The Merman's Captive [Fantasy][NaNoRenO]

[Bexy]

Hey ! I think it's an interresting project and I will certainly try your VN when it will be ready
I like the world you created and your style of drawing. Cyn is awesome <3 Orla is cute too !

[Kingv]

Hey ! I think it's an interresting project and I will certainly try your VN when it will be ready
I like the world you created and your style of drawing. Cyn is awesome <3 Orla is cute too !

Aww, thank you so much, I really appreciate the support and kind words! Can't wait to share the (...hopefully) finished product with everyone.


Didn't manage to do much this week. GUI is done and added into the game so guess that's good. Unfortunately it looks like I'm going to be rushing to t finish all the writing before the end of the month. :/ Going to try and get sketches done in place of some CGs so it's not empty space. But at least I have a concept for Korcha done. I'll just make one of his sprite poses along with a few minimal expressions for the smidgen of time he appears in the game until I have time to complete his route later.

The game contains 448 screens of dialogue.
These screens contain a total of 10,252 words,
for an average of 22.9 words per screen.
The game contains 8 menus.

[Kingv]

More updates!
Have been working on sketching out the CGs as well as doing the two backgrounds I somehow forgot all about. Seven out of ten CGs have been sketched and I'll just add them in the game as placeholders until the final versions are done. It's not pretty, but at least it's something. Upload a preview of three of the one's I've done as well as a background that's in progress. On the coding front I realized that I've been adding the sprites into the game completely wrong so I had to go back and redo them. I've also been touching up the choices in game so that depending on where you fall on the morality meter each choice you make will have three possible conversation branches. Still chugging along with writing. Have about six more scenes to do and then I can call it a day.

I'm also looking for a proofreader to look over everything and make sure it's consistent. Feel free to send a PM or reply here if you're interested.

[noeinan]

I like how they're turning out! I'm up for proof reading if you still need peeps. Just let me know the kind of things you want me to look out for (grammar, awkward phrases, story consistency, spelling, mood, etc.)

[Lesleigh63]

I'm amazed at how much you've managed to squeeze into the month. Keep going.

[Kingv]

Hello everyone, just wanted to give a quick status update. Obviously i didn't complete the game during March but am still working on it. Last Friday something went wrong with my computer which wouldn't let me log into windows. Said thst it was damaged due to recent hsrdware or software upgrades...which i never did. Somehow managed to get it to let me in after days of scans and google searching but am using it in safe mode until a proffesional can take a peek at it just to be sure. I fear a visiting family member has done something to it. I'm a week behind schedule but thankfully all my files as well as their backups are ok. Unfortunately I'll be going out of town soon and won't be able to do any more work for a while. When i get back the following week I plan on making an updated post on what needs to be finished as well as polishing up what i do have so i can release a demo. Sorry for the delay as well as any typos. Im stuck using my phone until i feel comfortable using my computer's internet.

[Mad Harlequin]

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Those computer gremlins sure know how to throw a wrench into the works, don't they?

Take as much time as you need. We'll still be here supporting you!

And I just realized that I'd never posted in this thread until now. D'oh. Well, let me just say that I love merfolk, so I've been keeping an eye on this project. I also remember playing your Lunar Lotus demo ages ago. I have a complicated relationship with dating simulations (pun intended?), but I remember enjoying that one---that map was huge! You've obviously improved a great deal since then, so I'm looking forward to what you ultimately produce here.

Best wishes.

[Kingv]

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Those computer gremlins sure know how to throw a wrench into the works, don't they?

Take as much time as you need. We'll still be here supporting you!

And I just realized that I'd never posted in this thread until now. D'oh. Well, let me just say that I love merfolk, so I've been keeping an eye on this project. I also remember playing your Lunar Lotus demo ages ago. I have a complicated relationship with dating simulations (pun intended?), but I remember enjoying that one---that map was huge! You've obviously improved a great deal since then, so I'm looking forward to what you ultimately produce here.

