Hanako Games

Very elaborate game idea, need help with various things? C:

#1 by kuarter - Oct 30 2011

Well, I'm looking for requests, help, ideas, or anything someone would like to see in this game.

I've really only got a few things going on right now, and that is a few characters, and ideas for playable characters.

There will be six playable characters, three boy, three girl, each vaguely fitting a 'stereotype' if you will. I do *not* think I will make their appearances similar, and the boy will differ from the girl.

There will be your plain janes/average joes. The two will be rather bland characters. I have a few ideas for the girl drawn out already. They're not too interesting, and have more or less average lives. When you play this character, you will have more chances to be unbiased, and more thoughtful in situations. You will usually not act too over the top or too mean unless the situation seems reasonable. Some characters may simply be impossible to court when you are playing as the average characters.

There will be the more bubbly PCs, who will be generally sweet, happy people. These characters are very caring, and rather enjoy cute things. I will make the girl character for this 'stereotype' chubby. The boy I'm not sure about. When you play this character, you will have more compassionate/caring options, and will be generally more helpful and sweet towards others. As with the previous set of playable characters, some dateable characters may simply dislike this type of character.

Lastly (at least for now) you will be able to play as meaner characters. I have some ideas for this character. They will be feistier, and you will have more chances to, well, generally be a douchebag that nobody really likes. These characters may or may not end up being tsundere and having more underlying problems than the other PCs will. I won't make these problems too dramatic, simply so they will be more relateable to the player.

I'm unsure of the setting, and I would greatly appreciate any help with this. I don't want it anywhere deep, persay--I want it somewhere normal, but at the same time somewhere more interesting than normalpeopleboringhighschool. I really like where Magical Diary was set, and I may just use a similar setting, but I wouldn't want players to feel like that would be repetitive.

I am pretty sure I will do the art on my own, because I do want it to be high quality, and I do enjoy my style, but I need a tablet first because I am terribad at using a mousepad, kgirl? LOL. If anyone wants to help though, please do offer--but don't be upset if I reject, it's not meant to insult, but I am very picky.

I may want voice actors. I'm unsure though, because I want this to be a very HQ game, and if I can't find enough good people I might just not do it. I am pretty good at this myself, and even have a few male voices up my sleeve despite my being a girl, but obviously I couldn't do everything myself.

After seeing Always Remember Me, I thought it'd be fun to maybe get a singer/composer as well. I could do the singing, but if anyone else wants to, I think that'd be just dandy too. This isn't in my plans but yahno.

I most likely WILL need help with coding/flash/etc. because I suck nutsacks with it and have absolutely no clue whatsoever about any of that... Anyone willing to help will receive copious amounts of love and desserts.

I'm unsure if this will have animated parts, as this is my first dating sim ever, but if anyone would know how to and wanted to see animation in a game and was willing to teach, well, go for it!

Okay, that was really long. Any ideas or anything? I'll try and regularly update. C:

-K

BTW, when I signed up here, it said my email address was banned? Even though I'd never used it for this before, I don't know what that's about but oh well. lololfoasd.;u;

#2 by hanako - Oct 30 2011

Don't worry too much about that, if you were using an email from a free email provider a lot of those got marked as 'potential spammers' on a blacklist that was built into the forum ages ago. It almost certainly wasn't your individual address that was flagged.

#3 by aisza_1995 - Oct 31 2011

Ideas you say?
I can't really help in the process (i'm a co-producer and mine worker of another game) through if you need a voice actress or a singer then just ask me ^ ^ I would be more than willing to help with that (it usually don't take as much time as drawing, script writting and coding).

And back to the ideas. It's right that you could be accused of copying if you did the same setting as magical diary, so perhaps you can have a similar setting but with those variables changed:

-Time setting - Magical diary is more or less set in our times, you can move yourmagic school to the past (when it was dangerous to show you can do magic) or in to the future (and here you can for example say... no one believes in magic so the ability is almost non existig and the school try to catch anyone who shown even the tinniest skill in it)

- Type of school - Amagic school can vary a lot. First of all you could make different types of sets of lessons that students will have. You could only give ... elemental magic, or for example tribal (summoning, spirit contacting, shamans, healers etc.) and futuristic (telekinesis, mind reading, time traveling, teleportation ec.) as a set. You could also change the school profile completly and make it that every studend have different set of teachers depending on their natural abilities. Classes would be much smaller and the atmosphere of the game would change a lot.

- Where is the school - Obviously the magical diary one is a school on Earth in a default place with an intermediate climat. So why notplace it on a different planet? Or in a middle of Affrican savanna (if it's meant to bi hidden put it in the wild). Or if we really thinking hidden - pu it in a crystal cave deep underground or above the clouds. This on it'sown doesn't changes much but with other things it will make an entirely different game.

