Vortex00 
This is a post I’ve been needing to write for a while, and this is attempt 2 at writing it since I wrote a LOT and lost all of it when I decided to save my draft.
This post will describe issues I have run into while developing UMCH and some upcoming changes I am working on.
Technical Issues:
Firstly, for those the don’t know. I originally stopped working on UMCH for 2 primary reasons.
1. The software I built it with (Flash using actionscript 2 language) will lose support after 2020. The means that web browsers have already begun taking the steps to not support in their browsers. So at best, if you can’t run the .exe (and it’s questionable how that will even work) you’d need a really old browser to open the game with. Possibly being on a virtual machine. On top of that, actionscript2 has no currently reliable ways to port games to mobile. I still from time to time have people ask me if I can port UMCH to mobile. It’s impossible from what I can tell.
2. The 2nd reason was art consistency. As ttrop improved in art, it became difficult for him to draw new characters and animation art in the same way he did a year or so ago. And I don’t want the art looking very different in the game.
The Quick Fix:
The quick fix came in the form of tryanobuilder. With my patron going at this point delivering monthly content, I wanted to continue developing game without skipping a beat and without me needing to learn complex software. Tryanobuilder was advertised to be pretty easy with no coding needed. A fun fact, literally no game I’ve made with tyranobuilder so far is absent of at least customized scripting.
The Long Fix:
The other option was Construct 2 (not there is also a construct 3). Construct uses a familiar system of logic scripting that i was already familiar with from using Multimedia fusion back in the day. Initially I began getting myself familiar with both Tryanobuilder and Contruct2 to decide which to use long term. Contruct2 definitely had more potential. However I ran into problems trying to figure out how to recreate some systems I had in UMCH. Which lead me to use tyranobuilder. the game would be simpler and smaller but I could get stuff done with tyrano much easier and faster than Construct. So I’ve managed to recreate various things from UMCH, such a system for dialogue and the looking up and down. Basic phone stuff, etc. This can be seen in the UMAA shooter demo.
http://spiralvortexplay.com/svp/umichan-maiko-agent-academy-prototype/
It’s not shown in the that demo, but I also have recreated the boobs system exactly how it was in UMCH, where you can click and drag. I am currently working on a way to automatically handle character facial expressions. Like in flash, all of this is made starting from a blank page. Once I finish everything I want to make some games using that. Which will be soon, assuming my idea for the character facials expressions works.
Meanwhile the games made with tyranobuilder (and ones I possibly will make later using tyrano) have number of issues revolving around optimization. It doesn’t handle large images well and usually lags or takes a long time to load in browsers. this is less to do with internet speed in relation how just how the game manages data. It also lacks a built in preloader, which considering the optimization problems, it defiantly needs one.
I did however learn a lot using tyranobuilder. Since the games I came with had to be more simple, I found nice ways to handle some systems from UMCH such as simplifying money and making travel a single icon in the corner rather then have the pink circles all over the screen to travel to places. I also like the basic pattern match minigame.
Once I finish recreating systems in Contruct2. I will take what learned from tyrano and apply some of that to make a nice template I can use to make future UMCH games.
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An appearance Issue:
I wanted to eventually put Umichan (and ARIA) stuff into Steam. But then I run into different kinda if issues, and really the main reason why I’m making this post. You might remember a post I made a while back discussing the character outfits from school attire to normal.
small game delays
I actually confirmed this not long ago. I sent Steam so questions and a some example pictures of the character art.
I was very careful not to mention “high school” at all, just using the words “school setting” and I’m sure due to example 1, I got a reply from them with feedback that actually included high school. So it tells me they assumed these characters were high school students. I also got the understanding that even a debatable grey area is bad also.
So in the interest of not wasting my time, making a whole game, adding achievements etc, packaging it, making a store page, etc. only to find out my game won’t work, I’m planning a few changes now that are definitely a bit different but still with in the lore of Umichan.
