RMMV Rainfall: Final Messages (Demo Released!)

[Makio-Kuta]

Brought to you by Makio-Kuta, Indrah, and Racheal(Yato)

in a month; hopefully...HAHAHA Try THREE YEARS, FOOLS!​

Download the Demo
> HERE <

*****
​

I really wanted to make a development thread for our Birthday Bash game, since such things motivate me to work. We took a while to come up with a title though, but here we are! Finally a title after much deliberation.

Rainfall: Final Messages will blend all of our skills to the best it can with character designs, art, and lead writing by Makio, maps and cowriting by Indrah, eventing and moral support from Racheal. Rainfall will be a short(ish) Adventure Visual Novel with some Horror elements and a rather huge and varied cast. We hope people will enjoy it! (and that it gets done on time because we bit off a lot to chew here; someone left me in charge again. Fools.)

STORY

North Point University rests in the heart of a mountain. Without cellphone reception and with the only point of access being by train, the University is known for its seclusion. It's summer break, but Meryl and her friends, Zaida, Ricardo, and Derek, find themselves headed to North Point University anyway to participate in a research group. They meet up with sixteen other participants and the student in charge, and soon find themselves victim to a heavy rainfall that floods the train tunnel. Stuck in the school, Meryl and the others continue the research in ways they wouldn't have expected.


CHARACTERS

Meryl - A first year student at NPU. She's level-headed, kind, and easy to get along with: and the Main Character of our story. She and Ricardo enjoy playful banter.

Zaida - Somewhat aloof and stoic, Zaida is 'studying' Law at NPU, which basically means she skips class a lot. She and Meryl are very close friends.

Ricardo - Another Law student, Ricardo comes from a rich family. He's also the star of the school's rugby team and a bit of an unwilling chick magnet.

Derek - Derek is a social butterfly and friends with 90% of the people on campus. He's studying Computer Sciences and boosts an excellent understanding of the university's electronic notebooks.


And 17 more!!

GAMEPLAY

Rainfall's gameplay will consist of exploring, talking, and using and finding items to progress your game. The game also implements North Point University's unique electronic notebooks allowing you to send and receive text messages on a closed network and store digital information and clues you find. Meryl also has a nice shoulder bag into which she can---PUT STUFF. Pick up items. Best gameplay.

Explore pretty maps, talk to pretty people, experience pretty scenarios.


SCREENSHOTS

CREDITS

Story by: Makio-Kuta and Indrah

Character Design and Art by: Makio-Kuta

Maps and Level Design by: Indrah

Eventing by: Racheal(Yato)

Music by: Presence of Music (Yusaku Kishigami)
SE by: SoundJay, SoundBible (Caroline Ford)

Scripts by: Chauncer, Galenmereth, Galv, Heartbreak61, Hime, Mr. Trivel, Neon Black, Quasi, Racheal(Yato), Tyruswoo, Victor Sant, Yanfly, Yoji Ojima

Tilesets/Sprites from: POP! Horror City and Character Bundle by Vexed Enigma and RPG MAKER DS+ Resource Pack by ENTERBRAIN, INC.

*****
​

PROGRESS (for demo): 100%!

Download the Demo
> HERE <​

 

[Indrah]

OUUU YEAHHH look at all that pretty art all around XD

 

[Vox Novus]

Get it done guys (ehh guess I should say gals here)! I love playing your games. Art is looking good Makio and I look forward to seeing the game done and what wacky things Indrah puts into the writing. Also yeah, for pop horror city! don't quite see that enough being used.

 

[Makio-Kuta]

@Vox Novus Thanks!! It's not too often I get to play with a modern-day cast. Having fun with it, that's for sure. It's become a different variety of "no holds barred" than I used to. I like it. I have learned jackets and jeans are what make a cast of university students go 'round. We are so getting it done, or so help me----


Here's 4 more characters I got drawn while waiting on the thread's approval o3o

Spoiler

Just 5 more characters to get to this stage!!

