Following the last and the time before last updates, I am continuing to create different facial variations and expressions for the enemy characters. In fact, I finished the facial variations in the last update and am now solely focusing on creating expression variations, so the work remains pretty much the same. While creating expression variations, I also occasionally modify the facial designs that were previously made.
These are very subtle changes, but they seem to significantly alter the overall impression.
Deliverables
With the work done up to this update, I have completed the expression variations for enemy characters 15-17. In this free article, I will show some of them with production process animations.
E16
E17
Changes
From the current deliverables, you may notice some changes in the rendering of pained expressions. Here is how they looked before.
And this is how they look now.
When a character grimaces in pain, the position of the nose now rises. Previously, the position of the nose did not change at all, only its shape changed slightly. If you look back at the production process GIF images above, you can see that I went to the trouble of cutting out the area around the nose and moving it upward.
This change was prompted by my realization that when a person grimaces, the tip of the nose tends to move upward (try grimacing in front of a mirror to see for yourself). However, upon closer observation, it seems that it is mainly the alae (the sides of the nose) that rise, altering the shape of the entire nose. In other words, the current adjustment to the nose is "overdone." From a production standpoint, I won't be revising the completed work, but I plan to make it more realistic in future creations.
In the paid article, you can view all the latest deliverables.
Following the previous update, I continue to work on images of enemy characters. All enemy characters in this project are managed with sequential numbers, and the basic images up to E19 (E stands for Enemy) are nearly complete.
In Demo Version 2, enemy characters E1 to E8 were featured. Naturally, both the facial and damage variations for these characters are finished. E9 was completed quite some time ago, too.
Since the release of "SHINNEMIA in the Forest Invader," I have been primarily focusing on creating the variation images for characters E10 and beyond. Below are the basic images for E10 to E18.
Here is the current progress summary for each image.
E10 and E11, including their damage variations, were completed last month. Following this, I finished the facial and expression variations for E12 to E14, then created the facial variations for E15 and beyond. Currently, I am working on the facial variations for E16.
▲ The expression variation of the second facial variation of E13.
Currently, my workflow involves creating the facial variations for several characters at once, followed by their expression variations. This approach allows me to review the facial variations after some time. It’s a common experience that an image initially seems well-done, but later on, areas for improvement become apparent. This routine allows for a natural and efficient way to revise past images. This is because expression variations are created by modifying the facial variations, so revising the facial variation after creating the expression variations would double the workload.
▲ The third facial variation of E13. In the previous report, it was the image on the left, but it has been redrawn to the one on the right.
While predicting future progress is difficult, it is likely that all expression variations up to E18 will be completed by the week after next at the latest. If all goes well, the damage variations up to E19 could be finished by the month after next, or at the latest, within three months.
The table above includes slots up to E21, but it is yet to be determined whether I will create up to that point.
In the paid article, you can view all the latest production images.
However, the previously introduced image is on the right, and the latest one is on the left. The face itself hasn't changed much, but it has been slightly reduced in size, and the hairstyle has been altered. I believe it has improved significantly.
However, I feel that the two new facial variations are a bit lacking. Not being able to draw as desired is solely due to a lack of drawing skill, which means a lack of effort. I aim to improve in the future.
Additionally, there are some erection variations whose use is unclear.
Sales of "SHINNEMIA in the Forest Invader"
Thanks to your support, "SHINNEMIA in the Forest Invader" has reached 77 sales on DLsite. There are also some sales on other sites, but DLsite is overwhelmingly dominant.
Up until recently, there was a steady rate of about one sale per day, but sales have begun to decrease as it has been over a month since its release. "Continent of Slaughter" sold about 100 copies in a month, so the sales are slightly lower than that.
For those who haven't purchased it yet, please consider buying it now.
As announced, some credit cards can no longer be used on DLsite, and it seems that some circles have experienced a drop in sales.
Since our circle doesn't typically sell in large quantities, it's hard to say that sales have visibly dropped, but unfortunately, this issue coincided with the release period of "SHINNEMIA in the Forest Invader," which might have impacted its sales.
If you can't purchase works or join the paid plan due to credit card issues, you can buy DL points through a service called DL Pay, which allows these transactions. If you are having trouble, please consider this option. For more details, please refer to the article "Payment Methods using Visa/Mastercard."
In the paid plan, you can view the latest production images.
Creation of Facial Variations and Expression Variations
Since the end of last month, we have resumed production on "QUEEN of MASSACRE."
Firstly, we have created facial variations for enemy characters. This includes three facial variations for each of the two enemy characters, and for each facial variation, three expression variations were made. In total, this amounts to nine facial variations.
