Ren'Py The Minerva Project [Development Thread]
- Thread starter probably_dave
- Start date
- Jun 3, 2017
- 133
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I find the expressions significantly better and feel much more natural compared to the G8 versions.
Before, you could never set a slider on any pack to 100% as they would feel over-exaggerated and just off.
Now however, setting to 100% still feels natural and perfectly usable.
Going forward, I'll still probably use the old method of setting to a reasonable value (usually between 50 and 75%) and then adjusting the rest manually. This is mainly so you don't accidently repeat the exact same expression. However, I do see this being much easier with the new face control tools available (selecting specific parts, adding dimples, etc).
For the new PBR Skins, I did notice a difference (it sort of gets hidden when rendering in black and white though). In general, it made the characters feel more vibrant and natural vs the old skins. I haven't really tested this with different lighting, but plan to over the next few days.
The biggest pain when doing the transfers was that the Torso in G8 has been split to Body and Head. This means that, although loading G8 materials work fine, you can't easily copy one material from one character to another. Luckily, I was able to replicate nearly all the materials I had, however, with SkinBuilder not being available for 8.1 yet, some of the finer details I couldn't add yet.
Another of the main downsides is that a lot of the utilities check for G8 models before applying and therefore wouldn't work (I expect there will be updates in the coming days/weeks). If I'd known this beforehand, I may've waited. I think I've managed to get around most of these limitations however (except for SkinBuilder). For example, Fit Control no longer works, however, you can fit the clothes to a basic G8 model, add the morphs and then fit to the G8.1 model and it'll keep the morphs. Luckily, this means I can still render but just adds to the time needed.
It's worth noting, that I only really had these two issues. All other aspects like applying body morphs, poses, clothes and hair worked perfectly fine.
- Jun 3, 2017
- 133
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So today is the end of the month and the first milestone for the game. I’m pleased to say, I’m currently ahead of schedule and that has allowed me to focus on some of the refinement of different scenes. I’ll post a full status update tomorrow, however today, I want to focus on one of the scenes I’ve been struggling with since the begging.
Apologies for the length, but I wanted to provide the full details of the problem, along with my train of thought when trying to resolve it. I've split it in various parts to save the amount of scrolling it will cause
And below is the end result. I've included the new versions of the 3 ones outlined at the beginning along and an extra one to show what I meant around the characters interacting. I've also included the storyboard for the scene as I don't think it will spoil any part of the game as we are talking about the second scene after all. Hopefully this will give you a general idea of the feel I was going for, even without the dialog
Overall, I now feel comfortable with the scene as, for me, it gives the feel that I was looking for while the previous ones lacked this kind of intimacy. I might still make minor tweaks in the future, but for now, I can fully concentrate on creating more scenes
Apologies for the length, but I wanted to provide the full details of the problem, along with my train of thought when trying to resolve it. I've split it in various parts to save the amount of scrolling it will cause
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And below is the end result. I've included the new versions of the 3 ones outlined at the beginning along and an extra one to show what I meant around the characters interacting. I've also included the storyboard for the scene as I don't think it will spoil any part of the game as we are talking about the second scene after all. Hopefully this will give you a general idea of the feel I was going for, even without the dialog
Overall, I now feel comfortable with the scene as, for me, it gives the feel that I was looking for while the previous ones lacked this kind of intimacy. I might still make minor tweaks in the future, but for now, I can fully concentrate on creating more scenes
- Jun 3, 2017
- 133
- 363
- Jun 3, 2017
- 133
- 363
End of Month Update
So, the first month of development has been completed, and I’m pleased to say all is going well and the development is still on track for a Tech Demo at the end of March with the first version release at the end of June.
This first month has mainly been focused on the fundamental engine of the game, which unfortunately means there’s very little screenshots of the actual game to show (unless you’re interested in a lot of numbers on the screen).
However, the intro renders have now been completed (minus the tutorials). The full intro will be present in the tech demo to give you a fuller idea of the plot of the game along with the mechanics. This takes the MC from their starting life, to getting the AI implant and then the first day as Mayor of Minerva, introducing each character and explaining the mechanics along the way. There will be a few choices along the way with these impacting the starting skills for the MC as well as the starting point for some relationships. There’s also one Game Over that would be possible for the player’s who decide to ignore the MC’s ‘warnings’.
On the game mechanics front, the map and building system is complete allowing different parts of the map to open up or different buildings to be built. This allows players to place new buildings and roads while the map system allows for specialized areas for unique buildings.
