One Last Goodbye
Post Game Jam Developments
Thank you to everyone who has checked out One Last Goodbye, and to everyone who has shared their experience of the game! I am also very grateful to everyone who has expressed their support of the game in various ways! 💖
Work is now being done to polish the Spooktober version of the game. Updates and worklog will be posted here!
GOALS:
- Polishing the design of main characters and making adjustments to reflect higher level of historical accuracy where necessary.
- Creating sprites for side characters
- Creating CGs for major scenes!
- Fixing writing errors
- Redesigning the UI.
- Game colours: I just realised that the game looks too bright on certain screens... and that is because I have my own screen set to a lower brightness level and a warmer colour for the sake of my eyes... I will need to re-adjust the colours I use in the upcoming version of the game!
As I begin creating a more polished version of the game and planning future projects, it would be really helpful to get some feedback. Please help me out by filling out a survey so that I can get an idea of what your preferences are when it comes to otome visual novel games! The survey will be sent out anonymously unless you want to sign up to receive updates! Thanks! 😊
Survey link: https://forms.gle/fY5VnT7ReHUEYmGHA
6 November 2022
Pei-er’s Uniform and Hairstyle
What do you think of Pei-er’s new hairstyle? Do you prefer the original version instead?
27 December 2022
Character Study: William
I was about to start working on the CGs of the game when I found that it was a little hard to draw without doing a bit of character study work... especially since it has been a while since the game jam when I worked on the game!
So I did a few sketches of William to start... and somehow he turned out looking younger than what I had in mind! He also seems to have a softer look compared to the sprite I created when I first conceptualised him.
And here is an updated look for William. Even he gets properly shocked sometimes despite having more than one hundred years' worth of experience!
31 December 2022
Pei-er's Perspective
What are you thinking about, Mr. Bill?
3 January 2023
Pei-er's First Kiss
"I had heard that this would happen when two people loved each other. But nobody told me how it would feel.
As Mr. Bill kissed me, I felt like my heart was finally set free and every sadness in my being was being dispelled."
Yep... William's pretty good at everything... He is even a very good kisser! He definitely did not waste those hundred years spent in limbo. Even though this was William's first kiss as well... he'd probably spent some time visualising how to go about it... just in case... 😳...!
13 January 2023
Backgrounds
I have been working on backgrounds lately, and learning to use Blender to create models for them. This was something I had procrastinated on doing for a while, but now that I am starting to understand Blender, I find that it is actually a very, very useful tool! I don't know how many new background art I will be able to make, but I have a few scenes in mind that I want to recreate!
24 January 2023
CG in Progress: William
I did more research on the uniform of the Royal Hong Kong Police but couldn't find precise info on how uniforms were really supposed to look like for Europeans in the force! Then I remembered there was a movie based in Hong Kong at around the same period as the VN -- Bodyguards and Assassins! So now I am basing William's uniform on what is shown in the movie! [SPOILER] This movie also gives some good background information on the revolution that the young master would find himself in!
As I was working on this CG, I came across this song which I think really fits William's character, and which I played on loop afterwards for inspiration on how William must have been feeling! If you've already finished all the routes in the VN you might be able to guess which scene this CG is for! The song is a Chinese song called "Nameless" (Wu Ming Zhi Bei), by famous singer / songwriter Chen Xueran. Even though the song is in Mandarin, while the kind of Chinese that William would have spoken would be Cantonese, I think it is the spirit of the song that really matters! Hopefully I will be able to come across some nice Cantonese songs that I think fit the characters, but so far the ones I've come across are in Mandarin!
I really like the song after coming across it and spent some time translating the lyrics! I hope you will enjoy it too!
The remnant lights of a city at dawn
Is always accompanied by the fall of a halo
Imitators come one after another
A character who no one cares about
Who do you choose to worship?
Who do you choose to resent?
The lassitude that comes from feigned passion
The shackles that come from pretending to be free
Who have you become at the very end?
Igniting a round of magnificent fireworks
That dazzles only once
That’s enough, what more can you hope for?
