70%

70% funded, guys!  OMFG!  I didn't think we'd be needing to talk about stretch goals this soon.  If you haven't noticed, I made my campaign 50+ days because I thought it would take that long to get funded over the holidays!

My gratefulness to those of you who've been spreading the word!  My Kickstarter dashboard lets me see which forums people have been arriving from--and I know it's because you personally have been mentioning this campaign there.  THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Two mentions you might have seen in my other feeds:

Indie Games

Indiestatik

In the meantime, I'm already working on the full edition of the game.  Starting with the story between you and Ian.  If you thought the demo with Alex was fun, Ian's route is insane.

Insane.

I... think you'll like it.  Just a little bit.  XD

Ok...gotta hole up and do some writing...

These gay dating sims don't build themselves...

Woohoo!

Coming Out On Top was Kickstarted Monday morning at 3 AM.   It's currently $81 shy of $2500.  The generosity of our current backers has been utterly amazing and has left me floored!

Not to count my chickens before they hatch or anything, but I am really hoping to exceed the 5K by a good margin to make it an amazing game.  I'm crossing my fingers and hope we get lots, lots, and lots more backers throughout December.

While I'm always grateful and astounded by large donations, my goal is to round up as many small donations as possible from as many people as possible. I'll be attempting an IAMA on Reddit at some point...I'll let you know when that's up.  I'll also try to get a general discussion forum going this weekend and post up a little walkthrough for the demo.

One more thing if you're new to Kickstarter...you don't get charged until the project ends and the project is actually backed!  There is no charge to your card until the last day of the project.

Thank you so much for your continued support!

***Oh yeah, and if you haven't already, please try the demo (link above), and back the project if you're a fan.  Many people are surprised how much they enjoyed it.

Advertising!

Hmm....I think my current backers are overwhelmingly male!  I know there are more ladies who like this stuff out there... where can I find you?

I'm putting in a little money for ads because I honestly don't know where the English-speaking yaoi/slash/gay romance fans hang out aside from a couple of places on the net (Reddit, Tumblr, aarinfantasy, y-gallery, etc.)

In short, you might catch this popping up from time to time in other corners of the internet.

Work it, Mark.

Wow You Guys Are Quick

OMFG, thanks for your support folks!  I didn't expect to get the campaign rolling this quickly!  I'm really floored and I want to just assault each every one of you with a giant awkward hug, the kind you have to endure out of sheer politeness.

Just a word here and there:

• I finally got my freakin' Facebook up.  I haven't used Facebook since they added the timeline, so pardon the mess...I'm still sorting things out.  

• Thanks for the hilarious review, Shadocchi.   (warning, it's a little spoilery if you haven't played the demo)

No shy wallflower, this one.

You guys are amazing and omg I'm so excited about delivering you a full game.

Coming Out On Top Demo Link

Warning: this game contains scenes that might not be suitable for minors.

I am over 18.  Download the demo!

If you enjoyed this demo, help fund the full game on Kickstarter.  At the $10 reward level, get a copy of the game when it's complete!  (Retail price for the game will probably be between $18-25.)

Kickstarter Is Live Guys, So Is the Demo

Well.  I'm pretty worn out.  And I'm gonna just apologize now for my nasally voice in the Kickstarter video.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/obscurasoft/coming-out-on-top-a-gay-dating-sim-video-game

Here's hoping I can reach my goal and bring you a fantastic full game.  Start telling your friends, folks.  Oh yeah, and try out the demo.  It's a labor of love.  It's been tested, but let me know if you find any additional problems.

The Kickstarter also has the new concept art for the additional guys in the game.  (Jed, Brad, Phil.)

Thanks for following me.  Stick around for a while...I've got till January 20th to make my goal.

NOTE: If you were a beta tester for versions .01 & .02 of the beta, there have been a couple of changes to the game, like a relationship popup meter and an altered scene (i.e., the first big 'scene').  Just an FYI.

Update for Coming Out On Top Demo

Today's todo list:

• Getting the last few bits of feedback from testers. 
• Writing up the script for my Kickstarter video and recording the audio.
• Recording game play video tonight.

Tomorrow:

• Setting up my Facebook (FINALLY!!!!) and organizing my existing social networking stuff.
• Writing a bunch of emails that I've sadly put off while trying to finish the demo.
• And possibly, maybe, finally, launching this thing?

