My Lovely Wife News

Previously, we’ve talked about the game design, art, and writing process of My Lovely Wife. How about the end process, where all the elements of the game are being combined together? In this devlog, I, Lasheli, am having the two programmers of My Lovely Wife: Kristopher (Kris) & Roderick (Rod) talk about their experience in working on the game!



[h3]1. For Kris & Rod, tell us about your experience as a game programmer![/h3]

Kris:
As a game programmer, this is my first time working on a big project with an established team. Before, I only worked on some small projects at my uni, with none of it having ever been released to the public.
Before joining GameChanger Studio, I was a mobile app developer. So, when I get to work on My Lovely Wife as a game programmer, I realize that programming for mobile apps and games is different, from the design process to execution.

It’s quite a big challenge for me since I have to quickly adapt to a new work and environment in an indie game studio. Moreover, unlike my previous job as a mobile app developer — in which I only need to fulfill the clients’ requests — as a game developer, I’m encouraged to have discussions with the team about UI/UX, balancing, and others.

Rod:
As for myself, I started my career in game development in 2016, right after I graduated from uni and got hired as a junior programmer by GameChanger Studio. By the time I joined, they were working on the Ascender project. What I did for that project was implement stage puzzles and quests made by the game designer and also some small features until the game was released in 2017.

In mid-late 2016, GameChanger Studio arranged two internal game jams, and we signed all the games we created up to the Steam Greenlight (RIP). On the first game jam, the game made by my team didn’t pass the qualification, so it got scrapped 😭. However, in the second game jam, our game, which is known today as My Lovely Daughter passed the qualification 😀.

(Town/building management simulation — before polishing)

(Town/building management simulation — after polishing)

[h3]2. For Kris, how do you feel being appointed as My Lovely Wife’s main programmer, despite this being your first time handling a rather big project?[/h3]

Kris:
I feel challenged, of course. At first, I didn’t expect that I have to handle the project alone from the very beginning. I thought that I’d work alongside Roderick (although we do have to work together in the end). As I was adapting to C# and Unity, I often ask him for advice. After that, I tried to solve some problems by myself. It was exciting. I’d go to forums, look for tutorials on YouTube, and all.

[h3]3. As Kris told us above, he often asks you (Roderick) for advice. What kind of directions did you give him at that time?[/h3]

Rod:
In the beginning, what I did was explain how the code works in My Lovely Wife’s prototype build and what kind of tools that I usually use. Aside from that, in the middle of the development, I taught him how to solve bugs, refactor codes, and file documentation.

(The town — Without ambiance animations)

(The town — With ambiance animations)

[h3]4. What are some of the difficulties you encountered when working on My Lovely Wife, and how did you overcome them?[/h3]

Kris:
First thing first, it takes a long time for me to understand the code flow of a game, compared to that of mobile apps. Even today, I still have difficulties. Save system is also one of the hurdles I encountered. During my time as a mobile dev app, I only work on the front end (UI). Processing data is not my forte. However, I have to learn how to do it, eventually.

Rod:
In the initial stage of development, we were still experimenting on My Lovely Wife’s gameplay. Looking back on My Lovely Daughter, many things still need to be improved, especially on the management-simulation part. However, extensive improvements require extensive changes in codes as well.
Plus, My Lovely Wife’s content is enormous — compared to the previous game. To overcome those problems, I tried to design a versatile backbone for the code so that it can support all the changes that would be made. Using varied online tools and learning to make some also helps a lot.

[h3]5. Is there anything interesting that you found when you’re working on this project?[/h3]

Kris:
Creating new features and adding new mechanisms so that the players can enjoy the game more, such as allowing them to min-max. There are many unique features from Unity itself that are totally new to me — which I found very interesting to work on.

Importing assets is also one of the things that I like to do because what I did wasn’t merely import data. I also get to discuss the dialogues and also UI-UX with the team while doing so. Lots of discussions lead to lots of improvements in the game.

Rod:
Game development itself is always interesting for me. There’s always something new to try and experiment with. Some of the things in My Lovely Wife that I found intriguing to explore are the animation and dialogue systems. Also, as a programmer, being the first person to see all the things being put together and work well is very satisfying (after dealing with all the d*mnded bugs). But for a lazy person like me, the most satisfying part is when the new automation system that I worked on can run smoothly 😀.