A nobody, who am I really
The world still goes on no matter who is forgotten
Who doesn’t walk down the path of life in desperation
Perhaps in complete weariness, perhaps in a complete mess
And then perhaps at the very end, thoroughly humbled, amounting to nothing
Who’s to say? I might never amount to even a sliver of your glory.
……
Aren’t we all born the same?
Call me a nobody by all means.
[SPOILER] To me William is a hero, because he did not choose to turn a blind eye at a time and place when it was so easy for someone of his position to do so. And in that respect, the young master was the same. They both in their own ways could have had a life of privilege and ease, but had chosen instead to take a more difficult path... these are the kinds of heroes that I find doki-doki! Though I wish there was a less dramatic ending for them, but the characters that I wanted to portray are ghosts so in a way something like this had to happen. 😔
8 February 2023
Background Objects
Here're some pictures of things I've created so far in Blender for the backgrounds! Blender is quite fun to work with but there's definitely a steep learning curve! It took me a while to figure some things out so things are a little slower. But hopefully I will be able to put together a nice background scene soon!
10 March 2023
More Work-in-Progress! -- Backgrounds
Working on building street backgrounds now -- every little detail counts!
14 March 2023
Backgrounds -- The Hong Kong Experience
After working on these ground level shop facades, I realise they also pretty much sum up the Hong Kong experience!
25 March 2023
Pei-er's Room
When I wrote the story for the VN, I adjusted a few details to fit with the resources I could find to use as background materials. I did have a general idea of how the story would go at the beginning, but with only one month to put everything together, I could not be too fussy with the details. One of the details that relied on the background art I found was Pei-er's room, and the interactions that went on in there.
The original room that I had in mind which I thought William would secure for Pei-er was much smaller, and had more hints of what the original orphanage had been like. It was much girlier (in a childish way) and would not have been big enough to have a seating area for guests, or for Pei-er to actually have meals inside. But I like how the story's turned out and how Pei-er's room is somewhat like a sanctuary, a special place for William and Pei-er to interact and get to know each other. I also think that given how William is, he would most definitely want to provide the best he could for Pei-er, and would anticipate everything she needed. So most likely her room would be bigger and would have everything that William (as a late Victorian/Edwardian-era guy) would imagine a young lady would need. (And not to mention, he had several other locations set up to a smiliar extent, to make sure that Pei-er would have a nice place to stay in if she does wake up from her slumber and join him in the afterlife. I think William definitely looks forward to meeting Pei-er and getting to know her, much more than he even knows!)
5 April 2023
Pei-er's Room II
"When I next came across Mr. Henry, it was almost a decade later. I was back here, to begin my training as a priest. I saw Mr. Henry, who looked the same as he did all those years ago. He walked through a door, which I found out afterwards hid a stairway that leads to a few abandoned rooms in the attic..."
2 May 2023
The Young Master
"Yes... yes... that's him... That's the young master!!" I exclaimed.
Emotions crashed through my being. My heart felt so full that I thought it would burst. The young master looked exactly like I remembered him to be...
But unlike how he used to look in photographs, a twinkle in his eye and slight upturns at the corners of his mouth, his face looked glum and serious.
He did not look himself at all in the portrait.
"Why... why does he look so sad...?"
"He does, doesn't he?" Haorang said, frowning as well.
"But take a look at all the others... they all made the same expression in their portraits." Haorang pointed at the other students on the page. "Wasn't this the standard expression people made when taking photos in that era though...?"
I shook my head slightly, but Haorang was already back to focusing on flipping through the yearbook.
Interesting facts about the Young Master:
- He only picked up Cantonese after starting school because at home everyone spoke Mandarin, since the Dongs came from the North. That was why he could understand Pei-er's agony and struggles with her country accent. (Pei-er came from the countryside to the north of the colony, but located in the south of the mainland, from a cultural group that traditionally did not bind their feet, unlike most other Chinese women at that time. She could speak some Cantonese, but she had a terrible accent that she was extremely self-conscious about.)
- When Renqi was a child, he used to be teased in school for his accent. But he soon made friends with other students who came from other parts of southern China, and who spoke other dialects and faced the same difficulties and struggles. (In the past there was division and sometimes even animosity amongst the Southern Chinese based on the dialect group that one belonged to.) By the time Renqi entered middle school, he had lost his accent and could speak like a local.
