Katawa Shoujo Forums

Kon22 wrote:I know this is a hard question to answer but, given ideal conditions (That being the right amount of people working in the game, not having trouble with you guys living in different countries, and you guys knowing exactly what the game was going to look like from the beggining, etc), how much time do you think this project would take? Like I said, it's a hard question, so it's okay if you can't answer xD

I've before guesstimated that we probably could make a VN of KS's scope in around two years if nothing went wrong, everyone could put in constant, productive hours and we were about as good as we are now. Less if it was our actual job. It's notable though that "nothing goes wrong" is idealistic even beyond ideal conditions.

For comparison, we made Act 1 and whatever else of the full game was done at the time of A1 release in a bit over two years, and that was with us being terrible at making visual novels, a lot of things going wrong, 4LS not being actually formed until 5 months into the project and over half of the team joining the studio around 8-12 months after we started.

Hey, huge fan like everyone else, a truly moving and inspiring story! Happily seeding with you guys on the torrent.

My question is for Nicol, or anyone else who can answer; What was your experience in composing when the project started? And it all sounds like midi, so did you use something like EWQLSOG or Garritan's?

Finally, (just wondering of course) did you buy the software (the DAW, plug-ins, etc) or did you get a hold of it through other means?

Thanks for your time

So, a fair amount of stuff has put Yamaku in/near Sendai, including some timeline-related deduction, and some word of author (I know that's not canon, but then that's what we get in this thread).

Shizune's route, in Force Feedback, says that the Hakamichi residence is in Saitama, roughly 2 hours by train, 4 hours by car away from Sendai based on Google Maps. In United Nations, they do take a train to get there in her route. Lilly and Akira are there. They say they'll be going away for a while. Based on Hanako (Beginning of the End) and Lilly's (Bon Voyage) routes, where a taxi was taken to the airport with no stop at the Hakamichi residence (it being a long ride), as well as Akira saying she'll be getting rid of her car, this is a much more permanent "a while" (although Lilly does reappear, which has been mentioned as an error) - the job offer was made after the first trip to Scotland (Context). So, United Nations takes place after (well, probably during as well) Farewell.

Now, here's where the problems creep in.

Hisao swung by the Hakamichi residence on the way to chasing Lilly and Akira to the airport, and did this by taxi (so, really, not practical if Yamaku's near Sendai), in False Cadence. Canonically HALF the speed of train, although if the train schedule didn't line up... That said, it was quite a long time for him to get to the Hakamichi residence.

And, the background for the airport in Bon Voyage and False Cadence is the same it seems (just different lighting).

First question: Is the background meant as "generic airport", or a specific airport?

Second question: Should Hisao's method of transport to the Hakamichi residence in Lilly's route be more in line with the distance that has otherwise been portrayed (including in Shizune's route) between Yamaku and Saitama? Could he even have AFFORDED a 4 hour taxi ride, unless Akira slipped a bunch of cash in his wallet expecting him to do that? Because I'm guessing that ain't cheap in Japan (just a guess, though).

I feel as if this had to have been asked, but I can't manage to find the (potentially non-existent) post. In any case, have you ever watched a comedic personality (youtuber) read KS with some sort of joking commentary? If so, did any particular recurring feelings or ideas arise?

bhtooefr wrote:So, a fair amount of stuff has put Yamaku in/near Sendai...

A lot of the backgrounds and inspiration come from Sendai, but Yamaku Academy is not in "fact" near Sendai, or even anyplace at all other than in some fictional dimension. This is partly intentional and partly due to insufficient checking. Apologies to all the people who might have wanted to extrapolate and visit the "real-world" location.

Silentcook wrote:

bhtooefr wrote:So, a fair amount of stuff has put Yamaku in/near Sendai...

A lot of the backgrounds and inspiration come from Sendai, but Yamaku Academy is not in "fact" near Sendai, or even anyplace at all other than in some fictional dimension. This is partly intentional and partly due to insufficient checking. Apologies to all the people who might have wanted to extrapolate and visit the "real-world" location.

The "real world" Academy is in... I think it's Canada?

I don't remember anymore. IT HAS BEEN TOO LONG.

Silentcook wrote:

bhtooefr wrote:So, a fair amount of stuff has put Yamaku in/near Sendai...

A lot of the backgrounds and inspiration come from Sendai, but Yamaku Academy is not in "fact" near Sendai, or even anyplace at all other than in some fictional dimension. This is partly intentional and partly due to insufficient checking. Apologies to all the people who might have wanted to extrapolate and visit the "real-world" location.

