Okay, whew, I think we've finally hit a breather in the campaign, right? It'll give me a chance to catch up on emails.
I'm also going to just spend a minute or two here updating you on the two most recurring requests people have about Coming Out On Top.
You can probably skip this if you've heard me yammering about it before. Otherwise, if you're new:
Can I Date Guys Who Aren't Abercrombie/Fitch models?
Them abs. Those lean builds. Can you tell I use commercial adult sites for art references?
But in all honesty, my current guys look the way they do because I just didn't see this body type, surprisingly, in a lot of yaoi and bara art. Back when this game had only a handful of interested fans, I drew everybody up in a way I personally found attractive, even though I was aware this was probably even going to make it harder for me to find an audience. I'd keep thinking, oh man, these guys are too built for yaoi fans, and they're too skinny for bara fans. And of course, the whole non-Japanese-art-style makes them even more of an odd choice for your standard visual novel audience.
I'd worry about this issue for a minute, then just shrug and keep right on drawing. Who's gonna care right? Only a few people are going to want to play something like this! What's it going to matter?
Well, body diversity has obviously become the single biggest request from you guys. So with this new stretch goal, I'll be adding more guys with different body types in due time. I'm afraid I can't add a whole new relationship right away though--I'm really obsessive about making sure the storyline is compelling for each new romance option. I'm not keen on drastically changing the existing guys, and I don't want to shortchange any of the new guys I introduce. So they'll start as Brofinder dates, and hopefully end up in their own sequel with their fleshed out storylines if this Kickstarter keeps gaining support.
I'd think it would be really fun adding more romance options this way and your ideas for new guys have been great so far. I won't mention them all here but there are some really hot, funny, and awesome ideas.
Customizable Main Character
This the second most requested feature for the game. This is one of the few times I wish I had a big budget studio where we were using 3D characters instead of 2D sprites and digital paintings!
There was a really creative suggestion to have these scenes (and the character model) customized for the kind of character you wanted, and it's something I'd like to look into eventually. Right now, the kind of attention and care it would to devote to that isn't as easy as it looks. Every piece of art has to go back through me, and sometimes the edits I request are extensive. In the upcoming year, the scene illustrator will most likely be tied up with at least 50 event scenes, and probably more the way the Kickstarter is going. It's a huge amount of art--and I need all my time to work on the story, edit it, code it, test, AND get your feedback throughout the year. So yeah, that's why I'm sticking to Mark 1.0 at this point.
There's also the interesting question of what sort of customizable characters to allow. When things are in 2D, making somebody a different size and ethnicity and then allowing multiple variations of that isn't the simplest of projects. Basically what I'm saying is that this is an entire project unto itself, but I like the idea so much, I'll be keeping it in mind for the future.
In closing, you all know I'll always open to advice and suggestions. Game development is a lengthy process, and great ideas often crop up at the most unexpected times.
Thanks for reading and your support!
If you kept the game the way it is now, I would seriously have no complaints! I love it the way it is.
ReplyDeleteThanks darlin'!
DeleteI understand people asking for different body types and a customizable main character, but at the same time, I really think it's important for people to remember that this game is your vision, especially when asking to change Mark. He is a fully developed character, and that includes his design. He isn't some silent protagonist, he is a part of the game. I think giving him a set design helps cement his status as a true lead instead of being a interchangeable non-entity.
ReplyDeleteThe reason this game has become so popular is because we believe in your concept and vision, and as you've mentioned, there really isn't anything like what you're making in the English market.
And I, for one, have absolutely no problem with your penchant for beautiful, muscular men. There are a ton of games featuring lithe young gentlemen, so it's nice to see some beef. (And I think most other bara fans will gladly ogle your characters too.)
It's great to see a developer so open to ideas, but I'm very happy to leave it in your capable hands. :)
Thanks for the compliments, I really appreciate it.
DeleteI'm willing to bet big pics and rippling abs are more interesting to draw too. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's cool that this project has attracted as much attention as it has and exceeded its funding goal by so much, but in terms of game development it's still a relatively small amount. It's important to keep your feet on the ground and be realistic about what you can do, it's going to be impossible to please everyone.
From my own perspective I love your art style but it's always going to be the story and writing that's most important.
"I'm willing to bet big pics and rippling abs are more interesting to draw too. :)"
DeleteThis, this, this.
I for one quite like your current style of men and would be perfectly happy with having a well-written game with just those guys, but I can see the attraction too for a bit of variation. An extra man with a more skinny build and less muscles would be my recommendation for that.
ReplyDeleteConcerning the main character, I'm not sure if Mark should be all that customizable - it's not like the player creates a new persona from a blank slate who steps out of the void. One does take the role of a guiding voice for a guy who has a defined character and relationships which you carefully crafted, and changing around too much about Mark would multiply the things you have to take into account and check.
A "skinny Mark" might have real trouble holding his own in the fitness studio, "black Mark" would remove the interesting 'interracial' coupling with your black date (though add the same to others), "asian Mark" would take out any nice 'cultural differences' scenes with the adian date, etc.
All in all a multitude of variations that could grow out of changing the main char too much - which would make writing it all that much harder. So perhaps go for different hair colors and cut, I'd say, but leave the rest as is.
Thanks for your thoughtful perspective on customizable characters. You seem to be aware how lots of details also need to be changed if the main character changes.
DeleteI understand why some people might want to change Mark up, but that isn't really important to me. We so rarely see more than just his face icon and it would take a lot of work to change up all the pictures of him.
ReplyDeleteI do think having more body varieties in the guys is important. The key word there is variety. I think the type of guys you have already are hot and great, but hot guys come in a lot of different shapes and sizes and so it would be good to see some other builds. So yeah, I think that's an important thing to consider when you start brainstorming for the sequel.
I'm always up for drawing new types of dudes.
DeleteI find it interesting that people want a customisable character. I guess that's common in a lot of games now, but I really like playing through visual novel games as an established character (even if I'm in charge of their choices). Weirdly, it feels like a character becomes less definite the more customisable they become. I think this is a rare opinion though.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I am quite fond of Mark and his design!
Also, I think you never had to worry about yaoi fans only liking one style of art! I've played so many BL games with that sort of pretty androgynous style; not because I prefer it over all else, just because it's what's available. I'm glad you're making a game with a style that I find more appealing. :D