OS-tan Collections

I know that have been several attempts or proposals at an OS-tan game, visual novels included. I made an incomplete experiment in Ren'py a couple of years ago, and put the idea on hold since I struggled to come up with a premise. Ever had that feeling where coming up with even an excuse plot is hard? @_@

This afternoon, I got a tremendous burst of inspiration to start an OS-tan VN, of which I've started coding the framework for!

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Premise: The Mac and Windows families are about to arrange a meeting, which must go well since a lot is at stake for both sides! An uneasy armistice if broken can turn into another OS War or at the very least be a painfully awkward meeting!

Protagonist: You can choose to play as the following characters, each with their own scenario.

Windows XP Pro-tan:
Among the obstacles she must overcome:
   1. Must prevent 95-tan from arranging the event; she'd get too hostile
      -must also prevent ME-tan from arranging the event; she'd end up messing up somehow
   2. Must also prevent herself from eating all the food; she must keep busy!
      -eating all the food will lead to a bad ending
   3. Sibling rivalries with Homeko and Vistan
      -Homeko doesn't like that Saseko wants her to be on her best behavior today! That means no messing with Homeo!   
   4. Carefully assign tasks:
      -if ME-tan makes the tea, the stove will explode or something will catch on fire.
      -don't let 95-tan be the one greeting guests! however, she is the best at making tea.
      -keep 98SE-tan distracted so she doesn't torment Homeo
      -ME-tan has to do something; XP-tan doesn't want to hurt her feelings!
   5. Keep household quiet so NT-tan can rehearse what to do for her ambassador role
      -failure will lead to a bad ending

Mac OSX Tiger-tan:
Obstacles:
        1. Must prevent the OSX-kuns perverted antics from disrupting the peace
      -must also make sure who deals with them does so constructively!
      -maybe let System 7-tan deal with them? She could do so just by politely asking! (but if you do that, who'll do the other tasks?)
   2. Sibling rivalries with OSX-tan and Lion-tan. Must prevent her own temper from getting the better of her!
   3. Don't let Leopard-tan snoop around with everything
      -i.e: When System 6-tan is cleaning the house using some robots she built, Leopard-tan tries to take the remote controller from her because she's really curious how it works. If she gets the remote, she might accidentally press the self-destruct button! (which would of course lead to a bad ending!)
   4. Carefully assign tasks:
      -don't let Puma-tan cook; she's a lethal chef!
      -don't let System 5-tan greet the guests; she'll pull pranks on them!
      -don't let Cheetah-tan decide what to wear for the event!
   5. Keep household quiet so Rhapsody-tan can rehearse
      -failure will lead to a bad ending

Windows 95 OSR 2.5-tan:
Being an unsupported Windows-tan who lives on her own, she is very vulnerable to malware-tan attacks, and will need an ally she can team up with so she can get to the Windows House safely. If she makes it safely, she has to be careful not to screw up in front of her family!

A/UX-tan:
Unix factions are fighting when she just wants to stay neutral, she will need an ally to help her stay out of the crossfire. She doesn't know about the meeting that will be at the Mac House in her scenario, will she be prepared?

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I have it arranged so that there are 2 Windows-tans and 2 Apple-tans; one of each in their main factions (Windows Family and House of Mac respectively) and one of each in the Wanderer Class. The faction-aligned protagonist (XP or Tiger) must arrange the meeting and motivate their family to cooperate; the wanderer protagonist (OSR 2.5 or A/UX) must make it to either house safely.

The wanderer OS-tans will need an ally with them (who will also be a wanderer OS-tan), some more helpful than others!

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I'd like to make this a collaborative project, starting with the dialogue and scenarios. After those are done, I'll be prepared to do the graphics and coding for them.

this sounds so cool. i love those random bursts of inspiration that lead to stuff like this. (this is how 9/10 of my comics came to be. :3) that said, kickass man.

do you need any help with anything? i'm willing to do art, but since i'm outshined by some of the other people here, i'm also willing to do voiceover work, if that'll help. ^^

Thanks!

I like your art style, and I probably will need help with the art given the difficulty of this project; there will be so many characters to draw! Haven't considered doing voiceovers, but if those are done, those will have to be done near the end of the project. Right now I need help with the story itself, which I'll handle mostly one scenario at a time to prevent overload. ^^;

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Here's the beginning of the XP scenario:

An establishing shot of the Windows household fades into view; the scene shows it's morning time.
The scene fades out to black.
XP-tan being quietly woken up by 2k-tan.
2k-tan and the background fade in.
XP-tan is surprised, asking what the occasion is. 2k tells her it's the day of the meeting.
XP freaks out for a moment, forgetting. 2k understands; she was going to start preparing for the event earlier, but had been too busy; among the things she had been doing earlier were fixing the microwave after ME-tan heated up some soda in it, and clean up the mess.
XP points out that arranging the meetings is usually what 2k does; 2k says this time she's too busy helping NT rehearse.
NT walks into the room, greets XP, meekly says she has a lot of practice to do.
It's fairly early in the morning, and most of the Windows-tans aren't awake yet; 2k and NT entrust XP-tan with also keeping the household quiet so they can rehearse for the meeting.
Something about XP's and Vista's sibling rivalry should be pointed out; Vista appears later in the story as an antagonist, since
she was hoping to be picked for the lead role as an attempt to redeem herself. 2k was reluctant to pick sides, but felt like she had to.

After 2k and NT leave, XP fades into view and introduces herself.
Transition to next scene.

After XP gets up, she goes to the living room, where 3.1, DOS kitty and MS DOS are watching TV. XP chats with them (well, with 3.1-tan) , they say they're the first ones up in the morning so they can have some peace and quiet. They know of the meeting, but are apathetic towards it. However, they might help XP-tan later on depending on what decisions she makes.

If we have narration, I could read it...or attempt to do the voice of one of the ladies xD

Possible auditions in a voice acting thread? :P

Any input on the first scenario so far? If the start of the XP scenario sounds good, let's decide what events, and possibilities happen next. I'm eager to get back to programming this once I get some more input!

i like it so far. ^^ i'm curious to know what XP would have to do to get the DOS Trio to help her, but i imagine that's thinking a bit far ahead. :3

considering she's already destroyed the microwave once this morning, i assume ME-tan is already up. and it's reasonable to expect the resident yamato nadeshiko (read as 95-tan) is up, likely practicing her katana swing in preperation for the Macs' arrival. but i would assume that Homeko would still be asleep, along with Vis-tan, Nanami, and any OS-kuns that would be featured.

maybe there could be an option on who to wake up first?

The DOS Trio would help XP-tan if she keeps the household quiet enough; they like their peace and quiet after all!

I haven't decided if ME-tan would still be asleep or not. If she's one of the first awake, she'd probably be trying to help someone with housework, but she wouldn't yet knowing about XP's plans. If ME finds about the plans, she will frequently beg her for a role to help, any role! XP-tan would have to find a role for her, but would have to pick very carefully. Not helping ME-tan might give Vistan another reason to justify antagonizing XP-tan!

Bwahahaha! I'd expect 95 to be one of the first to get up in the morning; either practicing her katana swinging, or cooking breakfast. Maybe I could make that a list of story-affecting choices! If 95-tan gets carried away with what she's doing (she knows of the plans and wants to be the leader, because she's the most experienced with family politics; plus she makes the best tea!), XP would have to carefully stand her ground. Of course, XP-tan has her own impulse control issues, when it comes to food!

Sounds good that for simplicity's sake, most of the others are still asleep. I like the idea of choosing which one to wake up first, as that could affect how the story plays out. Any suggestions for each of the characters if XP wakes them up?

I just read over it, and I like it so far. Not sure of what I can suggest to work in at this point, but I'll point out things as you go along

me thinks that Homeko is not a smart choice to wake up first. :3 she seems like the type that likes to sleep in. as for Vistan or Nanami, Nanami seems like the safe choice in this, given that she's so perky anyway. (plus, she's too new to be angry at anyone. xD ) if the player picks Vistan first, i don't expect any giant repercussions, but it would probably be slightly less favourable than waking Nanami first.

as for the OS-kuns, i can't give you a personality reading unless we determine who's going to be there.


if we're going for every subtle nuance possible, we could have some thing early on effect what 95 is doing; if XP runs into her in the kitchen, i imagine that the butting heads would start there, since if XP doesn't see her till later in the day, she'll have already started the preperations, nullifying any arguement 95 would have about taking it over.
(also, i imagine that a catastrophic failure of keeping 95 out of it could result in an early loss for the player. xD )

as for ME-tan, i think 2k's excuse of cleaning the microwave implies that ME is already awake; if the microwave accident happened the night before, what would stop 2k from cleaning it then? As for what ME is doing, it could relate directly to what 95 is doing; if 95 is cooking breakfast, ME could be attempting to help, or waiting for food, if she's practicing her swings, she could be attempting to cook breakfast by herself or watching tv with the DOS Trio (or whatever scenario you see fit here, etc).

@Pentium: Okay!

@Choco: Sounds good with the wake-up choices.

Yes! What time of the day XP meets 95 would be very important!
-In the morning, the player decides whether 95-tan is in the kitchen cooking breakfast, or training in the family dojo. If she's in the dojo, the player chooses whether XP visits her then or not.
-95-tan doesn't want to completely concede, she still wants to do something leader-like. In the best-case scenario, XP is able to help 95-tan do so in a constructive way.
-Yes, there's potential for a bad ending early on if the worst choices are made!

I had in mind cleaning the microwave and the mess as having happened the day before; today 2k is helping NT-tan with rehearsal. There could be an option of having ME-tan in timeout for messing up like that! XD

ME-tan trying to cook breakfast, with or without 95's help sounds like a good idea... err... story-wise. :P

I totally missed this. Now I'll need to practice dat voice... :3

whether or not XP takes the time to help ME prepare breakfast could have big repercussions later. xD i'm picturing that if ME is left to her own devices, there will be egg yolk over the walls and celing....

if 95 is in the dojo and XP visits, that could have a positive effect, since it shows that XP still wants 95 to help, but by taking the initiative of going to see 95 asserts herself as the leading role in this case.
also, since 95 wants to take a leaderly role here, i think the best option for her would be preparing the snacks and tea. Of course, there will be other options, such as having her answer the door..... ^^;

@nej: who are you going to play? you'd probably be perfect for the mac catboys. :3

That was my thought, but there might be some unexpected cameos in the Windows Mansion, too...

HUHUHUHUHUHUHUH

think you could pull off homeo? aurora mentioned he might have a cameo. :3

If Nej can't do it, I could attempt doing a voice for Homeo :3

Who better to provide the voice of the crossdresser of the OS-tan universe than the OSC's resident trap?

Homeo will appear later. Homeko would actually be eager to see the Macs come over to visit, so she can pair Homeo and OS9-kun together for yaoi! Knowing how awkward that would be, XP tries to stop her plans. But by trying to stop Homeko from enforcing yaoi pairings; she will end up causing chaos which must be kept under control so 2k and NT can rehearse!

I'd like to add some cameos too.