That's only few ideas if you decide to go with Magical diary like game. But if you change it, I can still give some ideas (vivid imagination)

#4 by kuarter - Nov 23 2011

Okay, so I'm reallly sorry I haven't been able to reply--I've been stupidly busy and my Internet hasn't been working :ccc. BUT, I have been working on characters and whatnot, and I have abouuut--10 maybe ish drawn out. They're only ideas and scribbles in my journals for now, but when I get a tablet (hopefully this Christmas!!) I'll be able to show you guys. I'm thinking of adding more playable characters into the story. I'm thinking of boarding school themed for the sake of convenience, but I'm still pretty stumped on the setting despite the previous posters help D: I'm really unsure about it--I really did love the idea of a tribal type setting but none of my characters, well, fit. Superhuman/gifted abilities school, perhaps? I was looking to avoid cliches, but, eh. I'm also thinking of making a crapton of characters, and giving them all really detailed backgrounds and a ton of endings. It'll be a lottt of work but... Hey, I dont have a life so, LMAO. C:
Im including a modern day witch doctor, much like the guy in the webcomic 'Hanna is Not a Boys Name', and his ditzy pink haired teenager sidekick, if you will. Yeah. I'm stumped on main storyline ideas that are flexible, as well. But then again, I want the player to have fun, and considering there are going to be so many side stories that I plan to be really deep, maybe it won't necessarily need too much of a bigger plot.

--k.

Ps thanks for replying, both of you! Its really helpful and motivating

#5 by aisza_1995 - Nov 23 2011

(I'm writting he/she as even if I love being the female char - as I'm a girl - authors tend to change their mind on last minute) bigger plot is good! But if you have a lot of side stories, juet keep it simple. Here are some examles (I do not have a life too, so I can give you ton of those xD And if you short on side stroies - again - I can help)
Main story (simjple) idea 1:
After you get to the school, you find out that children of parents with no special/magical abilities cannot get tham in any way, and that you were actually adopted. A little bit further in the game you can discovere that you real father/mother have been in this school not long ago (for example a teacher could say 'you look so much like that 'insert subject' teacher that have retired a month ago. As I think of it she/he always mentioned how she/he never got to take care of her/his baby' [or something >.<]). Then along the way player would try to find out where the parent is, and at the end she'll/he'll find out that it is the headmaster of the school. Reasons for leaving the baby... couldn't bare with a baby and loss of the loved one (one parent dead) or the child have been taken away as - for the local government it seamed as if she/he didn't had any money incom and couln't take care of the baby.

Simple idea 2:
As you powers awaken (or become really intense all of the sudden) you begin to hear a voice in your head. First simple words, then phrases, then sentences.At some point you begun to have conversations with it (along the way there may be a scene where you tell a teacher about voices and they become suspicious or something). The voice tells you the name etc. etc. and that he/she was waiting for her to awaken. She also need help with being saved from the prison it was locked in. In case of this scenario you can go in two ways. Way 1 would be, that the voice tells you that she/he cannot escape and don't know the location but school should have it in archives from 200 years ago. A lot of time could be spend on trying to get to the archives and finding the right files (during which sidestories could develop) along the way you get the hint of the voice being an angel. At the end of the game you and your choosen loveinterest (if such exist) go to save the angel who was apparently trapped ther when an evil mage/psychic tried to get the key to heaven gate (depending on choosing fatasy or s-f theme it can be something slightly different). Way 2 - same as way one till the point when in the archives you'll find hints of it being a grate evil. Then the ending can vary as you can choose to kill the great evil or let it away.

Simple idea 3:
First lesson 'BAM' the teacher tells you, that this year is about developing you skills so you can control them and finding your spiritual guide which is more or less an animal that will help you in using your powers. Very simple - you try to get along with all the different creatures and animals you meet. In fantasy you can go for unicorns, phoenixes, wolfes, tigers, pocket dragons etc. in sf you can go with more common animals (cats, dogs,girds like falcons etc) and more uncommon ones (like beetels, dragonflyes) as well as with some out of the planet thingis (alien creatures). This idea can be used both as a main plot (then you'll find it at the end of the year, you can get bullied for not finding it yeat, or find it and it will help you all the way till the end xD) or as a cool feature (choosing certain animal at the start could give you higher stats in certain aspect eg, unicorn can add to charm, phoenix to dexterity, woolf to strenght etc)

