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[Devlog] Bottomless Coffee

A topic by Tsunko created Jan 26, 2020 Views: 440 Replies: 16
Viewing posts 1 to 10
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Starting this out, whoo maybe I should've read someone else's devlog so I'd know what to write but damn if I ain't gonna try (a feeling that seems to be a running theme with this project).

The Premise

You (Player Name Customizable, Default Name Psych) have just opened up your own cafe! Well anti-cafe but who cares about the details~ Get ready to meet a whole host of differing personalitys and enjoy your very own coffee shop au! Featuring lovely suiters such as: the chuuni, the gamer girl, the single father, and the totally-not-a-russian-spy!

The Goal

The aim is to make between 3 and 5 days worth of content (not like actual days but in game days, though you probably guessed that?) of both a day mode and night mode, give a good feel for all 6 characters, and, y'know, actually release something?

The Hurdles

I have never made any game before. I've never composed before. I'm not even 100% sure I've ever completed a drawing before. Time to jump feet first off the deep end and do the best we can!

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posting at like midnight because sleep is for the weak (i am weak tho orz)

Day 1

Despite getting a late start (because oof- CNY man) I think(???) I've completed like at least 25% of all the maps I need to do? I'm gonna say yeah? Probably gonna need to learn how to make tilesets and sprites after I finish this one but I'm proud of what I made with what I have to work with.

On the character front, I've got solid designs for half of them and am working on their talk sprites. Another is in the concept phase of his design and the final two have sketchy ideas.

Writing wise I'm not that worried about it (in before I forget to do it until day 12 of 14), Kiwi is assisting with some character scripts which helps take a bit of the burden off me, plus I have enough notes that I can write the dialogue while I'm at work or something if need be.

Musically? I,,, I'm probably gonna need to binge soft ghibli music to think of some otome-like tunes, hopefully non-copyright infringment ones. This is the biggest hurdle. I feel like Hinata looking at the opponents defensive wall.

Conclusion

I'm happy with what I managed to do so far? It's good? My back hurts but that's kinda normal www

This is Tsunko, signing off!

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I actually think you could find some soft, otome-like/ghibli inspired tracks off soundcloud!! Just search for copyright free. There's a couple of playlists on youtube too for this stuff.

you may have just saved my life.

Aha, I'm glad to hear I may have eased your suffering in some way.

Host

this sounds like some pretty solid progress overall! do you think you can share some of the art + concepts or are you planning to hold them until the game releases?

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mst of my concepts are in written form but i am planning on sharing some screenshots from when i test how the images/mechanics work.

Submitted

3 to 5 days worth of content with a day and night mode for each? That would be between 3 * 2 to 5 * 2 so 6 to 10 scenes. I don't know if you have multiple scenes but with 4 characters you could give each 2 scenes? That puts you around 4 days total. Just trying to help you plan, dunno if it helped :)

The plan I have for night mode is basically "free time to do pre-determined activities" so it'll be pretty bare in the demo, just a few extra content things mainly, While with day mode is where the bulk of the content and character interactions are.  The two scenes per character actually works out well, one introduction scene and one characterization scene.  Thank for that advice!

Nice idea, nice progress.

Sorry if I missed this, but what are you using to build the game? Will this be a sort of visual novel sort of game? 

I'm using RPGMaker, because I had no idea specific visual novel engines existed until about 6:30am today. And yes, hopefully it will be a VN style like thing? 

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Day 2 & 3

I totally forgot to update yesterday cause I was real heckin tired so I'm consolidating my reports! I'll try to do daily updates from now on I promise.

First of all, I figured out how to add additional tilesets so it looks better than they previews im gonna post and im also in the process of fixing the sizing issue. It's actually kinda refreshing seeing even these small things come together because I've never used RPGMaker before.

So the title screen is finished (pictured below) (oh god why is the picture so big i dont like this orz) and after a minor floop up with how the title was located I'm satisfied. Like, I'm not 100% in love with the image but it does it's job and at least it's something like my intial vision? Could've been worse and that's what I'm sticking with. Be postitive!

