January 15th Bug-Fixing Build

Hello!

All of the 202X tutorials are complete, and all of the voice acting has been recorded! But, before I can fully release the tutorial, I need to:

1. Review the voice acting and request any changes if necessary
2. Put the voice acting into the game
3. Implement the tutorial cutscene
4. Adjust the game’s opening sequence so that the game transitions from Intro Cutscene > Tutorial Cutscene > Tutorial > Info-chan Cutscene > Calendar
5. Do final testing, confirm that it’s possible to repeat tutorials any number of times and do tutorials in any order without anything breaking.

The animations for the tutorial cutscene aren’t finished yet. If they’re not finished by Feb 1st, I guess I’ll just implement a simple “characters pop between static poses and don’t actually move” cutscene, like the original “Senpai meets Amai” cutscene, and use that as a placeholder until proper animations can be created.

Over the past 2 weeks, a lot of valid suggestions/requests were made and a lot of bugs were reported, so a lot of improvements and fixes were made to the game. To see a list, scroll down past this adorable artwork by Emmaria!

Foreign Fan Appreciation Post

While I’m working on the game, fans often send me fan art that I love so much, I want to share it with the entire community. Usually, I share one piece of fan art in every blog post I write. Over the years, I’ve collected a massive amount of “This is a masterpiece, I’ve gotta share it” fan art – so much that if I wanted to share it all, I would need to make over 400 more blog posts!

A lot of that fan art was actually created by foreign fans of the game. It makes me so happy that Yandere Sim has fans all across the world! I want these fans to know, “I see you! I see you! I see the awesome artwork you’re making, and I love it! I acknowledge you!” but, I don’t want to wait 400 blog posts to send that message. So, I’ve decided to write one really massive “Foreign Fan Appreciation Post” where I share over 100 fan-made creations that I collected over the past year, which (I believe) were created specifically by non-English-speaking fans of the game! (But, if there are a few English-speakers in this list, it’s not a big deal. I don’t really mind, since I still want to share all of this artwork, anyway.)

I’ll start off with this artwork by Whitey0703 – it’s a POV illustration of you confessing your love to Aoi, and her reaction. It’s so cute! I love it!

#yanderesimulator
灰色の手はAoiちゃん推しの皆さんって事で。(解釈違いとか起こるかもしれません…💦) pic.twitter.com/T41sC9OoPx

— ホワイティ(しばらくはFAを描く専) (@Whitey0703) December 18, 2022

For more amazing art, click Continue Reading!

Yandere Simulator’s Upcoming Character Models

A few years ago, I posted a blurry preview image and said, “We’re making progress on new character models, you guys!” and then never said anything else about it.

Well, at this point in time, I think I should just show you the un-blurred versions of those images. Here you go:

Before you get too attached to any of those models, let me break some very important news: after a lot of deliberation and testing, it was determined that:

• In terms of how much time has to be spent getting the models to work in the game, and how much of the current code has to be changed to support new character models, it would be much more efficient to simply upgrade the currently-existing character models rather than create entirely new character models from scratch.
• The game has had an official art style established for years now, and it would be super weird if we abruptly gave the game a completely new art style that is completely different from the pre-established art style of the game’s official artwork.

So, with those factors in mind, the decision was made to extensively modify the current models and vastly improve them, rather than completely replace the current models with new ones that feature a new art style.

There is a lot to discuss regarding the new character models, so let’s start at the beginning…

The “Everything I Plan To Do Before The Crowdfunding Campaign” Checklist

I just wrote a 4,533-word post on Patreon describing everything that I plan to implement – or investigate the feasibility of implementing – between now and the crowdfunding campaign. It took a really long time to write! So, I hope you read it:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/76810573

Also, someone used artwork of Ayano as the wallpaper of their smartwatch, and I think that’s cool!

2022 Transparency Post

Hello,

Every year, I write a “Transparency Post” on Patreon to discuss what I’ve done over the past year, and what I plan to do next. If you’re curious, head over to my Patreon page and read it. No payment required; it’s open to the public:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/76762411

This blog post feels kind of “naked” without any artwork in it, so…check out this cool fan art by a fan of the game named Mia!

Two Awesome Videos

Usually, whenever I release a new build, I share an impressive piece of fan art. In this case, I don’t want to wait until the next build; I want to share some awesome videos with you right away!

The first one is an extremely impressive fan animation created by “Mister Agios” – it’s a 3D recreation of the “Driving Your Rivals To Murder” video from 2017:

I’m told that it took 1 year and 8 months to make – and it shows! The level of quality here is phenomenal! It represents exactly what I would want the cutscenes and animations to look like if the “Driven To Murder” elimination was actually added to the game for each rival. It’s an excellent demonstration of how detailed and expressive character animation can elevate a story in ways that a slideshow of images simply cannot.

Next, a surprise! I’m sure that many of you are very familiar with Michaela Laws’ “Epic Rap Battles of Akademi” series. The last entry was 3 years ago – but a few days ago, she produced a new one! As usual, the lyrics and vocals from both participants are outstanding. Please check it out!

I know it’s unconventional for me to write a blog post purely to say “Hey, check out these two videos I just really want to share you” but in this particular case, I just couldn’t wait. I hope you enjoy these two treats!

January 1st Bug-Fixing Update

Hello! Happy New Year!

I’m sure you’re curious about the status of the 202X Tutorial, so here’s an update: 14/15 tutorials are complete, and all of the voice acting is recorded, but the cutscene hasn’t been completed yet. There is very little standing in the way of the tutorial being released, but it depends entirely on the availability of the animator in charge of the cutscene. If it takes too long, though, I’ll just release the tutorial with a simplified cutscene, and replace it later.

Don’t worry, though – every day not spent working on the tutorial was spent working on other aspects of the game. I have a new build prepared with 25 improvements and 33 bug fixes. To see the full changelog – and read about my plans for the near future – scroll down past an amazing illustration by MiaOtaku and a fantastic render by a Japanese fan named Saitou Keiji!

Why a bunnygirl suit? Because it’s currently the “Year of the Rabbit” according to the Chinese zodiac!