Kitty Ocean's Dev Diary

  I know, the title is obvious. I just haven't been able to do much lately. I finished my 4th (Dutch) novel, had a(n other) paid assignment and currently I'm working on another publication that desires some art. After that publication, I need to make some art for my 5th novel (and an upcoming comic-compilation that is due next year). Hopefully, in a couple of weeks, I can return to this project. It is not forgotten, but other (paid) projects do come first. Want to help me pay bills? Consider donating a Ko-fi! I also post free colouring blanks (made from old art) on my Ko-fi, so you can colour as much as you want as a thank-you! https://ko-fi.com/kittyocean Projects in the works: 5th novel (English and Dutch) - editing and art (this project is up next!) 6th novel (English and Dutch) - editing and art 7th novel (English and Dutch) - editing and art Anthology (English) - editing and art (working on this currently) Pen-i comic 5 (Dutch) - editing and art (will be made after 5th ...

  Today I finished one of the earlier scenes, where you will have a little choice: will you see yourself, or not? Unfortunately, there is no mirror, so all you can see is are bits of your hair.  One of the choices leads to a somewhat animation (stop-motion-like), while the other option skips it as a whole.  I know it's not much of a story-changing choice, but like said before, this is a static visual novel. The ending is fixed, you'll just get little bits of different text or scenes depending on your choice.  Later in the story I reuse the hair, so it's not like you completely miss out. This Dev Diary will hold spoilers, so if you want to be surprised, you may wish to keep that in mind. Should I put up a spoiler tag? Because, honestly, everything could be considered a spoiler at this point...

Due to paid work, the upcoming release of my 4th novel (Dutch version), my 'Anthology' (comic and few short stories), and a heatwave which makes it unbearable to work in my 'office' for long, I haven't been able to do much for the visual novel.  I finally was able to do something again: - I tried creating a new menu-item in the main menu. While I managed to add the text field, I did not manage to create a link or let it jump to a certain page. So this means 'Credits' will remain in the story-menu you get when starting the game (unless I will find out how to change that one day) - I mixed up scenes in my head. I thought I had to draw a tree now, while I actually had to draw arms. Oh well, the tree was needed anyway. This scene is unfinished; it needs more art. Found out how to layer art, which is cool. - I also fixed the galaxy-background, fixing the proportions between moons and planet. (Naraku will eventually not be in this picture, she's just here as a...

 Just so you readers know: this blog won't be updated weekly, only when there is new news to share.  The past week I couldn't work on the VN, because I received a paid assignment. You probably all understand income goes before hobby (after all, I have bills to pay). However, I did not sit still.  I thought more about a boring part and how to make it more special. So I now have a plan and can start working on that. The week was not wasted! Want to help me pay bills? Consider donating a Ko-fi! I also post free colouring blanks (made from old art) on my Ko-fi, so you can colour as much as you want as a thank-you! https://ko-fi.com/kittyocean

As promised, a little video showing how far I am. Of course, like said before, many images will probably change and I still have many placeholders. Credit for art and all will be at the bottom of the post. Next challenge: - I need to show a piece of scene about goosebumps, but you can't see the character just yet (we are getting closer to that part!) - I need to balance the interaction. It might be a bit much/ too fast after the previous one. The interaction doesn't really do much yet either. What can I show/let happen that might be a nice perk and doesn't influence the story? It does mean diverting from the book , but this is a different medium than a book. - I love the galaxy background, but the moons are too big, compared to the planet. I need to balance that image more. Credits: Livestream Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/kittyocean My LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/Kittyocean (including website, Kofi, Deviantart...)  Lineart of the hands was made and donated by: https://bro...

Unfortunately, Blogger does not support .MKV-files and that is what I had ready (sorta...). I will soon (as soon as the heatwave in the Netherlands has died down, anway.) make a video that I can post. My work space is beyond an oven right now. But for now, I can show a few visuals! All images can and probably will be changed! This is just to help me figure out the codes!   Things I succeeded in: - add backgrounds corresponding to the scene and give them a simple transition. - add character images (center, left, right) and have them pop in when needed. - created different scenes (makes it easier to manage) - add characters and dialogue (even if the characters I used for testing will not be in this final project) - add text (the parts of the novel that are not spoken) - added a menu in the beginning (so you can easily skip to a scene. No need to play through a scene first!) - added some interaction (akin 'annoy the narrator') - added all the text into the scenes, just need to spl...

My, that title sounds fancy! But in all seriousness: The Visual Novel (VN) I am creating will be about"Forever Young Eternity 1 - English language - Episode 001'. So, to be short: the story will be the entire first episode of my first novel. That sounds like a very long VN, but the first episode is only about 3 A4 long (the entire novel is 75 episodes long).  If I will make a VN about the second episode, will really depend on how much work it actually is, how long it took me to do, how much fun I had and what people think about the finished project. I'm also a control-freak, so I'd rather so things on my own.  Since this is my very first VN, this means I have no idea what's up ahead. How much images do I need to create? Even if the story is quite linear, how will I add interaction? What to do with sound?  To be short: I have no idea what I'm doing! Why a linear story? This is my first VN. By picking an already finished story, I have less to worry about that par...

In this post I will list the novels I have published thus far. If I publish a new book, you can expect a new post. Where to buy? I will list the ISBN with my novels, so you can look for them at your favourite webshop. Since my publisher is Dutch, I recommend Dutch webshops, like Amazon.nl.  My comics are only available through me. My English novels:     Forever Young Eternity 1: New to this world. ISBN: 9789464351125 On the planet Seken people have one certainty: no matter how long you live, you won’t die of old age. For Matsuru, a young man, life was nothing more than getting up, working on the fields and getting back to bed. But when Matsuru finds a mysterious girl who cannot speak or even think, he realises that his normal life is gone forever. After all, on this medieval planet there exists one more rule: magic attracts magic… and it turns out this strange girl has more magic than anyone has ever seen!     Forever Young Eternity 2: Heritage ISBN: 97894643516...

 Hello everyone! I decided to make a Dev Diary (Developers Diary) about the Visual Novel I am creating. I am figuring things out, I am no Developer by any means, but you can follow me on my journey.  Who am I? I am Kitty Ocean (web name) and I am an illustrator and author. I am self-taught when it comes to art and now I'm teaching myself how to create a Visual Novel with Ren'py.  What will I do? I want to create a Visual Novel (VN). I plan to make almost everything myself: - The story - The art - The coding - Possibly narration I may need help with: - Music (may look for free music) - Possibly voice acting - Testing (I will call for testers on my  twitter and this blog when the time is there) What kind of story? I plan to create a VN of the first episode of my first novel. This means the VN I am creating will be a linear story with some interaction. You can not influence the story. I will make a separate blog post about my novels. Will the VN be for sale? Nopes. It w...