VN Ren'Py Magical Restart - Development Thread

[mrbigchungus]

(Post updated to include more specific details about the game now that it's getting closer to ready).

Magical Restart
An Adult Fantasy Portal Game, visual novel style with RPG elements

• A rich, detailed story line to explore with choices that make a big difference in outcomes
• Crisp, beautiful images rendered in glorious HD
• Music and sound effects that deepen the experience in game
• 20+ animations already - and even more planned for adult & non adult scenes
• Fetishes planned F solo, M/F, M/F/F, F/F, oral, vaginal, anal, group)

The story so far in Magical Restart...
Chad McBadass heard about this new game, Magical Restart, from a friend of his. After finishing his exercise for the night, he sat down on his laptop to play. Then, something strange happened. His life intersected with the game, and after his decision to play, he's soon met by fairies Blue, Purple, and Green. Blue offers Chad (you can rename him) the chance to learn magic, and then casts a spell to see if he's the one.

As Chad follows Blue, he meets Purple, then Green. After that, he's given a choice: jump through the portal, or get pushed. The game will give you different options depending on your Swagger, which will be measured by the in-game Swag O'Meter. With more swag, some options will be closed, but other doors will be opened.

The character arrives in the new island village, learns a list of spells, gets quizzed by his teacher and forced to demo magic until he's too tired to continue.

Other scenes included in the forthcoming demo (ETA early July, 2021)
Meet the women of Carthun in the tavern after training, then the next morning, finish training with your teacher after a short chat with two of the three fairies.

Magical Restart will feature harem style relationships with the main character, the fairies, and the women of the village. Eventually, there will be more than the seven women introduced in the demo version and first chapter, which are in active development.

What's not going to be included
NTR, cheating, futa, or anything that's prohibited by Patreon's terms of service. If you've played games like Treasure of Nadia, where the main character develops relationships with every woman he meets, and does all sorts of things - well, that's the Vision for Magical Restart.

How to get the demo early (mid-May, 2021)
If you're interested in giving feedback to the developer (me) about the story so far, and the initial version I'm putting together, follow the thread here, as I plan to give it to the F95 community since I've been able to share news, get feedback, and learn from so many people here already. I figured it's only fair, since I'm getting something, to give back in turn.

 

[Hentai_Kishi]

I personally don't think it sounds bad, keep in mind that if this is your first project you need to aim a bit low so you don't overwhelm yourself.

First things first, maybe you should have a more solid story structure before you start developing magic systems and so on, although magic is important, in the end it's a tool used in games, books and movies to help the character achieve his/her objectives. You can always add more spells as the time goes on. The reason I'm picking on this is because I often see creators get lost in other things when they should be giving the main story their complete attention, also, your overall plot seems nice but is that all? Is it a complex story or it's supposed to be a nice and simple story? Being a simple story doesn't mean that it's bad, it just means that you won't have to worry too much about stuffing it full of content, twists and turns and various plot devices to keep the player hooked, it's easier to make from a developer/writer perspective.

There are a lot of different types of isekai, I assume that when you talk "litRPG" you are talking about things like the spider, slime, log horizon and Overlord light novels/anime where some or all characters are cognizant of status, spells, debuffs and so on in a RPG and number-like manner. The alternative is something like Grimgar where while it's still an isekai, the characters themselves don't conceptualize the world around them with numbers and special status, they are more like normal humans that don't have a game interface.

Being an ero game you also have to worry about the erotic content, from what I could gather your game will have corruption, milf and harem right? Oh and I'm not bashing your game or anything, I just want you to go on and think about it more and expose more of the game for us here.

 

[osanaiko]

keep in mind that if this is your first project you need to aim a bit low so you don't overwhelm yourself.

These words should the carved above the doorway to this gods-forsaken realm . "Speak 'I will restrict scope' and Enter".

