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Serious decision time! Normally these threads are for $10+ patrons, but given how important this one is to the development of TLS, I decided that even the initial question should go out to a larger audience.

I don't want to over-hype this, since it might come to nothing, so let me start by saying that I get offers from people wanting to do art for TLS occasionally, I just reject those that I consider unacceptable (generally due to inability to draw different faces and body types). What we have now is an offer that I think is worth bringing to your attention.

Annikath is a long time fan of TLS (though she doesn't post much publicly) and I don't doubt her sincerity. She's expressed a desire to provide art for TLS and our discussions lead me to believe that she can commit long term, so the question is what you guys think of her work.

You may remember Annikath, as she's drawn three different pieces of fanart just for fun in the past:

And she recently made another piece of fanart that I haven't shown anyone before:

I love the emotion of those threesome pieces, but obviously these are casual drawings for fun. Regarding that last piece, for example, Annikath said it was an experiment with a different shading style that she didn't feel happy with in the end.

To get some more representative art, she did two more pieces in her ideal shading style:

She said she could polish more on pieces intended to actually be included in TLS, but those two images show the type of work she thinks she can do long term.

Now that I've shown all the pictures and set up the scenario, I'm not sure how to conclude. Nothing is ever set in stone when I make these posts, so all opinions/questions are welcome. Perhaps it's best to just start with the core question: do you like the idea of TLS being illustrated with art like this? Not just if you want art at all, but how you feel about this specific offer.

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Comments

Can't Wait

Overall, I think whether or not it's a smart move depends on the pricing and how much you trust them. I think, even if they bailed part way through, having SOME art would draw in the people who skip out on the game for being artless, and once they're in most of them would stay just to play the game. People are already underestimating the game for being RPGmaker and this kind of thing might help with that. An uneven distribution of art might make the game seem worse to some as a final product, but with the high quality of the game, as long as they're in the door I don't think that'll be too much of an issue. On the other hand, on steam at least, I think some who consider the game despite it's adult themes might be pushed away more by the existence of an art porn patch. It would be a much smaller group if it exists at all, and probably isn't your core audience either way. Personal opinion though is that I would personally prefer not to play with it on. I think each scene is already designed to exist without art and the art would be a distraction. Having not actually played with it, I couldn't say for sure, but I'd probably play with it toggled off. Though I would probably like to SEE it while not in the game.

EG Douglas

Without trying to be offensive, I don't actually like her style. Though certainly the last two pictures are pretty good and I especially like the Simon/Altina one. I'd place myself in the situation of No Art > Art I Don't Like, but an option to just not display it would solve that problem on an individual basis. I don't feel TLS 'needs' art, though it would almost certainly be a positive assuming the quality was sufficient. A menu-available gallery would probably also be required, as well as the ability to disappear the text box during the scene. I've no idea how easy either of those would be. I think I'd like to see more her the artist's 'serious' attempts at various scenes and characters before I'd come to a conclusion bout if they are representing the 'feel' of the game in accordance to my own personal feelings. Though again, a toggle to play with or without art makes the issue of not liking it moot. Edit - It's the faces. I just don't like the faces, though that's the same issue that saves me from spending money on figurines. May well just be me.

Ezzie

I like the polished pieces. There are some little things in the other ones that bother me, but that's natural for casual/experimental pieces. I would like to see some more male faces from them, just feels like not quite enough to judge. It'd also be good if they did decent landscapes. As for the importance of art to the game itself... I don't care a ton myself, so it would depend on what would need to be sacrificed for it. Except that, on further reflection, visual art is accessible and eye-catching and will probably help you grow your patron base much more quickly, so it seems to be a good investment. There's also the fact that medication side effect has basically killed my sex drive so I'm not a fair judge on importance. However, I do think art consistency has a large impact on how "professional" a work feels. I'd at least hope that the artist you decide on is reliable, probably available for at least until the estimated time of completion, and decent enough to work with that drama split seems unlikely. On that note, I'd hope that current "scene" type art in the game would be redone even if it's good to give a more unified feel. Perhaps not the first priority, but a new title screen probably is important. Ideas on actual implementation of art in the game: integrated into the sex scenes if possible. Full screen shot then overlaid text or visual novel style with just a bit of text at the bottom. Art for the beginning of each act of the story. Expanded functionality of the harem menu that's essentially a cg gallery (also, unrelated, relationship points. Why isn't that already in there?) Actually if you decide on it, maybe early priority should be some pinup style promotional art for the steam page? Just an idea.

