itch.io

1. Hi there! What's your name? Want to introduce yourself? 

hi!! my name is aisha, but some opt to call me by my username, verbalchemy/verbal^^

2. Did you participate in the last jam we held? If so, what do you plan on doing better this time? If not, what's your reason for joining?  

yep!! it was the first jam i've ever joined :)) i plan on creating a more polished game. last time, i wasn't able to figure out how to add music and i really rushed my work! but hopefully i could manage my time better now!

3. What games are your favorites? Did any of them inspire you, or made you want to make your own?  

one of my favorite games are usually horror which is weird because i can't play scary games TT the death mark series, faith, and ace attorney are the few games that are pretty up there for me! definitely, death mark's amazing art and lore made me want to learn how to create games like that! recently, i've gotten into ace attorney and i can say i 'm really into dialogue-based(?) games !!

4. Do you have experience with game development? What did you do/with what engine?  

i've only used renpy so far! last game jam i used visual studio code and had a pretty basic code TT i hope to maybe use gamemaker or adventure game studio ??  this time around (my mac is super old and dusty it's on its deathbed!)

5. Tell us about something you're passionate about!  

well first and foremost i'm really an artist ^^ i joined last game jam to put more art stuff in my portfolio however in the process of doing so, i really enjoyed hearing what my friends and other people who were kind enough to play my game had to say!! i guess i love making stuff in general, and having people enjoy that is a big plus!

6. What are your goals for this game jam?

for one, figure out gamemaker! or if i settle on a different engine, i'd like to learn that! second, just create something that i'd enjoy playing. and third, add music to my game TT and hopefully finish it!

For returning jammers:

7. Any advice to new participants?   

i guess it depends whether you're in the game jam for experience or to really create a game. because if you're here wanting to create a game, then make sure to have great time management TT and don't be afraid to reach out for help from other jammers ^^ all in all, take your time learning and it's okay to make mistakes !!

8. What can the admins do to improve your jam experience?   

last game jam, i didn't really encounter any problems ! kudos to the admin staff for creating a good experience for newcomers,, i was super shy at the time and i super appreciated it!

9. What are some of the past works you've made for the jam? Show off your favorites!   

i've only made one game so far for this jam (and in general TT), and it's called suffocating !

10. Got any question suggestions? Let us know for next year!

none at the moment! ! excited to see the games created this time and super excited for the theme!

thank you thank you so much! i did try to spend more time on the art, i’m very happy you noticed that ^^ and thank you, i did my best with the writing!! 

omg! thank you so much for playing through the game, i was smiling the whole time watching you play it!! thank you again for the feedback <33

been a week since i updated!! i got a bit busy with family stuff and havent been able to work on the game much, but i am happy to say i figured out the ui and that it wasn't as hard as i expected!!! i also finished ALL the sprites, a little over 24 drawings?? one of my friends asked if they could assist in the bgs so i'm very thankful for that!

heres the mc who has leaves growing out his skin. the game is gonna be dialogue heavy so i should really clutch that lol! anyway, the healing theme is going to be a lot more metaphorical, like healing from a sad experience. i really hope i'll be able to finish !!

day 4!

wasn't able to update yesterday as i didn't do much. today, i powered through a set of sprites for a character! the code was easy but i had a slight problem because i didn't name one of the files correctly (had an extra space in the name) but it was easily troubleshooted. i just used a sketch background since i wanted to see how everything was. i think i'm going to focus on writing since i know now what the sprites would look like in game!

i dont really like the font for the ui so im gonna figure out how to change it soon. pretty uneventful but i hope to finish most of the writing tomorrow and another character's sprite set. thats all!!

oh my!!! its already looking so good!! the animations and the visuals are so pretty!! excited for the outcome!!

day 2 (?)

i was a bit lazy today but i started conceptualizing the character sprites and possible expressions :)) heres the supposed mc:

and his 2 friends:

i tried to make the designs a bit simple since i realize if i ever do different poses i'll need to redraw them... but i think i'm pretty happy with how they turned out! they seem pretty distinct from one another at least! the color palettes are still pending, but i already have an idea. im excited with the art since they will be the main piece but i'm worrying with the gui a bit,,, i might use another template? or something?? anyway here are some sketches for the bgs/graphics:

i'm still plotting it out and still have a lot of writing to do. but i at least have the storyline down and the game mechanics down!! aaaa thinking about the coding is stressing me out but i guess i'll worry about it after the art and writing. if anyone has comments on renpy/coding in general pls let me know TT i'm wondering how i can change the gui but so afraid to mess with it in case i accidentally do something idk how to undo, but i guess thats part of the experience!! anw for the next few days i'm going to (try) to write some dialogue and finish a few scenes at least! also maybe finally finish a sprite or two (??)

so basically, i'm a digital artist and have decided to branch out from what i usually create (illustrations) to code on renpy! i know visual novels are pretty basic, but this is still my first time ever coding a game! so it's a bit daunting for me but i wanna learn a bit this summer! i'm gonna try to keep up with my logs here and add any breakthroughs or problems i go through hehe. was supposed to be a point and click game but :(( i can't figure it out as of the moment in renpy even after reading and watching a ton of tutorials

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game synopsis: (names are still in the works) 

mc wakes up and suddenly has leaves growing out his skin!! unfortunately it is NOT usual behavior for his skin to act this way. his friends are coming over in a few, and his two best friends won't leave until they see him. what will our mc do in this situation?

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the theme heal is hidden in there somewhere but i don't wanna spoil the whole thing. the game will take place in the mc's room and i'm pretty sure i might spend more time drawing than coding (gonna overcompensate for my coding and writing skills). hopefully i'll be able to keep up and not give up halfway!!

gonna start drawing concept sketches and write out scenes later when i wake up !