DavidA.

Lucid9 Kickstarter Launches January 1st, 2024! Exciting news, everyone! The Lucid9 Kickstarter is officially launching on January 1st, 2024! We've poured our hearts and souls into crafting this campaign, and we can't wait to share it with everyone. To be among the first notified when the campaign goes live, head over to our Kickstarter pre-launch page today! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/618620552/lucid9-a-mystery-visual-novel In the meantime, we're gearing up for launch by reaching out to content creators and journalists. During the month of January, we also plan to host a series of development livestreams. We'll be posting more details about the stream schedule and guest appearances as we draw closer to the new year. As we've always aimed to introduce more people to the magic of visual novels, we hope this campaign will reignite the spark of interest in Lucid9 that emerged upon its initial release years ago. With the backing of our passionate community through this Kickstarter campaign, we confidently anticipate completing the game by the end of 2024. And to further fuel your excitement, we're proud to unveil the brand-new story trailer today! Take a look! Why Kickstarter? Since its creation in 2014, Lucid9 has been in development for nearly a decade. Despite some notable releases, such as Inciting Incident in 2016 and the heroine prologues in 2019, progress has been slow and inconsistent due to the game being a free project. The COVID-19 pandemic has only made things more difficult, with many of us having less time and resources than usual. A Kickstarter campaign would allow us to complete the game in a reasonable timeframe and open up opportunities for additional features and polish, depending on the amount of funding we receive. Without funding, we are limited in the content we can create. A fully funded project would cover the cost of character sprites, backgrounds, CGs, music, programming, and writing, and potentially include additional art, voice acting, and an animated opening. While the full game will still be released for everyone to play for free, we have a number of exciting rewards lined up exclusive to backers, including signed physical illustrations, digital wallpapers, artbooks, Lucid9 themed t-shirts, and more! Story In the heart of the bustling metropolis of Isamu, Japan, a dark shadow looms over the esteemed Isamu Academy. Yama Ishimoto, an intelligent yet jaded high school student, finds himself thrust into the center of a chilling mystery as a wave of gruesome murders sweeps through the school. These killings bear an eerie resemblance to the unsolved Independent Murders that once plunged the city into chaos years ago. As Yama delves deeper into the enigma, he uncovers a labyrinth of secrets and hidden truths that intertwine with the city's dark past. With each revelation, he navigates a treacherous path that draws him and his companions closer to the heart of a sinister conspiracy that has cast a pall over Isamu. Lucid9 is a tale of suspense that delves into the depths of human nature, exploring themes of friendship, betrayal, and the unwavering pursuit of truth in the face of overwhelming darkness. How You Can Help We would be grateful if you would consider supporting our Kickstarter campaign. Every contribution, no matter how small, is greatly appreciated! You can pledge as little as $1, and every pledge will help us reach our goal. You can also share the project with your friends and family to help us spread the word. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. And to get the latest news about Lucid9, be sure to subscribe to our official newsletter here! https://mailchi.mp/ec1f448e6101/falllen-snow-studios-newsletter Thank you so much for your support! Our Socials: The Kickstarter Page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/618620552/lucid9-a-mystery-visual-novel Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/439940 Itch.io: https://fallen-snow-studios.itch.io/lucid9vn Official Website: https://lucid9.weebly.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/FallenSnowS Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucid9vn/ Discord: https://discord.com/invite/q3fyjT2 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@fallensnowstudios6347 Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/fallensnowstudios/ Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Lucid9/ Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/fallensnowstudios - The Fallen Snow Studios Team

