Earth Boys Are (Not) Easy [Romance/Slice of Life/Aliens]

[UkiTheMaid]

Earth Boys Are (Not) Easy
(working title)

Basic Premise

You are Vikkapie, one of the many denizens from the planet Swawethea, situated in the Lyra Polystratus system, and, at the moment, your planet is going through a serious crisis! Your kind is suffering from having a very limited (and dare we say weak) genetic pool, and all the neighboring alien races seem to have it better than you.

But, alas! You have an ace up your sleeve! Something the other races never considered: Earth!

You studied Earth for as long as you can remember, as it was always a fascinating planet, in your opinion. And you have a pretty solid and vast knowledge of its inhabitants, geography, language, history and, most importantly: their mating habits!

After extensive research, you and a couple other graduates on Foreign Civilization Studies found two suitable suitors on Earth that could aid in expanding and improving your pool with some very much needed fresh genes. And now, you are tasked with going to Earth, blend in and, hopefully, come back with a “sample” from one of the two candidates – whichever you find more suitable for your race's needs!

What The Game Is About?

In essence, this game is a Dating Sim where you play as the alien-in-disguise Vikkapie, and you have to pick between two “human specimens” which one you want to charm, so you can bring their genetic coding back to your home planet. To bring said genetic material, you are expected to mate with one of those humans.

Naturally, this is a lot easier said than done, since even though Vikkapie’s kind scanned for the optimal suitors, they are both a little hard to handle, on their own way. Luckily, Vik is given a generous time to accomplish their mission. However, you can’t stay on Earth forever, so the clock is ticking and Vik’s race depends on their success! Can they breed on time, or is their kind doomed to be the laughing stock of their galaxy?

Features (That Will Hopefully Make It!)

=2 dateable characters
=2 (or more??) endings for each character
=Cute, well made CGs (as well made I can make them!)
=Genre: a good balance between sweet/cute and serious
=Simple point system (your choices matter!)
=Modern day setting (aka THE YEAR 20XX)

Characters

Vikkapie – The Undercover Alien (shown here as human)

Vik is a very energetic young one! They are excitable, highly curious and fun loving, but also manage to be responsible when they’re required to be. They studied Earth for many years at Swawethea academy, and has a very big understanding of human behavior, but finer aspects of humankind are lost on them, which might lead to a lot of embarrassing moments when they need to deal with the suitors they are charged with attracting and mating with. They take their mission very seriously though, and are determined to bring back what’s needed to their planet. But, can they separate their own personal feelings from their task?

Nicolas Holt – A Gentle Giant

Nicolas comes from a family with a heavily religious background, but he couldn’t care less about religion even if he tried. He’s far more interested in running his flower shop and taking care of his plants, which seem to be his only company in this world. Quiet and a little shy, he speaks softly for his size, and seems almost cold and distant, at first. But he’s actually friendly. You just need to get him to open up. Which is pretty dang hard. He also has a very over-protective father and has a somewhat 'love-hate' relationship with his younger brother.

Main traits of interest for Vik's race:
=Improved Sight
=Good Memory
=Size

Ross Druimen – Small and Angry

Ross has a Scottish heritage, and his behavior shows it. Quick to anger and ready for a brawl at any time, he’s not the type of guy you mess with, no matter how short you think he is. Oh yeah, and don’t ever call him short. He’s very self conscious about his height. He works at a local bar, and clearly loves his job – almost as much as he loves kicking out annoying patrons. Despite his angry demeanor, he’s quite friendly, if you can make it through the super rude front he puts up for everyone.

Main traits of interest for Vik's race:
=Strength
=Resiliency
=Speed

Development (So Far!)

General Story Outline: pretty much 90% done at this point. I got a clear idea on how the basic plot will play out for both romanceable characters. Which means that I know how the general storyline between Vik and them will go, depending on whether or not it goes good or bad.
Art Assets: Just the basic sprites are done by now (I just need to add shading to them, as you all can clearly see). Will be working on varied expressions/emotions next! This is my priority now, because having these art assets in place will allow me to focus on the story more. Also, gotta work on a design for the alien version of Vik...
Scripting/Programming: Yeah, got almost nothing done on that. Will get back to you in a moment about this………

Some Extra Stuff

So, this is basically “Baby’s First Dating Sim”, which is why I’ve only picked two love interests. I was afraid that, if I were to pick more, I would be demotivated by the work load and end up not finishing it. I would rather have something small that will be finished + teach me how to work with the nitty gritty of Ren’py than something too big and ambitious that will just gather dust forever.