Best wishes.

Thank you for the support! Unfortunately my computer problems weren't fixed as I thought they should be so it took a few extra days to get everything sorted out. I'm on it right now and haven't run into any hiccups yet. Makes me happy to know that there are people who have been keeping an eye on the game. Motivates me to get it done so I can have some experience under my belt. My Lunar Lotus Festival game is definitely a big project. I'm still working on it but it causes a lot of lag on my nearly 10 year old computer so I've put it to the side for now til I can upgrade my machine. The Merman's Captive won't nearly be as large or in depth as that game though so no worries about being bogged down with sim game mechanics. It's a pretty straight forward VN.


Here's an update on what I have so far~

Code: Select all

The game contains 579 dialogue blocks, containing 13,332 words and 68,692
characters, for an average of 23.0 words and 119 characters per block.

The game contains 9 menus, 140 images, and 17 screens.

In other news I made it back safely from my trip last week and am finally settling into my new place after moving. Everything was in boxes since I was still moving things up until the day before I left on my trip. It's really weird to leave one place, vacation for a week and come back to a whole new environment.

I was really worried about not completing everything on time, but then again I had far more going on than I gave myself credit for. So for now I want to push and get this game done since I've put so much hard work into it.

As far as art goes Cyns sprites are done. Forgot about the two sprite variations I had to do for him and knocked it out, which brings him out to five poses and ten expressions. Also did all of Orla's sprites. She has three arm poses and thirteen expressions at the moment. Might add another one or two after going through the script again... And I also finished the market and Cyn's intro CG.

Writing wise I'm still chugging through the last day in game creating variations for ending dialog.

[Kingv]

Hey! Long time no see, huh? This year making it one of my nano priorities to finish this game! I have a co writer who joined on as well, so hopefully that speeds things along much faster than before.

Here's the new updated word count~

Code: Select all

The game contains 661 screens of dialogue.
These screens contain a total of 15,376 words,
for an average of 23.3 words per screen.
The game contains 9 menus.

As far as writing goes I've had my old stuff proofread and edited. The endings that I started on last year for Orla are next on the list to be done and after her route is done, then it's on to Korcha.
Rewrote the games intro to make it more dynamic. Added in two characters additional characters since they show up in some of the endings as well as the new intro. If anyone has seen some of my previous work, Aiden and Telos and no strangers to my gallery. Their sprites are just about done but are missing expressions.

Here are some CG sketches to show you guys as well.

[KittyKatStar]

Yay, glad to see you're on this again. >o< I love the sprites.

[Deji]

Woooo, Good luck V!!! DDD
The CG sketches look great!

[Harliqueen]

So looking forward to this, the idea of the different species of merpeople is really clever!

The character art is incredible and your backgrounds are gorgeous Good luck with NaNo!

[Kingv]

Yay, glad to see you're on this again. >o< I love the sprites.

Thanks so much Kitty! Really hoping to finish everything up in time!

Woooo, Good luck V!!! DDD
The CG sketches look great!

Thanks Deji! Now if only I could knock out one CG per day *sob*

So looking forward to this, the idea of the different species of merpeople is really clever!

The character art is incredible and your backgrounds are gorgeous Good luck with NaNo!

I'm glad to hear that Harliqueen! There's so much diversity in the sea I'd like to imagine merfolk world mirror that aspect as well. Thanks so much for the well wishes and good luck with your NaNo project as well!

Here's another update! Finally finished off Korcha's sprite, just have to separate his expressions and save them in the game folder.

To cut down on time I'm considering replacing some of the full CGs I had planned with chibi CGs instead. If anything it would let me make visual faster. Would still use full CGS for the major points in the story.

[Auro-Cyanide]

Super exited to see you still working on this I wish you all the best for the weeks ahead! You're making cracking progress.

[Hazel-Bun]

Can't wait!! Loved the premise since last year