At this point, I should make a roadmap of the planned options so far.

go for it aurora, i'm looking forward to what you come up with. :3

also, i'm going to be having good dreams tonight after hearing about yaoi parings. -w-

@Choco: Thanks! Now I've thought about adding an option where XP-tan, Nanami, or 2k (let's just say she was at least somewhat prepared for this!) buys Homeko some yaoi manga to keep her distracted! :P



Here's what we have so far for a roadmap:

XP Scenario (story):

*Who XP-tan wakes up first:
-Homeko: Hard to wake up; ends up antagonistic later. Will be crankier than usual if you wake her up now.
-Vistan: Also antagonistic when she finds out that XP is doing the arrangements.
-Nanami: Safest choice!

*When and where XP first meets 95-tan:
-In the kitchen in the morning
-At the dojo in the morning
-In the kitchen in the afternoon (if she was in the dojo in the morning, but XP didn't visit.)
**These decisions influence what role 95-tan will take. She doesn't easily concede, and wants to do something leader-like.

*Where is ME-tan in the morning?
-In the kitchen helping 95-tan cook.
   -How does 95-tan feel about this? ^^;
-In the kitchen cooking on her own (if 95 is in the dojo)
   -XP can choose whether or not to help ME with cooking.
-Watching TV with 3.1 and DOS.
**ME's role will be influenced by these decisions.
**Another factor is if XP mentions that she's leading the arrangements or not.
   -if XP tells her, ME will tag along!

*Homeko shows up at some point causing trouble for Homeo.
-Haven't decided at what point this happens.

*At some point, 3.1 and DOS will help XP if the house is quiet enough.

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When doing the programming for the first in-game choices, I included a few new gameplay mechanics:
1. An in-game clock with a deadline; a bad ending will happen if the event isn't well-organized on time.
2. Character's mood. Some characters start in a good or bad mood, changes in a character's mood can change outcomes and choices available.
3. How chaotic the household is at a given point can also change outcomes and choices available. It also affects the character's moods.

mmm, those mechanics sound nice. :3 while ME-tan might like the chaos, the Vintage-tans would hate it. xD

that said, it might help to decide the scenarios if we come up with a list of what needs to be done to prepare for the Macs' arrival. i imagine that the room would have to be cleaned, the food made, the house kept quiet, the door greeted, and other things as well. ^^;

also, what would you think of this? if there's 6 tasks then if 5-6 of them get done, a favourable ending, 3-4, a mid-grade ending, and 0-2 would result in a poor ending.

Okay. I haven't yet put much thought into the tasks themselves, instead I've been focusing on the character interactions.

The tasks are not only what you described, but also preventing them from getting undone!

If the tasks not completed on time are fairly minor, everyone could work together and get it done. Maybe the two families will learn the value of teamwork! :D

that'd be nice. ^^

any thoughts on what else is going on? the sequence, i mean. so far we had xp waking up to 2k, then visting the vintage-tans, thn waking up the others, then seeing 95 or ME?

That's mostly what I have so far. I came up with a few more things, but there are still some gaps that need to be filled.

I think Homeko would get up at around noon, she'd get a snack from the kitchen, where she overhears that XP-tan is making the arrangements for the meeting. If ME-tan knows about it and has been tagging along with XP-tan, it is ME-tan who outright tells Homeko. Homeko doesn't mind that and doesn't cause trouble at first, but she becomes antagonistic when XP confronts her about bothering Homeo!

Though in between XP visiting ME or 95 in the morning, and Homeko and Homeo at around noon, I can hardly think of anything. x_x

I know that 95-tan will show up multiple times, first in the morning if XP visits her, then around lunch time, then in the afternoon.

At noon or the afternoon, 3.1 and DOS will be in the garden. They also invited DOS/V to be with them.
   -If they're in a good mood and the household is quiet, they decided to go outside to contemplate the meaning of life or something like that. If XP talks with them, they will volunteer to help her.
  -If they're in a bad mood because the household is chaotic, they went outside to try and get away from it, and they won't help XP.
-Inu-T will also be outside playing without bothering 3.1 and DOS. If ME-tan is tagging along with XP, it's Nanami who'se playing with her. If ME-tan isn't tagging along, she'd be here with Inu-T. If XP talks with them and goes back indoors, they will too, and try to help someone.

Vistan would show up sometime after the morning, after exercising outside. She's actually more competitive against Nanami than the against the XP-tans. Still, she'd be antagonistic because she's in a bad mood.

xp wakes up ➞
visits vintage-tans ➞
investigates kitchen ➞
wakes up others ➞
visits 95/ME (depending on who was in the kitchen) ➞

maybe after this XP could look at her goals for the day? the player would see what needs to be done and then could seek out people to do it by exploring the house.
maybe after getting 2 of those tasks laid out (or, alternately, 1 in game hour passes), it would cut to the part with the Vintage-tans in the garden. After talking to them (and possibly Inu-T and whoever she's playing with), XP could come inside and either meet up with 95 or Homeko. (if nanami was playing with Inu-T and XP talked to them, maybe Vistan would be there as well, offering hauty remarks because of Nanami.)

after talking to whoever she met up with, XP could go back to looking for people to fill in the tasks, with the people she saw before being in different rooms now. after 2 tasks are filled in (or one in-game hour passes), something similar would happen.

To keep track of what we have so far, just that roadmap isn't enough, and I needed to start sort of a time table to keep track of the events and options that can happen in each time frame. Adding the time mechanic made this more complicated. There are also some events that result in losing valuable time, one of them being if XP gets in an escalated argument with 95, 95 may lash out and incapacitate XP for hours! Also if XP needs to clean up ME-tan's mess if ME was (trying to) cook breakfast, an hour would be wasted.

-if XP gets injured due to an escalated argument, the player will come dangerously close to a bad ending if it's not resolved quickly, especially if the argument happened in the afternoon! When this happens, XP, who would be bed-ridden at the time, will need someone to calm down the household, and make amends while she can't.

-if 95 is in a good mood and helps ME cook breakfast after ME messed up, that might not be a bad thing. Some of the OS-tans will be happier because that way they didn't miss breakfast!

When planning out events such as XP meeting 3.1 and DOS in the garden, I decided to plan them out by time passed instead of tasks completed since that was more manageable.

Among the tasks XP needs to do, or coordinate:
-cleaning up messes (i.e: laundry on the floor)
-do the laundry
-cooking supper, finding someone or two to help her with cooking
-assign someone to greet guests at the door
-assign someone to make tea
-set the table (and wash the dishes if they're dirty)
-make the decorations
-coordinate these tasks while keeping the household quiet, this includes avoiding or breaking up conflicts.

I thought up a few more events for the XP scenario:

1. 98-tan and 98 SE-tan are seen playing together, but at noon, 98-tan needs to run an errand, SE is bored so she starts tormenting Homeo when he wakes up.
   -what the errand is depends on some choices earlier in the game.
   -in one of the outcomes, 98 needs SE's help; SE is happy to have something to do!

2. 3.2-tan visiting because 3.1 and DOS invited her over.
   -she plans on visiting at 2 pm, and only will if the household is quiet enough at the time.
   -what she does varies on what 3.1's mood was earlier.
   -one outcome is that she quietly watches TV with DOS, DOS/V and 3.1.
  -another outcome is a prank on the family with 3.2 to dress just like 3.1 but 'act out of character' while 3.1 is nearby.

Most Windows-tans who see her in either outcome will freak out and think 3.1 has a clone or stunt double, or thing they're seeing double! Depending on who sees her, the prank may either be taken well or backfire.

i'm liking all of this so far. ^^

in terms of XP being incapacitated, while this would make the game ALOT harder, it could result in a hard-to-get alternate ending in where one of the other characters takes over as the playable character.

i think mood would be an important factor in this game (though this was already obvious). depending on choices made earlier in the game (like whether or not XP seeked out 95 in the morning), 95 would either be cheerful enough to help clean up ME's mess or cranky enough to leave her to her own devices.

i imagine that breaking up conflict would also involve keeping everyone in a good mood (as in keeping Homeo from being tormented and MSDOS from being upset, we don't want to see the poor girl cry!!) as well as keeping those hostile towards one another apart (as in keeping Vistan and Nanami in separate rooms).

you really think letting XP cook dinner is a good idea? i guess that would be a test of her willpower, but me thinks it'd be better offered to someone else, like 95. ^^; (in this case, Inu-T would probably make a great helper, since she probably helps NT do it all the time.)

i like the 98 scenario, but maybe the 3.2 scenario could be an extra one depending on the player's course of action over the day? (nothing against 3.2, but i just don't want us to get ahead of ourselves.)

Thanks!

That sounds good having another character take over while XP is incapacitated. I'll include that if it's not too difficult to do so.

If XP cooks dinner, she will need someone to help her so she doesn't end up eating it. That will be a deliberate pitfall in the game. If XP is depressed enough and goes to the kitchen in the afternoon, there is the option of raiding the fridge for comfort food, and ending up eating the ingredients needed for supper!

3.2-tan's scenario in the story is an extra one. The first condition that needs to be met for it to happen is if XP sees 3.1-tan talking on the phone between 9 and 10 am. The kitchen-related pitfalls may prevent this from being met.

I was also thinking of having other visitors show up if 3.2 doesn't as an alternative, maybe like Linspire-tan, whose a Windows famgirl? Or how about Linux XP, the professional XP-tan impersonator? :P

god help us if barbie linux shows up. ^^;


i like the idea of having a bonus character show up, but having a different one if different requirements. (i like the idea of one of those characters being 2k-kun coming home from the office. ^^)
(btw, before i forget, the person who breaks up the conflict might also want to put people who get along together, for example ME-tan/kun, Homeo, Kyourou, and potentially Nanao.
i think that this task should fall to XP anyway, since that would be another challenge to the player. :3)

i like the idea of that pitfall. xD though, if the scenario has ME still following XP around, that could be a way to avoid XP scarfing down the ingredients. :3

in a way, one of the best tasks for ME might just be to follow XP around and help with the various tasks that she has to perform, like relegating the tasks to other people. i think that whenever XP has a task to assign, if ME is with her, she should have the option to give the task to ME, but secretly have the best ending come from keeping ME around. :3

Those all good ideas! I think that if 2k-kun is one of the extras, he'd be especially helpful in some way.

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Right now, I'm also trying to piece together a story for the Tiger-tan scenario before I forgot, but I'm just having the hardest time right now. It's like I spent all of my mental energy just planning the XP scenario, that I didn't leave any left over for this one, let alone the other two! x_x

we could make it similar to the XP scenario, with some differences, like one of tiger's tasks being that she has to get everyone ready and keep 7.5 calm. one of her conflicts could be the Catboys' choice of attire; wearing speedos and eye patches is hardly formal attire! xD

I don't think I'm going to include 7.5 as a main character, but I can see her as being one of the extras who may visit, and a particularly challenging one at that.

Good call on the OSX-kuns' choice of attire being a conflict. Cheetah-tan would want them to wear speedos and eye patches, which would put her at odds with.. uhh... most of the others. But considering what Tiger wears as her main attire, I think her idea of a dress code would be pretty lenient!

Before I get to the other stuff with Tiger-tan's scenario, I need to come up with an introduction. One I had in mind was everyone being woken up early in the morning because Puma was trying to cook breakfast, and she set the smoke alarm off. :P

that sounds good. nothing makes a better alarm that the smoke alarm. :3

so after tiger wakes up (and makes sure puma isn't going to torch the Mac Complex), what should be done after that? i'd assume she'd eat and get ready while talking to the other macs about the day. maybe here she'd learn of her tasks?

After quite a bit of brainstorming and improvising, here's what I have for the beginning.

