Straight!? Revamp: v16 Teasers 1

Edit: Forgot they let me include pics in the narrative now so I adjusted the post

Hey all,

Today we've finally got our first look at some teasers for v16. Again, I want to apologize for the delay but let's just jump into this thing and get back on track. You'll notice in these scenes that, following the shopping trip, we're back to some familiar areas. On the development end, there's a lot of logistics to juggle since the guys are in different outfits now but the bulk of today's discussion is going to focus on 1) showing off some early pics, and 2) showing you the focus on positional changes that we'll be seeing in v16. The idea here is that since we're going back to the same spots, I wanted to sorta shake things up with the guys in different poses occasionally so we're not just seeing the same pics as before but with different outfits. Obviously, reusing stuff would be faster but I also just really try and emphasize the humanity of these guys. I also want to personally say that the fact that my mind is going in these positional directions while I'm working is a good creative sign that the juices are flowing again. So I appreciate the patience and let's jump into the first old pic.

Pic 1: This first pic is from the original and focuses on the wake-up. There's sort of some pillow talk here and discussions about things like you'd usually expect. Overall, this original picture isn't terrible as I was getting better with the lighting at this point. But I did spend significant time in the video version of the teasers making fun of that square on the wall. That's actually another spotlight in the room and it took me like 3 years to figure out what that was. The damn thing spans most of the beginning parts of the game and I couldn't figure out why there was a stupid square on the wall. Turns out there's a spotlight behind a spotlight. Getting rid of that thing was one of my favorite corrections in the revamp. Thing has haunted me, lol

Pic 2: Here's an idea of an addition to the Revamp. We'll still be seeing the pillow talk shown in the previous pic but the guys are gonna kinda squirm or reposition on the bed as they talk. The idea here was to keep things fresh but also show the different ways they carry themselves based on personality. We've seen this throughout the game and there's no reason to not continue to do that-- especially as their relationship gets closer or as more events occur. For those that played the original, you may recall they wake up because the room temperature is blazing hot again. The revamp is just gonna add moist looking skin here too. Nothing crazy but it really does help convey how friggen hot it is in here.

Pic 3: This original version is fun to still laugh at due to how friggen hard it is for me to light the shower scene. I still struggle with it. But this shot is just really mechanical. In this scene, the guys were still comfortable showering at the same time and Braden is being helpful and turning on Zack's shower. Buuuut, while the plot pushes things closer with them here, the pictures are just super flat-- lot of stock poses here that really make it feel mechanical and lifeless.

Pic 4: Here's a goofy reimagination of this scene plus another reference to the alternative poses we may be seeing. In the original game, one of the shower heads doesn't work. The revamp will take that scene a step further and Braden accidental breaks the handle off. It offers a fun opportunity for camera shots like this that were just fun to do, felt more cinematic, show off their personalities, and was a great pick-me-up to do. It's also hilarious if you take it out of context 'cause it looks like a glory hole, lol.

Pic 5: Now for our last shot. This one jumps back to the original when Zack is doing homework. The original homework shots weren't too bad but once I got to this point in the Revamp, i found myself just wanting a lot more than pictures of him on the bed with a computer.

Pic 6: Revamp shot. The revamp will again switch up some positions. In this shot you can easily see the guys sitting differently and that will change over time. The revamp will also use some tricks to show the passage of time including some pretty unique, cinematic overhead shots of the room and the room will get darker as opposed to the original where it was always daytime in the dorm during these scenes. Braden's position here is fun as he walks in and spins the chair around backwards like we saw all the way back in update 1 when they first meet.

Again, the big idea here is that narratively, the story continues to progress but I didn't want to completely overuse the same shots in the story all the time and just depend on the narrative to push the plot forward. That's what the original did and I'm expecting more from the revamp at this point. So hopefully, this gives you some perspective on where my head is at. Stay tuned, for more. I'm up to around 230 pics done right now and I'm going to keep this post surprisingly short 'cause I'm in the zone today.

Thanks as always <3