Untitled GxB game

[IonicMomo]

Haha, I'm glad everyone approves of the butler's beard...I was torn between including it or not.

I'm working on Emma and Frederick's parents now (Sir and Lady Tarleton), and have very quickly learned that older people are very difficult to draw. Fortunately, after I finish them, I'll have my core cast of characters (which may still expand) and I'll probably take a break from drawing to focus on the writing, which is really the part I'm looking forward to. But I do usually have to draw the characters first, because the art influences/inspires my writing more than the other way around. And once I have what is, for me, the harder part out of the way (drawing), I can focus on the part that comes to me more easily (writing). Also, if I don't draw them now, I may never get around to it.

This game requires a bit of historical research though, especially on the social norms of the time and the class disparity. The setting is kind of the juncture between the Victorian and Edwardian eras, so a lot of the rigid expectations (especially around gender and sexual issues) carried over from one to the next. There will be character that references many of the controversial figures of the time, such as Wilde, Beardsley, and Freud. (He will probably be reprimanded for it, too.) You also see the beginnings of the rise of the automobile (although the carriage is obviously still around for the romantics out there), airplanes, maybe even zeppelins...Ooo, I would really like to have a zeppelin in the game...or maybe a large luxury ship, like the Titanic...but I'm getting ahead of myself now.

Anyway, thanks for the continued support everyone! I have a lot of schoolwork to do this week, but hopefully I'll be able to work a little more and a little faster in the coming weeks...I'll keep you guys posted.
- Momo

[azureXtwilight]

Good luck!

Some websites to share:

http://www.academicinfo.net/histukvictorian.html

http://www.victoriana.com/

http://www.victorianweb.org/

[Jake]

I tried to keep him looking a little older with the beard thing and exaggerated sideburns...

I don't remember exactly how the previous sprite looked, so I can't say whether he looks older, but I'd definitely say he looked 'young'... what age are you going for? To my eye, he looks around seventeen or eighteen, probably because of the thin beard and the sideburns.

It's possibly because I'm old enough to grow one myself, but to me, that kind of beard is an almost-certain mark of someone who's only just passed puberty and is desperate to start growing facial hair even though their face hasn't quite got the hang of it yet. I knew several people around that kind of age who sported such wispy beards, and by the time they were twenty, twenty-one the beards had universally either been shaven off or grown out more fully.

[IonicMomo]

Thanks for the links, azure! The third website is amazing.

I don't remember exactly how the previous sprite looked, so I can't say whether he looks older, but I'd definitely say he looked 'young'... what age are you going for? To my eye, he looks around seventeen or eighteen, probably because of the thin beard and the sideburns.

It's possibly because I'm old enough to grow one myself, but to me, that kind of beard is an almost-certain mark of someone who's only just passed puberty and is desperate to start growing facial hair even though their face hasn't quite got the hang of it yet. I knew several people around that kind of age who sported such wispy beards, and by the time they were twenty, twenty-one the beards had universally either been shaven off or grown out more fully.

He's supposed to be in his late twenties...not that his age is an important factor in the game; that's just what I was going for. It was already apparent to me that his face itself is too young-looking. But I definitely see your point. I live on a college campus, and I certainly see a lot of students (18-22) with beards like this too. (And thanks for offering a male perspective because I have limited understanding of the male psychology.) Apparently, the mutton chop beard and other heavy beards were very popular during this period, but I have a feeling that would turn out horrifically unattractive. Otherwise, I could leave him cleanshaven, but he would still look just as young/effeminate. (The sideburns are as much a product of the time as anything else. Almost all males during this period who were capable of it had some form of facial hair.)

Honestly, I'm not skilled enough yet to prevent my male characters from turning into girl-men. But I will certainly take what you've said into account when making my decision. I guess it's a minor detail after all; I could just modify the ages of the characters if I really want to cop-out of it. However, I do have some older male characters (in their 50s-60s) to draw also, which will be an interesting experience. Maybe I'll experiment with different forms of facial hair then. But I appreciate the input.

