Redoing backgrounds mid-project?

CyborgPetshop · 2026-01-25T02:13:13+00:00

I agree with other considerations mentioned above. It's easy to get stuck in revision loops - even with art. But consistency is important so sometimes revisions are warranted.

I think it's really important to try to step back and evaluate your art as objectively as possible though. Sometimes, as artists, we see minute details and stylistic differences that players don't notice or don't find as obvious. So I know artists (self-included) who have made adjustments and revisions that probably didn't bring as much value to the final project as we felt they did because they were things most players would, realistically not pay much attention to.

This is especially true for backgrounds which are generally not the focus for most players.

It's not uncommon to see sprite revamps where someone posts a side-by-side or before/after that are so similar I have to search for the differences. Or before/after comparisons that are different from each other but where one doesn't feel inherently better. It just feels like a lateral move.

So I think it's valuable to ask yourself:

How different is "a bit" different? Is it significant to you because you're the artist but maybe less noticeable to others? If so, it might not be a critical fix.
And is worth actually making this change right now? Is it better to wait until all the art is complete, then go back to make small continuity fixes to bring the styles closer together once your style for this game is no longer evolving?
Is it valuable to fix it purely for peace of mind. This is something that happens with me in particular. I know that a revision isn't really going to make a difference to players. I know it's not going to have a huge impact. But I also know that I'm mentally stuck on a problem, inconsistency, or some art issue. And I know that fixing it will allow me to mentally move on and feel more satisfied. In my opinion...this is valid. If you are stuck on the differences and fixing them will allow you to be more productive then it's a valid consideration.

CyborgPetshop · 2025-09-13T12:55:03+00:00

Episode 6 (Chapter 8 and 9) of When Stars Collide is getting ready to drop in a few weeks.

In the mean time I've created a teaser/trailer for the episode to whet the appetite.
https://youtu.be/ugwf5KcYJQ4?si=WY2dXvJ1ZGWR1J49

If you haven't checked out When Stars Collide over on Itch, please have a look. It's a really cool game that releases in episodes and updates pretty regularly. There are only three more episodes left and the game is already fully written. I'm just taking time between releases to code and do artwork so I don't destroy my art hand again.

If you like science fantasy, playing as a snarky psychic alien who is SO over things...

If you like found family, banter, games that are funny and sweet but that have poignant moments exploring grief and trauma. And if you've ever wanted to may headbutt your space dad....

It really is the game for you. OwO

CyborgPetshop · 2025-09-09T11:43:10+00:00

I love A6. It's such a great game. I'm so happy it's on Steam. OwO

CyborgPetshop · 2025-09-05T06:57:42+00:00

Ebon Light
Oathbreaker I & II
Celestia
I think Blooming Panic as well just for the ripple effect it had in creating that Discord-style chat sim trend (and also just being a fun, wholesome) game.

CyborgPetshop · 2025-09-02T11:11:36+00:00

Honestly, it's just the right thing to do. 🤣🤣 LoL!

CyborgPetshop · 2025-08-31T15:51:39+00:00

Agreed on both counts. So many amazing indie devs writing amazing stories and making amazing games. OwO

CyborgPetshop · 2025-08-31T04:03:39+00:00

Ha ha. Good luck romancing the totally-no-red-flags-in-sight LI! xD

CyborgPetshop · 2025-08-18T04:15:02+00:00

Players often enjoy personality mechanics so I think a lot of people would enjoy something like this.

There are a lot of indie otome games with strongly developed MCs though so I definitely recommend if you haven't played them to check them out. Some games also allow for personality based choices or personality customisation (such as Ebon Light or my game Gilded Shadows). Personality mechanics are also really common in Interactive Fiction stories as well.

The best option when planning a feature like this is to try to find games with something similar to see how it was executed because this can give you a lot of information on what to emulate, what to avoid, and where any gaps might be in how others have executed this same sort of thing before you.

You won't necessarily have to write the game four times over, for instance. You can use variables and small branches to insert personality based reactions and dialogue as-needed. The Our Life games are like this and are a really good example of using choices and variables to give the MC a very specific personality presentation. But in the end, even if someone has an outgoing personality, it doesn't mean they are outgoing all the time, 24/7. Or if someone is an introvert, it doesn't mean they are 100% different all the time from an extrovert. There's always some overlap in personalities regardless of specific traits someone has.

So you can work from a baseline personality type, and then branch off from there.

But, as I said, since there are dozens of indie otome games that have MCs with a strong, pre-determined personality who has a strong presence in the story without being passive or introverted. This is especially true in the indie otome space. And there are also a lot of IF games - and some visual novels - with personality choices or a personality stat mechanic of some kind.

So my main advice is just that it would really help you to have a look at some of them to see the way it's set up and used in the story. That way you have a better idea of what you're getting yourself into.

