Thread 42748784

>fanmade VN crossover between MLP and Danganronpa
I just discovered this a few days ago, and it's came out today, at least the prologue
Have you played it? Good? Bad? Hyped for more?
https://trial-of-harmony.itch.io/my-little-pony-trial-of-harmony
https://trial-of-harmony.itch.io/my-little-pony-trial-of-harmony
https://trial-of-harmony.itch.io/my-little-pony-trial-of-harmony

>>42748784 (OP)
I plan on playing it this weekend. I happened to stumble across a post counting down it’s release. I’m interested in seeing how it develops. The art style is cute.

>>42748784 (OP)
Buy an ad

>>42748784 (OP)
Looks cool, gonna check this out
>>42748800
But it's free

>>42748800 (checked)
>>42748859
I don't even care if it's paid or not aside from the creator potentially getting fucked over by copyright bullshit. If a cool pony project gets made, it getting multiple threads on /mlp/ is just what should happen. This ain't /v/, man, we actually enjoy the shit our board is about.

I've been looking forward to this and so far it's alright, but what's really going to determine if I like it or not is how well done the trials are. That being said there are a few things I would like to talk about.

>no message log
This fucking sucks and there is a reason it's included in every single VN ever made. It's especially important for a game like this that expects you to follow along to figure out the mystery. It's weird that this isn't included by default since they are using ren'py.
>the investigation segments
I like that they want to make this game as close to a real Danganronpa game as possible but these segments feel out of place at the moment. The main problem I have is that these should be used to give you a better feel of your surroundings which is important for trials later on, but they kind of fail at this since you never actually get to see the characters traveling from one scene to another. For example, I have no idea where the Cozy Market is in relation to the main building because you don't ever get to actually see it until you're at the front entrance. I don't know if they are planning on adding segments where you can freely move around like in the games, but it would go a long way toward fleshing out the setting and providing important information for the future trials. This is asking a lot from a team as small as this one though. On top of that there doesn't seem to be a good reason to move the camera yet since each scene has all the interactables on screen at all times. Moving the camera in the first investigation scene makes Lyra slide around which honestly looks pretty amateurish. A mouse reticle would also be nice.
>pacing
This is more of a personal issue but the pacing feels a bit fast to me. It could be that I'm just used to Danganronpa being slow but the characters touch on a lot of points that are common in Danganronpa very quickly. For example (some minor spoilers):
>Limestone immediately suspicious of every other pony
>The possibility of a traitor
>Coco being worried about dying when "punishment" has not been explained yet
>Very few questions asked and answered during Cozy's appearance
That's just off the top of my head. There are probably more that I forgot.
BIG SPOILER
>Starlight dying
This scene was a bit anticlimactic in my opinion. The biggest issue is that we don't actually get to see her die. I don't know if this is just an unfinished part of the game but the devs shouldn't hold their punches here. Show us the gory details, part of the appeal of Danganronpa is the shock of having characters taken away and the brutality adds to that. And again in regards to pacing, it felt like it came and went too fast. Give a moment like that some more time to breathe.

Overall I think it's pretty well made for a demo though. It's just easier to point out problems than to talk about everything I liked.

>>42748784 (OP)
Eh. From what I see, I personally don't like the pony selection they chose.

>>42748784 (OP)
I loved it. The artstyle mashup is great, I had such a blast realizing what danganronpa character roles every character was playing, and the reveal of who is the host of the killing game made me all giddy that I guessed who and how from clues set up before. I really think a lot of thought was put into every character chosen for the game. None of them are simply who the creator's favorite is, you know? And something is special about that like it is really trying to be the best danganronpa pony game there could be. And I am already asking so many questions about it in anticipation for future chapters.
>>42748943
I believe they didn't show Glimmer being killed because she wasn't killed. When remembering what happened, it was described as her disappearing.

fuck you faggot, you're going to die, nothing is coming to save you.
https://vocaroo.com/1my9rYPUqezZ

>>42748965
>I believe they didn't show Glimmer being killed because she wasn't killed. When remembering what happened, it was described as her disappearing.
I would be a bit disappointed if this was the case. It's already very suspicious and if they are trying to use it for a trick later in the game a la DR1 it would be too obvious. I could be wrong though.

>>42749003
obviousness is par for the course with danganronpa at times, it isn't where the enjoyment dies. fun and exciting character dynamics, investigations, and trials are what carry it. additionally, with what we know from canon, I think it is reasonable to say that the alicorn amulet can't be used to just kill ponies. or maybe I made that up because I think it is a waste of Starlight's character if she actually just dies after a few seconds of screentime.

>>42748943
There is actually a backlog its in the escape menu

>>42749029
I don't know how I missed that, guess I'm just retarded. I even looked at the controls to find a backlog button.
>>42749017
I can see where you're coming from. The idea that Starlight wouldn't be wasted like that makes sense, I just hope that if she is important later it isn't used for some grand reveal like no one would have expected it like a 11037 moment. Although I can't imagine it being as bad as that. I can see the alicorn amulet being used to kill though since it just makes the wearers magic stronger. Even if it can only use certain spells being crushed by a magic bubble seems possible to me.

