon as that's done, we'll let you guys know! Thank you!!!

Image
(GxB, Romance, Otome)
Synopsis:
MC is betrothed to her parents' colleagues' son, Ethan Jackson. Both have been promised to each other since birth, and have agreed to the conditions in order to uphold family honor and reputation. Neither have ever seen each other in person but they know of the other. The wedding date was meant to be when the children turned 25 but had to be rushed a few years earlier because of MC's accident -- the accident that left her blind. Ever since that day, she has learned braille and become close friends with a pen pal, one who was also willing to learn braille in order to understand MC. Will her and Ethan's marriage turn out to be "for better or worse?" Or does she love the one stranger that she has only communicated with through paper?

General Info:
DEMO expected time of completion: July 22, 2016
Genre:
-Romance, Drama
Features:
-Non-commercial
-4 CGs in total
-1 route/romanceable character
-2 different endings
-2 total characters
Rating:
-13+
Platforms:
-Win, Mac, Linux

Progress:
Writing
-Prologue: 100%
-Plot: 100%
-Common route: 100%
-Good end: In progress
-Bad end: In progress

Art
-Character designs: 100%
-Character bios: 100%
-Sprites: 100%
-CGs: 50%
-Backgrounds: 75%
-Logo: 100%
-GUI: 100%

Programming:
-Scripting: 100%
-GUI: 100%

Soundtrack:
-Theme: 100%
-Angst: 100%
-Romantic: 100%
-Good end: 100%
-Bad end: 100%
-Main menu: 100%

Team:
Writers
→ Me
→ Laera-chan
Sprite/CG Artist
→ Juliastorybored for Sprites
→ Silveth for CGs
Background Artist
→ Iceramyst
Logo/GUI Artist
→ Valhalla
Composer
→ Nathan A. Ford
Now time for....... ASSET SCREENSHOTS
Sprite sketches!! Provided by Juliastorybored
ImageImageImage
ImageImageImage
GUI provided by Valhalla!
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Questions for YOU!
1. Is the story interesting? Are you looking forward to it?
2. What about it do you like? Or not like?
3. What do you think about the assets so far?
4. Questions/comments/concerns/suggestions, etc.
Last edited by Mama J on Mon Jul 25, 2016 7:49 pm, edited 6 times in total.

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Mama J
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Re: For Better or Worse [GxB] [Romance] [Game Jam]

#2 Post by Mama J »

Please don't hesitate to provide feedback! It would very much be appreciated!

Here is the prologue if you are interested:
I got a letter from my pen pal today. He’s incredibly special. He was the only one who really talked to me after my accident. Everyone else had sent get well cards or balloons and disappeared, but he stuck around, knowing that a friend had been what I really needed then.

**

I rushed to get everything in my bag, knowing in the back of my head that I’m going to forget something. Today was exam day and I could not afford to be late or unprepared.

“You’ve worked for this all your life, [name]. Don’t you dare screw this up now.”

MC: “Alright, pencil, pen, paper, tissues, erasers, extra clothes if I throw up on myself, lunch bag... What else?”

Mom: “[name] you better get going! Go, hurry up, you’re going to be late for the exam!”

MC: “I know, I’m just double-checking if--”

Mom: “Get out of here, go!”

She gave me a kiss on the cheek and pushed me out the door. I protested a bit, saying that I forgot to get something, but the woman is surprisingly strong and wouldn’t budge. I gave up and gave her a nervous smile.

Mom: “Good luck, honey. I believe in you. You can do this!”

“She’s right. I can do this.”

I arrived three minutes before the exam room’s doors closed. I was out of breath since I ran my way here, and I noticed that some of the people in the room--teacher included--gave me dirty looks.

“So much for staying invisible.”

A majority of the seats were already taken so I made my way to the very last seat, near the window, on the front row.

Teacher: “Alright, class. The first part of your exam will be handling chemicals. You are to conduct an experiment using three of the chemicals available in the room. What experiment you conduct will be entirely up to you. The second part of your exam is to write a 4-page essay on your experiment. State your thesis, step-by-step process, and the result.”

Teacher: “You have approximately 8 hours to complete the exam. Any late submissions will automatically result in a failing grade. You may start.”

I already knew what I wanted to do. I was going to demonstrate the similarities of the physical and chemical properties of different alkali metals and test the increasing reactivity of group one metals.

Basically, I’m gooing to drop some cool metal things in water and see if they explode or not.

I got up from my seat and went on the hunt for lithium, sodium, and potassium. Then, I set up my station, put on my safety goggles, gloves, and coat, and began my experiment.