I suppose if anyone wanted to "stand" on Yamaku, the closest thing in my mind would be the ruins of Sendai Castle. I went there in 2007, and a lot of the descriptions of the locale of Yamaku are based around this. I spent a bit of time looking around there to get my head around it, and then when we tried explaining Yamaku to each other, that was my reference. However, as Silentcook aptly puts it, we never really went beyond that.

A lot of the images come from Brown U, however I do know that the "Road to School" photo is the road leading into Shirakawa-Go, which is the real-world version of Hinamizawa (http://cplcrud.deviantart.com/gallery/10042427 for more details). And I still think that there is a bench that was taken in a small private garden in Kyoto.

cpl_crud wrote:I suppose if anyone wanted to "stand" on Yamaku, the closest thing in my mind would be the ruins of Sendai Castle. I went there in 2007, and a lot of the descriptions of the locale of Yamaku are based around this. I spent a bit of time looking around there to get my head around it, and then when we tried explaining Yamaku to each other, that was my reference. However, as Silentcook aptly puts it, we never really went beyond that.

But how does this actually make sense, when neither the building nor the in-game location are there?

Aura wrote:

cpl_crud wrote:I suppose if anyone wanted to "stand" on Yamaku, the closest thing in my mind would be the ruins of Sendai Castle. I went there in 2007, and a lot of the descriptions of the locale of Yamaku are based around this. I spent a bit of time looking around there to get my head around it, and then when we tried explaining Yamaku to each other, that was my reference. However, as Silentcook aptly puts it, we never really went beyond that.

But how does this actually make sense, when neither the building nor the in-game location are there?

I suppose it doesn't. I was really musing on the fact that whenever I had to picutre Yamaku in my mind, that's the site that I put my mindset into. I'm sure all of you guys had a similar "image" that you reflected on - where the sun rose and set, which way you had to face to see the city...

I should have said "my Yamaku" as opposed to just "Yamaku".

Although you know what would be interesting - all of use drawing a rough map of the school and the surrounds...

I have a question that's probably been asked and answered before but I can't find it, so apologies if I'm breaking a rule.

During Emi's route, she says something to the effect of "if I didn't already know why, I'd be confused why Misha hangs around someone so bossy." And then when Hisao asks her to elaborate she dodges the question.

How does Emi know why Misha hangs around Shizune?

Guest Poster wrote:Hisao already notes early in Lilly's route that there's a rather prominent rumor mill at Yamaku that even manages to reach Kenji from time to time. When Misha changed her brown, straight hair into whacky pink curls she was likely tossed into said rumor mill too and people jumped to the conclusion that's often reached when a female suddenly changes her hairstyle in Japan.

Please no wild fan speculation in this thread. It exists for making things clearer, not the opposite.

Anyway, Hive meant to write Emi and Misha as good friends, but that never materialized properly. The line is an undead remnant of that.

Wouldn't that have contradicted Emi's claim that she had no close friends due to her attachment issues or was that the reason Emi wasn't given any friends besides Rin? (whose unique mindset made her "safe")

Not really. Anyway, obviously everything would be made to fit.

Aura wrote:

Guest Poster wrote:Hisao already notes early in Lilly's route that there's a rather prominent rumor mill at Yamaku that even manages to reach Kenji from time to time. When Misha changed her brown, straight hair into whacky pink curls she was likely tossed into said rumor mill too and people jumped to the conclusion that's often reached when a female suddenly changes her hairstyle in Japan.

Please no wild fan speculation in this thread. It exists for making things clearer, not the opposite.

Anyway, Hive meant to write Emi and Misha as good friends, but that never materialized properly. The line is an undead remnant of that.

Like Aura said, there was originally going to be more hints that Emi and Misha had crossed paths on more than one occasion. It was discarded (or more accurately, never really explored) due to a myriad of reasons, some to do with being a lousy writer, others to do with the fact that Emi's path was scrapped and started from (almost) scratch about four years into development. Other hints of the Emi/Misha connection include some editorial comments from Misha during a lecture on PDA (which, come to think of it, might have also been removed but I don't remember anymore) and the fact that Misha is the one to talk to you if things go poorly (which was not so much a vestige as it was a reference to what could have been, if I'd been a) better at writing b) better at negotiating c) less burned out on the project by the end of the writing process). I think there might be one or two off-handed comments from Emi and Misha in the path that serve as more references to it (and there was something in the dinner scene at one point, but again I can't remember what made it in and what didn't).

Isn't it sad Micchan ;____; etc. etc.

Liminaut wrote:Heh. I thought that comment meant that Emi and Misha had been friends with benefits at one point. I may have been reading a little too much into it

Ha ha ha yes how ridiculous.
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