Hello World

I'm not even sure why I'm doing this, but here I am making a post. I'm one of the other founders of this project, and I'm handling the programming. Theoretically. Haven't actually started yet. Anyway! Because Dark seems to think that we benefit from posting everything about our Visual Novel project to a blog that gets no views, here I am making a post.

Dark previously did a rundown of a few characters that you'll be getting to know over the course of the Visual Novel, and I'm here to pick up his slack and talk about the remaining characters. Keep in mind that this is all subject to change; at any point in time during the development, we may alter, add or drop certain characters. Here at Vaporware Studios*, we fly by the seat of our pants.

Now, onto the content! Post haste, so that I may finally go to sleep.

Niko: An Angel with an Identity Crisis
Known as GAR Girl during early stages of development for reasons I'm sure she would be glad to explain to you, Niko is something of a misfit. A schoolmate of Michal's, she has developed a fair bit of infamy for her mad ways. Fiery and driven, her rambunctious personality and booming voice can both inspire and turn-off. Combine that with her masculine looks and tomboyish ways and she earns no popularity from anyone. She does, however, gather a crowd of the nerdly folk, who flock to her as some sort of pariah; she occasionally uses them as her own personal army, to enact certain vengeance on her foes and rid the school of "injustice". But behind this crusader of justice persona, just who is Niko? Behind the madness and the masculinity, is there still a girl inside? Michal will have the chance to reach out and befriend this eccentric girl, and perhaps even unlock the secret to her act. Careful, though, she's a tad unstable.

Hopefully with this route, we're able to have a bit of lighthearted fun. While there will be serious issues dealt with, we wanted to give Michal the kind of girl he could go to if the player don't want no drama.

Sammy: Dead End Kid
The case of Sammy is an interesting one for a few reasons. When we first conceived the concept for this Visual Novel, it revolved around a certain relationship between a boy and a girl. That relationship would sour, and the remaining portion of the Visual Novel would be spent dealing with the choice of returning to the girl first loved, or pursuing newer and potentially better relationships. The boy was, of course, Michal and the girl was Catherine. But at one time Catherine was known as Sammy, and now she is no longer a romantic interest option.

To fill the void left by Catherine's route, we promoted a once minor character to greater role. For added fun, she also received Catherine's old name of Sammy. While this character has existed for a decent duration of the development, her original role was simply that of a platonic friend that Michal could receive advice from during the story. Now that relationship can become much more.

Sammy is a schoolmate and close friend of Michal, knowing both him and Catherine since their early schooldays. A spirited supporter of the relationship between her two friends, she takes it hard when she learns that Catherine has ended her relationship with Michal in order to focus on her upcoming college life. Sammy is quick to provide moral support to Michal in order to deal with the break-up.

In a stark contrast to her friend Catherine, Sammy is youthful and carefree. She has great difficulty thinking ahead enough to plan for dinner, much less college acceptance. While she may not be the most dutiful or responsible person Michal knows, she seems intent on doing anything and everything within her ability. Her go-getter attitude and high spirits make her fun to be around and earn her many friends. But when the time calls for it, she can also display a caring, warm and almost motherly side and always seems to be willing to lend an ear to those who need one.

Will her motherly support for Michal turn into something else? Can she even take care of her own self? How will she achieve anything if she can't think ahead? Does she even want to think ahead?

Male Friend: Never Take Friendship Personal
While he may not have a name at the moment, please be assured that this character will be as fleshed out and interesting as all the others presented. We all had that one male comrade during our schooldays that we remember the most. That pal who always seemed to be looking out for your back. The guy that you knew that you could always count on. In a perfect world, that would be this guy. But maybe the world's not so perfect.

Caring, jovial and all around charming guy, Michal's friend is one he has known for as long as he can remember. But while Michal tends to blend into crowds, his friend creates them. Whereas Michal is one voice out of many, when his friend speaks everyone listens. He's a showstopper and a ringleader and dammit if he doesn't know it. While he is always willing to involve Michal in all of his fun and games, there has always been a thinly veiled hint of condescension to his words. Something has always lead Michal to believe that one day his friend would be gone, and he would never hear from him again.

