VN Ren'Py Aperture [Ch.1] [Vonsatia]

[Eet_Fuk]

Yeah, I know you can't please everyone. I only make changes if I personally feel the same way. Redoing the sprites took me around just 3-4 hours haha. It's a bit of a slippery slope when I communicate changes or updates since it invites discourse. Discourse is good as it helps me understand how the readers may react about what they like or don't like. But yeah, all I can do is keep making the game regardless of what people think.

Now I am not saying that you might be procrastinating (by redoing the already nice lookin' art), but thats what I catch myself doing a lot of times when I should be focusing on the main part of the task that I am doing. I hope that makes sense and good luck

 

[FriZ09]

Hey guys!

I've taken you guy's feedback and also, I consulted one of my friends who's an artist himself and I got some good advice regarding this. I do believe there's some charm which I may have lost with the new sprites.

Specifically with the simplicity and the feel of the characters. I think I've come up with a much better middle ground with the details I want while also keeping with the style that's already established with the sprites.

Here they are!

Tomoya Rin:

View attachment 5374496

Watanabe Inota:

View attachment 5374498

Kimura Jun:

View attachment 5374502

I'm happy with how everyone turned out to be. Hope you guys like it!

Regards,

Vonsatia.

Go for it, i don't mind the new design. If these guys want to change design again and again, the update never gonna came out sigh... Dont overthinking it.

 

[TacoElBurrito]

Vastly prefer the old ones, just by overall looks. Personally like the simpler details and colors of the older ones.
They look like something someone would want to make to put into a game to get an certain artstyle, while the new ones slide into that overdetailed AI slop look that they all share, something I'd see on an ad for an ai generated manwha and taken because they were the best looking bunch to for wide-sprea appeal, very boring.

 

[Kulman]

Go for it, i don't mind the new design. If these guys want to change design again and again, the update never gonna came out sigh... Dont overthinking it.

The "guys" want the opposite of changing design though. Overthinking is how we got here.

 

[gsdfgsdfgsdg]

I think both sets of sprites are good in their own way, with pros and cons in what they would add to the game. The originals had a uniqueness/stylized factor while the new revised ones retain some of that, add some nice layers of detail, and have better coloration than the first revised versions. I think the originals (while still great and I would have still enjoyed them) would always clash somewhat with the art style of the rest of the game. IMO the new revised sprites match the CGs, setting, and background art better which will probably help immersion in the more gritty/realistic setting and feeling the author is going for.

More detailed sprites also allow for more substantial changes or use over time (if the author is going for that) like using the details in the sprite to help reveal hints at what is going on behind the scenes (hickey marks under her collar etc.)

All that to say, I think both designs are cool and I'm looking forward to see how Vonsatia integrates them into the game

 

[roshi17]

Hey guys!

I've taken you guy's feedback and also, I consulted one of my friends who's an artist himself and I got some good advice regarding this. I do believe there's some charm which I may have lost with the new sprites.

Specifically with the simplicity and the feel of the characters. I think I've come up with a much better middle ground with the details I want while also keeping with the style that's already established with the sprites.

Here they are!

Tomoya Rin:

View attachment 5374496

Watanabe Inota:

View attachment 5374498

Kimura Jun:

View attachment 5374502

I'm happy with how everyone turned out to be. Hope you guys like it!

Regards,

Vonsatia.

it looks 10x better thank you

 

[Raferu]

I also prefer the OG sprites, but if changing them makes development easier for you or you like them better, then these last ones seem to be a fair compromise between what most seem to want and what you, as a dev, want to make. In any case, like someone else said, every iteration has been far better than the usual AI CG that we see around here.

 

[jayphi45]

Feel like we're trading in a Ferrari for a Honda. Not a bad car but if given the choice its kind a of no brainer which I'd pick.

Dev is free to change whatever they like as its their game, but it seems like most of the hype was around the art. Even if we're just changing the sprites I beg the question, why fix whats working?

 

[Shigeru Miyamoto]

Vonsatia.

I like both.

One thing that I'd point out is less of an art feedback and more of a feature feedback.
Rin's skirt could be a little longer. I'll elaborate on this below.

A really hot, yet rarely observed feature with corruption games (NTR or otherwise) is the affect of corruption on clothing. Some games, take it to the extreme and just go modest -> slut clothing. Some (especially the Japs) stop at giving the heroine leopard underwear. The ideal way to do this was something I saw in Shimobashira Workshop's games where the existing clothing has variations at different corruption levels.

In this scenario, it'd be something like -

1. No corruption, normal school uniform (longer skirt and socks than what you have)
2. Low corruption, shirt button slightly open revealing cleavage.
3. Medium corruption, shorter skirt and shorter socks.
4. High corruption, no undergarments making the nipples be lightly visible through the shirt.