 

[Yato]

I've been very, very slowly working on a few custom script things and learning javascript, so it will be another few days before I have anything substantial to share. But in the mean time, have the last of the characters thanks to the ever hard working Maki:

Spoiler

Oh, and I suppose I helped with naming the last couple characters. So now the cast of 21 is all named!

 

[Nirwanda]

Spoiler

That guy! He stands out too much, look at him pretending to be all normal. He's up to something, I tell you!


Looking forward to your game

 

[Makio-Kuta]

That's right... he's a shifty one, that guy. Just look at him. That normal face those normal eyes that normal hair.


Happy to announce I was able to write an important (and fun - at least for the writer, maybe not the characters) scene before work this morning and got 5/21 of the busts shaded before bed last night. Hopefully, I'll be able to tackle the last few sprites tonight after work. Or more shading. Shading is always nice.


Also [Name Pending] University is now - North Point University [still pending until run past Indrah] It's a step up in the University's life!


I'm looking forward to people playing this one. heh

 

[Makio-Kuta]

Time for a progress update! As today was certainly a day filled with progress. First, I am happy to say that I got all 21 characters busts shaded and their sprites done. That was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. There's still expressions and some sprite behaviors to do, but comparatively, those are easy. So easy that I was able to spend today getting some of those sprite poses and junk done for two scenes in the game. Indrah mapped the science, medical, and janitorial buildings (that only leaves the outside campus grounds for maps!) and Rach got started on some events and has our message system (busts and such) up and running the way she likes it.


Here's some screenshots! There's still some temporary materials in here (the message box and there will be a parallax behind the train windows later. chairs.), but I wanted to show off the cute little sprites -3- and the how the busts and text will display.

Spoiler

The bar where Meryl meets up with her friends before they take off to campus. A lot of today went into sprites, these ones included. For scenes where we won't have busts on the screen, there will be text boxes over the character who is talking.

Our characters will ride a train to get to school after that! There will be credits here and not this amazing text box Rach has temporarily supplied us with. Unfortunate, I know. Derek's sprite is the cutest thing and no one can tell me otherwise.

Why are all these kids standing in front of their chairs!? Because I haven't made sprites for them to sit yet, that's why. Here's a sample of a character's bust on the screen! The message system can actually support two busts at a time - but we didn't pick a screenshot that shows that because we're losers. Awesome losers.


As Joakim says here, this game will have nothing dangerous or extravagant. just murder

As things stand now, I don't think we'll have this entirely complete by the 14th, but none of us really mind. We will have a meaty demo for everyone to play though!! Eh, that might mean we get disqualified or something, idk. What matters is we're having fun. I'm having fun? I hope the others are too...


I'm going to change the percentages in this first post to reflect our current goal to make it to the end of the scene 1. (which means the intro and scene 1. not skimping it down to just one scene!!!) Which means one important thing. The main writing is DONE!

Thanks for reading!! I'm going back to the pixel abyss now.

 

[Indrah]

Look at our widdle baby slowly taking shape!


(And that beefy Titania sketch, oh baby take me into your arms *-*)

 

[Makio-Kuta]

Well, it was another busy, busy day in game dev land. Solid from start to finish. (Well, almost, there was some commission work in the morning. But eh.)


As of tonight, a large portion of the needed expressions for the characters busts are done! The bust count went from around 24 to around 84. Phew! Still a few more to go, but the most emotional characters are done.

The other part of the day went towards sprites and a long parallax to go in that opening train ride scene. People sitting in chairs. People sitting in DIFFERENT chairs. These characters sure sit a lot. What's their deal? There's around 10 more major sprite poses/behaviors to make yet for the 'demo' so I'm feeling pretty good about that. Especially seeing how I completed approximately 12 different sprites related things today.


Indrah has the maps complete and divided up and Rach has started putting in text and emotions. Phew, this is my favourite part - when all that front loaded work finally starts coming together.


