Update - Beach outfits! (Patreon)

tl;dr - I've been working on the beach day!

This week's images

For whatever reason I just felt like working on beach stuff this week. There's a section of the game coming up sooner or later which will be a beach day, much like I did for PAL, although I think I can do a little better with it this time. It's mostly just an excuse to put the girls in swimsuits, but it's also nice to get a section of the story that brings a tonal shift - a nice, sunny interlude in which the characters can all just be sunny and positive.

I believe I've shown earlier versions of the image above on here, but I'm quite happy with this latest version which showcases newer costumes, and I've included the alternative angles too; in particular so you can see the rear view. ;)

Beach day

You'll probably notice that Mika's in there; I originally planned to have the beach day work regardless of whether Mika's included in the cast yet or not, but over time I've just felt that she's kind of essential to the beach day and it's better if it's only in the game once she's there, so I don't want to compromise.

The way it will play out is that there will be a few interactive screens; you'll unlock different things depending on which ladies you've successfully romanced and some other decisions, like what choices you've made around Hirai. Yes, Hirai will be there too - so the event is going to need him to be introduced as well. Oh, and on that subject, I've made a little bit (not major, I admit, but some) progress on his stuff too, so maybe his introduction will come reasonably soon.

There's some good stuff shaping up for the beach day, I think. I've got some nice pictures for future parts that are also paired with some good ideas, and I'll show you those in the future, but I'm holding those back for later and when it comes to finishing the scene, I'm not going to rush it. It doesn't need to be in the next release or anything, and I might just end up doing a whole "beach day" release one month, so in the meantime I'll just add ideas and do work on it whenever I feel appropriately inspired. That tends to be the way to produce better stuff. This kind of thing is in large part what I make these games for; sure, I like making the big dramatic stories and the emotional scenes too, but these nice little slice of life moments are possibly the real heart of it for me.

New costume designs

Here's where I'd like some feedback, if you feel inclined to part with it. I've had versions of these outfits before, but I've got new stuff to show for Emi, Nobuko and Hirai, which I've included below. I've tried to capture something about the character with every outfit.

This outfit for Emi has some big 80s energy. She probably won't get much of a chance to wear those shoes, since the beach is sandy, but even though the jacket is unnecessary I really liked putting it on there. The fact that it offers no modesty at all is what I like about it.

Nobuko's bikini, which she got for yachting, isn't brand new, but I felt she needed a couple more touches. The little sash/sarong seemed like a fashionable touch from a glamorous lady, and her visor cap just seemed appropriate. (But it took a lot of work to get that, actually.)

Hirai's the kind of ass that would wear a pair of tight, black speedos any chance he'd get, just to show it all off.

What do you think of the outfits? If you haven't seen them before, Mika, Shizu and even Shuji all have beach outfits too, and I'd welcome your opinions on those too. Regardless, leave me your thoughts in the comments!