Still deliberating over some of the reward tiers...some of the things people have suggested to me have been hilarious.  I think my favorite (and totally absurd) suggestion thus far has been a date with an actor playing one of the characters for $10,000 and a SEXY version of the date with for $11,000.  Still cracking up at that one.  Heck, if it's just an additional $1000 for sexy times, why WOULDN'T you go the whole way?  "Nah man, I like my dates to cost me the price of a car, and be completely chaste as well."

Anyways, I've been feeling pretty chill for the past couple of months.  I hope that doesn't change with Kickstarter...it sounds like most people are a bundle of nerves throughout the entire thing.  Argh!  Spoke too soon.  Did I just feel a sudden urge to throw up?  I think I just did...

Update

Happy Thanksgiving weekend everybody!

I'm doing some final edits on the demo as more feedback rolls in.  Yay beta testers, you're the best.

So...my hopes before my Kickstarter begins:


1) that my beta testers did not just encompass the entire number of players for my game, HAHAHA.

2) that I'm going to beat my husband's estimate of 15 total people backing my project (unless those 15 happen to include extremely wealthy individuals i.e. Lady Gaga).


3) that gajillions of people try the demo and want to corrupt Ian enough to back the project (sorry to whore you out like that, sweetheart).

4) that yaoi fans can overlook all the muscles for a very sweet and sexy story

5) that bear fans can wait it out for a bear, or better yet, an in-game hair restoration option  HAHA

6) that whether or not you contribute, you guys can help me start publicizing the game once the Kickstarter begins.  It's going to need large donations from a few people...or a lot of small donations from a lot of people.  I'm guessing the project is going to depend on the latter.

7) that all of you stick around if this project gets funded.  Your suggestions have been invaluable, making the game far better than if I came up with all the ideas alone.  For one thing, I ain't a dude, and for another thing, I'm unfamiliar with yaoi/dating sim games, so you guys are pretty much my brain trust when it comes to a lot of details.  All I have is a choose-your-own-path story I'd like to tell and a set of characters that I think are plenty entertaining.  If the game is good, I've done my work.  If it's superb, it's because of you.

I won't lie, it's also fun as heck talking to the lot of you.

Will be working on the video for the next day or two.  Have a safe and happy weekend!

Word to Beta Testers

I'd like to thank all of you testers who have been giving me your feedback so far.  I don't think I even mentioned this, but if you give me feedback, yes, you do receive a  free copy of the full game if I manage to get funded.

And if, for some crazy reason, you still decide to back my Kickstarter project out of the goodness of your heart?  I'll automatically bump you up to the next level reward tier.

General News, Update

I might be ready to send demo 0.3 to the third set of testers soon enough (hopefully later tonight in the AM).  Thanks to the testers who've been sending me feedback...really appreciate your awesomeness.  Especially the ones who already have played the older version--I know it's not as fun going over the story twice.

I'm trying to figure out right now if I want to launch my Kickstarter over Thanksgiving weekend.  The problem is I don't think anybody is going to be looking at this game over the upcoming holiday, especially with their families around.  On the other hand, my KS will be 40-60 days...it might not matter when it launches.

Really hoping to properly fund this thing.  I hope to goodness there are enough of you who want this thing made.  If not, well, at least I know how to correctly draw a penis now.  That's something.

Latest Addition to Demo

Other than some more tweaks I'll be adding, demo version 0.3 has a sweet little addition that I've only been able to incorporate because of Saguaro. Did I tell you I worship this person? It's a small thing, but it makes the game seem like...well...an actual game.

Developer's side note: Saguaro's also implemented it in a way that makes it extremely easy for me to use. To me, that's a real touch of genius: the fact that she not only thoughtfully programmed it...but she set it up so a newb like me could easily change the code and make adjustments if needed. That is a rare quality and why I practically sob in gratitude every time I get code from her. /sidenote

So, as I wrap this up, the next group of beta testers will get the special version AND HOLY CRAP, I'll be able to start putting up my Kickstarter stuff and inflicting unleashing the demo upon the rest of y'all. Hey, maybe you can even take this home during the holidays and play it with your family! Ok, bad joke. The recommended way to play the demo is in a darkened room, alone, with the doors and windows shut...

Demo: Beta Group 3 Closed

Thanks to those who volunteered!  Holy smokes, I didn't think the group would fill up that quickly.