A new gameplay mechanic for this scenario is motivation. Tiger-tan must prove to her rival, OSX-tan that she's motivated enough to lead the arrangements! If Tiger gets too complacent, a bad ending may happen, or at least there'd be a difficulty spike. OSX and her perversion-fighting comrades are motivated enough to lead the arrangements, but their motivation needs some guidance, so they don't too distracted fighting the OSX-kuns, or end up fighting each other instead!


The scenario starts at 5:30 AM, with Puma-tan trying to cook breakfast, but sets the smoke alarm off. It turns out that System 3.4-tan was helping her, but one of her pigtails got caught on fire! (she's okay, it was only the tip of her pigtails that she lost, she even points out that's not the first time that happened)
-Puma-tan is cooking to practice for arranging the event; she chose to do this out of a sense of learned helplessness- she thinks that OSX and Cheetah will force her to do the cooking anyways, so she might as well choose to do so before they order her to!


*When this happens, Tiger-tan can choose whether to get out of bed to see what's going on or not.
   a. If she does:
   -Tiger talks with Puma, who explains that she was up in the morning because she thought she'd have to do the arrangements anyways. When Tiger sees OSX later in the morning, Tiger confronts her saying she's going too far and been too bossy towards Puma. She learns from Puma that today is the day the Windows Family visits for a meeting, and there's work to be done.
   -Tiger is motivated, and accepts the challenges.

   b. If she doesn't:
   -She tries to go to sleep. A few minutes after dozing off, she gets a text message from Snow Leopard-tan who tells her about the meeting that will be at the house. Snow Leopard reveals that she's at a Linux/Unix Consortium meeting this early in the morning because sleeping in fosters complacency, she also reveals that A/UX is at the meeting too.

   **There is a second choice: Prepare now, or sleep in.

   b1: She goes to the kitchen and talks with Puma, who offers her some food. Not wanting to be rude, Tiger tries some, but passes out for a few hours because her cooking was that bad! She wakes up to some chaos, with OSX and her comrades chasing the OSX-kuns for spying on Mac OS9-tan. She must resolve this conflict, but to do so puts her at odds with OSX-tan!
   -Rhapsody and Panther show up, to politely tell them to keep quiet because Rhapsody needs to rehearse for the family meeting. Because they're busy, Tiger is entrusted with keeping everyone else in check.
   -Tiger intervening makes her motivated, and willingly accepts the challenges.
   -OSX and Cheetah state that keeping the household quiet is what they want to do, but to do that, they need to subdue the OSX-kuns first, fight chaos with chaos if necessary!

   b2: If Tiger sleeps in.
   -She wakes up at 6:15 to the sounds of machines running. She runs downstairs and sees that System 6-tan is running some machines that are cleaning the house. Leopard also shows up, very excited to see the machines, and she wants to see how they work by operating them herself! It's hinted at (or maybe said outright) that System 6-tan got up before everyone else so she could work while it's quiet, even admitting that she struggled to work on that when her allies (OSX,OS8 and Cheetah) are awake and causing chaos!
      -If Tiger ignores them, Leopard gets a hold of the remote and accidentally presses the self-destruct button. System 6-tan does not take that well, losing the head-start she had with leading the arrangements!
      **This is the first major pitfall in the scenario, which can happen at different time frames depending on your earliest choices. Like with the XP's and 95's interactions in the XP scenario, this pitfall has worse consequences the later in the day it happens!
      -to add insult to injury, it's right after that incident that Snow Leopard sends a text message to Tiger warning her about Leopard's curiousity and how she needs to stay away from machinery if the house is to be prepared for a meeting!
   -Tiger reluctantly accepts the challenges of leading the arrangements. Trying to sleep in took away some of her initiative.

i like this dude. it seems like a perfect fit for them in that its similar, but not a clone of the XP scenario. ^^

(maybe we should organize the windows scenario into something like this. this is so concise i can't think of anything to say. xD

Thanks! It's strange that I had an easier time thinking about the XP scenario overall, but had an easier time writing out the Tiger scenario more concisely although all I have is the beginning for it.

When I get back to the XP scenario, I'll try to elaborate on it like I somehow managed to with this one.

I'm still struggling with what happens after these beginning events, labeled "a", "b1" and "b2", but I wonder if giving some hints about the characters involved will generate some event ideas?

knowing what characters to expect might help us plan the scenarios better, since then we can come up with situations tailor-made to them, rather than speculating.

so tell me, who did you have in mind? (and you mentioned the other arcs involving the other two main characters; i'm curious to know if these characters would be included in the first two stories the way XP is going to be represented in Tiger's story and vice versa.

Why haven't I been in this discussion until now?

Been looking for a good game project to start up on recently and I think (if its ok with you all) I would like to code all this out and make it happen.

Luckily, VN's are pretty easy to code out depending on what language is used (C++, C#, Python, XNA, Java, etc.) so if all the story is set out (haven't taken a deep look in the previous posts) and the art is in place, I could start developing this game in my free time [1-2 days a week, 4 hours] and get a crude Alpha release out there.

Let me know what you all think about this, I'm more than happy to put some time in a project like this.

take that up with aurora. pretty sure she was thinking of doing it in ren'py, but i imagine that she would love the extra support. :3

that said, we're still working out plot, so we're in the alpha stage of the alpha. stick around if you want, it's always nice to have multiple people to bounce ideas off of. ^^

@Kraus: I'm using Ren'py to program this. I have the basic framework planned out, and I can implement the story branches and some of the gameplay mechanics, but I could use your help with the advanced stuff and possibly also refining the code to be more efficient. 

For now, we're just working with the story. If you have any suggestions, feel free to post them!

=======

In the Tiger-tan scenario, OSX-tan, Cheetah-tan, OS8-tan and System 6-tan are teaming up to lead the arrangements. They will somehow because they don't like to concede, in particular, OSX-tan is very stubborn! As a team, they are very determined, but are prone to getting carried away with their ambitions. It's OSX-tan that Tiger is rivals with though.

-Puma-tan wants to be helpful. She doesn't mind being the maid of the Mac House as long as whoever needs her to do something is polite about it. She likes that Tiger asks her politely, unlike OSX and Cheetah, who seem to bully her; she sides with Tiger, which angers OSX.
   -Puma-tan isn't good at socializing, and is bad at cooking, but is good at other tasks.

-Leopard-tan is very curious and will try to snoop around in various places for something to do, especially if it's technology-related. She isn't interested in the power struggles, or attaining leadership for that matter, but may still cause trouble. She can be very helpful if she allies with the right characters.

-OSX-tan is the leader of this group and doesn't like when any of her comrades stray from her ideals and start favoring neutrality, or worse yet, her rival because as a group divided, they would be less efficient! Aside from their power struggle, she sees Tiger as a threat to her plans' efficiency.
   -OS9-tan, Rhapsody-tan and System 7-tan have the ability to easily calm her down.

-Cheetah-tan is hot-blooded, and mischievous, but she isn't as nearly as confident as she appears to be, so to try and make up for that, she is the most sadistic of her perversion-fighting comrades. She is also one of the least stable Mac-tans.

-System 6-tan has a sense of loyalty to her comrades. She may however contribute to leading the arrangements independently if it means getting things done without conflict (as shown in one of the beginning choices), but that may backfire because of her own boisterousness. She's also a softy at heart who can't stand the power struggle, but she can't possibly admit that or act as such when around OSX, Cheetah, or most others for that matter.

-Mac OS8-tan is a cheerful and foolhardy fighter who admires OSX-tan, and is more likely to side with her, but she is level-headed and the main tactician of the group, and the easiest to reason with.

-System 7-tan is a practicing katana-wielder. She's not swing-happy as 95-tan, actually she's very non-chalant and doesn't want to instigate any conflict, but may still wield it in a way that will get her point across if push comes to shove. She'll want to be helpful to both sides, is a big-sister figure to the Macs, and is good at resolving conflicts (as long as she doesn't emotionally freeze up).

-Mac OS9-tan being another big-sister figure, is generally helpful to everyone. She'll help with tasks in what ever way she can, but is too busy to help with resolving conflicts.

-Panther-tan is neutral, and is helping Rhapsody-tan rehearse.

-Jaguar-tan might show up, if she does, she'd be a cheerful comedy relief character. 

-System 3.4-tan is there at the beginning, but may leave early on (she doesn't live at the Mac House), or possibly be one of Tiger's allies. Either that or be a freeloader. :P She wouldn't be a good ally though, since the goal is to achieve order and harmony between clashing individuals; concepts that she struggles to comprehend, she's better at comprehending chaos!

-The other early Mac-tans are at the Binteeji Renmei at the start of the scenario, Snow Leopard, A/UX and possibly Lion are at the Linux/Unix Consortium meeting. (In the A/UX-tan scenario, she's trying to avoid going to the meeting!) Depending on choices made, certain characters will visit and may help out.

in this case it seems like the logical step for tiger is to get everyone on her side as fast as possible. i'd say the easiest route to this is to first talk to the characters she's friendly with, then work up to the more neutral characters, finishing with the more hardcore characters. i doubt OSX could be reasoned with, unless she's the only one left on her side.

as with the XP scenario, this would likely be a timed thing, as well as having to weigh this responsibility with all the other tasks she's been charged with. ^^; it feels like it would be a great undertaking, but since it's less of an "official" task, i doubt it would be formally mentioned like the other tasks.

since puma's already on tiger's side, i'd imagine that she'd serve the same purpose that ME does to XP-tan in her scenario. having someone with her might help convince others to join (group mentality).

the tactics for getting them on her side might have to be tweaked depending on the character. for instance, OS9 would likely be persuaded if she could be convinced that everyone wants the same goal, just that tiger is going for a more peaceful route towards it; the OSX-kuns would likely help her if she was willing to be a little flexible with the dress code. xD

Quote from: Aurora Borealis on January 08, 2012, 07:46:08 PM
@Kraus: I'm using Ren'py to program this. I have the basic framework planned out, and I can implement the story branches and some of the gameplay mechanics, but I could use your help with the advanced stuff and possibly also refining the code to be more efficient. 

Sounds good, I'll poke my head in here every once and a while to see how its going and to see if I can add to the story a bit.

Taim to work on a Windows Phone App!

good luck man. post in the computer section when it's done, i'm curious. ^^

@Choco: Yeah, that's essentially the strategy, and different tactics would have to be used. There may also be some curveballs in the way. Can't let this get too easy. XD

For example, if Tiger and Puma are working together and Puma is happy, that may encourage OS9 to want to join her, but for OS9 to be an ally, she'll also need to hear the other side's story in a way she's convinced that both sides are trying to work towards the same goal. Similar thing for System 7, but Tiger (and her allies) need to find her first because she's more introverted, whole OS9 is more extroverted.

Jaguar will side with whoever seems to be more fun to be around (once again this depends on the player's choices that were made). She doesn't take the conflict or the meeting very seriously, which could unfortunately make her more of a liability than an asset, or maybe her cheerfulness can give Tiger some more of the motivation she needs. She could be considered either depending on characters' moods and Tiger's level of motivation.

