Yep! I've created detailed spreadsheets to calculate all the artwork that will be needed based on armor type / weapon type / visual status effects / H effects / etc. To give you an idea of the level of detail going into it, there will be (as it stands) 996 versions of artwork just for the various combat/status effect poses for one of Malise's armor types (both possible weapon types being considered).
Not yet , sorry!
So yeah, file size.
I recently modified an open source PNG compressor that I am using on the enemy spritesheets, and have had great success with maintaining good visual quality while reducing the file size dramatically. We're talking 15 - 25 MB spritesheets (16 frames per pose) down to between 3 - 8 MB. This was necessary to get rid of pesky load times.
After calculating how much character artwork would be necessary (a lot of which can't be effectively composited in game without losing quality, meaning *a lot* more files are necessary), I've begun considering using the compressor on the character portraits. I'm actually pretty happy with the results, but I personally can see a difference in quality (especially zoomed in, and I plan on having a gallery with a zoom function...). Here's an example of compressed vs. non compressed. The hit to quality varies per image, but it's usually most obvious by flaws in coloring (note her skin tone is less colorful in the compressed version). The compressed version is 1/3 the filesize of the non compressed.
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To summarize, we're effectively talking a difference of a few GB in overall filesize if I were to compress all the character artwork. I'm still up in the air on it. I'm also not sure what kind of limits distributors have on game sizes.
Ok, in the 1:1 comparison it gets obvious. Her inner mouth changes colors completely and her armor becomes more pixelated. But a few GB do matter. I think it is a "toss of coin" situation.
996 with only one character, with only one costume and only in battle? This will be a hell of fiddling to import them all and set them up. I lost my nerves over a simple 3% hp bar (33 pictures, all in one common event with forked conditions) when I implemented it in a Zurine-style game that I never finished. But maybe you can get some scripts to help you with that. I found the RPG Maker to be too limited for big projects. Wish it would have at least sideways scrolling and changeable window sizes for the menus.
Ok, in the 1:1 comparison it gets obvious. Her inner mouth changes colors completely and her armor becomes more pixelated. But a few GB do matter. I think it is a "toss of coin" situation.
996 with only one character, with only one costume and only in battle? This will be a hell of fiddling to import them all and set them up. I lost my nerves over a simple 3% hp bar (33 pictures, all in one common event with forked conditions) when I implemented it in a Zurine-style game that I never finished. But maybe you can get some scripts to help you with that. I found the RPG Maker to be too limited for big projects. Wish it would have at least sideways scrolling and changeable window sizes for the menus.
Yeah, I guess I'll decide on the compression thing once the artwork starts piling up. I could also experiment with editing the colors so that it is the compressed version that looks "correct".
Regarding the amount of artwork: I'm using scripts I wrote to handle all the images. The game builds a filename for the image based on conditions within the game at any given time and then loads it. It basically just tracks any parameter that could affect the artwork and uses it as input in the methods that build the filename. Naming the artwork correctly and systematically is the crucial part here.
If it's a matter of image quality vs loading time, i'll choose loading time every single time. Are the people playing the game really going to notice the quality if they don't have the noncompressed version to compare to?
I like your description a lot. It has pretty much everything I can think/dream of in terms of hentai/porn themes and the graphics are the cherry on top. I really hope it turns out as good as it sounds. Judging from the amount of content you're planning to fit into the game, I doubt we'll see a demo before 2015 and I guess the full game won't be out before some time in 2016. It seems to be worth the wait, though. It's really frustrating that 95 % of the time asian players get the good stuff only. Neither do I speak Japanese nor Chinese, so not only is there the language barrier for me, but also the workarounds necessary to get the games to run on a western Windows is annoying as hell.
There will definitely be a crowdfunding campaign, though I'm not yet sure of the platform. Patreon seems to be the most suggested way to go so I'm going to look into it. I was considering Offbeatr before but the extremely high fees are a big turn off.
