The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea [GxG/GXB/Supernatural] DEMO

[blackcross12]

The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea




Maddie is looking forward to spending the summer before she begins college working with her best friend, Bridgette, as crew on the luxury cruise ship M.S. Andromache.

So what if its maiden voyage is to retrace the route of its ill-fated sister ship, the S.S. Cassandra, which disappeared inside the perilous Bermuda Triangle over 100 years before? The media will hype anything for a story and the liner company is only too happy for the extra publicity.

But when things aboard ship start to go awry, Maddie soon realises she’ll have more to deal with than demanding passengers and annoying co-workers. Could she be the key to changing events set in motion over a century ago, or will the mystery of the Devil’s Triangle claim her too?
























Sprites & CGs – Yuukicrosspudding
Script – Blackcross
Backgrounds – Drew
Proofreader - Zelan

This game will be about 50,000 words long and will be commercial (probably about $5)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello all

Below are links to the (mostly) finalised demo for The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.

The WIP is here viewtopic.php?f=43&t=41998 if you would like more details.

Linux http://bit.ly/2mhsNQH

Mac http://bit.ly/2mAOHiR

Windows http://bit.ly/2mC4QpF



· Just under 10,000 words
· Finished writing and sprites
· Finished CG
· Finished backgrounds (minus one which didn't make the deadline)
· Customised GUI (though it still needs some tweaking)

I think playtime should be about 20-30 mins and covers the first two in-game days. Feedback would be welcome. ^_^

Thanks for reading

Blackcross

[Zelan]

Wow, look at this new thing that I didn't know existed! [:

Everyone looks really cute (I love YuukiCrossPudding's art style), but Bridgette especially has that sweet quality to her.

[blackcross12]

Hello everyone

Just a quick update. The writing for the demo has been completed, and I've edited the original post with some of the updated sprites. The word count now stands at about 18,000, so we're over a third of the way to completion of the script.

All in all, progress is going well and we're still on schedule for a February demo release.

Thanks for reading

Blackcross

[Ran08]

I'm a simple person. I saw "deep blue sea", GxB, and Supernatural and I just went, "omgomgomg"

Good luck on the development and I'm looking forward to the demo!

[blackcross12]

Hello everyone

Just a post to showcase the last two sprites (Thank you, Yuukicrosspudding!) and to let people know the word count is now at 21,000 and I hope to start coding in the sprites from tomorrow.

Ran08

I'm a simple person. I saw "deep blue sea", GxB, and Supernatural and I just went, "omgomgomg"

Good luck on the development and I'm looking forward to the demo!

Ha! I'm glad to hear it sounds like it's to your tastes. Thanks for the well-wishes and I hope the demo lives up to your expectations. ^_^

Thanks for reading

Blackcross

[Amberbaum]

Ah, the bust sprites look really nice (the colouration and lightening of the hair is especially lovely) and I am a sucker for mystery VNs or anything that makes reading it gripping. Do you already know on how you want to market it and on which platforms you want to sell it?

[blackcross12]

Amberbaum
Ah, the bust sprites look really nice (the colouration and lightening of the hair is especially lovely) and I am a sucker for mystery VNs or anything that makes reading it gripping. Do you already know on how you want to market it and on which platforms you want to sell it?

Thank you, Amberbaum.

Yuukicrosspudding did a lovely job on the sprites - once they open their art shop in the forums once more, I can only heartily recommend commissioning them; they have been a pleasure to work with.

For platforms, I would first be releasing on the Mac/Windows/Linux builds on itch.io, and then I would see about getting a mobile version out, if there was enough interest. Though I know mobile releases and getting the games available on android and apple app storefronts is a whole different kettle of fish.

As for marketing etc, though not the only visual novel I have in production, it will be the first one I've ever released, so I freely admit I'll probably be using it as a test case where that is concerned.

I am considering releasing an alpha build of either what will be the full demo (days 1 and 2 of the story) or half the planned demo (just day 1). This would be the finalised writing and sprites, but with line-sketched backgrounds, no CGs and just the standard ren'py GUI.

Out of interest, do people enjoy playing alpha builds, or prefer to play demos which are 'complete' (barring minor tweaking closer to launch)?

Also, if anyone has any suggestions of how best to market and get these kinds of games out there, publicity-wise, I'd be glad of the input. ^_^

Blackcross

[Amberbaum]

For platforms, I would first be releasing on the Mac/Windows/Linux builds on itch.io, and then I would see about getting a mobile version out, if there was enough interest. Though I know mobile releases and getting the games available on android and apple app storefronts is a whole different kettle of fish.

I cannot really say anything about the mobile market only that it is hard to get visibility on the appstore. If you launched your game on Itch.Io you might want to consider publishing it on Steam. The VN crowd there is pretty dedicated and so far there are only a few VN that didn't made it past Greenlight for very obvious reasons ( Beginner visual novel + MS paint sprites + standard GUI + terrible writing + engrish). You might want to ask some Lemmasoft and Steam VN developer regulars on how their Steam sales are and if they regretted putting it up on Steam ( Thought I doubt it. The reason why Steam is so beloved is because they made games available for nearly all regions who normally were region-locked out from games.)

Out of interest, do people enjoy playing alpha builds, or prefer to play demos which are 'complete' (barring minor tweaking closer to launch)?

Personally, I have no problem with an Alpha build. You can always update it once more content is finished. This way you can get in some feedback very early on. Or you might want to wait and put up a demo if you are afraid that the alpha content will turn away possible players because they couldn't find it gripping enough with the little content it has (unlikely that this will happen).

