infinitestars
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The Future of Infinite Stars needs your input.
🕑 Added 2022-10-19 19:47:53 +0000 UTC
The big important poll that I've been threatening you with has finally arrived. It's going to be a long one, and I ask that you to keep an open mind and not just answer emotionally. I have spent months thinking and preparing for this poll. I'm finally ready to ask for your input.
The art style for Infinite Stars has always been unique, it's one of our strenghts, but at the same time also a weakness. Zaph (our character artist) has not been available for over a year now. A few months ago, it reached the point where Zaph had a heart-to-heart with me, letting me know that he no longer wanted to pursue drawing for a living.
I had two options, find a replacement or kill the project. Thus began the frantic search for a new character artist that could replicate Zaph's unique style.
I've reached out to more than 15 different artists, all confident that they could replicate the style, and all of them not quite getting it right. I've spent a ton of money and even more time trying to find a replacement.
About two weeks ago, after another failed attempt, Anna reached out with an offer to redraw all of the sprites and outfits in her own style at a steeply discounted price. I ended up offering her slightly more than she asked for to make it worth her time.
At the same time, Zaph reached out to me again, letting me know he might be interested in continuing working on the project, and a day later, another artist sent an art piece that mimics Zaph's style so closely that it feels like Zaph drew it.
This made a difficult decision so much more difficult. I have my own feelings and opinions on how I would like to continue, but ultimately, we're in this together, and it wouldn't be fair to make the decision without your input on the matter. I'll try to be as unbiased as I can while making a pros and cons list about our options, and you are welcome to raise your own concerns and thoughts on the matter.
(Character on left by new artist)
We can continue working with Zaph and the new artist I've found.
Pros:
- We retain our unique art style.
- We don't have to redraw and recode all the sprites.
- We won't alienate any existing fans who love and adore the current style.
- Zaph still owes us 9 more characters that we've paid for.
- Zaph and I have reached a certain workflow where we 'get' each other, meaning fewer miscommunications and delays.
Cons:
- Zaph still owes us 9 more characters that we've paid for, and while I believe him when he says he will refund us, there is always a real chance that he might never do so.
- Zaph and the new artist have not played Infinite Stars, which isn't a huge deal, but still something to consider.
- We've invested in extra outfits with Miku that are still being drawn.
My thoughts and concerns about Zaph and co.:
I've worked with Zaph for a long time, and while he has been unreliable in the past, he is very talented. I'm a little concerned that since he has 'quit' once before, he could/might do so again after completing the 9 outstanding characters (or earlier). Another concern is that I have no working relationship with the new artist besides the evaluation piece she completed for us. It's not a huge issue, but it's too early to say how things will work out.
(Some of Anna's proposed redesigns, more on Discord.)
Alternatively, we can continue with Anna.
Pros:
- Anna's style leans more towards Anime, and that might be more appealing to the average visual novel consumer, meaning more patrons, more growth and ultimately, more Infinite Stars and similar projects.
- Anna is hungry for work, she is a long-standing fan of Infinite Stars, and she is very, very passionate about the project.
- Anna is local(ish). I can get in my car, drive several hours and knock on her door to force her to answer an ignored message which I can't do with Zaph.
- Anna will ultimately be more affordable in the long run.
- Anna draws the facial expressions with separate brows, allowing even MORE unique expressions than before.
- Anna works extremely fast, delivering a character with full expressions and 3 outfits every two days. She recons she can redo the whole cast in a month.
- If we pivot to a new direction, we can sell the existing art assets on the asset store, recouping some of the losses.
Cons:
- Anna's style leans more towards Anime. It's Anime. That's a con right?
- The new style might cause Infinite Stars to lose that certain charm and alienate existing fans.
- We'll have to redraw and recode all the existing character sprites (albeit at a very affordable price from Anna.)
- Anna has an unreliable internet connection and an older laptop that she's working on. (Which will change if we go ahead with her)
My thoughts and concerns about Anna:
Anna and I are still learning to work together. We're still finding our flow, and despite a few minor hiccups, she has proven herself to be very committed and reliable. She doesn't seem to have any issues going back and fixing minor issues or even redrawing entire sprites due to a misunderstanding. With Anna being local and living in ZAR instead of USD, with some out-of-pocket funding, it's possible for me to offer her a full-time contract, meaning tons and tons of art, which wouldn't be possible with Zaph or the other artist. (It will also mean I am no longer a solo dev.) Anna is also super passionate about Infinite Stars. She's been drawing Infinite Stars fan art for a while now and is very involved with our Discord community. Her anatomy style tends to be more "slender", but she has already proven that she can veer away from her default.
It's not an easy decision. Both options come with risks, and both options show great potential. My ultimate goal is the longevity of Infinite Stars. We still need tons of characters if we're going to finish Season 1, and even more so when we return to Sol in Season 2. By reading this far, you've also shown your investment and commitment of the project, and I trust that you will cast your vote after thinking it through.
I tried to address as much of the issues as possible, but some might have slipped my mind. It's late here. Forgive me.