- Renqi's grandmother hailed from a minor noble Manchurian family, making Renqi a quarter Manchurian. Most of his family would not have approved of his decision to join revoluntionary activities that aimed to overthrow the imperial government. He would later come face to face with his own cousin, an officer in the imperial army, on the front line.
- Renqi was smart and intelligent. He was a strategist for the revolutionaries, but he really was not much of a soldier since he had never received formal training as one. In the end faced with a losing battle, he decided to join the fighting as well. He managed to take down a few enemies before being killed.
- In a peaceful world, Renqi would have fared much better as a manager for his family's business and as a socialite. These were truly roles he was born to fulfill, instead of killing and fighting in battles. He must have also been feeling extremely depressed and despondent, since he thought like everyone else that Pei-er had left him for someone else, so he did act recklessly no matter how much he tried to keep his emotions in check. That was why his father, Mr. Dong, called his actions "foolish". That... and the fact that their family did have more connections within the imperial government and benefited more from the old societal structure, which were nevertheless on the verge of collapse by the turn of the 20th century, ridden with all kinds of socioeconomic problems and injustices.
- Renqi's birth mother was Mr. Dong's primary wife. In addition to a few much older sisters, born to his birth mother and his father's secondary wives (concubines), he had three much younger brothers. He was elated when Pei-er, who was around his age, joined the household, since he finally had someone who could be a playmate!
- Renqi was not close to his mother who was busy as a socialite. But he did have a closer bond with his nanny. Renqi was also close to his grandmother, who used to travel south to visit the family when he was younger.
11 May 2023
Streetview: Old Buildings
I had fun building this simple shophouse for one of the background scenes. I only found out yesterday when I was looking for photo references that the second level of the building is now being used as a tearoom in the style of the 1950s! The street where this building is located is called Queen's Road East. It is one of the oldest streets in HK, developed at the very beginning of its history as a colony. But even before that, according to its Wiki page, there was already a local settlement in the area.
While reading on the history of HK, one of the most interesting things I've discovered is that there is actually a local clan who has lived here for probably more than a thousand years with claims to royal descent. One of their clansmen married a Song dynasty princess who was fleeing south from northern invaders. The eldest son from their union moved the family back to HK near the end of the succeeding Mongolian dynasty (Yuan dynasty).
13 May 2023
CG Draft
Who are you???
21 May 2023
Sprite Draft: Xiaoming
"If I had lived, I would be a sixty-year old man now… But it is not easy to grow like those who are living when you are dead… It is hard to forget the habits you have in life… especially when your form never changes. That is why they still behave like little children… And Mimi and I too… we still enjoy games and treats from childhood."
--- Xiaoming
10 June 2023
The Master
"W...well... Young Master’s full name is Dong Renqi, and his father is Dong Hung… I heard from the nanny that their family is related to a baron’s family in the mainland. They came down South to engage in the import and export business."
I did this sketch of the young master's father a while ago. I am quite happy with this version of the character, as it is able to fully convey what I think he looks like in person. Had he not gone through all the emotional and mental anguish that he had in life, he would not look so worn and aged. I would say that Dong Hung is the kind of man who does not know how to love. The only person he has felt something akin to true, unconditional love for in life is his son, Renqi. But even that love is filled with expectations and materialistic attachments, with him putting Renqi on a pedestal, and failing as a father to see that his son is not just the perfect heir, but also a lonely young man who craves emotional connections and is a highly sensitive person.
Dong Hung is a bitter man who can be extremely ruthless, calculating and cold-hearted. His son is the only person who can soften him and bring him feelings of genuine joy, and open his heart and mind to goodness.
There is more I want to write about this character, but it is late over here and I am very tired from some other work I have been doing! The next two months will be busier so I am not sure if I will be able to post more updates. But I am definitely working on the complete edition of the game! :)
17 September 2023
Haorang
Haorang is very handsome. He is also very skinny. Someone asked if I made him skinny because he is Asian... (She meant no harm, she was just curious why compared to William, he is so skinny.) I am not sure either why he turned out so skinny when I first conceptualised him. I tried giving him muscles, but this just didn't feel right for the character. In my imagination, he is a very handsome but skinny person, someone who has a very lean body and lean muscles. I know this stands opposed to the current trend for guys, but this is just how the character wishes to be. It could also be that I am influenced on the subconscious level by a few guys I used to know back in high school. One of those guys was very nice to me and was a precious friend. He was very skinny, but I always used to find him elegant looking.