Leopard is a tricky character. She's sorta antagonistic towards both sides because they don't like when she's snooping around. I think that at first she'd side with the other team if System 6 lets her work on the machines she is/was using to automate tasks. (It's also worth mentioning that Tiger probably has some skills like that too, referencing the 'widgets' that Tiger introduced) For Tiger to ally her, will she have to out-stubborn Leopard, or surprise her by being diplomatic, and even forgiving? Or maybe bribe her with electronic gadgets to work on?

all of those options on how to get the character could impact story. out-stubborning leopard seems like the worst option, as this could breed more conflict and potentially scare away the more pacifist members.  i imagine a bribe would be semi-neutral, though if it got out that tiger bribed leopard to be on her side, that might reflect negatively on tiger's character, making the story lean more towards a bad end. the third option seems best, since peace and diplomacy is the goal of everyone, isn't it?

Those will all be choices, each having their trade-offs.

Peace and diplomacy are the goal, but going the diplomatic route all the time won't be the fastest...

=====

I'm coding what we have of the XP scenario so far to test if all the story options work, and test if each time and condition-specific event is obtainable.

wow, we're this far already? cool! good luck aurora. ^^

I'm still doing the programming, but feel free to make more suggestions for either scenario being discussed so far.

tbh i think it's good so far. do you think there's anything more to discuss? (neither scenario is complete yet, technically.)

if you want me to do the art at any point, just ask. :3

aurora, where are we on this? i was wondering if there was any more we could work on, and if it'd be okay with you to present this project to my class at some point. (i'd get extra credit for it. ^^)

So far I have just part of the framework programmed. Those are the in-game choices, variables remembering user choices, and events that happen under different conditions and choices. There are no graphics or music yet, and the only dialogue I have is for the beginning.

I haven't been able to make much progress in the past 2 weeks because I've been sick, but I have about this much of the XP scenario programmed:

Introduction: 2k and NT wake up XP to tell her about the meeting, and how she's been trusted with leading the arrangements. After they leave, there is, or might (if I include this) a short internal monologue from XP.

Afterwards, she decides to wake someone up with the hopes they can help her:

Homeko: Now, I don't see Homeko as being a morning person, so she's startled when woken up, and panics about an approaching deadline with her latest manga chapter, and she's running low on art supplies!
   -still not yet decided what she does immediately afterwards. Maybe she'll raid the house looking for supplies and cause a mess?
   -if not woken up at this time, she'll get up at noon.

Vistan: She is antagonistic of XP when she finds out about XP leading the arrangements, when she wants to be the one leading them! Her attempts to discourage XP might backfire and instead motivate her. If this happens, there is the option to recruit her as an ally.
   -if not woken up at this time, she'll get up at 10:00
   -if woken up at 8, she'll play videogames against the 98-tans between after breakfast (what ever that time is) and 11:30
   

Nanami: She is generally cheerful and helpful, but may end up distracting XP too much.
   -if she's awake, there's the option to visit with her in her room; she's good at cheering people up, but might accidentally distract XP with internet or video games.
   -if not woken up at this time, she'll get up at 9:00

After briefly talking with 3.1 while she's watching TV, there is an option of whether to watch TV or not.
   a. yes: 30 minutes pass, XP's and 3.1's mood increase by 1 point
   b. no: XP goes directly to the next scene.
   The time is 8:15 if she didn't watch TV, 8:45 if she did.

After this choice, XP picks a place to visit first:
   a. the kitchen:
      -if time = 8:15, 95 has gotten started cooking breakfast.
       -if time = 8:45, 95 is mostly done cooking breakfast.
   In either, ME is helping 95 cook. XP and 95 talk, with 95 being very determined to be the leader and do things her way, and XP fears that will result in hostility because of 95's vendetta against the Macs, and they're about to get into an argument...

      a1. there will be dialogue choices that end the argument quickly and civilly. For now they can agree to disagree.(15 minutes pass)
      a2. some dialogue choices cause the argument to escalate and take longer, with ME intervening. If they listen to ME, the argument will end, but neither 95 or XP are too happy about it. 95 isn't in a good enough mood to have  breakfast, and goes to the dojo to meditate. (30 minutes pass)
      a3. some dialogue choices cause a full-blown flamewar, 95 lashes out and XP ends up incapacitated. (1 hour passes, go to the "XP gets incapacitated" mini-scenario!)
   
   From the first 2 choices, breakfast will be served, and everyone who is there will eat.
      a1. 25 minutes pass, the family is calmer and happier.
      a2. 15 minutes pass, XP rushes through breakfast, the atmosphere is tense, and XP feels guilty.
      a3. Someone will deliver food to XP's room.

   b. the dojo: As XP is about to walk into the dojo, DOS warns her that ME is trying to cook without supervision.
      b1. "Will you please watch her?": DOS will supervise ME.
      b2. "Don't worry about it.": DOS walks back to the living room since she's usually too shy to speak up.
      b3. "But won't you miss your favorite show?": DOS does speak up, asking XP if she's sure about that.

      After one of those choices, XP goes to the dojo and sees 95 training by herself. They chat for a bit, then two dialogue choices:
      b4. "Wow! Nice moves!"
      b5. "Will you be able to help me prepare the house for the meeting?"
      **In both of these choices, the meeting is brought up, but 95 didn't know about it until XP told her. Similar pitfalls as the kitchen option apply.

      **In both choices, if the argument ends civilly, 95 and XP will go to the kitchen. If ME wasn't supervised, she makes a mess that takes an hour to clean up, and needs to start over. Otherwise, 95 will help her, and breakfast will be served.

   While having breakfast, 2K and NT are there to tell XP about her progress and her goals. Afterwards, ME asks if she can tag along with XP.

      

   c. Nanami's room (if she's awake): I described this earlier but don't have a lot for it yet.
      **I have in mind this choice being available after visiting the kitchen or dojo, but I'm not sure if I will include this as one of the first options.


After visiting one of those, XP also has the option to go to the living room, the front yard or back yard.

   d. In the living room, 98 and 98 SE are there. 98 asks XP if there's an errand she needs her to run at the moment.
      d1. buy groceries
      d2. buy art supplies for Homeko
      d3. don't do an errand right now.
      **98 will run another errand at noon.


   e. Vistan will be outside, starting to clean up litter around the front yard, scolding XP for contributing to some of it.
   -if XP responds in a competitive way, Vistan will be more antagonistic of XP, but the chore will be done faster (5 minutes pass instead of 10)
   -if XP didn't go to the front yard, Vistan will have picked up all the trash and guilt-trip XP about it.

sugoooi~~

damn, man, you've gotten alot done! @___@; as i've said, if there's anything i can help with just let me know! and if you get to a point where you want to put in art, just let me know too!

also, since you didn't answer my question, i figure i'd ask again: is it okay if i present this to my class towards the final (late april, early may)? don't care if it's anywhere near finished, but if there's some sort of demo or whatever that'd knock my class's socks off. xD since it was your idea, and i'm just your assistant here, i wanted your permission before i bring it to the school. :\

This will be. Fucking. Awesome.

Quote from: NejinOniwa on January 30, 2012, 03:07:49 AM
This will be. Fucking. Awesome.

Quoted for truth. I have a feeling this will be awesome :3

Looks good so far, Aurora - if you need any help with arts and the like, I can try to lend a hand. ^^'

I still say, if at some point we want to include voice acting, I'm up for it :3

i'm not doin' art no more? ;^;

well, at least i can help with script and voice ;v;

Me offering to help with art does not mean you won't be able to. It takes a village to develop a game...

(Unless you're ZUN, then you do it ALL. BY. YOURSELF.)

true. but we lack the godlike powers of the one called ZUN.

wonder where aurora went? her thread went viral and she's not here to enjoy it. :\

She's busy with college, I reckon.

she said she was fighting a nasty bug in her last post, so maybe she's still dealing with that. she also said she was working on the coding process, so maybe we'll see a prototype soon.

i hope so, since while i don't want to ask for one, if i could present a demo of the game to my class (on top of the final i'm already going to be making) in may, it'd blow everything out of the water. shoo-in for an a. >w>;

no, the teacher said it was fine, and even encouraged it. considering he's allowing people to team up for the final project, he's fine with me presenting something that's a team effort. as for it being not complete by that time, he said that people are allowed to present sketches and concept if that's all they have and it's strong enough. if i can get screencaps, even if it's just of the coding process, that'll be golden and likely net me plenty of extra credit. >w<

so we left off with xp going to either the living room or front/back yard. where should we go from here?

All I have for the front yard option is the time frame where Vistan will be cleaning up litter. I'm improvising here, and been a lot, but maybe this option is also an opportunity for other OS-tans to show up, possibly as guests?

Like I'd imagine Linspire-tan and Linux XP-tan being available in another time frame, and fangirling over XP-tan if she's outside at that time. And Linux XP could also offer her services as the professional XP-tan impersonator and do some chores for her... but at the cost of Linux XP getting caught by one of the other Windows-tans because her disguise isn't perfect, and XP-tan getting scolded for hiring a double, which is a sign of unreliability or something like that. :P

For the backyard, I don't have anything until 3.1 and DOS going there at 1 PM. :-/

well, going to the backyard at the wrong time is still a way to kill time.

as for the LinuXP idea, i like it, though i'm wondering if scolding is the right route for if they get caught. i imagine plenty of confusion if both are seen by one person! @__@

also, if the option to hire LinuXP as a double isn't chosen, and the character gets knocked out, perhaps LinuXP (disguised as XP) could be the stand-in for the incapacitated XP? i imagine it might make things go a tad smoother as XP not attending the talks might be seen as rude. ^^;

Good idea! Not sure if Linux XP and XP would show up in the house at the exact same time. Maybe if XP invites her over, there'd be the option for XP to tell Linux XP to not show up in disguise to prevent confusion and potential chaos. As a guest in the Windows house, Linux XP could be helpful, but if she gets overenthusiastic, she risks annoying everyone and overstaying her welcome.

Maybe if XP is incapacitated, she'll get a phone call from Linux XP-tan. Normally, XP-tan is annoyed getting calls from her, but asks her a favor and promises to pay her for it. Linux XP would eagerly accept! If that happens near the end of the game, the player would get an okay ending because although the meeting went smoothly, XP wasn't there for it.

There would be some time-wasting pitfalls. If XP goes to the front or back yard when nothing is there, it would be only a few minutes wasted though. When programming, I did add in the option to go to the dojo when no one is there. Those time-wasters might add up!

i imagine they would. it's like in FF7 when the reactor's about to blow, and you decide this is a great time to train. ><;

so after either assigning 98 to go to the store or not, what options should XP have?

If XP assigns 98 an errand, 98 SE asks if she can go with.

a. If XP lets her, 98 SE will be happy, but XP will have one less potential helper around the house.
b. If XP doesn't let her, 98 SE will be sad, and while she could help around the house, she will antagonize Homeo, and become an antagonist if not supervised.

Either way, XP will also think about who should tidy up the living room, since she'll let 98 (and also 98 SE if she goes with) get ready for her errand(s). When going back to the living room in the afternoon, she may request that whoever is there tidy it up.

At any time between 11 am and 1 pm, XP can take a lunch break, with different options (note: these options aren't finalized):
a. order pizza
b. cook ramen (this ends up being a time-consuming option because XP gets carried away and puts a bunch of ingredients in it because plain ramen isn't enough for her!)
c. raid the fridge for comfort food (only if XP is in a bad mood- she may end up eating the ingredients needed for dinner!)
d. eat ice cream

To me, XP-tan doesn't seem like the type who would eat healthy unless nagged by 2k-tan. :P

Also in the afternoon, XP (and ME if she's tagging along) goes into the bedrooms and picks up clothes that are on the floor and takes them to the laundry room, where she'll request for someone to do the laundry. Adding to the challenge of assigning tasks is that many of these tasks will happen in the afternoon, some at the same time. The laundry will also need to be put away before guests arrive. Of course, if ME is tagging along, XP can ask her to do the laundry, but would you trust her to operate the washing machine or dryer?

