A promo poster I made for the new game.
How do I plan to continue this? Due to my issues with finishing games thus far, I decided to go back to what allowed me to finish the original "Memoirs of an Angel": I wrote the story first, then turned it into a game. I didn't worry about how it would look with graphics or what mini-games to add, I just worried about writing a good story. That's what I'm doing with W.I.S.H. That's not to say that I haven't thought about the gameplay and graphics, but I'm focusing on getting the story completely planned out down to every last event before even touching Ren'py. I'll make the game adjust to the story, not the other way around.
That said, I've made monumental progress (in my eyes, anyway). So far, I have all of the routes lined out, which means that they've been outlined from beginning to end in a fair amount of detail. I also have quite a few specific events outlined (not written out as far as dialogue, but described in detail). A detailed "characterization" document like I made for Memoirs is also in progress. Once I get some feedback on the route outlines, I'll start working more on the specific plot events themselves. Then I'll fill in romance and other events as needed.
Some of you may be wondering, why the name change?
Starlit Dreams and W.I.S.H may feature the same characters and the same basic premise (the main character lost everything in a fire and moves to a new city, but s/he's bored with her/his job at the library and wants to be an inventor), but they are completely different.
Starlit Dreams was a "light-hearted business sim." W.I.S.H definitely is NOT.
W.I.S.H still includes a few business sim elements (you can choose what products to make, who to sell them to, and for how much), but the focus is on the story, which is anything but "light-hearted." Expect strong language, heavy violence, and adult themes. Murder and the nature of death, specifically, play a huge part in the game.
The new game is centered around the characters, getting to know them, seeing their relationships, and then witnessing the chain reaction that happens when something big upsets the balance of their fragile world. That said, there will be up to three "action periods" a day during which you can choose which character you want to talk to. The main stat to raise is "Attraction," earned by witnessing events and choosing the right dialogue options, which factors in to whether a character sees you romantically or as just a friend.
Finally, events in Starlit Dreams were triggered by having enough affection points with someone. Events in W.I.S.H are based on a calendar and the same events happen whether you are there to witness them or not, forcing you to prioritize different characters' events.
To summarize, Starlit Dreams was an excuse to play around and have fun. W.I.S.H is a serious game about the consequences of relying on "miracles" and, as mentioned above, the unexpected chain of events that can happen as a result.
Anyway, I'll post more about W.I.S.H once I've gotten a significant portion of the writing done. You can also take a look at the WIP thread on LemmaSoft if you're curious. In the meantime, enjoy this bright and vivid promo poster I made using the sprites from the game. :D