This is just a suggestion, I recognize that there's a lot of complexity involved with something like this. So, I'd understand if it's not possible to implement.

 

[Ion.TemUS]

I like both.

One thing that I'd point out is less of an art feedback and more of a feature feedback.
Rin's skirt could be a little longer. I'll elaborate on this below.

A really hot, yet rarely observed feature with corruption games (NTR or otherwise) is the affect of corruption on clothing. Some games, take it to the extreme and just go modest -> slut clothing. Some (especially the Japs) stop at giving the heroine leopard underwear. The ideal way to do this was something I saw in Shimobashira Workshop's games where the existing clothing has variations at different corruption levels.

In this scenario, it'd be something like -

1. No corruption, normal school uniform (longer skirt and socks than what you have)
2. Low corruption, shirt button slightly open revealing cleavage.
3. Medium corruption, shorter skirt and shorter socks.
4. High corruption, no undergarments making the nipples be lightly visible through the shirt.

This is just a suggestion, I recognize that there's a lot of complexity involved with something like this. So, I'd understand if it's not possible to implement.

I second that actually. It doesnt need to be those 4 steps 1:1, but that kind of subtle (at first) change is really good in a corruption story. Like that stuff doesnt even have to be immediately addressed by the narration / MC. Maybe we as players just get the new sprite and have to notice on our own at first, and after a while (like a day or two in the game's story) the protag has a scene where suddenly through the shorter skirt MC notices a slight panty reveal. Like a very light draft of wind comes and the MC sees a bit of the underwear and he is like "I could swear that skirt is a bit shorter. Wait a minute.... " *looks to other female student(s) close by* "it IS shorter!" (inner monologue).

And there is all kinds of sneaky stuff you can do with it. Even just having a subtle outfit change and have the MC narration be like "something changed about her, but Im not sure what" is really cool when the player clearly notices it. But it needs to be subtle enough in that case to not be super "in your face", because if it was too obvious it wouldnt be believable that MC doesnt immediately notices - if you catch my drift.

As for the art, I will reiterate. I do like most of the sprite change. To be fair I liked the previous sprites just fine and didnt think there needed to be change. But I like the new ones as well, especially the second update of them. I think it's definitely valid that many people would prefer a more "anime" artstyle and have some less detail in some areas, cause more abstract sprites sometimes have a better effect. Though I think that the high-detail CGs that we had gotten are now closer to how the sprites look, so that is another upside.

Maybe you ( developer ) can work on the finer details every once in a while throughout the updates, see if some small changes will help make nicer for the people here who didn't like the change as much. But I definitely think we are closer to the sweet spot now. Don't overfocus on that though, the most important thing imo now is that you deliver on a solid update 2 and that you continue telling the story relatively swiftly.

 

[Shigeru Miyamoto]

But it needs to be subtle enough in that case to not be super "in your face", because if it was too obvious it wouldnt be believable that MC doesnt immediately notices - if you catch my drift.

To add to this point, GapTax's first mecha NTR game (the one before Solgante) had this problem. FMC went from prude clothes to town bicycle clothes in a very short period. That game's corruption system was also immensely flawed, IIRC you could turn her into the town's semen toilet by just skipping through the days w/o interacting with the actual NTR triggers.

 

[pr0dukt]

This is undeniable proof that AI-driven illustrations CAN be more than just slop when generated correctly and paired with a Grade A, properly paced narrative. Cinema.

Seriously excellent start to this project. I look forward to reading more.

 

[M3lly]

I only play ntr games but I saw the kinetic tag. Does this game have any choices at all?

 

[OLETo160]

Any idea when the next update will come?

 

[Ashirron]

Based on the progress update from Oct. 17th, we can guess it will be in the next couple weeks if not days.

 

[HeavierThanOxygen]

we had high hopes for this week

But our hope remains..

 

[Zeref@123#]

Tentative date: next week Friday. Things are going pretty good. (120-140CGs)

 

[Vonsatia]

Greetings!

Currently, I'm going full steam on the final scenes of the chapter. I am to release it on Friday next week on 14th November. (Worst case scenario 16th November.)

I'm super happy with how everything's turning out to be. I plan to finish making the chapter by Sunday and take a few days to playtest, QA and whatever it.

I shall be sharing the final Rin sprite with her denim outfit to you guys. I personally am in love with it. She currently has 22 expression variations for her sprite.

Rin's Denim Outfit:


Please look forward to the chapter. I cannot wait to finish it and share it with you all.

Take care and thank you for your continued support!

Regards,

Vonsatia.