Last Class Standing [BxG] [Horror, Paranormal]

[Buob]

So, I'm creating this game called Last Class Standing. It started as a brainchild when I saw Tooru Nanamine's Classroom of Truth manga in "Bakuman." The original idea I got from it was that the students of the school would have a completely chaotic life from that day on--everything they knew would be wrong. However, I knew that would be WAY too hard to make into a story, let alone a visual novel, so I kinda put it on the bottom shelf.

Later, a few of my friends start watching Clannad (thanks to me), and one of my friends says "Buob, let's make an anime." I respond "Anime is hard, but I'll do a manga." (I said this because my cousin is good with manga art)

This was kind of a joke, but as I started thinking about it, I knew that I could no longer watch anime the same way thanks to Clannad, Clannad After Story, and Angel Beats. I told this to my friend who said "well, we could always make our own anime."

Knowing that visual novels can be easier, and that there are plenty of free, easy to use vn creator software to use, I said "let's make a visual novel instead." The question was: what story to use? My friend said we could use the idea I had had about the entire world being chaotic, but with a little bit different of a story: have a "game" where classrooms are told to team up and the last classroom with survivors was the winner. Basically the plot is:

Hideki goes to school thinking it's a normal day. However, during math class a voice comes over the intercom saying "Wanna play a game? Well then, Last Class Standing wins." (paraphrased; the actual quote is much longer) Hideki then realizes he needs to stop this menace. Together, with his friend Daichi (subject to change), he finds two girls; the Class President Ryou and her friend Natsumi. They plan their plan of attack, and then get started. Along the way, they meet Souta, a boy who lost his only friend to another class. He wants revenge and joins them. Together they shall stand and fight against the person who told them to fight. But the question is....will they win?

I was enthralled and we got to work on making characters. We started with the knowledge that we had to have the usual five (Main character, best friend, love interest, support female, and strong guy), so we took that, put names to the characters and just ran with it. For a little bit of comic relief, we added an underclassman who pops in at random times.

I got to work finding the right program to write the vn (ren'py) and got started with the main story. As writing is my strong suit, I have essentially completed the main plot, and now have almost half the game written.

I also have a little bit of Photshop/GIMP knowledge, so I made a title screen, and after I had gotten a hold of two pictures (one drawn by my cousin, and the other by a friend), I used them as guides for two of the characters. I also found a classroom picture, which has come in handy.

Anyway, here is all the art I have so far:
The title:


The best friend:

The best friend and the comic relief:


And finally, just a picture I made to "move time" (it's animation is really cool, though it took me a while to get it just right):

Rating: Due to violence and language, this will be rated 16+

Currently the work is divided like this:
Writer: Me and a friend
Character Development: Me and said friend
Character Design: My cousin and a different friend
Music: So far only me, though I hope to have someone else join and help
Programming: Me and help from this forum.

Current Standings:
Character Development: 90%
Plot: 95%
Script: 55%
Artwork: 5%
OP and Closing songs/Credits: 5%
SFX: 0%
Demo: 75%
(edited 10/2/2012)

I currently only have 3 endings in mind, though I want a few more. I won't complain, as this is my first VN.

This is a blast and I really can't wait to finish it. However, I do need to know if this is an interesting enough plot, or if something needs to be clarified or something like that. My main question is: what would YOU like to see in something like this?

I could also put a demo of what I've got if people would like to run through the rough draft I've got....



If you have any questions, go ahead and ask--whether by PM or this thread--I'll be happy to answer any questions to the best of my abilities.

[cuttlefish]

Is this happening in a high school or middle school setting?
How is this game [Horror, Paranormal]?

In your first post, you might want to write a short blurb about the story (i.e. why the main character and his class are propelled into this class vs. class situation). Your blurb might mention the [Horror, Paranormal] elements of the story. If you read the first posts of Completed Games (or even some WIP) threads, you can get an idea of what to write.

Classes in a school killing each other for one class to survive as the winner =/= plot. It is just a story idea. That said, this story idea is not new, but depending on your execution it could be very interesting.

I don't have an answer for your main question, but I thought I'd give you some tips.

[Buob]

I knew I'd forget to write something.