XP doesn't need to worry about assigning making tea, the snacks, or dinner until later in the afternoon. But it may be better to assign those earlier in case something goes wrong on the first try (i.e: XP can't control herself and eats the snacks)

giving XP the option to assign the tea earlier and then later sounds like a good idea, since multiple options gives the player more challenge as to what to assign first.

i think letting SE go along would be the better option, since XP has a wide range of people who would be willing to help. plus, the last thing XP needs is SE bothering Homeo. >>;

speaking of Homeo, when XP goes back inside the house, what if Homeo was in the living room with whoever was in there before? She could ask him to tidy up the living room, since he's used to tidying up after his sister Homeko anyway, and unlike most of the helpers available to XP, Homeo is a reliable, hard worker who's not crazy. :3

Sounds good, and don't you think that if XP asks Homeo to tidy up the living room, she'd be more polite about it than Homeko? From what I've seen, Homeko sounds like the pushy type, but Homeo is all too used to that (akin to Puma putting up with OSX's and Cheetah's pushiness). Maybe there could also be the option for Homeo to tag along like with ME?

What I have for this so far is:

-Homeo gets up at noon to eat lunch. Afterwards, he is in the living room with ME-kun. Homeko is there too pestering them about ideas for her next yaoi doujin, and wants Homeo and ME-kun to model for her -- this is if Homeko got up at noon. While she'd like to get more art supplies, she isn't freaking out because she realizes she has just enough to finish her current comic.

-If Homeko was woken up at 8, she's still pestering them, but also freaking out about the approaching deadline and fearing her art supplies won't last her much longer.

-XP-tan and ME-tan can, and should intervene. It would be better for them to ask Homeo and ME-kun to tidy up the living room since Homeko would be too distracted at the time (however, she could do another task later).

**If XP assigned 98 to buy art supplies for Homeko, 98 will return to deliver supplies to her, and Homeko will be busy for hours working on her latest manga.

Any suggestions? I quickly thought this up.

i like the options laid out. no offense to Homeko, but she seems like more of a liability than an asset, so methinks distracting her with fresh art supplies would be the best option in this case.
as for asking Homeo and ME-kun to tidy up, that seems like the best option here, since both are polite, reliable, hardworking, and neat. :3
i was going to suggest Homeo tagging along, but was worried that having 2 helpers might be too much. but since you like the idea too, remember that i'm thrilled with it. ^^

if 98-tan wasn't assigned to get art supplies for Homeko, the player should find another thing to distract her with. maybe putting up decorations would be a good idea for her? or making/ordering lunch for everyone. :3

Yeah, Homeko would be a liability. ^^

I'm stuck at the moment, I can't seem to come up with much between 10 am to noon in the XP scenario. Sucks that I could come up with stuff for the morning, and stuff for the afternoon, but not in between (and because of that, when testing out the game programmed so far, I can't get very far). >_<

Need to think of some events, tasks and distractions.

by now, she's probably seen 98, SE, and Vista already. if she has both Homeo and ME in tow, she can begin her search for people to help with the tasks. if she hasn't seen 95 yet, she could go searching for 95. she could also assign someone to clean up from breakfast, if it was made, and to start on lunch once they're done.

she could check the rooms upstairs to see if anyone's still asleep. she could go outside or maybe look for Inu-T (letting Inu-T run around alone likely isn't a good thing, since if Inu-T's bored or lonely she's more likely to get into trouble).

if all else fails (and you feel like writing up an extra place), XP could go out and run an errand herself. :\

When planning out the events, and how long they take, I can't seem to get further than 10:30-11:00 under the quickest scenario (i.e: ME doesn't make a mess in the kitchen, the argument between 95 and XP in the kitchen or dojo ends quickly and civilly). Most of the events so far don't take that long, and I don't know if I can stretch them out. :-/

Good idea suggesting that Inu-T needs to be supervised, and if possible, XP may try and find a task for her, or find someone to play with her (this can include guests). If XP meets Vista in the front yard while she's picking up the litter, I envisioned having Inu-T with her playing fetch. But Inu-T would wander around- some characters she wouldn't do well around, such as DOS because she's so shy and hardly talks, and 3.1 because she's kinda distant and hard to approach, and she'd fear disrupting Homeko while she's working on her manga! (imagine the consequences!!)

I had in mind the kitchen being mostly clean after breakfast except for all the dishes piled up in the sink- the dishwasher would need to be unloaded, and the dirty dishes put in, which can be done right after breakfast, or later. I also thought of XP having a lunch break on her own instead of a family lunch being planned, but maybe both can be done, since XP has the appetite for both!

XP's like a hobbit. second breakfast and all. :3

well, maybe it would help to list who would be left to talk to at this point? 2k-tan and NT-tan are busy, 98-tan (and potentially SE-tan) is at the store, Homeko's asleep, 2k-kun's at work, and Homeo and ME-tan are following XP around. who is left, where are they at this point (let's say 11am), and what is left to be done?

XP and Vistan are engaged in a rivalry when they meet. Inu-T would need to be supervised. Not sure where 3.1 and DOS would be and what they'd be doing at the time, but neither of them are very talkative anyways.

Homeo and ME-kun don't show up until at or after lunch.

So the first thing XP would do in the morning is just talk to everyone, assess the current situation, and think about who should do what essentially. It'd mainly be in the afternoon when she does some chores (such as patrol the house, particularly the bedrooms picking up laundry, and assign tasks to others while she's busy, such as clean the kitchen if it hadn't been cleaned yet.)

======

Before continuing with this, maybe we should map out what characters may be doing throughout the day:

ME-tan: First appears in the kitchen, trying to cook breakfast if she's alone, or assist 95 if she's there. She will ask if she can tag along with XP after breakfast, since she knows about what XP is trying to do.
   -but what if she doesn't tag along? I'd imagine she'd spend a lot of time playing with Inu-T and keeping her busy.
   -choosing whether or not to have ME tag along has its trade-offs
   -yes: XP will have someone to count on to help her with tasks, but Inu-T will be prone to getting bored or lonely.
   -no: One less potential helper since she'll spend a lot of time keeping Inu-T happy. I'd also like to think she'd tag along with 98 and 98 SE at times, she seems to be close to them.

Homeko:Would first either wake up at 8 if XP woke her up first thing, or get up at lunch time.
-if she was woken up at 8, she'd be freaking out about running out of art supplies (I see Homeko as not being a morning person, and wouldn't be in her best mindset in the morning), and would raid rooms looking for some. Of course, XP would have to clean up those messes. But if she can catch up to Homeko, she can scold her and tell her to clean up the remaining messes she made!
-if she got up at noon, she'd be calmer.
-either way, after lunch she'd be pestering ME-kun and Homeo about getting them to pose in yaoi situations for her comic!
-I think she'd be oblivious to the meeting, being caught up in her latest comic. However, I think she could be assigned to do the decorations because she likes to draw.

95-tan: First seen either in the kitchen or dojo, at about 8:30.
-kitchen: She is cooking breakfast, and knows about the meeting, which she wants to lead the arrangements for. While competent at those tasks, there is the risk of her scaring the Macs away, and that risk is unacceptable so XP has to limit her influence for the sake of the meeting! **I don't know where she'll go after breakfast in this option.
-dojo: She is sparring solo at this time. She doesn't know about the meeting, but when she does, she gets hotblooded!
   -there is the option of having XP watch her train for an hour, which makes 95 happier and more agreeable.
   -if ME is unsupervised, they run out of the dojo to the kitchen and have a mess to clean up!
   **not sure where she'd go after breakfast in this option either
-if first seen in the kitchen, she'd train in the dojo with 95-kun in the afternoon
**she'd go back into the house at some points, but not sure what she'd be doing.
-Has the power to break up conflicts, but scares those involved! Maybe XP can ask for her help?

3.1 and DOS: First show up at 8:15 in-game, watching TV. XP has the option to watch some TV with them.
1:00 - 2:00: They are in the garden.
-If the conditions were met for 3.2-tan to visit, they will spend time with her from 2:00 - 4:00

98: First seen and talked to with 98 and 98SE in the living room after breakfast.
-if Vistan was woken up by XP, she is playing video games with them.
-else 98 and 98 SE are playing with action figures.
-Can run a morning errand before running another at noon.
-When she returns from her noon errand, she can help with tasks and be assigned one.

98SE: First seen with 98.
-If 98 is assigned a morning task, there is the option to allow 98SE to go with her.
-If she does, she'll be happier, else she'll stay at home and torment Homeo and possibly ME-kun if not supervised by someone!
**Not entirely sure what they'd be doing when home in the afternoon, but they'll be available to have a task assigned to each of them.

Inu-T: Gets up early in the morning and wants to tag along with Inu-T and 2K, but is sad that they're busy.
-Is first seen watching TV with 3.1 and DOS, but is sad and doesn't really know how to talk to them.
-After breakfast, she is outside with Vista cleaning up litter.
-If ME isn't tagging along with XP, I think they'd spend a lot of time in the back yard.

after breakfast, i can picture 95 in the front yard, sweeping the porch or something. she might be a good candidate to watch Inu-T, since she seems to be good with the younger os-tans. either that, or she could cook, or potentially help with decorations or cleaning. she seems to be the most versatile in terms of tasks that can be assigned to her.

98 and SE would also be good candidates to watch Inu-T. considering they're of similar age, but slightly more mature than Inu-T, they seem like they'd be great to watch her. :3

when it comes to OSes that don't have a task assigned and you don't know where they are, what if we assigned a default action for them? for instance, if 95 isn't assigned to be doing anything (or isn't scheduled to do something specific, like cook breakfast or lunch), we could have her be in the dojo, training. it makes it easier on the player to find people, yes, but it's also easier to plan. :3

Those are good ideas, and help me with what Inu-T's role, relations to other characters, and the challenges involving her would be like. I also like the idea of default tasks, but I can't figure out a good way to program them.

The way I tried it was like this:

Each character would have a "default task" variable that would either be "True" (doing default task) or "False" (not doing default task), but I couldn't integrate that smoothly into the different points of the game using "if" statements. I thought for this to work, I would also have to make separate variables for locations AND the characters being in that location, and that would quickly get unwieldy!

syntax:
(character)_default_task = "False" -- would change to (character)_default_task = "True" to start this task and back to "False" when the character moves on to a specified task, which is anything else.

example:

#located before the start of the game, where most variables will be initialized
if w95_default_task == "True":
  w95_location = "dojo"
....
....
....
....
#in the game itself
if time >= 8.0 and time <= 9.5:
  w95_default_task = "True"
 

=======

So I'm wondering, would it be too much trouble to have "default task" variables and subroutines for each character, or is there a more efficient way to do that than I attempted, or should the default task when programmed be put in manually (that is no subroutines or variables) like with any other task?

Double-posting for a major update: Here are the character details so far in the XP Scenario (I'm working on a map and overview for the Tiger scenario, which will both be up soon too):

Sorry, the character map turned out smaller than I intended. (And i messed up on CE's description- I meant to say that she can tag along and give her [XP-tan] advice)

Still need more character interactions. Any suggestions?