The Trade system is also complete which is based on supply and demand. This is one of the fundamental systems in the game, as this entirely defines how you build you village. If the cost of bricks goes up, so will your building costs. In addition, the system also applied for electricity, water and people. If the village next door is providing better wages and a better quality of life, your villagers will move out.
Finally, the event system is built which allows me to trigger events based on what the MC is doing or specific times (the calendar system is also done). In addition, the event system caters for events which influence the cost of different resources. If there’s suddenly a huge surge in veganism, the price of vegetables will go up while the price of animal products will go down (you’ll also be able to influence this in the future through marketing).
These systems have all been built generically, which means, adding content to the game in the future will be simple for me, meaning I can focus on the associated events, scripts, rendering and balance rather than having to write complex code. If I want to add a new resource and/or new building, it can be done with a few lines of code and the economy will automatically adjust to take this into account.
The next development phase will be focused on the Quests, Needs and Skills systems. As with before, these will be done generically and are the final pieces of the jigsaw to allow me to start building something that will be playable.
That being said, the UX for this type of game is going to be key and work will begin on this part in February, however, the main focus of the work in March will be this aspect. As this progresses, I hope to share more and more actual screenshots of the game up until the end of March Tech demo release.
So, the first month of development has been completed, and I’m pleased to say all is going well and the development is still on track for a Tech Demo at the end of March with the first version release at the end of June.
This first month has mainly been focused on the fundamental engine of the game, which unfortunately means there’s very little screenshots of the actual game to show (unless you’re interested in a lot of numbers on the screen).
However, the intro renders have now been completed (minus the tutorials). The full intro will be present in the tech demo to give you a fuller idea of the plot of the game along with the mechanics. This takes the MC from their starting life, to getting the AI implant and then the first day as Mayor of Minerva, introducing each character and explaining the mechanics along the way. There will be a few choices along the way with these impacting the starting skills for the MC as well as the starting point for some relationships. There’s also one Game Over that would be possible for the player’s who decide to ignore the MC’s ‘warnings’.
On the game mechanics front, the map and building system is complete allowing different parts of the map to open up or different buildings to be built. This allows players to place new buildings and roads while the map system allows for specialized areas for unique buildings.
The Trade system is also complete which is based on supply and demand. This is one of the fundamental systems in the game, as this entirely defines how you build you village. If the cost of bricks goes up, so will your building costs. In addition, the system also applied for electricity, water and people. If the village next door is providing better wages and a better quality of life, your villagers will move out.
Finally, the event system is built which allows me to trigger events based on what the MC is doing or specific times (the calendar system is also done). In addition, the event system caters for events which influence the cost of different resources. If there’s suddenly a huge surge in veganism, the price of vegetables will go up while the price of animal products will go down (you’ll also be able to influence this in the future through marketing).
These systems have all been built generically, which means, adding content to the game in the future will be simple for me, meaning I can focus on the associated events, scripts, rendering and balance rather than having to write complex code. If I want to add a new resource and/or new building, it can be done with a few lines of code and the economy will automatically adjust to take this into account.
The next development phase will be focused on the Quests, Needs and Skills systems. As with before, these will be done generically and are the final pieces of the jigsaw to allow me to start building something that will be playable.
That being said, the UX for this type of game is going to be key and work will begin on this part in February, however, the main focus of the work in March will be this aspect. As this progresses, I hope to share more and more actual screenshots of the game up until the end of March Tech demo release.
- Jun 3, 2017
- 133
- 363
Thanks for following the progress.
Progress is being made, which is good, however, personal commitments has meant I haven't been able to spend as much time as I'd like on the project.
However, these have now passed, so I expect to be able to play a lot of catch up in the coming weeks.
It does mean there will be a slight delay from the end of March I was initially hoping for. This means I'm now targeting April 16th for the Tech Demo release.
The good news however, is I expect to include more of the plotline than I initially planned in this release. It means it will feel more like a game than just a Tech Demo. Also, I've completed a lot of the base coding for the game mechanics. This will make adding content significantly easier going forward.
I'll be providing a full update on where I am over the weekend along with what features will be present in the demo. I will be looking to provide weekly updates going forward as well, as there's a few mechanical changes that I've made that I feel will improve the overall gameplay.
- Jun 3, 2017
- 133
- 363
No problem at all hiya and sorry for the lack of updates.
The main reason for this is because over the past two weeks, I've been revisiting some of the introduction renders and realized, I wasn't overall happy with the quality and how fleshed out the introduction was.