The game would work on a “day by day” system, only it won’t show EVERY SINGLE DAY of the character’s lives, because that would be immensely boring. The only part I plan on making it day by day is the first five days or so, because then you can have a feel of how the dateable characters are and make your decision on that (I’m planning on like, making it so when you decide on one guy on the fifth day, the option to keep interacting with the other suitor is closed). It's also important to note that humans don't know bout the existence of aliens, and this is one of the key plot points, the further you go into the story (can't tell much about that otherwise I'll be giving away spoilers!)

Also, I’m working on this all on my own, and it’s likely it’ll stay that way (I might end up having help from my bae, but mostly on plot and whatnot). Although, I’m very open for suggestions and critique, and I’ll be updating this post with progress and some other stuffs

There’s a lot on the personalities of Ross and Nicolas that I didn’t really describe, because otherwise it’ll ruin the fun of “getting to know them” in game (which is a very important part of the whole experience). So, if they look a little bland, well, they are a lot more than meets the eye! And, they are hard to know for different reasons: Nicolas, because he's really distant and cold to everyone around, and Ross because he almost always comes off as rude and ends up warding off people.

Oh, and despite the fact there’s “breeding talk” in the main plot, the game is not NSFW in the least. The most that happens is some heavy make outs, and some heavy suggestion of sexy times. I love me some smut, but I don’t really feel like including it heavily in this project.

Oh Yeah, Questions!
(you don’t need to answer all of them!!)

=Is the premise any interesting?
=Did you like the characters?
=Is this a too cliché of a plot/concept/character line up?
=Anything else you might want me to describe about the game?
=Any tips for a beginner like me?
=Anything that can improved?

[Zelan]

=Is the premise any interesting?
Yup! There aren't enough aliens around on this forum in my opinion. ^_^ And "Foreign Civilization Studies" has a really nice ring to it - I would absolutely take that class if it were available to me.
=Did you like the characters?
Yes, they all have interesting sides to them.
=Is this a too cliché of a plot/concept/character line up?
I don't think so, although it is a bit early to tell for sure.
=Any tips for a beginner like me?
The only tip that I usually have for beginners is "don't bite off more than you can chew," but you've already got that down. c:
=Anything that can improved?
Side characters might be a good idea. They add more work because you have to draw them and make sure they fit in with the story, but they also add a little bit more life to the world. Since Vik is coming down to Earth (which has a population of over 7 billion people), it's likely that more than just those two will be met along the way. In the end, it's really up to you, though. ^_^

[UkiTheMaid]

=Anything that can improved?
Side characters might be a good idea. They add more work because you have to draw them and make sure they fit in with the story, but they also add a little bit more life to the world. Since Vik is coming down to Earth (which has a population of over 7 billion people), it's likely that more than just those two will be met along the way. In the end, it's really up to you, though. ^_^

First, I want to thank you for the feedback in general! And second, I want to focus on that bit you mentioned!

There's going to be side characters, yes indeed! I'm particularly thinking about adding a few members of Nicolas' family to the side cast (not much on Ross' family, since him and his family are a little... disconnected, but I want to add something to Ross' side so he looks less of a loner lol). The members I have in mind are Nicolas' dad, and younger brother, but I'm still developing that better. And of course, there will be other random people Vik and the others will be interacting with, so do not worry about that!

[EppleBloom]

=Is the premise any interesting?
Yes! I like VN's with a clear goal/direction and this one's pretty unique.
=Did you like the characters?
So far Vik herself is the most interesting. I'm not sure how I feel for the boys as of yet. They both seem to be of the "takes a while to open up" variety though so that leaves a lot of room to grow attached.
=Is this a too cliché of a plot/concept/character line up?
The plot certainly isn't cliche and I think it's really cute. For the characters, I'll need to see more of them.
=Anything else you might want me to describe about the game?
The boys seem very different so what traits specifically does she want from them? What does Vik look like when she isn't human? And what is the difference in technology level between Earth and her planet? Do the people of Earth know aliens exist? Have they had contact?
=Any tips for a beginner like me?
I'm a beginner also, but my advice is keep working hard!
=Anything that can improved?
Not much I can think of. I like where it's going so far.

[Zelan]

There's going to be side characters, yes indeed! I'm particularly thinking about adding a few members of Nicolas' family to the side cast (not much on Ross' family, since him and his family are a little... disconnected, but I want to add something to Ross' side so he looks less of a loner lol). The members I have in mind are Nicolas' dad, and younger brother, but I'm still developing that better. And of course, there will be other random people Vik and the others will be interacting with, so do not worry about that!

Oh, awesome! Good to know. ^_^ I don't have any other suggestions, then - this looks like the beginning of a great project!

