Ascension:Echoes in the dark [CANCELED]

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Rinmaru
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Ascension:Echoes in the dark [CANCELED]

#1 Post by Rinmaru »

Project canceled.
Last edited by Rinmaru on Thu Jul 12, 2018 3:36 pm, edited 7 times in total.

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Re: Ascension:Echoes in the dark [GxB][GxG][RPG][commercial]

#2 Post by Asceai »

2- I'm having trouble with the game file size. No matter what I do, (saving for web via photoshop, using zips, packaging, stomping on the files) the files won't shrink and the game will probably end up being...around 1gb. T_____T...So my question is...Is it okay? Like...Is it the most terrible thing ever, the worst mistake of anyone can ever do on a visual novel, that people would rather paying me to stop making games if I make it more than...1 gb? like...1,5 gb? maybe...
A portion of your potential audience will have poor internet connections due to where they live and it might cause complications in terms of getting your game onto Android markets, but it's not that bad. Additionally, you're more likely to annoy people if it's 1.5GB and 2 hours long than if it's 1.5GB and 10 hours long.
3- To the people that did/doing commercial games; Do I have to start a company to sell my game online? Can I do it as an actual person or is it better to do it as a company even if I'm only 1 person?
Most people don't. There can absolutely be benefits to registering a corporation in terms of being able to claim against production expenses and pay a lower tax rate, the details of which depend heavily on the laws where you live, but I don't think many of the people selling games here have done that. You can of course still put 'Blahware Productions' or whatever on your title screen if you want =P

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Re: Ascension:Echoes in the dark [GxB][GxG][RPG][commercial]

#3 Post by Rinmaru »

A portion of your potential audience will have poor internet connections due to where they live and it might cause complications in terms of getting your game onto Android markets, but it's not that bad. Additionally, you're more likely to annoy people if it's 1.5GB and 2 hours long than if it's 1.5GB and 10 hours long.
Well, I don't think I'll be getting the game on Android O_O so that's not a problem and I think the game will be more than 10 hours. (Even if it's still too early to say, I'm hoping it will be long enough)
So I will probably annoy people only a little...Only a little is good. I'm used to annoying people only a little...
Most people don't. There can absolutely be benefits to registering a corporation in terms of being able to claim against production expenses and pay a lower tax rate, the details of which depend heavily on the laws where you live, but I don't think many of the people selling games here have done that. You can of course still put 'Blahware Productions' or whatever on your title screen if you want =P
Hm...What about user confidence? Wouldn't people find a company safer than a person? Or does it matter at all?
Anyways thank you so much for replying =)! I'll read about it some more ^^!

P.s: 'Blahware Productions' is a brilliant name...

elu.yki

Re: Ascension:Echoes in the dark [GxB][GxG][RPG][commercial]

#4 Post by elu.yki »

1- What do you think so far?
I've... never played an RPG with so many good features that wasn't for playing it online :o. With all the features you've shown about this game, the inmediate thing I thought about this was if it was something I could play online with other players :p

which is why I'll be honest and say, as my personal opinion, it's that this game would fit better as a multiplayer online rpg kind rather than just a simple visual novel kind :o, but this is just a personal opinion, you can go ahead and prove me how wrong i am XD

2- I'm having trouble with the game file size. No matter what I do, (saving for web via photoshop, using zips, packaging, stomping on the files) the files won't shrink and the game will probably end up being...around 1gb. T_____T...So my question is...Is it okay? Like...Is it the most terrible thing ever, the worst mistake of anyone can ever do on a visual novel, that people would rather paying me to stop making games if I make it more than...1 gb? like...1,5 gb? maybe...

Well, I won't lie. If the game takes too much time to download, i might not do it at all \(v n v);;; Because sometimes my internet connection won't handle that much and the connection would cut in the middle of the downloading. Sometimes though. Most of the time it works well :3. And because, well, I don't like waiting that much xD. BUT, as Asceai said, if I like the game and it's around 2hours, I can deal with that. Now, if it's more than 2hours,....I....don't.....think...I would download it (= n =);;;;;

3- To the people that did/doing commercial games; Do I have to start a company to sell my game online? Can I do it as an actual person or is it better to do it as a company even if I'm only 1 person?