Tomorrow: More sprites, more busts, and hopefully A LOGO! (then a title screen)


Thanks for reading!

 

[Makio-Kuta]

Well, we aren't going to make it in time. Sorry folks!


I think we're all on board to keep working on this though. What I don't know is if this thread should be closed??? or moved to project development regular? Or remade there with a more proper thread?? not sure how that works.


Either way, I'll keep things rolling on progress here.


Speaking of progress. The bust emotions for the Introduction and Scene 1 are done, the text is in place for the Introduction and all needed sprites (sans maybe a couple that might pop up during the scenes actually being choreographed) for the intro and scene 1 are done. Maps are done. I still need to do the overlays for all the maps, rach needs to do the text input for Scene 1 and sprite eventing.


And well puzzles are a mystery of "Puzzle Here" in the text document still. I'd say that's the biggest hurdle.


Anyway, sorry again! Hopefully we'll be able to have something out not too long from now at the very least.

 

[Nirwanda]

My initial project got too large for the deadline (so I made a smaller one which you should totally try )  so I reported the first post and asked for it to be moved to the project development forum, Shaz seemed to be okay with that.


Still looking forward to this.

 

[Makio-Kuta]

Ah cool, thanks for the tip!


And yes, I want to play the games I didn't see Indrah play on my days off tomorrow and the next day : ) So I'll certainly try yours then.

 

[metronome]

This game looks interesting (I am drawn to the setting, I mean come on, secluded university!). It reminds me of my university years (Was graduated from U of M, and man, even the dorm there looks old with its scary hallways lol).


It's sad that you can't finish this game during this event, but I say you should still finish the game. I am looking forward to playing this game when it's up and running~~

 

[Idril]

It looks great so far, sorry you guys didn't finish during the Birthday Bash! I really hope you keep going, though, I definitely want to play this when it's finished  

 

[Vox Novus]

No worries, as long as you don't abandon the project it isn't a waste; I'm personally happy to wait for the best version of what you can put out. Sounds  like it was a very ambitious project for the time frame.

 

[Makio-Kuta]

Thanks everyone! And you're right @Vox Novus it was a bit too big for its britches. Someday we'll properly judge a month of work for us. haha


@metronome Some buildings at my old University were pretty creepy too; none more so than the poorly constructed and logic lacking Biology Building though! That's probably why some of the best scenes in this game are in the science buildings. I wasn't in the dorms too often, but they seemed pretty chill from what I did see. Universities just have a nice set up for creepy. Old buildings, new buildings.


We'll most certainly keep going with it. Tonight I spent some time working on map overlays! All the overlays for the maps in what we still have set as a target demo-wise are done! (three cheers) Which means I'm back on the duty of writing incidental text and NPCs and side stuff. (oh right and puzzles)

 

[Makio-Kuta]

Hello all~!


It's been a bit since I last commented here, but that's because we have been very hard at work on this. LOTS of text has been inputted into the game and the eventing is coming along nicely. We also started doing the music and sound and I have been drawing lots more sprites for specific scenes and such.


We've also got a very swanky evented title screen. You will have to believe me that it is swanky, because I don't have a gif of it. Here's a screenshot of it though!

More screenshots in the spoiler too! Because I like screenshots.

Spoiler

 
 

 

 

 

The message system is completed. It's designed to look like the back and forth speech bubble style display of a smart phone texting screen. (since the Notebooks are a huge aspect of the game) Thus the design and the bright colours! Busts slide in and out and stuff. It's also swanky, and like before, you just have to take my word on that. ;D


Thanks for reading! I'm going to go update those %'s now!

 

[JoePie]

Wow this game gem is beautiful! The message system is Swanky as hell!

 

[Phonantiphon]

This looks Awesome \m/ - and I don't tend to think that of "modern" RPGs, much.


I love the style and the artwork!