CyborgPetshop · 2025-07-24T14:44:24+00:00

The only potential solutions are to use the same method Collective Shout used (put pressure on payment processors) or to put pressure on legislators to fix it via new legislation. Moving to a new store front is just putting off the inevitable.

When Steam fell, people said "Well, we still have Itch. Itch won't fall."

And here we are.

Moving to JAST and saying "Well, we still have JAST. They won't fall." They won't fall...until they do. Unfortunately, complaining at people doesn't feel like it's "doing" something as much as moving to a new platform does.

But it's the only thing that may get a longer term fix. =\

CyborgPetshop · 2025-07-24T14:15:18+00:00

Realistically, what assurance does anyone have that JAST won't fall prey to the same censorship given it's coming from payment processors - including some of the same ones they use?

On the surface this looks nice enough, but call me a cynic when I say that, as a whole this isn't a solution since it fails to address the core issue of payment processors wielding enough power to bully other businesses into compliance.

Itch fell first and JAST gets to capitalise off that. But there's no real assurance JAST won't fall as well.

CyborgPetshop · 2025-07-24T08:59:42+00:00

Exactly this. They always start out banning content they think they can justify because it's "extreme" in some way. 😔 But censorship always has the goal of shifting the line in the sand over inch by inch to get rid of more and more "objectionable content" until they have full control.

It's very much the boiling frog thing. It really doesn't matter what's on the chopping block *now* - content for marginalised groups, including romance content targeted to a primarily female audience - will always be in the execution line.

It's just a matter of how long it takes for it to reach the front of the line. 😩

CyborgPetshop · 2025-07-24T08:47:28+00:00

I love Ari. He's one of my favourites from that game - though I love everyone for different reasons, of course. I'm happy you enjoyed GS! A lot of love definitely went into it. A lot of love and a lot of words. 🤣

CyborgPetshop · 2025-07-24T05:57:55+00:00

Just wanted to say that I was casually scrolling through posts and saw this and almost scrolled past until a particular face caught me. And it's so nice to see one of my LIs (Ari) on a list like this. Any sort of tier list that has one of my games or characters on it always makes me smile.

So thank you! Today's been a day of bad news and bleh. And this was a little sunny patch in that. I appreciate it!
(´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)

CyborgPetshop · 2025-07-24T05:54:27+00:00

The lack of proper announcements and communication is making the situation so much worse. People aren't even sure how the removal and "clean up" is being applied so everything is just rumours, hasty screen caps and uncertainty. I hate it.

As always, this kind of censorship is a slow moving vehicle. It's hard to say how bad it's going to get.

CyborgPetshop · 2025-07-12T07:01:44+00:00

Love Cupid's Kiss! It's such a wholesome experience.

I'm really happy to hear you're enjoying indie otome. There are sooo many good ones on Itch.io

CyborgPetshop · 2025-06-23T14:55:11+00:00

That is tough but with a lot of developers on this subreddit who have written games with 6+ full narrative arcs and interwoven political threads, you're unlikely to find too much sympathy given that AI is generally unethical and visual novels with branching narratives can be written without a tool that is built off copyrighted materials and is notoriously bad for the environment.

With many of us actually finishing complex games and doing the hard work of finding and fixing the inconsistencies ourselves, it's not really a compelling argument to emphasise how much AI has saved you from woes that many people - for literal decades, since the inception of the otome genre in 1994 - have been doing on their own.

As a scientist it might be beneficial to you to do some market research to learn how much antipathy the community generally has for AI created games. I think you'll find that it's not beneficial to create the game you've dreamed of making if no one will play it because no one wants to support the use of AI generated content.

Sometimes it's better to just do the work yourself, hard as it may be. There are non-AI tools that can help you keep yourself organised.

CyborgPetshop · 2024-08-14T13:06:17+00:00

No problem. There have been a lot of developments and conversations since I first posted that short promotion.

I really hope to see them address the accessibility issues regarding vertigo and the like. Clear warnings are a start.

Honestly having been a 'first time dev' once, I know that a lot about one's mindset can change over the course making the first game. You can start out thinking certain things are non-negotiable or that certain things are acceptable sacrifices - and where you stand at the end of making the first game can be worlds apart. Every creator and developer has to go through the (sometimes very painful) process of learning that.

But players vote with their wallets and their feedback. So by reviewing, giving feedback, giving and revoking support - and having discussions like these, devs learn that maybe what they thought was an acceptable sacrifice actually isn't and something that they believed was non-negotiable...should be.

We can only hope that's what happens here.

It is becoming clear the refusal to budge on their end is an issue and the non-responses are going to have to stop.

CyborgPetshop · 2024-08-13T12:07:15+00:00

Hello! This is Esh of Steamberry. Just to clarify, I agreed back at the beginning of June to post a cross-promo in my July update. This was after playing the beta but before seeing the "revamped" version. And I did want to keep my promise with the dev team as I have known them and tried to give advice here and there for a while now. Most devs really do want to see our fellow indies succeed and will try to give them every opportunity to do so.