And if you decide to go complicated main plot heres one idea:
You have a twin of an opposite sex going to this school with you. SInce the first day wierd thinhs have been happenieng. LIke the psychic connectin you two always had, brakes down in the middle of the conversation or people mistake you for her/him even if you two don't look that similar (well... boys after all don;t have breast ). Later you also discover that both you, and him, see each other like you guy were behind the fog. Things only go worse when you guys develope your skills, and after sometime you can't hear your twins throughts or voice and the only way you two communicate is by writting. Obviously you two being very close, you try to solve the problem by yourself and at some point, you find the book that tells you about a twin-binder syndrome (it could be called snowflake sundrome or angel dust syndrome - think of something pretty ;3) which covers most of the symptoms. Apparently the syndrome happens when the two twins with special abilities and angel gene are exposed to a lot of outer influence (magical/psychic power). Once started cannot be stopped easily and when it will come to a certain point, the twins will merge into one organism. Theres also a note, written by hand 'I know how to stop it, but Mell and Eliot won't listen. They will have to choose to live as one or die' You two try to find the author of the note, which as always isn't easy. You find him an he tells you the way to stop the syndrome. To do so, one of you have to bring the heart of the loved one and (of fantasy) carry out a ritual/ (sf) exchange it with the heart of the other twin. At this poin the player would alreadt be on a path of someone for a romance. It will take a day or two but both of you will come to a conclusion that you cannot kill a person to selfishly stay as two, and mergin means non of you will die, only that your minds will be one for once. You have few sad days of waiting for the merging day which could be filled with nostalgia, memories,you gus sending little notes to eachother saying stuff like 'it will be wierd, as one of us will have to look at the other in shower' and so on (notes that are ment to make laugh but are actually a bit sad) at the very last day you guys can decide not to attend the lessons and you spend all day lying in a bed looking into one anothers eyes. Just as you feel your body lighter yuo gus give eachother a brother-sister kiss (fangirls attack!) saying that despite your love for 'name here' he/she was always the one you truly loved. Then some magical light, feeling like you floating and you guys see each other but not as boddies but as minds. Your voiceas are clear again and you have a feeling that you have to chose. Here the player will have to choose what gender he want's to go. ( A choise that won't affect a lot besides the fact that fans of yaoi and yuri will love you for this). An epilogue could be '10 years later' after graduating from the school, and a mystery dissapperance of one of the twins. You on a walk in the park with your love (now a fiance or whatever >.<). He/she goes to buy you a dring/ice cream or something, and you sit down on a bench. You can have a passage that goes like this: 'It was 10 years already since everything have changed... how this time goes... in a blink of an eye everything changed. The only thing I ever wished back then, is that 'insert twins name' would never leav my side. (and then a voice in your head) But you would never guess that this wish would come true, would you? - No I haven't But well (and here you should get a 2 people to voice this one line in unison) you know... I will alway be with you. FINITO

I'm actually quite proud of this creation... I may writte a story about it (:3) Someone should definitely use it. If not you - hanako - go with it - cause it shouldn't be wasted! It's legendar (too much 'how I met your mother'). SOrry for along message >.<

#6 by momamoose - Dec 17 2011

Hello there, I'm new here, and I don't have much experience with programming for Visual Novels, but I know a little html (not that that'll help me much here...) and I'd be willign to learn if we could find a programmer

If I could, I'd love to help with the writing, voicing, singing and whatever else there is I can help with ^^

I do like the idea of having multiple characters to play from, though, it'll add for some interesting dialogue and choices there, and it'd add an interesting angle to the story, too

I'm not so sure what kind of main storyline would fit wour wishes, but for sideplots, I could definitely help some there. I do a lot of writing in my free time (too much probably) and I love developign side plots, they're a lot of fun~

If the story's gogin to be set in a city/neighborhood setting, that would add a lot of flexibility, as you can meet a whole bunch of people in cities ^^ perhaps its in a slightly futuristic setting (i've a weakness for sci-fi, and hey, you could have robots :3)

Maybe there's some sort of school club that brings a bunch of characters together to resolve people's problems? That'd leave room for plenty of side-plots, but in the end, it's up to you I guess ^^

I look forward to seeing how this project develops

#7 by kuarter - Jan 10 2012

Ah! Guys, thanks SO much for all your wonderful feedbackkkk! I'm so happy jasklfjdskl and I'm so inspired by everyone's ideas!
I don't have much time to post right now cos I really should be sleeping, but I have a few characters doodled and scribbled out (excuse the quality of my artwork, I'm still experimenting with coloring sigh) but yeah uhm here's my design for the grumpy girl--I think her 'default' name will be Artemis?





These are just crap doodles, HAHA.

Here's Priscilla-the witch doctor's idiot pinkhairedgirl assistantsidekick thing.



These are ALL UNOFFICIAL, esp. Priscilla because she looks way dopier than that!
haha
fasdlkfs
anhyway, thanks guys! i'll try and update again soon~!

#8 by momamoose - Jan 11 2012

Those are awesome pictures, I really love how you drew the hair :3 You're a very talented artist

And your doodles aren't crap, they're important, too, right?

I really like Priscilla, she looks like she's some kind of crazy lady who'll end up causing big messes all the time xD I love watching people like that x3

#9 by kuarter - Jan 12 2012

momamoose:

Those are awesome pictures, I really love how you drew the hair :3 You're a very talented artist

And your doodles aren't crap, they're important, too, right?

I really like Priscilla, she looks like she's some kind of crazy lady who'll end up causing big messes all the time xD I love watching people like that x3

Oh man, thank you sooo much, that means a lot to me!!
Yeah, I work a LOT on hair and faces ahahhadsfdsajlk I lack in the anatomy department however, SIGH

but I'm working on it!
Yeah, priscilla is a big ditz, hehe.
She's very... ignorant? Maybe? Easily excited, kind've a crybaby, trouble tends to find her a lot haha

#10 by kuarter - Jan 23 2012

CRAP DOODLE OF LAWRENCE EVERYONE

average!male!MC

#11 by kuarter - Feb 9 2012

this project is going on a hiatus for a little while !
it might be until im done with my cosplay stuff or when summer starts !!

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