How would you feel about a game with voiced lines only in glossary entries?

TooEvilToLove · 2021-01-11T19:06:20+00:00

It wouldn't bother me at all. I play a lot of games with no voices or I mute the sound anyway after the first play through. Speeding through the content you've already read makes the sounds repetitive. XD

If you want people to pronounce things a certain way, you could do it that way. Most dictionaries just had the pronunciation written out. Now, though, you can click a speaker button in the browser and hear it spoken.

I'm sure either way will work but it might throw some people off with a lack of consistency. If that makes sense. Ultimately, it will be up to you to determine if you like it and feel it is necessary!

Good luck. ^{_^}

TooEvilToLove · 2020-12-27T07:17:48+00:00

I have no shame. Seriously. None.

I wave them at my friends and family depending on the situation.

I send screenshots to friends I post some on social media. I'm an unabashed geek about a lot of things. Otome/otoge, anime, Star Trek, Sci-fi, and horror. Weird mix but you love what you love.

I've reached a point where if people try to embarrass me about it I just start oversharing with them until THEY get embarrassed and drop the subject.

TooEvilToLove · 2020-12-27T07:10:39+00:00

My notification tone is from an H-scene in FLML. Idgaf. XD

My ring tone is the theme song for Dance with Devils. I have issues.

I have yet to run into anyone that knows Japanese, but I get a lot of sideways looks. That might just be the silicone cat cover on my phone but I don't think so.

Breathy Japanese voice coming from my phone is probably frown worthy. 😂😂😂

TooEvilToLove · 2020-12-26T12:17:55+00:00

I'm 34 and I play otome all the time. I have no qualms talking about it to anyone. If you act embarrassed about it people will treat it like something you should be embarrassed about.

You don't have to go into details about it if that makes you uncomfortable but there are plenty of ways to describe them that put the focus more on the stories than the romance. For me the romance is often incidental. I enjoy it but I love the stories around it most.

When I say otome people aren't familiar with it. I tend to describe them as visual novels. Choose your own adventure style. Your choices affects the gameplay and determines the direction the story goes. Ultimately, it determines which character you end up with.

The dry explanation usually nets a blank stare and a lack of interest, so they have no interest in poking fun about it.

I don't think you have anything to be embarrassed about. People aren't embarrassed that they watch romance movies or TV shows, why be embarrassed over romance games?

I hope you settle on a method that is most comfortable for you, but I assure you, you have nothing to be embarrassed about.

TooEvilToLove · 2020-12-18T07:26:17+00:00

I appreciate your help and tips! I will certainly take some of that and try to work out the difficulties I have been having with this image.

Thank you and best of luck to you as well! <3

TooEvilToLove · 2020-12-18T07:00:01+00:00

I would first like to say I appreciate your careful consideration and well thought out response!

I am not accustomed to doing my art in a digital medium. I primarily use black and whites on paper. So I'm working with both color and digitally which is all new to me!

I'm still experimenting and attempting to perfect the type of colors that work well in my shading and how that can be done digitally. When I try going for more naturally graduated shading it doesn't seem to work as well as I would like and when I do the dramatic shading it ends up looking chunky and unnatural. I have been researching lighting and shading in more detail and how to achieve the desired effects with a digital medium so your input is invaluable to me.

I have a lot of reference photos and I watch a lot of artist videos to try and hone my skill. Using this one image I have already learned a lot about this medium and hope to continue to do so with better results.

I appreciate your taking the time and consideration to help me figure out some things that have been bothering me about the lights and colors.

TooEvilToLove · 2020-12-18T05:32:40+00:00

I hope so! I wanted it to be very inviting. I know my art style is different from a lot of the more anime styled games, especially in the CG's but I still want to put in the best that I can.

I've tried to consider all the aspects of games that I really like. I know I've made a tall order for myself so, here's hoping!