The character map for the Tiger scenario will be differently arranged. Instead of a web-like pattern with the protagonist in the middle, there will be: a protagonist group on one side, the antagonist group on the other, the neutral in the middle, and other characters who agree with one group in between the middle and that group's side of the map.

that might make it easier to read. xD

that said, i still think it would be easy to list out the tasks that need to be done, then decide who would have the option of doing them, and the ranking of who would do it best. :\ (for example, while ME, the 98s, 3.1 & DOS, Homeo & ME-kun, and 95 might all have the option of playing with Inu-T, 95 might be the worst choice in this case due to her being needed elsewhere!

also, what do you think of adding in 95-kun? would that be too many characters, or does it sound like a good idea? he can help keep the peace (even keeping 95-tan calm), and can have the option of greeting the macs or playing with Inu-T. and even if he does nothing, he makes a great background character.

that said, i like this so far, even if it's a little hard to read. i can't help with the coding, sorry, but if ya start listing stuff, i can help more. ^^

I'm working on that list right now. In the story, 95-kun is mentioned if XP first meets 95-tan in the dojo; 95-tan was talking about how she's training solo at the time because 95-kun still has a hangover. He's a heavy drinker, right? I'd like to include him to balance the gameplay a bit because of his ability to calm 95-tan down. He's presumably one of the few characters with that power!

At the very least I could include him as an optional character because the scenario already has a lot of main characters.

optional character sounds like a good route for him. :3
he's a heavy drinker, but he only drinks sake. i don't know how long it takes to get drunk off of it, but i would imagine 95-kun would have built some sort of tolerance. that said, being hung over sounds like a good excuse for him not being up early. xD
he does sound like a valuable character to have, though, considering not many people can soothe the savage beast that is 95-tan. o__o;

i anxiously await the list~~

Just about anyone can do most of these tasks, and they must be carefully assigned. Sure, all the Windows-tans can multitask (ever since 1.0!), but for efficiency reasons, and to lead things in an orderly manner, a character won't be available for another task if they are already doing one.

Tasks: These tasks are available for anyone unless specified otherwise, and of course this isn't finalized.
   -Near the end, 2K and NT can do tasks since they're done with rehearsal
   -Vista can't be assigned tasks unless she and XP reconcile -- in the meantime, she'll do them on her own if XP overlooks them for too long
      **When Vistan, as an antagonist, takes over tasks XP neglected, that will threaten XP's credibility as leader!
   -XP can call 95 OSR 2.5 for help if she needs a task done and there's no one currently available (reliability may vary)
   -3.2 might be able to help with some tasks

make tea
   -best for task: 3.1, 3.2, 95-tan
   -worst for task: ME-tan (would you trust ME-tan with the stove?), XP

cook dinner
   -best for task: 95-tan, Saba
   -worst for task: XP (can cook decently, but must avoid certain pitfalls), Inu-T, ME-tan

make snacks
   -best for task: Saba, Homeo and ME-kun
   -worst for task: XP (same pitfalls as cooking dinner)

greet guests
   -best for task: NT, 2k, ME, Inu-T, 95-kun (he's learned to be civil!)
   -worst for task: 95-tan (this should be obvious), DOS (too shy and might not get noticed), Homeko (would try and pair up OS9-kun and Homeo in yaoi situations for her amusement), 98SE (would be hostile towards OS9-kun and the OSX-kuns)

do laundry
   -best for task: 3.1, 95-tan
   -worst for task: ME-tan, Inu-T
   
order lunch?: Not sure about this one

clean the kitchen
   *XP, along with ME-tan if she's tagging along can do this first thing after breakfast, or put it off until later and assign it as a task.
   *If XP is with Homeo and ME-kun and the kitchen still isn't clean, there is still the option
   *If XP puts off cleaning the kitchen for too long, someone will do it (I was thinking either 95-tan or Vista) but will be disappointed in XP.

clean the living room
   -best for task: Homeo and ME-kun
   -worst for task: ???
   
make decorations
   -best for task: Homeko, 98 and 98SE, Vista, 7
   -worst for task: 95 OSR 2.5 (according to a strip made by her creator, she's a bad artist), ME-tan

watch after Inu-T
   -best for role: ME-tan, 98 and/or 98SE, 95 OSR 2.5, Vista, 95-kun
   -worst for role: 3.1 (too annoyed by her rambunctiousness), DOS (feels overwhelmed), 95-tan (not bad at this role, but there are options that suit her better), Homeko (will neglect this task)

clean the front yard of litter:
   *if XP doesn't do this first thing after breakfast, Vista and Inu-T will.

buy art supplies for Homeko:
   *this is one of the options for 98's morning errand
   **if 98 doesn't do this, XP (and/or Vista) will have to do this, especially if Homeko was woken up at 8 -- she will be panicking over deadlines!
        **I can imagine XP and Vista teaming up for this, with the mentality of "An enemy of an enemy is a friend of mine"!



look after the house if XP is out buying art supplies
   -best for role: 95-tan (careful though- this may motivate her to take over!), 95-kun (good at breaking up conflicts that arise, but XP must run an additional errand)
   -worst for role: ME-tan, 98, 98SE

you've pretty much covered everything. ^^

i think 98 and SE would be good for the ordering lunch task. and if not them, homeko, since she's probably used to getting delivery food by now. :3

i'd say the worst for the task of cleaning the living room would be Inu-T, since while she might mean well and try her hardest, i imagine that her puppy nature might get the best of her. ^^;

i'm curious, is there any reason that Saba wouldn't be good at making tea? considering she can do the other two successfully, it might be a good plan to assign all three to her (or 95, depending on what else is going on).

also, i think 98 and SE might be decent at doing laundry. considering they're rather mature for their age, it makes me think that might be a chore they're assigned regularly. :\

Okay, I'll make those changes. I thought of Saba as being good at making tea, but making and serving food as her specialty or something like that.

So far, we're good on the gameplay aspects?

yes, i think everything is going well so far.

do you need me to do anything? i can't code, but maybe there's something else i could do?

For now since we have much of the gameplay down, let's discuss the storyline. So far in the XP scenario, the vast majority of the focus has been on XP-tan (for gameplay reasons), but we should also focus on the other characters, their motives, and their backstories into a cohesive story.

Some ideas off the top of my head:

1. The expectations that XP-tan has to face from her family and her userbase are higher than before after Vistan's debut. She's lucky to have as much commercial support and still take active roles in the computing world (mainly reserved for current OSes!) for as long as she has. Even luckier was that XP was originally intended to go end-of-life (discontinued, company support dropped) shortly after Vista's debut, but was delayed until 2009, then 2010, and now 2014. That is a luxury very few consumer-level OSes get to have!

2. Vistan's antagonism towards the XP-tans and Windows 7-tan is motivated by abandonment issues and feelings of inadequacy. On a technical note, Vista reached end-of-life last year, IIRC, while XP still hasn't! Poor Vistan. She just wants to prove her worth!

3. Why 3.1-tan has become apathetic to the meetings over the years- she doesn't feel like anything can be accomplished the way the meetings have been going. She doesn't hate the Macs or anything, and I'd like to say that if she fought in the wars (according to some pictures of her in battle gear), she was just following orders since she grew up with the pre-OS War ideals of chivalric battles among the other microcomputer-tans. Plus the OS Wars desensitized her and DOS to some extent, and have all but given up on keeping up with the modern OSes and trying to relate to them. (I envision 3.1-tan as being the Defrosting Ice Queen type)

4. During at least one point in the game, which I haven't fully planned out yet, some of the Windows-tans and Mac-tans will meet up before the meeting, presumably while away from home; one option I have written is if XP runs to the art store to get Homeko's supplies, she'll meet Mac OS9-tan there and they both discuss their sides of the story.


Of course, I don't want this to be totally serious. I'm more of a comedy person, so even if we do go the dramatic route, there will still be some silliness! What I have for the Tiger scenario though, falls more on the silly side though there is potential for drama, with members of a close-knit family fighting each other despite having the same goals in mind.

I can't help with coding and am not in a particularly writerly mood, but when it gets to the point that you start working on art I'd be willing to help out. : )

Okay! What part(s) would you like to help out with?

Here's what will need work:

Title screen:
   -can be done either raster or vector
   -this should be the last graphics thing to plan out for now
   -will depict the 2 (or 4 -- if we get to the other two scenarios) protagonists with cameo appearances of some of their relatives.
   
Character select screen:
   -can be done either raster or vector
   -to show the look I'm going for, I'll put up some placeholder pictures.

Main in-game character art: Full-body depictions of characters, the main graphics in a visual novel
   -Best done with vector graphics, which will help details stay consistent, and make anatomy mistakes easier to correct
   -I was thinking about doing this, at least partly. Right now I'm creating some character templates (different poses and expressions) which can be used by another artist to make complete pics.
   -Might be better to have at least 2 artists for this because of the difficulty.

Misc. in-game character art: Chibi depictions of characters in short gag scenes
   -these scenes will take up the whole game screen, will have a simple background and chibified characters

Backgrounds:
   -digitally or hand-drawn. May be raster or vector, depending on which would be more efficient for the background at hand.
        -for backgrounds that will be panned, they need to be larger than the game screen

Should we be discussing the graphics yet, or should we still focus on the story (and gameplay if need be) first?

I'd probably want to help with the character art ... especially things like shading/details and facial expressions. Though I may also be able to help with backgrounds too.

We could try collaborating on a sample piece of character art, once I figure out how to attach an SVG file that I have the character templates stored on. Unfortunately, I don't know if attachments are still allowed anymore- in the advanced options, for me at least, there is an "Attachments and Other Options" section, but clicking it still doesn't give me an option to attach a file.

bring it up in the site glitches thread, since that's kinda important. :\

you know i'm here for script, art, and potential voiceacting. :3

that said, i like the motivations you've laid out. i think another personality quirk for 3.1 could be her age compared to the other -tans there. she's arguably the oldest, and with that age comes wisdom, and a potential for head-shaking at the childish antics of her "contemporaries". methinks she'd be great for advice if XP can prove to her that she's not just another turnover-type OS and that she's going to be responsible and mature with her task.

i get the feeling that if XP approached Vistan humbly and asked for help,  she'd be very receptive. unless XP did something to piss her off earlier. then she'd be willing but very cocky.

as for other characters....

95-tan: very aware of the day's events (unless it's the route where she doesn't know, in which case she'd find out later) and very wanting to be involved in everything. she'd likely flaunt her age as 'wisdom' over XP and claim that her leadership skills make her the obvious choice for the task. she might need to be plied with something, and XP would have to be very careful not to make the task she assigns her not sound trivial. if 95-tan thinks she's being messed with, it's definitely going to backfire later.

95-tan (if he's in it): he'd know about the events and likely would want to stay as out of it as possible. however, he'd be friendly and polite, and if he was assigned a task he'd do it to the best of his ability. considering his laid-back nature, he'd likely take a semi-apathetic look on things, and roll his eyes wholeheartedly at any drama that may ensue. he'd get along well with 3.1-tan given the chance, only that his attempts to ply her with sake might irritate her after awhile.