I like your description a lot. It has pretty much everything I can think/dream of in terms of hentai/porn themes and the graphics are the cherry on top. I really hope it turns out as good as it sounds. Judging from the amount of content you're planning to fit into the game, I doubt we'll see a demo before 2015 and I guess the full game won't be out before some time in 2016. It seems to be worth the wait, though. It's really frustrating that 95 % of the time asian players get the good stuff only. Neither do I speak Japanese nor Chinese, so not only is there the language barrier for me, but also the workarounds necessary to get the games to run on a western Windows is annoying as hell.
Thanks! Yeah, it definitely won't be a short term project.
Now for a couple of updates... and HELP WANTED!
The past few weeks I've had a second artist working on 3D morphs and textures for the outfits. He's pretty much at the professional level when it comes to modeling/texturing, so it's been a big help. I personally have been working on character artwork pretty hardcore recently now that the core design of the game is mostly laid out.
Now that I've created some spreadsheets to calculate all of the assets that will be needed for the game it has become pretty obvious that I'll want some additional help down the road. One area that I think the project could use help in is creating custom tileset graphics.
Essentially the artist would be given environment artwork that I make for the battle scenes and use that as a concept to make matching 2D tile assets (see the below screenshots as a rough example). Since the environment battle background artwork is created using 3D models, the artist will need to learn some basic Daz3D skills (which is relatively easy and is something I can teach) for rendering out 3D assets. Using renders of the 3D models helps a lot for providing a base to work with when making the tileset sprites. The artist will preferably have some prior experience in this kind of thing, and preferably have a working knowledge of and experience in creating maps in RPG Maker. These are things that can be learned, but it's more important that the artist has developed and flexible art skills. Photoshop skills are a must! Do note that, since this project contains extreme content, your identity can be kept confidential. PM me if this is something you or someone you know of would be interested in working on. Be sure to send examples of your artwork (obviously doesn't need to be of RPG Maker tilesets, but couldn't hurt).
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It can't hurt to note that I could also use help with character/enemy sprites for the map scenes. I'm sure some people here are skilled in making sprites. Again, PM me if interested or if you know of someone that is skilled and might be interested, and include examples of previous work.
Compensation would be negotiable, but realize this is a low budget project, so be reasonable!
So, the crowdfunding platform search continues. I'm not sure Patreon will work out as I pulled the following from its FAQ regarding allowable content:
What is not allowed?
Pornography is not allowed on Patreon. “Pornography” is defined as material designed with the sole intention of eliciting sexual arousal. Specifically, Patreon does not allow:
-Close up depictions of intercourse, masturbation, or genitalia
-Depictions of sexual bodily fluids
...
I know that some H game developers have gotten around this, though I'm not quite sure of the details. Has anyone reading this had any experience dealing with this site when it comes to H related content?
I've also found out from users of Offbeatr that it doesn't accept Paypal and is pretty frustrating for users to pay as their credit cards need authorization or some nonsense. That option is looking worse and worse when you pile on the 30% fee + outrageous initial posting fee.
I'll keep investigating for a solution on this front, but if anyone has any helpful information on the subject please let me know!
EDIT (8/29)
After investigating more the general attitude on Patreon seems to be to follow these guidelines if the project has sexual themes:
Patreon does not ban work featuring nudity or other sexual content. However, we also want Patreon to be safe and browseable for children and young adults, so please use discretion and common sense: if your artwork could potentially make someone uncomfortable (with violent or sexual themes), please make your posts “patron only,” so that only your supporters are able to see your work, and please do not use explicit language in the title, url, or public description of your Patreon page. Please also mark your page as “private” in the settings menu so that only users with the url can view it. Unfortunately, patrons of creators who make NSFW art will not be able to use Paypal as a payment method.
Essentially, "if we don't get complaints we aren't going to bother you" seems to be the theme. The whole "no Paypal" thing seems to be industry wide for adult content due to Paypal's service terms, so I should probably stop looking for a service that allows it.