Hi everyone! It's been quite a while since any of us posted on this thread. To be honest, I had actually forgotten it existed. I'm unsure if many people still visit here, but I felt I should post a quick update about the project. It's been almost four years now, and if you haven't been following our official blog or social media accounts, you might be surprised to hear that Lucid9 hasn't died yet. Since the release of Inciting Incident back in 2016, we've been working on finishing the heroine routes. A lot has happened since then--far too much to write here--but in short: members had come and gone, and some time after the Steam release we faced quite a big hurdle that almost ended the project. Somehow we managed to get through it. Four years, and we're nearly finished with development. Much of the scripts have been written, and almost all of the assets have been uploaded with the exception of CGs and such, which we're planning to do last. I'll share some of our progress below. One important thing that I also wanted to mention concerns the recent update to the game. Some months ago, we released what we like to call the Heroine Prologues. To access them, all you need to do is to finish Inciting Incident and receive the Steam Achievement (if you've downloaded the game on itch.io, there should be a separate file to download). A new button labeled "Undo" should appear in the main menu. The heroine prologues are prologues to the heroine routes. Obviously. They're told from the heroines' perspective, and should take about two hours to read. You can find more info here at our blog if you want to know more before playing: http://lucid9.weebly.com/blog/of-voices-and-prologues We hope you enjoy the short taste of what's to come. Do let us know your thoughts on the new content. If you have any further questions about our progress and what we've been up to, don't hesitate to ask. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for comments. For now, au revoir ~ David A. "CardioPen" Promotional Art drawn by Elphaze Prologue Soundtrack Screenshot of characters Recent Dev Twitch Stream https://www.twitch.tv/videos/531650932

OMG THE DEMO IS HERE! Congrats on the release, you guys! I'll be sure to give it a read when I can.

This is an interesting topic to touch on. As an OELVN developer myself, you might consider my opinion biased, but personally, I always try to support other developers if I see them making an effort at delivering a quality product. With subjectivity aside, I think the biggest reason OELVNs aren't as well received as Japanese VNs is because they haven't been around as long. Most people are already accustomed to a certain style, and straying from that is understandably off-putting. Either the developers try too hard at mimicking Japanese VNs, or they're too different. As a result, it's hard for most readers to swallow them without grimacing. There's simply no way to satisfy everyone, but it's always disheartening to see people discredit OELVNs despite the hard work and effort that's been put into them by the developers. (Some, at least) What I consider a "quality" product is one that presents itself professionally. What I consider a "quality" piece of work is when it's able to convey a message across effectively. It's like any book you come across: most of them aren't from well known authors like Stephen King or J.R.R Tolkien, but there are those few that can be as equally as gripping—you were drawn in by its presentation (its cover/summary), and understood its message (its content). I'm positive OELVNs will gain traction someday and be as popular as Japanese VNs. Some people just have to understand that Stephen King doesn't always make quality stories just because he's Stephen King. And that the unknown author doesn't always make bad stories because he's an unknown author.

We'll be sure to do that. We'll likely create a Tumblr or Twitter page at some point for updates. Thanks for the interest!

Thank you for your interest! We now have a good number of writers to begin planning the rest of the plot. (I'm not entirely sure how to edit the title to "closed". Yes, I'm a newb.)

Edit October 4th, 2015: The writing positions have recently been filled. Thank you to all those who were interested in the project and applied. Hello, everyone! My name is David, and I’m one of the writers for the visual novel A+ Switch. (You may have also seen me stalking around the Fuwa forums) Also, forgive me if this isn't the place for recruitment. I'm still unsure how the Creative Corner works, exactly. What we're looking for: A+ Switch is still in the very early stages of development, so we are in search of writers who are able to assist in creation of the characters’ backstories, routes, world lore, and overall plot—we are always open to new and interesting ideas that can help better the story. We believe that writing is the fundamental core that dictates all other aspects of visual novel creation. That being said, we are hoping to find individuals who are as passionate about storytelling as we are. Synopsis: A+ Switch tells the story of Kouhei and his struggle to cope with his younger sister Iori’s fatal illness. With Iori’s condition only worsening by the day, Kouhei wishes to do something special for her before the last autumn leaf falls. Obsessed with accomplishing his goal, he completely disregards his own deteriorating health; his nights are plagued by dread of his sister’s death, his appetite gradually wanes from the lack of sleep, and social interaction at school becomes a chore. Concerned about his state of mind, Kouhei’s school counselor advises—or rather, “forces”—that he visit her office regularly for psychological evaluations. It’s during one of these sessions that she recommends he be tutored by a selected group of upperclassmen to prevent him from falling behind in his studies while he deals with his issues. With not much room to argue, Kouhei halfheartedly agrees. He begins to realize, however, that the people around have their own fair share of problems, and that life may just be one big test to try and solve them. How will Kouhei fare? Title Screen Concept by Piichimi A+ Switch Opening Song (Produced by Outbreak, Sagisapon, and Geiky) https://soundcloud.com/davidaacosta-1/outbreak-shuuren-autumn-love-ft-sagisapon-geiky/s-grMbH Genre: A+ Switch will be a mix of Comedy, Slice of Life, Drama, and Romance. The visual novel also contains some adult themes. Some basic requirements of becoming a writer: ~ A good communicator who actively seeks participation in development or just random group chatter. (Communication is key with projects). It’s also encouraged to have Skype. You can find the program here: http://www.skype.com/en/download-skype/skype-for-computer/ ~ Being open-minded to new ideas and concepts. ~ Promptness and good time management to work on a regular basis. ~ An excerpt of previous work. ~ Willing to volunteer for free, as our project is a non-commercial visual novel. ~ Has fun. (The most important, I say) We do hope our project is able to interest you enough to apply for a writing position. If so, please feel free to send me a private message or leave a post down below. I’ll be sure to respond as soon as possible. Thank you so much for reading our request! We look forward to having the chance to work with you.