EDIT: Just decided to edit this rather than double-post. I've finished a preliminary image of Anna (whose name I might change to avoid confusion with "Emma"). She is Frederick's fiance, or intended fiance (not official at the start of the game) by arranged marriage. She is a very pretty, somewhat shy and gentle girl, definitely not a catty "rival." She wasn't born into nobility, but she comes from a wealthy family. A union between Anna and Fred would benefit both families, and save the Tarletons from their financial troubles. Her dress is okay, but not really the way I envisioned it, so I might modify it more. I like the way the sleeves turned out, though.

EDIT #2: Sorry, but the weird proportions were really bothering me so I made some slight changes. Her name is now Lucy, and this is now her evening dress.

[ludeshka]

This looks really interesting!
...I'm 26, so the truth is I will really appreciate a setting that's not a high school setting.
I really like what I can see of the backgrounds and the character designs. (Everybody's got beautiful outfits!)
I'm really looking forward to this. Keep it up!

[VenusEclipse]

I like how you're incorporating history into this one, and doing some research (which would make my head spin) so I do admire that extra time people spend. Also Emma is pretty I like her designs a lot.

[lepapillonrouge]

I really love Lucy's dress!
XD I love it when there's lots of fancy dresses around...
I really wanna see this VN soon~

[Aleema]

Wooow ... I'm very interested in the game! This looks so fun! Both of the romances are well-designed, by the way.
I agree whole-heartedly about the age thing. I'm very comfortable with the "older" ages, as I do fit into the age group.
The setting is so romantic, too. Add me to your support group. If you need any help with coding or graphics, just ask.
Good luck!!

[IonicMomo]

Hi everyone! I hope that everyone had a good Easter (whatever it means to you--breaking Lent, getting a day off work, or just eating lots of candy). I think I will start doing a semi-weekly update type thing, since I don't have a blog or DA account...I just got through the most hellish two weeks of my life in terms of schoolwork (7 papers, a three-day weekend absorbed by club activities and no sleep, and a horrendous calculus exam). However, I'm still a-rockin' and a-rollin' with this project...it's actually proven to be a great stress reliever.

The script is coming along pretty well so far, although I haven't introduced any of the men yet. The story is developing a little differently from what I expected (for example, there are some subtle girl-girl undertones between the MC and Sarah, though there is no romantic relationship there o.O). I haven't been in much of a writing mood lately, though, so I've been working on finding photographs for backgrounds and even tried my hand at composing using some free music software. That was an experience. But I do have something now that I may or may not use as the main menu music. I've also been working on finding suitable music for the rest of the game; there's a lot of Bach (I love Bach), some Beethoven, Debussy, of course Pachelbel's Canon in D, which people seem to either love or hate...none of which exactly fit into the Edwardian period, but the mood fits the purposes of the game.

I haven't really accomplished much on the art front; I've kind of set it aside for now. Except, I am experimenting with drawing an image for an event. I know I said before that I probably wouldn't be able to do event CGs...and I'm testing to see if it's even possible, given the limits of my abilities. So if this doesn't really work, I probably won't do more. At any rate, the below image is just a very rough beginning of an event CG. In my research, I found that it was fairly common for upperclass families to provide the service staff with an upright piano in the servant's hall. So I thought, why not? Our friend Jeeves is now a pianist. At some point, the MC encounters him playing in the middle of the night when both of them are unable to sleep. And yes, I'm still working out how to draw a piano.

Anyway, thanks for your continued support everyone! Your comments, compliments, and criticism really mean a lot to me. (Aleema, I might turn to you for coding advice/help when I get to that point, because I will definitely need it!) Also, side note: due to some necessary historical inaccuracies (minor things, mostly related to dates and technology, i.e. innovations in telephones, airplanes, etc.) I encourage everyone to think of this as a kind of alternate England. It's still England in a sense, but I don't want anyone to be bothered by name changes, dates, and things like that. I will probably call the country Anglia in the game, or something highly unoriginal, to dissociate it from a perfectly accurate reflection of England. This will also give me more freedom to play around with economic and political issues.

