sketch with idea of values -> lineart -> greyscale -> color overlay on top of -> linear light overlay with desired color pallet -> render -> render and bullshit around -> render & mess with gradient maps and color match setting/ texture overlay & done
Behold, the UI mockup for the fake dating sim Hiss Hiss Fall in Love, a collaborative AU with @viperbunnies, @fell-e, and @crystallizsch where you play as Jamil and navigate his 4 years of high school, and maybe score a date!
More info to come, but let's have a look at the basic mechanics first, shall we? (written description by @viperbunnies, used with permission & edited by me):
JAMIL VIPER'S STATS
The stats integral to the gameplay, each with a corresponding mechanic. You will need to raise certain stats pass specific thresholds to unlock better options and navigate events more smoothly. In Umamusume terms⌠that wit check's needed to proc ult.
Wit: A mandatory stat that impacts your ability to keep up with schoolwork. Don't neglect this one - at the end of every year, thereâs an exam that you must pass to determine if youâre still allowed to enroll for next year. It's also useful for learning new hobbies: leveling up your wit means youâll be able to, for example, learn higher quality recipes & craft better creations.
Certain LIs like Oz and Fayrouz enjoy handmade gifts, whereas Mayu and Yuusha love trying new dishes. Wit is also essential for brainstorming new gifts that will help in raising your LIs affection!
Charm: Helps Jamil manage his reputation, and is also essential for rizzing people up making someone more interested in you. Higher charm means youâll be able to flirt more confidently & without internally cringing at how bad you sound.
Physical: Jamil's physical ability - helpful for maintaining hobbies. You would be able to play basketball better, do harder choreographies, or reel in bigger fishes with a higher phys stat. In certain scenarios, it's also helpful in case a strong foe (đŹ) appears.Â
Guts: Essentially, your capacity to make more challenging decisions. A crucial stat in dire situations, as it will improve your ability to take riskier choices.Â
Stress: A stat that gets factored in when making decisions. Manage his stress properly to ensure that the best decisions appear during critical moments (or he'll be too stressed to think straight).
Certain characters may appear that increase your stress faster (Kalim). It's also rumored to affect the blot meter. (The devs had to patch this because players complained that it got too high too quickly)
Reputation: How the school (students, faculty) perceives you. It's essential to keep it balanced. Never enter a low (negative) reputation, or you will be hit with red flags that will alter your LIâs perception of you.Â
Energy: Encompasses Jamil's health and social battery. A good night's rest can ensure he has the energy to face the day. (Essentially similar to the energy meter in Umamusume: you need energy in order to train a certain stat or make risky choices. Lower energy equals a higher chance at failing.)
Failing a training (e.g. studying, working out, etc.) makes Jamil more irritable (a mood down, not depicted in the UI above). Or, in some cases, hits Jamil with a debuff that makes him more prone to screwing up. Youâd have to choose the right words to encourage Jamil in moments like these.
Blot: ââââ What âââââ ââ did ââââââââ you ââââ ââ âââââââââââ ââ do..?
(If you fail to manage his blot properly, it starts leaking onto the rest of the screen....)
YEAR/TURN SYSTEM
You have four years to achieve a happy ending, and every month has four turns. Some turns have special events that can randomly trigger. The guaranteed events are always Valentine's and White Day.
The game follows the NRC school calendar, with classes starting in September and ending in June. Likewise, there are events that may be triggered following a majority of the events in TWST (such as a school festival, winter break, etc.) with some twists added by the devs.
Managing your energy is important - resting may consume a turn, but you need it to properly train and gain stats/affection with your LI.
LOVE INTERESTS (LIs)
Affection â¤ď¸: The progress you have with each LI. Can be increased by pursuing your LI through dates and gifts, and choosing the right dialogue options. Once you reach the required affection points needed for your LI, you will "spark" their interest.
