In Progress - Dressing Vera and Setting the Stage

Hai! It's time for another update on my progress.

I’ve been hard at work finalizing Vera’s first outfit, and I’m happy to say it’s nearly complete! While refining her look, I also started prepping the intro scene. This is where you’ll pick the protagonist’s name and, if you’ve enabled the option in Preferences, rename Vera. It’s a small addition, but one that makes the story feel even more personal.

Last time, I mentioned the need for a map for the first scene. After some investigation, I quickly realized that creating a completely custom map from scratch isn’t realistic for now. It would require learning Blender and Unity - a big time investment that I’d rather put into other parts of the game. Thankfully, I found a workaround. While browsing maps from the Koikatsu modding community, I noticed some of these look pretty familiar - turns out they’re frequently used in VNs that feature Koikatsu assets. The good news is that these maps should suit my needs, and with some editing (if I can manage it), I’ll be able to make them fit into the game.

While exploring maps, one thing became abundantly clear: lighting is everything. It’s crucial for setting the mood and bringing scenes to life, but it’s also a skill I need to learn. I’ll be diving into lighting guides after finishing work on the intro scene. It’s a bit intimidating, but I’m excited to learn and improve.

Speaking of lighting, this little detour introduced me to the KKUTS shader for Koikatsu. Since I was already polishing Vera’s outfit and experimenting with shaders, I decided to give it a try, and wow - it made a noticeable difference. KKUTS is incredibly customizable, and while there’s plenty of fine-tuning left to do, I’m thrilled with the results so far.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison of Vera’s sweater before and after applying KKUTS (with some minor color adjustments):

The sweater has a slightly more cel-shaded look now, but the shadows and overall color vibrance are miles better. The texture feels more like actual knitted fabric, and the colors pop beautifully without looking washed out. I’m considering reducing the outline thickness, but I’ll wait to test it in action with the maps first.

So here’s what’s coming up! I’ll be sharing “final” shots of Vera’s outfit in the next few days, and hopefully I'll be able to give you a peek at the map for the initial scene as well. I’m also aiming to have the intro sequence, where players can choose the protagonist’s name and rename characters, ready to showcase soon. After that, it’s scriptwriting time! I’ll start drafting the first proper scene and testing how Vera interacts with the chosen map. 

That’s all for now! I’m so excited about how things are shaping up and can’t wait to share more with you soon. Thanks for following along - see you soon!