98 & SE: they'd both know what's going on, but likely wouldn't be doing much about it on their own. they'd probably be excited but otherwise would be treating it like a normal day. 98-tan is more likely to worry over the whole thing, so is more serious than her sister. despite this, she is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when given a task, happily doing it to be of help. ^^ SE-tan's major concerns include having fun and messing with boys (Homeo, ME-kun, Kyourou-kun if he shows up). she'd do assigned tasks, but with a sigh and a pout. she might be likely to try to finish whatever task she's assigned early, so as to continue goofing off. the exception to this, however, is watching inu-t, as this is an ongoing task.

ME-tan: cheery as ever, she'd be super excited about the day's events and would be "helping" without even having a task assigned. what she might be "helping" with before XP talks to her first might be determined by other events, such as what XP does first or who she wakes up. ME-tan would give 120% in any task she was assigned, regardless of whether or not she knew what she was doing. xD she'd do her best to get along with everyone, and would be great at resolving minor conflicts/keeping the peace, or greeting the guests. though she might get a little confused on referring them of where to go in the house. xD

ME-kun: like 98-tan and SE-tan, he and homeo would know of the events but might not care much. he'd reflect SE-tan's attitude of "knowing but not caring" and would likely want to goof off. however, unlike SE-tan, he would be bright-eyed and cheerful about any tasks assigned, as he likes feeling useful. :3

Homeo: (first sentence of paragraph above) he'd reflect 98-tan, but with less worry. something of a combo of 98-tan and ME-tan in attitude, he'd be both excited and concerned, with the former outweighing the latter. he'd likely ask to be assigned a task, something not seen in anyone else in the game (outside of maybe ME-tan or Inu-t). though he'd be a good watchdog over potential troublemakers, he'd be powerless to break up any conflict himself. :\

Homeko: Homeko doesn't know what's going on and doesn't care. provided she gets her supplies early on, she'll stay out of sight, and out of mind. it still might be a good idea to visit her, however, as it doesn't speak highly of diplomatic relations when your sister comes stumbling downstairs in a dirty sweatsuit in search of [beverage] or [snack].
if she doesn't get her supplies, however, she could prove to be quite the foil. this could include eating the prepared snacks, drinking the tea, or just being a nuisance. she might even mess up the living room or something, under the guise of "well, if i can't draw, might as well watch tv." she wouldn't be purposely trying to mess things up, but without something to do she might get bored. and even if she's assigned a task, she'd likely huff and puff about it like SE-tan, only she'd do it at a slower pace.

Vistan: She knows what's going on, and like 95-tan, sees XP-tan as unfit to be leader. she'll butt in whenever she gets the chance unless XP assigns her to do something. and if XP doesn't take care when assigning it, her rage at XP might prevent her from doing a good job, or worse yet she might screw it up on purpose and blame poor XP! that said, if she is calmed down, she'd likely be an efficient, passionate helper with the power to break up conflicts.

Nanami: She knows and is eager (almost overeager) to help. Nanami will do any task assigned, can break up conflicts and is super-efficient. her only drawback is that she might end up annoying XP or making the others feel less important due to her being able to take on multiple tasks. this makes her a great canadate for watching Inu-t, since it would help even out the playing field a bit. plus, since Nanami is so cheery, she wouldn't get tired of hanging out with Inu-t. this would also make her a great door greeter, and if Inu-t was with her, would have the added bonus of making Inu-t feel important, provided she can keep her from barking at their feline guests.

Try the attachment now, Aurora. It was disabled for new attachments in the settings. :) Not all file types are accepted as attachments, so to be certain it works, you can for example zip the file.

edit: Also, I might add that the maximum filesize for attachments is very limited, that of 128 kilobytes (this is to avoid server burden). For files bigger than that, I'd suggest uploading them somewhere and posting a link.

@Choco: Wow! I completely agree with your descriptions, and they will really help me with the dialogue and further character interactions! :D I hope you can also help me with the Tiger scenario.

@Pitkin: Thanks! I see the attachment option now!

=======

I'm still making progress, and have some character art templates nearly completed- I'll attach them when ready.

Here is the first character map for the Tiger scenario, I don't have the interactions written down yet, but this character map shows where each of the Macs at the Mac House are aligned, and their difficulty persuading them. Also, in the original concept, I didn't intend to have System 3.4-tan stay, but now she's teamed up with Tiger-tan, and is the 'loose cannon' of the team.

I have this balanced so that at the start, there are 5 neutral characters, 5 on or favor the protagonist team, and 5 on or favor the antagonist team. However, keep in mind that 'protagonist' and 'antagonist' are relative, especially if Tiger's team ends up undermining their own efforts. :P

i don't know much about the mac's personalities, maybe bells can help you with that. ^^;;

that said, i'm glad to be of help. do you need me to do any art or are you and bella covering that?

@Choco: I hope this helps give an overview of the main characters:

My eyes burn after that small odd font, but I read it thoroughly.

Looks pretty legitimate and well thought out to me, Macs that like conflict or are more easy to anger are on the right. We got Terminator, Dominatrix, The Boss and little warrior on the right.

System 5 is mischievous but not as far right as the others.

The middle is the more sophisticated Macs that don't have time for pranks and overall aren't very aggressive. We got crazy nice waitress, elegant connoisseur, the time traveler and herself and retired god.

Jaguar and System 9 are artsy fashionable types and are closer to what is called lawful good.

Macs on the right with the protagonist follow orders well or just like doing hard work. We got humble maid, daredevil and our protagonist on the left.

Glad you agree! I hope you'll help me with the story for this one.

Quote from: Krizonar on March 12, 2012, 08:24:16 PM
My eyes burn after that small odd font, but I read it thoroughly.

Sorry! I know not everyone has the same level of tolerance for small fonts (I have a high tolerance for them), but I wanted to prevent the image size from getting unwieldy.

Quote
Looks pretty legitimate and well thought out to me, Macs that like conflict or are more easy to anger are on the right. We got Terminator, Dominatrix, The Boss and little warrior on the right.

Yup- they're all Boisterous Bruiser types to some degree, though among them are disagreements as to what's acceptable or going too far, plus some clashing personalities. Not all of them are that easy to anger, though OSX-tan and possibly Cheetah-tan are; but they are all characters who really shouldn't be pushed too far.

*It goes without saying that there will be a "Terminator" reference somewhere in the dialogue. :P

*System 6 is is very competitive, and formidable, but she can't stand the power struggle (either one- the OSX vs. Tiger conflict, and the current conflict between their groups if it escalates); yeah, she's a softy at heart, never wanting to hurt others unprovoked again, and also remembering how the family almost got torn apart in the OS Wars, but there's no way she is willing to admit that around her comrades or the rival team!

(However, isn't it strange that she's not the leader of the group, having several years of seniority over them, and is worried about losing OSX's respect?)

*Cheetah is usually too busy trying to keep up appearances, thinking she needs to be as tough as possible (risking invoking hostility) to continue to be respected by them, OSX-tan in particular. Instead, she should be more concerned about her stability first! While rather indifferent to the meeting, she does care about the OSX leadership struggle between OSX-tan, Tiger-tan and Lion-tan (who might not be in this except as a cameo character due to difficulty constraints), and thinks that OSX-tan is the best leader of the three.

*OSX comes off as being a Jerkass because aside from her personal-level power struggle with Tiger-tan, she wants things done efficiently, believes her team is more efficient, and sees Tiger's team as getting in the way. Obviously she won't take kindly to any of her team mates leaving. She should know that the whole family all work together- obviously it's one of the family's ideals, but she is so caught up in this competition that she's going against her better judgement.

*Mac OS8-tan likes challenges as much as her comrades do, but doesn't think the hours before the meeting are the right time and place for them, and is -trying- to be the most reasonable one! She's actually not that easy to anger, though she can be mistaken for such. She is good at motivating her team mates, which ever team she is on.

Quote
System 5 is mischievous but not as far right as the others.

The middle is the more sophisticated Macs that don't have time for pranks and overall aren't very aggressive. We got crazy nice waitress, elegant connoisseur, the time traveler and herself and retired god.

Leopard-tan is neutral in the sense she doesn't start off aligned with either team, she is antagonistic towards both sides, and also the closest thing to being aggressive in the neutral group- she's kinda cranky today?

The other characters can get involved in different ways, but I need help with that. So many to keep track of, and I haven't even gotten to the extra characters yet!

Quote
Jaguar and System 9 are artsy fashionable types and are closer to what is called lawful good.

Good point- they're Lawful Good while many of the others are either Chaotic Good or Chaotic Neutral.

Quote
Macs on the right with the protagonist follow orders well or just like doing hard work. We got humble maid, daredevil and our protagonist on the left.

The protagonist group is kinda dysfunctional too, being a rag-tag group, and among other things.

*Puma-tan, lacking self-confidence, isn't using her abilities to their fullest; this may be the difference between success and failure. Ultimately, she is her worst enemy. Tiger-tan and System 3.4-tan both need to be patient with her.

*System 3.4-tan doesn't care about the meeting because she doesn't live at the Mac House, though she is good friends with Tiger-tan and genuinely wants to help Puma-tan. Instead she's more interested in challenging OSX-tan's team. Her daredevil and Blood Knight tendencies need to be kept in check to prevent her from picking fights with others.

*Tiger-tan is in a bad mood from having a lousy start to the day, and to have teammates with opposite personalities just makes a lousy morning harder. She needs to get own mindset together before she can help others.

Quote from: Aurora Borealis on March 12, 2012, 09:44:03 PM
Glad you agree! I hope you'll help me with the story for this one.

Sorry! I know not everyone has the same level of tolerance for small fonts (I have a high tolerance for them), but I wanted to prevent the image size from getting unwieldy.

I was hoping to be aloud to help for this one, yeah.

It's not really the size that bothers me really as is how curvy it is, it's just a bit hard to read.

@Krizo: Sure! Feel free to help!

Quote from: Chocofreak13 on March 11, 2012, 09:52:06 PM

that said, i'm glad to be of help. do you need me to do any art or are you and bella covering that?

I'm partially doing the character art, and Bella said she might want to work on completing the character art and/or doing backgrounds. I don't know if she's fully decided on either or both of those, but certainly I want you to be able to take part in this too.

There's not just the character art and backgrounds, but also cutscenes (comedic and dramatic), the character select splash screens, and the title screen.

Any of those you want to do?

it's a type of comic font. looks familar, but it's not anime ace, which is like, the stereotypical font for every anime-inspired comic ever (and even some unaligned webcomics). maybe a more neutral font like mincho would be easier to read. :\

@aurora: read it, and it seems that you already have it down. i'll be popping in and out, but the only macs i've ever gotten a real personality read on were OS9 and OSX, due to my hours spent trolling the japanese galleries. as a result, my specialty lies with windows, os-kuns, and the nijiura characters.
however, i think kriz is the right person for the job here. :3 i'll be in and out, so let me know when you need me! ^^

(you replied just as i was about to, so in response to your latest post:
shouldn't one person do the character art throughout so it matches? none of us are wrong for the job, but our art styles are quite different between the three of us. :\
are the cutscenes going to be animated?
what did you have in mind for the splash screens and title screen? (tbh, i'm not even sure of what the former is; a type of background, maybe?)

@Choco: The font I used is called Indie Komicks Sketch.

The character art will be done with vector graphics- I'm making the character templates, and someone else will use those in a vector program and draw the details on for each character; so 2 people would be working on this, and I check for consistency in character details, and the art style used.

