The Company - Artwork

I don't really use the same images from release to release. The included sissy is just a clean shaven boy who looks nothing like a sissy. I generally use any one of a million great trap images from Mr. Google and Blonde Bimbo pics are zero effort to find as well. It's also usually really easy to find clips with those same images for the TF sequences and dreams. The included bimbo looks like a monster. MONSTER!

Twisted Kidney

I picked option 3. I agree with parts of both option 1 & 2. The consistency of artwork made for the game would be a good thing in my opinion. While the random clips are in no way a game killer they do occasionally lead to the odd break in immersion as you read the text to find out one which of the random people in the video is which character from the game, But with actual artwork that wont be an issue. However I really do like the fact that most scenes have a video clip rather than a still picture so I be more in support of the 2D artwork if it was going to be animated. Having flicked through some of Silverjile work. Whilst s/he is good I think s/he is a little too fantasy/cartoony in style for the characters of this particular game. So it may be a good idea to commission a profile picture of a couple of characters to see if they would fit.

Akuma Ryou

You can still later, add an option at the start of the game, that let you choose the kind of art style, or suggest different link for each version of the game with each style. But it's a lot of work... And i really love the real actress style, even was thinking about doing my own project that way until i can pay an artist, cause lawlers things. :s

Noradel

Glad to hear it! It's also kind of nice to see you sounding out patrons when you hit these decisions, most creators are nothing like as engaging as you are. Even if you are wasting the world's word ration sometimes. P.S. Ava needs a penis.

Twisted Kidney

Sterno! ...Yeah I pretty much agree at this point, and the way I'm handling images in 5.2 kind of reflects my concession to that point, and I'm sure it'll only escalate from there. That said, I think I have a pretty good solution in the work to make everyone happy, as well as covering my ass in the long run. It'll probably be the focus of next week's blog post, as I'm still mulling things over. Like I said. This discussion is just that - a discussion.

Westane

It's clear people want the clips. So may I make the humble suggestion that you just stop pretending at consistency and go nuts? Keep the profile images (somewhat) consistent and go nuts with the scenes. The Sissy PC becomes a hairy man frequently anyway. If it bothers you that much, Westane, there are a bajillion free utilities to crop video clips, lop the heads off in the vids you don't think fit your goals. There is so much material available for so many esoteric tastes that there is absolutely no need for the limitations you're worrying about. Limiting the meat and potatoes of your game based on what kind of garnish you can find is just plain silly. Lawyers on the other hand... Yeah, I totally follow your thoughts on the clips, their licenses, and the flesh-rending claws of the lawyers. P.S. I typed you're in place of your and will now hang myself from a floorboard.

Twisted Kidney

Oh I know how. I'm just interested in Sterno's choices. We have similar taste it seems.

Troqu

If you're only wanting to replace player profile images, just go to pics/profile/ and look for the Sissy, Bimbo, Male, Female, Trans and Shemale jpg files. Replace the ones you want with whatever you want, so long as they're named the same, are .jpg files, and are square.

Westane

You should upload your image replacements. I'd like some different ones myself.

Troqu

Unless the 2D art is going to be really good, don’t do it. Stick to 3D. If the 2D isn’t good enough, it’ll just destroy any sense of immersion.

Pat

I chose option 3. I'm a big story guy and I like where it's going, but I almost chose option 1. Like many, the actresses have become the characters. I do have a suggestion though. Why not use 3d when you can and 2d where you need to. The 2d would have to resemble the cast as close as you can, but at least this way the gifs and 3d art won't close the door for some of the more potent transformations. As a last ditch effort to please. Maybe find a real good image editor who would be willing to help. That way the ones who want 3d get it, but you can still get a lot more options to what you can do.

I can't say I have a strong opinion on whether or not I'd be in favour of the new style, until I actually saw what that would ultimately look like. By that I mean actual art that could go into the game, rather than just a preview of the artist's page. I love the game in it's current form, and I believe I'm firmly in the park that the current 'atmosphere' provided by the pictures/gifs is precisely why I love this game so much., well and your writing of course, can't count that out

I switch out the sissy and bimbo images every download, easy as pie.

