BL4NK x RE4DER [Otome | GxB] [Meta] [SHELVED]

[Harmonywish]

AWWWW! They all look so cute but Levi is my favorite <3 I love long-haired boys :3

[VocaloidsRCool]

Nial is SO adorable in chibi form~ The narrator shouldn't sell himself short, he's a really interesting guy, and very much romanceable~ I honestly can't tell if I like Narrator more or Nial. So, for the modest Narrator who's really a good guy, I give him hugs and kisses. Love you Narrator-san~
XOXOXOXO (ɔˆ ³(ˆ⌣ˆc) (#^.^#)

[completelyaddicted21]

Gameplay-Related Questions

* Rollback: essentially a "back button" allowing the player to change choices they have made; disabling rollback in a visual novel is often considered user-unfriendly.
omg can I please just say that I LOVE the idea of this game, it's so original! I love how the routes will change once you play through it again and the guys finally reveal their actual personalities. I don't usually write replies to these threads but omg Im so excited for this game!! Wish you the best of luck!

---What are your opinions about rollback being disabled in an otome game?
---Would you play differently if you knew that you cannot rollback to change your choices? (Would you still play at all?)
I actually kinda like that rollback is disabled, because its more realistic. In real life you can't exactly go back in time to change your choices, so I really like that its disabled. Also, I think that I would take the choices more seriously because I know I can't change my choices later on. I'll definitely still play!

* Save/Load: the player's ability to save/load their game files; most visual novels allow for the creation of numerous save files.
---How many save/load file slots do you typically use in an otome game?
I use like 20 save files usually HAHAHA
---Would you play differently if you knew that the game only allows for one save file to be created?
Yeah, definitely! I'd take the choices way more seriously if theres only one save file.

* Persistent Data: game data that is saved permanently* and may affect later playthroughs of the game; some visual novels use this for galleries and other extras.
---Would you play differently if you knew that each playthrough of the game permanently* changes the game?
* I'm sure there are ways to remove persistent data from the computer if you really wanted to do that.
Yep! like I said, I'd take the choices more seriously, and it'll make the game waay more realistic! I love that aspect of it.

Miscellaneous
---Which characters are most attractive to you, and why?
NIAL FOR SURE! Idk theres just something about him, and maybe his hair. I don't like guys with long hair I would've said ken was the cutest if not for his glasses

[Kumiho]

What are your opinions about rollback being disabled in an otome game?
Depends on how/when it's executed. For the most part, I'm not super fond of the idea but I won't (and kind of can't!) form a concrete conclusion until after I've played the demo or game <3

Would you play differently if you knew that you cannot rollback to change your choices?
When rollback is disabled, I usually end up savespamming, which breaks from the immersion. However, this is more often for stories where there are abrupt "bad endings" where MC dies. If there is no real "risk" (as opposed to ending variation) to selecting alternative choices, I'm completely fine with the idea!

How many save/load file slots do you typically use in an otome game?
Depends on the game. For KNs? One (obvi). For games like LLTQ where a single mistake can be the death of you? Dozens. For typical otomes? A page per route (so about 6xroute?), but I can live with much fewer.

Would you play differently if you knew that the game only allows for one save file to be created?
killme I'll probably just stop saving completely lolol. YOLO

Would you play differently if you knew that each playthrough of the game permanently* changes the game? UNDERTALEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE aka yes. SO MUCH YES. AAAAA. (I will have to play Nial's route first tho tbh so that I don't poison his route--- wait, that means I'll be poisoning his feelings in the other routes? ---screw it, my feelings and story > Nial's

It eems like it'll be a lot of work on your part, though.

Which characters are most attractive to you, and why?
NIALLLLLLL. GUYS WHO TRY TO HELP U WITH LOVE BUT THEN FALL IN LOVE W U THEMSELVES? YAS! I SAY YAS! ALSO HE'S RIDIC ATTRACTIVE AND HIS FRIENDSHIP W NARRATOR SEEMS CUTE ALREADY. NARRATOR IS A V CLOSE SECOND.

[Alcor]

UPDATE / ANNOUNCEMENTS / NEWS

Hello, all! I know I haven't updated for quite a while, but I was waiting until I could announce some exciting news (though it's not exactly about BL4NK x RE4DER, sorry!).

----

NaNoRenO 2016 & BL4NK x RE4DER Demo

It is now March, and time for NaNoRenO! This year, I am participating by:
joining a development team: Lads in Distress
creating a solo project: misSHAPEn love!

I will be working on a demo for BL4NK as well as on these two projects, but I am unsure whether the demo can be completed in March or delayed until April.

See below sections for more details on my two NaNoRenO projects!

----

Lads in Distress

I want to give a shoutout to all my friends on the Lads in Distress development team. I truly enjoyed getting to know them better over the past few weeks, and their passion for their projects is contagious. I'm sure we will create a great project together <3

Please drop them a comment or some motivational messages if you have time~

----

misSHAPEn love!