But because the world is not perfect, Michal lives each day knowing that his friend is someone to turn to because no one else will have him. So no matter how many signs point to "asshole", he has learned to deny it all. For what it's worth, Michal's friend will offer advice from time to time. My advice? Don't follow it.

Neckbeard: Just Another Lost Soul on the Internet
Ah, Neckbeard! What a lovable oaf! You see, as much as I adore his moniker, it is not the actual name he will have in the final product. It does, however, reflect his tentative character design. As in, yes, his neck will be bearded. You will bask in the glory of his magnificent mane in due time. Until then, I suggest you imagine it. Not quite as glorious, but it may help speed up the wait until you finally get to experience our Visual Novel.

Neckbeard is a colorful character that Michal meets on the internet, which gives a unique spin on their relationship. While there is no physical contact between them (especially none of that kind, thank God) and they never truly know one another, their talks on the internet range from the mundane to the profound. By never truly knowing one another, each is able to speak without regret and express their true feelings on whatever subject they may discuss. As is typical of Michal and his life as of late, many of the talks with Neckbeard will turn to love and their thoughts on it. Neckbeard is something of a hopeless romantic, and is full of advice to give to his friend. Take it for what you will, dear reader.

Neckbeard is a bit of a zany character, being an elitist and even something of a "weaboo". Perhaps some of you may even see a bit of yourself in Neckbeard. Oh, I went there!

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Well, that's all for this entry. There are a few side characters that we haven't covered, but they're all specific to certain routes. Minor characters, you know. You've gotten to know all the main guys and gals involved. Maybe for our next update we'll update you with more pretty art, I dunno. Kaiser out.

*Yeah, that's right Dark, we're calling ourselves Vaporware Studios. You can't stop me! NOTE: I hold no legal claim to the Vaporware Studios name, I'm simply deranged, delusional and sleep deprived.

A litttle status update...

Wow, a lot can change in a week. I'll start it off with legit names of the characters, along with a general bio/synopsis of them to get you guys out of the dark.


Michal (Once known as Kristian)

His design has not changed since the last time I blogged about designs. However we decided to introduce more subtleties and a true tone of voice in his dialogue and his thought processes. Michal isn't supposed to be a character that everyone magically falls in love with, nor is he the noticible outlier in a social group. The more fitting way to visualize him would to be a background character, however he posses flaws in his character that he must overcome, and are represented in the other characters in the story. Throughout the story, he has to overcome not only his own obstacles and troubles, but also learn to mature and grow up as a person, and realize that thing may flow differently with time and origin.

His main conflict is still his girlfriend, however we now have made that a major conflict that stems throughout the story. Along with his girlfriend (or should I say, former), he will need to deal with the social class system in school, academic expectations, and the needs of others; All while trying to make up for his inadequacies, and possibly see himself in a new light.

Louis

Ah, this one has been on the drawing board for a long time. Here we have Michal's brother. He's a support figure, takes care of Michal, and simply looks like an older version of him. With Louis's image, we wanted to create a psuedo-father figure, one who would be more like a friend then an actual father. Louis is seen as an intelligent, honest man, who'll be willing to give his brother advice about his problems. He works at the St. Mary's hospital as a nurse, and also may face conflict within his own bounds.

Louis differs from Michal from the fact that he seems to have more personal attractiveness than Michal. Perhaps a lady's man, Louis's banter and humour hopefully will reflect this, however we must keep in mind is current circumstances, and the events that may come up at his work place. Though Louis isn't a main arc, he is still necessary in Michal's interactions, and thus certain story elements will be included for him.

Catherine (Otherwords Sammy or Previous Girlfriend)

Catherine has faced the biggest change in the development of this VN. For one, her status as a route has been removed, as we feel that we will be able to focus on the conflict and overall theme of the story if we allow her to embody the conflict.

Catherine was Michal's girlfriend, however due to her moving, she eventually breaks off with Michal. She embodies the idea of a perfect girlfriend, and perhaps even a more mature person that one may want to have a relationship with to make themselves seem more mature. Michal's main conflict with her is the fact that she shares one of the biggest flaws with him: emotional dependance. Throughout the story, Michal will be exposed to the disillusionment of his vision of Catherine, as she reveals her true nature, along with her clingy, manipulative habits, she will provide the major reason for Michal's strife and perhaps hopelessness. Though she may seem like the stem of his unhappiness, Michal will eventually realize his own flaw, and his twisted vision of love through her. One of the major themes and plot lines of the VN is Michal's process of moving on from Catherine; To realize that his love with her was not "true" love, or the fact that he perhaps deluded himself into to thinking that he was truly in love with her. Through Catherine, Michal will realize his emotional dependence on people.