Lamsey

I think the Altina picture is good, since there's a strong feeling of connection between the two characters and they are well-drawn and stylistically consistent. It's really important that the artist is able to capture the emotions and the dynamics between the characters; if the art would be to this standard in that regard, I'd be happy to see it as the art for TLS. If this game gets art, it needs to be just that: art. Not just titillation. If the picture with the orc is representing a specific scene or any specific characters, then I can't recognise it. Assuming it's just a representative example, I think it's good stylistically but I think the lower half of the picture seems out of proportion with the upper half; even allowing for perspective, the elf's thighs look about as wide as her waist, and the orc's penis looks wider than her neck, which goes a bit beyond artistic licence for exaggeration. I agree with others who have noted that it's important to have the art as an optional feature, and I'd even go so far as to say that it should be opt-in rather than opt-out. The game as it stands now would be acceptable to anyone who gets past the synopsis and the prologue, but there are plenty of people out there who'd regard illustrations as pornographic. It'd look better to those people if they didn't have to explicitly disable it.

Vorthod Wiler

I think this would work best as like a separate download and/or dlc pack on steam (assuming the engine would handle that well). Personally I love her style, so I would get it either way.

Ripe

It's a tough call... while it might help attract new players, I'm not sure that having one image per scene (I'm assuming that is the plan) would be an improvement. As for this art, it feels rather uneven. I like Simon and Altina one, and while I somewhat like the threesome one, that one just seem off somehow. The orc just look ridiculous.

StormyAngel

I like the art. I would say go for it. TLS is always going to be awesome, and with an opt-out (or opt-in?) option for those who want it, the art would only serve to enhance the experience.

Aledeth

I'd like art.

Decanter

I do have some misgivings: - seeing a trend of flattened noses on the girls, e.g. Yarra and Nalili. - also some long necks - perhaps most concerning but also most likely to improve with practice, there's something about how Simon is drawn that seems off to me. I think the squinty eyes that don't quite line up with the crow's feet maybe? - while it's not the focus, a little more attention to backgrounds may be desirable (those barrels don't quite look round, for example) On the whole though, I think rejecting the artist over these things rather than trying to work with her on them would be making the perfect the enemy of the good. Also, I have a strong impression that the people who don't care for having art are both a loud minority and a result of sampling bias (because people who care a lot about art in games aren't currently among the player base, let alone the patrons).

Dmitry F

I concur with you regarding the inconsistent quality of faces. I would be curious to see more male faces represented since Simon's is the problem. Overall I like the work and wouldn't mind its introduction. As others said, with a toggle, it would only enhance people's experience.

Runcible Technician

Take the offer, Ouroboros art wasn't going to win awards, but it was fun to see.

James

The art conveys the emotions between the characters. For me this is very desirable as Simon's relationship with each member of the harem is a core part of the game. Seeing this art was erotic and heartwarming at the same time.

James

However, I have two main reservations: (1) the faces turn me off a bit. I enjoy the emotions, but I wish the artist would design the faces closer to the current art of the game. (2) the final polished art will need to be a slightly higher standard for a major game like TLS.

Ditto

Awesome

DankPotatoes

If i'm being honest i think i would prefer an artist to work on the game's soundtrack over adding art to the game. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of great tracks. I love Rodak's theme, Yhilin's theme, Wynn's House, Cee´Kan's theme and especially the theme that plays in The Tower. But many other default RPG-maker themes are honestly starting to grind my ears after 50 hours of gameplay, like the one that plays in Aram Dessert, the one in Delgar Forest and most of all- the combat theme. There are many talented composers seeking work on the internet. Perhaps it would be worth pursuing some of their talents?

DankPotatoes

I do not know if you have ever played Civ 6 Sierra, but every nation has their own musical theme that improves in scope and volume the further you progress in the game. Perhaps Yhillin or The Combat music could benefit for some similar changes? The music could reflect the improvements you make to Ari-Yhilina, and become more upbeat as you move along

itsadude

Yes, I think it's a great idea.

Dream Fractal

I really quite Annikath's art, particularly how well she conveys emotions. My vote is yes!

