DevLog: Let's Talk About Singlets (Before/After)

Hey all,

So it turns out I lied-- but that's a good thing.

In the last DevLog, I stated that I didn't really have much image-wise to share for this update since it's sorta transitional, using a lot of previous locations and character positions (dorm room, talking on bed, cleaning shower, stuff like that). I have managed to add a few new image perspectives on those which should make things feel less repetitious or monotonous, however, I still felt shitty for that post because you should always expect something new. And part of the reason for this revamp is to enhance things.

Welp, turns out that I forgot about the singlet scenes when I was writing that post because I hadn't gotten that far yet; so happy Sunday: I have new Before/After pics for you so let's get started.

This post is going to focus on the process of Zack getting the singlet, Ernie cleaning the nasty-ass thing, and then Zack giving it to Braden.

Pic 1: So this shot is from the original game and shows when Zack miraculously finds the singlet in the locker room. This image is awful and I forgot how bad it really was. So manipulating 3D stuff is a whole different world and not something that I'm good at. Right now, my skills level normally just has me hide imperfections off camera or try to get the angle just right to make things look more natural. This old shot shows the singlet the exact way it would look if someone is wearing it. The thing looks stiff as hell and it standing up on its own-- not a good sign, lol. However, when I chose this outfit, there wasn't a lot of options back then. Now, I could change the outfit but I really wanted to keep the clothing choices throughout the revamp the same as in the original so the singlet is staying. It just looks really bad here.

Pic 2: This shot is the revamped (is that a word?) version of Zack finding the singlet. This time, rather than finding it stiff as fuck on the floor, he'll find it inside of a locker. While the item is still blown up like it was before, I'm using camera angles to hide the majority of it and make it look like it's hanging in the locker. It's not perfect but it's better. This made more sense anyway. We'll see a few different angles of Zack looking at it as wild thoughts run through his head. But yeah, this scene visually should look a lot better than the original game and will have a slightly different feel than the original game that legit felt like finding an object in a video game.

Pic 3: I'm showing this shot of Ernie from the original game because these are the shots we saw when Zack gives Ernie the singlet to clean it up. The original game just has a conversation. There's no singlet exchanged or anything like that. It happens through the dialogue with the same stale Ernie picture you've seen 50 times before rather than us seeing it. That's a problem imo since the singlet is an item that really moves the story forward at this particular point. We should see that and not accidently gloss over it in the reading.

Pic 4: Revamp version. Since the majority of our conversations with Ernie will take place in the hallway, we'll do the singlet exchange out there, too. This time, Zack will pass the singlet off to Ernie. It's a minor thing but hopefully it'll pull people into the scene more rather than just depending on the dialogue to tell you what's going on. 

Pic 5: Braden in the singlet. I'll give you a minute to stop laughing. Feel free to continue reading when you catch your breath. This image is hilariously bad. Another shot that I forgot how bad it looked. But yeah, here's the original scene of Braden getting the singlet and doing his little fashion show. There was a whole sequence here of positions and stuff and they all looked just as bad, lol. Let's stop looking at this one and check out the revamped version.

Pic 6: Just YES. Ok, this is the revamp version and I'm pretty excited about it. The singlet exchange is going to take place at night this time. I did a few light tests and stuff including rendering this scene in daylight and night both and the night lights just hit different and it really won me over. I think it gives a more intimate feel to the exchange that we didn't have before. I'm actually working on this scene now but this is my first couple tests and I'm liking them so I think this is what I'm going with. This scene is extended from the original including more dialogue and Braden will still do more warm-ups and test positions, mostly to check the range of motion of the singlet and stuff like that. But I'm pretty excited to visually see how this scene plays out. But I'm in love with the light and the intimate vibe on this in comparison to that stupid shot from the original one (however, don't put it past me to try and figure out a way to weave in that original position just as an easter egg).

Well, That's all for today. Stay tuned and hope your enjoyed the surprise teasers that I didn't think I had

Thank you, as always, for the support. I know I always say that but I appreciate every one of you; so thank you.

-Aaryn