The cutscenes aren't going to be animated, and are allowed to use a different style from the main character art. The gag scenes will mostly be done in a chibi-style, while the dramatic scenes would have the characters full-bodied, and everything would be more detailed.

XP-tan and Tiger-tan will both have their own splash screens that show up on the character/scenario selection menu. When the player clicks one of those options, a full-screen background that depicts the character will show up, along with a menu asking if the player wants to play that scenario. When an option is clicked, the splash screen disappears since the player will either go back to the main menu ("No"), or start the game ("Yes"):

Quote
"Which scenario will you play?"
menu:
    "Windows XP-tan":
         show bg xp_splash_screen
          "Play as XP-tan?":
           menu:
              "Yes"
              "No"

"Mac OSX Tiger-tan":
         show bg tiger_splash_screen
          "Play as Tiger-tan?":
           menu:
              "Yes"
              "No"

i'll do those. and if you want to assign me a particular type of cutscene, i'd be willing to try for that, too. you'd just need to give examples on what you want for it (which characters, what expressions, how many of each type, etc).

I'll have to draw storyboards of the cutscenes to give you an idea what I'm looking for. Unfortunately, my only scanner doesn't work with my main computer (Leopard does not support it), and my Mac Mini running Tiger, which I use for that scanner doesn't seem to be working. I don't know when it will be until I can get something scanned, but we can still continue with discussing the story for either scenario in the mean time.

@Choco: I was wondering if you could also help me with the dialogue for the XP scenario since you know what the Windows-tans are like so well. There are some parts I've been able to do, but am struggling with others.

just lemme know. :3

(also, this is one of the problems i have with macs. as soon as the new version comes out, all the software is obsolete. >>;

not backwards compatible? nothing enabling it to be run through an emulator or something?)

Quote from: Chocofreak13 on March 14, 2012, 11:15:38 PM
just lemme know. :3

(also, this is one of the problems i have with macs. as soon as the new version comes out, all the software is obsolete. >>;

not backwards compatible? nothing enabling it to be run through an emulator or something?)

Sounds like the fault of the scanner manufacturer if it works on Tiger but not Leopard. Both are ancient.

I also have the opposite opinion to you when it comes to compatibility.

-Nanami can't read my external
-Nanami can't read my flash drive
-Nanami can't see our router
-Nanami can't find the printer on our network
-Nanami cannot see my other computers on the network

What compatibility? She's quite literally incompatible with everything.

it could be a software issue, i grant you that. sure sounds like it in your case. have you tried compatibility mode or troubleshooting?

on-topic: is there anything that needs attending, aurora-san? :3

To put it simply, OSX Leopard and later just don't work with my scanner since the scanner's drivers aren't compatible. There isn't a compatibility mode in OSX. I did install a third-party program that allows unsupported scanners to work in Leopard, but it doesn't work very well, like only a small part of the image actually gets scanned even when I scanned the whole thing.

To get back on-topic, I decided to add a few more starting character templates before posting up the first svg file, and there's the dialogue to work on!

====XP Scenario, Beginning====
The scene begins with an outside shot of the Windows House, which is a traditional Japanese villa. It is 8:00 AM.
Dissolve to a shot of XP-tan's room. 2K-tan talks with XP, but isn't yet visible in the shot, neither is XP.

w2k "XP-chan..."
xpp "Huh?..."
w2k "It's the day of the meeting, and we need your help--" (2K fades into view)
xpp "Aaaah! I forgot about that! Can't we reschedule it?!" (XP fades into view)

"Their mother, NT-tan enters the room."

w2k "No, this evening is the best time for the Macs and us to get together."
wnt "It was hard for all of us to agree on this, and it will be harder to reschedule."
w2k "There isn't another good time slot for this for another 2 months."
w2k "We wanted to prepare the house in advance like always, but we were just too busy this time."
w2k  (cranky) "Last night when the three of us fixed the microwave after ME-tan blew it up, well, that took up a lot of the time NT and I could have spent working on this."
xpp "What did she do?! I wasn't there for that!"
wnt "She heated up soda in the microwave."
w2k (facepalms) "Again."
xpp "Oh geez..."
w2k (remorseful)"Sorry we have to dump all of these responsibilities on you at the last moment, but NT and I have entrusted you with them."
xpp "Wait! You're usually the one who leads the arrangements, 2k-chan! I've see the notes you've written, planning everything down to the last detail!"
w2k "Sorry, I can't do that this time. I need to help NT rehearse for the meeting."
w2k "I thought you'd be thrilled to do this, this time."
xpp "I'm not sure if I can. "
wnt (cheerfully)"After the meeting, we'll make it up to you somehow!"
wnt "Maybe we could treat you to a sundae at that fancy ice cream parlor?"
xpp "..."
xpp "Okay! What do I need to do?"


**I'm most unsure of this part of the script below. I can't decide whether 2K gives XP the list of tasks to be done or not -- supposing that 2K was too busy to write those things down this time. If she doesn't get the list, 2K-tan will mention what needs to be done during breakfast.

Or another possibility we could do is it turning out that 2K accidentally gave XP the wrong notecards, and didn't know it until she went downstairs, so she scolds 2K for that during breakfast. :P

**notes: XP is unsure of herself with this at first because she, like nearly everyone else are used to 2K coordinating this, which 2K usually does with 95 and NT. XP is also unsure because although she wants to show her usefulness, she still has to live up to some of the highest expectations among the Windows Family, even after Nanami's debut, and even with the upcoming Windows 8-tan.

A monologue about this might be done at some point, but the better option, if possible is to have XP's interactions with some of the helpful characters discuss these issues.

"2k-tan hands XP-tan some notecards with a list of tasks that need to be done."

w2k "The best way to get these tasks done is to get others to help you with them."
wnt "It's also very important that the household stays quiet during rehearsal."
xpp "That's going to be a challenge... How do 2k-chan and NT-chan get everyone to work together... Maybe I should ask?"
xpp "2k-chan--"

w2k "Good luck!"
xpp "Dammit. I should have actually asked that instead of thinking it to myself!"

I think I should stop by here more often.  I've played/read so many visual novels, I could help you guys out.

You WOULD be a very helpful person IMO, since you probably have the most VN experience of any person at OSC.

I should stop in here more often too, but I don't feel that I can help with the gameplay or plot ... I probably won't be able to help out until Aurora's ready to work on the graphics.

I lurk this topic, since I feel between Aurora, Kari, and Kriz, they have the story pretty well covered; I never can think of anything to bring up

However, if we decide we want to do voice acting, I'd be willing to record dialog for some characters :3

Quote from: PentiumMMX on March 22, 2012, 11:17:33 AMHowever, if we decide we want to do voice acting, I'd be willing to record dialog for some characters :3

Same here! If Aurora ever needs somebody to voice various annoying female, child, Bostonian or Minnesotan characters, I'm her go-to woman. >>;

Well, what can I do to help?

-standing by for orders-
(think i'll add to the dialogue in the morning)

Viking voiceovers are available as well.

I'll help you with making the spites, to the best of my ability.

Okay! I'm working on the finishing touches for the first template, trying to adjust their sizes relative to the game screen.

Option A: I have it planned so that there will usually be two characters on the screen, on the left side being the protagonist or one of her allies, and on the right side being another character, but I'm kinda stuck when it comes to portraying the height differences between characters. Some of those differences are extreme, and two characters with a large height difference are expected to show up a lot in the Tiger scenario. x_x Should I attempt to account for those differences for accuracy's sake? If I do, it'd be better to increase the game screen resolution to allow a larger range of differences, say, 1024x768.
     -If we do this, I'll redo the calculations for the mini-cutscenes. That won't be a problem.

Option B: What I originally intended was just to have a character or two on screen, while the protagonist's headshot is seen inside the left part of the dialogue box, but I don't yet know how to program that.

Pretty sure I won't be playing it on my G3 iBook, so 1024x768 isn't a big deal.

No issues here, because I have a beast of a desktop and a laptop that can pack a decent punch :3

Nope, the smallest scfreen I have is 1024x768, so it's all good here.

Aurora, would you be interested in critique from someone who has played a lot of VNs?  Perhaps you could email me stuff you want looked at and I can offer advice based on my experiences and so forth.

@Red: Sure, but I prefer to just post stuff here.

I don't have any suggestions or ideas, Aurora ... I'll be here whenever you're ready to start working on the sprites.

i'm in the same boat as you on being busy with school, but i'll be here too when i'm done. ^^ (sorry i can't help more now, but i dug my own grave on this project. :[ )

Here's the reference sketch for 2k-tan's default pose and expression:


I hope that vectorizing this and correcting the proportions won't be too much of a problem.

I could probably vectorize this and make the templates quite easily. Is this something I should do for you, and if so, when would you want it done by?

Yes. I'm afraid I struggled with the templates, but at least I was able to give a starting point. How about I provide the sketches, and you vectorize them? Though if you have suggestions for character expressions and poses to add on, I'd like to see them too. I don't have a strict deadline, but getting a first piece of character art done by the weekend would be recommended so I could comment on it as soon as I can.

curious, what did you have in mind for the splash pages? i was thinking a tiled pattern of the error icon, with the entire thing in a light blue. seems rather typical/safe. what do you think?

character selected? you mean you want me to put in a box with the character's name?

@Bella: Any progress with the character art? I'd like to know when I can start posting more up.

@Choco: I mean art of the character being selected, with the name in the background.

Sorry, I've been really neglectful in my art duties. Coupled with the fact that I really wasn't feeling like drawing anything and that you weren't around much, I sort of put it at the bottom of my project priorities. : (

i haven't made progress since i'm stll confused on what's asked of me. i was going to do the background for the splash pages, but shouldn't we put the rest (character name and picture) in later, since you guys were doing the character art? also, should i stick to a general colour pallette for the backgrounds (rainbow) or make each one specific to each character?

sorry, i just don't want to screw this up. ><;;

We can add the character art for the splash pages later; we should start with the background first. Being fullscreen, it needs to be 1024 x 768 resolution.  You had in mind a tiled background with the ME-tan style error icon, right? I think using that background in a different color for each of the playable characters would work, since the icon would still be easily recognizable. I was thinking a blue background for XP-tan and an orange background for Tiger-tan (the icon would match, being blue+white or orange+white respectively). There were two other playable characters in the original concept, but I put those aside for now because working on two scenarios is hard enough, let alone four!

that should be easy peasy. -w-

i'll try to have it within the next week or two. but my room is close to the unlivable point right now (literally!), so that has to come first. ^^;;;

@Choco: Okay.

-------

Anyone else still interested in continuing this project?

Well, about the best I could contribute would be voice acting, but since I don't know if you want to do anything that elaborate, there's nothing I can really think of to do; except stand on the sidelines as your cheerleader :3

I'm interested in continuing this project, but i've been low on drawing inspiration lately. u.u;;

@Pentium: Thanks for the support. Not sure if there will be voice acting, but are you willing or able to help with the story, whether it's adding new ideas or filling in the gaps I overlooked?

@Bella: Okay. Don't you hate when that happens? :( I'm kinda suffering that myself, I have OS-tan stuff I really want to draw, but can't get myself to draw them. >_<

It's the worse. Though I've been trying to work through it with lots of semi-random doodling (which seems to be the only effective form of treatment for artist's block!)

I guess I could help go over the story; to see if I can come up with ideas to help fill in the gaps :3