The story revolves around a young, American woman serving as a nurse in a remote building which is the base of a secret CIA project which aims to create virulent biological weapons and mind control drugs (which was apparently the aim of the rather mysterious MKULTRA) to combat the Soviet menace. The adventure takes place over the course of a week in 1953, beginning on Monday, during which 1) the drug is unwittingly tested on the nurse and other members on staff and 2) there is a breach in the biological weapons lab, releasing a virus that causes several mutations and symptoms causing a lock down in the facility.

The aim is just to survive, while solving puzzles and trying to figure out exactly just what the heck was going on in this facility. This is made (hopefully) difficult by the fact that you are under the influence of the drug and are limited by not having access to all areas of the building immediately.

In order to save time and not to make updates horribly tedious (for everyone involved) I'm trying to do a few things ahead of time, namely backgrounds and characters, so that I don't have to redraw everything out as people are making suggestions. Hopefully this will open up more time to do some simple .gifs or make room for sillier suggestions.

Pic related, it's first room you start in.

PROGRESS MADE SO FAR:

Basic storyline is mapped out up until Friday.
I have made a very simple map of the building, first and second floor.
I am about halfway done drawing out the rooms of the first floor of the facility.
And, well, that's it so far. Hopefully I can keep my ass in gear and get this ready!

But I'd like to hear from any of you that can help too!

Give me input please! If it's dumb sounding, let me know! What do you look for in protagonists? Writing tips would be VERY appreciated, as that's probably my weakest suit (not that the art is anything to write home about). Throw anything out there!
No >suggestions yet, please, I don't have a good design for the protagonist I like, but we can do some silly things once I decide on how to draw her, to make this thread a little less mememememe.

Right now dumping the rooms I have done.

Men's room, bulletin board

Kitchen entrance from the "lobby"

Front door from the lobby.

Receptionist's desk. She's a bit silly.

>>23700
if she is silly then she requires DESK TRINKETS

>>23701

YES.

YES SHE DOES.

What are the most unappealing TRINKETS you can think of? I found this awful thing in an image search.

>>23702
http://www.neverforgetgifts.com/nuts-about-work-c-34.html

>>23702
Trinkets that are SICKENINGLY CUTE. The kind of cute that mocks you when you're down, rather than uplifts. Things with smiles so wide they ought to be shrieking.

>>23704
Which works in your favor, as the drug will make you think they ARE SHRIEKING OH GOD MAKE THEM STOP, THE SCREAMING, THE SCREAMING.

>>23703

Dear god. These are delightfully awful.

>>23704

Ugly knickknacks are surprisingly easy to find.

I'm so using this plate.

>>23706
What a mesmerizing platter.

Anyway, I liked the backgrounds and I'm glad you just dropped the pencil tool altogether, a blockier style is good enough for it. Also, don't be afraid to simplify things a bit if you believe that more details will compromise the update speed.

And I can't help but giggle like a little girl of something mixing Ruby Quest with Andrew's MSPAs. Don't disappoint us, Bea!

>>23706
Elvis career was still in its infancy in '53 MY IMMERSION AUGH

>>23697
If the course of the adventure brings our heroine into the men's room please be sure to include a devilishly dirty limerick written upon a bathroom stall wall.

Just some more backgrounds.

>>23711

Ahhhh the pressurrreee!

>>23717

SHE LIKED HIM BEFORE HE WAS COOOOL

>>23731

Oh my yes.

One more.

Delicious pepsi cola.

>>23734>>23735
If I may make a suggestion, I'd nix the drop shadow on the potted plants. It's not the best effect for creating a natural-looking shadow that bends; here it kinda makes it look like the plants are floating above the picture.

These backgrounds are looking good, though! Did you draw that map in >>23734?

>>23739

Thanks, I'll do that! I couldn't decide if I liked it or not so I'll drop it.

And no, that's a stand in until I remake the current map I'm using. A map of the facility would be crazy helpful, but the one I'm using right now was scribbled in MSPaint.

mkslomon

>PROGRESS REPORT

>>23797

Out of town for the next few days. Expect sketchbook dumps when I return.

Things I am doing:
*More backgrounds to come tomorrow
*Sketchbook dumps are coming, probably tomorrow also
*Finishing scripting

Sorry about that, spring break ate my life and I spent Sunday slamming out an essay due Thurs. I haven't forgotten! I feel bad for posting without content.

I'm actually posting with a question someone here will hopefully be able to help me with being as I know jack-all about firearms. It seems the CIA don't have issued firearms but an agent can just carry whatever he wants around with him. What would be a realistic hand gun?

