![Magenta [ DEMO ]](https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzE1OTU4Nzk5LnBuZw==/original/sdJMl2.png)
Magenta [ DEMO ]
the Progress and some funny stuff
hello, the work on the novel is progressing, and I can say that the full game is about 60% ready. i have almost all sprites ready, the main work is writing text
this is my first time doing something like creating a visual novel, so I'd like to share my progress and ask a couple of questions
first thing: i'm starting to work on a festival (which was mentioned in the demo), and it would probably be nice to have audience interaction, so .... I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but if you want to come up with some character for the festival you can post your ideas
it's not mandatory, I just think it would be nice for you to see something of your own in the game. if more than two people suddenly respond to this post, I don't promise that I'll add absolutely everyone (or I will, but just put them on CG in the crowd!). I also wouldn't mind adding some easter eggs to the crowd, but I'm not sure the authors of other novels would approve of me mentioning their characters HAHAHA so we'll do without that :D
(these are characters I made back in the beginning for the festival, they'll probably change a bit, but you might be interested in taking a look)
- do you want me to add pronouns selection? I like that myself, but whether it's necessary here, I'm not sure
- does the music disturb you while playing? (let's ignore the volume settings)
- what do you think about the number of choices in the demo version? was it enough for you, or were there too few choices? would you like more or fewer choices in the full version? do you want 2 or more answer choices?
...okay, I don't have any more questions for now, but I just wanted to give you a sign that development doesn't stop
Comments
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just one opinion that i'm really set on--i love love love choice-based games and I really dislike reading visual novels with solely dialogue/thoughts and maybe like one choice option throughout the whole game. I think ~2-3 choices was the sweet spot for me when interacting with zuzu in particular, but it really depends on the situation!! the demo was honestly so perfect. also, you are so cracked for involving your players in the development of the game. you have me so excited for the full release. thank you for all your hard work and dedication!!:D<3
WAHHHHH, please keep up the good work!!!!!! (∩´∀`∩)💕 You are so close to finishing, sending you strength and good vibes to complete the game! You can do it!!!!!
It is a good idea, I think this is a good way to let the players partake into the development of the game. ^^ As far as im aware...you can put references to some games you like, only if you'd like to. I've seen a lot of games on here that add characters from other games into theirs and ive seen the creators love that but it's okay! If you are unsure about that, it would be better if you didn't, you decide. 💯
(I LOVE the one in the right..)
1. Yes! Actually, the game is already perfect without having to chose pronouns but I believe that some people prefer to choose their own pronouns for a better immersion into the game. Personally? I think is a great option to add into the game, everyone loves being able to decide little things like that when playing games, especially in visual novels.
2. About the music...not at all, the music was okay when I played the demo! I think adding music is a important thing when making a game. ^^ Without it, feels weird...It makes every scene on the game different. Music has a great impact in any type of scene.
3. The number of choices was okay! They were enough, I liked the fact that taking certain choices made more appear. I think adding more than two choices is great when any of those choices do make an impact in the game, it doesn't make much sense if they don't (at least to me) unless they are like...choice questions. It was enough with the choices I had in hand but I won't be opposed if you wanted to add more! I think it would be great to add more choices but only if they do make an impact in the game, i love customizing and all that stuff but it doesn't make much sense to me if they end up lacking importance.
About adding a character for the festival... I have several ideas, maybe a character who has a sickly look and wears really colorful and flashy clothes! The game itself has a lot of these characters in it but most of them have...a dark look in them 🤔 I loved Tiller's design so id love to see more characters with masks. Maybe you should add one who wears a gas mask and clothes that show their skin just to look at their arms and legs, maybe add tattoos in the places where you can appreciate their skin. ^^
A character that wears a dress and has a shaved head, maybe? Someone who wears a suit and has really long hair? OH, yes, what about a character that has a lot of body modifications and wears lolita fashion? I hope this suffices... If you need help with anything related to the game don't be afraid to ask! Thank you for letting us help you!!!! This was so fun◝(⑅•ᴗ•⑅)◜..°♡
thank you so much!!! the more I work, the more work I get :D sometimes it just happens that I'm casually lying/sitting/standing and woooh! -a thought appears in my head “DAMN! I just thought of a new idea (that will take even longer to realize, probably 100 years)” hahaha and it's just endless
yeah, I wanted to add pronoun selection from the beginning, but I'm really bad at writing code :D so I guess I'll ask a friend to help me out. I want everyone to feel comfortable playing, but unfortunately I can only add she/her he/him they/them pronouns. :( because otherwise I'll totally mess up the code and everything will break and explode haha (but maybe I can add a bigger set of pronouns like custom ones in my next projects).
thank you!!!, I already have some interesting ideas for the sound for the game, hopefully I can realize them!