Twisted Kidney

Excellent question and excellent comments. Dartmuth voices my thoughts quite well, so I won't burden you by re-reading them. I am also in the camp that has grown somewhat fond and attached to the current PC images, however 2-D or 3-D renders can have certain advantages, most notably in reflecting advancing story lines. I doubt, for example, you will be able to find a pregnant Ava image using your current model, and that would be a personal loss since I love her smile and the best cleavage I have seen in a long time every morning. Regardless, I voted for "I love the GIFs and images of real actresses. It's what makes The Company what it is" but with the same huge "unlesses" that were previously noted. I am also currently playing a couple games that your suggested artist is drawing for, and I wonder if he/she will be able to give you the volume of images you would need to effectively replace the gifs you currently use. The artist's quality of work is good, but I would hate for any new art for "The Company" to become cartoon-ish. For right now, I would like to see further development with Penny (The only regular intercourse she receives is from John); regular vaginal intercourse from a male for the PC; and a way to get into Ms. Dee's pants. The artwork is secondary.

DramaCoach69

I prefer 2D artwork, since it means you don't have to worry about finding images/gifs matching the text, and it also removes any issues around the legality of using images without permission. That said, it would be expensive to you for not very much benefit.

BRobort

See that's something I'm not going to do, however, between opinions like those and the fact that you just brought up TrapQuest, I think better support for user-made image packs is something worth having on my radar.

Westane

And if we are on the topic of images. Can the bimbo PC image set be changed into someone else? I just don't find the model sexy. :P

Lech

I strongly support the real life images and gifs. For 2 reasons really. First the 2d graphics in most games i've played tends to go into absurd caricature like drawing. In some games it works and in some it doesn't but does tend to ruin my immersion. Trap quest is a good example of that. One of the best 2d dynamic images systems out there yet it just breaks my immersion each time i play it. The second reason is.. i've grown attached to the characters we have now... Would be a shame to loose those images. I don't mind the change of hairstyles or hair color in gifs , videos and images. The real life models is just what i prefer in most games and in this one i think it fits pretty well.

Lech

If you ask me id go for 3D render. In my honest opinion these 2d western art would feel kinda weird in this setting.

I mean no matter what you choose I will appreciate an image off mode encase I find the images distracting from the game or what I think the characters look like etc.

KazzKazz

I'm alright with either option, maybe a bit more of a fan of actress pics and gifs but there are pro's and con's to both. With the 2d art, it would be pretty freeing since you wouldn't be limited by what scenes the actress's have actually done, and trying to find a close enough match, but that adds work that may slow down releases since you probably wouldn't release updates without the art being ready. While the real pics and gif's won't allow as much creative freedom and the ability to make too many changes to character's without switching actress's entirely and having to find matching or close enough scenes for them as well, the pic's and gif's, at least for me, draw me into the game that much more then 2d art.

Juicedmark

Im surprised the voting so far has gone the way it has. I'm usually not on the side of the majority in stuff like this.

Troqu

I am a fan of both the real life pictures and gifs and the 2d side. They both have their pros and cons. If anything the 2d side will make it easier to be more diverse with the storytelling because you can make an image that fits every situation. But there is just something about the gifs that makes it seem more involved in the story. Especially since you went through all the trouble to find pictures from actors and actresses that match so well to the story.

Sabrina

I voted for thje 2d option simply because it will make the project more "yours" if that makes any since.

Well, I'm gonna go ahead and let the cat out of the bag on this. Have you ever gone to websites like Chatterbate? or even those for hire custom videos a lot of femdom websites will do for you? Well a few months ago I got to thinking given my background and various industries I'm networked with, how difficult it would be to legally "own for profit" somebody else's video footage. Well that was a nightmare, however, Gifs are different, not to mention if you found a willing cam performer and got their contact info without letting them see your patreon so they don't see a piggy bank or want royalties. There are contractual agreements you can get written up, just like they use for doing an amateur porn-flic. I'm telling you right now, it's a win-win for authors and cam-performers alike. Just don't get overcharged by the cam performer. One more thing about this, you are paying a lot more upfront, the value comparison to hiring artists or commissioning work is cheaper in the long wrong considering how much MORE you are getting. I'm in negotiations with 5 right now, one has agreed for 550 for 15 minutes of custom footage. She would be doing a lot of stuff per the narrative of a story i'm putting together. Anyway, I'm not always quick to respond to messages but hit me up if you want more details.

