FreshmenVN
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Game Update #13
🕑 Added 2022-08-01 21:25:30 +0000 UTCAugust has arrived, and I've got a progress report to share! If you're dealing with heatwaves like I am, let's try to distract ourselves with news of hot content that's a little more fun ;)
The biggest news today is that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, I am planning to release the next game update this week to Juniors and Seniors, with Sophomores getting the new release a week later!
I mentioned previously that the big limiting factor in how quickly this release would go out was how quickly I could create the art. There will be over 50 new CGs in this next update, and I hit a few snags while making them, which I'll detail more below. I'll also be discussing the pre-production I've done for the release following this one. It's a lot of info to share, so let's get into it!
Script
Version 0.1.3 - Matt & Leo's Apartment
The script for this next release hasn't changed much since the last update. It was written and ready early last month. However, I used the downtime when images were being rendered to replay the game several times. I specifically followed the variations of Matt's story path to make sure everything's flowing well regardless of what choices you make. I've made some adjustments to the final script accordingly, and I think this has shaped up to be a solid bit of writing.
Version 0.1.4 - The Frat Party
I've also gone into full pre-production mode on the script for the frat party release since it's gonna be a whole lot of writing. In this section of the game, we've got six characters with individual storylines that can weave in and out of each other, and also a solo path for players who don't want to hang with one of the main guys.
Here's the flowchart for the party, minus the solo portion:
What this image doesn't show are the two potential hookups that will be in this release. (You can see the flowchart for one of them in the last update. The second hookup is under wraps for now.)
This flowchart is putting into action how I plan to handle parallel storylines going forward. The yellow boxes in the middle are the anchor points that all of the storylines connect to. These also act as points where you can diverge from which storyline you started the party with and swap to another, if you feel so inclined.
The dark green, purple, orange, and fuchsia storylines at the top and bottom follow the characters who have full romance paths. The red and light green storylines in the middle are for the characters that are non-romanceable, but you can see they are still very much apart of the evening. Rather than these characters being minimized to "just" potential hookups, they actually have their own mini stories while also appearing in the bigger storylines at different points in the evening.
This may seem like a very tangled weave, but planning ahead like this means I can dive into drafting the script without immediately being overwhelmed!
Lastly, the frat party release will include a bunch of new characters! This wouldn't be much of a party without any attendees, so I sat down and created 14 new 21CA students to interact with. One is a main side character who's been mentioned in Matt and Riley's hangouts: Victoria, the director for the school play. The majority of the other characters are minor side characters who can pop up from time to time throughout the game. This game is a bit of a sausage fest by design, but I've added some ladies for characters like Dominic to meet, as well as some actor frat guys and a few more members of Dorm Wilde.
Yes, Dorm Wilde has more than just five guys and an RA! :) Again, these won't be main characters, but they'll serve to help make the dorm feel more alive.
Art
Version 0.1.3 - Matt & Leo's Apartment
This has been a BIG update when it comes to art. (The V0.1.3 section here is a little spoiler-y for story content, so proceed with caution!)
This release will include the very first opportunity to hook up, and I always intended to go all out with the sex scenes in this game. All told, this release will have 52 new CGs to unlock. Although there is only an option of one person to hook up with, I am offering different options of where it plays out and then at a certain point how it plays out, which is what the bulk of the CGs in this release are for. There are also dozens of new sprites and some new backgrounds, including an entirely new set: Leo's bedroom.
I have been very pleased with how the art has come out. I've been working hard the past year to improve the 3D art I make with each new piece, and I think these are the best images I've made yet. But as I said up top, there's been a couple snags that have made completing the art take a little longer than I'd have liked.
Snag #1 - Connor
I love my boy Connor, but his character model is hands down the most difficult one to work with. From certain angles with certain expressions and lighting, he ranges from cute to hot. But there are other angles where he looks off in a way I can't pinpoint, and it can take me a ton of tinkering to figure out how to fix it.
As an example, the last image in July's bonus gallery for Juniors & Seniors took me 1.5 hours to complete. On average, most of these in-game CGs have taken at least twice that time at minimum. A lot of this is due to reposing Connor's model, redoing the lighting, and readjusting the camera to find the illusive sweet spot of Connor's attractiveness.
Obviously Connor is and will be in a lot of art in this game, so this isn't the best problem to have. But I've really focused on figuring out his best angles this past month, so hopefully going forward the tweaking time for each CG will go down.
Snag #2 - Climactic Props
A "fun" thing about making an adult game is trying to find decent sexual props. The art style for this game is aiming for more realistic than cartoon-y, so I'm very particular about what assets I use. Unfortunately, many assets are made to work only with female character models. As a result, I'm working with limited assets of varying quality.
With this update containing the first full sex scenes in the game, I have high standards for what I want to release. Working with the various cum props has been incredibly challenging and frustrating, and this is a big part of what put me behind my ideal schedule.
I've had to do a lot of experimenting and make creative use of non-adult props, but I think I've gotten to a good place by now. Hopefully none of the frustration is apparent while playing the game!