(Succubus-killing window — before polishing)

(Succubus-killing window — after polishing)

[h3]6. The game is entering its final development stage! How do you feel about it, and do you have anything to say to the future players?[/h3]

Kris:
For me, it’s a dream come true. Since elementary school, I’ve dreamt of making games, though not limited to programming. You can say that it’s one of my major achievements in life, so that sums up my feeling about working on My Lovely Wife. I don’t think I’ll stop making games after this, too.
For future players, I hope they can enjoy the game in many aspects, from gameplay, balancing, story, having fun with their succubus gf (lol), to the music and art style which were showcased during live streams on events.

PS. Shyasta is my waifu. Don’t claim her!

Rod:
It’s kinda hard to believe that the wild idea that we half-jokingly proposed for a game jam 4 years ago is about to have its ‘sequel’. Working on My Lovely Wife is a very great experience for me, as I get the chance to address intriguing topics and overcome obstacles, until finally able to deliver them into a game.

We learn a lot of things from this project, and of course, it won’t stop here. There are still lots of things to explore that we hopefully can bring to our next projects (maybe the third “My Lovely” game?).
Of course, I hope that people can enjoy the game, but most importantly, thank you for playing the game!

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It’s fascinating to see that game programming is actually more than just working on codes! I myself can’t wait for the future players to enjoy the game with their lovely succubus waifu~

My Lovely Wife is planned to be released in early 2022 on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox.

Follow us on Twitter for more development trivia: @MLWthegame

Thank you for reading, and see you on the next devlog!

[h3]Game writing… Does that mean that it's already my turn?![/h3]

Let me re-introduce myself, then. I'm Lasheli, the lead writer and narrative designer of My Lovely Wife. My Lovely Wife is my first project as a game developer/writer!

(It's a-me showcasing the game for an event.)

In this devlog, I'm going to talk about how I modify and build up the game's lore, as well as the character creation process. You can read about the characters' visual development here in the previous devlog.

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[h2]Building Up the Lore[/h2]

As mentioned in the first devlog, the alpha version of My Lovely Wife was released for public in 2019. That's when I first tried it out. In 2020, I officially joined the team as the lead writer & narrative designer for the game, and I can say that the lore has been polished significantly.

It still has the same premise: a husband who lost his wife and tries to resurrect her by performing otherworldly rituals. However, since I was given the freedom to modify it, I added new characters such as Phillip and the Hallowed to the main plot. Both act as players' guides throughout the game.

(Phillip showing clickable buildings in the town to Jake.)

As of the Hallowed… you'll see them in the full game, so I won't spoil anything about them now!

[h2]Outlining the Dialogue Acts[/h2]

So.

Not only the lore but the game design was being modified as well. To create dialogue that can follow the flow of this simulation-management game, I had to make an outline for each chapter. The game has four chapters in total, by the way, I can tell you that at the very least. I found that outlining helps me focus on what I have to achieve in each chapter. The outline contains:

• Events and objectives of the chapter
  
• Settings where the events take place
  
• The characters that appear in the chapter
  

Here's what it looks like in my worksheet (top secret!):



I worked with Dodick, the game designer, to set the events and objectives of each chapter.

(New prologue chapter flow discussion with Dodick.)

(The list of things I had to do… which still goes on… #endmysuffering)

[h2]Succubi's Branching Dialogue[/h2]

Now let's head to the next topic: character design! Before I joined GameChanger Studio, I was told that there will be 20 kinds of succubi appearing in the game, and the players can sort of "date" them - since the plan was for the game to have a dating sim element as well. So, naturally, I had to write the dialogue for each of them.

Did I get overwhelmed?

Of course.

But here's where the help came! Verencia and Adhitya "Nyasu" to the rescue! Verencia was in charge of writing for 5 succubi, while Nyasu took on 6. To make the writing process smoother for them… and for myself, setting a topic/theme for each of the succubi's dialogue sets is a must, since all of them have branching dialogue. The branch more or less looks like this:



Each set has two different options which will take the player to the next pre-determined set/endings.

To determine the topic/theme for each succubus, I'd always refer to their characteristics and backstory, which I'll be talking about next:

[h2]The Base for Character Creation[/h2]

Before writing a story, it's important to know the characters who will be in it, since the way they think or talk will affect where and how the dialogue goes. To create the characters in My Lovely Wife, including the succubi (especially the succubi), I'm using the Personality Archetypes diagram.



For example, I assigned "The Imperial" personality to the Berith. Determining a certain personality to them also helped a lot to shape their backstory.

(The Berith's archetype)

(The Berith's backstory)

… and it applies to the rest of the characters!

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That's about all that I can spill right now. What I can highlight from this devlog is: don't forget to outline before writing! Trust me, the writing process will go a lot smoother with it.

My Lovely Wife is planned to be released in early 2022 on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox.

Follow us on twitter for more development trivias: @MLWthegame

Thank you for reading, and see you on the next devlog!

