Above you see Ann in full color and some preliminary sketches done by the artist 🙂 This week, a guest post by Roger Steel’s writer himself:
“Greetings, patient Roger Steel fans! Civilizations have fallen; continents have collided; the sun’s a little dimmer … or maybe it’s just my eyes. Yes, it’s been a while since my last appearance, I know, and for that I humbly apologize. But in the void, things are stirring. Progress is being made. The chronicling continues… but such is the nature of game development that, even as I write, Roger and the gang are being brought to life in another way – the artwork has begun!
It’s been a strange experience, the last few weeks, seeing characters that have only been resident in the musty confines of my imagination (believe me, there’s a lot of rubbish in there, and the light’s not too good…) for the last ‘few’ months being brought to life in another medium. A bit like the transition from book to film, seeing Ann emerge from words on a page to pixels into her full-colour glory has been an exercise in managing expectations. But the results are here, and they are great.
Ann is a complex character, and made more so by the need to have her develop over the course of her adventure with Roger Steel and the gang according to her player’s vision. (The same goes for Arthur, of course, but he will have his day in the sun another time.) Whether she develops as a tough-as-nails leader with a sarcastic streak or as an easy-going girl who is content to hang out as Roger Steel’s trusty lieutenant – whether you see Ann as your protégé or as your avatar – her portrait will have to resonate as true to your reading of her character.
In this respect, I think the artist has done a great job. The Ann he has brought to life shows just the right amount of resolution and vulnerability that players will recognize something of their Ann whatever particular conversational, skill, and plot choices they make when developing her character over the course of the adventure.
She is not the Ann that was in my head while writing her adventures, but in many ways it is a better realization of her than I could have hoped for. When I open her picture, she looks at me directly, her own woman: strong enough to tackle the perils that lie ahead, to open her heart to any of the people she will be traveling with, or simply get the job done without any romantic distractions at all – just rescue her idiot brother and hope none of this gets back to her parents before their return to India.
I hope you too, her potential player, will see aspects in her portrait of the character you envisage playing, and help define the memorable adventures you will experience together.”
I just want to add that, as you have noticed already, this time the characters use a “full rendering” technique. Something I’ve never tried in my other games before, but the results so far are great. Is time to experiment with new art styles, writing, and games! 🙂 Stay tuned, the plan is to give a new character preview each week, though some week could talk also about SOTW and other stuff.
I’m so happy this game isn’t dead. Really looking forward to it. I like the art style. Ann looks tougher than some first person shooter heroines. 🙂
/nods /nods I agree! 🙂
First person shooter heroines?
Is that even a thing?
the art looks great and from the little i know of the story (which isnt really that much sadly) the game sounds great cant wait to see more info on it looking forward to more pictures of people and such not to mention anything on SOTW and anything on nicole yuri version i loved the original the characters where great as was the story good luck! 😀
YES. I’ve been waiting so hard for this and was not disappointed. The art is gorgeous and the colorist is doing a FANTASTIC job. It really fits the “mood” of the setting. She has so much personality, and her face is really striking (props to the people who managed to make her have a singular bone structure and all – she’s not stereotypically pretty and it looks like every character will have different faces, and not the same face glued to different hair types).
Really excited about the game!
I’m excited too 🙂 Just got another character, Christina… let’s say is quite interesting, with her “mechanic” leg 😀
Not stereotypical? Mousey hair, thin, white, moderate bust size, pointed chin. It’s good artwork don’t get me wrong but doesn’t describe like 99% of otome main characters 😉
Woohoo, soon. 🙂
Ann looks awesome! Really looking forward to more updates about Roger Steel and the characters as well as the actual game being released in the future. 😀
Do you think she could have an undershirt in the final version? To me, it’s pretty weird that more or less any woman would go around with a shirt opened to the bottom of their sternum like that, particularly since she a has a fairly generous bust, it’s like asking to flash everyone every time she turns around! 😛 Personally, since she has a khaki shirt and a burgundy skirt, I’d be tempted to go for a warm, dark brown.
I’ve got nothing against scantily clad women characters in video games, mind! But she looks silly to me, right now… possibly because I know that to have a shirt so low down and her breasts look like that you’d have to either have gravity-defying breasts or a deep-plunge bra, which doesn’t really seem to be something you’d wear on a daily basis. I’m also assuming this might be a bit more “action-y” a title than your Otome ones, so I look at her and think she’s a walking wardrobe disfuntion waiting to happen! 😀
I’m thinking something like this quick mock-up: http://i.imgur.com/9plfOhW.png
Haha yes I discussed with writer about it. To be honest, at least to me, doesn’t seem she has a “fairly generous bust” though! Anyway, yes adding a shirt like the mockup you made might be a good idea after all.
It’s a great character sketch. I love sketch B. I like the idea of an undershirt a lot too. I just think that much boob exposure attract to much attention to themselves, instead of her beautiful face, which you seemed to like so much. Plus I think when people see the boobs they get an idea of what the game is about(which they never are), instead of what it is about. Kind of like what happened in Loren.
Yes, already contacted artist to change/add this small detail 🙂