#leirin

Introduce yourself! Hello! I'm Leirin - a freelance illustrator looking to get into the fine arts. I love video games very much and this is my first time trying my hand at them. Hopefully there will be more to come!

What is your project about? What inspired you to create your game initially? *Leirin: I really liked the sort of "mental snapshot" aspect of games like Pen Pals, Very Pink Game, etc - and wanted to create something that was short, but warm and personal, too. Illustration can feel difficult to immerse people in, so giving them something directly interactive like a game is very challenging, but so far rewarding.

How long did you work on your project? *Leirin: Work began in late spring of 2018, so almost a year! (With many, many breaks to do other things along the way.)

Did any other games or media influence aspects of your project? *Leirin: I loved the Hamtaro games for the GameBoy and wanted to implement the format of interwoven character quests. The game's map is fairly small and confined, but I hoped it could still feel lively and populated like the areas in those games do. I also love For Frogs the Bell Tolls and it influenced a lot of the overworld graphics.

Have you come across any challenges during development? How have you overcome or worked around them? *Leirin: I use a Mac, so everything has had to be run through Wine - which has its hiccups! Mainly, copying and pasting doesn't seem to work?? So if text needs to be repeated, I have to manually type it all over again. In the future, I might like to look into something more efficient, but even with the hurdles, I'm happy with how things are turning out. The other obstacle is just the fact that I am doing this all by myself, minus my two excellent composers, so it can be easy to feel overwhelmed! Just take breaks, and work on other things too - it'll help keep creative juices fresh for your project.

Did any aspects of your project change over time? How does your current project differ from your initial concept? *Leirin: There were a few points where I wanted to increase the scope of the game - I considered having battles and a more involved story at one point - but I knew that if I turned my first project into something really big, it just wouldn't get finished. So for the most part, it's been about sticking to the original vision of a short, whimsical game.

What was your team like at the beginning? How did people join the team? If you don’t have a team, do you wish you had one or do you prefer working alone? *Leirin: The only other people on my project are my two composers - it was initially only Dustin van Wyk, then Twinkle Park joined the project and I am so thrilled with the music they both have written for the game. Indirectly, but I have also asked friends to contribute a few characters/character designs, as I wanted this to feel like a diverse town of people. I really love what they've come up with!

What was the best part of developing the game? *Leirin: Playtesting it. There's something a little unreal about interacting with your own creations, even if they just do everything exactly as you planned. (Well, if you programmed it right!)

Do you find yourself playing other RPG Maker games to see what you can do with the engine, or do you prefer to do your own thing? *Leirin: Yes, I do. It can feel limiting at times but when I play the other terrific things made with 2003, I realize it's still got a lot of potential in it. I'm really looking forward to the new Melon Journey that's coming out, which looks amazing!

Which character in your game do you relate to the most and why? (Alternatively: Who is your favorite character and why?) *Leirin: Most relatable--Waffle Boy, who is malnourished and miserable from exclusively eating food from his workplace. As for favorite...she must stay a secret for now!

Looking back now, is there anything that regret/wish you had done differently? *Leirin: There are maybe certain graphical aspects that are a little too plain/pedestrian that I would do more efficiently if I were starting the game now, but I think for a first project it looks pretty ok. What matters most is getting it done.

Do you plan to explore the game’s universe and characters further in subsequent projects, or leave it as-is? *Leirin: Everything I create more or less exists nebulously in a shared space I've termed the "Fluorescent Zone". Everyone and everything is connected, but not always directly. I might create additional material for Toppletown after its release if people want it - detailed character profiles, for instance - but otherwise, if the characters resurface, they will probably be in very different roles.

With your current project, what do you look most forward to upon/after release? *Leirin: I just really hope the game puts a smile on people's faces. It's a very simple and concise experience, but knowing that someone downloaded it and spent an enjoyable afternoon with it, or laughed at something in it, is valuable to me. And of course, I do hope people will draw fan art - receiving fan art makes me ecstatic!

Is there something you’re afraid of concerning the development or the release of your game? *Leirin: Again, some of the complications with creating the game from a Mac do make me worry on the technical side of things. There's also the usual catastrophes like everything getting destroyed in a fire or my laptop getting stolen, but that's the usual faire.

Do you have any advice for upcoming devs? *Leirin: Don't get too ambitious if you're approaching something new. Simple can still be really good and finishing something gives you the confidence to aim higher next time.

Question from last month's featured dev @torch60: What is the one biggest impression you want to leave on your players when they finish your game? *Leirin: A caring person is always nearer than you think.

We mods would like to thank Leirin for agreeing to our interview! We believe that featuring the developer and their creative process is just as important as featuring the final product. Hopefully this Q&A segment has been an entertaining and insightful experience for everyone involved!

Remember to check out Tales From Toppletown if you haven’t already! See you next month!