Layla the Silken

Your stipulation is my stipulation.

Westane

I voted for real images and gifs, but there's a huuuuuge "unless" with that vote that I will explain. First off if there was an option to choose between them I would obviously be on board. I think it'd add even more replayability to the game. I'd love to go through and discover the art as well. The second massive unless is if the artist (I've looked at their work and I'm not the biggest fan honestly, but that's besides the point) would be willing/able to draw art specific for every scene that there's already a picture for with every possible player body in mind. I always dislike it when the images dont match with one another (like how the scenes when you're a shemale you still have hairy legs or like the sex scenes with Dakota when you're a woman you have much lighter hair than your player picture. That extra bit of feedback would be so cool especially if we saw even more changes to our body as the game progressed (more of a transition instead of a overnight change and maybe more diversity in changes).

Dartmuth

Huge fan of SnowDaze (I mean, I'm a patron and seriously Day 5 can't come soon enough!) but it's not quite the style I'm looking for. Silverjile is "on the table" not "in the credits". I'm not going to make a decision that I feel won't supply what fits the game. If I could afford Sinner, I would!

Westane

May I suggest you check the artstyle of Snow Daze (if you don't know already about it). I'm not a fan of Silverjile.

I understand both sides. The real Gifs and pictures is something that differentiate this game from others but it's easy to see how it can put a lot of restrictions to your creative flow. In the end, you should do what you want to do, it's your creation and I think a lot of the people oppose to graphical changes would quickly comes back after a period of adaptation. I just hope what will comes out of this will not slow down the production of the game. I really appreciate that you post new content on a frequent basis.

Pretty much this. Even the fact that Penny's hair changes color on occasion bothers me to no end.

Westane

I, too, want more dicks. I'm not going to mix 2D art in with the existing art for scenes like that (Dream sequences don't count) because I think it would be far too jarring and immersion breaking.

Westane

I would operate with two kinds of media until the 2D art caught up to the existing images, then it would only be the one option.

Westane

I think that the 2D art would provide a much more consistent experience. One of the things that continues to jar me with all of these SugarCube/Twine games that rely on live action clips, is the change in actors between scenes. This has been avoided in "The Company" by minimizing the videos in many scenes, and I suspect writing scenes based on the videos that are available with those actors, but it’s still noticeable. What really draws me towards the 2D art, is the fact that you can use image layering to achieve much more dynamic results. This is something many games have used to render complex and compelling full body portraits for their characters, where all of the aspects of the character are represented in the layered image. I’m kind of surprised that I have not seen the same technique used to render scenes. For a game like “The Company” where a characters appearance can change over time (more true now than ever, with pregnancy being added in), that would allow better emersion with minimal effort from the artist. The key is ensuring that all of the key points of contact remain the same, and the layering order remains consistent. The possibilities for 2D artwork are just too compelling for me not to vote in that direction.

PantherParabola

the thing is with 2d art it can be a vary big hit or miss, sometimes the same is wrong, the art isn't good enough, or you become someone like spiralvortexplays who updates their assets to often. while at the same time the higher the quality better it is but the more time it takes. while the same could be said for 3d renders just look at nightcityproduction for an example on how hard that could be to pull of correctly. (also don't end up like breeding season licensed the art correctly it will fuck you if you dont). what i am personaly saying is this is this make the game with gif's do the game till completion then fallow in nightcityproduction's footstep and replace the images with what you want, while at the same time expanding and updating things that you found lackluster when the game was finished. thats when you get true polish. but that takes much more time and money to do correctly then you have right now.

I love the gifs and actresses. But I want more dicks. Is it possible to only use art in situations where gifs are not going to work?

I like the idea of 2d images, which is why I voted for it, but others here have raised some very valid concerns. What about an option to switch between art styles? If the option is picked, 2d images available in the current version will show, with any gaps replaced with the gifs. With the option off, only gifs are shown.