This is taking place in a high school setting. The characters would be more mature, and would be more apt to actually understand and follow the directions given to them.

This game is horror because it's too dark to be action/adventure, as well as the fact that there is the frequent blood and gore. Maybe there's a genre I don't know about that could describe it better? The reason there's a paranormal tag in there is because the antagonist is a "mysterious force" (it's a demon). There's only a touch of the paranormal here, but I figured I might try to show it.


Also, I do realize that this is not a new concept. I did state that I got it from "Bakuman," who also said "things like this have been done before." Besides that, The Hunger Games also has a similar concept. Besides that, no idea is truly "original." Several works influenced that person to to write the "original" story. Well, that's my two bits, anyway.

Well, thank you; I appreciate them. I also hope I answered these questions well enough...

[cuttlefish]

Hideki goes to school thinking it's a normal day. However, during math class a voice comes over the intercom saying "Wanna play a game? Well then, Last Class Standing wins." (paraphrased; the actual quote is much longer) Hideki then realizes he needs to stop this menace. Together, with his friend Daichi (subject to change), he finds two girls; the Class President Ryou and her friend Natsumi. They plan their plan of attack, and then get started. Along the way, they meet Souta, a boy who lost his only friend to another class. He wants revenge and joins them. Together they shall stand and fight against the person who told them to fight. But the question is....will they win?

This is enough to get a taste of the game's story. You don't have to post the whole plot, but your first post was missing this.

I hate giving out spoilers. However, if you've read enough book and movies, you should know the answer to the end question.

Well, you stated in the first post you had 3 endings in mind, so I wouldn't exactly know the answer to whether the main characters survive or not in the end. (But I could guess.)

Also, I do realize that this is not a new concept. I did state that I got it from "Bakuman," who also said "things like this have been done before." Besides that, The Hunger Games also has a similar concept. Besides that, no idea is truly "original." Several works influenced that person to to write the "original" story. Well, that's my two bits, anyway.

I wasn't trying to criticize you about the "originality" of the idea. Your first post only included this idea about the story, and I was just stating "it's not new." Thus, I couldn't really tell you how interesting or not I find your story because you've only posted about the story idea.

It sounds like your game could be very interesting. You should just post up the demo if you want people to play through it and give critique or suggestions for improvement. Good luck, and thank you for answering my questions.

[MarineScripter]

I like what you did for the logo.
I'm a big fan of horror myself, so I'm looking forward to this. One thing I was surprised about is how cheerful the art and colors look. Hey, it's not a bad thing. The Japanese horror otome VN 'Mysterious Shiratsuyu' doesn't have the darkest style either.
For some reason the manga 'Bloody Junkie' and 'Aphorism' came to mind while reading the plot. It isn't a new idea, but many battle royale stories have been done, and I don't think the genre is done quite yet.
Good luck! Sounds like it will be very intriguing.

[Buob]

I wasn't trying to criticize you about the "originality" of the idea. Your first post only included this idea about the story, and I was just stating "it's not new." Thus, I couldn't really tell you how interesting or not I find your story because you've only posted about the story idea.

Sorry, I should have taken that better. Once I get a good demo made up I'll post it for people to try out (I think I'll need my characters and backgrounds first, though).

I like what you did for the logo.

Thank you. I took a picture of an actual katana and used it at the base. I'd like to have it as a gif and have the blood actually drip into the "L" but there's only so much I know how to do.

I'm a big fan of horror myself, so I'm looking forward to this. One thing I was surprised about is how cheerful the art and colors look. Hey, it's not a bad thing. The Japanese horror otome VN 'Mysterious Shiratsuyu' doesn't have the darkest style either.

Right now it's in the beta stage, and I only have those two characters /drawn, so it's a little more cheerful than it will be in the final product. For right now the two characters I have in the screenshots are just placeholders for the actual characters (when they get into my hands).

For some reason the manga 'Bloody Junkie' and 'Aphorism' came to mind while reading the plot. It isn't a new idea, but many battle royale stories have been done, and I don't think the genre is done quite yet.

I haven't heard of those. I do know this is not a new idea at all, but I'll do my best at trying to be different from those other works.

Good luck! Sounds like it will be very intriguing.

Thank you! I intend to do my very best at putting this together.