20/12/14 -- Concept Ramblings, MG

I've been toying with the idea to change the setting/atmosphere for Maiden Gray from a dying world to more of a cyberpunk style world.

Originally, the plan was to have a lot of desert-like areas, dried, cracked patches of land, hardly any green outside of some forests. Everything was supposed to be a sort of "struggling to live economically" type of world, so there were lots of little villages that survived off the land, and everything was located sparely apart. Towns would be very far apart, and hardly anyone would live outside of these town patches. I wanted a lot of ancient ruin type things in the form of old gas stations and buildings, but I'm not entirely sure that will work.

Quick concept art of the White Capital, and the surrounding (barren) area.

Maiden Gray is set in a far future, and the technology in that future is revolutionary and advanced. There is economic downfall outside of the Capital City and the larger cities, so a gritty type of world might work.
I don't want to fall into the area of cyborgs and augmentations, because that's technically what a Parasite is -- an augmentation in biological form. I guess I'd say that the technology would be shown mostly for weapons and security, as well as hacking and the internet in the setting, as opposed to rogue robots going willy nilly.

I suppose what I'm trying to say here is, the vast uninhabited and dried up land concept is driving me a bit nutty and I wouldn't mind to change it a bit so that the cities were larger, had more highways connecting them, etc. It's a bit difficult to explain.

Musicians Wanted?

More of the script for Maiden Gray has been whacked out, and I've actually gotten the finer details of the plot and the entire common timeline made up. In other words, MG a gogo.

Though I'm a jack of all trades, the one thing I can't do at all is make music. I'm tone deaf and never learned music theory in school, and I can't seem to put together a tune at all. Not to mention it doesn't interest me in the slightest. However, that all means that I can't personally make music for the game. Which is why I'm asking if there's anyone out there who would like to compose for Maiden Gray.

I know what you're all thinking -- "There's tons of tracks out there already made, for free!" To which I say, I want something unique. I'm not looking at 'free' or 'accessible'. In fact, a lot of  those free tracks you find are used in a lot of projects, and like I said, I'd rather not have generic music used by the mass public. Maybe for a different game.

I'm looking for people who can make a solid soundtrack for me. I'm not good at identifying genres, so I guess I'd be looking for a mix of styles for the soundtrack to cover all the themes. Some tracks in a western-ish style, in the vein of the works of Luis Bacalov (think Kill Bill's soundtrack), and more softer tracks in a style similar to Akiko Shikata's -- Italian inspired, I guess. Maybe even something akin to the Nier/Drakengard 3 OST style, that sort of enchanting fantasy sound for a couple of rare tracks for the true route. The majority would probably be similar to the sort of music that came off of RE6.

That probably sounds super demanding and vague as hell, but I'm music illiterate, sorry.

I'd also eventually like an OP and possibly an ED. I could probably contract someone to make these specifically if I go through with the Kickstarter.

Anyway, I imagine you'd most likely want to get paid if you did this job (unless you're like me and you anonymously trawl the internet lending your talents for free and then disappearing after you've done your job, never to be found again), since I imagine Maiden Gray will most likely cost something or other for the amount of work put into it. I'm not in a position to immediately chuck you hundreds of dollars out of my own pocket right away, so if someone does end up offering their talents for a lump sum, I'll more than likely go through with the Kickstarter to cover that cost.

As well, I've been giving thought to voice actors for the game. I'm not sure how the general public feels about Western voice actors in otomege, though I've heard that there are a couple of projects others have made that have hired voice actors for, ie Backstage Pass; though I'm not sure of the casting on that one. If I did decide to go through with it, I'd have to seek people to do the lines in a non-cringey way (you know the way that voice actors do when dubbing anime? A la "JUNPAY-COON"? Like that.) and that would add more cost to the whole thing, which would ramp up the Kickstarter quite a bit more. The way I figure, for a small niche game genre like otome, the lower the funding goal, the more likely that goal will be reached so I want to keep it small. But voice actors (good ones, anyway) aren't going to come out of the woodworks to work for free. That doesn't happen.

Still, I haven't even decided on adding VA's -- I figure that's an extra and should come after the game has taken the form of an actual visual novel. You know, after the art is 100% done and the script is put in the engine and that jazz. It's not neccessary, and might even ruin the game, too, but it's something to look at in the future. Music is more important than that, and I won't even be putting that in until the script is 100% done anyway, so I know what I need.

Something to think about.

Maiden Gray - Mila Sprite, I Need a Plot Shovel For These Plot Holes

Within the few hours that I'm actually able to draw, I'm hard at work on finishing up the lineart for Mila's sprite:

 

There are still some clothes and expressions left to line.