I've spent the last two weeks fully redoing this part to give it more substance and I'm about half way through this process. This means I also have to change my initial planned release schedule. I do still plan on having a version released by end of June, however, it means I'll be skipping the Tech Demo part so I can fully focus on getting all content for the first release.
This release will include about two weeks of gameplay and will cover the introduction, tutorial, the basic levels of the key buildings along with the starting points for a fair few character arcs. At the end of the two weeks, there will also be a new event which will help to kick start the game fully (as the first two weeks will mainly be about getting used to the how the game works).
I've attached a few renders below to give you an idea and show some of the progress made. Please note, these are raw and I haven't completed the post-processing on them.
- Jun 3, 2017
- 133
- 363
Hi everyone,
Firstly, let me apologize for the lack of updates. It’s been a bit of a crazy few months; however, I still have been making progress with the game. As we approach the end of June, start of July, I should be providing updates more often until the first release (see below).
Also, my new PC has arrived, and this should drastically speed up the setup time for each scene. This means I can now hit out between 10 and 30 renders per day (effectively doubling my previous output) depending on the complexity of the scene. It did take a while to transfer everything and get work through the kinks of transferring things using Daz, but now everything is in place.
The expectation now is I should have the first version ready for the test release at the end of June/start of July. This will initially be released on this thread for a few months, and I will be reaching out to find some assistance on testing and proof-reading during this time before the releasing on the main game thread.
I’ve also nailed down the scope of this release. It will be the first season of gameplay (consisting of 29 days) as the prime content; however, you’ll still be able to continue playing after this to complete any other quests but there will be no main plotline during this time.
Below lists out what it will contain:
Storyline:
The aim is that this will give the player plenty to do during the first season with some carry over into the second. Probably by the middle of the second season, the player will run out of things to do apart from managing the village.
There will be a very limited amount of sex scenes for the first release (apart from 1 character, where there will be a fair few scene available). This is intentional, as the game will require effort to open these up and not offer them on a plate right from the beginning. However, there still will be some ‘sexy’ scenes with some of the characters.
Firstly, let me apologize for the lack of updates. It’s been a bit of a crazy few months; however, I still have been making progress with the game. As we approach the end of June, start of July, I should be providing updates more often until the first release (see below).
Also, my new PC has arrived, and this should drastically speed up the setup time for each scene. This means I can now hit out between 10 and 30 renders per day (effectively doubling my previous output) depending on the complexity of the scene. It did take a while to transfer everything and get work through the kinks of transferring things using Daz, but now everything is in place.
The expectation now is I should have the first version ready for the test release at the end of June/start of July. This will initially be released on this thread for a few months, and I will be reaching out to find some assistance on testing and proof-reading during this time before the releasing on the main game thread.
I’ve also nailed down the scope of this release. It will be the first season of gameplay (consisting of 29 days) as the prime content; however, you’ll still be able to continue playing after this to complete any other quests but there will be no main plotline during this time.
Below lists out what it will contain:
Storyline:
- Prologue to understand how the MC got the AI and became Mayor of Minerva
- Tutorial on game mechanics
- Opening of the Park/Welcome to the New Mayor quest for the major event on day 29
- Mayor’s house: 5 Characters
- Emergency Services: 4 Characters
- Building Yard: 1 Character
- Farm: 1 Character
- General Shop: 2 Characters
- Clothes Shop: 2 Characters
- Diner: 2 Characters
- Trading Centre: 1 Character
- Utility Centre: 1 Character
- Bakery: 1 Character
- Train Station: 1 Character
- Housing
- Park: 1 Characters
- Small Produce Factory: 1 Character
- Housing
- Centre, Farmland, Suburb
The aim is that this will give the player plenty to do during the first season with some carry over into the second. Probably by the middle of the second season, the player will run out of things to do apart from managing the village.
There will be a very limited amount of sex scenes for the first release (apart from 1 character, where there will be a fair few scene available). This is intentional, as the game will require effort to open these up and not offer them on a plate right from the beginning. However, there still will be some ‘sexy’ scenes with some of the characters.
- Jun 3, 2017
- 133
- 363
A quick update on one of the things I've been doing over the past month.
From some of the earlier renders, you might've noticed that Jane's skin looks a bit off and is has a different look to the other characters.
I've spent some time resolving this and making her look a bit more appealing. I currently am not planning on changing the previous scenes with her as the changes are more subtle and mainly occur in different lighting, but may do in the future (likely after the first release). Hopefully, these subtle differences will make the character more appealing.
