Quest Failed: Chapter Two - Dev Log #73

Hiya there, guys!

How are we all doing today on this c-c-c-cold day? I hope you're all staying nice and warm!

For today's dev log I thought it'd be fun to look back at two characters and their conception--both of them sharing a common thing, yet at the same time are radically different from one another!

As you may have guessed from the image attached to this dev log, I am of course talking about two very regal ladies; the Queen of Rhan and the Queen of the Forest, respectively!

While Queen Deidra was created as a benevolent, almost motherly sort of figure who rules over Rhan with a kind and loving hand... Bella on the other hand is the polar opposite and almost a distorted reflection of the good Queen--vain, self-absorbed, arrogant, consumed by personal pride...basically all of the traits that would form a very dangerous tyrant if given enough power. I suppose it's just a good thing that Bella's domain is full of squirrels and flowers as opposed to an entire army at her beck and call, huh? Then again, I'm sure a whole bunch of squirrels swarming over you and gnawing you to death would be a pretty tortuous experience...

Uh--moving along!

Like with Ren's design post before, I wanted to share some old concepts of how the two Queens shaped up into what they are today! Starting with Queen Deidra.

Here you can see some of the earliest concepts for Deidra, designed while keeping in mind several key points about her: mature, elegant, graceful. It was really important to nail a very classy, regal look about her and avoid falling into the pitfalls of making her come across as too lewd or sexy, as I felt that would clash with the personality I had in mind for her. So a variety of different hairstyles and outfits were tested to see what stuck--and I'm sure you can see the various bits and pieces between the designs that were eventually shuffled around to help create the Queen you all know and love today!

A fun fact about the Queen's design was that it was actually done by Mogucho--the person responsible for a large amount of CG scenes in Chapter 1! They were initially set to do a lot of sprites and designs for Chapter 2, but eventually had to back down for a while as their situation changed. So the design for the Queen was one of the last things they did for a while, and it was up to another artist to finish what was started and flesh out the existing designs.

This sketch for the sprite of Deidra in QF's existing style was the last piece that Mogucho left us and laid out the foundation for what was to come! (Though in recent months I'm happy to say the artist is back working with me and has helped finish a few CG scenes for Chapter 2 along with prep some stuff for Chapter 3--so there's exciting times ahead!)

And with everything set up--Deidra's first sprite was completed by Devirish--an incredibly hard working individual who has created a ton of content for Chapter 2 and without him I think I really would have found myself in a tough spot back at the beginning of 2017 where it felt like a juggling act trying to keep artists in place, haha.

So, the Queen's first sprite was complete! Buuuut, admittedly this is when the mixed reception came in, as while the art itself was solid, it did perhaps stray from the established QF style and felt just a little 'off' when placed alongside other characters. And as you can see from the older sketches, she did end up veering off the initial plan. I want to stress at this point that Devirish wasn't at fault--as this was one of the earliest characters he did for me, and I failed to be as attentive as I should have while things were being created, focusing on far too much at a time with my attention stretched to the limits.

So in the end, factoring in user feedback and such, we both agreed that the sprite should be redone and aim to be more accurate to the initial plan. And a short little while later...

...A new...old Queen was born, ending up with the final sprite in the game now. And this look I feel encapsulates her warm, motherly personality far better both in terms of body type, facial features and even just the colours of her outfit, all coming together to create somebody you want to just reach out and hug! ...And then get promptly dragged by your ear to the dungeon by a very zealous guard captain. But it was so worth it.

How do you guys personally feel about Deidra's little journey she had to get to where she is today with her design? Are you happy with the final design, or was there anything you would perhaps change about her? Are you excited to see her again in the full game after that little 'taster'~?

Now--don't forget this is a double feature! We can't go forgetting our Queen of the Forest now, can we? If I did, I would find myself on the receiving end of some rather thorny appendages...

Bella's design was a little more straightforward and not full of as many bumps as Deidra, but I'm sure as you all know, much like Ren and Cynthia, Bella was one of the sprites designed by an artist who no longer contributes to the project, and then was subsequently given a fresh look by another artist due to various circumstances!

Bella's initial concept was simple--I wanted an enticing, sultry alraune! Truthfully at this point I hadn't even considered her as being a 'Queen' of anything. But the more her character came together, the more I felt it was only natural for her to be as self-absorbed as she is, being the biggest, most prettiest flower in the whole forest. If you grow up your whole life being told you're the best and nothing can compare...well, you start believing it, don't you?

Going through Bella's sketches, most of them at hand concerned basic things such as how her pose should be within the flower, the general flower type and so on, but some more interesting aspects I've dug up relate to her outfit and how she would be covered, with a variety of different ideas being tested!

As I say, I always fear showing these kinds of sketches since I'm sure there's a large chance that some people will think I've went with the wrong kind of outfit of her, and will only feel cheated by seeing what could have been, haha. But in this case, I feel I made the right choice concerning the leaves and vines covering her. As the other ones I felt were either a little too flashy or didn't necessarily mesh with the idea of what an alraune should look like in my head. But I hope you all agree I made the right choice!

And as this sketch also reveals--her flower did originally have weird tentacle 'legs' of sorts that would let her become more mobile as she saw fit. But in the end I decided it was kind of a bulky, cumbersome design to accommodate for all of that, and that it made the most sense for her to be rooted to the spot in her little domain, making up for her main weakness with complete dominion over the forest itself, being able to listen to and spy on people throughout the woodland via flowers dotted through, and so on! It was a lot of fun to plan all of that out and I think it makes her a stronger, more resourceful character as a result.

And once the design was in place and more minor things such as hair, etc. were decided--Bella 1.0 was born into the world! Whoo~!

Compared to Ren and Cynthia--I felt that Bella wasn't as in much of a dire need of a re-design after this sprite was complete. But with the artist gone, and Bella's expressions feeling a little lacking, I decided the best course of action was just to go ahead with the next iteration, for the better of the project and Bella's character as a whole!

In the process of revamping her, we decided to go the whole way with her regal and haughty nature, adding various elements here and there to help her feel more mature and 'special' compared to other alraunes. So the lipstick and body markings were added, along with a variety of suitably Queenly expressions! (There's a fancy thorn crown, too, of course! But I can't find any quick image at hand to showcase it.)

"Ohohohoho!"

I really love how she ended up and found myself falling in love with her far more after the little makeover! She's definitely been a fun character to write for given her spoilt personality and unique h-scene involving her flowers and I can't wait for you all to meet her too! Just, uh...remember not to step on the flowers--that's a word of friendly advice.

How do you feel about Bella's little transformation? Are you happy with her end sprite, or was there anything you'd potentially change about her if given the chance? Let me know your thoughts~

I hope you've enjoyed this little look at two of Quest Failed's most prominent royal members (even if one is only self proclaimed, huhu) and a look back at how some of the oldest concepts came to life!

If you'd like to see more of these kinds of dev logs, let me know--and what characters you might want me to explore and look back on! I can't promise anything too exciting for some characters, as some design processes were far more straight forward, but I'll always do my best to create exciting and engaging posts week to week to keep you all informed as Chapter 2 inches ever closer to that illusive released state!

Thanks again for all of your support as always and until next time!