[CC][XP-Demo]Oh, Brother

those story pages are fantastic, keep that style it's fairly unique and awesome.

Some new pages, which is going to ruin the intro but I don't care. I did all three of these just now, my fingers and eyes are sore. ><

They are wider in-game versions, which needed more white-space apparently.

If the last scene looks familiar, it is on purpose, I'm not just lazy.

Spoiler for Storypages:

I. Love. This.

I'm half dead from tired and have an entire day of toddler fun with my little one - so it makes me tremendously happy that my lack of sleep was not in vain. ^.^

Edit;
I now have a support bar, because somebody asked for one. ^.^

I'll be sure to put that into my signature in place too. I have a number of goals for this year, and this is part of those.

You'll probably be wishing you'd had more sleep, though. Little kids can be very demanding.

Added the bar, behold my support!



For what that may be worth.

I appreciate the support. ^.^

---
As an update; I am still working on this. I was given a forced weekend. My husband seems to think I'm doing too much already and using my only free time to work on this project is stressing me out. It may have been that I passed out the other day and slept for twelve straight hours, or it may be something else, who knows. ><

What this means is two days every week that I am not allowed to work on this project. I may or may not stick to it because I can't go five minutes without thinking of this project and I am crazy.

Just wanted to let you guys know so no one wonders why I stopped updating so much.

My weekend this week is over, so I'm back to writing NPC dialogue (I decided they need to say something different based on many factors because, as previously stated, I am crazy - it is very time consuming but hopefully worth it) and putting in quests and tweaking the message style again. Message boxes will all be on the bottom of the screen now, because the message box covered far too much when over events and the name box is cut off when it's shown close to the top of the screen. There's a lot more still to do, those are just the easy but time-consuming things I'm currently fiddling with.

I do have a few sketches of expressions for Nini to show, but they are very rough and I'm using an art meme for it (these are not all of the expressions I plan to use). Figured it would be a fun exercise in addition to helping me get the portraits finished.

Spoiler for Expression Sketches:

Oh no! But your mental health is more important, so pace yourself.

I just got done playing the demo, and It was quite enjoyable. I did run into a few issues; the first is the font color. It's kinda hard to read light pink on lighter pink, and the font size is rather small- but I had no problems reading the letter to Nini from Brother (what is his name, anyway?). I was very pleased with the gameplay and intro, it was quite entertaining. I got that nifty sensation that I cannot adequately describe that I get when about to embark on a game I think will be lots of fun.

There was one passability issue with the desk in the living room/kitchen, on tmiddle right, and I never got out of the house. Even though I was a good little Magical Girl (I NEVER thought I'd hear myself say that) and picked up my toys without being asked, Mom still scolded me for trying to leave. Maybe I missed something, I have children as well...

Overall, very good work. This is a game I would take the time to play.

I actually have a schedule for this now, so I should be okay. ^.-

--
I am amazed (and elated!) you still enjoyed it through all of the issues. ><

I played through it myself again and noticed how many things I apparently broke when adding new cases to the interactions with her mother. I have it all fixed now, and have adjusted font colors (it shouldn't have been so light pink, more purple, not sure what happened there).

Her brother is meant to remain largely a mystery until she reaches the next town(his name is in the main post - it is Mason). No one will mention his name in the first town. He's a bit of a superstar in the other towns though, so they will. I figure his family and friends would be too upset, and worried, about him not returning home to really want to talk about him. Nini can still ask people, but not all of them will say much and none of them will really tell her all they know. She's very young and adults tend to tiptoe around these types of topics when dealing with children. I want to show that, in the first town at least, strangers probably wont try so hard.

The passability settings I didn't know of, I keep having this issue with those desks however and I think I know what's causing it. Passability is my enemy with this tileset. So many sideways things.

You probably didn't miss anything with her mother, she wont let you out. I set the variable to the wrong number (or, rather, changed it and forgot to adjust the exit event). It is impossible to leave the house in the version you have. I'll send you the new one.

