Magical Boutique II [MB1 spoilers!]

[monele]

I first thought of using spiffy frames and stuff... but I noticed the usual comics bubble might work. Here's the current look and I'm thinking of keeping this (I just have to fix the positioning of bubbles when on the side of the screen).

[vlint]

It does seem like some conventions of the genre - like the 'voices for everyone but the protagonist' thing that was mentioned in the Missing Memoir thread the other day - presume otherwise, though. I wonder whether it's really because most players think like that, or just because most developers would like to encourage most players to think like that...

I think there's a lot of power in a first person perspective (in visual novels, at least). There is much power for teaching—this is one of the first things I noticed when I tried out visual novels. It's easier to emulate what a character does, and learn from it, if it's first person than if it's third person—for me, at least. For instance, if a first person character does a lot of dating in a visual novel, after having read/played it, I might feel more inclined to go out and date (and feel natural on the date—or as natural as the character in the VN), and learn from what happened there (even if it's not necessarily realistic; what one thinks/feels has drastic effects on reality, if it affects confidence and such). I probably wouldn't have believed this if I had heard someone saying this a year ago, as I would have compared this with movies and video games (and movies and video games are definitely not the same, or at least not nearly to the same degree, in this regard, in their persuasive/teaching powers).

Having said that, I must also say that this is not always a good thing. Sometimes you don't want to learn what the character is doing; or sometimes, you don't want to be so fully immersed. Now, don't get me wrong, I do accept that one can immerse oneself vicariously in third person characters, and I usually prefer the third person, but it is more enforced in a first person perspective (it's harder to distance oneself). However, I prefer the first person in visual novels more than in any other style of writing I've found. I'm not a huge fan of the first person in normal novels, nor even in text adventures (even though almost all text adventures are, and I still like them, just not that they're first person). Visual novels, on the other hand, do it more justice.

One thing that is important to know, though, in the first person, is that if the character has personality not much of the user's creating/choosing, then the user might feel awkward with it (if it doesn't fit), and long for a third person perspective. I don't think this is as often a problem in love stories (unless the morals conflict) as with more every day sorts of things.

One reason I'd rather have the Magical Boutique II be third person is that Dalmar seems to have a slightly rougher, and less analytical personality than I might prefer for myself (even though you might get to choose some of what he does—although I'm fine with other people being like that, and I think he's cool enough—I just don't want to have his personality myself). People who identified him with themselves would probably like it a lot more in the first person.

I don't think a first person view of MBII would be bad, per se, but it would likely have the drawback I mentioned (as well as the advantages).

You know, you could always do both, and let the user choose which (if you have time).

[vlint]

I first thought of using spiffy frames and stuff... but I noticed the usual comics bubble might work. Here's the current look and I'm thinking of keeping this (I just have to fix the positioning of bubbles when on the side of the screen).

I think this looks pretty nice.

[vlint]

I first thought of using spiffy frames and stuff... but I noticed the usual comics bubble might work. Here's the current look and I'm thinking of keeping this (I just have to fix the positioning of bubbles when on the side of the screen).

I think this looks pretty nice.

Actually, wait. It looks nice, but I don't know if I prefer it for the style you're going for. I might have to see it in action to get a real idea. It looks a little more comic strip like. The previous sort seemed more immersing, I thought.

[monele]

I'll certainly post a new video when I have made enough scenes not to think "I've shown them everything I did!" by just showing a few seconds of the game XD.

As for the 1st/3rd person view, right now I'm going with 3rd person. Been writing Dalmaryon scenes and it works fine so far... except Dalmaryon pretty much comments on everything he does XD. What was usually written as thoughts is back as spoken dialogues. I'll really have to post a video of both a Dalma scene and another character scene... and a groupe scene... to be sure that everything works for players.

[rocket]

It does seem like some conventions of the genre - like the 'voices for everyone but the protagonist' thing that was mentioned in the Missing Memoir thread the other day - presume otherwise, though. I wonder whether it's really because most players think like that, or just because most developers would like to encourage most players to think like that...

You raise a good point in that it may not be an effective convention when the story requires a strongly defined protagonist.

However there is a third reason why it may have evolved as a convention: The more "ero" your erogame is, the less relevant the specific protagonist is and the more effective an ... uh ... 'stimulant' the first person perspective becomes.

*cough*

I've heard tell that CGs which would be barely fap-worthy as part of an ripped image pack, take on an unexpectedly heightened erotic charge when 'experienced'. This sense of 'simulation' or 'virtual experience' seems to be the result of a 'relationship' built over time and the sense of the personal is reinforced by a bunch of interaction directed at you, including especially spoken dialog.

*cough*

Or, so I hear...

[vlint]

*cough*

Just for the record (and I know you weren't replying to me), I wasn't referring to anything cough-worthy in my post a few posts back! heh heh.

[monele]

Worked on technical details today as could be guessed from the many threads in Ren'Py section ^^;... But I also got to think about new characters ^^

MagBou_Emily.jpg (49.6 KiB) Viewed 1516 times

[DaFool]

Now that's what I call "Undergoing Full Production"!

I might still be up to do the music, if you want.

[monele]

I'll definitely need help with music and backgrounds at some point. Thanks for the offer ^^. I kinda wondered if you'd ever come back to the MB :3

And yes, right now I'm really productive. I haven't been that much for many months o_o... if not years. And it's making me *very* happy, so I hope it goes on for a veeeery long time ^^.

[DaFool]

I'll definitely need help with music and backgrounds at some point. Thanks for the offer ^^. I kinda wondered if you'd ever come back to the MB :3

Well I kind of expected that I should just pitch in / have much less contribution for MB2, unlike the whip-cracking role I had in MB1 The copyright here should be all yours, and I would just be working on "commission". It's just that if I hadn't worked on MB1, I doubt I would have released any solo projects, since I learned a great deal from that experience compared to all the other games.

As for the backgrounds... if you can find as many filtered photos, especially for explorable places, that would be best. To maintain consistency in art style, I think only physical buildings need custom backgrounds (and I hope the list isn't that long! ).

I've been slacking off on Araiah lately (read: I haven't really done a thing since talking to yvanc and him being busy). The list of BGs there are just overwhelming, and each of them needing Lightwave effects and all.

So in summary, just like with MB1, open places should be filtered photos, and building exterior/interior should be custom BGs in the same style as the Boutique.

[monele]

I'm really sorry for having been a bad slavemaster ^^;;;;... *bows*

I have no idea how many interior backgrounds will be needed but hm... compared to the very few events of MB1... and the fact almost everything took place in the shop (story-wise I mean)... it might be overwhelming ^^; I already have 3 new interior bgs for the shop alone (which are filtered photos so far).
I'm thinking it might be needed to go all-fitered this time around ^^;...

In other news, I'm overly productive... see attachment : bishie or not bishie?

[DaFool]

Which one is Dalmaryon?

[monele]

Nyaha, none :3. Dalmaryon being oh so very important, he'll probably be the last one I draw xD

[musical74]

I like the look of Emily, and I like the look of the critter on her shoulder...wonder if that's a familiar or some such?

Bishie or not Bishie.....tough call

Regarding thinking the earlier comment was a comparison and not a progression: OOPS!