(AHHHH sometimes I just want to add 100000 choices like “what kind of slippers should I wear today? ” hahaha but I restrain myself!)
thank you so much for your ideas! i hope you'll like the result! i already have some ideas for interactions for these characters. <333 (btw!! i'm sorry, i'm not a native English speaker and i'm a bit confused, does "sickly look" mean, like, 'illness' or 'cool/amazing'? or something else? :_D)
i think the release of the game will be a bit delayed with all my new ideas and the fact that i will be swallowed up by studying for a while (HELP).
if you have any more questions (or just want to chat in the comments), feel free to comment again!
It's bound to happen when you have soooo many ideas and enough energy to try and make them real but you don't have enough skills or resources to make it true. （；へ：）At least you'll never be bored!!!! Using your creativity into something you love working on is something not many people have the luck to do. (´-ω-`)
It's okay if you try but if you are unable to add it to the game...it's okay! Actually, like I said, I think that making the player gender neutral is good. I do not care much about pronouns because I don't have a preference. ^^ Anyone can address with any pronouns but I'm aware some people don't like that and that's okay too! It is ends up being too difficult and too much of a hassle to add pronoun selection to the game, thas fine (to me), you tried and that's what it counts. But I hope your friend helps you out!!!!
Can't wait to listen to them. ^^
(I GET THAT FEELING......I love that but I think for your well-being while making this game and not to add more work on you, you should discard that </3 But I don't doubt that in the future you would be able to add such things to your future games! I really hope so!)
Ah, it's okay! I'm not a native English speaker neither so I understand the confusion, don't worry! “Sickly look” is a sentence to describe someone who looks “ill, bony, weak, pallid, delicate OR unhealthy” like someone who has a very pallid face and big and deep baggy eyes.
Good luck in your studies!!!!! And THAT'S OKAY!!!! TAKE AS MUCH TIME YOU NEED TO DEVELOP THE GAME, no one is rushing you, don't worry. I hope everything goes smoothly.
Ahhh, thank you once again! Sorry for clogging your notifications and your comment section, I appreciate it but I don't want to be a bother. (。・ω・。)
oh yeah, I definitely wouldn't be bored in that situation! i guess that's the kind of situation where people team up to have someone do something you don't know how to do. i wonder if there are people who can write music, draw, and code to create a visual novel all by themselves? i admire them
thank you! you really do ease my worries in a way. i'll try to make a choice of pronouns, but you're right, I could leave just a gender neutral protagonist. or maybe just avoid any mention of protagonist pronouns :D
(ahhh thanks so much for your support :_D i was wondering if you also make visual novels or not? just a little curiosity!)
yayyy, a team of not native English speakers!:DDD high five!
thanks for the explanation, then I got it! I even had some unused idea that I can apply to this character...
ahhh thanks again!!!! i don't know if you are studying or not, so i just wish you good luck in life and other stuff!
(honestly, it's a joy to interact with you in the comments. i don't want you to feel uncomfortable about it! your comments give me motivation to work and just lift my mood.).
(The page refreshed and the comment I was writing disappeared, oh my God. 🤬)
I think you are lucky if you have people interested enough to join you in a project you want to realize, most indie developers don't have enough resources to afford a team, things they'll need and such because everything costs money and that's understandable. That's why I admire indie developers that work by themselves without any kind of help, that's something that should be looked up and support since they really need it! I know there's someone out there making a game by themselves, even the music! I can't name a single one but I wish them luck and lots of patience...