Good day, everyone. Back again with me, Lasheli, in another devlog of My Lovely Wife! Previously, we've talked about the behind-the-scenes of the game's environmental design here. Now, I want to give you a close look at another artsy aspect of the game: character design.

For that, I invited Yosi (YozhMan), one of the artists of My Lovely Wife who has worked hard on bringing the characters alive. We're going to talk a lot about the succubi here, so don't miss this one out!



[h3]1. For starters, please tell us about yourself.[/h3]

Hello, I'm Yosi, My Lovely Wife's artist.

Originally, I'm a comic artist/freelance illustrator. There's where I get the experience of designing characters, actually.

GameChanger Studio is the first place where I get to experience being a full-time game developer. It wasn't easy at first. The tight deadlines and complex workflow were really unfamiliar to me, but I have to adapt as fast as I could. In game development, a design can go through several iterations, revisions, and needs to get broken down in detail in the art design document/model sheet.

(Jake's character sheet)

However, going through all those processes has made me a more detailed person. It's kind of amazing that I'm actually able to remember the characteristics of each character, starting from the costume, coloring, and even the thickness of the line art.

[h3]2. Have you been working on My Lovely Wife's character design since the beginning?[/h3]

Actually, I was working on revamping the UI first. Since I just joined the studio in 2019, right after the project was getting picked up again. There's a lot that has to be revamped/redesigned. It was my first time working on designing UI, to boot.

Some times after that, I was given the opportunity for polishing/designing the game's characters, which includes the 3 main characters and 20 succubi, each with their own unique characteristics.

(Left: Luna's polished design, right: the old design.)

[h3]3. Tell us the process of designing a character in My Lovely Wife.[/h3]

It always began from the character's concept written by the writer. From there, I begin my research and collect some references to help visualize the look of the character. I usually would make three designs (sketches) and I'd let the team choose their favorite. The chosen sketch would then get cleaned up and colored so that I can continue filling up the character sheet and break down the assets for animation purposes.

(Part of the character concept from the writer)

(Visual representation of the concept)

[h3]4. Did you design all the characters?[/h3]

No. It was Raswan and me. As for the succubi, each of us was assigned to design 10 of them, since there are a total of 20 of them. As for the NPCs, we have the interns work on them under our guidance.

Oh, and I also designed two secret characters that will be revealed in the main story, so make sure to play the game until the end when it's launched!

[h3]5. What do you find most enjoyable when designing a character? And what character is your favorite to design?[/h3]

For me, it's when I'm allowed to add various elements from my favorite genres like fantasy and sci-fi into the design to accentuate the character's personality. Take the Enyo, for example. She has this fantasy vibe in her design to help shape a "menacing" and "powerful" look to complement her small body. The Enyo is one of the characters I love to design because I took lots of references from my favorite franchises.

(Enyo's reference sheet. Can you name all the characters?)

[h3]6. What are the challenges you faced in designing My Lovely Wife's characters?[/h3]

The biggest challenge would be in how to fully depict the character's personality through the visual concept. There are lots of aspects that have to be considered, starting from the basic shapes, costumes, colors, to body posture.

After we have a fixed design, comes another challenge. Since the characters have to be animated, Raswan and I need to break down the parts of the body. The more complex the design is, the more the breaking down process takes time.

Among all the characters, I think the Lyst is the most difficult to break down. Lyst is one of the succubi that has been created before - two years ago when the game's prototype was still in progress. Since she has long and forked hair tentacles, I had to break down all of it and it took so much time.


(Left: Lyst's updated design, right: the old design)


(Lyst's animation breakdown)

[h3]7. Anything you want to say to the future players?[/h3]

I hope that people will like the characters that we designed so much that they can appear in other media, besides our game. I mean, it would be lovely if I could see fanarts of the characters in My Lovely Wife out there someday. It means that players really got attached to them.

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It would be really exciting if in the future we can see players talking and even creating brand-new art out of the characters that we created! I hope Yosi's wish can come true. ☺

My Lovely Wife is planned to be released in early 2022 on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox.

Follow us on twitter: @MLWthegame

Thank you for reading, and see you on the next devlog!

Hello, everyone! It's me, Lasheli, back with a new devlog. This time, I'd like to invite you to delve deep into the setting of My Lovely Wife. For that, I did a little chat with the game's lead artist, Raswan Orizka, about how he designed the environment for the game. Let's check it out!

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[h3]1. Hello, Raswan! Could you please tell us a little bit about you and your art journey?[/h3]

Hello everyone, I'm the lead artist of My Lovely Wife, nice to meet you!