 

[mrbigchungus]

Thanks for the replies, both of you; seems like it sounds okay to start at least, that's good

Actually, I did some thinking after reading about a game here that went from "sandbox," to "visual novel," and then considered the scope...it'll take me 2 months (realistically then 4 because it's software) to do all the things I had in mind for the sandbox.

Then, that ignores a ton of story, scenes, other pieces that *could* be developed with those man hours.

Yep, scope -> shrunk now, in my head anyway.

Regarding story, I'm thinking "Man falls in a hole," ala Kurt Vonnegut, where his simplistic description of "everyman," goes about his life, bad thing happens, leads to a "fall," and then the rest of the plot is spent with the protagonist digging themselves out, after a fashion. There was a batman movie that did this well, where he literally ended up in a hole with a broken back, etc.

The overall arc will be "hero's journey," with similar steps - call to adventure, acceptance of the call, transition to magical world, etc - those are the first act, and includes establishing Chad in his new home on the Island village of ..."X." He'll meet the other characters, discover there's more going on than appears at first glance in the village, where there will be plenty of story development to learn why things are the way they are, and how that will help (or hinder) Chad's progress toward his goal of defeating BUG (Big Unholy Goober).

More story updates as I work through the plot. At present, I'm finalizing the look & feel of a lot of things to ensure it's all beautiful.

Attached, presenting "v1," of "MC," whom will have a new name, etc. Unless you go default, then Chad McBadass it is

 

[Hentai_Kishi]

Actually, I did some thinking after reading about a game here that went from "sandbox," to "visual novel," and then considered the scope...it'll take me 2 months (realistically then 4 because it's software) to do all the things I had in mind for the sandbox.

A visual novel with some choices and some simple combat system could be ideal for your game, keep in mind that making a game with considerable content takes some time, the time span of 2-4 months is actually a small one as far as polished indie development goes, there are both erotic and non-erotic simple games that take 1 Year+ to make, you have to account for many things and sometimes what you have planned in your head won't work in the game, even story revisions can mean added time in your development journey. All that being said I don't want to persuade you out of it, making a game is a joyful path if you like to create things.

A tip: try to do the bulk of your story and scenes first so you don't have to render/draw things again if you change your mind.

 

[mrbigchungus]

> A visual novel with some choices and some simple combat system could be ideal for your game

Bingo, that's exactly where I landed (in my head, anyway)

I wanted to share a quick snapshot now that I have it (mostly?) together of the three apprentices, clothed in their "educational," costumes. Left to right, we have

• Stock genesis 8
• Custom model #1
• Custom model #2
• Custom model #3

Thoughts about the three custom models? I think they're cute.

 

[mrbigchungus]

Chad McBadass with schlongus equipped lolz.

Want to know what an awkward convo sounds like? Telling my fiancé "Shopping for a penis is tough," ha ha ha ha.

 

[mrbigchungus]

The MILFs of the cast...left to right (daz model names, not character names, char names tbd):

• Emiyo, the shop keeper in the game
• Myrina, librarian
• Elizabeth, tavern keeper
• Alessandra, the fitness instructor

I think I might swap out the hair / model for the Alessandra fitness instructor figure...she's kind of a boner kill to me. Wut do ya'll think?

 

[mrbigchungus]

Messenger fairies! You know, without smartphones, it's going to be hard to keep in touch with people without...walking all the way over to their place & saying something. Thanks to these lovely ladies, in-game my plan is to use them to pass messages back & forth (maybe more?).

 

[mrbigchungus]

Ya, that last model on the end before was...a major boner kill. Scary. And, not really somebody who I'd personally stop to chat with, I'd probably assume bad things about how they treat small animals & just leave, quickly.

The newer collection of milfs for the game

Also did a lot of story planning, bounced ideas off a few people and got my partner on board with the concept. It's gonna be lit.

Fairy magic. Transportation to a new world. Lots of animated fairy action with them flying & using magic...I think. Hopefully I can pull it off.

A bit more thoughts now on the story, since I have a better / more solid vision of things that I thought I'd share below.

