Hey everybody, glad to see everybody enjoying the new update!
Okay, but seriously, here again to answer some things, and clear up some stuff: The job of designing new character portraits went to Psymind a few months back. He's a talented artist who wanted to add his own spin on the designs. I get the impression that GZone is just not a fan of characters being tubby/having some plump to them, even if it adds variety. His ideal model form is something like Nurse Kate, and that's generally what a lot of the other characters end up looking like. So, to make them a little different at least, Psymind drew these new portraits (Valerie Gray and Principal Ishiyama) as slightly off-model to suit GZone's vision, but still trying to give them a little bit of their original design. Obviously though, that's not what everyone is mainly upset about, so...
GZone and I both thought that the game needed to have some change to the art in terms of production. I think we gravely mistook a bulk of the fan's disinterest in diverging any amount in terms of style from the original show. I don't think that what Psymind pitched and what GZone approved of was entirely perfect, but I still think it was a good start and showed more competence in the art department, something GZone agreed with, even when it was replacing *his* art.
We've since heard the complaints and have agreed that despite our intentions to improve, there shouldn't have been *as* dramatic a shift. Psymind has been great during this, asking to receive a number of your critiques and feedback so that he may improve things for the better. We don't know the *exact* way we're planning on amending some of the issues you guys have raised, but we believe there is room for change and improvement.
Also, to mention the Jazz bath scene, in particular, we thought that so early on, there shouldn't have been such a visually jarring glimpse of Jazz's nudity for the sake of the storyline progression. We thought that as things go on with each character, there should be some sort of general progression feeling, more in line with raising the tension. Hence, no explicit nudity for Jazz's FIRST scene between brother and sister.
And Psymind agrees he actually messed up on that one in parts so it is also his least favorite image he's done. We both think the framing of the head is odd. Again, potential growth for change.
Anyway, I simply write all this to say "Hey, if you don't like it, I'm sorry, we're not perfect, we're gonna listen and improve". We're not so far up our own asses to think that what we've put out is perfect or that we can't take constructive criticism. We're going to keep working at this so that people enjoy what we're doing, that's why I work on Amity Park. That's why I do this job.
Closing thoughts, what do you guys think of this Penelope Spectra design? Is this something that falls within more of your interests, or if it's another "Goddammit, they even fucked up Spectra" type of feeling.
Cheers.
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