Also, if anyone has any suggestions of how best to market and get these kinds of games out there, publicity-wise, I'd be glad of the input. ^_^

I can sadly be of minimal assistance to you in this case. I am a player and not a developer.
-Again, I would take a peek into the creators corner of the LSF and try to read things up or ask directly for tips.
-And then there is google (or what ever search engine you prefer). I found an article from the man who runs Winter Wolves Games about making and selling VNs on the first search page: http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/CelsoRiv ... g_sims.php
- Don't underestimate social media. Tumblr loves VNs and many VN creator have their own tumblr page. VN devs often ask for and receive help from fellow VN blogs that fits their game demographic such as http://otomesweetheart.tumblr.com/ or http://www.englishotomegames.net/
- If you have no trouble with sending emails and getting in contact with other people or aren't otherwise a procrastinator then you can try to do your marketing yourself with help or guidance from others. If not, then you can always hire someone who is experienced to do it for your team.

[blackcross12]

Hello all

First off, many thanks, Amberbaum. I’ll keep in mind your suggestions and I’ve bookmarked the links you provided.

Also, I am excited (and a little nervous) to present the alpha demo for The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. Please see below for the links.

Linux http://bit.ly/2lkOCBZ

Mac http://bit.ly/2kmDhNI

Windows http://bit.ly/2kTqGVo

As the alpha, this game features:

· Half the length of the finalised demo
· Finished writing and sprites
· No CGs
· Unfinished line sketched backgrounds
· Ren’py default GUI (though the new ‘default’ one looks so good, I’m going to be sad to change it, lol)

I think playtime should be about 15 mins and covers the first in-game day. It’s not the most to go on, but I would love feedback on what people thought, especially…

Who was your favourite character and why?
Who was your least favourite character and why?
Did anything strike you as jarring (bad sound/sprite transitions) or poorly written?
Are you looking forward to playing more?
Any bugs/typos?

Thanks for reading

Blackcross

[Amberbaum]

My thoughts on DDBS after playing the alpha:

Pro:
- Font is easy to read
- Avoided the the cliche "Coming to late to your first day at work and therefore getting scolded by the supervisor and maybe getting made fun of by a LI"
- From the documentaries I saw about ship personal the description of the bunk and the rules seems accurate. Being a employee on a luxury liner is miserable and exhausting for most people.
- The dialogue options are fun and Maddie's reactions are satisfying.
- While using a live broadcast as an introduction into a story is not unheard of it is still interesting and in this case it doesn't end up as a information dump (which is something to be avoided because people will get bored and don't want to continue playing the game)

Contra:
- Can't really give any contra at this early state.

Now to your questions:

Who was your favourite character and why? - Who was your least favourite character and why?
Hm, it's too soon to tell. My opinions on the LIs on first glance: Bridget is a bit anxious and nervous. Karl appears to have some attitude problems and is pissed that he was forced (???) to spend his summer this way. Connor is easy-going but also your uninteresting nice guy.
Did anything strike you as jarring (bad sound/sprite transitions) or poorly written?
No, I was rather fond of the ambient noise. Many VN seem to forget completely about it and add in just some little noises (eg. punch noises, glass shattering etc.). The hum of the ship is not unpleasant if you are afraid that it will annoy people.
Are you looking forward to playing more?
Yes.
Any bugs/typos?
I am bad at typo reports, but I haven't found any bugs. So far, every dialogue option worked.

[blackcross12]

Hello Everyone

@Amberbaum Thanks for the feedback! I’m glad you seemed to enjoy the story so far and felt it rang true with its depiction of working on a cruise ship –I didn’t want to gloss over the fact most people find it really hard work, though at the same time, I think if I made it as horrible as it can be, the characters wouldn’t have the energy for mysteries or romance. ^_^

I’m going to try and strike a balance between the two, so I hope people will let me know if I’ve leaned too far one way or the other.

As for that arriving late cliché, I didn’t even know there was one, so I’m happy I managed to avoid it. ^_^

The finalised demo is scheduled for release sometime between 5th and 12th of March, so I hope players will be able to get a better feel for the characters then, since the demo covers the second day as well.


Now the alpha demo is out, I’m back working on the writing. The word count currently stands at 25,000 words, so the script is about half way there. Yuukicrosspudding is hard at work on the title screen and first CG (and only CG to feature in the demo) and we’ve about 4 backgrounds left to finish for the demo (Thanks, Drew), so things are progressing on schedule.

Thanks for reading

Blackcross

[blackcross12]

Hello Everyone

Just a quick up date. We're just finishing off the last few background for the demo (2 to go!) which will be released, mostly likely on the 12th March.

The word count is up to 30,000 and the CGs are also under way. Below are a few screenshots from the demo and the game's new title screen.

Oh, and good luck to everyone participating in this years NanoRenNo -I'm looking forward to seeing all the new games come April ^_^

Thanks for reading

Blackcross

[Amberbaum]

Oh, this is starting to look nice :3

Might I give you a suggestion? Put some finished backgrounds and sample CGs in the header post so that people can immediately see what the projects art assets look like.

[blackcross12]

@Amberbaum

Good idea! I've added a couple to the first post ^_^

Thank you for the encouragement

Blackcross

[Evy]

Oh hey, I also have a a sea-themed project with a protagonist named Magdalena (though her nicknames tend to be Maggie or Mags instead). They totally should be friends :>

I really like this concept so far! The designs and art are very appealing, and the premise is solid. Bridgette is especially cute. I'm looking forward to seeing more!