Well, I haven't done nor I'm doing any commercial game but I've seen many people that start their own producer group by starting with just 1 or 2 people. After time, more people get interested on it and join the group. Hell, I even have a name for my productions, and I know it sounds silly saying it like that XD as if it was a big company or something, but no, it's just me XD; but I think it's a good way to start, because it gives other people the option to join your group if they are interested enough! :D

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Re: Ascension:Echoes in the dark [GxB][GxG][RPG][commercial]

#5 Post by destiny_921 »

#1 - Welcome to LSF! :) I've played Ascension 1-3, and they were all awesome. I cannot believe that you actually used Flash to do everything for 'em, they were all really well-made. I'm looking forward to what plot/storyline you have in mind this time. So far, everything looks great~

#2 - I wouldn't mind, cause I usually use my laptop to play VNs anyway.

#3 - Unfortunately, I'm not that well-versed in these issues... sorry ^^;;

#4 - Curiously, are you going to have a CG/endings gallery? You should check out the Ren'py cookbook. It is a goldmine of information, and I know for a fact that there's a guide regarding battle system..inventory..most probably too.

All the best! :)
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Re: Ascension:Echoes in the dark [GxB][GxG][RPG][commercial]

#6 Post by ColaCat »

What do I think so far?

I think it looks great. The artwork is brilliant, but the tilted head somewhat annoys me - are there any other poses? (standing straight normally, for example?)
I have played all your other Ascension games (and loads of your dress up ones too) and so I'm a massive fan, but to be honest I thought the last Ascension game wasn't as good as the first, and I'm also a bit apprehensive of this story not having you playing as Aida.
Obviously I don't know the details of how it all ties together, (whether she is in this chapter or not etc.) but I think I would be less likely to play it if it didn't have a really strong plot that sets it apart from the others.
I think the whole designing character/class stuff sounds great (and must be a lot of work for you!) and I admire you taking this all on by yourself. Maybe if you upload a guide to each path it would tempt me to play every single route (I can get pretty confused otherwise >_< ) but then again it depends on how complicated it all is.
If the story is fresh though and not just a repeat on every path then I think that people will love it. As long as it doesn't get too tiring.

I'll be happy to do any grammar checks etc. for you if you want! Just PM me.

Overall love the look of it.
:)

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Re: Ascension:Echoes in the dark [GxB][GxG][RPG][commercial]

#7 Post by Rinmaru »

elu.yki:
I've... never played an RPG with so many good features that wasn't for playing it online :o. With all the features you've shown about this game, the inmediate thing I thought about this was if it was something I could play online with other players :p
which is why I'll be honest and say, as my personal opinion, it's that this game would fit better as a multiplayer online rpg kind rather than just a simple visual novel kind :o, but this is just a personal opinion, you can go ahead and prove me how wrong i am XD
Oh how I wish I had the resources, the money or the HUGE team necessary for a game like that =) But for now, I'll make do with what I can on my own!
Well, I won't lie. If the game takes too much time to download, i might not do it at all \(v n v);;; Because sometimes my internet connection won't handle that much and the connection would cut in the middle of the downloading. Sometimes though. Most of the time it works well :3. And because, well, I don't like waiting that much xD. BUT, as Asceai said, if I like the game and it's around 2hours, I can deal with that. Now, if it's more than 2hours,....I....don't.....think...I would download it (= n =);;;;;
I think by 10 hours I meant 10 hours of gameplay =) not download time...not even most AAA title games have 10 hours of download time :o. I hope I won't mess up "that" badly.
ell, I haven't done nor I'm doing any commercial game but I've seen many people that start their own producer group by starting with just 1 or 2 people. After time, more people get interested on it and join the group. Hell, I even have a name for my productions, and I know it sounds silly saying it like that XD as if it was a big company or something, but no, it's just me XD; but I think it's a good way to start, because it gives other people the option to join your group if they are interested enough! :D
=) Ok! I'll consider it!
Thank you so much for replying! =)

