Sneak Peek #10: Scripting & Rendering (Patreon)

A huge part of the game creation process is of course the writing. I thought it might be fun to pull back the curtain a bit to share with you how parts of this massive document translates from page to art.

The first picture is a very zoomed out image of most of the Day 2 script. It's actually so many pages that Word won't let me zoom out far enough to fit it all on my screen! 

This section of the game is already several hundred pages long and just about 80,000 words. Which is essentially the length of a full novel. Combined with the Day 1 script, we're sitting at 140,000 words without being remotely close to done with this story. This thing is gonna be hefty.

Everything shaded in yellow is already coded into the game. As I code, I highlight what's already been moved over so I don't lose track.

Zooming in even closer, I want to share a few pages and then how they got translated into CGs. These script pages cover the moments just after hanging out with Marco and Riley, respectively.

You can see the un-coded script also uses highlighting but in different colors. To help me see at a glance where points are branching off, I use blue to highlight alternate versions of the scene that only appear if you made certain choices. The green highlights generally point out the various menu choices.

What you won't see are any sort of image description. I generally note down the CG descriptions in my flowcharts, and I only decide on character sprite expressions while I'm coding. The scripting step is mostly about getting the dialogue and internal monologue down, and also making sure I'm accounting for choice flags.

These scenes with Marco and Riley are very similar for a couple reasons. First is, of course, that they both take place in the showers. They're also unique in that these were not planned CGs, nor were these shower scenes plotted out beforehand. This is a case of allowing myself to step away from the outline as I wrote, and then being inspired to create some new images to highlight the impromptu action!

Both of these CGs are unedited, meaning I haven't done a final polish pass yet. Most specifically, they are not yet color graded and color corrected. Much like with a filmed project, every CG in the game gets post-processed to give it a certain "look." In this game's case, that means pumping up the blue and making adjustments to sharpen and enhance the final picture.

I really like these scenes and images because, besides just being hot, they're scenarios that highlight some big differences between these characters and hint at story developments to come.

Marco is unabashed when it comes to hanging out in the showers with his curtain open and dick hard. This CG is very similar to the ones from the end of Day 1 with a key difference: even though there's still a wall between them, the boys are now facing each other and are in the same state of arousal. Indicating that now that they've spent some one-on-one time together, they're becoming more in sync as a pair.

Riley is obviously much more shy than Marco when it comes to sex and nudity. This embarrassment nudity scenario isn't just there to get us turned on, though. It also serves to open up a thread that'll continue on through the party. Connor and Riley will first circle around this encounter before gradually becoming more comfortable talking about it. If Connor has made his attraction to Riley crystal clear, this scene can translate from an awkward situation to one of the first steps towards the boys getting more up close and personal.

Lastly, apologies for the pixelization. I want to save some stuff for the game itself ;)

Now, back to writing for me! I'm looking forward to sharing the finished product with you all soon :)