#theycallvn progress post

[theycall-vn]

PROGRESS POST - SNEAK PEEK!

Writing - none

Coding - edits

Art - bg lines x1, bg colour x1, cg x1

finished the lines this morning, finished the colours this afternoon, put it into the files + added it to the meeting bb cg as a background as intended.

it took a bit of trial and error to get the angle right, but i managed!

so yes. sneak peek, as you've seen ^

this means that i have all the art needed for demo done! gonna do some edits to put these last pieces in, then get the files ready so i can send it out for testing

fuck man i'm so nervous and excited and scared. it's just the prologue, it's not even the whole game, but i'm just so fucking anxious about it ksjdhalkjh

anyway that's all for today

[theycall-vn]

PROGRESS POST - NO SNEAK PEEK

Writing - outline additions

Coding - none

Art - ui stuff, bg sketch x1, bg lines x0.5

had a really bad headache yesterday and ended the night with a family emergency - still managed to get some work done, it just wasn't much. so yesterday and today are being put into one post

did a lot of outline stuff. chapters 4, 6, 7, & 8, specifically.

worked on a bg a bit too, mostly lining

updated name box and dialogue box to match new stats button. lowkey miss the old look tho, so i may change it back one day lol

it's basically the same, just added bugs for decoration. (which matches the stats obv) cause i really like the simple box look, just wanted to add a lil somethin ya know

uploaded new screenshots for the itch page and double checked my demo's files. was worried i wouldn't be able to upload them cause my internet's been weird today but i did it!

also got bsky and itch posts drafted and ready to post

shit, man. day after tomorrow, the demo is coming out. i'm still excited, but i'm not gonna lie. i'm now more scared than excited

guess it's at that point hlsajhlsad

[theycall-vn]

PROGRESS POST - NO SNEAK PEEKS

Writing - ~1k additions, outline additions

Coding - edits

Art - cg sketch x1, cg lines x1, cg colour x1

(morning) had SUCH a good idea come to me last night with my before bed coffee - i'm going to have SO MUCH FUN writing those bits of flavour text

i'm so fucking excited. there's so much "oh god that's fucked up" potential there i cannot WAIT

here's hoping i can pull it off lmao (/morning)

started sketching next cg. (edit) and lining. (edit) and then colouring. (edit) okay, i straight up just finished it. and did the code stuff for it. 35 variations on this one

as you can assume by the previous 98 variation cg - this is also a player cg. i have learned from the previous one, so i was able to cut how much time i spent on it by A LOT

anyway! this is the first bad end cg, to be precise ;3c being the first, it's very tame. but like compared to the second bad end... it goes from 0% to 80%

next one won't have any variations tho (and that made me SO tempted to animate it, but if i did that to myself, i think i'd have to punch myself in the face. so no.)

did a tiiiny bit of writing for chapter 2, and some planning for 3

stopping early today cause i put off my chores and need to get them done before i sleep lol

bai

[theycall-vn]

PROGRESS POST - NO SNEAK PEEKS

Writing - edits, ~1k

Coding - none

Art - bg lines x1, bg colour x0.5, bg sketch x0.5, sprite sketch x0.5

edited all the stuff i wrote yesterday, wrote a bit more today.

finished lining one bg and started colouring it. got the bulk of a new bg sketch done also, just need to sketch out some last bits (details that i won't remember if i start lines right away lol) and i can start lining it next

also started sketching out a sprite. i'm tempted to say it's finished, but i gotta tweak some proportions/angles. maybe change the shirt. it just needs some adjustments

uhm

i think that's it. nuh night

[theycall-vn]

PROGRESS POST - NO SNEAK PEEKS

Writing - edits, ~2k

Coding - edits

Art - bg lines x0.5, bg sketch x0.5

edit: this one is also long? i'm starting to think i'm just rambling

did some editing last night before bed, for writing and code. also edited the guide and added what's already in the game to it

idk if i mentioned i was gonna do that yet, but in case i didn't: it'll help me keep track of stuff as i'm writing, so i have a better idea of stat related pacing. also helps me keep track of ending stuff

did linework and sketched stuff out for another bg. didn't finish the sketch tho cause it's one that i have to do a lot of like... straight lines.

that gets complicated in some pieces cause i basically make a "grid" layer, then try and erase the lines of the grid i don't need before i actually line it idk how to explain it sorry lol

actually. i could do a before and after of the next grid thing i do for a sneak peek.