destiny_921:
#1 - Welcome to LSF! :) I've played Ascension 1-3, and they were all awesome. I cannot believe that you actually used Flash to do everything for 'em, they were all really well-made. I'm looking forward to what plot/storyline you have in mind this time. So far, everything looks great~
Thank you sooo much! =)
#2 - I wouldn't mind, cause I usually use my laptop to play VNs anyway.
More good news!!! =)
#3 - Unfortunately, I'm not that well-versed in these issues... sorry ^^;;
That's okay :P It was a very specific question...
#4 - Curiously, are you going to have a CG/endings gallery? You should check out the Ren'py cookbook. It is a goldmine of information, and I know for a fact that there's a guide regarding battle system..inventory..most probably too.
Hmmm! Well I never thought about a CG/Endings gallery but it's a good idea :o! I'll definitely think about it!
Thank you so much for replying! =)

ColaCat:
I think it looks great. The artwork is brilliant, but the tilted head somewhat annoys me - are there any other poses? (standing straight normally, for example?)
Absolutely! =) It's just the very very beginning of the game that's why I don't have screen shots of other poses :)! But there will be more.
have played all your other Ascension games (and loads of your dress up ones too) and so I'm a massive fan, but to be honest I thought the last Ascension game wasn't as good as the first,
Yeah, honestly I wanted to add a lot of things in the game but adobe flash almost killed me during the process -.-! I'm not happy with the outcome of ch.3 but It had to end somehow and that was the best I could do under those circumstances.
and I'm also a bit apprehensive of this story not having you playing as Aida.
Haha, you and a lot of people. Which actually makes me really happy =)! But I had to end Aida's story in order to start a new one. Changing the whole style/program almost everything mid-story didn't seem right. Plus if ETD was going to be a commercial game it would be wrong to say "Okay pay up if you wanna read the rest of the story" :P...
Obviously I don't know the details of how it all ties together, (whether she is in this chapter or not etc.) but I think I would be less likely to play it if it didn't have a really strong plot that sets it apart from the others.
Doing my best! =)
I think the whole designing character/class stuff sounds great (and must be a lot of work for you!) and I admire you taking this all on by yourself. Maybe if you upload a guide to each path it would tempt me to play every single route (I can get pretty confused otherwise >_< ) but then again it depends on how complicated it all is.
Oh, yeah. I will definitely add a walktrough somewhere but I'm hoping it will be easy enough to figure out. It's a role playing game afterall. I will build it in a way that the story will shape in the way you play, without a lot of efford on your part. Hard to describe for now =) Hopefully will be much clearer when the demo is released.
I'll be happy to do any grammar checks etc. for you if you want! Just PM me.
Thank you very much! =) (also thank you for replying!)

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Re: Ascension:Echoes in the dark [GxB][GxG][RPG][commercial]

#8 Post by ColaCat »

@Rinmaru

Absolutely! =) It's just the very very beginning of the game that's why I don't have screen shots of other poses :)! But there will be more.
Great! Well I look forward to seeing them!
Yeah, honestly I wanted to add a lot of things in the game but adobe flash almost killed me during the process -.-! I'm not happy with the outcome of ch.3 but It had to end somehow and that was the best I could do under those circumstances.


I understand. For what you managed to fit in (what with it not having to be downloded etc.) you did remarkably well, I just felt the story had been sort of, (and please don't take this the wrong way, it is just my personal opinion) stretched? Like tired out. Almost as if it had run out of steam.

Haha, you and a lot of people. Which actually makes me really happy =)! But I had to end Aida's story in order to start a new one. Changing the whole style/program almost everything mid-story didn't seem right. Plus if ETD was going to be a commercial game it would be wrong to say "Okay pay up if you wanna read the rest of the story" :P...
True. If you had made people pay to read the rest I would have been very annoyed! I guess this way you can start a new leaf in ideas and tales. PM me if you need and ideabouncing (which I'm sure you don't, but still. I'm here if you need help with anything =) )

Doing my best! =)
=D If you need any help with ideas let me know! I'm happy to critique stuff.