The time required to draw a single facial variation varies; sometimes it can be completed in a relatively short time of 2-3 hours, while other times it may take an entire day. When things don't go well, it can be quite perplexing. In such cases, continuous corrections until it comes out right are essential, which means it takes effort. In contrast, creating expression variations is relatively mechanical work. It requires persistence but is relatively easier.
Here, "expressions" refer to "faces distorted in pain."
Creation of Damage Variations
The graphics of the enemies change to show injuries as they take damage in combat. When they are defeated, the graphics change to show fatal wounds. Separate defeat graphics are prepared for each facial variation.
All unedited images of the defeat graphics will be posted in the paid plan (support plan) and some on the Discord server.
Announcement of D's Production's Discord Server
We've mentioned this several times before, but as we have new followers, we would like to inform you again.
The Discord server "D Dictatorship Policy Research Institute" run by D's Production is a loosely operated server where participants can freely chat and share their creations. Anyone who is an adult can join.
On this Discord server, some of D's Production's creations are made available. You can think of it as something between a free plan and a paid plan.
Of course, participants can also post their creations and engage in casual conversations.
If you are interested, please feel free to join.
It's been about a week since SHINNEMIA in the Forest Invader was released. As of writing this, the sales on DLsite have reached 47 copies. Compared to Continent of Slaughter, it seems slightly lower, but given the development time and content of each, SHINNEMIA in the Forest Invader seems to be holding its own. The development period for Continent of Slaughter was a year and a half, whereas SHINNEMIA in the Forest Invader took 8 months. The games are also different in terms of their systems and themes, making a direct comparison challenging. However, Continent of Slaughter likely had more content in terms of gameplay length, scene count, and illustrations.
In the description for SHINNEMIA in the Forest Invader, it is labeled as a "Frontline Expansion Strategy Simulation Game." While the game has the fun of gradually pushing the frontlines forward (or sometimes being pushed back by the enemy), I believe it also has a strong appeal as a "resource management" strategy game, where you manage limited resources.
A "frontline expansion" and "resource management" game, combining the best of both old and new. If you haven't purchased it yet, this is a great chance to get it.
Latest Activities
Resumption of Production on QUEEN of MASSACRE
Though it's taken much longer than planned, production on QUEEN of MASSACRE has resumed. Currently, I'm working on creating facial variations for the previously made enemy characters. QUEEN of MASSACRE is an RPG where you transition to a battle scene upon encountering an enemy on the map. However, in these battles, seductive female characters appear as enemies, and upon defeating them, you are shown graphic illustrations of their demise. The artwork of these enemy characters is an essential aspect of the game.
▲ Character multiplication through the "Face Replacement" system. However, in this case, there are some slight changes in the clothing as well.
Given that RPGs typically require many enemy characters, and given my slow pace in creating art, we've implemented a "face swapping" system to create more variety with less effort by using shared body parts and changing only the facial elements.
▲ The newly created face variants this time.
▲ Each of these face variants also requires expression variants.
Creating a Summary Article on DL Channel
Recently, I played an interesting game and posted a review article on DL Channel. 【紹介・感想・攻略】World Walled Actor ～えっちでバズって異世界脱出!～
To my surprise, the author of the game noticed my article and even linked to it from the DLsite sales page. The detailed discussion of the game system might have been the reason it caught their attention.
However, at the time I wrote the article, I didn't know that "World Walled Actor - Escape Another World with Sexy Buzz!" follows the system of WWA (World Wide Adventure), a specific game creation tool. In the article, I stated:
This game builds its unique system and rules, creating an original and innovative work with no parallels.
But this statement turns out to be inaccurate. Despite that, I plan to write more summary articles on DL Channel whenever I come across interesting games.
Freezing of FC2 Blog
It appears that the FC2 blog, which has been the primary homepage for D's Production since the circle's inception, has recently been frozen. Given the original platform's regulations, my circle's activities were always on the edge, with several requests to obscure certain words and images. Each time, I complied with these requests, but it seems that ultimately, the blog was frozen. After inquiring, it looks unlikely that the freeze will be lifted.
Recently, I had already transitioned my main activities to Ci-en and other platforms, so this change doesn't significantly affect my daily operations. At the moment, the FC2 homepage is still accessible, but there's a chance it might become inaccessible at any moment. Therefore, I plan to move key services like patch distribution to Ci-en soon.
Paid articles don't contain much noteworthy information.
In these articles, I discuss the pending issues related to enemy character illustrations that arose before the hiatus in the development of QUEEN of MASSACRE.