anyway moving on. wrote for chapters 2 and 3, and wrote some spicy stuff while i was. medicated. i have to reread it again tomorrow to make sure it's as okay as i thought it was

poked at ui stuff (code) cause i started doing something before and never actually finished it. a lil bloodless rn so it took longer for me to brain than i care to admit but i finished it lol

also been reconsidering the whole secondary characters thing again. my brain can't work with silhouettes, unfortunately. like i know that an interesting silhouette should be a thing for art in gen, but i've never been good at it.

i'll make an attempt to think about it more as i'm making the other sprites, just so i can learn, but i do think i'm gonna have to just... draw full sprites.

at this point, it'll probably end up being faster than me making silhouettes lmao

thinking that if i just... make the group scenes have fairly boring sprites, it'll have the same kinda "too simple to detract from the scene" vibe. and hoods/hair/hats are a good way for me to avoid certain expressions that might me uncomfortable

and as i (seem to) always say before biting off more than i can chew with this project: i can do it. i believe in me. 😌

[theycall-vn]

PROGRESS POST - NO SNEAK PEEKS

Writing - outline additions

Coding - edits

Art - bg lines x0.5, ui stuff

DEMO TOMORROW. decided i'll be posting it + posts about it before bed.

people are usually active during my lunch (briefly) and while i'm asleep, so i figure it'd be a good way to ensure more people see it

also decided to turn off ratings/reviews for it until the full release is out.

maybe i'll change my mind about that idk

anyway!

worked on the outline for chapter 3, did more ui work. decided to add like a transparent bg to the choices so there's more. uh. like. idk, texture

which meant adding some bits to the code. also made it so the choices get bigger when you hover over it cause why not

ui stuff was put into the demo too so i had to reupload the files ldgslhgff

uh worked on a bg's lines also. def dragged my feet about it cause i'm tired so i didn't finish it lol

that's it for today, post is earlier than usual cause i'm gonna get an early night

baiii

[theycall-vn]

PROGRESS POST - NO SNEAK PEEKS

Writing - none

Coding - none

Art - bg colour x0.5

didn't feel good the last few days, so i just watched cartoons and worked on some low effort personal projects instead

back to work today! partially. had a headache all day and chores to take care of too so lol

uhhh did some synopsis stuff. not sure if anything is sticking, tho

worked more on the bg colours, started sketching out how i wanna alter its linework for the bg's mirror version cause diving right into changing the lines was NOT working out

uhm. oh! edited the first bb cg to add a lil somethin. also to the demo release... image thing. really like how they look now and might keep that "lil somethin" to use on ALL future art lmao

that's it. hopefully i can get more work done tomorrow, but i didn't finish all the housework i needed to do today so we'll see

[theycall-vn]

(yesterday) i worked on the first bg again. before, i was tryna like... do minimal effort to save myself some time since i have to do SO much art for this

but i hated the way it looked. it was just awful. so i've decided to do the lighting like i normally would instead of the low effort thing

it's much better now, and i'm happy with how it's coming along. still concerned about how much effort it is to do, cause it's so time consuming but maybe it'll get easier/faster the more i do it?

maybe wishful thinking but oh well. peek for what i've got so far:

it's not done yet but it's looking way better than it was before. sorry i don't have like. side by side comparison but TRUST ME it's better lmao (/yesterday)

did some editing for existing chapter 2 stuff to make it sound/look a lil better.

also started to finish a conversation branch i stopped writing midway? idk why, i don't remember but trying to pick it back up has been killing me cause i lost my flow for it LOL

and i need to mention, which i guess i should mention somewhere in the info for they call, that while there are no wrong choices with conversations, some choices give you info that other choices don't.

if i do this right, you should have all the info you need by the end, so ultimately it won't matter. but! you can find out info earlier if you choose a certain thing. but sometimes at the risk of missing some relationship/attraction points

mostly worked on the next couple bg's today tho. much to my wrist's displeasure. achey bastid. might have to focus on writing tomorrow. or coding. anything but art, cause ow. ANYWAY

finished two bg's, poked at the third, and FINISHED THE FIRST CG WOO

it has a total of 98 variations. because i'm a masochist. peek below:

not a bb cg, a player cg. the first one you ever see! and i'm still obsessed with that goddamn ring and want it irl

started putting them all into the code which is so long winded shadjghsajhd but i'll get there eventually

it's not even 5pm yet, but i'm posting this now cause i'll be spending the rest of the day setting up the cg's

[theycall-vn]

aaaaaa

i just finished writing the prologue!! i have to edit the last couple bits cause excited typos but i did it!

i will now reward myself with two oreos and finish editing. i'm so happy!!