Whose route are you playing? Upon sparking your LI, their heart icon will change color (by default, the hearts are the LI's signature color, e.g. Mayuâs heart is teal). The new color of the heart will be red, to help you keep track of whose route youâve entered.
There have been whispers of a secret poly route among fans, but these continue to be rumors. During one April Fool's update, the devs added a new ending where the LIs come together and berate you for attempting to court them all at once.
Trust đ¤: Similar to the affection meter, but with a different purpose. This one is more intertwined with the story of each LI. Can be affected by external factors, such as a different LIâs opinion of you, or your Reputation. It's also important for unlocking the more platonic endings - high trust plus low affection keeps you & your LI as good friends.
Gossip: A hidden meter that unlocks in the background only when the LIs befriend each other. In some runs, it's better to keep them as acquaintances with each other to avoid your reputation plummeting. But with certain runs, it might just do the opposite and help you tremendously.
CLOSET
Clothes are an important factor in this game! They can bump up your stats, and are even linked to special buffs.
The LIs each have specific clothing preferences, and wearing the right fit can really help you during date encounters. On the other hand, wearing clothing inappropriate for the occasion/the opposite of their taste can lead to... not so ideal outcomes. (Please don't wear swim trunks to a skating rink. And try not to always pick the flame print stuff, even if your controls keep mysteriously drifting towards them.)
CALL NAJMA
A special button, a.k.a what you would call your hidden ace card⌠calling your Knowledgeable & Spectacular younger sister for help, because she's far more acquainted with your LIs than youâll ever be. (đ)
Najma is a special NPC who can provide helpful information for your runs, such as your LIs phone numbers and schedules. HOWEVER - in exchange for this incredibly valuable information, she usually gives you tasks that may cost money or deplete certain stats.
Be careful, though - the more times you call her for help, the more demanding she becomes ("Introduce me to the hottest guy at your school"), so don't abuse her services. She's also rather merciless when it comes to making fun of you.
Idia struggles to communicate with others, sometimes getting anxious to the point of being unable to talk. He will use his tablet computer to speak throught a text-to-speech app. He almost never goes in-person to class. He struggles with direct eye contact. He hates small talk, but when prompted to, he can go on for hours about his special interests. Idia also has food sensitivity, only eating very particuliar things, like instant ramen or candy. He's very sensitive to loud noises.
My favorite type of Kalim fanart is the sort that give hn eyebags and/little to no light in his eyes despite them seeming genuinely warm even still (a bit like Floydâs). It has a certain je ne sais quoi
I wonder if part of the fandom's habit of dismissing/vilifying Kalim (and Neige and Rielle, etc...) comes from a sort of rejection of positivity and optimism? The game (and thus the fandom) is pretty edgy when it comes to the main cast because they're supposed to be villains, the NRC students aren't above bad behavior and that's why the few nicer characters are often treated like kids I think.
It's not anything new of course, but every character who comes off as nice, a little naive and/or optimistic is treated like they don't know anything or they've never been through any sort of pain. The only suffering taken into account is the one from characters (most often the OB gang) who openly express it and are angry about their lot in life (which is valid), while the pain endured by quieter characters, the ones who choose to smile or bottle everything up is easily forgotten. Just because they're not screaming at the world or seem "fine" at first glance doesn't mean they're stupid and don't have trauma/problems of their own.
And that's not even taking into account the fact some people think that the nicer characters are probably two-faced or actually the reason for everyone's suffering. Kalim isn't a slave owner who wants to make Jamil suffer, Neige is a good person and Rielle just wants to be seen as more than a child by his father! Sometimes... People are kind. They're not hiding anything, they're just fucking nice because it happens. The world would be pretty bleak if we were all assholes to each other actually! And character diversity is good!
Being mean isn't being mature or more deep, being nice doesn't mean being a kid who deserves to have their character traits ignored.
Absolutely oblivious to all social cues, struggles to understand subtext and often completly miss the point, has trouble with the perception of time, get in terrible meltdowns that creates storms, and has a special interest in gargoyles.
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