If we consider the fact that Haorang is supposed to look exactly like his past-life counterpart (their personalities and preferences are so different though!), it is historically correct that he (the young master) would be skinny. A lean, elegant frame was considered good-looking for men back then, at least according to the older women in the family. This was the archetypal look for people from the scholar-gentry background.
I sometimes feel bad for Haorang though when I work on the game. He has been so confused by his past-life memories... especially when on the subconscious level he feels that he has to live up to the standards that the young master has set. Even though he is the young master himself, the things that make him who he is are not the trappings of the young master's privileged past. This is something he has to learn to understand. That is why even though as the young master's reincarnation he has feelings for Pei-er, he cannot help but feel jealous whenever Pei-er brings up the young master. His jealousy has led to him unintentionally hurting Pei-er in the story, and being brash with his words. Personality-wise, he is also not as gentle and thoughtful as the young master. He also has more darkness in his heart -- remnants of the young master's sadness and helplessness towards the end of his life. What both the young master and Haorang share though are their kind, straightforward and pure spirit, as Pei-er points out in the story, and their passionate and adventurous sides.
7 October 2023
Haorang II
I finally have more time to work on the game! I have been doing some colouring the past few days, and having fun with it.
Here is part of an illustration that features Haorang. Compared to the young master, Haorang definitely has more of a "bad boy" look to him. And it is only after completing the illustration that I realise half of his face retains the young master's gentle look, while the other half which is not shown here has a wild and "dangerous" look. I think in real life, he can be a real heartbreaker, especially when he is not conscious of what he is doing.
I want to add a note too about the characters' names. They were definitely picked with the intention to convey added character / history / meaning / symbolism to their persona or the kind of people they represent.
- Haorang (浩然)'s given name in Chinese is actually quite popular amongst this generation of men in Hong Kong. The characters together mean "vast and expansive", and has the connotation, at least to my understanding, of being generous, big-hearted and free-spirited.
- The young master's full name, Dong Renqi (董仁祺), when read in both Cantonese and Mandarin is supposed to sound smiliar to "understanding compassion and kindness". Individually, the characters for his given name "Renqi" mean "benevolence" and "precious jade"*. *I made a mistake here... so instead of "precious jade", the character “祺” ("qi") actually means fortune and happiness. In any case, it suits the young master all the same, as these were the things that he was born with and was meant to experience!
- The master's full name, Dong Hung (董鴻), is supposed to sound like "understanding prosperity". The character of his given name, Hung, has the meaning of "prosperity, expansion, and grandness". I think this fully fits into his character, since he is a savvy and successful businessman who broke away from his gentry-scholar family (not being the heir of his immediate family) to become a merchant away from home.
- If you still remember Xiaoming, the little boy who Pei-er met in the streets -- the characters of his name are "小明", which is a very, very common textbook name for boys in Hong Kong, and has been used for decades. It is equivalent to the names "John" and "David" in their popularity and common usage. Xiaoming is the quintessential Hong Konger. He was born in the 1940s/1950s, when the identity of modern Hong Kong started taking shape. Those born in his generation lived the golden era of British colonial rule over Hong Kong and were truly the builders of modern day Hong Kong. This generation either fiercely loved or hated British colonial rule, but one thing they all have in common is their hardworking spirit and tenacity. Those of this generation truly embraced the "lion rock spirit" -- most of them having been born into humble backgrounds and had fought hard to build up Hong Kong from a relatively unimportant and backward port city to become more prosperous and affluent. They were witnesses to Hong Kong's rapid economic development in the 1970s and believed in hardwork and grit.
I will be adding the explanation of the names of female characters in another post!
