Heya, I'm Rook, a solo indie dev working on Dark Fantasy themed Visual Novels and Interactive Fiction.
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Finished projects:
â Perfumare [VN]
â Iâm the Echo when You call [jam submission, IF]
â Cursed Place [jam submission, VN]
â Lilith and Eve [short, VN]
Current projects: â Perfumare:Avulsion [IF] â Fool Me Once [IF]
On hold:
â When You Call: Reprise [VN]
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I didnât expect to like him as much as I do. I giggle like an idiot on all of his scenes.
And his dynamic with the MC is soo good! He is such a bastard until he isn't and instead is considerate and caring FOR FREE đł
I know he isn't a main RO, but I do hope you continue to write about him, he truly is a delight to read.
Hahaha, I am happy to hear that! Though I do have to admit I was surprised to learn that heâs so much in-demand!
I will and I do. He might not have as much content as the other ROs, especially in the early chapters, but he will have scenes and epilogues just as the rest. At least the last chapter makes their content somewhat comparable!
hello Rook! let me say first that I really love Perfumare, it's one of my favourite vn/if and you did such a great job with it! I love Flavio sm
I hope this question is not been answered already, I'd hate to bother you by repeating others,, so, do you have any tips for someone who's also trying out to develope a game by themselves? especially when it comes to writing the actual thing. I can't find much about how to write a good script to import directly into the code. I thought you could know more.
that's all, have a good day!
Hi! Super happy to hear it, and I hope youâll continue to like him once Amalgam is out haha!
Tips hm, honestly the tips I would give are opposite of what I did, so idk how genuine that is. But that being said:
- try developing a smaller in-scope game (or a jam) first, especially if youâre learning a new engine
-donât add more choices and if/elses until AFTER youâre done with the âbaseâ of your project
-donât let yourself derail from the draft too much, again you can add the extra scenes AFTER you have the âbase game down
About writing the script into the code, let me know because I have no idea either. I think there is a tool that lets you convert from Twine to Renâpy (or vice versa, I canât remember), but other than that I am using a regular writing app and mark the passages with [] for choices and [jumps] for passages, that kinda thing.
I will be researching more now that I am thinking about a new engine to switch to, so if I find something I will update you.
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Every time I think about Lotar having to suffer through the Summoner pushing away their advances, because they cried wolf too many times, I smile.
It brightens my day to remember that Lotar had to suffer for 10 years without the Summoner, and when they got back, they STILL did not believe any of Lotarâs advances. Itâs just so funny. I love that annoying bastard so much, it really is so unfortunate.
May I please, please, ask for some Lotar yearning facts to be shared?
And will we get to see how the Summonerâs absence affected the ROs in FMO In Absentia?
Me too, every time I was writing Lotarâs route before they got together, I smiled. xD
Ofc, Iâll share the facts under the âread more,â below.Â
Yes! One of the main ideas for In Absentia was to let the player see through an outsiderâs POV how the ROs fare without The Summoner (spoiler alert, not well), so you will get to see a lot of scenes that I didnât know how to fit well within the game without breaking immersion.
That being said, if you have a certain scene youâd like to see, do let me know and Iâll include it either in-game or as an unrelated snippet!
Now, the yearning:
The fact that TS died was a shock but also a relief because hey, Lotar knows a necromancer, getting TS back is as easy as finding them a suitable vessel and letting the practitioner do her magic. Itâs when LotĂĄr realizes that TS isnât dead but just... gone, that he/she starts to spiral.Â
He/She hates not knowing, and every passing day is torture until he/she realizes that maybe TS isnât in need of saving, maybe they are staying away on purpose.Â
Checking if they are dead becomes a habit, every day starts with âthe soul you are trying to reach is inaccessible, try again at a later time...â Anyone else would feel soothed, anyone might learn to build around the newly found emptiness, but not Lotar, he/sheâs too possessive for that
For the first time in his/her life, he/she is unable to do anything about it. He/She has the means, the people, and the resources, but nothing can bring him/her even a sliver of closure.Â
What he/she has plenty of, however, is time. Time to ruminate, time to connect every dot that lead him/her to this outcome, time to hope, time to wish, and time to regret. And by Gods and Devils does he/she regret, most of all, not sticking to TS like glue, for if he/she did, they would be together right now.