About my art journey, I started my career as an art tutor for four years at an art course place right after I graduated from college. My students varied from elementary school students to adults at that time. Aside from being an art tutor, I was also quite active as a freelance illustrator.

In 2018, a friend told me that GameChanger Studio was looking for a 2D visual artist. Without hesitation, I took that opportunity to broaden my experience. It's been three years since I joined and I still put the pedal to the metal! My first project here was making assets for My Lovely Daughter's DLC: The Inquisitor, including the character design for the Inquisitor, cutscenes, and additional cutscenes for homunculus. Once the game is finished, I immediately work on My Lovely Wife.

(GameChanger team back in 2018. From left to right: Faiz, Raswan, Bonar, Riris, Dodick, Roderick, Daru)

[h3]2. What were you working on when the My Lovely Wife project first start?[/h3]

When the project started, I was assigned for the character, UI, and environmental design with Faiz - who is now the sound designer & animator for the project. I can say that the whole initial design is like a "copy" of the previous game My Lovely Daughter. However, I added some gothic details in the design to accentuate the theme of the game.

(My Lovely Daughter's cityscape)

(My Lovely Wife's (prototype) cityscape)

Since then, I was entrusted to specifically work on the game's environmental design. I'm really eager in doing it because, in my opinion, environmental design is pivotal in terms of shaping the world of the game - through the shapes of the buildings, the rooms where the characters interact, and how, story-telling-wise, it all influences the characters. The environmental design in My Lovely Wife itself can be realized with the direction of the game writer too. She writes the concept, and I'm bringing it to life through visuals.

(My Lovely Wife's current cityscape)

[h3]3. What are the challenges that you face when working on My Lovely Wife's environmental design?[/h3]

At first, I had difficulty portraying the town's landscape. Initially, Harbaloth (the town's name) was portrayed in a top-down view and only showing the main buildings. Meanwhile, I want to show the whole area of the town to give more information on what kind of era that the game takes place in.

Aside from that, it's also a challenge for me to decide on which real-life cultural influence will be imbued in My Lovely Wife. Ultimately, I decided that victorian-era and gothic styles are the best fit for the game. Once we found the direction for the town's visuals, designing room interiors such as Jake's room and succubus' room became much easier.

I had an idea to insert a magical and mysterious feel to the design, hence it was really purplish at the beginning - which got scrapped, don't worry. Deciding on the coloring style is also one of the difficulties I faced. I had to try to draw using traditional watercolor media in order to get the feel of washed-out color so as to bring the horror vibe out from the game.

(The early prototype version of Jake's room)

(The prototype version of Jake's room)

(The current version of Jake's room)

[h3]4. What's your favorite part of designing the environment of the game?[/h3]

My favorite part is designing the town because it is both challenging and exciting! For me, the visuals of the town could bring the whole world of My Lovely Wife to life, and it affects the whole environmental design as well. Some of the games that I took reference from are Might and Magic Heroes VII and Darkest Dungeon. In those games, the town is displayed in full landscape, which allows people to feel the difference in the proportions of each area and building.

(Might and Magic Heroes VII's cityscape)

[h3]5. We've talked about the cityscape and rooms. As for the buildings, where do you draw your inspiration from?[/h3]

Since we have victorian-era and gothic style as the design approach of My Lovely Wife, you can find that the architecture of the buildings in the game actually mimics European victorian-era buildings. You'll see high pillars, curved ceilings, pointy rooftops, and gargoyle statues. One of my main inspirations is the cathedral's gothic architecture, which I applied in Harbaloth's building designs such as The Hallowed Shrine and Charm School.

(Bourges Cathedral, France)

(Left: The Hallowed Shrine, Right: Charm School)

I also took references from movies such as Titanic and Pride and Prejudice, which took place in the victorian-era. The things that I took from those movies for the game are mostly unique details like leaves and flowers ornaments which can be found in the door frames, windows, and pillars' design. The main shape of the buildings in those movies, for example, triangles and curved shapes, are infused into the buildings in the game.

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That concludes my talk with Raswan! We hope that players can get immersed in the gothic-victorian world of My Lovely Wife when it's launched.

My Lovely Wife is planned to be released in early 2022 on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox.

Follow us on twitter: @MLWthegame

Thank you for reading, and see you on the next devlog!

[h3]Join our live stream on The Indie Houses event:[/h3]

📅 September 2, 2021
🕘 9 pm PST

Featuring:
❤️ @raswano, the Lead Artist
❤️ ???, the Succubus

Drop by, play the game together, and ask us anything!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1251930/My_Lovely_Wife/