>>42749043
the 11037 thing is a localization matter. the game was made for people who aren't so familiar with english to have noticed right away that looked like LEON upside down. even then, not every english player even noticed desu.

>>42749050
Yeah I know about that but I heard it's kind of obvious even for the Japanese. I don't know if that's true, but I feel like most Japanese players would be able to connect the dots from just looking closely at the message or the big hint Kyoko gives you right after that. I'd be surprised if an English speaker didn't realize it by the time it becomes relevant in the trial.

>>42749061
it really depends on how studious you were in English / how long it has been since you were in school. Ability to read English varies massively over factors like that.

>>42748948
Who would you have picked? I'm not really sure how I feel about the cast yet either. I guess it's kind of hard for a game like this since you usually know nothing about the characters until you meet them. Like it's probably going to be hard to set up motives or any kind of secret since we know a lot about their backstories already.

That's what happens when you die!
https://vocaroo.com/1my9rYPUqezZ
It's pain that gets worse and worse forever!

>>42748784 (OP)
is it good?

>>42748784 (OP)
Oh I've been seeing teasers of this. I've been waiting to play it. The idea of a Danganronpa with nothing but MLP side-characters is actually quite interesting

>>42749727
It's just the intro but it's good. The demo is pretty short.

>>42750410
It's another case of "ponies improve everything"

>>42750556
The fact that the artstyle really feels like Danganronpa helps a lot.

i haven't played any danganronpa games, but i really enjoyed this demo and am looking forward to more.

Okay, I really liked it.
I think that's because even though I'm not a big fan of the Danganronpa plot, I do like its aesthetics, tension, some characters and murder mysteries, and adding ponies to it instantly improves it
>>42748948
yeah what this guy said >>42749102
I like the characters they chose; they are the perfect secondary characters if you want to have the minimum amount of canon lore (with the exception of Sunburst) and fandom affection, with the possibility of building fanon lore based on them.
Although I admit that I'm not convinced that four of the five pegasi have a direct connection to the Wonderbolts, I feel that Thunderlane and Short Fuse are unnecessary, but the rivalry between them is decent enough to make me not so opposed to their inclusion.
I like the inclusion of Vapor Trail and Sky Stinger; adding characters who already know each other from before the murder game is a good idea.
The pacing is a bit fast. I think there are two main problems with this.
The first is that it is assumed that the player is an MLP fan who already knows all or most of the characters, and while we can admit that yes, 98% of those who will play this are pony fans, I don't think that's an excuse for not elaborating on exposition and key moments such as the introduction of Moondancer.
It would be good for her to talk about herself and her difficulties with friendship, which, despite reconnecting with Twilight and the others, is still something she needs to work on. That way, several things that happen later make sense, and you make it a theme for her character.
Imagine that when they are confronted with a murderer, she has moments of introspection like, “What would Twilight do right now? I wish she could be here to tell me how to lead this group or situation, and show everyone the magic of friendship”
It would be interesting to see how the protagonist who raises the flag of friendship against chaos (or whatever Cozy is looking for) is also someone who has her own problems with friendship.
We don't even know how Moonie and Lyra are supposed to know each other; they don't say it.
Secondly, I forgot what the second point was lol, but it was more important than the first.
If I remember it later, I'll post it here if the thread is still alive.

>>42748943
>BIG SPOILERS
I agree with what you say about Starlight. I think the main problem is... where did she come from? Was she there the whole time? Did she just arrive right on time? If that's the case, didn't she tell anyone about it? It really seems like they want to do a plot twist similar to the one in DR1, and it's obvious that it's not going to be of the same quality at all

>>42751745
I think the "where did she come from?" question is going to be what pushes the cast to look for an exit. Because if she wasn't supposed to be there then there is either a way out or at very least a blind spot they can use to their advantage. Although I expect her appearance was planned.

Hello! One of the devs is here. Truth to be told, I'm not a frequent 4chan user, but this thread was brought to my attention on Twitter and I'm happy to see everyone's inputs in the game so far.

>>42752519
hiya! link to the tweet?

>>42748943
>the investigation segments
Everything in the game is a 2d image set in a 3d scene. This is what causes the camera movement to make the characters slide around. It's something we're hoping to get around in the future. As for the mouse reticle, it will be included in a patch soon.
>pacing
You're right to criticise all of these aspects. Truth to be told, writing the prologue was a somewhat difficult task that needed balancing character introductions, ambience, and the needed amount of exposition. I was hoping to explore something new about the situation with each character. Silverstar the dome being unbreakable, Sunburst the dome being enchanted, Limestone and the possibility of a traitor. Of course considering how small the game's setting actually is, it was a bit difficult to give everyone something to do. This as a result makes the prologue have some pacing issues and makes it somewhat exposition heavy. I'm hoping this will be improved in further releases.