Hiii! Just wanted to ask which country you're from as it's kinda rare to see an IF/VN creator from Europe ngl :'D
Hi! I am from Poland. It is, isn't it? At least it was or felt that way when I was getting into indie VNs, because the cast or/and MC was all American, not that there's anything wrong with that obv, but it was a reason why I wanted mine to not be that aha
ďżź Hello, this isn't a question but a statement: every time I play your games, the band called New Dad's songs seem to match the style, if not the lyrics. I hope that makes sense. Sorry if itâs strange â I just wanted to mention it because idk bye
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đ It's live! You can already play LtGBtK on Steam/Itch!đ
LtGBtK is now available on Steam and Itch.io!
It's time to go back to Opala and experience it with all the Sprites, new CGs, expanded scenes, and 2 exclusive short stories that you'll only find in the game! ;)
I decided to bring the release forward a few hours, just in case you all find any bugs/crashes. I hope you won't find any xDD but if you do, I'll be here, so just let me know! âĽâĽâĽ
Don't know what LtGBtK is?
Two children raised together. One, a future King. The other, his whipping child.Â
Their relationship? It's up to you to develop.
Love the Guard, Be the King is purely a Fantasy Visual Novel game focused on Romance and/or Friendship, written and developed by solo dev Ligia Nunes, author of "Bear in Sheep's Clothing."
This is a game with extensive LGBTQ+ representation in which you can choose to play as straight, gay, bi, pan, ace, etc. In this first game of the series, you only have one Love Interest, Mathias.
â¨Age suggested: 16+ for non-explicit sexual scenes, some soft swearing, and violence.â¨
MATHIASâS HEART HAS BEENÂ bleeding since his father, the former King, decided to punish you for his mistakes. As the youngest child of a lesser bourgeois, you were raised in the castle, between the Kingâs cruelty, the Queenâs friendship, and Mathiasâs kindness (or supposed kindness?).
Now, more than twenty Carnivals since your arrival, the King is dead and the Queenâs sickness worsens each day. As the azure taint spreads in the kingdom and the Opalean Wars come to an end, itâs Mathiasâs time to sit on the throne.
Will the docile Prince become a kind King, a violent Monarch, or a ruthless Tyrant? Will you have any say in it? And how much will your relationship change?
Develop your personality, see how your choices build, and change your bond with Mathias.
Itâs time to help him choose. Will your monarch Love the Guard or Be the King?
You can already play the full version of LtGBtK on Steam and Itch.io!
if you didn't know, ren'py Tom, the creator of Renpy, made a post a few hours ago about how he uses AI to develop Renpy--he's been doing it since 2021, a little after i first started using it.
being strongly against AI, this one has hit me HARD. i think it's important for software developers to be transparent about their usage of AI so that the people that are considering using their software can choose what to do.
well, we were not given that choice, were we? if i knew, i, personally, would have already changed engines.
i'm still a bit lost and really upset, since I just finished my import/export tool for LtGBtK/WtDLtK, the "build a save" tool is roughly in half, and I'm not sure how to move forward.
i'll continue following the discussion and waiting for a response from Tom. within this one, there's also a larger discussion about AI usage on software development in general and how difficult it is to escape it nowadays--but what does that mean? simply accepting that this is the new normal is *exactly* what would MAKE it the new normal, and I don't *want* it to be.
i'm ONE developer, working solo on every single part of this project, but one can't turn their morals on/off when it's convenient, so while changing engines at this point would be **extremely** difficult and time-consuming for me, it's not off the table yet.
i'll keep you all posted.
big hugs,
Ligia
ps: this post is not an invitation to discuss AI. I have a very strong view against it, and absolutely *nothing* a pro-AI person can say will change my mind.
Hi Rook! I have so many questions, I hope you donât mind me sending a couple of questions via the ask? (Im so sorry if itâs a lot!) Iâve begun writing more I thought it would be easy to explain all the cool stuff that happens in my head, but when I type everything feels blank? When writing, how do you make the characters feel real? Iâm writing a scene and I can imagine them in my mind, but the story doesnât feel alive? Like theyâre not actually there and itâs just an empty room.
Hi! Ofc I donât mind, send away!Â
I think treating them like you would a real person helps, in a sense that you donât try to make them fit into a scene you write the scene for them, so you let them lead it while also directing it in such a way that it conveys all the plot points you want it to convey (unless itâs not a plot-related scene in which case that doesn't really apply, plot-free scenes are important too after all).
With depression, itâs hard enough trying to find the motivation to get out of bed in the morning before the next day begins. Summoning the energy it takes to write can be even harder, especially since depression (and sometimes medications used to treat depression) can stifle creativity. Here are some practical tips to help writers suffering from depressive disorders:Â
1. Write one sentence a day â on your phone. The sentences donât have to form a story or even be related. Just set a daily reminder to open your Notes app and type a single sentence. Make it an opening line, a one-line synopsis, a description of the weather, anything! Let it be as vague, boring and inconsequential as âShe opened her eyes and pulled off the covers.â The end. Congrats! You have just achieved your goal for the day!
