Waifu Wonderland
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Opinion Poll - How do you want development to go?
🕑 Added 2024-12-05 21:00:10 +0000 UTCAfter thinking about it a bit, I wanted to get people's opinions on how to proceed with Waifu Wonderland. For full context, you can read the Dec update.
Basically, I wont be able to develop the game after I move in March because RPG Maker MV doesn't work on my laptop, and that's what the game is built with. So I have a few options I'm considering with what to do with the game. Here they are.
The Risky Option -
Do as much as possible before I move, then whatever gets done is just the way the game is. Once I move I start on another project. This is the riskiest option. It could mean being left with an unfinished and broken game, but could also mean adding everything I wanted for the initial version. It entirely depends on my day job schedule and how much time I end up having to work on WW.
Hiatus Option -
I could also just put the game on hiatus until I get a new laptop. I plan on getting a new one as soon as I can after I move, since mine is a bit old and I need something more powerful. So I could put the game into a stable state, and then put the game on hold until I get a new laptop. If I do this, it also means continuing development beyond the apartment tier. I don't want to put the game on hold for months just to come back and do a handful of scenes. The biggest problem here, is that there's still the possibility of a newer laptop not running RPG Maker MV either. As well as just having to wait a long time for the game to start getting updates again. Since there's the possibility that a new laptop wont be able to run the engine either, I wont be working on it at all.
Good Enough Option -
This is the one I'm leaning towards the most. Basically, I finish what I'm working on now and rework some things to make the game have an ending. Then I just release it and move on to another project. Namely, a follow up using 3D animated scenes in a new engine, using parody characters and scenes likely made in Blender. The biggest downside here, is that I'd have to cut out basically everything not currently in the game. Like the hospital, office building, the MMC storyline, the final lab character, Hikari's scene, and everything else I've talked about. Basically the only things being added would be unlocks, new scenes, and pregnancy for the 3 starters, pregnancy and new scene for the working girls, an abrupt ending to Angela's storyline, and then an ending for the lab storyline. Then the game would be called done.
Finish It Later Option -
This is probably the weirdest option. It's a bit of a mix between option 1 and 2. Basically, I would focus only on programming until I move. I'd program as much as possible into the game, but there wouldn't be artwork for anything. No faces, sprites, or scenes. There would only be placeholder artwork, like a white box. Then I'd do the artwork as I have the time, and put it in as it gets done. The biggest problem with this is that the game wouldn't get any new gameplay or story content. The only updates would be for the artwork, but the game itself wouldn't change. However, since the process of creating the artwork would take such a long time, I should have a new laptop long before I get done with all of the artwork. If the laptop can run RPG Maker MV, then I'll be able to continue developing once all of the artwork is done. The last potential downside. If I do this, I wont be able to add any encryption to the artwork. It's already easily broken, but it does require some work, and I think it takes away from the experience if you can just look in the folder and see all the artwork instead of having to unlock it in the game.
Original Waifu Wonderland Option -
Then the final option is to return to the original version of Waifu Wonderland in order to throw in as much as possible before I leave. For those that don't know, I originally started developing Waifu Wonderland using existing artwork. I was using artwork of my favorite characters, all of which I had as Waifus on ACDB. Which is where the name came from. It was meant to be more like Haramase Simulator than anything else and meant to be a way for me to have all of my favorite characters in the same game. But I thought the game had real potential, so I decided to start making original artwork for it instead. Since it looks like I wont be making a retail version anymore, there isn't much reason to worry about only having original artwork anymore. Anyway, this is basically the same as the Finish It Later Option, except that it would actually have artwork for everything. I had considered just doing this for the Finish It Later option, and using the existing artwork as placeholders. That's honestly more like real game dev. But since it would be released, it creates a mess of problems that I'll go into farther down.
Before that though, I want to say that I would implement the artwork in as ethical of a way as possible. For one, I wouldn't use CG from other games. I'd only use CG from standalone CG packs. I'd only use one scene per CG pack. And of course I'd give credit to the original artists. This way it would be promoting the artist and be similar to seeing a preview of a CG pack on a store page rather than a replacement.
Without having to worry about making the artwork, I'd be able to add in everything I wanted through the apartment tier, and possibly at least a little bit of the house tier, before I leave. This also has the benefit of all of the good parts of the hiatus option. Once I get a new laptop, if RPG Maker MV works on it, I can start working on it again and add in everything I wanted to the game. I would be able to add content significantly faster too. Up until now 90% of my dev time has been spent making the artwork.
There's of course a lot of problems with this option. The biggest being that I know a lot of people don't like when devs use artwork they didn't make. Which I completely understand and is why I have the rules above for what kind of artwork I'd implement. Another problem is that I don't know if I'd be able to put the game on itch anymore, so that version may have to get scrapped. Another problem, is that since I'm on such a tight schedule, any new scenes wouldn't get a black guy version. If I come back to it, I could maybe do edits depending on how long it takes, but unless that happens, scenes would just have a white guy. Since I'd be using existing anime style artwork, new scenes that get added will likely be The last problem, is that I wouldn't be able to post the actual game here anymore. So I'd probably have to make a discord to share it instead.
Too Many Options -
And that's all the options! Let me know which you would like to see. I'm not just using this poll to help me decide which one of these options to go with, I'm also using it to gauge continued interest in the game. Even if the votes are split, the number of people who vote will also have a big impact on which option I ultimately go with.
Comments
Exer
Thanks for trying to help, but I already tried that. I tried every solution I could find on Google, rpg maker forums, steam, and reddit. Editing registry files, updating drivers, doing clean installs of everything from drivers to steam itself, and so many more. I even tried doing a factory reset. No matter what I tried, the splash screen pops up, then nothing happens. It seems like it's something that's happened to a lot of others and there's just no solution. I'm guessing it has something to do with the architecture of my laptop being incompatible.
Shardon
Maker MV is new enough to work on just about anything, especially since VXace which is even older still works. So.. like whats in the steam forums.. manually uninstall all of the VC Redists, then install using the all in one they link. Thats probably main issue #1.
B.R
I say if you need time then take some time the best games are always made when the creators are aloud the time they need