>>42752538
Here! https://x.com/SnowLeonn/status/1984418705183260708

>>42752550
alrighty. the only other thing i'd like to ask is if voice acting is still off the table. I read that in your discord a while ago. It made me curious though cause most of the characters are available on 15.ai.

>>42752565
VA isn't off of the table yet, but it is unlikely to happen. None of the members in the team are suited to direct a cast of actors, and I was hoping to find someone who was willing and capable to direct a group of VAs. Unfortunately, we never recruited someone with this role and the project continued without any acting.

As for the ai, I'm rather mixed on the idea since I don't know well how to use models and I'm pretty sure a portion of the community would want my head on a stick if AI is used.

>>42752578
I don't interact with mlp community at large, have they come to hate vocal synthesis AI too? I'm only really aware of hate against generative AI. Which stuff like synthV or 15ai aren't.

>>42752592
In the circles I've been, there is an apparent disdain for voice models. However, I'm not sure if this portion represents a decent amount of the fandom as a whole.

>>42752565
>>42752578
I don't think voice acting is necessary, and it would be better for this project not to add more unnecessary tasks/obstacles.
Besides, Danganronpa isn't known for complex voice acting; it's just sounds that aren't used all the time.
It would be cool and add personality, but this game can be perfect even without VA
>a portion of the community would want my head on a stick if AI is used
true

>>42752609
you're forgetting that trials are fully voice acted

>>42752609
I don't think this project needs voice acting, but I kind of disagree with the idea that danganronpa isn't known for it. Both the original Japanese and English dub VAs do a really good job and the voice work adds a lot to the class trials. And it will be a little sad that we probably won't be getting a voiced "No that's wrong!" from Moondancer. That's just the way things are though.

>>42752632
>ywn hear moondancer yell "chigau ha!" at that retarded zephyr breeze when he says the most obviously wrong nonsense
why even live
why even live

>>42752631
Shit, you're right
I'm really sleepy rn lol

>>42752652
>>42752632
anyways, one idea could be to use unintelligible sounds that resemble the original character voice and capture the emotion of the moment, like the ones Kid Wizard make
Here's an example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46OtK8Vk94g
maybe a less robotic tho

>>42752666
another example/style
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCfiNzfWCgw

>>42752666
>>42752670
i don't think that'd be thematically appropriate. its a little silly.

>>42752679
Those are silly, especially because they try to be silly.
But if you use them to start a conversation and match the character's tone, it might be better than nothing.
I'm not saying that an entire line about a murder should be mimimimimimi, but if you can take one canonical line (like, one word) from that character with the appropriate emotion and distort it into a similar style, it might work.
Danganronpa is silly, but I understand if this game wants to lean more toward the first game, which does try to be more serious

>>42752722
danganronpa is absurd and over the top, not silly. there is a difference, i think.

the things i get to sneak in lol

>>42752768
i noticed that, it was cute.

>>42748784 (OP)
Looking forward to play it. But I'm also reminded that there is still yet to be any ponified Hundred Line stuff. At least to my knowledge. It's still a new franchise, but it's become fairly popular.

This flew under my radar. Neat.

>>42752768
Ohh, I wanna see how many more easter eggs I can find. I wonder if there's any reference to her using pants, or going to the gym showers, or saying she cooked up and ate a human's hands!

>>42753361
I hope all her FTEs are about sitting on benches.

this is great and hopefully it doesnt get cancelled or worse
unlike my little investigations project that ended 6 years ago with one case

>>42752768
Lyra's death flags are so high right now I think she's a red herring.

>>42753871
I can see her going Nagito mode

>>42754026
Lyra just absolutely fucking snapping would be so cool

>>42754026
>>42754327
I can't really see Lyra going full Nagito, but it would be funny.

>>42754426
I wanna see that drawn

>>42754426
Out of all the characters that could snap and go crazy, I'd say Sunburst is the most likely, but Lyra's a really funny option.

I don't really expect this to become a general or anything until at least Chapter 1 or 2 goes out, but just having a thread made for the prologue meant a lot to me, just cause I really liked reading all the stuff you guys had to say.

I've been keeping quiet about the project for a while, but I've been so excited to see what people think, even if it's only just the prologue and we haven't even gotten to the main draw of a Danganronpa project yet.

Admittedly, I do have the same worries a lot of people have of projects just getting abandoned, and with the small team we currently have, the task is daunting.

But working on something like this has been a dream come true for me, and I don't intend on abandoning this any time soon.

And hopefully you'll all like what we come up with.

>>42756274
Thanks to you all, for continuing to make pony content and of such high quality!
Looking forward to more!
And next time don't use that spacing in your posts, it makes it clear that you're an offboarder and in the bad sense, some people get really autistic and dense about it