[NialGrenville]

1) I believe it will be fulfilling to the final piece. For right now, I think it is a great introduction to a new charming, cute game!
2) I personally believe that they are diverse, but not too much. Except Vik. She is, by far, the most diverse character. Which I believe you intended it that way. Quite fantastic if I do say so myself.
3) The idea of being cliché is a little self-deprecation which should not bother you. Even clichés are entertaining if done correctly. To answer the question though: not cliché at all. Quite original.
4) I agree with EppleBloom.
5) Sure, plenty of tips. Spend lots of time on writing, and growing the characters within the interaction of the player. Make it your beautiful story. Seamless in every way, at least your idea of seamless!
6) You are definitely building this game from the floor up. That is probably the coolest thing about the project. So far, everything given is excellent.

[UkiTheMaid]

I want to thank you all for the SUPER NICE feedback! Like, really, you were all such dolls about this whole project, I am super excited!!

Now, let's break this down by parts...

=Anything else you might want me to describe about the game?
The boys seem very different so what traits specifically does she want from them? What does Vik look like when she isn't human? And what is the difference in technology level between Earth and her planet? Do the people of Earth know aliens exist? Have they had contact?

Now, most of these topics, I didn't even take into consideration, and I'm glad you brought them up, because now I'm going to start fleshing those out. The only two points I already have thought about is what Vik looks like (I'll try to sketch up something soon-ish and see how that goes, because I never designed an alien race before, so this is going to be fun!) and also whether or not humans know aliens exist/had contact with them.

Here's the thing: they don't know about aliens, and it's an important plot point later in the game! Of course I don't wanna say much about it, because it'll probably ruin whatever surprise it might happen in the plot!

2) I personally believe that they are diverse, but not too much. Except Vik. She is, by far, the most diverse character. Which I believe you intended it that way. Quite fantastic if I do say so myself.
3) The idea of being cliché is a little self-deprecation which should not bother you. Even clichés are entertaining if done correctly. To answer the question though: not cliché at all. Quite original.
5) Sure, plenty of tips. Spend lots of time on writing, and growing the characters within the interaction of the player. Make it your beautiful story. Seamless in every way, at least your idea of seamless!

2) Vik ended up being the most different almost unintentionally, and for a moment I considered making them closer to the boys, but then I was like "Wait, no, this is great! Keep them that way!"

3) I think you are right XD I mean, I was reading some of the other idea topics here before I started this thread (mostly to see how to structure mine), and I was happy to see that people here are not harsh on things that lean to the "cliché", because even that can work, if used in a charming manner.

5) I have plenty of experience writing fanfic (been doing that for as long as I can remember), so I'm used to long times of writing and developing characters (I have a thing for picking minor characters and expanding on them a lot) + dialogue has always been one of my strongest points, so I guess now what I really need to train and understand better is how to make a branching story (as fanfics don't do that, so this is where I need to practice and make things flow proper)!

[Zelan]

5) I have plenty of experience writing fanfic (been doing that for as long as I can remember), so I'm used to long times of writing and developing characters (I have a thing for picking minor characters and expanding on them a lot) + dialogue has always been one of my strongest points, so I guess now what I really need to train and understand better is how to make a branching story (as fanfics don't do that, so this is where I need to practice and make things flow proper)!

Oh, fanfiction. cx It's amazing how many writers get started with that.

A couple suggestions when dealing with branches: 1) Have all of the path splits in an outline before you start, so you know exactly what you'll need to be writing. 2) Don't force in any choices because you feel like they "have to be there;" if a choice feels awkward or unnecessary, the readers will feel that, too. Just put the branches where they make sense for you and your story. c:

[UkiTheMaid]

Letting you all know I edited the main post a bit. Sprinkled some new info here and there + added the main traits Vik's race is interested in both suitors! There may be more. Also, yes, size is an important trait when you find yourself as the smallest race of your system and shape-shifting just won't cut it!

[Mammon]

This looks like a fun little game to be.

=Is the premise any interesting?
It is, although I wonder whether you'll take this into a serious or the campy direction. I'm personally hoping for the campy one because the first thing that pops in my head with a more realistic approach would be 'Sperm banks'.

=Is this a too cliché of a plot/concept/character line up?
For a first game, cliché aren't even that much of a problem. However, your characters each seem to have an unique (or at least not-cliché) trait to them so that's not even a problem even if starting developers would be expected to make amazingly unique storylines.

=Any tips for a beginner like me?
For a beginner, dedication is the most important trait to put in your work. Even if your work isn't on par with the big names on this forum (because that's obviously not an expectation you should strive for), people will like and appreciate it if they see that you put dedication into it. So strive for the best you can do, and people will like it.

And, depending on the length of your story, you might want to make a short mock-VN first just to test all the steps of making a Ren'py game. It will help avoid a lot of problems with coding and such, especially knowing the limitations and possibilities of what you can do with the code.