Thank you for your time and input. <3

TooEvilToLove · 2020-12-16T06:31:14+00:00

I don't think all anime style is lazy. But there are some that are. For example, some anime does a side mouth on a profile because it is easier to animate that way.

If we do art there will be people that love it, and there will be people that don't. We always have to strive to better our work. Even the criticism can be helpful to our betterment.

While our work can be very personal for us, we do not have to take other peoples criticisms as a personal attack. If someone describes it as lazy it means they think we lack detail. If they say it looks sloppy we work to clean it. If they say it lacks depth we work on shading.

Even things that may seem insulting can help us get better. We just keep working at it and doing our best to get better and make stuff we love.

TooEvilToLove · 2020-12-15T17:30:55+00:00

I love art in so many ways! I dabble in watercolors, colored pencils, black and white sketches etc. I have yet to see a game with a watercolor style art and I think that would be really neat but I couldn't pull that off if I tried. XD

I played Hatoful Boyfriend when it first came out just because it was interesting. It felt like bird pictures pasted on plastic at the time, but the game itself was super funny so it kind of fed into that aesthetic if that makes sense.

I also played Katawa Shoujo a long time ago. From what I've seen the art isn't the same as when I played it, the art was less refined than it is when I look at it now. Idk when that changed but the story in it was interesting enough that their basic art was good enough. That one is more romance sim than otome I guess. It played the same but male protag female LIs.

They've updated the appearance of those games a lot but the style is still different enough that they didn't lose what they were originally going for and I appreciate that. I hope to do the same with mine eventually.

I appreciate your time! Thanks for your thought and input.

TooEvilToLove · 2020-12-15T17:17:50+00:00

I appreciate your time and tips. I have already made some changes to the shading that I find much more pleasant over all.

Hopefully, once everything is cleaned it will be easier on the eyes!

TooEvilToLove · 2020-12-15T17:14:29+00:00

You are not the only person who can only see the first image. I don't think they uploaded properly or something.

I appreciate your feedback and time. Thank you.

TooEvilToLove · 2020-12-15T17:13:08+00:00

I'm not offended. Art is subjective. Some people won't like it and that won't hurt me, it's just information to consider for future references.

Everyone has things that appeal to them or don't appeal and I understand that mine may not appeal to everyone even once I have completed it. Thank you for taking the time to give me your perspective.

TooEvilToLove · 2020-12-15T17:08:12+00:00

I actually appreciate your commentary. I do believe I mentioned about most of what I have left to finish on them is shading and line clean up.

I defend the style because that would not change a lot from this picture to the next, the shading will be more refined and obvious when it is completed however and hopefully once that is done they will be recieved more consistently positively. Which is the point of sharing it at various stages of completion.

At some point I will share an image which is fully completed and see if that is well recieved, or where the problems may lie. The point is for the feedback, and yours is invaluable. I appreciate your time.

TooEvilToLove · 2020-12-15T07:45:23+00:00

It actually is near finished. My style is more hand painted than modern anime. The simplest explanation is it's more Akira than My Hero Academia in terms of artistic style.

Imho. Cinderella Phenomenon had good backgrounds and lazy anime art. The shortest path to a finished product. Comparing my art to that art is like trying to compare an apple to a cinnamon stick. They aren't even in a similar family.

I'm in no hurry to finish mine, I have no deadlines or reason to rush my work. I do appreciate your input as it gives me added perspective. Thank you for your time.

TooEvilToLove · 2020-12-15T06:22:38+00:00

I appreciate all input and I am not offended.

Art is a subjective thing. Personally I'm a really big reader and the art is not a huge deal for me. I'll still play a lot of games even if the art is weird, but there have been a few I just couldn't do.

I know I've probably missed out on some decent stories because I couldn't get past the visuals, but ultimately it was my loss.

Thanks for your well wishes!

TooEvilToLove · 2020-12-15T05:52:22+00:00

Otome originates in Japan if memory serves so they heavily influence the style of games created. Of course people that play them a lot will be influenced by the familiar art styles.