I am very glad you enjoyed it. This means I am on the right track. I hope the dialogue seemed natural with her mother(and not too long). Dialogue is where my writing is weakest. This is why I'm making this particular game first, actually, writing for games seems to be mostly dialogue so I need to see if I am capable. An RPG seemed the best way to test this. I admit that I've fallen in love with the story and it's much more than a test now, however.

---
To update, since I'm responding anyway, here are some shots of the new message layout;
I hope these look a little better than the disjointed style they were in previously.
Without the text bubble style, it did seem a bit silly to have them floating above events.

Spoiler for Message Boxes!:

With portrait


With portrait and choicebox


Without portrait but with choicebox (everyone will have some form of name, so the namebox should always be there)

I like the new text layout, but..

Spoiler for:

The pink text is burning my eyes..

I must have a darker monitor or something. It looked like enough contrast to me. Not a big deal. It's just font color. I'll change it. ^.^

Edit;
Okay, I have two colors here - using the menu to test for more light pink background and system font color.

Spoiler for Purple:

Spoiler for Fuchsia:

I must have a darker monitor or something. It looked like enough contrast to me. Not a big deal. It's just font color. I'll change it. ^.^

Edit;
Okay, I have two colors here - using the menu to test for more light pink background and system font color.

Spoiler for Purple:

Spoiler for Fuchsia:

The purple one is much better.
It might be due to my monitor though..
Anyways, +Rep for this beautiful project!

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jscejPGlDFA" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jscejPGlDFA</a>

Just to show what's being worked on. The intro now has some beautiful music, and for those who've seen it, it's a bit different.

The black space on either side is not shown in game. I'm trying to figure out why that is there, probably the recording program size is off. I'll play with it more later.

I was sent the music and given suggestions on how to arrange the intro to fit it. It came out so nicely, I thought I'd share.

Sweet deal, D! I like the purple lettering; it's WAY easier to read.

I'm very sorry everyone, but there will be another delay in productivity. I lost my father in law today. I don't know how long the delay will be. This is not shaping up to be a good year. =/

My condolences

I also lost my father and it's not easy. Yet, I believe that every person has the power to remind themselves of their loved ones while going on with their life.

I wish you strenght!

Nice introduction, but I advise you to make transitions at the pictures, also check whether the person is under the edge of the map, I suggest you put the message box above.

I'll probably end up working on this project anyway. Writing has always made me feel better. I just may not have much time for the more complicated and time-consuming aspects due to responsibilities we've been given. Arrangements must be made and it appears we're the ones who have to make them. =/

Saul, thank you for the advice. I tried transitions with the pictures, nothing looked quite right. I've been looking for something that may resemble page turning and will likely add that when I find it. I have changed the message display too many times now, however. It will remain at the bottom. I'm not sure what you mean by under the edge of the map?

Oh, dear. Remember to take the time you need to sort things out, D. I will send you all the good vibrations I can.

Hello,

I'm the music composer for this project and thought I'd post a few pieces from this game's soundtrack since there has been a delay in progress.

Unknown Journey:
http://www.soundclick.com/player/single_player.cfm?songid=11484632&q=hi&newref=1

Unai:
http://www.soundclick.com/player/single_player.cfm?songid=11484641&q=hi&newref=1

Dear Diary:
http://www.soundclick.com/player/single_player.cfm?songid=11484630&q=hi&newref=1

That Magical Girl (Main Theme):
http://www.soundclick.com/player/single_player.cfm?songid=11466873&q=hi&newref=1

I love all of those tracks. I can't say that enough. = )

---Update---

I've begun work again. Mostly writing, but finishing up maps also. There will be a relatively long side quest involving pages from an adventure story. Each page will give clues that lead Nini on the same path as the heroine in the story. Hidden items and other special things will be found on this journey, to make it worth her while. As the first page is found in the first town, I wrote that out and have that to share today. It's an optional sidequest, as the page can be missed, and it only sets up the side story so I don't think this will spoil anything. I'd certainly love to hear what people think about it, so feel free to tell me if it's awful. ^.-