[theycall-vn]

10th feb - away from home stuff:

wrote part of another bad end. might need to redo it to make it more graphic, but i gotta write the rest first.

also considering bringing back the bad end that i decided to remove because i think it would be... cathartic to write and read

like for me. personally

but im just super aware that it could be like. problematic? i know if i asked anyone for their opinions on if i should keep it, they would say i shouldn't sooo. i guess i could just write it and then not implement it? that works

uhhhm. figured out some small events and which chapters they should go in. they're the biggest romance/sex scenes though, so im trying to figure out how to "reward" those who are either strangers or platonic.

platonic should be easy enough to figure out, but... strangers, not so much. the story strips you of a lot of things, so maybe... gaining some of those things back? in some way? hmmm

11th feb - home again:

put drafted bad end into vn, tested timing and effects. defintely need to rewrite most of it, but it'll be easier to when i'm not fighting my phone's autocorrect lmao

didn't touch anything else i worked on yesterday, mostly just did the above and edited typos. uhm. oh! also set up the counters for the true ends

might do a draft for the first sexual scene in bed because i already like. envisioned the entire thing before i even started working on this properly. it was one of my daydreams lol

but i might be too tired so maybe not. idk yet

i decided also that i wanna redo some of the prologue because it feels... unbalanced and like a different flavour than some of the newer additions, and chapter 1. i gotta fix that

and that's all! nuh night

[theycall-vn]

PROGRESS POST - NO SNEAK PEEKS

Writing - edits

Coding - edits

Art - monster design, sprite sketch x1, sprite lines x0.5

okay so. added in the sprites from yesterday, tweaked some code and made some writing edits. also rewrote a lil section in chapter 3

finished bb's monster design and skectehd out the two poses those sprites will have.

started lining it, but didn't finish. a lot of details, two poses, three emotions, a couple of... "special" layers. it's a lot of work so it's gonna take me a hot minute

ugh bb is so cute 🥺 i can't wait til the monster reveal. and their waist is slutty

no more sneak peeks of them til the game is out tho, i have decided. the sketches i've shared before + the early version of the design in the main menu are the only hints to what it'll look like

i really want it to be a surprise also hope it won't be a let down for people who are expecting something... different

been thinking of. well, not gonna say specifically, but been thinking of something. for bb's monster sprites. it's a fun idea, i just don't know if it's too much lol

i'll do some tests after i finish the sprites, see how i feel about it and if it is gonna be too much. i hope it's not, i wanna do it

that's all. i'll prolly keep lining until i go to sleep, but yeah. night

[theycall-vn]

PROGRESS POST - SNEAK PEEK!

Writing - none

Coding - edits, additions

Art - monster design, sprite sketch x2.5, sprite lines x2, sprite colour x2

did some code edits, added some uh. fuck i forgot the word. decision. markers. for flavour text WHATEVER

i added stuff for future flavour text (didn't wanna add these in til i drafted the parts of the story they'll be in)

looked at lists of words used for writing sex scenes so i can decide how i wanna word parts-customization. dick/pussy is too straightfoward. i personally know some people who Have A Bad Time when those words are used to describe their body parts. so i've been trying to figure out how to list things??

i don't wanna go technical, i was thinking descriptive, but it's hard to- oh my god idea. okay, i have to edit what i have written for the second variation of body customization, but i think i know how i wanna do it

okay cool

to reiterate, just for customization. i can write the scenes fine, it's just. making choosing easy but still a lil more inclusive.

anyway i'll. figure it out. i have an idea now so (still, if you have any suggestions, it'd help!!)

almost finalized bb's monster design. which also means i'm nearly done sketching their sprites out

finished two other sprites. peek below

it's definitely faster for me to just make a full sprite rather than silhouettes lol hurts a lot more but it is faster

added one into the code also (: hand and wrist are killing me so i'm gonna wait to do the other tomorrow

did a read through of my outline and notes to prep for the next writing bit for chapter 2 - i have to do research before i can start so i'm just trying to get ready for that lil study session

uh that's it for today i think bai

[theycall-vn]