Troqu

I think their art is fantastic. Not sure if I'd want it to be 'the' art for the game though. Probably get used to it after a while if it was though. I do think that a 'no art' option in game would be nice if this does get added, even if I wouldn't use it.

Zyrus

Looks good, though Simons eyes in some of these are really, really squinty.

Drakenclaw

Hello Sierra Lee, here are my thoughts on that matter. It's just my opinion, but I hope it will give you insight into my point of view. Point 1: Headcanon The game is already out quite a while and by now most people who support this game, probably have developed there own mental pictures of how all there favorite characters look 'under the hood'. If your where to introduce full body art into the game, quite a lot of people will be thrown off, by how different there characters look. I, for example, would be thrown off by Nalili, if I where to see a picture similar to her fanart. Point 2: Fantastic Writing Most games tell their sex scenes through pictures with a little bit of caption. You tell the sex scenes through very well written text. This has the advantage, that each player can create his own variations of his favorite harem members in their heads. My mental image off certain characters will differ quite a bit from those of other players who have different preferences. Your writing gives us a framework which we can adjust to fit those preferences and official art would prevent that. Point 3: Preventing Turnoffs I have certain turnoffs. One of the is that as soon as the breast size gets about medium, I stop recognizing them as breasts. The bigger the worse it gets. I know that most of the playerbase has other preference, and thats fine. I had quite a few erotic games, that I liked, that suddenly shoves d+ breasts in my face. I really dislike that, especially if i can't avoid them or turn them off. I know that a few of the cast would be outside of my comfort zone. But as long as I have only text I can mentally adjust the written big breasts to my imaginary preferred 'big breasts'. So if there would be art in the game, I probably would need to either toggle those pictures off, or skip over most of the scenes of the affected characters. As for the pictures: 1: I like the Yarra, though her tail and wings look a bit funny/wrong to me, but the Qum clashes with my headcanon and my preferences. 2: Nalili like this would be an instant turn off and skip for me. I can't even rate the art properly, because I would have to force myself to look at that consciously. 3: Orilise is fine, expect for the nose and are those ears at a weird angle? Lynine one the other hand... Yea, I would have to avoid the breasts too. 4: I think this is the worst. All four of the girls look slightly off to me. I can't decide, if that because of my headcanon or something else. Yarra's wings definitively needs more work. 5: I would be OK with that, but the angle of the girl's face is weird. Her breasts are already in my uncomfortable zone, but I could still blend them out. 6: I like this picture, though there isn't really much to see. From all six pictures this one I like the best, but there are none of the problem areas (wings, noses, breasts) visible in it. Endword: From my point of view, The Last Sovereign does not need full body art. With your very well written scenes it would easily be redundant, unless crafted very carefully. It may attract some people, but it also may disappoint others. I hope this is useful for you. Edit: Argh, formate....

SantaTheHutt

TLS is sufficiently well written that it does not need artwork to elaborate the scenes. I do like the artist's work, though, so I don't think it would detract from the game either.

Username159

I'm not opposed to more art assets. The question is more do you think can you handle going back and inserting them into scenes and afford to pay commission for more. If anyone out there is wondering why I specifically pointed out paying for art it's because of this... Exposure is something a person dies from, not how to pay an artist for their work.

Retromancer

"Annikath is a long time fan of TLS (though she doesn't post much publicly) and I don't doubt her sincerity. She's expressed a desire to provide art for TLS". The art is good enough (if the last picture is closer to the quality you'll get) and the artist is an actual fan of the game and wants to do it. I don't see a problem here.

Dubsington

Oof. If it were any game but TLS, I'd honestly say I would prefer Annikath not draw it; her art isn't bad, but in my uneducated I-don't-know-art-but-I-know-what-I-like opinion it's not on the same quality level as the writing, and the game deserves better. But, well, this *is* TLS. More than any other game I've played in recent years (I did not say H-game, I said *game*) I care about the characters. It's more important that the artist *get* them than that he or she have consumate skill and expertise. We would all like superbly skilled art, but I think we absolutely MUST have it be true to the characters. And from what I see above, Annikath does get them. My vibe is that she's one of our tribe, a fan of the story and the game and someone who wants it to be drawn correctly. Is this the most "fappable" art you could buy? No, not even close, but who gives a shit, I don't play this game for that reason (even if erotica was what got me curious enough to download it the first time, many versions ago.) I don't want the art for fapping, i want it so I can see my beloved characters as more than just portrait art or RPGM chibis. Thumbs up from me.