Natalie (Once known as tsuntsun)

Here we have a spin on an often abused and terribly done archtype of character. Natalie is perhaps the embodiment of Michal's abrasive, cynical, and witty side. However, she also possesses another thing that she shares with Michal: self-imposed alienation.

Now you may be wondering "What the heck is that? It seems like you just pulled that reason out of your butt"

Perhaps I did. Her flaws greatly play into her demeanor towards Michal, and the eventual growth of their friendship. She seems to be like the kind of person that most people would shrug off, and simp[le forget about after meeting. She's rude, abrasive, and seems to be generally cold and mean to people. Not only will you have to deal with her temperament, but also the fact that the social network of people that you hang out with also hate her. Natalie isn't necessarily a loser type, however more of the kind of person that people do not like to associate themselves with. Thus she has a more twisted view of others, as she believes that she has the same rights to judge as they do. As the story progresses, Michal will learn the reason for her attitude, and even learn about himself. In her arc, both Michal and Natalie will learn to open up, and realize their own shortcomings. Though she may seem condescending, her relationship with Michal will eventually affect the way he sees her and vice versa. However, Michal will probably be the first to realize his emotional dependence on her.

Natalie differs from the other arcs due to the fact that her dialogue will probably be the most comical and soaked with biting sarcasm and wit. Hopefully we can create a dynamic character who you can see evolve into a better person as time goes on.

Helen (Once known as Elice)

Helen also has not changed too much. She represents Michal's delicacy towards other people's thoughts, along with general hopelessness. She still has RND, as is hospitalized just as we said in her original introduction. Her main conflict will be coping with her RND, overcoming her social delicacy, and also being able to drag herself out of her hopeless state of mind. Since Helen's arc takes place mostly in a hospital and away from Michal's friends, Michal will eventually alienate himself from society to interact with Helen. Along with the change in Michal's behavior, we hopefully will be able to illustrates Helen's mindset towards others who are able to leave the hospital, along with the relationship that she builds with Michal. Helen also has a plot about her parents, which will be further divulged as the story goes on. Her family will also have some rifts and cracks, that will also affect Helen in negative ways.
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In this arc, we hope to touch upon the themes of social interactions, and dealing with hopeless situations with the support of others.


TO BE CONTINUED

Concept art

Seeing as we have laid out of the arcs pretty much scripted, the team decided to get some concept art. I'll put a dump of the girls right now, and perhaps some of Kristian tomorrow.

On the bottom left we have Elice, our "sick" girl. Here we tried to represent her as a more fragile human being, and also a bit pouty. Her design is subject to change.


Top left we have very, very early art of our athletic tomboyish girl. We still need to script some stuff for her.

Lastly, and perhaps my favorite, we have tsuntsun. Though the picture represents a perhaps more "tease" side of her, it does do a good job of conveying a character. Though we do need to buff out some, ahem, issues.








Just remember, this is early, early concept art, and everything is subject to change. All art is not done by me, however by our wonderful and godly artist, who shall not be named yet.

Protagonist drabble

Seems like it's about time to post some stuff that we have. I'll start with the protagonist.

Our VN is told from the viewpoint of Kristian, an incoming 11th grader who has to deal with the fact that his current girlfriend Sammy, is moving away to attend the college of her dreams. Though he seems caring and dependable on the outside, his true personality reveals a needy, emotionally dependent child who often wishes that he had someone to support and console him from his troubles. Though he is willing to go to great lengths to help others, his true thoughts have a sense of cynicism and resentment. Perhaps he needs to grow up, and learn that society has no room for whiners, and that perhaps he isn't the only one with problems. While dealing with the reality of his longtime girlfriend moving, he also becomes aware of the cracks in her facade, and that perhaps his vision of her is a little big too perfect. Our protagonist has a lot on his plate - from dealing with his new realizations about his old relationship to the complications that arise accommodating others almost constantly.