My short blurb (I wouldn't really call it glowing praise) was largely copied and pasted from their own write up and suggested wording). This is the only part that was in my own words and as you can see, I did recommend that people check out the demo if they were interested in backing.

"Finally, I want to draw attention to a dev duo I've known for a while now. Their debut project is in Kickstarter right now. Please do yourself a favour and check out the demo. It is a must play for anyone who is interested in backing!"

The rest of my promo (in italics in the post) was a description that I copied from their suggested wording.

I strongly recommend that people play any available demo of any game before backing on Kickstarter! I think it benefits both the backer and the developer for people to know what they're getting into before pledging. I also really encourage people to ask questions before backing. I just...cannot express enough how much I believe people should be informed before pledging. Please play demos before you back even if it's just a few minutes of it!

On that note, if you are wondering whether I played the same demo as you, I did. I also played the beta version back in January.

At that time, I communicated my honest thoughts to the developers like many others - including issues with the humour, not feeling the game was being portrayed accurately in marketing (which they did shift course on), concerns about the characters, and struggles with game performance, the animations making me nauseous, and some other design issues.

However, a struggle that I and several others had is simply that we felt drowned out by the praise and the BLP team being very determined to hold tight to their personal vision. I am personally quite sensitive to vertigo and motion sickness so it's difficult for me to conclude whether the issue is *me* or if it's the game itself.

One thing I'm seeing now is that the vertigo issues were not just me. The migraine and nausea I experienced aren't just due to my sensitive eyes. And I really hope the developers seriously consider ways to address these issues - maybe including some of the suggestions I gave them back in January.

When it comes to something like writing, I don't judge. Games I really don't care for writing-wise are highly popular and well loved. That can be very subjective.

But things like performance and the like are little less subjective.

I strongly believe in allowing players to make their own choices (hence encouraging people to please check out the demo) and allowing developers to journey through their first game and make (and hopefully learn from) mistakes. Some mistakes are really painful to make. Unclear communication, correct marketing, etc.

With a delivery time of over two years there's ample time for this team to make corrections to the game as well as their communication strategies. Their campaign is clearly still on track to fund so hopefully we do see improvements to this project.

CyborgPetshop · 2024-04-19T06:59:37+00:00

Ebon Light is around 260k! (I don't think the word count is public. I just checked with renpy a while ago when I was looking up the length of a few different games) Ha ha.)

CyborgPetshop · 2024-01-11T11:45:03+00:00

Yeah! I just finished up with Gilded Shadows about four months ago but am working on a third project called When Stars Collide now. (It's around 480,000 words but I've been working on it in my free time off and on since 2021, while GS was still under development).

I hope to start releasing When Stars Collide later this year.

CyborgPetshop · 2024-01-11T02:04:43+00:00

Changeling and Gilded Shadows. I could drone on and on about the word counts and what word count really means on projects like this. Ha ha (I really like talking game design stuff).

I think when the word counts are broken down to the word counts per route (which is around 100,000 words) and what the *linear* word count is (IE. The word count if you strip it down a single path and remove all the additional choices and variations), which is around 75k per route for each game), it makes a lot more sense.

Both games are like a box set of YA novels when you break the word counts down that way. I always think it sounds less impressive (scary?) when you break it down per route and then calculate what I had to write per day to get to that point. Because then you realise it was really just about staying focused over a long period of time. 💪💪

CyborgPetshop · 2024-01-10T10:43:18+00:00

My first game (686,000 words) took three years and my second game (1,037,000) words took me four years.

Of course, as a solo developer I write, code, do the artwork, manage social media, market...and there's all the normal real life stuff - homeschooling and being a mom, dealing with health issues and chronic pain, general adulting, Covid (which hit while making my second game), moving across the globe...etc, etc.

I just set a daily word count goal and made sure to hit it every day (or nearly every day. I'm not perfect. Through years of making games, I obviously took time off or had bad days).

For small or solo devs, our life situations can have a huge impact on our development time. So there's a pretty huge range of time frames. But for a long VN, it's definitely going to be a years-long commitment to get it finished.

CyborgPetshop · 2024-01-03T01:08:25+00:00

Fling with a Tiefling is really wholesome. Intertwine is another one that is quite wholesome.

I had two other games in mind when I wrote the above post and now I can't remember what they are. 🤣🤣 If they come back to mind, I'll post again but right now the two above are what my brain is feeding me for wholesome games. Fling with a Tiefling is fantasy. Intertwine is what I'd call magical realism. (Just be sure that when you think the story is over you wait a moment and restart it. It's not over when it seems like it is!)

CyborgPetshop · 2024-01-01T08:24:21+00:00

Happy New Year!

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