Shoutout to Windchimes! Not sure how one of the conversations we had at a really weird time of day (I was definitely half asleep) turned into a full project, but I'll try my best <3

Please visit misSHAPEn love! if you're interested in a ridiculous otome in which the female protagonist attempts to date geometric shapes! (There really isn't a more sensible way to summarize this project.)

----

Idea Dump

I have also created an Idea Dump listing some of my future projects. (I think at least half of them are otome games...)

Please feel free to take a look if you're interested and let me know which you'd like to see developed!

----

As always, thank you for your interest and patience. I may not respond to every comment, but I read and appreciate all of them and will always do my best to answer your questions.

[Alcor]

Here is a new set of teaser images for BL4NK!

[Antizaba]

wow, this looks super interesting

---What are your opinions about rollback being disabled in an otome game?
---Would you play differently if you knew that you cannot rollback to change your choices? (Would you still play at all?)
For text itself, i like to have rollback in visual novels. i happen to click by accident a lot while playing so i use it to go back and read what i missed.
For the choices, i don't care. I use it only when the descriptions of choices are unclear/appear to be the same. In those cases i sometimes use rollback to see what the author meant by each choice and pick afterwards.

If you want to dissable it because it fits the theme/game/storytelling/some cool twist of rules, then DO IT. i'm very fond of creative new ideas and games that mess with your head

---How many save/load file slots do you typically use in an otome game?
---Would you play differently if you knew that the game only allows for one save file to be created?
i don't use save/load very much, this wouldn't be difference for me

---Would you play differently if you knew that each playthrough of the game permanently* changes the game?
haha, i don't know. maybe? but it would definitely make me play the game in the first place. it sounds AWESOME

[Alcor]

...

Thank you for leaving a comment, Antizaba, and for answering some questions! I very much appreciated your input. Though, it seems like you answered some of the older questions... if you have the time (and if you check in again later), could you perhaps also answer some of the newer questions (at the bottom of the first post)? ^^;

[Antizaba]

Thank you for leaving a comment, Antizaba, and for answering some questions! I very much appreciated your input. Though, it seems like you answered some of the older questions... if you have the time (and if you check in again later), could you perhaps also answer some of the newer questions (at the bottom of the first post)? ^^;

sure :)

Do you find the guys attractive? How do the new sprites compare to the old ones?
I 100% like the new sprites better. It's not because of art style, both styles look good to me. But the new ones have stronger expressions, which makes them look much more alive. And (at least for me) that is much more important that art quality.

Which guy do you find the most attractive (judging by the sprites)?
To be honest, when it comes to looks, i like men big and hairy :D so they are not quite my type, sorry :D (But i like Nial's smirk :) )

Which guy do you find the most interesting (judging by the descriptions)?
This is actually interesting, i like all of them. Their descriptions are the thing that caught my interest in the first place. Each one gave me this "ooh... this could be interesting" feeling. But if i had to choose, i would pick Luke or Kole.

How would you feel if you were rejected/friendzoned/etc. by otome guys?
That would be actually super cool, i would love that :)

Do you think it’s important for an otome game to define its endings (good/bad, friendship/love)?
Not at all... actually i never liked the word "ending", because life goes on. who knows what is going to happen next. maybe you'll break up after two years.

Do you think happy/fulfilling endings are important in otome games?
Depends on the type/purpose of the game. i would like to have a "happy ending" in simple sweet light romance/comedy, the kind of game you play when you want to relax. I don't need it in game with too sarkastic/black humor. Or in game about serious topics, or game which want to present you some kind of idea, something for you to think about.

[flaminghippo]

This looks really fun and promising! I really love how meta it is. How's it coming along?

To answer your questions:

Do you find the guys attractive? How do the new sprites compare to the old ones?
I find the guys very attractive! I prefer Nial's original design to the current one, but not by much. They're very good.

Which guy do you find the most attractive (judging by the sprites)?
Nial is the most attractive, to me. I like Luke a lot, too

Which guy do you find the most interesting (judging by the descriptions)?
I really love Luke's personality—the idea that he'd rather be playing games than flirting with girls is hilarious and...honestly so relatable.

How would you feel if you were rejected/friendzoned/etc. by otome guys?
Pretty OK. I like getting to know the characters, and I'd be ok if the rejection felt natural.

Do you think it’s important for an otome game to define its endings (good/bad, friendship/love)?
Not really. You're already doing a lot of things differently here, so I don't think you really need to worry about that.

Do you think happy/fulfilling endings are important in otome games?
I like them! I also like bad endings (see: any of the Cheritz games), but I think it's nice to feel like the player has a certain amount of control over the outcome of a game. That said, this particular concept seems pretty out of the box. I can't say I'm expecting it to follow any conventions.

Really looking forward to this!

[Alcor]

...