As an ending note, here's a song that I feel really speaks to the feelings Pei-er has for the Young Master/Haorang, and the relationship between Pei-er and the Young Master -- “新送情郎” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyfLN2ehcnU). Be warned though, the style of the song can be an acquired taste for some people because part of it, the traditional bit, is sang in the style of traditional Chinese opera. This version of the song is a modern remix of the traditional ballad, which originated in the Northeastern part of China, but was popular in Hong Kong too amongst the older generation. I think it might have been a popular wartime song. The lyrics of the song convey the last moments a maiden has with her beloved before he leaves by train, presumably for work or to war. In the first stanza she talks about the weather starting to become stormy just as she and her beloved arrive at the Eastern gate of the village/town/city, and she hopes to the Heavens that it would just drizzle a little instead, as either way he would still need to stay a little longer (to wait for the rain to cease) before leaving. In the second stanza they finally reach the Southern gate, where she fumbles for the two silver coins she has saved for her beloved -- one for his train tickets, and the other for him to buy a cigarette.
18 October 2023
CG Updates: William
There is something reassuring about a guy in uniform.... Maybe this is just my primordial instincts kicking in? In any case, I love this angle of William's back. It gives a sense of security and reliability... like this guy will be able and willing to shoulder all the wrongs in the world for you. But truly, as much as this idea sounds doki doki, I think that's too much burden for any human to carry around. William needs to let go of all the stress he has been internalizing, stress that is not even his to carry! William's character is based on someone who has lots of potential and talent, but is too good for the world. He cannot turn a blind eye to the wrongs and injustices around him, and he is so steadfast in his values that he ends up making many enemies without even knowing. He is someone who works tiredlessly to defend others without getting any recognition and acknowledgement, and even ends up having his name smeared. He is not what his outer trappings represent... and this incurs much dislike and even hatred from the people who are supposed to be his peers, because his very existence threatens their sense of self and identity.
At the extreme, William would actually forfeit his very own desires just to fulfill the duties he has taken up. That means he would actually rather stay a ghost and help those around him without the need for recognition, and he would not acknowledge his feelings for Pei-er and would be happy to see her with the young master, even though he already knows she is special to him. So in the story it is only when Pei-er tells him how much she wishes to re-experience the world with him as an equal that he realises he too is at a point where he wants to let go and move on.
William is inclined to see Pei-er as a victim and because he has been around for so long, stuck in limbo, he is at first not able to see the possibilities that Pei-er sees. His protectiveness over Pei-er also keeps her from following her instincts which are actually quite accurate, and at times even leads to him unwittingly misleading her. Compared to the young master, he would probably be a more controlling boyfriend (not to the level of being toxic though)! But Pei-er does feel a connection to William on a level that is being mortality. If she is able to connect to Haorang on the level of kinship, sharing the same preferences and understanding when it comes to things like food and values... laughing over the same things... what she shares with William is at the level of the heart. William makes her feel safe and unconditionally accepted. She feels relaxed and safe enough to let go of all the masks she puts on to be socially accepted when she is around William. And William, being a very, very stubborn person, is only able to be persuaded to see things differently with Pei-er around.
21 November 2023
Character sketch: Wuyapo
[SPOILER: DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED THE GAME]
"Wuyapo" is a character based on one of my biggest childhood fears. I wrote before that her name literally means "crow woman", and that she is like Baba Yaga, and is a popular figure used to scare little children. What I have written in the game is based on my childhood impression of her, based on what I had been told by adults -- "Don't wander around on your own, Wuyapo will come to take you away and eat you." "Don't be bad, Wuyapo fetches away little children, and Mom and Dad won't be able to do anything about it." And because her name sounded like "crow woman" to my ears, I had always imagined her as a woman with a crow's body, or a woman with witch-like abilities who could turn into a crow. She literally resembles Yubaba from Spirited Away when I imagined her as a child. (So when Spirited Away was released I was definitely unsettled when I saw Yubaba's character.. it was as if one of my biggest childhood fears was being brought to life... I loved the film though!) I kept a wary eye on windows and balconies for the longest time, to make sure that no crow-like woman was going to approach our home to snatch me away.
