Dev Q&A | #1 The beginning
Welcome to a new section on Subscribestar: Dev Q&A!
In update 0.1.7.1, I introduced a satisfaction survey. Your answers help me figure out what I need to improve in the novel, which systems need tweaking, where I should focus my efforts, and what I'm already doing well and can keep doing as is.
At the end of the survey, you had the chance to ask me any question you wanted about Crimson Prison or Two Sides of the Same Coin, and I'd answer it publicly! As a thank-you for completing the survey, you'd also receive a few wallpapers for your desktop and mobile device.
Well, I've selected two of the most frequently asked questions to kick off this new section. You can submit your questions and fill out the form at this link. It's completely anonymous!
FORM HERE!
Q: What are the reason(s) you made this game?
A: Crimson Prison was originally conceived as a way to tell Shunnaru's backstory (now known as Zinnia).
Those of you familiar with my other works will know that, before Crimson Prison, I started developing a visual novel called Two Sides of the Same Coin. It's a... weird novel, full of cringe and bad jokes. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend it, haha.
In Two Sides of the Same Coin (TSSC from now on), I introduced a mechanic called “Secret Factor,” which was designed to reveal each character's past through just THREE memories per girl.
P.S.: For anyone wondering, I borrowed the term Secret Factor from the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm video game series. In those games, if you completed battles with a high score, you could unlock extra scenes. Yeah... I LOVE Naruto.
Back to the topic~~ The first Secret Factor for Shunnaru (Zinnia) in TSSC told the story of our protagonist, at a young age, being taken to Nuevo Faredo's Prison, training with Sora, and eventually facing Goliath in a fight to the death, which brought the memory to an end.
I liked the idea. I felt I could get so much more out of that premise, and honestly, I was never entirely satisfied with what I'd done in my first visual novel, TSSC. With all the experience I'd gained from creating that playable abomination, I devoted ALMOST two full years to developing and releasing the first version of Crimson Prison.
Q: How did this idea of a story about prison and power within the prison, with a hierarchy, come about?
A: This is a complicated question, so I'll split it into two parts: the idea behind the prison setting, and the hierarchy and power system.
To start with, the prison setting came to me through the circumstances of the protagonist's upbringing, Shunnaru's.
P.S. When I mention Shunnaru, I'm referring to an adult Zinnia (the TSSC version). When I say Zinnia, I mean the Crimson Prison version of the protagonist. This is just for context, though, since I'd like to de-canonize TSSC.
Shunnaru has a foul mouth, she's rude, and provocative. While creating memories of her past, I came up with the idea that, since she'd been an orphan growing up in a city rotten to the core, it might make sense for her to end up in prison. That's where TSSC's first Secret Factor came from, as mentioned above.
So, I had the setting in mind, but everything else still needed to be developed.
This might sound a little ridiculous (and it is), BUT HEAR ME OUT! XD
There were THREE reasons that inspired me to create a prison for her memories. The first was the Boruto anime... HAHAHA. It sounds weird, but let me explain.
FIRST OF ALL, let me clarify that I DON'T like Boruto. I watched the anime only because it was a continuation of Naruto, but it was never really my cup of tea... and it's not canon, so...
I think it was sometime around 2020 when a season of Boruto was airing in which the protagonist was sent to prison. Seeing a prison from the inside struck me as an interesting subject, since it's usually treated as something taboo in society.
That prison had elite shinobi, powerful guards, internal corruption... and unexpected camaraderie. While I don't remember much about that arc, it planted a tiny seed of an idea in my mind.
It genuinely made me want to visit a prison, but that's a terrible idea. XD Please don't do it...
Time passed, and then a season of Baki aired in which the protagonist was also sent to prison, and some pretty bizarre things happened. I like Baki, though I'm not a fan. Still, I was fascinated by the prison's atmosphere, and it reinforced the idea of creating a story set in one. In my mind, it was something like, "An environment ripe for chaos, rules that get thrown out the window, inmates with all kinds of personalities, completely surreal situations..." Honestly, I found it a lot of fun... Obviously, when talking about works of fiction.
All of that got buried in my subconscious. Months later maybe, I started creating TSSC.
When it was time to create Shunnaru's first Secret Factor, I listened to a podcast that triggered this whole series of memories about prisons. I'm not usually someone who listens to podcasts; I prefer audiobooks. But for some reason, this one showed up in my feed, and I let it play.
I won't give any details about which podcast it was. But it featured a woman describing her time in prison after being sent there unjustly.
She talked about the fear, uncertainty, and anxiety of arriving in a place full of people who had committed crimes. She felt vulnerable, thinking, "My life is over. They're going to destroy me in here."
As time passed, she made friends who looked after her, and eventually came to consider them her family. Deep down, they were good people whose stories had been told the wrong way (not all of them, of course). She found a new sense of belonging and camaraderie. After spending so many years surviving on the streets, eating straight out of garbage bags and whatever else she could get her hands on, she found a home in prison. And I couldn't help crying when she said,
"At least in prison, I could eat three meals a day."
Honestly, hearing that person's story broke my heart. It left a profound mark on me and taught me to try appreciate what little or much I had. Those words were burned into my memory.
Years passed, and eventually she was released from prison. After saying goodbye to everyone, she couldn't shake the feeling of emptiness inside. She'd left her entire family behind, and now had to rebuild her life in society.
That's the concept both main characters in Crimson Prison are built around.
Zinnia arrives at the prison after surviving on the streets. She struggles to adapt to her new reality and accept that not everyone is constantly trying to hurt her. Sora, meanwhile, feels empty inside and constantly searches for ways to fill that void, wandering aimlessly around the world until he eventually ends up in Nuevo Faredo.
Yes, prison is a hostile place. But even in the midst of that hostility, you can find a sense of belonging and people who matter to you.
I'll explain the hierarchy and power system in the second Q&A, because this one has already gotten so long!
Thank you all so much, you're amazing! 🫶
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