Coloring it will be a whole 'nother bucket of worms, however, since my coloring talent is absolutely abysmal -- if there are any super talented color-ers out there who wanna give it a shot, please do -- but I'll try my darndest. Maybe watch a couple of speed-paint videos. Review a shit ton of Pixiv tutorials. Study other artist's works closely. That sort of thing.

I've been thinking hard about MG's plotline, too, and I'm not sure if I should ditch my current plot or add more bullshit to the plot I have, since I've noticed I've got a couple of plotholes that need fillin'. I'll think of ways to resolve them, but if I can't resolve them, then I might have to go with Plan B, which is also known as Plan Infinitely-More-Bullshit-And-Time-Fuckery.

Probably Maybe Patreon

After a lot of careful consideration about what's infront of me and what I'm capable of in this moment, I'm currently taking steps towards setting up a Patreon for those who might want to donate maybe a buck or two towards LADYproject and future projects, and towards the purchase of a new tablet for me so I can spend 24/7 on the sprite work and CGs instead of only a few hours per week.

I just need to get some confirmation, get some bank stuff sorted out, that sort of thing, and then I'll probably have it up and running. I don't know if anyone's even remotely interested in this sort of thing, but it's worth a shot, I suppose.

And in place of any real updates, I'll give you more Maiden Gray art, the next two of the set I posted a while ago, Riviera and Nathaniel.

MAIDEN GRAY - Sketches

It gets boring without any substantial updates, so here's some concept sketches.

 

Fig. A:  The pacts made in Maiden Gray are parasitic; while you can only contract a pact through mutual consent, it still effectively acts as a parasite with it's own thought process. It takes a strong person to keep a pact under control. Pact makers who have gone insane due to these parasites are ordered to be put down since the person becomes bloodthirst and violent. Parasites can take over the body, too.

Fig. B: A mysterious character. More on this eventually.

Fig. C: Mila's left hand. Normally hidden by a glove, when it comes off she possesses a very disgusting appendage due to the pact with Johnny. His mark is on her skin. The skin is wrinkled back on the fingers, allowing bone to show through. The bone can be manipulated and it's strong enough to act as claws.

Fig. D: A new character, working with the Abolishants. Her backstory is a bit twisted. She's close to the Baron. Or so it seems.

Fig. E: The Baron himself. A mass murderer who founded the Abolishants, a cult of rogue pact makers, hellbent on tearing down society and destroying the pillars of the governmental system. He's an evil man.

Fig. F: Nil and Zen preparing for surgery on Mila. They have to use heavy-duty tools on her because of Johnny's defense mechanisms. Enough sedatives to kill an elephant and the tools to cut through diamonds.

MAIDEN GRAY - Misc. Art Post

In which I bring you doodles in hopes it quells the desire for progress updates. Here's two of an ongoing set, Mila and Spike (I don't think I've revealed Spike's design yet), to which there'll be more. I plan to do all of the G.O, the twins, and the antagonists of MG as little things to work on when I get burnt out on writing or drawing official art.

I still don't understand how to color shit right.
Perhaps I should release them as keychains/stickers eventually? I'm getting too far ahead of myself, someone cut me down.

Maiden Gray - UI, Frame, Textbox, Whathaveyou

Been fooling around with some mockup layouts real rough and dirty like. I'm not all that great at UI design, so I'm struggling a bit.

 

Above: Said quick'n'dirty mockup complete with concept sketches in place of sprite art and a shitty background I made in two minutes. I'm not set on anything here, though I kind of liked the file-folder design; but it looks a bit weird. I'll probably end up ditching it. The NEXT icon needs to be cleaned up but I plan to keep it.

 Here's the title screen mockup with a quickly painted idea of what I'm aiming for. Shred of cloth will be moving in the wind in the final product. Logo needs to be cleaned up a bit.  I think the terms are fine.

I'm also focusing on BLU UI as well, but that's a bit of a challenge, too. I'll post those mock-ups when I get a good feel of what I want.

Maiden Gray Outlines Check-a-rooni

I've got the real brief descriptions for each route outlined and made up. So the general themes and the sequence of events are a go, even if they are a bit loose and subject to change.

I've got about 60% of the common route typed up, and 30%-ish of the True Route script written. I plan to tinker with UI and design later on; I know what the title screen is going to look like, but the text boxes might be a bit of a challenge. I don't have too much of an eye for design, it baffles me just as much as music does, which is to say, a lot.