I did a little bit of research on the origins of the Wuyapo legend after finishing the game last year. It turns out that originally this character was never meant to be a witch, or a woman, and name is supposed to be Yawupo, rather than Wuyapo (my mistake). From my research, there are two versions of the name's origins: 1) The name originally refers to a Han dynasty prince and general Liu Wu who fought against the Southern tribes in what is the Guandong region today. He was a feared figure amongst the natives, and they used his name to scare little children, warning them against being disobedient or wandering too far away from home. The term and tales apparently stuck around for more than two thousand years, and the way he was called by the Southern natives is still being used today, even though most people won't know him to be the origin of such tales. 2) The term refers to a mountain dog that used to attack late-night travellers in the region.
Whichever the case is, it seems that today in the imagination of most people, Yawupo (or Wuyapo, as I had mistakenly called her in the game) is still a witch-like woman who is a figure to be feared.
So who is the Wuyapo character in the game? William's friends called her a "crazy old woman", and the ghost children hate her with a ferocious intensity... to the master whom she had served faithfully for more than a hundred years, he had completely forgotten her humanity, referring to her as just "Wuyapo" (it is like calling someone "Witch")... only the Young Master manages to recognise her after all those years and still refers to her as his "nanny". This is who she really is, beyond being just "Wuyapo" or "the nanny":
Lanxi "Nancy", circa 1920-1930s
Lanxi had served Master Dong since she was sixteen. She was originally employed to be the Young Master's nanny. Afterwards, when the Young Master became older, she started taking care of his younger brothers. She was a free-spirited person who had knowledge of traditional rituals and witchcraft of the Southern regions. She was a brave and passionate woman, who had fallen for the wrong man. After the Young Master left home and disappeared, she stuck by the Dong family, and supported Mr. Dong. Even though he never made her a wife or a concubine, she loved him and was very loyal to him. She used the powers she had and her knowledge of witchcraft to help him look for the Young Master, even risking her own wellbeing, and eventually dabbling in the dark arts, turning her into some kind of immortal witch. She would have been able to maintain her youthful appearance with her powers, but she sacrificed it too for the sake of the master. In my imagination of her, she had plenty of opportunities for love, but she was so loyal to that one person who could not reciprocate her love (or anybody else's for that matter) that she sacrificed all the men who had loved her.
After the fall of the Qing dynasty, and as China entered the Republican and pre-war era, having a Western name became fashionable. Since her name sounds like "Nancy", she adopted this Western name for herself. Despite having come to Hong Kong as a provincial girl from the rural regions of Southern China, she learned to be fashionable and sophiscated, and kept up with all the latest trends. As Mr. Dong's business and fortune downspiralled, she supported him by singing in clubs and bars, and she could speak enough English to seduce her foreign clients. By the late 1930s and the early 1940s, she was still able to keep her youthful appearance using her powers and knowledge of witchcraft. But to help the Master who had already died and was gradually losing his human form as a ghost, she began capturing ghosts to feed him. Aside from tricking little children, she used her beauty to seduce the ghosts of men, and one of William's soldier friends succumbed to her tricks. Thereafter, she became known as the "crazy woman" in their circle, and then "crazy old woman" when she started exchanging her youth for more powers from the dark forces to help Mr. Dong.
She is a tragic figure in many ways, but to Lanxi "Nancy", she had lived her life to the fullest and she won't have had it any other way! I don't think she would have viewed her life as having been tragic. I think she was grateful for the opportunity to feel what it is like to so ardently love a man, even one who did not reciprocate her feelings. But after everything ends, even if Mr. Dong turns over a new leaf and tries to redeem himself, I think she would actually move on from him, because she would realise that her love is much greater and she is much more generous than he ever could have been.
1 April 2024
Development Updates
It may seem like work has been paused on the game, but at the moment I am actually honing my digital art skills so that I can make a game that truly reflects what I have in mind! I might publish other titles which will be results of my learning and practice, but please do know that "One Last Goodbye" has not been abandoned! (To be fair, it actually started as a side project for me to practise my newfound skills in Ren'py, for my first project "That Summer's Day", but it ended up being much more, at least to me!)
Thank you for checking out this page for its latest developments! I will be sure to create more update posts, when I have something nice to share! ☺️
More updates to come!!
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