The third group is getting an interface goody that I wasn't able to give to groups 1 and 2.  They're also getting the original backgrounds, since my attempts to filter them further did not go as planned.

I think the third group is also mostly composed of players who haven't played the old game, or are fairly new to visual novels (?), so I'm very interested to see how this goes down.  Thanks guys and gals!

Update

Sorry this is taking so long, guys.

 I guess I'll just try to excuse myself by saying a lot of Kickstarter projects don't even have a demo for you to download and play. A lot of people will contribute just based on the brand name or--in absence of a brand name--a couple of cool (or not so cool) screenshots and maaaaybe a video of game play. It's all it usually takes to catch interest and get people to open their wallets.

 Man, maybe those developers are the smart ones. XD I'm trying to give you something that will at least give you a half an hour or so of fun, and give you a clue as to what the final product will actually be like. Overkill?

 I'm not entirely sure what it is I've made yet either. Is it a dating sim, interactive fiction, a choose-your-own-path game, or an interactive comic book? I know it's a visual novel, but egads, I don't think anybody outside of visual novel enthusiasts even knows what a visual novel is...I certainly didn't until recently.

 Anyways, I'll be having most likely one more (and hopefully final) beta round incorporating some additional changes, so if you're interested, email me at the address listed to the left. I'll have it ready in a few days. You MUST be over 18 so please don't email me otherwise. XD

Laundry List

Getting feedback from testers. Working on a big ol' laundry list.

Update: Second Round of Beta Testing

Oh man, I'm dead tired right now. I feel like I am soooo close but so far away to getting this out (still have to redo the Kickstarter video; that'll be the last big thing). The second group of testers has been sent a link the beta (check your LSF email, Kashya!) I've said this before, but one thing I'd love to do with any Kickstarter money is to recolor my dang characters so they look awesome. Again, I'm still bothered by the cel-shading...it's sufficient but I know they could look a lot better. And if I get a good amount of money, waaaaay more event illustrations (oddly called CGs in the visual novel world) and maybe even animation. XD I'm also thinking of maybe running the KS for 60 days--even though they recommend a month or less. I would have loved to have the Kickstarter be short, but unfortunately it's falling over the holiday season, so fewer people will be around on their computers, checking out stuff like Kickstarter projects. XD

Update: First Round of Beta Testing

I've sent the demo to the first group of beta testers.

I feel...numb.

If you're in the second group, you should be sent a link in the next few days.   I needed to split up the group just to make sure any new changes I make are still tested, yadda yadda, yadda.  There is a significant change I want to make that possibly only the second group will end up testing.

Welp, time to work on some backgrounds!  New backgrounds are one thing I'm hoping to fund with KS, but I still need to give the existing clunky ones a facelift for the demo.

Not Quite There Yet

Demo's running at about 13,000+ words.  I'm not entirely sure how many menus there are anymore because the interface has been changed and the engine's Lint report no longer counts them.  All I know is I have WAAAAY too many choice menus (about 40 something just for the demo at last count)...and it's part of the reason this the demo has been taking as long as it is.

Basically I have to test this thing multiple times, going down multiple paths...I have no idea why I put so many menus in the first place other than the naive notion that, "golly gee whiz, people like making choices!"

Anyways, I gotta go into work.  Will be trying to finish the last edits during my breaks.

Incidentally, I woke up today with this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach.  The same feeling I had when I released the first version of this game.  Mainly, "wow...this entire situation is kind of nuts.  Am I crazy?"

I hope my beta testers are looking forward to this...after a certain point my judgment starts getting cloudy, I start questioning everything...

Update

Trying to wrap things up so I can hopefully give the barebones demo to the testers soon.

I spent today writing and rewriting scenes, fixing more sprites--two never ending processes for me.  I'm basically just trying to make the demo something special before it gets into your hands.

I will say this, I don't blush easily and this demo makes me blush.  I've actually have stepped away from my computer several times going, "WTF did I just write??!"  "Did I really just write this scene where blankity-blank happens??!"