Therefore, Patreon seems like the best option for the crowdfunding campaign. Thanks to the people that suggested it to me!
The general idea will be that supporters can pledge donations per content update of the alpha/beta version of the game and receive the current build to play/test out. I'll post more information a little later on, but for now I'm going to try to build some hype about the project on other boards. Glad to finally have some direction on this subject!
The Patreon crowdfunding campaign is now live! You can find it at
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As the description states, expect the first release to be toward the end of the year (this means you will not be charged a dime until then). If this changes I will post about it here. Expect additional rewards in the future for those of you that would like to pledge above the current highest reward tier.
I've updated the first post to reflect this change, so if you lose the URL you can always find it there.
The whole "no Paypal" thing seems to be industry wide for adult content due to Paypal's service terms, so I should probably stop looking for a service that allows it.
Well, our japanese friend Ill Akimoto from Dungeons and Prisoners used
a second Website were he gives out SFW artwork and may mail the people the keys if he ever finishes his game (Or if I remember it correctly he said he doesn't care if these people pirate it ). Dot_slave from parasite in the city made something similar.
Thing is, it is no Service then that provides your game, but instead, lots of work for you.
I don't know about paysafecards terms of use, but they charge a bit of your income (just like paypal and dlsite do) And I remember that some adult sites had them on for a while (but don't have them anymore for some reason), but they are easy to acquire too.
I actually really hate paypal for the ban on adult content. Since paypals guidelines allow it only for adults anyways. And there is nothing worse then telling adult people what to do with their money.
Well, our japanese friend Ill Akimoto from Dungeons and Prisoners used
a second Website were he gives out SFW artwork and may mail the people the keys if he ever finishes his game (Or if I remember it correctly he said he doesn't care if these people pirate it ). Dot_slave from parasite in the city made something similar.
Thing is, it is no Service then that provides your game, but instead, lots of work for you.
I don't know about paysafecards terms of use, but they charge a bit of your income (just like paypal and dlsite do) And I remember that some adult sites had them on for a while (but don't have them anymore for some reason), but they are easy to acquire too.
I actually really hate paypal for the ban on adult content. Since paypals guidelines allow it only for adults anyways. And there is nothing worse then telling adult people what to do with their money.
Yeah I recall some talk of people giving out keys to unlock the full game and thus bypassing Paypal's adult content rule, but it sounds like quite a bit of extra work. I suppose if I receive a bunch of messages from people that have no other option I could look into it more.
But yes, I can't stand Paypal either though really. I lost about $400 a few years ago when I sold some things because of a huge exploit that credit card thieves were using to reverse transactions after the items had already been delivered. I also know a model that had her whole account locked and emptied because a customer that bought a print from her included the word "fetish" in his description of his payment. I honestly wouldn't doubt it if they use this whole mask of soapbox morality to just siphon customers' accounts anytime they can say that the customer is breaking one of their ridiculous rules. So, yeah. Paypal.
Still rootin' for ya man! I will say, I think if you can get a demo up and posted with even half of what you are promising, this game will take off. It really does look good, and I will put my money where my mouth is at some point. I promise.
Still rootin' for ya man! I will say, I think if you can get a demo up and posted with even half of what you are promising, this game will take off. It really does look good, and I will put my money where my mouth is at some point. I promise.
Thanks! Yeah the first goal is to create a video after all the mechanics are in place for the first Patreon release. A public demo will probably come sometime after that first Patreon release.
Your description has actually made me think about supporting your game. But before that, I'm going to get a better understanding of Patreon and figure out how this all works.
On a side note, here is an idea I've been having in terms of gameplay: how about using sexual elements (literally) instead or in addition to normal elements (if there are any to begin with). For example, usually what you have in RPGs is Fire, Wind, Ice, Water, Dark, Holy etc. But since you explained that you are very much focusing on "sexual combat", it only makes sense to also include elements and elemental damage of that type. In particular I'm talking about "oral", "anal" and "vaginal". The characters could be weak or strong against attacks targeting these different spots. Of course there could also be status effects which make the character weak against certain elements or armor which protects you better against the other ones.