Oh, yeah. I will definitely add a walktrough somewhere but I'm hoping it will be easy enough to figure out. It's a role playing game afterall. I will build it in a way that the story will shape in the way you play, without a lot of efford on your part. Hard to describe for now =) Hopefully will be much clearer when the demo is released.
Okay. Well that would help a lot. (especially if you are thinking about doing CG's!) Hopefully no one will need it though.
Also a quick note about the three different skill thingys (rage, goodwill and lie) will the colours be easy to tell apart? On the last chapter I often thought the red one (that turned out to be rage) was meant for goodwill (which was the lighter one)
I eventually learnt from my mistake but on my first play through knowing which answer was which was slightly harder than I had anticipated.
Thank you very much! =) (also thank you for replying!)
No problem! As I said, I am a big fan of your works so I'm happy to look at anything you do! (as long as it's not really really scary or involves spiders ;) )
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Re: Ascension:Echoes in the dark [GxB][GxG][RPG][commercial]

#9 Post by Rainbow Colors »

1- What do you think so far?
Well, mostly I think this is quite an ambitious project. And you're working on this mostly alone? Wow. I take it you've made projects by yourself before, but uh I think this one might go a bit more help of other people...?
Aside from that, I'm certainly interested in the game because it looks nice and promising so far. I'm also in love with the logo and GUI for some reason XD

2- I'm having trouble with the game file size. No matter what I do, (saving for web via photoshop, using zips, packaging, stomping on the files) the files won't shrink and the game will probably end up being...around 1gb. T_____T...So my question is...Is it okay? Like...Is it the most terrible thing ever, the worst mistake of anyone can ever do on a visual novel, that people would rather paying me to stop making games if I make it more than...1 gb? like...1,5 gb? maybe...
I don't honestly mind the size, as long as you break it down to 200 MB per part or something (In case you don't know what I'm talking about, sometimes 1 gb games are split into 5 parts or something.) because it's hard to download 1 gb in one go. I also agree that it'd be nice if it was a game more than 10 hours, because downloading 1 gb for a playthrough of 30 minutes seems like a real waste. As long as the quality is good, 1gb should be no biggie >u>

Good luck~
Oh and I can attempt to check grammar, if you can't find anyone else. English is my second language (taught alongside with my native language in school).

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Re: Ascension:Echoes in the dark [GxB][GxG][RPG][commercial]

#10 Post by Rinmaru »

@ColaCat
I understand. For what you managed to fit in (what with it not having to be downloded etc.) you did remarkably well, I just felt the story had been sort of, (and please don't take this the wrong way, it is just my personal opinion) stretched? Like tired out. Almost as if it had run out of steam.
No, no, you are right. The story was originally going to end on ch.1 but people wanted more chapters and I wanted to try different codes/ styles etc...I wanted to see how far I could go with flash, so I made more. It wasn't going to be more than 1. =) It's normal you feel that way. ETD however is not my "practice". The whole story is written down, waiting =)
Also a quick note about the three different skill thingys (rage, goodwill and lie) will the colours be easy to tell apart? On the last chapter I often thought the red one (that turned out to be rage) was meant for goodwill (which was the lighter one)
I eventually learnt from my mistake but on my first play through knowing which answer was which was slightly harder than I had anticipated.
The colors won't be different but the positions of the choices won't change. Goodwill at top, cunning middle and rage at the bottom :P...

@Rainbow Colors
I take it you've made projects by yourself before, but uh I think this one might go a bit more help of other people...?
No, this is my first time doing something like this. To be honest before counting on other people, I want to see how far I can go by myself =)!
Aside from that, I'm certainly interested in the game because it looks nice and promising so far. I'm also in love with the logo and GUI for some reason XD
Happy to hear =)!
I don't honestly mind the size, as long as you break it down to 200 MB per part or something (In case you don't know what I'm talking about, sometimes 1 gb games are split into 5 parts or something.) because it's hard to download 1 gb in one go. I also agree that it'd be nice if it was a game more than 10 hours, because downloading 1 gb for a playthrough of 30 minutes seems like a real waste. As long as the quality is good, 1gb should be no biggie >u>
Yayza!
Good luck~
Oh and I can attempt to check grammar, if you can't find anyone else. English is my second language (taught alongside with my native language in school).
Thank you sooo much! =)!