2. Change your work space. Instead of writing slouched in bed, sit at the kitchen table, or vice versa. If you canât leave your room, sit on the opposite end of your bed or even the floor. You donât have to clean or decorate your space to make it cute. Your brain has become accustomed to its surroundings and even a small change â like facing the opposite direction â can help break away from this.
3. Thinking about writing counts as writing. This rule doesnât usually apply but weâve made an exception just for you! Your depression is affecting your creativity but, ironically, having a creative outlet can help. If you canât physically write, set aside a few minutes a day to think about writing. Great if youâre bad at meditation.
4. Experiment with different methods of storytelling. Try a voice recording instead of your usual handwriting or typing. This way, you donât even have to leave your bed. Set small goals like âI will create a one minute voice memo of a character descriptionâ.
5. Share your success! And your failures! Post on Tumblr, tell your friends, tell your pet⌠It doesnât matter how small your success, celebrate it by telling another human (or otherwise) who will understand what it means to you and congratulate you for it. Treat it like a big deal even if itâs just a single sentence. Similarly, tell people about anything you perceive to be a âfailureâ no matter how small or silly. Get it out of your system and maybe find some support, so you can move on.
6. Instead of abandoning your goals, alter them! Donât give up if you failed to meet your goal once or even ten times. You need to retrain your brain to understand that these attempts at bettering yourself are lifestyle changes. If something isnât working, donât abandon ship. Make your goals easier, for example: instead of writing daily, plan to write once a week, even if itâs just one sentence.
7. Abandon deadlines and the like â sort of. Some structure is good - even required - in recovery. But if trying to stick to a routine, meet a deadline, keep up your word count, wake up or write at a certain time or similar rules are restricting you from writing (for example, if you feel so bad about constantly missing them that you sink further into depression and write even less) then be sure to give yourself days without them every now and then. Make a note of whether this is helpful (youâre more productive - yay!) or harmful (you backpedal - oops). The trick is to keep experimenting with different methods until you find something that works for you!
8. Accept your circumstances. Instead of seeing yourself as an ex-writer or a failed writer, reaffirm that this is simply a time in your life where your mental health (and possibly other circumstances) have made it difficult for you to flourish creatively. Donât fret over how long itâs been since you picked up a pen or opened your Word document. Accept that this is a temporary break or a roadblock that will be over one day. Until then, your task is to focus on healing.
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When creating characters, how do you make sure they are different from each other? Specifically, when you are inspired by other peopleâs characters and when creating characters that have similar personalities; styles and aesthetics. I have so many ideas that I have gotten from shows and movies, including inspiration from your characters! But Iâm scared of making the exact same character due to many dynamics and aspects I want a character to have, including if a character has the same energy as another. I donât want to copy anyone at all and its legit my worst fear, so Iâm constantly fixated on trying to change everything ;-;
Lastly, slightly odd question, but I love immersing myself in series and finding references in real life that reminds me of it. In an odd way, it makes me feel at home? Like food, drinks, desserts or anything else in day-to-day life that can be linked to PFM. Do you have any suggestions? I know scents and perfume will be at the top of my list!(Sorry if this doesnât make any sense!) I wish you good luck on your progress with creating PFM! Itâs one of the best stories Iâve read in a long time, I hope you get plenty of rest too!
For me personally, when I create a new character, I already have their role in the story chosen, so that helps a lot with fleshing them out, even when I have tropes/types I want to write or for them to be.
In your case, letâs say you pick a bratty character like Reed, whoâs the most typical trope, I think. Just by tweaking his backstory in accordance with your personal project would change his character in major ways while keeping the same trope/core intact. Like Malitiose (FMO) and Reed (PFM), I consider them to be more or less the same archetype, but despite the many similarities in general tropes, they have their own personalities. Even if I switched their places (as in Reed would be a character in FMO in Malâs place they would still be different, as in their actions, drives, and thoughts would be distinct to them.Â
That being said, I never had a particular character I wanted to write as-is, so I donât have any advice here, but I honestly think that all tropes and ideas have already been written and done at this point, so we are just all regurgitating and mixing and matching the already existing tropes. As long as you donât copy a character 1:1, it should be fine.
I get what you mean! But I am not entirely sure. It sounds like a very subjective thing, so sorry I canât be of much help here.