First, I dropped the lithium in a dish filled with water and the reaction produced red flames.

”Cool!”

Next, I took the sodium, dropped it in another dish of water, and watched the spectacular reaction between the two elements. It was better and faster than the lithium reaction but...

“Pretty sweet, but I want more boom.”

Before moving on to the potassium metal, I took a quick break to wipe my goggles clean. Then, I felt a light tap on my shoulder.

Teacher: “How are you doing, Hughes?”

MC: “The experiment is going smoothly, sir.”

Teacher: “Ah, I see you’re handling alkali metals. Be careful you don’t spill any water, alright? It’s extremely dangerous.”

MC: “Don’t worry, sir, I won’t.”

And then, it was as if everything happened in slow motion.

The teacher had started walking away, so I turned around to get back to work.

And the next thing I know, my arm knocked over a vial of water, spilling it onto the potassium metal, which resulted in a huge explosion...right in front of me.

But something was wrong.

“Potassium didn’t react with water like this. At least not this big. And it should produce purple sparks... But it’s not. I should know, I’ve handled it before. So what--”

Before I could finish forming the question in my head, the teacher had already answered it.

Teacher: “This is cesium metal, not potassium! Who was the last person that used this and mislabeled the contents?!”

His voice started to drown out as I felt a stinging pain in my eyes and realized I had taken my goggles off before the explosion.

At that moment, I was alone.

I could not hear the screaming in the room, or the cries for help, or the authoritative instructions from the teacher. No, every sound was muddled and all I could see....

Was the dark.
Any advice or constructive criticism you want to give will be incredibly helpful (:

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Re: For Better or Worse [GxB] [Romance] [Game Jam]

#3 Post by VocaloidsRCool »

First, let me just say, I love the prologue! Now I know how the MC lost her sight, and I think that was a truly unfortunate accident.

I don't really like the idea of an arranged marriage, because I believe in marrying for love, but it does make the story interesting. About the pen pal, he seems to be very dedicated to the MC if he went out of his way to learn braille for her. I think that is very sweet. I wonder if they will meet in person in the game.

The MC's sprite is very pretty, and the GUI is absolutely lovely. I honestly can't wait to play this game~ Keep up the great work!

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Re: For Better or Worse [GxB] [Romance] [Game Jam]

#4 Post by Mama J »

First, let me just say, I love the prologue! Now I know how the MC lost her sight, and I think that was a truly unfortunate accident.

I don't really like the idea of an arranged marriage, because I believe in marrying for love, but it does make the story interesting. About the pen pal, he seems to be very dedicated to the MC if he went out of his way to learn braille for her. I think that is very sweet. I wonder if they will meet in person in the game.

The MC's sprite is very pretty, and the GUI is absolutely lovely. I honestly can't wait to play this game~ Keep up the great work!
Ahh, thank you! I'm glad the prologue is being received well!

And yes, haha, neither do I but we had to come up with a quick storyline in the limited time for the jam and an arranged marriage seemed like the way to go~ Ah, you never know; they might ;)

Thank you so much for the feedback! We can't wait to release it ((:

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Re: For Better or Worse [GxB] [Romance] [Game Jam]

#5 Post by Zelan »

YAY I'M FABULOUS

1. Is the story interesting? Are you looking forward to it?: It seems fairly simple, but there's nothing wrong with simple (especially for a game jam!). And, anyway, even if the plot itself is simple, that won't matter if it's well-written.
2. What about it do you like? Or not like?: I don't really have strong feelings about anything, but overall I like what I see. ^_^
3. What do you think about the assets so far?: that GUI is FINE holy crap
4. Questions/comments/concerns/suggestions, etc.: What time period does this take place in? I'm just wondering because arranged marriages aren't as common now as they once were, although they certainly still take place.
Just a note, I decided not to read the prologue because I prefer to go in blind to most VNs - the less I know beforehand, the more enjoyable it is when I play it. c:

Good luck on completing this project!

