Something Ventured

Jen's Visual Novel devblog [About] [My Games]

[somethingventuredgames]

I've been working on a thing >:3c

All art are currently placeholders*, I'm not entirely sure what art direction I want to go in, but I'm having fun playing around with layered images and ATL!

(And yes, I am a one trick pony and no clothes is my one trick)

*I say placeholders, but I made them with a general design in mind. The character designs will most likely not change (MC is customizable but more on that later!)

[somethingventuredgames]

Note: This is a “condensed” summary and won’t get into the nitty details as that’ll be a novel in itself :’D **** In the demo it was revealed that each agent was to come up with their own separate plan in dealing with the Wolf while Gerald would deal directly with Sinner’s Paradise (thus why hi...

Hello! I was recently asked about a plot summary for Red Wolf Hiding and I thought it would be interesting to publicly share a general thing about what I had in mind for those curious about the mystery.

I’ve put it on a doc so if you really don’t want to know, it’s easy to skip over this update.

I can’t say that I’ll answer any more questions regarding Red Wolf Hiding’s plot and characters though;; I’m sorry, but I think I want to properly lay it to rest with this;;

Thank you for reading! If possible, I hope you look forward to my future works!

[somethingventuredgames]

Star-Crossed Hours by A Jen Bird

A MtG Tolaria West fan game

I’ve also made public the demo of the MtG fanmade dating sim I created last year just so I could date Jodah LMAO;;;

The current build is only the common route + first half of Jodah’s route and there are no current plans for it to be completed but you can still enjoy the 31,400~ words/roughly 1 hour of gameplay if you’d like \o/

I’ll include the disclaimer that I am not the best source of knowledge for mtg and this was all for fun :’D

[somethingventuredgames]

RWH Discontinued... - Red Wolf Hiding by A Jen Bird

Hi all, long time no post. I'm sorry to say that since the last devlog from January last year, I have not been able to work on Red Wolf Hiding and I think it's time to officially lay it to rest so tha...

tl;dr Red Wolf Hiding has officially been discontinued.

I know I’ve been quiet about it for over a year, but I wanted to come out and officially state it. I’m sorry for disappointing those that were still hoping for some progress;;

And to reiterate, if you had donated money and wish for a refund, please email me at [email protected] (or if it gets lost and I don't reply in a day or two, you can DM me here or on twitter or instagram)

[somethingventuredgames]

Hey! Actually I just wanted to ask you something silly. I played a few of your games (my fav one is the demo of Red Wolf Hiding, I think the characters are quite unique in their own way) and I would like to ask if you have something like Ko-Fi, for being able to support you and your work. Anyways, I love your games and I hope you're doing fine now.

Oh hello! Thank you so much for playing my games, I’m so happy to hear that you’ve enjoyed them! ;w; While I haven’t stopped making art in general, I’m sorry to say that continuing solo VN dev work for me has still been a struggle so I can’t say I have any news, especially for Red Wolf Hiding... but I very much appreciate your kind words and support.

I do actually have a ko-fi now at: https://ko-fi.com/vagrantmuffin, where I’m also accepting character requests (more info on there, if you’re interested!) But there’s no pressure to donate! Most of my art can still be seen on my twitter, instagram, and general art tumblr as well. Follows/likes/reblogs are wonderful ways of support too!

Again, I’m sorry I don’t have any VN updates, but thank you so much for the kind message. I hope you have a wonderful day! :>

[somethingventuredgames]

Some (Personal) Updates

A reflection on my current VN dev status. Unnecessary if you’d prefer straight up game dev content (nothing’s being dropped don’t worry, just going slower than originally planned)! More below the cut.

Hello! As you know, I’ve been quiet on the VN dev front, and for that I apologize, especially to those that have been eagerly awaiting updates on Red Wolf Hiding.

The progress has been going very slowly, and I think it’s safe to say that my original goal of having most of the writing done by the end of the year isn’t going to happen when I’ve barely started on Emmett’s route, the first route.

I’ll admit my motivation dropped as my stress about the game (alongside irl things) started to rise. The reception to RWH blew me away, I didn’t think people would so readily take a liking to the demo! I was really touched ;w; Thank you!

But then I started to get worried that people wouldn’t actually like what I have planned now that they had expectations and then I started hitting a wall... And then I started to berate myself because I needed to just do it, but I also needed to do it well even though I didn’t know exactly what that meant, and then suddenly my passion project didn’t feel as fun anymore...

So I took a break to work on The Bare Escape which was written like a fevered dream to be honest. There was no pressure and it was silly and fun! The game is very dear to me!

But then at the end... I think I got a little burnt out. There are several irl obligations that have been weighing me down and then a bout of “I’ll never be good enough” depression BUT!! I think I’m finally finding my footing again.

I don’t plan on dropping Red Wolf Hiding, but I feel that for the sake of my sanity that I’ll have to take things slowly. I’ll keep y’all updated as the game progresses though!

Sorry for the long rambling post, thank you for reading! And also thank you for all the support ;w;

I try to do projects that I personally love so it’s fine if they don’t become popular and I can motivate myself, but it’s been hard lately. Seeing people enjoy my work though makes it feel worthwhile and it helps me carry on!

[somethingventuredgames]

[Contains RWH Spoilers!]

This is still a rough draft, but my current plan is to have it switch to the guy's POV when starting their route to see what they think of MC haha! Emmett is... confused, at best. For reasons. Also is he only in his underwear at the start of this scene? Yeah.

(Switched POV scenes are currently planned for only the beginning of the route, but I’m thinking of putting it in one more place... But mainly just the beginning)

Sorry, this is an old update from twitter that I hadn’t gotten around to uploading here until now!