Why does MC get transported to the new world? Fairies arrive at his place, interrupt the game he was just starting, called Magical Restart, and then he chases the fairy. Then another appears, finally a third, and each time, he gets spinkled with pixie dust, teased and flirted with - while getting pelted with questions & following their glowing forms deeper into a wooded place near Chad's home.

After that, head spinning, Chad McBadass agrees to help the fairies in their struggle against the Evil Ones, who are hell bent on remaking the entire universe as their own plaything. Only Fairy Magic can stand up to the Evil Ones...or so they thought, until the fairies found Chad McBadass. He's got the Spark, that makes him the Chosen One to be the first human to learn Fairy Magic, and fight by their side against the tyranny of the Evil Ones.

The fairies have their own secrets, of course, and after Chad arrives in the Ilse of Carthun, the fairies begin his Training Montage. By the end, the fairies have tricked / cajoled other people to also be transported to the island village, and help in various ways their overarching goal of defeating the Evil Ones.

First act, more or less, would close with the milestone where Chad McBadass has become the Master of Magic the fairies always knew he could. Then they tell him: he can't win with just the other villagers at his side, he'll need to train other humans, three apprentices. The fairies explain how only by combining their powers, can Chad hope to triumph against the Evil Ones with the Good Fairies by his side.

 

[mrbigchungus]

I've been reading a metric ton of reviews about various games on the site here. Based on those, I've been thinking about how to ensure the complete experience is awesome.

Sound effects seem like a great way to do that; lots of games have quality visuals, animations...not every game has a nice sound track, or special sounds for various scenes.

*But*...have you ever spent a morning listening to various orgasm sounds and trying to find a "good" one? ha ha ha. Sure, some of the sounds are hawt, but some are just cringe. Recording quality varies. Extraneous sounds (rubbing blankets, random thump sounds, excessive breathing into the mic that ruins audio quality)...these happen a *lot* in the many recordings I've listened to.

Resources I'm leveraging to research the sound of female orgasms & pleasure include freesound.org, and now I've been listening to

You must be registered to see the links

to see if they have good stuff. More than a few are just...not hot. Some are breathing so much, so heavy & so fast...if that was actual sex, they'd hyperventilate & pass out, I'm certain.

Other than those websites, do you have a favorite place to score quality female pleasure sounds? Hook a brother up

 

[mrbigchungus]

Tweaked, edited the apprentice characters; wasn't happy with one of them, wanted to see how a different hairstyle would work out (there's a bit too much noise in the pony tail style for me to love the look). This is improved, I think; is it final?

Hmmm.

 

[osanaiko]

I've been reading a metric ton of reviews about various games on the site here. Based on those, I've been thinking about how to ensure the complete experience is awesome.

Sound effects seem like a great way to do that; lots of games have quality visuals, animations...not every game has a nice sound track, or special sounds for various scenes.

*But*...have you ever spent a morning listening to various orgasm sounds and trying to find a "good" one? ha ha ha. Sure, some of the sounds are hawt, but some are just cringe. Recording quality varies. Extraneous sounds (rubbing blankets, random thump sounds, excessive breathing into the mic that ruins audio quality)...these happen a *lot* in the many recordings I've listened to.

Resources I'm leveraging to research the sound of female orgasms & pleasure include freesound.org, and now I've been listening to

You must be registered to see the links

to see if they have good stuff. More than a few are just...not hot. Some are breathing so much, so heavy & so fast...if that was actual sex, they'd hyperventilate & pass out, I'm certain.

Other than those websites, do you have a favorite place to score quality female pleasure sounds? Hook a brother up

One aspect to keep in mind that I find particularly annoying about audio samples in games is that if you use various disparate sources, the variation in actor voice / sound environment (mic transfer function/ reverb and room effects) / background noise will be very obvious. Even if individually those samples are not plagued by the issues you already called out above, the inconsistency between them is very jarring and does not leave the player with a sense of immersion.

