Life in Helsinki. [slice of life]
Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2018 9:15 am
Hi everyone, I've been following this forum for a few months now and decided like many to create my first visual novel.
The market I am aiming for are girls between 12 and 32 ( approx. ). I know a lot of visual novels tend to favor the dating or heavy romance arena, but I truly wanted something different, so it's more about finding your place in the world, against all odds...Let's see if it can still find an audience.
Additionally, for this project, I didn't go with the classic anime look, so another challenge there. I'm collaborating with an Italian illustrator and just got a proofreader on-board. (From this forum.) I also found a great composer. Like most show-string productions teams, I wear many hats. I do the writing, implementation and half the background art.
Last, I decided to try to see if I could create something respectable in Unity3d. I already know how to get around in that tool and can do a lot without any coding using Fungus. ( fungus is open source. )
SO WHATs THE GAME?
Lottie is a young adult who just finished university and goes to Helsinki to start an internship in a law firm. As you expect, nothing goes as planned and we follow her struggles from the moment she arrives...New roommates, new career, new town.
PROGRESS
Beside Lottie, the game offers ten more characters and twelve locations. All the characters are completed with different expressions. For the main character we have three poses and have created a good number of facial expressions. All other characters have between 2 and 5 expressions depending on their involvement in the story. Writing.
The game will last seven chapters and a good draft is done for all of them. Chapters 1 to 5 are pretty solid, the proofreading will start soon.
Characters.
They are all done and in the game. I just need to export more expressions, perhaps also optimize the workflow.
Backgrounds.
This is my main focus these days, and it's progressing nicely. I'm building the scene in 3D with a toon shader then in a 2d package I'm finalizing the look with other 2d elements. Game Engine
The implementation is also going nicely, chapters 1 to 5 are in the engine, other are coming in at a steady pace.
THE GAME Each chapter takes about 15 minutes to complete and it's possible to play chapter 1 online
BUSINESS MODEL?
I'm looking at different monetization models. For itch.io, I will probably do a "pay what you want". For mobile, perhaps credits that regenerate with time and each chapter cost a few credits. So it would be possible to be patient and read it all for free, or be eager and buy credits....
If you have some time, please try the game and tell me what you think. Please note, the characters are done and the illustrator is now on other projects so, no changes can be made to any of them. Any thing about writing, backgrounds, UI, flow is welcome!
I'll keep this page updated with more art and story as the game progresses.
THE PROJECTThe market I am aiming for are girls between 12 and 32 ( approx. ). I know a lot of visual novels tend to favor the dating or heavy romance arena, but I truly wanted something different, so it's more about finding your place in the world, against all odds...Let's see if it can still find an audience.
Additionally, for this project, I didn't go with the classic anime look, so another challenge there. I'm collaborating with an Italian illustrator and just got a proofreader on-board. (From this forum.) I also found a great composer. Like most show-string productions teams, I wear many hats. I do the writing, implementation and half the background art.
Last, I decided to try to see if I could create something respectable in Unity3d. I already know how to get around in that tool and can do a lot without any coding using Fungus. ( fungus is open source. )
SO WHATs THE GAME?
Lottie is a young adult who just finished university and goes to Helsinki to start an internship in a law firm. As you expect, nothing goes as planned and we follow her struggles from the moment she arrives...New roommates, new career, new town.
PROGRESS
Beside Lottie, the game offers ten more characters and twelve locations. All the characters are completed with different expressions. For the main character we have three poses and have created a good number of facial expressions. All other characters have between 2 and 5 expressions depending on their involvement in the story. Writing.
The game will last seven chapters and a good draft is done for all of them. Chapters 1 to 5 are pretty solid, the proofreading will start soon.
Characters.
They are all done and in the game. I just need to export more expressions, perhaps also optimize the workflow.
Backgrounds.
This is my main focus these days, and it's progressing nicely. I'm building the scene in 3D with a toon shader then in a 2d package I'm finalizing the look with other 2d elements. Game Engine
The implementation is also going nicely, chapters 1 to 5 are in the engine, other are coming in at a steady pace.
THE GAME Each chapter takes about 15 minutes to complete and it's possible to play chapter 1 online
BUSINESS MODEL?
I'm looking at different monetization models. For itch.io, I will probably do a "pay what you want". For mobile, perhaps credits that regenerate with time and each chapter cost a few credits. So it would be possible to be patient and read it all for free, or be eager and buy credits....
If you have some time, please try the game and tell me what you think. Please note, the characters are done and the illustrator is now on other projects so, no changes can be made to any of them. Any thing about writing, backgrounds, UI, flow is welcome!
I'll keep this page updated with more art and story as the game progresses.