- Momo

[LVUER]

Cool. I like the pose and the lighting... Thought wrong in some areas, but overall it's cool.

[Red Lilies]

I'm not sure why you think you wouldn't be able to do CG - I really like the start of the one you have there. Though the candles seemed kind of odd to me. I guess I just have trouble seeing people in a world with telephones and airplanes using candles on a wooden piano instead of a lamp or at the very least using a candle holder. Of all the random and iinsignificant things to bug me...XD. Anyway, I really do like what you have there.

[Jake]

I will probably call the country Anglia in the game, or something highly unoriginal, to dissociate it from a perfectly accurate reflection of England.

In case you're unaware, 'Anglia' is an existing part of modern England: I live in it. It's more accurately 'East Anglia' these days, but the name still exists and is in common usage.

Usually, when people want a fictional England-but-not-really, they go with 'Albion', which isn't in common usage presently... and if you don't mind being a bit more obscure, there's 'Logres' (or the Latinised 'Loegria'), which is derived from a Welsh name for the country used in Arthurian legend (the modern Welsh are arguably more or less all that is left of the original Britons).

(Apologies if you know all this already and don't care, of course. ;-)



And I somehow managed to forget to comment on the guy playing the piano, who is pretty damn good! It doesn't look much like an upright piano, though... :3

[IonicMomo]

Cool. I like the pose and the lighting... Thought wrong in some areas, but overall it's cool.

Thanks. It's my first attempt to do anything with lighting and I really don't know what I'm doing...so, if it's not too much to ask, could you point out the spots where it's wrong (or wrong enough to bother you)? I'd really like to fix those areas, but I don't have an eye for this sort of thing yet.

Though the candles seemed kind of odd to me. I guess I just have trouble seeing people in a world with telephones and airplanes using candles on a wooden piano instead of a lamp or at the very least using a candle holder.

Of course you're right. (I knew something was missing, but drew this between the hours of 2:00 and 4:00 this morning. Bad choice.) I will add candle holders! Let me know if there's anything else that bugs you, though. I already have a list going of minor things I need to fix in the character sprites.

In case you're unaware, 'Anglia' is an existing part of modern England: I live in it. It's more accurately 'East Anglia' these days, but the name still exists and is in common usage.

Usually, when people want a fictional England-but-not-really, they go with 'Albion', which isn't in common usage presently... and if you don't mind being a bit more obscure, there's 'Logres' (or the Latinised 'Loegria'), which is derived from a Welsh name for the country used in Arthurian legend (the modern Welsh are arguably more or less all that is left of the original Britons).
(Apologies if you know all this already and don't care, of course.

Whoops. I'm sorry! I didn't realize...I thought that Anglia was an Medieval/Latin name for England and just assumed that it wasn't commonly used any more. Thank for telling me; I should have thought of this sooner. Mwahaha, I'm an American for ya, I guess. No doubt I will occasionally use American slang in the game too...Dealing with the cultural realities of a different time and place is difficult for me (because we all know the world revolves around the United States ), so I'm happy to have your input if it saves me from future embarrassment. And thank you very much for the name suggestions--they really are helpful! I will see which one works/flows better in the context of the dialogue. (There's a small town and a liberal arts college in Michigan named Albion. Now I know where the name comes from. Seriously, did we steal everything from Europe and the natives?)

And I somehow managed to forget to comment on the guy playing the piano, who is pretty damn good! It doesn't look much like an upright piano, though... :3

Fair enough. I was trying to think of what a piano looked like, without thinking about the fact that it should have been an upright piano. I should have at least Googled a photograph of an upright piano for reference; that was an idiot move. Oh well; it will just have to be whatever kind of piano it is, until I reach a point when (read 'if') I get motivated enough to resolve it.