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Reimagining Nanako:
So I plan to make Nanako a very specific kind of learning facility similar to the GemCo Academy. You can see from The Rookie and the “UMCH Sequel” (Which will likely be renamed, but more on that in a different post) Agents learn to do missions in various hostile scenarios and so they also need to learn combat tactics. This is obviously something you won’t find in a high school for the most part. You know, like irl, outside of some anime.
I plan to change the Nanako School in similar way to specialize in teaching how to use the Sentinel. If you recall both in UMCC and UMCH there was a sentinel minigame.
I wanted to expand on it more but I never got around to it. I guess I will have to now. Since in the lore, the sentinel has normal life usage functions like filming etc. civilians can come here to learn how it use them well. Also it makes sense some some agents attend here also since they can be weaponized.
I will also be changing the look of the school backgrounds from a typical anime’ish school to more like a facility. I will also be changing the uniform also to a blue type engineering lab jacket they wear over their normal clothing. This is more of a student version of the coat Phil wears.
I plan to still have the swimming. The pool will be originally used for underwater testing but I might have Zytra insist of having some kind of swim team to complete with the GemCo academy.
So a lot of stuff will change but it will still be the same story overall. I’m just changing the school itself to have more of a focus rather than just general learning. Below are some concept images I threw together.
Since I am building the template on the shooter UMAA stuff I have been working on in the past, I want to keep the shooter minigame for this new version of UMCH. I think it is fun. But since during UMCH Maiko is not at a point where she is shooting khalei weapons I might rework that into the new sentinel battle. The different Khalei type and weapons are already there from having the different agents. I’m still thinking about it. Maybe the boss battle mode can be the sentinel battle and I can use the other one for the shooter mini later. idk.
Feel free to post comments, concerns and/or feedback
About Author
Steam is allowing Koikatsu, but not this?
Sheesh, why are platforms so arbitrary with their standards?
The price of going mainstream.
Regulations and guidelines become more strict, and something get lost in the process (goodbye shota and loli looking characters). I totally can see the allure of being able to have your shop in such a crowded place like steam and the economical benefit this will produce.
But this means that now Vortex00 will be on a tight leash artistically and fetishtically speaking. I don’t wanna go into the “sell out” argument, but i have conflicted feelings about this.
Unless you are really just into school uniforms, then nothing really changes. because uniforms and backgrounds are just appearances. It’s not important I have them looking like school students, and It presents less of a risk.
I can say UMCH was “regulated” by what the fans/communities at the time wanted to see in the game. The pregnancy stuff I was definitely not into. And some requests to make Maiko more slutty is what lead the the Random girl (R.Girl) content in the game. Because I wanted to keep Maiko the way she was. That was stuff I was actually not comfortable doing. Uniforms? Not a big deal.
In fact, I’d argue the concept in this post is better than what I had since is has more of purpose that fits with the story. The characters can have a specific reason for being there related to their personality and goals outside of them just being there for general education.
There are a lot of sentinels in the story. Characters use them in ARIA stuff and Special Agents have attached to their gear in the back. Yet it’s not explained anywhere where people learn about them or how they works etc.
Shota and what not can be in other things. But keep in mind it hasn’t been in Sentoryu, Rookie, Sorani, etc. I’m not the person to go to if you are looking for shota.
Koikatsu does not take place in (what can be interpreted as) a high school setting. It’s is actually not arbitrary at all. You might be able to select a school background or outfit or something but it can viewed as just one option among many. The game doesn’t revolve around school stuff. It is very different from a game where the school is the primary setting.
Nope Koikatsu is all school stuff. And is not the only with an explicit school setting available on steam.
This is why putting adult stuff on steam is so confusing. For every game that have been banned there is a similar one that have been spared.
If that is the case then it boils down to legal risk. In which ILLUSION apparently has none despite their game(s). It’s not impossible to get school stuff on there, just not worth playing around in legal grey areas. I don’t have a team of lawyers, I’m a just little fish at the moment, and I don’t care to be screaming on twitter later about how my game is banned.
ILLUSION clearly can process payments just fine on several platforms just fine so they likely worked out something with their legal teams. if Steam can process the payments with no issues i’m sure they would, and did. If there are other games, i’m certainly not aware of them, but I’m sure they all have rational explanations also.