Aside from completing that I've started doing the sprite designs for the PC and have the Cafe Exterior p much done design wise, only minor tweaks forseen regarding that. Mechanics/Events tho... How do you make doors? (dont worry, i'll look up a tutorial)

I'm... I'm still procrastinating on the music tbh, but like there's an A3! event and the new episode of the anime and BTD has their weekly podcast released www

Writing. I'm still deciding what tone I want it to have. Comedic with acknowledgement that this is a demo? Tongue and cheek? Play it straight? Who's to say, who's to say? Well, Kiwi and I are, eventually. But in lieu of a fleshed out script I'm making a "this is what happens" bullet point list in proper order of events.

Also I take back what I said last blogpost about how far I was done with the maps.

Conclusion

I'm learning how to do things! Yay! I don't actually know how to conclude this but I do plan on sleeping earlier than  midnight and also I need to catch the new episode of A3!.

This is Tsunko, signing off~

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Day 4

Today was mainly a day for writing  and art, mainly due to wokr running long. I've noted down everything that I need to make and settled on an art style for the character graphics, actually started working on the character graphics but am agonizing over skin tones because nothing works quite right, but besides that I admittedly haven't done much today. Weekdays suck and I need to push myself more.

No formal conclusion for today, don't think enough was done to warrant one, so 'pologies.


This is Tsunko, signing off.

(1 edit) (+1)

Day 5

Woooooo, guess who's back feeling better about their progress! Sure, the end result might be comparable to yesterday but it no longer feels like a hopeless endeavor so thats gotta count for something, right?

So I finished up the main concept/colour scheme for our darling protagonist (it would be pictured below but nothing I upload works dammit!) and started working on their proper neutral pose. Unfortunately when it went from my normal art style to a less labour inducive chibi style they went from "trickster fey" kinda look to "are you sure you aren't just drawing Adrien Agreste", which if it is it's 100% unintentional I swear.

Outside of the PC's look I have a sketchbook full of test drawings for two other characters, temp face claims/face ideas for all but one, and at least three of their outfits.

Conclusion

Art, art, art! Draw this, draw that, figure out how hair falls using real life models, scrap three pages of doodles because "no we're using a different style", the usual www. But it is coming along and I don't feel like I'm in a creative slump anymore so imma roll with this art train for as long as I can, and no it's not just because I'm procrastinating on learning how doors work (it totally is orz).

This is Tsunko, signing off~

post editted because images wont work and im upset qwq

Day 6 (almost titled this day 5 lol)

Finished the second of 5 vital maps today and I'm proud of it! Also realizing I never posted the first map yet so I should probably to that (if the image part works for me today) (oh look it does, pictured below!)

Ignore the blob in the corner, that's the unfinished character sprite, which is now finished seeing as I found a work around to my earlier issues!

Show this off to two of my co-workers today and one of them just went "meh" which really made me realized non-artists really don't know what goes into this kinda stuff. At least one of them said that I must be so proud, which I was!

Once I figure out how doors work (probably saturday?) I'll post a picture of the next map.

I'm now doing formal writing on the script and am a good portion of the way through my first character introduction. Chad's kinda clumsy but he's cool and probably the most normal option there is (which actually makes him kinda hard to write? why is the chuuni easier than the everyman orz)

... You ever worry that's you're over sharing and that "nah Tsunko, you gotta make people wanna play the game, not show everything you have" because I do, but I also can't stop myself. It's complicated.

Anyways, this is Tsunko, signing off!

Day 8

First of all, apologies for not updating yesterday. Rain storms knocked out my internet so there was nothing i could do ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Bad weather aside, and minor freakout about the jam being halfway done aside, I finally figured out doors, along side events! I've actually started to put the parts together and make the entire opening part of the game, alongside connected all the created maps.

Well, I saw 'completed' but I'm still fine tuning some stuff.

Since I know what I'm doing with that I'd say the stuff I mainly gotta do now is the art and finishing the script, only having the outline done is no dice!

... You can do it Tsunko, it's just writing. You have all the maps done so putting the words to the events is easy. I'm in despair orz

This is Tsunko, signing off!