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Re: For Better or Worse [GxB] [Romance] [Game Jam]

#6 Post by Mama J »

YAY I'M FABULOUS

1. Is the story interesting? Are you looking forward to it?: It seems fairly simple, but there's nothing wrong with simple (especially for a game jam!). And, anyway, even if the plot itself is simple, that won't matter if it's well-written.
2. What about it do you like? Or not like?: I don't really have strong feelings about anything, but overall I like what I see. ^_^
3. What do you think about the assets so far?: that GUI is FINE holy crap
4. Questions/comments/concerns/suggestions, etc.: What time period does this take place in? I'm just wondering because arranged marriages aren't as common now as they once were, although they certainly still take place.
Just a note, I decided not to read the prologue because I prefer to go in blind to most VNs - the less I know beforehand, the more enjoyable it is when I play it. c:

Good luck on completing this project!
YES YOU ARE :lol:
1) Yes, that was kind of where we intended to go. We didn't want to bite off more than we could chew so simplicity was the best way for a two week timeline (:
2) WOOHOO
3) Isn't it?? I'm obsessed with how good it came out lmao
4) We didn't even really think about that. I guess specifying the time period wasn't one of the main priorities, oops :oops:
Haha, that's fine, too! Personally, I can't go through a story without reading the very end at some point when I'm in the middle of it -- I don't know why I spoil it for myself so much!

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Re: For Better or Worse [GxB] [Romance] [Game Jam]

#7 Post by Zelan »

Mama J wrote:
YAY I'M FABULOUS

1. Is the story interesting? Are you looking forward to it?: It seems fairly simple, but there's nothing wrong with simple (especially for a game jam!). And, anyway, even if the plot itself is simple, that won't matter if it's well-written.
2. What about it do you like? Or not like?: I don't really have strong feelings about anything, but overall I like what I see. ^_^
3. What do you think about the assets so far?: that GUI is FINE holy crap
4. Questions/comments/concerns/suggestions, etc.: What time period does this take place in? I'm just wondering because arranged marriages aren't as common now as they once were, although they certainly still take place.
Just a note, I decided not to read the prologue because I prefer to go in blind to most VNs - the less I know beforehand, the more enjoyable it is when I play it. c:

Good luck on completing this project!
YES YOU ARE :lol:
1) Yes, that was kind of where we intended to go. We didn't want to bite off more than we could chew so simplicity was the best way for a two week timeline (:
2) WOOHOO
3) Isn't it?? I'm obsessed with how good it came out lmao
4) We didn't even really think about that. I guess specifying the time period wasn't one of the main priorities, oops :oops:
Haha, that's fine, too! Personally, I can't go through a story without reading the very end at some point when I'm in the middle of it -- I don't know why I spoil it for myself so much!
It IS! Make sure you thank Valhalla for that oh my gosh.

It's okay if you don't get super specific with the time period, but if it takes place in the real world you'll want at least an idea of it when you guys are writing. c: That way, you know what sort of technology and culture existed at the time.

Wow, really?? I can't even read books or watch movies or shows out of order...I get so confused. cx Reading the end of a book before getting there would be just as weird.

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Re: For Better or Worse [GxB] [Romance] [Game Jam]

#8 Post by Valhalla »

Zelan wrote:It IS! Make sure you thank Valhalla for that oh my gosh.
Haha... It was fun and everyone was easy to work with so I really enjoyed making it :) I'm glad people like it :D

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Re: For Better or Worse [GxB] [Romance] [Game Jam]

#9 Post by Ran08 »

THAT GUI. OMG. I won't lie to you guys, that GUI is the first thing I noticed when I opened this thread. Hahaha. =) Oh my goodness, it's so pretty. :") Totally love it! Great job Valhalla, you're awesome! Hahaha.

Ahem. Anyway, haha, I really like the premise! :) And heck yeah, I think it's interesting to see a situation like that. I kinda don't wanna be in MC's place because things seem super complicated for her at the moment. It's like..... getting stuck between a rock and a hard place, I think. Man. I hope there's a cool twist (and a satisfying ending)! Hahaha. =)

Good luck! I'm curious to see how the story will turn out. =) Hope you guys release it right on target, hahaha.

Though to be honest, I'm such a dummy that I couldn't understand at first how they could write to each other in braille... I eventually had to google it. Oh well, TIL. :oops:

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Re: For Better or Worse [GxB] [Romance] [Game Jam]

#10 Post by Mama J »

Haha... It was fun and everyone was easy to work with so I really enjoyed making it :) I'm glad people like it :D
Hey! I'm so glad you think so and had fun making it :) We'd love to work with you some more if you want, whenever!
THAT GUI. OMG. I won't lie to you guys, that GUI is the first thing I noticed when I opened this thread. Hahaha. =) Oh my goodness, it's so pretty. :") Totally love it! Great job Valhalla, you're awesome! Hahaha.

Ahem. Anyway, haha, I really like the premise! :) And heck yeah, I think it's interesting to see a situation like that. I kinda don't wanna be in MC's place because things seem super complicated for her at the moment. It's like..... getting stuck between a rock and a hard place, I think. Man. I hope there's a cool twist (and a satisfying ending)! Hahaha. =)

Good luck! I'm curious to see how the story will turn out. =) Hope you guys release it right on target, hahaha.