Darkest-Fantasy

I think Annikath has a pretty unique, semi-realistic, and appropriate art style. It feels a little inconsistent in the examples provided here, but they stretch time and experimentation so that’s understandable. The last two pieces are quite good though and seem like a nice representation of what she could do moving forward. Ultimately I think what’ll be most important is her ability to meet deadlines, how affordable her prices are, and how much passion she has for TLS in general/her commitment to making artwork for this game (there are MANY sex scenes after all).

Dran78

im all for art in the game

Q-Riff

I'm uncertain.

Secular Reason

She seems pretty talented. The worst ones (Yarra/Qum/Simon threesome and solo Nalili, Nalili being honestly pretty terrible) can make her seem unable, but if the others are anything to go by... It also does make sense that the ones done for free as fanart doodles would be less quality. The threesome with our two elf leaders isn't bad in any way really, (for that particular type of sketching) and I honestly kind of like the one with the "experimental" shading, though the look on Simon's face is a bit weird. I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to art though, only REALLY liking art that looks like it belongs in a professional magazine. It's a lot harder to get that for a porn game, especially enough from one artist to keep the style the same in any reasonable time-frame without paying unreasonable prices. On the other hand, faces are important, and Simon's looks weird in every single one of those images where we can see it. In all but the first image, it's like he's channeling Shaggy from Scooby-Doo while high. Maybe if we could see some of the higher quality work she does when she's being paid instead of making fanart? This level of art would fly in most games, but you've created such a high-quality product that I'm thinking a lot of people are going to have high art standards for it as well. That last image with Altina looks the best - if that is the general quality, and Simon's face got some better work... then it'd be okay. Especially since with an actual FAN doing the work, it makes it far less likely for them to back out partway through.

No Escaping Destiny

In my opinion art is fine in game as long as the style stays the same throughout. The moment a different take on a characters face appears it ruins it for me. Like others have stated I like the second of the final samples the best. They seem true to the characters and is pleasant to look at. The elf leader threesome just needs polish and it would be equally as good. I would reach out to Lord Arioch who is creating Seeds of Chaos and ask them about how having art has gone for a long term project. It sounds difficult

Iamdexter

Just give a shot, we will see.

Nathan Phoenix

The last of the six seems to fit the best followed by the third. I actually like the pastel look of the fourth but that style would be hard to keep up since the colors blur with multiple characters. Overall I say go for it.

Darthjake

I dunno, she's a fan, so I think she'll do her best to represent the story, but as has been said before, TLS is doing just fine without art at the moment. I do like the Lynine / Orlise pic, the Nalili pic threw me off a bit though. I also like Altina's body, but I also agree that Simon is off, seems too, young, maybe? Maybe it's me but I prefer to see more of the girl's body and face then Simon's. The shortness, (smallness)? of the noses doesn't bother me, and the elvish ears look fine to me too. I'd say talk with her, and communicate your desires and intentions for the pics. TLS is your story that we are all enjoying after all. But all in all, I'd say go for it, art would only enhance TLS. Oh yeah, and you *have* to put in the Kai plant scene, lol!

Michael Vaccaro

I would question the necessidy for more art in the game. I can understand the desire to art more art, but as teh game stands through the first three chapters, I have enjoyed it as it stands and I like that my minds eye can fill in the graphic blanks.

Michael Vaccaro

I wonder if the images I conjure up when reading you story could even be done justice. Also I think the game might lose something if what my imagination has created were suddenly rendered in concert form. One of the reasons I have always enjoyed reading stories is the world that is created in my mine by the author’s words. It requires active participation in the story rather than just looking at static images. This is one of the qualities of TLS that I have enjoyed most. You as the author have to make the final decision, but consider whether the images would add to your story or detract from it. You do such a fine job of creating images with your words I would not want to see that take a back seat to the incorporation of additional images.

Bill B

I really dislike saying this, because she likely worked hard on these pieces, but I'm not a fan. As others have said, Simon looks like a damn stoner, totally baked and stupid, and in general the art just isn't up to the level of quality I would want for TLS - since everything else about it is top-tier, it seems disingenuous to slap art on just for the sake of it. I'm not opposed to art in TLS in general, in fact good art could make it all the more fun to play through again, but if I'm being honest I don't know if the level of quality I would want would e practical.