The current schedule for work is basically "do whatever whenever", but I've got a bit of a organized pattern to it. I tend to dedicate a day to Maiden Gray, a day to BLU, a day to HOOD. HOOD's more on the backburner, which is to say, it doesn't get as much of my attention right now as Maiden Gray or BLU does. The priority is Maiden Gray (which has the most material done), then BLU (because people are waiting on it) and then HOOD, due to the fact that HOOD is planned to be a bit more than just a VN. My original design documents have plans for a bit of gameplay to it, with 3D models if I can find the time.

Still awaiting a tablet of my own. Borrowing one is unreliable and interferes with work. Hopefully I get back to a full-time job soon, even though that will hinder my available time to work on the games.

(Very) Early MG Concept Pieces, BLU update

A lot of the first images I created when designing characters are done on paper. Most of those images, I'd rather save for the art book that I plan to release if the game goes big. But there are a few pieces done on my computer that I'm able to give you a glimpse at.

A very early piece of Mila. It contains most of her core design, however, the art style and her hair have since changed.

Slightly more recent. Mila with her sword (which has been revamped as of now).  The style is closer to the one I plan on sticking with, but it looks more rounded and short? Also comes with color palette, which is still in use.

Anyway, I'm currently working on the actual sprites. I plan to get Mila and Nathaniel's done first, and then move on.

I'm still considering the Kickstarter. I'm borrowing someone's tablet right now, but I don't have it 24/7, so my art windows are small. A nice larger tablet would definitely be nice and right up my alley, but I don't really have thousands of dollars to shed.

Regardless.

As well, a small BLU update for those who follow this blog -- I'll be waiting around for about another week/ as of today, five days, for correspondence from my team. That'll be two weeks-ish for them to have seen my Skype update, the pastebin and the doc. If by that time I don't get any word from them (Skype shows me they haven't been online for months, the latest being two months ago), I'll start to take the project over on my own shoulders and get my ass in gear.

The things that I'll aim to do if I end up being the one-man team:

•  reinstate full bara modo
• bring back bara megane protag
• cut down the main love interests to two (b-but muh illusion of choice)
• jiggle with the plot a teensy bit to make it a bit fluffier
• slap the R18 warning back on it

Amongst other things. I think I've got more wiggle room in some areas being alone, but not so much in other areas, for example, the cut-back on routes. It's pretty daunting making a full 4 routes on my own, and I'll be the first to admit that BL games aren't really my bag, but I still want to attempt something. And I don't think one of the routes was working out too well/ it was getting too Tumblrish. We all know we don't want that.

More updates to follow in the coming days/weeks/months/years. That good stuff. 

Popping Back In, Title Changes

I'm still on hiatus, but I wanted to pop back in to update something important. Ish.

The game known as PactPrice, which was formally a working title, is now known from here-on-out as Maiden Gray, unless I make a change to that as well.

Though the game has a lot of pact-related stuff, I think the Maiden Gray title works a lot better plotwise, and it's nicer sounding (to me, anyway.)

I'll go back and retag my posts under that tag. Thanks for joining in.

09/05 - Maiden Gray Concept Art, Sword Update

I decided to redo Mila's sword, since it seemed a little bit clunky, and because I'm not entirely sure she could wield it properly.

The new sword retains a similar handle scheme, but the blade itself is a lot more refined. It's not as "buster sword" styled as the old one.

I made a quick mock-up in Blender as a proper reference, since weapon sketching isn't my strong point:

 

Sword on it's side, not refined; the blade bit is really rough and blocky.

Visual of the handle/grip/whathaveyou. There's a latch of sorts that isn't displayed too well here because I'm not great with Blender's render function.

 
The sword as it is now has a lot more depth and thought to it. I might UV texture it later on, but I'm terrible with UV maps.

Mila is meant to carry a larger-than-normal sword with her, it's her "thing", you might say, but she's still a woman and she does have her limits. She's not overly muscular, so we're stretching it right now, but I like to think that her Pact gives her extra strength as well. I might add something to her design so that she has a sheathe on her back, or something to that extent.

05/05 - Maiden Gray Concept Art

Another bit of art of another dateable boy and part of your squad, Xodus.

  

Like I mentioned in another post, Xodus has breathing problems and skin problems so he wears the mask pretty much 24/7. I do adore Xodus's design a lot so far, but my only issue with him is that people might look at him and think that he's a rip off of Clear from DMMD because of the mask. Certainly, the mask might play a part, but I can honestly guarantee that he's genuinely fucked up under that mask.

29/04 - Maiden Gray Concept Art

A bit of Nathaniel art today. It's the quick'n'dirty sketch'n'color version. To be refined.