The art for this release has been a learning experience that's driven me crazy while also being incredibly gratifying once I see the finished product. In the end I've been turned on quite a bit when working on these images—which I think is a good sign for you as a player ;)
Version 0.1.4 - The Frat Party
Most of my art creation time is going into the 0.1.3 release, but I'm also simultaneously in pre-production for the art going into 0.1.4. Beyond planning out what CGs I'll be doing, I'm also creating a whole bunch of new characters!
One of the first steps is going to be nailing down the visuals of these characters. I've been sourcing new assets for character models, clothing, and hair, while also looking through assets I already have to create these new people. So far I've got most of the ladies done. For the guys, I have a general idea of what their appearance will be and have most of their clothing assets ready to go.
I realized when coming up with these character concepts that I've played it pretty conservative looks-wise for a game that's meant to take place in an art school. I'll be branching out a little bit with clothing style for these characters. If they're memorable for anything, it may just be for how they're dressed!
I'll also say that although these are all minor characters, I am going to make sure they're hot as well, particularly the guys. Just in case at some point I feel the need to get them naked ;)
Coding
Version 0.1.3 - Matt & Leo's Apartment
Coding the game has continued to be simple for this upcoming release. I'm really just waiting for the art to be finished to make sure things like transitions, zooms, etc. are working correctly.
I've also been going back and fixing errors I noticed. For example, Matt's texts were previously misfiring, but I figured out what was causing that and it's now fixed for this release.
A little more complicated was making some changes to the gallery to account for all the new images being added soon! I now have the capability to make more than one page of images for each character. I've also changed the layout from four rows of four images to six rows of five images, and I've figured out how to present alternate versions of certain images without cluttering things up. I'm by no means a coding expert, so while this may seem like something simple, it took some researching and experimentation to pull off!
Version 0.1.4 - The Frat Party
There's no script for this portion currently, so there's nothing to code for this release just yet. But in replaying the game to check for bugs, errors, continuity, etc, I did take note of a number of different choices that should have been flagged for callbacks but which are not currently flagged.
This won't affect the upcoming release, but for the frat party release some dialogue may change depending on newly added flags. I'll be sure to let you all know when I release that update whether or not I think it's necessary to do a speed run to reselect your choices.
Sound & Music
I'm regularly asked if there will be music and sound effects added to the game. The answer is yes, but I'm focusing on writing and art for now.
But I will say that I've started sourcing music and effects that I can cheaply license for use in the game. I have a few versions of an opening menu song picked out, as well as a few songs for Skinema. I don't know when exactly I may start adding things like this, but it's certainly coming down the pipeline.
I'll also say that sonically I'm going in a synth pop direction. I have a certain aesthetic in mind for a future custom UI and menu screens, and I want music to match. Case in point: the neon drenched title image. I also have ideas for how to strategically drop music in at key points to hit a certain vibe without being overbearing. We'll see how that develops later on!
More Ways to Support
I've had some people reach out about additional ways to support the game, including suggestions like doing a Kickstarter. I don't have the reach to do something like that, but I did think about what else I could add and came up with a new Patreon tier.
The Graduate tier is the new support level at $25 USD. Currently this tier has the exact same benefits as Senior, so this is purely a tier to contribute more if you feel so inclined!
I've also had discussions with a few people about what programs I use to make this game. For the 3D renders I use a program called Daz 3D, and for August Daz is doing a referral program. If you're planning to make purchases with Daz for the first time, I have a referral link you can click to open an account:
https://www.daz3d.com/ref/15177C152B9FC25943EF
This just gives me a small store credit if someone opens a new account and spends over a certain amount. Any credit I get will go directly to purchasing more assets for the game.
Lastly, I haven't talked about socials much, but I do have a Twitter account for the game. If you want to follow me and maybe throw a like or retweet my way, I'm @FreshmenVN. (I also have an Instagram account, but right now I'm just using it to follow hot guys for... ah, let's go with research purposes!)
Now that that's all out of the way, I want to thank all of you again for being so generous and helping to make this game a reality! I've been hard at work the past month, and I'm excited to share the super hot results of all that effort very, very soon :)
Comments
Danny Nym
They're definitely a colorful bunch. I'll be doing a sneak peek to show them off pretty soon :)
E-jay35
I'm eager to see how these new characters come out. Something tells me even if they're minor characters, I'll probably love them just as much as the mains. You have a way of writing characters that just makes them so lovable. Visuals included of course. 😍😍😍
E-jay35
I agree with everything you've said, especially about your investment in a lot of the characters. This is the only VN where I actually Iike all the characters. I feel like with every update I fall more and more in love with not only the characters, but the writing as well. It has me excited to see how the story continues to unfold.
Lucid Dream
This is an exciting update, Danny! Great job! I'm a bit bummed that the person in the light green path (if that's who I think is) in the frat party scenario will not be fully romanceable (I'm too invested in some characters already hahaha. That speaks to how great your characterisation is). However, I understand, as you've mentioned, the necessity to limit the number of possible romances given how big and branching the story has already become. And it's not like he is going to fade into the background anyway so that's cool! I truly admire your writing, creativity and depth that you pour into the story and the characters. I hope you have fun developing this amazing game and I can't wait play the next update!