The only real way to solve that I know of is to get a set of sounds all recorded from one actor/processed by one sound engineer. Exactly where you can get such a set without spending all the monies.... probably best bet is to steal from an existing game (i.e. some japanese H game) and hope the original publisher won't notice and/or won't bother to cease'n'desist you. Or maybe find one specific e-girl's extended masturbation video and snip out the various moans and sighs, so they all have consistent source/environment/processing quality.

tl;dr sexy sounds are even harder to get right than you might think.

 

[mrbigchungus]

osanaiko thanks again for your thoughts, I really appreciate it. Seems like my idea to start rambling here about what I'm up to before I go too far was a smart move I like feedback, helps me think things through.

> tl;dr sexy sounds are even harder to get right than you might think.

I've got a relative in the music business The things he explains, I never understand. I know I'll never be an audio engineer. After starting this, I have more empathy for people who work in that field. It's complicated.

Easily could be I'm doing it all wrong, or not going to use the work, but here's what I'm doing with the audio I have so far for the sexy bits.

• First, I grab the sound file from source (orgasm library above, or other with Creative Commons appropriate license, since to your point, this is expensive, and I don't have all the monies)
• Second, I've reviewed those and only picking for use in game the ones with a "quiet," track - eg, when the mixing is done for the sexy bit, was everything recorded? Backgrounds, sheets, birds, soft music? Or was it a professionally done recording with the voice clear, and the rest blissful silence? Those ones, with the "silence," in between the sexy moans, you can really tell - more than a few I thought "hey, this might be...brrrrr" goes the toy / vibrator, and unless the sexy scene has a helicopter in the background, that won't work.
• Now that I've got a good sample, adjusting the speed is important - sometimes, the moans have too much white space, and need to be accelerated.
• However - the pitch will go up as speed goes up, so that needs adjusting, to ensure it doesn't sound funny - at the high end, it'll sound "tinny," and at the low end, too masculine or just...shudder. Cringe.
• Amplification is another since sometimes, the moans & sounds are great but...sadly, far too quiet. Then when the sound gets layered in (music is one track; sound effect is the second track) if it's not loud enough, it won't even become noticeable to the player.
• Last, after all that, if the sound is good, I may use it. To your point about everything sounding the same, I'm planning on having the pitch adjustment on each for the target character, which then ensures if they moan, in various ways, it's always on the same key.

I'm still in what I'd call "assemble the legos," mode, where I feel like characters, scenes, outfits, sounds, music = those are all lego bricks, once I have a good sound, a good costume + color, a good character + morph. Then once those pieces are well established, I can start pushing them together to build the structure.

At first, I thought I could use a smattering of sexy sounds, but then the more I listened, the more I realized, I'll need at least one "sound," per character - pitch, in particular, should be the same regardless of *how* the moaning is done, so the voices sound like they are in fact all from the same person. Nothing could be worse, I think, than if the main character kisses a love interest, and each time, she's moaning in a different key.

Unless she was possessed by demons, then sure, it makes sense. Otherwise? Ugh. I think I listened to somewhere around 300+ orgasm sounds between yesterday and the day before...I had to stop, with 15 basic sounds, and then the pitch / speed adjustments, I've got over 20. There are only 10 female characters so far, and the sexy times with them won't be super fast, but I want to be prepared, and I'll probably assemble another 10-20 just to make sure I have enough that sound good and cover most of the bases.

 

[mrbigchungus]

And, yet another change on the apprentices; this time, I swapped the "Delphi," hair from the redhead, put it onto the blonde in blue, and then gave her the braided hair style the blonde in blue previously wore (above in this thread).

Closer, I think - something about the blonde with the braided style didn't sit right with me. Now, I'm digging it a lot more. Though of course, even after the last round of MILF changes the other day, I have at least one or more changes I keep thinking about, so those will need edits.

How do the other developers decide "Ya, she's the one?" Damn. There's a lot of decisions to be made here.

 

[mrbigchungus]

Another trip around the daz shop, got a few new hair styles. I've noticed if I'm not 100% happy with things, I keep adjusting the dials, and thinking, "What would make this look amazing?"