From some of the earlier renders, you might've noticed that Jane's skin looks a bit off and is has a different look to the other characters.
I've spent some time resolving this and making her look a bit more appealing. I currently am not planning on changing the previous scenes with her as the changes are more subtle and mainly occur in different lighting, but may do in the future (likely after the first release). Hopefully, these subtle differences will make the character more appealing.
- Jun 3, 2017
- 133
- 363
- Dec 19, 2019
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- Jul 4, 2017
- 2,477
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probably_dave
This looks fantastic. I can't believe I didn't see the game development thread until today. Very much looking forward to seeing your first release!
This looks fantastic. I can't believe I didn't see the game development thread until today. Very much looking forward to seeing your first release!
- Jun 3, 2017
- 133
- 363
Thanks for the feedback. It's a bit of a relief as I was worried I'd have to redo that scene to lighten it up a bit.
Thanks for the feedback, hopefully the first release won't disappoint.
I should be posting more often in June, as we're approaching the first test release (currently looking like mid-July).
I'm currently expanding one of the scenes from the prologue as it's the main 'game-changing' scene for the MC. Also wondering if "body washing in a bio-suit with some leather straps" is a valid fetish tag
- Jun 3, 2017
- 133
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Hi Hiya02,Hello, I hope you have still kept working on this, despite the summer
Yes, I'm still working on the game nearly every day. I've been meaning to post an update on the current progress and I'll be doing this in the coming days. In short, the coding is pretty much complete for the first release, however, right now, the rendering of the different scenes is taking a lot of time.
During this time, if re-worked nearly all areas and places within the game as I felt the previous ones looked sparse. Now, they have a much more unique and natural.
I've included a few renders (very quick post work on them)
Also, we now have twins
There's a month left before my planned initial test release. For this, I'm may have to cut it back to only include the prologue (which is about 1000 renders) as I'm not sure I'll be able to complete all the items that I need on my list for the first season. However, I'll see where I am in two weeks and make a decision then. If I can add enough to the first season so there's enough for the player to do, I may include but not sure yet.
- Jun 3, 2017
- 133
- 363
Hi Everyone,
Unfortunately, I've decided to ass an additional delay to the original test release. I was originally thinking about providing the prologue as the first release, however, this won't give a proper impression of the game (as the prologue follows more of a VN style). I'm now looking at a end of September initial release. This should give me sufficient time to ensure the game is at a level that I'm happy with.
However, I'd like to give you some background of what I'm doing and the cause for this delay.
Initially, when I started this game, I had only a limited experience with Daz. Now, having being rendering nearly constantly over the past 7 months, my skill and experience in rendering has increase and also the how I'd like the look and feel of the game is also more defined. This means I'm no longer happy with the previous scenes I created when I first started.
As an example, I'd like to use the Medical Centre scenes.
The Medical centre is one of the areas the player will visit following the prologue, so basically the first place when the game starts properly. This means it was one of the first environments and scenes that I created.
Below are 3 of the renders previously shared from these scenes:
Agatha: the Receptionist
Aaliyah: The Doctor
The Reception:
Now, the problems I have with these renders is more than just learning more about lighting. For some specifics:
The characters:
Agatha the Receptionist:
I've never been overly happy with this character. I've always felt that something felt off with her face and the hair I've never been keen on.
Aaliyah the Doctor:
With Aaliyah, I don't mind the model too much. However, the character model does not match the plotline that I have for her. Unfortunately, the model looks a bit too old for my plans for her. In addition, the clothing she's wearing is really awkward to use and makes it difficult to create good scenes with her involved.
For both these characters, my main problem has been I don't find them that attractive and therefore, as a player, I wouldn't really be fussed about perusing them. Of course, everyone has different tastes, but felt these would be some of the weakest ones.
The Environment:
From the above renders, you can see that the environment is fairly sparse. Although I covered most walls, etc. if you've even been in a doctors surgery, it's rarely this empty and usually there's a lot more 'stuff' around. Having the scenes so sparse, it made me get the impression of a private specialist doctors surgery rather than a community surgery. Therefore, I decided to redo this environment to give it a more cramped and busy feel.
Now before making these changes, I could've decided to keep it as it is and fix it as a later date. However, I want to be in a position where, once I've done the initial release, I can release new versions fairly quickly. To do this, I don't want to have to redo environments/characters so getting these right on the first release is key to allowing me to do this. That's the prime reason why I decided to push the initial release.