Dark Art

This might be a bit off topic, but since we are talking about art... How about having the game voiced with a neutral sounding, professional narrator instead for those walls of text and maybe add an ambient sound to go along with that narration? I specifically underline - not the whole game, that would be way too much work, but only the critical scenes. IMHO that would only be a give, with zero lose, probably much cheaper and less work/audit/time from your end as well.

Twig5

The lack of art in TLS is actually one of my favorite parts about it. The entire game has a very nice classic aesthetic, and including this kind of art would contrast with that. The writing quality is also extremely high, and there is no need to a visualization.

Jax

I'm not sure if you're planning on including a type of "End Credits" sequence when you finish TLS, but what if the art is used there instead? That way the written scenes remain text-only for the actual game, but the art is still shown at the end as a "greatest hits" type of montage hitting all of the highlights of the game. If that makes sense? You could also commission SFW (or not!) art for other scenes from the game as well if that's the route you want to go. Something to think about!

Hell Satan

I like TLS even without the art but with the art it would compliment the story to have visual.

Blue Dragon

I agree with the others appreciating her hard work, and also think that #3 and #6 are great. Something about the faces is off for me on the others. That said, I think the best part of TLS has been the lack of art (beyond the custom sprites and character portraits), because it lets me use my imagination for the various events -- whether sexy, funny, or horrifying. Maybe it's just that I'm used to no-art TLS at the moment, but I think that it would change the tone and presentation of the game for the worse.

Selenia Melania

Kind of new to TLS and this group but here’s my two cents: I really like the art, especially the last one. I enjoy the game without images but I don’t think it would necessarily subtract from the story if you had them on. Maybe one option that could please the majority (or piss off the majority - never know with people) would be to add it as an option in the settings or the beginning of the game. Have no art be the default so that people who are new don’t just automatically go for the art and maybe write a note about imagination/mind’s eye images and the community’s thoughts on why you might not always want the art. Or something maybe harder (impossible?) to do would be to make it some sort of expandable option in the text. Almost like a “click here to see image.”

Ian

I'm going to have to vote no. With all due respect to the artist for showing their love for the game, I'm not too big a fan. More important would be inconsistencies with existing art. It would be jarring if the art in illustrated scenes did not match the style or quality of the main character portraits, which I do like. If you do decide the game needs more art, I think it would be much better served by finding an artist who could sufficiently match the original portrait artist (or even the artist themselves) and touch up or redo the existing portraits that don't match. Otherwise I don't think you should bother spending time to implement it. Also, what do you think would take longer: making new character portraits and expressions, or illustrating the sex scenes?

be

I'm pretty neutral but if you do add art I appreciate if there was an off-buton also.

Alan Howard

I'll start with this. Some of them I like, others I think could still use some work. But the artist definitely has some talent and a love for the subject. I'm with others about Simon's look, it just doesn't feel right. He should feel more serious and mature than he does in these, and the occasional smile should show the happiness and/or sadness that he holds underneath all the stoicism that he has learned to project. Also, I always imagined him with, like a salt and pepper kind of hair, but that is besides the point.

Alan Howard

That said, I would be up for more visuals in the game, though I do love the story and reading the scenes out. If you do add visuals, they should be held to a very high standard, and I do not envy the artist that tackles it, because we've grown to accept high quality from the game as it is so far. That and they have a large back-log of art to make due to you being so far into the game development already. All of that said, and pushed aside, I think she is a good candidate for it. She definitely has the talent for it and something like this would require a love the content that, again she obviously has. I say, go for and see how she does. As for her: good luck, push higher, and don't let us discourage you too much. You've undoubtedly been a member of us for a while and you know how pampered we have been with this game.

Krumi

Honestly, the art is decent! Compared to alot of other adult games i have seen. Im pretty sure most people don't play the game for the sex anyways. But seeing actual visualization instead of a mental image is a improvement imo. And as you have said there will be an on/off for the pictures. Im sure Annikath will get more used to drawing the characters too! It's a big Yes from me!

Stijn Van Hove

As the first few were older art and then the one with the alternate shading I'm just going to base my decision off of the two last pieces. And based on those, I love it.

AJ_Dragon

I'm completely in LOVE with the IDEA and the ART, so my answer is YES please do it! : )