[somethingventuredgames]

The mood for today brought to you by The Bare Escape \o/ (If you’ve played the game and know what exactly is going on here, I’m sorry)

>>You can download the game now for free on itch.io<<

[somethingventuredgames]

I think it's cute people tell me "Poor Edwards!" after they've finished the game. It's okay, Lady Emi can fix him!

You can meet him too when you play The Bare Escape~

[somethingventuredgames]

The Bare Escape by vagrant-muffin

Escape the tower with guys missing most of their clothes!

The full version of The Bare Escape is here!

Wake up trapped in a tower with two guys who seem to be missing their clothes… And all the while being watched by a mysterious sorceress. Good luck working together to pass the Tower’s tests to escape!

Feel free to flirt with everyone along the way, or don’t! If your heart only belongs to adventure, that’s cool too!

Features

About 35,100 words of story

Three routes available to play through, each with three different ending variations. Pair up with either anxious Marcel or stoic Anzo to escape the Tower! Not interested in either? You can also go after the mysterious sorceress, Lady Emi (Or end up with no one at all if you prefer)

CGs for each love interest

An easy point-and-click finding game (kind of), a skippable maze puzzle, and a skippable word puzzle

An ending tracker (There are 12 in total)

CG Gallery (Including a special CG if you get all the endings)

Hope you enjoy this silly little adventure!

[somethingventuredgames]

Updated Lucky Days to 1.1!

>>Download Lucky Days now on itch.io<<

As I move forward with newer games, Lucky Days will continue to hold a special place in my heart for being my first official visual novel. I am aware though that most players found it ridiculously difficult to get the "Paid Off" ending and looking back, I agree that the decision to lock the choices, even when scrolling back, made the game unnecessarily difficult.

So now with Version 1.1, you'll be able to scroll back to change your choices! Feel free to enjoy your game at your own pace!

(I am leaving the original version of the game up just in case some people preferred that gameplay)

The complete version of the Bare Escape’s is almost here and will be later released later this week after testing.

Thank you so much for taking the time to play my games, I hope you enjoy them!

[somethingventuredgames]

Some good news for my game dev endeavors!

I’ve finished the writing for The Bare Escape!! So now all that’s left are a few backgrounds and the CGs for Lady Emi!

But if wooing the lady of the Tower isn’t your thing, the above screenshots are from one of the endings if you choose to go solo. Endings are determined by the MC’s personality that the player dictates through choices and who you wish to pursue (or not pursue)

But the gif shows a word puzzle where you have to find the keyword to move on that’s a part of the Solo/Lady Emi’s route (it’s skippable too if you just wanna get to the good stuff)! I finally finished implementing that ;___; I can die in peace now...

Sorry progress has been going slowly @__@;; But things are definitely still going! (Nothing new to report for Red Wolf Hiding though as I focus on finishing The Bare Escape sorry;;)

[thebluestmage]

my last ko-fi commission! emmett from Red Wolf Hiding for @vagrant-muffin

[somethingventuredgames]

Super stoked about this commission of Emmett from Maje! Thank you \o/

[somethingventuredgames]

I only just noticed how many shared looks and side-eyes Kent and Gerald have with each other in RWH after a lot of playthroughs of the demo. It's so well done, I'm so excited for this game! ALSO. Will you have a recommended route of which characters to go through in what order?

Kent and Gerald have known each other the longest on the team haha! Kent’s learned after being partners with Gerald for a good number of years, it’s hard not to give Gerald a hard side-eye at times. Especially since Kent can usually figure out exactly what Gerald is thinking at this point.

BUT there will most likely be a recommended route order (I can’t say exactly right now since writing can change between outlines to final drafts). Although, it shouldn’t be too jarring if the player chooses to not follow it.

My main recommendation that I could safely say even now though, would be to play Wolfe’s route last.

Thanks so much for playing it! (I’m sorry it’s still the demo ;__;)

[vagrant-muffin]

Commission of Janet and Kent from Red Wolf Hiding for @windsochange 

Thank you so much for commissioning me! I was touched you liked my characters enough to ask for them ;w; One day we’ll get more of their story!

For commission info and availability go to: https://goo.gl/TbVxGq

[vagrant-muffin]

Recently teamed up with Pace as a BG artist for their Yaoi Jam entry, Hemlock, where a male witch, Elias, while on the run, encounters an injured man and depending on the player’s choices, can determine their fates!

Here’s a preview of some of the BGs I’ve worked on so far.

Follow their itch io for when the game’s out!

[vagrant-muffin]

Hi! Curious as to what the RWH team say to themselves when they look at themselves in the mirror while getting ready in the morning. :)

Hello! Thanks for the interesting question! Hope you don’t mind, but it turned a little more into what they usually think when they’re getting ready and in front of a mirror haha;;

Gerald, rubbing a hand over his morning stubble and seeing how tired he looks: “*sigh* I really need to stop staying so late in the office… Or I should just stop looking in the mirror.”

Kent, zoning out while brushing his teeth: “Do I need to buy more food for Sesame…?”

Cyril, finishing getting ready and straightening his tie: “Perfect… Everything must be in order.”

Emmett, flexing, not even dressed: “Aww yeah, who’s looking good this morning?”

Beau, nodding to himself after waking up and washing his face: “Okay, time to start the day. Don’t mess up!”

Wolfe, muttering under his breath, forgetting to even look at his reflection as he gets ready: “For tonight’s dinner I will need some tomatoes for the sauce, and I need to check if we still have garlic, and…”

Janet, looking over her array of makeup and disguises: “I wonder if I should change it up today? It might be interesting to show up as someone else… No, better not.”