Spoiler for The Adventures of Puella Magi Kirin pg1:

We join our heroine just steps outside the legendary Dorna En Caves, at the base of Mount Kanfahl. She and her spectral companion have agreed to rid the local town of a shadowy beast that has been stealing away children in the night. The tales of those who have escaped it's grasp weigh heavy on her mind. This will not be an easy task for our little heroine. -

Her eyes narrow in an attempt to see through the inky shadows past the mouth of the cave.

"Kiriiin~! ", a high-pitched voice squeeks from the inside of her bag.

"We can't turn back now, Kitsch - those people are counting on us...", the hesitation in her tone does not go unnoticed, but she has no time to fret over the what-ifs. Now is the time for action.

"But, but, I'm scaaaared~!", a softly glowing face peeks out from the bag, big white eyes round and pleading.

"Kitsch, what did you tell me when we first met?", no hesitation there. Good. She's ready. Her companion, however...

Those glowing orbs that pass for eyes disappear beneath pale blue lids as he juts his fuzzy little snout and button nose into the air. Kirin gives the bag a good shake.

"Kitsch!"

He throws his entire frame into a deep sigh before letting his head drop downward.

"...If you wish to become a Magical Girl, you must be willing to walk the jagged paths, gaze into the toothy maw of madness, and stand tall before the darkest shadows.", the words tumble from his furry lips. He didn't want to say it. He didn't care what he said those many years ago. She smiled. He wasn't afraid for his own safety..

Giving her best hero pose, she stood tall and raised her voice high.

"That's right! And I have done all of those things. This is routine, Kitsch! We're going to charge into that cave, knock that monster senseless and hurry back to town for a hero's welcome!", she was trying to hide her own fear with boastful words. She failed miserably. Kitsch wasn't buying any of it. His glowing white eyes narrowed, she felt a scolding coming on. Some sass perhaps. They didn't have the time. Waiting meant more children missing from their homes..

"It doesn't matter what's in there, Kitsch.", her resolve returned, Kitsch had no choice but to perk at her tone. "We have a job to do. On my honor as a Magical Girl, I must protect the innocent. We're going in there.", with a heavy heart and a few fearful squeeks, Kirin took her first step.

This is really all there is to show right now. I've been using Rm2k3 to map out the world because I thought it would be easier (it is), now I just need to use it as a guide for the drawn map. I should have that up sometime tomorrow. There is a very large amount of dialogue, even the non-essential NPCs have a bit to say(there is a "chat" option for the sake of information gathering/gossip), so it's taking some time. The NPCs also have lives of their own, and will do different things depending on the time of day/Nini's meddling. This means setting up many events to account for where they are at any given time. I wanted the towns to feel more alive. It may take a while to get it all worked out, but I hope it will be worth it.

Hopefully that also explains why I've been saying I'm writing dialogue for the past few updates. There's a lot. ><

Well, there you have it. I'm back and will start updating again.

Good to see you're back on track, ma'am. I wait with baited breath!








...can someone pass me the Scope?

Spoiler for Map Wip:

It doesn't have any areas marked, or any landmarks yet. I'm trying for "looks scrawled on an old piece of parchment". I think it needs a lot of work still, but it's what I have so far. I've never drawn a map before, can you tell? ><

It's not bad! I think if anything it goes with your established style, and it looks like you've acheived your goal.

I was thinking about this project, looking at the map with the style you have been using. I like it a lot and the game has a lot of potential. Still, one thing came into my mind. I take that you want others to play it, male and female. The game itself is getting quite girly, taking the pink windowskin in mind. I would suggest something different, maybe a self drawn windoskin? Changing that would make it less "girly" and more people will not stop playing the game. (Mostly the males)

YellowPepper