The Future of Infinite Stars needs your input. (Patreon)

The big important poll that I've been threatening you with has finally arrived. It's going to be a long one, and I ask that you to keep an open mind and not just answer emotionally. I have spent months thinking and preparing for this poll. I'm finally ready to ask for your input.

The art style for Infinite Stars has always been unique, it's one of our strenghts, but at the same time also a weakness. Zaph (our character artist) has not been available for over a year now. A few months ago, it reached the point where Zaph had a heart-to-heart with me, letting me know that he no longer wanted to pursue drawing for a living.

I had two options, find a replacement or kill the project. Thus began the frantic search for a new character artist that could replicate Zaph's unique style.

I've reached out to more than 15 different artists, all confident that they could replicate the style, and all of them not quite getting it right. I've spent a ton of money and even more time trying to find a replacement.

About two weeks ago, after another failed attempt, Anna reached out with an offer to redraw all of the sprites and outfits in her own style at a steeply discounted price. I ended up offering her slightly more than she asked for to make it worth her time.

At the same time, Zaph reached out to me again, letting me know he might be interested in continuing working on the project, and a day later, another artist sent an art piece that mimics Zaph's style so closely that it feels like Zaph drew it.

This made a difficult decision so much more difficult. I have my own feelings and opinions on how I would like to continue, but ultimately, we're in this together, and it wouldn't be fair to make the decision without your input on the matter. I'll try to be as unbiased as I can while making a pros and cons list about our options, and you are welcome to raise your own concerns and thoughts on the matter.

(Character on left by new artist)

We can continue working with Zaph and the new artist I've found.

Pros:

We retain our unique art style.

We don't have to redraw and recode all the sprites.

We won't alienate any existing fans who love and adore the current style.

Zaph still owes us 9 more characters that we've paid for.

Zaph and I have reached a certain workflow where we 'get' each other, meaning fewer miscommunications and delays.

Cons:

Zaph still owes us 9 more characters that we've paid for, and while I believe him when he says he will refund us, there is always a real chance that he might never do so.

Zaph and the new artist have not played Infinite Stars, which isn't a huge deal, but still something to consider.

We've invested in extra outfits with Miku that are still being drawn.

My thoughts and concerns about Zaph and co.:

I've worked with Zaph for a long time, and while he has been unreliable in the past, he is very talented. I'm a little concerned that since he has 'quit' once before, he could/might do so again after completing the 9 outstanding characters (or earlier). Another concern is that I have no working relationship with the new artist besides the evaluation piece she completed for us. It's not a huge issue, but it's too early to say how things will work out.

(Some of Anna's proposed redesigns, more on Discord.)

Alternatively, we can continue with Anna.

Pros:

Anna's style leans more towards Anime, and that might be more appealing to the average visual novel consumer, meaning more patrons, more growth and ultimately, more Infinite Stars and similar projects.

Anna is hungry for work, she is a long-standing fan of Infinite Stars, and she is very, very passionate about the project.

Anna is local(ish). I can get in my car, drive several hours and knock on her door to force her to answer an ignored message which I can't do with Zaph.

Anna will ultimately be more affordable in the long run.

Anna draws the facial expressions with separate brows, allowing even MORE unique expressions than before.

Anna works extremely fast, delivering a character with full expressions and 3 outfits every two days. She recons she can redo the whole cast in a month.

If we pivot to a new direction, we can sell the existing art assets on the asset store, recouping some of the losses.

Cons:

Anna's style leans more towards Anime. It's Anime. That's a con right?

The new style might cause Infinite Stars to lose that certain charm and alienate existing fans.

We'll have to redraw and recode all the existing character sprites (albeit at a very affordable price from Anna.)

Anna has an unreliable internet connection and an older laptop that she's working on. (Which will change if we go ahead with her)

My thoughts and concerns about Anna:

Anna and I are still learning to work together. We're still finding our flow, and despite a few minor hiccups, she has proven herself to be very committed and reliable. She doesn't seem to have any issues going back and fixing minor issues or even redrawing entire sprites due to a misunderstanding. With Anna being local and living in ZAR instead of USD, with some out-of-pocket funding, it's possible for me to offer her a full-time contract, meaning tons and tons of art, which wouldn't be possible with Zaph or the other artist. (It will also mean I am no longer a solo dev.) Anna is also super passionate about Infinite Stars. She's been drawing Infinite Stars fan art for a while now and is very involved with our Discord community. Her anatomy style tends to be more "slender", but she has already proven that she can veer away from her default.

It's not an easy decision. Both options come with risks, and both options show great potential. My ultimate goal is the longevity of Infinite Stars. We still need tons of characters if we're going to finish Season 1, and even more so when we return to Sol in Season 2. By reading this far, you've also shown your investment and commitment of the project, and I trust that you will cast your vote after thinking it through.

I tried to address as much of the issues as possible, but some might have slipped my mind. It's late here. Forgive me.

You can see more of Anna's artwork, including some nsfw versions in the #patron-lounge channel on Discord.