The production value (at least via screenshots) looks quite good.
Would you consider increasing the resolution and animation of your overworld sprites?
Also, as you can tell from this community (as well as the oblivion community and artifical academy / girl), people LOVE customization. Your costumes are a first step.
I think some would also vote for hair/make-up as well as many may be turned off by the post-apocalyptic neo-goth look
I think thus far thing missing between is to see your milestone goals - for example we actually have no idea how much you are seeking. (Granted patreon is different from kickstarter consider the persistent funding vs one-time)
In real world investment, we would ask for a full business proposal with transparency in allocation and resourcing of funds with monthly updates and balance sheets. Obviously not here, but think of that as the pie in the sky model of transparency.
Your description has actually made me think about supporting your game. But before that, I'm going to get a better understanding of Patreon and figure out how this all works.
On a side note, here is an idea I've been having in terms of gameplay: how about using sexual elements (literally) instead or in addition to normal elements (if there are any to begin with). For example, usually what you have in RPGs is Fire, Wind, Ice, Water, Dark, Holy etc. But since you explained that you are very much focusing on "sexual combat", it only makes sense to also include elements and elemental damage of that type. In particular I'm talking about "oral", "anal" and "vaginal". The characters could be weak or strong against attacks targeting these different spots. Of course there could also be status effects which make the character weak against certain elements or armor which protects you better against the other ones.
Yeah! The concept I'm working on fleshing out isn't too far off from that. The aesthetics of the outfit a character is wearing affects how well they resist certain types of attacks. Depending on the outfit, an enemy may have to first break the character's armor in an area for the attack to work. The details will be filled in once the mechanics are in place and it can be tested and worked into place.
The production value (at least via screenshots) looks quite good.
Would you consider increasing the resolution and animation of your overworld sprites?
Also, as you can tell from this community (as well as the oblivion community and artifical academy / girl), people LOVE customization. Your costumes are a first step.
I think some would also vote for hair/make-up as well as many may be turned off by the post-apocalyptic neo-goth look
I think thus far thing missing between is to see your milestone goals - for example we actually have no idea how much you are seeking. (Granted patreon is different from kickstarter consider the persistent funding vs one-time)
In real world investment, we would ask for a full business proposal with transparency in allocation and resourcing of funds with monthly updates and balance sheets. Obviously not here, but think of that as the pie in the sky model of transparency.
The overworld sprites are something that will be getting some attention soon, though exact specifications have yet to be worked out. Unfortunately the sprites are already really big for RPG Maker, and any larger would create huge issues with the mechanics of the engine (you'd get clipping on layers among a great many other things). I've already had to make quite a few adjustments to get them this large. One thing I am planning for the sprites is to have a more advanced system that allows for more frames in their animations (as opposed to the 2 frames per direction that the movement animations allow for now) as well as separate animations for walking, running, and idling.
Customization is something I've really wanted to add more of but it comes at a big trade off when graphics are pre-rendered. Essentially it comes down to balancing the variety of artwork with custom elements. As mentioned a lot of games use a few images that you see over and over and simply overlay different armor or hair or what not to provide this customization. When you have literally hundreds of poses adding custom elements becomes something to really think about as it will increase development time significantly. It also would require an in depth masking process that, while is viable, isn't something I have in place at the moment. This is however something I've considered as a stretch goal. That kind of leads in to your next question.
Regarding the creator goals, I have mainly held off on those because I want to establish goals that are viable yet really add something to the game. Essentially I want to get a feel for what people would want most after seeing a couple of beta versions as opposed to put stuff out that doesn't mean a whole lot yet. The whole Patreon model really does play a large role in this, but it actually provides for the possibility of adding more relevant goals in the future once specifications have become more clear, which in my opinion is a good thing.
, sorry!