I guess we'll find out soon enough if I'm more or less perverted than your average player.  :D

Anyways, as I go through the demo, I envision concretely all the many things I'm hoping to fund.  Among them:

- better backgrounds, ideally from a background artist
- more art (minimum three adult scenes per relationship)
- reshading/coloring of my sprites (my style is pretty simple, and I think I'd like to see the sprites more fleshed out than they currently are)
- someone to redo/revamp my simple GUI so it looks professional
- and as much as I love fiddling with Garageband, an actual composer

In short, a lot of stuff that will make the game look and feel like a commercial release.

The Many Faces of Mark

Fixing up some of Mark's expressions tonight.  I think he has around 35 possible expression-combos, but will end up using only about half throughout the game.

Example of a NSFW expression here.

Demo Progress & Kickstarter Question

Thoughts on the demo:

• The new interface has some stark but simple differences from most visual novels, but hopefully it will solve some problems I had with the traditional format.

• I'm trying something wild and experimental with the "bad" endings...my big worry right now is that they're going to steal all the thunder from the main story.  ;-)

• Wondering if I need to censor some of the artwork in the demo.  There's graphic nudity and erotic content, and I have to figure out the right balance if I'm going on Kickstarter.  The feedback I got from my Kickstarter contact was, "use your discretion."  This is gonna take some time to figure out.

WHAT'S KICKSTARTER?

By the way, I got a question today about Kickstarter and what it is in general.  In short, it's a way for people to fund projects they love.  Lots of indie games and comic books, not to mention films and physical products, are being funded this way.    Check it out here if you're curious: 

Basically if you're interested in a project, you can back it for a certain amount of money (and usually receive the product or some type of reward depending on how much you donated.)  The catch is that the project has a limited amount of time to meet its funding goal.  If it doesn't get fully funded within that time frame (usually a period of 30 days), none of the backers get charged, and the project is cancelled.

Word-of-mouth will either save or kill my project.  Once the demo's out, the more people who hear about and like my project, and fund the Kickstarter, the better the game's chances are of being made.

What I'm really hoping is that my KS goes above and beyond the bare minimum I'll need to make the game, so I can make the game not just fun and awesome, but a fine-ass, polished piece of work with more relationships, story, art, and everything else.

Thanks for your continued support, all.  We're getting closer.  I'd post up some screenshots of the game, but I want to leave it as a surprise for the demo.

Enough blabbing from me.  Back to coding...

Thoughts On a Hair Toggle

I've been working on sketches of the additional guys from the full game: Jed, Brad, and Phil.

They look utterly different hairy vs. smooth.  I'm reluctant to show the hairy vs. smooth sketches right now because fans of either will be disappointed (if not irate) if I decide to go the other route.  XD

Brad for sure is the hairiest of all the guys, but what about all the others (Mark, Ian, Jed, Phil, Alex)?

If condom use ends up having a "toggle switch", I wonder if hairiness should ultimately have a toggle-switch too?

Technically, I'd need to put all the body hair on one layer, on both the sprites and CGs.  Unless I'm forgetting something, hitching that layer to a variable, theoretically, shouldn't be that difficult.

Ideally, I'm thinking the first play through would have both hairy and smooth guys.  Maybe if you complete a path for a guy, you can control his hairiness for future play throughs?  If I could figure out how to control the opacity for the hair layer, that would probably be perfect.

In any case...emotions always seem to run high whenever I bring up the body hair issue.  XD

Demo Progress

All said and done, I think the demo will have around 15,000 words of dialogue.

The line art for the CGs (event illustrations) are complete.  Coloring is in progress.  Both of the artists I hired to do the CGs are stellar...I'm anxious to see how the art and story will fit together.

I've never seen an experimental interface or layout like the one Saguaro's been working on, so I'm excited to see if we'll be able to incorporate it into the demo.

The demo, incidentally, will not have the complete Alex storyline.  For me to properly finish up his storyline, I need additional money for CGs and more time--both of which I'm hoping to get out of Kickstarter--and enough to complete the full game with at least 4 more storylines.

Nonetheless, I'm just gonna lay the preposterous claim right now that the demo will be an unforgettable experience.  Well worth your valuable time.

My goal is that you guys enjoy it thoroughly.  My wildest dream, of course, would be that it gets at least one, two, or three "OMFGs" out of each and every one of you.  :D

I'm not kidding when I say don't play it around your family or friends, priest or senator!

Unless...that's how you like to roll.

Note: I'll probably wait until after the U.S. presidential election to release the demo and begin my Kickstarter.  Sounds like the election will be a nailbiter.