As described in the other reply, at the end of the day, whether I present the game to the public or a platform or sponsor or publisher, etc, that entity will have some sway that effects how I decide to design the game. The uniform thing could possibly benefit the game. You say things get lost but when presented with a challenge I’ve known people to get creative. coming from an engineering background.
But having said all that, not everything needs to be on steam, but it’s goal I have to get something relevant on there.
Uh, quick answers, nice…
Mostly is about restoration/uncensor patches for the “controversial” parts of their games.
I was wondering if you planned similar tricks for people that like Bri look like a loli and other stuff as well.
Well I don’t really use Bri (or any loli looking characters) that much even outside of Steam. I doubt I’d plan to use them for something I plan to put on steam from the onset. I don’t plan to have any patches, unless there no other option. I think Shikarii’s Bri should be fine.
http://spiralvortexplay.com/svp/2018/08/01/aria-project-bri/
ttrop’s Bri, yeah it’s a little dicey.
http://spiralvortexplay.com/svp/2017/05/29/aria-art-updates-bri/
Again not everything needs to be on steam though.
KK is a graphic H-game with very little plot to speak of made by a large corporation known for such content that is from a country with different standards than those of the platform’s primary contributors. The world of JLCK and all the games associated with it are made by our beloved Vortex00, an indie developer whose work–despite having had various publishings online for holy SHIT has it been more than a decade!?–isn’t even recognized by the likes of Akinator. (And I’ve tried a lot over the years. Maiko still isn’t in that registry.)
I would argue that standards differ based on size and status more than the content itself. Yes, the platforms have become increasingly prejudiced against h-games as of late, and it is odd that KK managed to slip under the radar. But that game has been modded to hell by the community to remove the censoring and make the character creator even more badass BEFORE it ever made it on Steam, so maybe a grain of salt is needed. I’m not entirely sure what I’m talking about anymore.
Yeah it’s been a lil minute lol.
So Nanako is intended to be more like a research facility for training users on Sentinel operation rather than just being a place people send their kids for their government-mandated education. Okay, I can see that. It sounds like everyone would need aging up since it sounds more like a higher education thing than a high school thing. But it’s your world, so maybe standards are different there.
Adding sense to Sentinels and swimming… well, they fly around, for one. At least in space, they’re used as jetpacks, so perhaps they have similar water functions? Like those propellers that people hold onto when they dive, or they keep them afloat while simultaneously providing extra propulsion. Ooh! Maybe they’re experimenting with them to develop underwater breathing apparatuses! (My brain immediately goes for those things they used in the first of the Star Wars prequels, is that terrible?) Sentinels have such a wide variety of uses, don’t they?
Yeah they are multi-purpose. I don’t think I will need to change the appearance of the characters. I really like the of having a little propeller for water functions. That actually might be a nice upgrade for the swim mini.
seriously those crackdown on porn is a joke, and yes flash demise is imminent. tyrano is good as vn (good job on that), but its a bitch when doing action stuff. hope you find one engine that you satisfy with
Construct should give me more flexibility when it comes to optimization and as you say action stuff heh. But I have no idea where it’s memory limits are at the moment.
It’s a shame yo have to change the setting, but even more that new uniforms appear to be less sexy than the shool uniform with its tight shirts and short skirts.
To be honest the whole flash ending in 2020 I find it really stupid. They say that people are using flash less is far from the truth. It’s sad but its the reality I want to know how they tend to work with that but setting that aside. I do wish you luck on working the game, I notice people shipping characters so I just suggesting making a poll or something ask the fans who should get with who. After all there should be some romance XD. Also it sucks that you have to “reimagine ” the whole setting due too the whole debacle I just see it a step back for creators who have there settings set in school and who worked hard on them I wish you luck.
Thanks, so far everything is going fine. The biggest issue i think we getting the phone to work the way I want.
I don’t see the uniforms as that big of an issue really. They have changed several times. I might make a post showing all the older versions of the uniforms. I plan to put a demo up this month of what I have so far.