Congrats on the demo release and the kickstarter, guys! I downloaded the demo the other night and read a good portion of it. I really enjoyed how you used the sprite movements. I plan on finishing the rest later today to give my full thoughts on it. Love the story so far. (b~_^)b

I meant to comment on this earlier. The new features are looking really awesome. Was it difficult to implement? I'm assuming there had to be a lot of coding? (I'm a noob when it comes to Ren'Py) Also, do you have an estimation of when we'll be able to play the next demo? Really looking forward to it.

Mmhmm. I agree that he has a somewhat valid reason, although:

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Fuminori Sakisaka from Saya no Uta. He's pretty cold–hearted through most of the story—depends on who you ask, though. Others may think differently. And you may or may not classify him as a "sadist". The VN's pretty dark, but it's probably "not as bad" as Euphoria, I think. Euphoria does sound really f**cked up after reading the premise.

I kinda wonder if I'm the only one who just finished watching Madoka Magica. >.> Everyone I know seems to have seen it at one point already.

Yo, Raithfyre! Nice to meet you. I, too, was once a lurker here on Fuwa. (I still think I kinda am since not many know me...) Glad to see another VN developer on the site. I just remembered that the HRP and Lucid9 are both affiliated with Sekai Project. Maybe we can stalk each other's projects? I sort of fanboyed on the HRP's thread, so I'm sure you know how excited I am for that already. Oh, and watch Love Live! Kidding, I haven't see it either.

I've been following your guys' progress for a while now. I honestly can't wait for the demo! The story is interesting, the art is amazing, the whole thing just pulls you in. I wish you all luck with the development. I'll be stalking you the entire time. I'll most likely support your KS as well. P.S. <3 Yukino

Looking past all of the technical flaws of Katawa Shoujo, it simply is an amazing VN. I believe any VN that manages to leave a positive impact on you—even in the slightest—should be considered a work of art.

I have to say, the premise sounds pretty killer. Although the story's not set in stone yet, there's definitely potential with this one. I really admire your determination, too. I can offer to help with character development/design and idea bouncing if you ever need it. Considering that I'm also working on Lucid9 and a super secret project on the side, I can't necessarily apply for a full time writing position, but I'd like to help you guys in some way, if possible. In any case, I sincerely wish you luck on this project! Us Devs need to stick together and support each other in any way possible.

How on earth did I miss these magnificent stories? 11/10 would read more.

Get well, Krill! We'll all be looking forward to your return.

Ramen all the way. I've always wanted to try those Onigiri—rice balls—after watching Pokemon when I was younger. I should probably buy some soon; now I'm hungry...

I love Outer Science! I also like Juby's version, but I think Amatsuki's Japanese cover is my favorite rendition of the song since his voice matched so well.

So many awesome covers! I'm going to contribute by giving a few myself. (Definitely going to follow this thread.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJBGdxV1aDc I really love this singer, so I added two of my favorite songs from her. (Really hoping she makes a full version, though.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9ngM5yxWoE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eeRiSWPxXA

My Bride is a Mermaid was h.i.l.a.r.i.o.u.s. *My favorite was probably episode 10. *Vague for spoiler sake. Those who've watched it know what I'm referring to.