As well, I wanted to talk a bit about game music, particularly OP/ED themes. I'd love to have a personalized OP/ED for the game, but I'm not a jack of all trades in that regard. I'm tone deaf and can't read music. Therefore I'd have to get someone else to compose for me. I was thinking that eventually I'd shell out the money to get someone to write and record a song in maybe Italian. That will come eventually, I guess. No need to worry about it now, but it's nice to think about.

25/04 - Maiden Gray Concept Talk, Character Introductions (?)

I'm still chipping away at getting a solid piece of presentable art out for each of the guys, but I have them planned out and whatnot anyway.

The Ghost Operatives consists of five people. There's Mila, the captain of the squad, also known as codename Hawk. You've already met Mila, not much more to say here.

Second in command is the man known as Spike, codename Blackbear. He's a muscular man who fights with his fists and surprisingly enough, his words - he's the team negotiator and is known for his charisma. His pact partner takes over his left arm, beefing up his attacks. Hardly ever wears a shirt.

The team techie is Nathaniel, codename Tarantula. He gave up his external hearing for the ability to process data quicker. Quite simply put, he's got no ears. Therefore, he relies on a pair of special microphones implanted in either side of his head that look like headphones to pick up on words and sounds. An insomniac and a genius, he's formal and hardly ever refers to anyone by their real name.

Riveria, codename Viper,  is the sniper - his aim is never off. He's somewhat effeminate. His personality is polite and gentle. Not even the members of G.O know what he sacrificed for his pact, as it isn't shown, and as he's very secretive about his abilities. 

Finally, there's Xodus, or codename Wolf. He's a jack of all trades, but likes to use assault rifles to back other members up. He also tinkers with explosives. Xodus wears a gasmask at all times, claiming that "the pact made me ugly" and also because he has problems breathing normal air. He's the most relaxed and funloving out of the group.

Those are the four main options for romantic interest. It's hard giving a brief description without ruining their own little secrets or showing you their appearance.

Even though these are the main four, I'll state again that there are five routes total. Route number five is the true route, and I will not spoil any more on it. It's up for debate what happens in route five.

22/04 - Maiden Gray Concept Art

Two posts today, oh wow.

Today's concept art is a pair of doctors in the Capital (the largest city in the country), Dr. Zen and Dr. Nil.

They're minor characters who work closely with the government, and as far as anyone knows, the only people who know how to reverse the Pact making process.

22/04 - Maiden Gray Concept Talk

No art right now, I'm working on a sketch of one of the boys, though, for later/tomorrow/sometime in the future.

Today, I just wanted to talk a tiny bit about what I envisioned for the game itself, without revealing too much.

Maiden Gray is going to be a bit complex. I'll state that early. It's not as simple as your run-of-the-mill OELVNs, and it's certainly not a teenage girl romance simulator. Don't come in expecting that. Do not come in expecting fluffiness, or a plot revolving around romance itself - that's a secondary feature, if I had to call it something.

The main theme that we're keeping in mind here is the word "assumptions". That's what the game itself picks up on and revolves around, is the average player's assumptions, when most times, you won't be able to predict what will happen. For example, there will be times when the player might say, "I don't see how that's bad", but it will be an assumption that the "good" part is actually good. It's not. It's super not.

It's so difficult to try and explain this without spoiling much of the plot, I want it to be an entertaining read that catches interest, and spoiling the details and truth would destroy the fibers of what holds it together. I'll just say that I'm keeping a very close eye on the script and art, and making sure certain things are there and other certain things aren't, so that only the most observant can actually decipher the truth before it's given to you in the True Route.

21/04 - Maiden Gray Concept, Info

Today I started to properly line out the sword, but then I figured out that drawing swords is difficult work.

Therefore, I`m thinking I might render it in Blender instead as it appears to be the easiest way I can flesh out my weapon ideas. Might need to do a bit more sword research as well, I wanted one edge to be serrated so that you could catch other blades on it and the other one to be smooth and sharp, to, well, slice with.

As well, a bit of insider info on Maiden Gray. There are currently five routes planned. Four routes will get two ends, as far as I can see. And no end will be good. There are no good endings. Only suffering and subtle suffering, in many delicious flavors. Do you want some crushed peanuts on that suffering?

20/04 - Maiden Gray Concept Upload

Concept art of the MC, Mila Jonas. The sword isn't drawn well, but I plan to draw it out in detail in a different sketch. It's only a placeholder for now. 

Character fact: Mila is the captain/leader of the G.O, and the only female on the squad. She doesn't like guns, so she fights with a large sword instead. How does she lift it? Extensive training/pact magic bullshit.