Thank you so much for your input!
I'm glad you think that the new sprites have stronger expressions. And what you said about life going on is so true! I'll definitely keep that in mind while writing the script.

...

Thank you so much! Glad you're liking how the guys look, haha. I still haven't had a chance to play any Cheritz games, but I do intend to try Mystic Messenger at some point.

[Zelan]

Do you find the guys attractive? How do the new sprites compare to the old ones?: I actually like both a lot. The style of the new ones seems a little more...crisp? I guess?, which looks really nice.

Which guy do you find the most attractive (judging by the sprites)?: Kole. I like glasses and tend to prefer short hair. Nial's a looker too, though. And the other two are by no means unattractive.
Which guy do you find the most interesting (judging by the descriptions)?: I feel like the answer's gotta be Niall. Both his otome personality and his true personality are very mysterious. Bryn is probably second place - revenge against the narrator sounds like it could get interesting.

How would you feel if you were rejected/friendzoned/etc. by otome guys?: I think it would be interesting, almost a role-reversal considering the number of characters that I've friendzoned every time I've played a VN. It's definitely an interesting concept, though. It's sort of used sometimes in other VNs, but it always ends with the character falling for the MC anyway.
Do you think it’s important for an otome game to define its endings (good/bad, friendship/love)?: I don't think so. As long as I know what's going on, I can interpret it myself - I don't need the game to tell me "Yo, this thing that just happened is good."
Do you think happy/fulfilling endings are important in otome games?: It depends on the mood. If it's a horror otome, I would expect lots of dark endings and wouldn't be surprised if the "happiest" ending was more bittersweet. In a simple, lighthearted otome, on the other hand, I would expect most (if not all) of the endings to be happy. This one's a little in the middle - I can see it being a little sadder in some endings due to the discontentment of all the guys, but I could also see happy endings. Not necessarily romance endings, but maybe an ending where everyone's friends and it's chill, for example.

[Alcor]

...

Hey Zelan! Thank you so much for answering all those questions, and in so much detail. Responses like yours really help me in the development process!

I'm actually really happy to hear that you like Kole, as I think the other guys have been consistently more popular in general. I was worried that his new sprite looks kind of meh compared to his old one, but if it all looks crisp, I think it works out! (The older ones just took a lot longer to shade, and making CGs felt very tedious OTL).

I hope my (not-exactly-happy) "endings" don't disappoint! Thank you again for your comment

[neuropsy]

Do you find the guys attractive? How do the new sprites compare to the old ones?
Yes, I find the guys attractive. I prefer the new sprites compared to the old ones, and while I unfortunately cannot offer any specific terminology to delineate exactly why I prefer the new sprites, except that the new sprites appear higher quality and the art style is more aesthetically appealing. I prefer Nial's old sprite, though.

Which guy do you find the most attractive (judging by the sprites)?
Bryn is the most attractive to me, followed by the Narrator, but in a more enigmatic way.
Which guy do you find the most interesting (judging by the descriptions)?
Bryn and the Narrator, actually! Bryn because his internal struggle over his compromised autonomy reminds me of my time questioning the concept of "free will." His route seems like it'd explore psychological and philosophical themes, which I'm an absolute sucker for. The Narrator intrigues me precisely because of his role as a narrator and the mystery surrounding him. Is his name Narrator? What is the nature of his identity and his role? Is he omniscient? His description evokes this line of questioning from me.

How would you feel if you were rejected/friendzoned/etc. by otome guys?
That sounds awesome. I'd love for games to reflect reality in that way. I know otome games are largely invested in escapism, but I paradoxically find realism amplifies my escapism.
Do you think it’s important for an otome game to define its endings (good/bad, friendship/love)?
I think it's important for a reader to be able to draw their own conclusions without needing a specific label towards the type of ending. That being said, it'd be interesting if the characters can comment on the types of ending the players achieve, whether the endings are strictly defined or open-ended.
Do you think happy/fulfilling endings are important in otome games?
I think games should be fulfilling, but fulfillment doesn't necessarily mean games should be happy. So long as the themes are well executed in a meaningful way, I can be more being satisfied.

The theme of this game reminded me of a lucid dream I had a while back. I sent you a private message about it.

[Alcor]

...

Thank you so much for your kind words, and for answering the questions!

I'm glad the narrator interests you! he's probably my favorite (or second favorite, because Nial), and I hope that bias doesn't show up in the writing ahaha I hope you like what I planned for him whenever I finish this game!

That sounds awesome. I'd love for games to reflect reality in that way. I know otome games are largely invested in escapism, but I paradoxically find realism amplifies my escapism.

That's actually a really interesting response, and a fantastic way of expressing that idea in words. I think I would agree with that to a degree. If I remember correctly, this entire project started when I was sitting in a psychology lecture and thinking "what if otome guys actually hate their love stories because they aren't real (or realistic)?". I can't remember what the lecture was about.

Thank you again for your response