Whether the player decides attempt to preserve Kristian's relationship with Sammy or embark on a different path, Kristian's disillusionment with his previous relationship along with the lingering affection he still has plays a major role. Other side characters also provide information about other characters in the story, along with informing the player about certain traits of Kristian through their tone or speech towards him. One must remember that even if Kristian goes onto a different path, his old relationship will still play a major role.

Through the story, expect Kristian to change, and most likely mature from that needy child into a person who accepts the fact that he/she must stand on his/her own legs. Though he his mentality may resemble one with a messiah complex, he'll probably learn that relationships are truly delicate, and unlike in the movies, he can't simply sweep girls off their feet with acts of macho or forcefully trying to help them. It is necessary to note that a VN isn't necessarly only about the other characters, but also encompass the main protagonist, and thus it is important to develop them with a believable background.

One thing about this protagonist that I am worried about is the act of balancing between a boring, mundane character to an unlikable, angsty whinny character. Though his strife is important, it shouldn't completely overshadow his witty, more mellow comedic monologues.

Work in progress...

Things seem to be going a little bit slow right now, however I can take the time to list some essential facts that we have established thus far.

3Seasons is NOT the title. It's a project code, and probably will not become our title.

We currently have 4 routes. To sum it up in the most simple way, we have 4 different arctypes, each with a different obstacle or theme. They are:

False impression and perseverance
Social incompatibility and the the cost of loneliness
Self-imposed alienation and character masking
Intangible dreams and social identity

Each one of these themes are a major component in each of the arcs, and along with the protagonist's own problems, present obstacles for the player to overcome and learn about their fellow person. Our main story themes also include emotional dependency, facades, coping, and becoming mature. We would like to paint a story where everyone contributes to their maturation, not only the protagonist with mystical powers.

Setting:

Our setting takes place in the United States, contrary to many VNs. The time period spans from early July to early January. Due to the setting in the United States (Michigan), this encompasses 3 seasons, thus warranting the code name "3Seasons". Each background or CG will include real photos which are taken over the course of the development. Expect to see some samples later.

Characters:

Each character has a developed back story, along with certain traits that define each character. However, it is important to know that the player only knows as much as the main protagonist he plays.

Represented in the order of the themes, the routes are:

Current girlfriend
Patient at St. Mary's Hospital
Rude, abrasive student (Or known to the staff as "tsuntsun")
Eccentric dreamer

Each route not only will focus on the female lead, however also entwine the Protagonist's struggles with his current girlfriend, along with his academic life. Each route also has minor characters that provide another look into each route, which may prove essential in developing the plot.

Another point to add; While talking to another fellow worker on this project, we also wanted to avoid cliches and other rampant problems with VNs. This includes plot, protagonist development, and pacing. As we go on with the project, please feel free to address any cliches or major problems that may come up while we work.

Until next time,

Dark

It's a start.

Well, after a couple of months working on this project, it seemed necessary to have a site to sort of catalog what my friends and I are working on. In lay-mans terms, it's a historical document. Whether it will be forgotten in history, or be a memento to an epic project, we'll never know. For now I'll just post all the random things that come through with this project.

As a reader, you may be asking "What the heck is this project? What are you guys working on?". I could answer this question in many ways. Our project could be seen as a story, perhaps even an interactive novel. It could even be seen as a choose your own adventure, or simply a medium to tell the creative ideas that our authors have. Personally, the best category is visual novel.

Generally, the term visual novel or VN has been linked to Japanese media or videogames. Perhaps it's the saturation of gal-games or H-games that cloud up the sector that gives the area much disgust towards conventional gamers or story readers. Or maybe it's simply because people characterize VNs and their players/makers as perverts who sit in their basements and accomplish nothing. However, there are many VNs that break this mold, and we are trying to hopefully join the genre of this. We wish to make a dynamic, engaging, believable story that both invokes emotion in our reader, along with leaves them something to think about. Though we'll still throw in some "baaw" moments, and some general things that make drama so lovable, we'll try to make a good story that doesn't get bogged down with unintentional hilarity.

So sit back, and simply watch as the creative juices churn, and maybe even just watch as a project unfolds.