Also, having checked out the artist earmarked, I have to also point out to having an intense personal dislike for their work. They seem capable of producing a lot of art, but what they draw is incredibly ugly, lacking in observation and even the remotest understanding of anatomy. Seeing the doodles of a five-year-old illustrating an adult erotic game would be about as much of a turn-off as Silverjile's art.

Maurice Conchis

Side note: perhaps I'm the only one, but I have to confess to finding it a little bit odd/distracting that many of the characters are named after the porn actresses used for their photo reference. It makes them feel a little bit more like odd, quasi-inserts than their own unique, individual characters. I don't mind either way, but I'd enjoy it better if there wasn't that slight allusion to real people.

Maurice Conchis

I hear you, and I've thought about that as well. The way I'd go about this would be in such a way that development of the game would be parallel with any art commission. Basically, I would continue developing the game as is until the art portion was 100% caught up with the game. Until then, nothing would change. I wouldn't be involved in the creation of the art beyond communicating with and paying the artist. If things just go completely sideways, time lost on my end would be minimal if any at all.

Westane

I'm solidly in the keep the current situation faction. I'm fine with either but I feel like every creator I've ever seen try to switch gears midway stalls out. Either they make the art themselves and it bloats the time between releases or they commission something and end up with various logistics issues.

Troqu

The good news is that the foundation is already there, so for all existing content it's practically a hotswap. Once the art's done, I'd just swap out the existing images with the new ones. Moving forward with new content would actually be easier as well, since I could just write and write and write knowing that the needed artwork is in production.

Westane

And of course while I'm typing someone else brought up the same issue. This is a good game and is very professionally done, so I don't want to see it (or Westane) tied up with legal issues.

Invernos

I voted for either being acceptable, but I do have some concerns with using gifs/pictures of real people. The only one that I haven't seen mention is that the game hasn't properly licensed any of the images. Without that there's always the risk of legal action hanging over things. And while properly commissioning a photo shoot is possible I don't know how it compares cost wise to hiring an artist.

Invernos

However one large problem that can happen (though doesn't usually) is that you're technically making money off their image, which is what these actresses typically are selling. Thus, there's possibility for legal fiat, which should be thought about too

Blasphazar

Ok, now that I've seen the artist I'm ok with either but I am mostly worried about the additional time to production this would add, but I understand that live action samples limit what you can get for images. So both are options, but my main concern is getting the game in a timely manner. It's great and I want more so you do you.

My take generally, besides my opinion on how real images can severely limit a game, me thinks you should to get a few basic characters commissioned and show them off, give people an idea of what they'd be seeing. Waiting for art would slow development down, which would be a workflow issue, but it would also let you do a lot more with the presentation. I know a creator that effectively just develops the game separately from the artist, so you get the game first and the images follow. I'm all for it though just devil's advocating myself

Blasphazar

I really like the images and gifs, but if you can find an artist with a good (and preferable somewhat distinct) style, I think it opens up a lot of possibilities and I like that more. If you do decide to do it, it might be good to run the artstyles of the artists you look into passed your patrons for their input as well.

DJ Quinn

I picked option two but I'm on the fence. I like the incredible variety that 2D could bring to The Company, but the gifs-that-should-be-webms have kind of defined the game already. We really can't do a lot with TFS, for instance, because the gifs are so limited. I would love to be able to really warp the bodies of the NPCs, especially Dakota and Ava. OK, I'd give AssHole McAssHoleFace an actual butt for a face as well.

Twisted Kidney

Basically this. I've decided to simply relegate entire scenes to text only and leave it at that, but it's not my ideal solution. I did link the artist I have in mind for the project, though.

Westane

Having known a few creators who operate off real images it really puts a strangle hold on development. One of them abandoned the idea completely for rendered images and the other decided to go for the image editing route. Honestly, without a good example though I think most people are going to vote to keep it the same, as they don't know what the alternative looks like

Blasphazar

Basically, it's why none of my non-player characters have grown a dick yet.

Westane

I’ve always seen this game as a kind of interactive feature that just happens to have those in the images, porn actors or not, as its primary cast. Although that MIGHT become a problem in that any other images may technically restrict the content to whatever the new images illustrate, if that makes any sense. :)

The Wandering Talespinner