Statement of Intention
I'll be working on the same project (koikoi) I started in Studio 1 but with more refinement and direction.
Progress Video: https://youtu.be/B6F2uwFOQPY
Gameplay: https://youtu.be/SxxVSUPy5Lk
Rationale
I’ll be making a visual novel-hidden object type game because it’s the best of both worlds, where I get to have the engaging story element of VNs and the mystery/exploration side of hidden object games. Although it would be easier for me to stay in my comfort zone of animated illustrations in a purely narrative-based visual novel, I want to challenge myself and improve my c coding skills by adding in more hidden object game elements.
In terms of inquiries, I wanted to focus on the interactive aspect of the user clicking or dragging or hovering the mouse over an object which will in turn react. The main point of my work is the parallax effect and all the different types of effects that can be done with it.
Some possibilities of inquiries,
Can the parallax effect be used to increase the level of interaction and engagement between the player and the game?
Can simple animation and interactivity mix well together with the parallax effect?
..
Context
My game will have a few mechanics usually present in hidden object games, such as clicking and dragging, however the base of the game will be a visual novel. However, as opposed to the traditional text-heavy visual novels, I’ll be incorporating animation and interactivity to support the story.
Here are some works within a broad range of the field that I was inspired by and certain elements of the game that I plan to incorporate into my own.
Angela He’s works: aesthetic, simple animations, relativity short gameplay, engaging story VNs
Spirit Hunter NG/The Letter heavily animated VNs, mystery/ creepy supernatural mystery solving genre
Danganronpa / Ace Attorney - Animated VN, mystery solving, compelling quirky characters
Methods
I’ll be using Unity with Fungus and Bolt as adds-on to create the main base of the game. All artwork and animations will be made by me on Clip Studio Paint with the additional support of Photoshop and After Effects.
Semester Plan:
Week 1
Make a solid game plan
Prepare the base of the game and tools for production
Moodboard/colour scheme/placeholders for testing
Week 2
Testing with Bolt, make sure I can use it alongside Fungus
Week 3
Write the whole script
Connect the script to the flow of the game
Week 4
Implement the script into the game base
Week 5 Submission:
Work on finalizing the prototype of the game with placeholder
Week 6
Create the actual graphics (painterly on top of placehodlers?)
Animations
Week 7
Implement simple interactivity animations (click on water and ripples form etc)
Week 8
SFX and music and other additional effects. (create custom music box tune)
Week 9
Peer testing? Feedback gathering?
Bug fixing
Week 10 Submission
Complete Visual Novel, with original artwork and music
Outcomes
My final submission will be a complete production version of the game with multiple routes and original animated sprites CGs with15-30 minutes each play-through.
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