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Re: Ascension:Echoes in the dark [GxB][GxG][RPG][commercial]

#11 Post by ColaCat »

@Rinmaru

Okay then, I didn't know if it was just me or not.
I look forward to the next story you have!

Goodwill, cunning, rage. Thanks! Makes much more sense now!
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Re: Ascension:Echoes in the dark [GxB][GxG][RPG][commercial]

#12 Post by Lu- Chan »

Well... First off, Hi! ^^

To your questions.

1) Wow. All the options are stunning. So much work and you also do it all by yourself. Thats impressive! :)
The CG you posted is good and well painted. I also like the different poses and the thief's smirk. It's more realistic this way.
I'm certainly looking forward to the game. And I really hope you have a good storyline ^^

2) Personally I won't mind a big file at all. A good game is a good game, the size isn't this important. :)

3) I don't know about that. Sorry! I only play games, but I really adore those who create games. :)

4) I'm looking forward to your game! Good Luck :3

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Re: Ascension:Echoes in the dark [GxB][GxG][RPG][commercial]

#13 Post by Rinmaru »

Wow. All the options are stunning. So much work and you also do it all by yourself. Thats impressive! :)
The CG you posted is good and well painted. I also like the different poses and the thief's smirk. It's more realistic this way.
I'm certainly looking forward to the game. And I really hope you have a good storyline ^^
=) Thank you sooo much! And I really hope I have a good storyline too O_O. I guess we will see.
Personally I won't mind a big file at all. A good game is a good game, the size isn't this important.
>.< Relieved to hear that!
I don't know about that. Sorry! I only play games, but I really adore those who create games.
=) Don't worry about it.
I'm looking forward to your game! Good Luck :3
Thank you so much!

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Re: Ascension:Echoes in the dark [GxB][GxG][RPG][commercial]

#14 Post by kyrie »

Wow. This looks really good and your art is amazing! I'll definitely be keeping an eye on your game~

I don't care too much about file size. 1-1.5 gb are quite reasonable file sizes I think though it would depend on the host ;p

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Re: Ascension:Echoes in the dark [GxB][GxG][RPG][commercial]

#15 Post by JimG »

Now as for my questions
1- What do you think so far?
2- I'm having trouble with the game file size. No matter what I do, (saving for web via photoshop, using zips, packaging, stomping on the files) the files won't shrink and the game will probably end up being...around 1gb. T_____T...So my question is...Is it okay? Like...Is it the most terrible thing ever, the worst mistake of anyone can ever do on a visual novel, that people would rather paying me to stop making games if I make it more than...1 gb? like...1,5 gb? maybe...
3- To the people that did/doing commercial games; Do I have to start a company to sell my game online? Can I do it as an actual person or is it better to do it as a company even if I'm only 1 person?
4- Again, if you have suggestions, ideas etc...shoot :D!
I had not seen ascension before so I did google it and played part of chapter one. What a great game, I think your art style is great and I found the story line really good. Echoes in the Dark seems like it will be in the same vein but much longer and I can't wait for it to be released. I run the risk of gushing over this too much.

Regarding game file size, 1.5 gb seems really big but it will be what it will be. I can't see any good coming out of trying to shrink a game to make it fit a pre-conceived size.

I do not know about commercial games but I would suggest reaching out to the makers of Hanako Games and Winter Wolves for advice, they seem like quite reasonable people and I really like their games, Ascension seems to me to be in the same league although you seem to be doing everything yourself. I would also suggest making sure that the game can be purchased using paypal.

My suggestion would be to combine Ascension 1, 2 and 3 into a Ren'Py game and release them in a commercial version as well. Might be too much work though and you might not want to because you have already done that story. I have a selfish motive in that I cannot spend too much time at a game in one sitting and I couldn't find a way to save the game in flash so I would like a game that I could purchase and play in a more relaxed manner.

I am really looking forward to this.

Best Regards
Jim

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