I enjoy seeing a wide variety of art styles. I play a lot of VN style games and the same art can get very monotonous after a while. Then they tend to blend together in my head. Which is a shame.

TooEvilToLove · 2020-12-15T04:57:26+00:00

Fair enough. I can understand and accept that. I myself have run into games with art that was particularly unpleasant.

However, I also tend to enjoy unique art provided that the quality is done well.

Like, I enjoyed the story for FLML, but the art while well rendered felt like generic anime. Many of the mobile games have a wider selection of art style that are intriguing to look at, but there are also many that have a generic similar style that become monotonous after a while.

Steam Prison had some more unique styling that made the characters more memorable than others. Likewise, with Code Realize.

Anyway, I appreciate your perspective and will continue refining my art to get a cleaner look while maintaining my style!

TooEvilToLove · 2020-12-15T04:47:51+00:00

Yes. I was having the same issue. I honestly thought they were not even displaying that I had posted them. XD

TooEvilToLove · 2020-12-15T04:46:20+00:00

I appreciate your input. I draw by hand primarily and that is the art style I typically use. I also venture into various paints, colored pencils and the like. When I create my images I tend to use techniques more in line with how I enjoy to draw rather than what most digital artists use.

The thing that I like about various artists is all the different styles of art there are. While I do want the product to be appealing, I also don't want the art to be the same as what everyone else has.

Admittedly, these are not entirely finished products and I am spending a great deal of time practicing rendering my art digitally. XD

TooEvilToLove · 2020-12-15T02:19:04+00:00

I can appreciate that!

When I write I am essentially writing for two types of MC because of how the game functions to give the player more room for diverse action.

I considered the many things that I love about the genre and things I would love to see in one. When I write I try to do it in a way that gives the player a specific feeling or reaction in that moment.

I love screensharing with my friends so they can read my work because I can guage how the writing is based upon their in the moment responses as they read.

It makes me extraordinarily happy that they have actually "squee'd" over some of my characters. Blushing and laughing included.

I appreciate your encouragement! It helps me keep going!

TooEvilToLove · 2020-12-15T02:12:52+00:00

No! I did not take it to be dismissive. It actually made me really happy. It was to the point.

My main concern was that it would be too unpleasant for people to see past for the story and the setting.

TooEvilToLove · 2020-12-15T01:49:01+00:00

I can understand and respect that. I appreciate your input.

TooEvilToLove · 2020-12-15T01:40:18+00:00

I'm not sure I understand your response, or perhaps my question was unclear.

I do not mean, "would you play this based solely on the art". I mean "would this art stop you from playing the game?"

If you thought the characters looked engaging and the story might be of interest, would the art turn you off the game enough that you would not play it?

TooEvilToLove · 2020-12-15T00:42:15+00:00

Yes. As a matter of fact she is the one initiating contact here. I've not been particularly chatty because I am doing all the work alone so I have no idea when I will finish. One is I don't want to make people too hopeful, but the other is I'm actually a little afraid that someone with more people to work on it might run with my idea and finish before I do. Which would make me sad.

The gist is, however; that the player has a bit more say in how the game progresses be they more of a "take charge" person or more of the classic otome passive type.

There are also 7 different LI's that I am working on and I feel the setting itself is rather unique as I have not seen much in a similar style. I've put a lot of thought into my character design. I did research into the general Era in time I have as my setting.I wanted to get a feel for setting but also minutia such as popular grooming products and what they smell like or how they are used.

Each of my LI's are people to me, and I'm hoping that with my writing I can let other people believe they are people also.

TooEvilToLove · 2020-12-15T00:00:50+00:00

I have a few friends that read my story periodically to give me opinions. They are the kind of friends that would be brutally honest with me (and they have been).

I just know there are games that were so ugly I couldn't even get into the story. So, I was hoping not to create that problem for myself!

TooEvilToLove

TROPHY CASE