I'm happy with what I'm pulling together but wow. Takes a lot of experimenting & tweaking to get a look that's hawt, too many products I've thought, "Oh, that would look nice," then find out, "Meh." Or other issues.

Sound wise, I've got music tracks, naughty sounds, next up is "grounding," sounds for specific events that need something over the top, as well as the magic spells. Every spell will have a special effect (visual) and sound (audible). I've already had a "wow," experience messing around with crafting the prologue that pleased me. Still tons to do.

 

[mrbigchungus]

Okay, now I'm happy? I think? She's like a young Geena Davis now ha ha.

Then there's one of the milfs, who I wasn't happy with. now I'm much happier

Now that it's (mostly) all settled, I can continue with the last few sounds I need before I can really get started. Woot woot! This is pretty fun.

 

[mrbigchungus]

When I have free time, I'm continuing to work on this, though last night was weird. Dreaming about the game in progress and since I have so many ideas, wanted to share what I'm doing here in case people want to read

(maybe that was why I dreamed about it? lol).

First, I'm mapping the overall story to the Hero's Journey, it's more or less the boiler plate for all things "fantasy novel," which was the genesis for the concept in the first place. Then, because the category LitRPG does rely on a heavy dose of nostalgia & media references, I'm trying to ensure that you get 'vibes,' from those relevant media experiences as you play.

Of course, if you haven't seen (movie), read (book), or (another movie), or (other movie), then you won't get those vibes. In books, when references like that are used, the scene can fall flat - aiming not to do that.

There's the "call to adventure,", which I've included. Next step is "Crossing the threshold," which I'm working through now. At some point of course, I'll have things available for people to try out. Though that seems far away now, I think early June is fair given my workload, and my vision for the demo of the game.

If you have ideas, thoughts, or anything shout 'em out; in particular, the renders of the characters above...what's good? What's terrible? Etc.

 

[antonio1508]

Messenger fairies! You know, without smartphones, it's going to be hard to keep in touch with people without...walking all the way over to their place & saying something. Thanks to these lovely ladies, in-game my plan is to use them to pass messages back & forth (maybe more?).

Oh yeah more should be appreciated grab them and have fun with their tiny body.

 

[mrbigchungus]

Thanks for the enthusiasm, antonio1508 I appreciate it.
> grab them and have fun
Ah...sounds like The Spellbook, or perhaps Long Live the Princess - they both have action with a tiny fairy in the game

Since those are both well known, and well done, I'm trying to avoid copying other people's awesome work. In other words, most likely, that kind of scene won't be in game.

Also, the daz models when shrunken (at least the gen 3 I'm using for the fairies) look terrible; regular size without adjusting the parameter they look fine. Perhaps something to do with the level of detail that gets rendered, not sure.

More notes on Magical Restart, progress from the last bit;

I'm using the 3 act version of Hero's Journey to plot out the prologue / initial build. In the development version, I've got the following steps so far:

1. Ordinary world
2. Call to Adventure
3. Refusal of The Call (optional)
4. Meeting the mentor
5. Crossing the Threshold <- am here right now in the current scene in progress.
6. Tests, Allies, Enemies (longest chunk; akin to 'act 2' in a three act play / structure)
7. Approach to the Inmost Cave
8. Ordeal
9. Reward
10. The Road Back
11. Resurrection
12. Return with the Elixir

Before I start shipping anything publicly, I'm going to "speed run," the MC through the entire structure, which then based on some books & book series, the cycle simply starts anew at that point. However, the second time through the journey, MC has skills, abilities, and experience they lacked that first time - a good metaphor was the Playstation game Journey, which was based on the cycle, and the second time through, you had costume details that showed where the character had been along the way, effectively.

If you got feedback on any tweaks to the models above, the longer it's been since I changed things up, the happier I am, at least. The earlier ones shown here (and I have more on my computer) weren't nearly as awesome, but personally, I'd bang the lot