That's the beauty of the English language, it has gender neutral terms and words that you can simply use when you don't want to describe or imply someone's gender. In my language, such thing doesn't exist, sadly. (No need to thank me. You really do need it and deserve it! Support and encouragement is what makes up keep going and keep trying! And no, I don't make (or work) making visual novels...i wasn't born with artistic charm or the patience to learn coding, I've heard that is quite simply but I'm the kind of person who easily gets frustrated and leaves something behind for a long time...to try it once again, I've thought about making one! But that's just a silly fantasy of mine, I love writing though. Ive done some beta reading and that's all.)
HIGH FIVE （○・▽・○）人（●・▽・●）ノ
THANK YOU! Right now, im not, my classes start this next Monday so your good wishes are appreciated! I'll need them.
(WAAAAHH (๑•́ω•̀) Thank you once again! Nono, you never made me feel that way! So, don't worry about it, talking through itchio comments it's kinda awkward because it's something I've never done before, im more of a lurker who likes to play games rather than interact. ^^ It makes me really happy my comments motivate you, so the same goes to you then, you can talk to me anytime you want, i daily check my itchio account so don't fret!
(v´∀｀)ﾊ(´∀｀v)
(UAGHHGH I'M SO SORRY FOR THAT, IT'S SO ANNOYING WHEN TEXT IS ERASED DUE TO A SUDDEN REFRESH)
sorry for my late reply! I had a couple things to do. <D (I SAW ONE VISUAL NOVEL IN YOUR PROFILE AND PLAYED IT AND THEN I WAS REALLY SAD ABOUT THE ENDINGS SO I SPENT SOME TIME DISTRACTING MYSELF AND THEN I JUST WATCHED DIFFERENT RANDOM VIDEOS. THAT'S MY THING, THAT'S MY CONFESSION. >:_c)
oh yeah, I have a lot of respect for people who are willing to work on things on their own!!!!!!! these people have REALLY great power in their hands, and their hard work deserves to be recognized (but for some reason it doesn't happen often D:). it's a shame that some people just don't have the opportunity to bring their ideas to life due to lack of experience or team. but I hope all creators will be able to realize their plans one day < 3
(I'M JUST SHOCKED HOW PEOPLE MAKE THEIR OWN MUSIC? IT'S SO HARD, I'M IN AWE AND SHOCK)
I totally agree, I too really miss gender neutral pronouns in my language, and English has it very conveniently arranged. so why not use it < D
I understand you!!!! i too used to quit very often and get frustrated, but this time for some reason i didn't..... well in any case that's okay, there's nothing wrong with that. AND i have a lot of respect for people who do writing!!! i'm sure your writing is very good!
and I don't think you can call it a silly fantasy! it's very respectable, actually. maybe one day you'll even join some team that wants to make a visual novel? who knows
I hope your studies are easy and enjoyable. the most important thing is to give yourself a break and distract yourself once it's your free time.
i understand, i never did such things on itch.io either.... there's a first time for everything anyway! and yeah, you can also contact me - with any question or just to say hi haha. i'm planning to do another devlog soon, so we'll have a reason to discuss something (I have so many stuff that I want to show to players but they are all spoilers D: ugh)
Pronoun selection is already becoming a very supported concept, and I agree that it's a good idea. As for the music, I'm usually quite picky when it comes to musical ambiance (I tend to quickly make a judgement and mute to play my own music), but I actually really enjoyed the music from the demo. It was nice and subtle. It didn't cross my mind to mute it at all, so I have reason to believe that you know how to pick good background music.
For the number of choices, I always feel like 3 is the sweet spot. It makes choosing less of a gamble than 4 but more of a personalized experience than 2. Hopefully I share this and my other sentiments with other players and my feedback is helpful. <3 I hope making this game has been enjoyable for you. :]
thank you so much for your comment! YAAAAY I'M SO GLAD .
(is it really that obvious how worried I am about the music HAHAHA.)i'll try to keep finding good and cool music! i'm really glad it went well =Dyes!!!!! i agree, 3 is the best number, it fits everywhere. so i will try to do an average of 3 answer choices
of course your feedback is helpful and very important! i'm interested in what players think about my game because i'm making it better for them :D so i'm always waiting for players opinions and suggestions and questions! and yes, it's really enjoyable, as well as talking to the players <333 thanks again!