This is just one example, however, a lot of the initial scenes that I created needed this type of rework to ensure that I'm happy. Now, I know that over the next 7 months, I'll look back at some of the scenes I'm creating today and be annoyed, however, the differences should be less than what it is currently.
Below are the updated versions of the above renders.
Hopefully, using this extra time to ensure I have everything I need to efficiently render future scenes should mean I can provide a consistent release schedule going forward.
Unfortunately, I've decided to ass an additional delay to the original test release. I was originally thinking about providing the prologue as the first release, however, this won't give a proper impression of the game (as the prologue follows more of a VN style). I'm now looking at a end of September initial release. This should give me sufficient time to ensure the game is at a level that I'm happy with.
However, I'd like to give you some background of what I'm doing and the cause for this delay.
Initially, when I started this game, I had only a limited experience with Daz. Now, having being rendering nearly constantly over the past 7 months, my skill and experience in rendering has increase and also the how I'd like the look and feel of the game is also more defined. This means I'm no longer happy with the previous scenes I created when I first started.
As an example, I'd like to use the Medical Centre scenes.
The Medical centre is one of the areas the player will visit following the prologue, so basically the first place when the game starts properly. This means it was one of the first environments and scenes that I created.
Below are 3 of the renders previously shared from these scenes:
Agatha: the Receptionist
Aaliyah: The Doctor
The Reception:
Now, the problems I have with these renders is more than just learning more about lighting. For some specifics:
The characters:
Agatha the Receptionist:
I've never been overly happy with this character. I've always felt that something felt off with her face and the hair I've never been keen on.
Aaliyah the Doctor:
With Aaliyah, I don't mind the model too much. However, the character model does not match the plotline that I have for her. Unfortunately, the model looks a bit too old for my plans for her. In addition, the clothing she's wearing is really awkward to use and makes it difficult to create good scenes with her involved.
For both these characters, my main problem has been I don't find them that attractive and therefore, as a player, I wouldn't really be fussed about perusing them. Of course, everyone has different tastes, but felt these would be some of the weakest ones.
The Environment:
From the above renders, you can see that the environment is fairly sparse. Although I covered most walls, etc. if you've even been in a doctors surgery, it's rarely this empty and usually there's a lot more 'stuff' around. Having the scenes so sparse, it made me get the impression of a private specialist doctors surgery rather than a community surgery. Therefore, I decided to redo this environment to give it a more cramped and busy feel.
Now before making these changes, I could've decided to keep it as it is and fix it as a later date. However, I want to be in a position where, once I've done the initial release, I can release new versions fairly quickly. To do this, I don't want to have to redo environments/characters so getting these right on the first release is key to allowing me to do this. That's the prime reason why I decided to push the initial release.
This is just one example, however, a lot of the initial scenes that I created needed this type of rework to ensure that I'm happy. Now, I know that over the next 7 months, I'll look back at some of the scenes I'm creating today and be annoyed, however, the differences should be less than what it is currently.
Below are the updated versions of the above renders.
Hopefully, using this extra time to ensure I have everything I need to efficiently render future scenes should mean I can provide a consistent release schedule going forward.
- Jul 4, 2017
- 2,477
- 4,475
probably_dave - delays happen, and at this stage the most important thing is that you feel happy and motivated to keep on your project and push for the first release. Obviously you now feel the true weight of doing a large game project.
In the longer term, balancing your self-criticism (to keep the standard of quality high) with the benefits of community feedback and encouragement by making regular releases is key to keeping a project progressing.
Those new renders and characters definitely look better than before. In my opinion the receptionist looked like a trans-woman before,.
Good luck and super looking forward to see your release in a few months!
In the longer term, balancing your self-criticism (to keep the standard of quality high) with the benefits of community feedback and encouragement by making regular releases is key to keeping a project progressing.
Those new renders and characters definitely look better than before. In my opinion the receptionist looked like a trans-woman before,
.Good luck and super looking forward to see your release in a few months!
- Oct 14, 2019
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- 98
Sorry to hear that dev is slowing down... Personally, the old doc certainly looked better, but at least the receptionist has improved a lot! It is very refreshing to see someone trying to pull off a game that aims beyond the traditional 18 yo docs -style.
I will still be watching this and I am hopeful that some day, we'll eventually get to see the demo release. Keep up the good work!
.I will still be watching this and I am hopeful that some day, we'll eventually get to see the demo release. Keep up the good work!