PROGRESS POST - NO SNEAK PEEKS

Writing - ~500

Coding - none

Art - bg lines x0.5

edit: this one is way longer than i thought it would be, but most of the work i've done lately isn't the kind of work i put into the summary thing up top

sooo some stuff happened and made me nonexistent for a bit. personal stuff, so i'm not gonna get into it. managed to get in a tiny bit of work regardless

also spent a lot of my free time i had moving all my docs into ellipsus (i was using google docs cause it was easy to use and access, but they cannot be trusted)

i like it. it has a lot of focus on collaboration stuff which would make any future projects a lot easier (if i ever expand beyond the whole one man team thing)

anyway. into the actual development part sorry

worked on the lines i was doing before my break, didn't get much done tho. hoping to sit down and make more progress on art during next moth MOTH TYPO month, at least

did a lil writing for chapter 1, edited/added to the outlines for chapters 4, 7, 9, & 10 + added in background info to fill some holes i left when i first started.

(when writing, i always go back and look at the relevent bits of this info so i can make sure the world/characters stay consistent lol - so it's gotta be as hole free as i can manage and up to date. constantly editing this thing but this was the biggest edit i've done since i started so i'm bringing it up)

i feel like i should mention that info/background/outlines DO NOT count towards that word count in the summary. that's literally like. draft stuff.

also since i ~*vanished*~ here's a tiny peek of my planning doc that has never before seen the light of day to make up for it:

(this stuff is old, obviously, but i wanted to share what most of the doc looks like nowadays. a lot of this stuff ya know)

and was feeling Some Kinda Way while i was in bed one night and inspiration hatched out of the feels. i've now written how bb would confess to loving the player (if certain conditions are met - there's not going to be a confession if you don't want one - from you OR bb) and oh my goooodUHhh i love bb. i love themso much. it made me do the lil kicky feet thing!!

was about to mention what chapter i might put it in, but realized that would be a spoiler. and now i'm realizing that i'm gonna have to be more careful about that. weird that i'm reaching a point where i have to tuck some info away to avoid spoilers

also did some thinking and planning on ways to (violently) undermine certain tropes. because i am, at my heart, one contrary mother fucker.

i do delight in derailing everything all the time forever

uhm. i think that's it. i can't remember anything else i've done since the last update. baiiii

[theycall-vn]

PROGRESS BLOG - NO SNEAK PEEKS

Writing - outline additions + edits

Coding - none

Art - sprite sketches, sprite edit, ui stuff

had a thought about my previous want to make sprites for every character. i will have at least two scenes with 3+ people. i think that many sprites will only subtract from the vibe of those scenes

so i've decided to use silhouettes instead. again, for the "background" characters. i also lowkey don't want to do the expressions for most of them because it'll make me uncomfortable

that said, i started sketching out some. might have to do some research or somethin tho cause silhouettes are hard (to me)

uhhh had to edit a couple finished sprites i made because oopsies that i didn't notice

made edits and additions for chapters 4 & 6 - amusing note i made in chapter 4, "if Attraction - make it weird"

had an idea for the stats button. it didn't work out, but it gave me another idea which went better. like the button is different from my dream now but more on theme

i might be adding some more bits to the ui in places to make it less plain (and again, more on theme) - idk if i'll do that tonight or tomorrow tho. next progress update will metion it either way lol

that's it nuh night

[theycall-vn]

PROGRESS POST - NO SNEAK PEEKS

Writing - edits, outline additions

Coding - edits, chapter 2

Art - none

did a looooot of edits for the code/writing in chapter 1

originally just wanted to change how i did a couple of things, but like. noticed there were some scenes that were paced weird like those ones in the prologue. so i fixed those while i was at it

added a new bb sprite into a scene also

had an idea while considering more backgrounds for chapters 2 and further and it turned into a scene - added it to the chpater 4 outline

coded in sprites and stuff for chapter 2 that i hadn't gotten around to

no art stuff again today. pain is gone. mostly. it would come back after typing for a while so i kept having to take breaks but! it wasn't that bad! i can draw again tomorrow! yaaay!

[theycall-vn]

PROGRESS POST - NO SNEAK PEEKS

Writing - edits

Coding - edits

Art - none

mostly spent the day getting ready to get back to work properly, now that the demo stuff is mostly done.

read through and edited the latest chapter 2 & 3 stuff, to get back into the groove.

collected the ref pics i took and put them into their designated art files so i can get straight to work on those when i'm ready. (wrist still hurts from that last demo bg, but feeling better than it did! should be able to get back to art-ing tomorrow or day after without pain)

copied over all the edits to the prologue that i made in the demo into the full game, since i think i'm done editing the writing in the demo

and that's it