Comments
Nathanael Dugourd
Well i need Khalil get his green eyes ;) and I love Anna's color work
uncertain_tea
I'm 100% with you there. Anna's style is definitely remarkable artistry, but it's really not what I would like to see all the time, while playing this game and I would also no longer play the game anymore. Simply put - if it was that artstyle from the beginning, I might not have ended up here at all :/
Twisted_Hatred212
Annas art style is not my favorite but living near you and quickly gaining a level of understanding with each other is good and from reading everything annas dedication and passion may give infinite stars a more promising future and a higher probability to expand and grow I do prefer Zaphs art but if he is unreliable that could jeopardize the whole project and it’s hard to work well with someone when your concerned they might bail on you at any moment
Grace
while i'll of course continue to support the game regardless, i do have some concerns about the slender-ization of the body types in the new art style, lebeny's in particular. khalil's been slimmed down too, but i'm slightly more precious about lebeny since i have a similar body type irl lmao. I also have some concerns about the similarities in posing and facial features in the new style. the body type and facial diversity was a big selling point for me initially tbh, but like I said I'll continue to support regardless!
Ray
I like both for different reasons. My issue is operational, Zaph has been prepaid for a bunch of work and still bailed to retire. Sure Zaph is back but what assurances are there that they won't retire again with more of the project's money? That's my concern. It comes down to who you trust more.
Mich
I voted for Zaph; I strongly prefer his style over the other style. I'm not a huge fan of the anime style. I generally only play games with that style if they're otome games. There's definitely some risk sticking with Zeph since he appears to be slow-moving/unreliable, but the more realistic characters definitely feel like they fit the story more (I say as one of the characters is a legit alien). Is Anna's anime style an absolute? Is she able to/willing to draw art that's more realistic/similar to the current style? That would probably be the obvious win, if she was able to do so. BUT!!! I think, if Anna's art style is pretty much anime or bust, the best option would be stick with Zaph, work on establishing a good relationship with the new artist that seems pretty capable of replicating Zaph's style, have a plan in place for if Zaph fails to follow through on his commitments with the new artist.
Runehood66
Didn't say they would be happy. I said understanding. You don't have to be happy to understand. Though i could have written that clearer. I personally don't think it should be up to the fans as this affects the game a bit too much and very much a huge business decision.Ill be happy either way, but I was just stating that from a pragmatic point of view Anna is well liked, local, and already known in the community. Maybe I'm misunderstanding but it seems they're replacing Zaph with an artist they don't know and haven't worked with.
Fileani
I love zaph's art style so much and I've voted for him & the other artist. I understand the pros and cons and of course continuing to work with Zeph is definitely a risk. But even if I think that Anna can draw absolutely wonderful, anime is not for me and it doesn't attract me at all. Which would mean that, unfortunately, I would no longer play the game. Which would be such a shame, because it's exactly my thing and I love it. But my two favs Khalil and Lochem would not attract me in any way in Anna's style. I mean no offense! It's just a question of taste!
Andrey Kvasha
I have a strong aesthetic preference for Zaph, but I think Anna is a good choice. She is active on the server, and supporting your local artists is always good. If she proves to be as open to feedback as you are, I think the transition would be much smoother than it seems. I'd be curious to see what it would look like if Anna's style was a bit more grounded and closer in spirit to the original art. Maybe something to make the characters look a bit older. I got the vibe from the game that most characters were in their late 20s/early 30s, the same age range as characters in Mass Effect. In Anna's style, they look like teenagers. And also, I think the boob windows look goofy. It's an anime trope I could do without. I really like the current art style. I'm unsure which way to vote, but I'm happy to stick around either way. I don't think there's a wrong choice here.
Posiedon1234
I very much appreciate you giving us this input but goddammit Wraith this is basically Sophie’s Choice.
lowcreepr
I think that if Anna is going to be available and reliable for Infinite in the long run, it's worth simply overhauling it now.
FloppyEvil
really this decision is going to be a rough one, while i personally like the Zaph style more for the art, I have to put my vote for Anna. You will have to rely on your artist to complete this project, if you didnt have access to an artist that could ultimately kill the project. Faster production of the art will also remove a stress point and a choke point production wise, and you could end up front-loading the art you need potentially future proofing against loss of the artist, but only if they can keep to a faster schedule.
uncertain_tea
Got to admit, this is an important one for me. I like the old art style very much for being distinctive, and going more anime would be a con for me. It's not a matter of understanding, I really would understand more reliable support, but I wouldn't be happy with the change of direction.
Runehood66
As much as I like Zeph there are more pros with Anna. Like you said she lives in your area pretty much and you're already starting to figure each other out. On Zeph's side you don't know the new artist. Also I wouldn't worry too much about alienating old fans as they are normally understanding of these changes. A pragmatic reason I will say is that Anna artstyle has a chance to actually bring in new fans as well.
SlowJamsForever
I like Anna's work, so my vote here isn't necessarily one against that, just more one to preserve the vibe Infinite Stars currently has. While I'd certainly play a separate game with that character design, it feels like a bit too drastic of a change for this project at this stage. And I'm bad at change in general 😅 Zaph & Co it is for me, I think.
Kelly
I’m going to be honest: as much as I like anime styles, I don’t like what I see here. I’d prefer it if you stuck with Zaph/new artist.
Kiana Downing
I really enjoy the way the artwork looks now and think it was replicated very well! It’s what pulled me in too, I think a lot of VN have an anime art style and it doesn’t stand out to me. I think stick with Zaph but make arrangements for the new artist who can replicate the artwork to take over.
Margrave Jeremiah
A difficult decision, not one to be made lightly.
Nomi
This is a hard one