I think pronoun selection would be great! I feel like it creates more immersion if that makes sense lol. Music didn't disturb me or anything, I think it helps creates atmosphere as much as the beautiful art does. Speaking of which, the colors, universe, and art style or Magenta are literally everything. Creative, compelling, and just AAA omg I can't wait for more. It inspired me to start creating again so thanks lol.
The number of choices in the demo was good! Not too much, not too little. Sticking to 2-4 choices would make sense, I feel like that would keep it simple and not overwhelming the player with choice. Though I know I will be saving at the choice options so I can see every possible interaction lol. I think it would be pretty fun if the festival had a background character that was all vampire-victorian styled, that would so eat in your style. Wishing you the best!! :)
thank you so much for the comment! all that's left is to learn how to do pronoun selection itself haha =:D
I'm so glad you liked the game and its atmosphere!!! it was, apart from the story itself, my main priority to make something beautiful
I'm really glad you're inspired to create something again! I'm really curious to see what you do, but I won't be too nosy :D
thank you so much! i will definitely add this character! i really like the ideas of all the people who wrote comments here <333
Yes I would love a pronoun selection!! Also I would love to see sort of a Witch Character or a kinda gothic character?? I dont know if those really make sense but anyways.
The demo was actually really long (which i loved!) and i actually forgot I was playing a demo LOL there was definitely a great number of choices in it
thank you for your comment! I REALLY LOVE the idea of witch/gothic character, I'll add them 100%
:_D actually I thought that the demo was really short so I was worried about it. but now I'm calm about it, thank you! see you again! <3
Super excited to see it! Thank you for the awesome response!! ^.^
I think the pronoun section would be nice!! I have a lot of comploments for your game it's very nice and I really liked the way you wrote Zu, as well as setting up the odd relationship that they have with the protag :DD, the music adds ambiance and it goes reaally well with the game's atmosphere so I think it's fine if you keep it, then in the festival.. ok this will be very indulgent but it would be nice to see something like.. marine?? related like idk someone with fin implants or something hehe, that's just me though cause I'm obsessed with stuff like that!
Anyways, remember to take breaks!! writing and coding sometimes is mentally exhausting so take as long as you need !! :))
hi! thank you, now I'm pretty sure I need to add pronouns selection
ohhhh yeah, I enjoyed writing their relationship! haha, thank you! they are two loving weirdos.
OOOOH YES. okay, I'll add your idea to the game! I really like it and I hope you'll like the result!
aw, thanks! taking breaks is really important, I agree. but in my situation, the less I work on the game, the more I get immersed in real world problems. so I'm just happy to work on magenta all the time.
you too, please take breaks and rest sometimes no matter what you do! <3 I really hope to see you again once the full game is released
id like to see pronoun selection in the full version of the game! i feel more comfortable playing when its there, so definitely YES
the background music doesnt take away from the overall atmosphere of the game, so i didnt have any problems with it, the volume is fine too (b ᵔ▽ᵔ)b
i think that demo version had just the right amount of choices, so it would be nice to keep this balance in the full version of the game
as for the number of answer choices - 2-3 of them will be enough imo
(I WANT TO SEE THE FULL GAME WITH THE CHARACTERS FOR THE FESTIVAL ASAP AAAAAAA they already look so interesting !!!!! every character in magenta is a work of art honestly (☆▽☆))
thank you pal!!!! okokok I'll try to add them <3 thank you for commenting me for the second time, hope to see you more often >:)
I agree, need to keep the balance. I'LL TRY AT LEAST .
(THANK YOU !!! AWWWWWWWWWWW <3333 you inspire me so much u have no idea
I always like to see pronoun selection in games. The music was nice and not overwhelming/fit the tone of the scenes. There was a good balance with the choices offered, sometimes VN tend to ramble without enough player input and this one avoided that problem. For a festival character, IDK a buff guy wearing bunny ears just seems amusing. Take it or leave it :)
thank you! okay, I'll add the selection then. (I'M SO HAPPY THAT MUSIC WAS NOT ANNOYING . awh)
about the character, I LOVE THE IDEA. <3 I already have some ideas for the scene with this char