Muchas gracias for your criticisms everyone! I'm glad you guys like the image's concept overall, and I will get around to fixing everything soon, I promise.
- Momo

EDIT: I've attached the update of the CG I've been working on, with some semblance of a background. Backgrounds are hard. >.<
I know the lighting's kind of whack, especially the shadows...the light sources confuse me, but I've tried to fudge things a little by blurring the borders of the shadows (blur is my new favorite Inkscape tool). Anyway, I know there are a lot of imperfections, and background is kind of crappy, but I think I might just leave it as it is unless there are any serious issues (I'm lazy). I'm pretty proud of myself, actually. This took a good 4-5 hours, but I think that, based on this experience, I'll be willing to invest the time to make more event CGs and hopefully improve along the way. But I'll shut up now. Oh, and it's definitely not an upright piano. (I don't know why I couldn't visualize one, seeing as I'm in the music building at my school three times a week...)

[IonicMomo]

All right, quick update:

The writing is kind of slow moving at the moment. I'm kind of down to the end-of-the-year crunch at school at the moment, so I probably won't get to far for the next three weeks or so, when all exams/papers/presentations are over. Mostly I've been trying to flesh out the characters themselves and build some context around them, specifically with some scenes that involve Frederick's interactions with his father, the heroine becoming Emma's personal maid, and finding out more about Sarah's background. (I've written very few scenes where the MC actually interacts with the two "winnable" men so far.) I would even go so far to say that I intend to make the romances a more secondary aspect of the game. There will be a lot more confrontation with social customs, cultural issues, and even political questions (maybe mentioning colonial India, the Triple Entente, etc. fudging dates a little here and there).

I'm still steamrolling ahead with the research (I actually contacted a history professor at school to ask him some questions about Victorian and Edwardian life). I really want this to be historically realistic, but not to the point where it hinders game play or just becomes an annoying bombardment of little details. It shouldn't feel like reading a history textbook, I guess, but more like living history. One of the more difficult sides of this is actually writing the dialogue. I've always had difficulty writing from other voices, and a different time and place just complicates matters. I don't really want it to sound as stilted as it does (it sounds like they talk with sticks in their mouths), so I'm probably going to loosen it up a little, even it does make the speaking style a little anachronistic.

I'm also still working on art, although that has slowed down also (just temporarily!). Anyway, since I posted a CG with the butler in earlier, I think it's only fair that I include a work-in-progress of one with Frederick (and I'll keep the rest under wraps after that). When I say work-in-progress, I really mean it. This is just the barest of beginnings, no lighting/shading, incomplete clothing, incomplete faces...Regardless, they're supposed to be waltzing; I hope at least that much comes across. The background includes the beginnings of a balcony, and I'll use the moon as a light source. I Googled several images of waltzing couples to get a sense of the posture and hand positioning in the waltz (which is a relatively safe dance to go with for the period). Anyway, the posture's okay, but the hand/arm positions are awkward, especially the arms on our right and the hands on our left...so I'll have to deal with that later. And, of course, I will have to find a good waltz for them to be dancing to (I hadn't anticipated this game becoming so music-heavy).

At any rate, that's where I'm at. I've begun coding some of this stuff too, just to see how it would all look on a screen. (It's a slow process, because I'm a total noob to programming.) I'm not sure how many endings I want at the moment. Seeing as there are only two winnable men, a good and bad ending for each would make four...and I'd also like a good "alone"/"friend" ending (female empowerment!) where the heroine is satisfied with her life and the relationships she has. And probably another bad ending where she ends up lonely and depressed, if she totally fails to pursue either romance or friendship. That's probably enough for now, and I don't want to bite off more than I can chew...but I was wondering if anyone would be very much in favor of some form of female friendship ending, or even a GxG ending? It's not something I'm used to writing, but I guess I wouldn't mind if it would get me a wider audience. (And it would be so interesting to research lesbianism during this period!)

Thanks for your continued interest.
- Momo

[Zanahoria]

Oh wow. I really, really love your art. I'm glad you're not changing it to make it look more "commercial". There's something incredibly charming about your art, it's beautiful.
I'm really looking forward to this game, it sounds like a dream!!