Though to be honest, I'm such a dummy that I couldn't understand at first how they could write to each other in braille... I eventually had to google it. Oh well, TIL. :oops:
I. KNOW. It's THAT good, isn't it?? He's amazing :D

And I know, nobody ever wants to be in a situation where they're forced to get married to someone they never met; but we wanted to go outside the box :) There will be a twist *wink wink* I hope everyone's going to enjoy it, haha.

Thank you! I'm so glad you're looking forward to playing it; we can't wait to release it. And yes, even if it kills me, we will release it exactly on time!

I had to research the whole Braille thing as well :lol: It's such an interesting concept and I don't think I've ever played VN where the MC was blind and in an arranged marriage so whoo authenticity haha!

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Re: For Better or Worse [GxB] [Romance] [Game Jam]

#11 Post by Valhalla »

Mama J wrote:Hey! I'm so glad you think so and had fun making it :) We'd love to work with you some more if you want, whenever!
I would love to work with you again, so please keep me in mind for your next project :wink: haha

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Re: For Better or Worse [GxB] [Romance] [Game Jam]

#12 Post by Mama J »

Hey guys! A lot has happened over the past few days and I want to be as honest with you with my projects as much as possible. My partner has barely contacted me over the past week and I have become overwhelmed. So, I don't think the full game will be released at the expected deadline. I think we're just going to release a demo, and then continue after game jam ends to complete it. Sorry for the inconvenience! I hope you guys understand; the workload became too much.

Anyway! Our artist has provided us with flat color sketches of the sprites and all that is left to do is to color them, cell-shading style. If you are interested in coloring and helping out for free, please PM me :)
ImageImageImage
ImageImageImage

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Re: For Better or Worse [GxB] [Romance] [Game Jam]

#13 Post by Laera-chan »

Hey all! I'm the other half of the writing/development team for this game, and I would like to apologize especially to Mama J, and all of you for being way out of contact. Suffice to say, I got super sick and RL kicked me while I was down. But I'm getting better, so I'm hoping we can still release this on time!

That said, I'll get caught up on everything tonight, and get back in gear tomorrow! //dons army survival gear fit for Jurassic World

//shot

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Re: For Better or Worse [GxB] [Romance] [Game Jam]

#14 Post by VocaloidsRCool »

Laera-chan wrote:Hey all! I'm the other half of the writing/development team for this game, and I would like to apologize especially to Mama J, and all of you for being way out of contact. Suffice to say, I got super sick and RL kicked me while I was down. But I'm getting better, so I'm hoping we can still release this on time!

That said, I'll get caught up on everything tonight, and get back in gear tomorrow! //dons army survival gear fit for Jurassic World

//shot
It's okay, I completely understand. I had the stomach flu a few weeks ago, and it was awful. I couldn't do anything or keep any food down. Uh...but you didn't need to know that... What I'm trying to say is, when you need to take a break it's fine, and no one will blame you. RL gets to everyone, so you are perfectly within your rights to disappear for awhile. Keep up the great work with everything you are doing! :D

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Re: For Better or Worse [GxB] [Romance] [Game Jam]

#15 Post by Laera-chan »

VocaloidsRCool wrote:
Laera-chan wrote:Hey all! I'm the other half of the writing/development team for this game, and I would like to apologize especially to Mama J, and all of you for being way out of contact. Suffice to say, I got super sick and RL kicked me while I was down. But I'm getting better, so I'm hoping we can still release this on time!

That said, I'll get caught up on everything tonight, and get back in gear tomorrow! //dons army survival gear fit for Jurassic World

//shot
It's okay, I completely understand. I had the stomach flu a few weeks ago, and it was awful. I couldn't do anything or keep any food down. Uh...but you didn't need to know that... What I'm trying to say is, when you need to take a break it's fine, and no one will blame you. RL gets to everyone, so you are perfectly within your rights to disappear for awhile. Keep up the great work with everything you are doing! :D
Haha! It's fine. Yeah, stomach flu's are nasty. And vicious little buggers. Awww. Thanks so much. We all appreciate every little comment and encouragement for this game, as it's our first game as a Team. We both have our own, individual babies, but this is the Team's... first born, so to speak. So we're really anxious about how (S)He'll do. Yes, I'm personifying our game. Deal with it, J. //shot :lol: Anywho, please continue to support us, and we'll do our best to give you all as great a game as we can manage! Through rain or shine, through snow or hail, we will not stop until this game is finished and is superb! :lol: :lol:

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