Scripting- done
Backgrounds-not today
But have some possible character design instead!

Out heroine. The little sketch in the bottom left is a profile of how she'll probably look in game. Top left is just a sketch to get myself in gear and right is outfit/body type.

wuts anatomy

I also have an ~entire~ lovely bottle of vicodin that I may use to induce nightmares should I need inspiration. Used a half pill last night and had my first experience with sleep paralysis/nightmare combos.
"Woke up" seeing pretty much this right in my face.

>>24103
oh god D:

Also re: realistic handguns-- I'm afraid that my knowledge of firearms is pretty much nonexistent, but I did a little googling and kept coming across the Ruger .22, which was very successful in the early fifties... might be a safe bet, but idk.

>>24032

Since it's a civilian woman, I'd say Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless. If you want any guards and agents or other people more likely to use more military oriented guns, Colt M1911.

>>24143>>24134

Thanks for the advice! I asked a military buddy I have online and he agreed that the M1911 would be the most likely choice.
Should have some new doodles up tonight. lowly working my way toward a design I like.

Personally, I'd think revolvers would be cooler and easier to use for story purposes (the six bullet thing). Civilians would likely have an M1917 while servicemen would more likely have a Smith & Wesson Model 10 or Colt Official Police. They all look pretty much the same though so whatever.

These are all American handguns since foreign ones would probably only be had as war trophies. In that case, fuck yeah Ruger.

>>24145

Dang, thanks Askal. I might go with the revolver.

Also proof I'm not sitting over here with my thumbs up my ass. Main character sheet. Trying to figure out how to HAAAAANNNDDDSSS

I got tired of drawing backgrounds so I drew characters! I'm fairly happy with these.

>kittyforemanandscout'smom.gif

Also drawing in Flash is much easier for things I'd have to draw from scratch every time. If ya'll hate the look, let me know!

>georgecostanzaandbillgates.gif

Cluttered up more of the rooms to make them seem more "alive". Working on more backgrounds, fearing for suggestions that involve looking at a room from more that 1 view. Ahhh why did I plan so many rooms.
Can anyone suggest some good clutter/wall coverings? I just don't want everything so look so bare and stark.

Posting the most improved two as examples

..I like this.
You've put a lot of effort into it. Looks nice. Sounds nice.

>>24401
She should have this on her wall. :D

>>24404

Thanks! I feel bad for not having more to show for it and for taking so long to get it up and running. Once summer (after may 12th) comes around I should have it ready.

>>24405

Using it!

One last thing for today.
Just for funsies, mostly.

No name for the receptionist yet!

And with these, the first floor...

...is done.

I lied I forgot the bathroom.

Also started on the second floor. I have been slacking really badly, so I'm going to use today to play catch up a little bit.

Also did a quick and sloppy test to see how well the flash drawn characters translated to photoshop .gifs.

Not bad!

Also did a different version of the banner

>>24717
Why is the TOILET STALL TEXT on the outside of the door? Shouldn't be on the inside?

>>24723
Lie: It's art, you don't get it.
Truth: I was being a lazy and didn't want to draw another "area".

I might cheat and use GIS to find a picture and then just add the BAWDY SCRIBBLES on there.

Gonna do that now, actually, being as I have the time.

>>24723

Also thanks for responding and the criticism! I know this is taking forever to get out and I'm terrified of sending out a shoddy product so I appreciate that people are still showing interest and helping me out.
I'm all insecure like that.

Obv. you can ask zoom in on any of the text in game, especially that tiny appealing red text

>blush upon reading bawdy scribbles
no
>vandalism! clean that smut off at once!

>press start button to begin game

>>25268

This is on a tiny haitus until after finals. Then in about 3 days I should be able to get the rest of my shit together and get this going.

Keep bugging me so I'll do work!

Actually, while I'm here what is a not hideous font to use for signs?

>>25271
Do you mean signs like you'd find around buildings? Probably just a nice plain sans serif font...

>>25274

Pretty much yeah.

Will look into.

>ADVENTURE AUGH

>>25389

Still finals! After After my final on Friday I'm going to try and churn a ton of shit out over the weekend. Then I only have one more final on Tues of next week and I want to have the adventure ready to go by that Friday.

Planning, yeah! It's coming I promise! Thank you for being patient with me and my silliness.

Well here are some more backgrounds I did because I felt like a jerk for not updating at all lately.

Only a few, sadly, but things should pick up!

>>25416
That's not how you spell personnel.

>>25430

WELL LOOK AT MISTER FANCY PANTS OVER HERE WITH HIS "CORRECT SPELLING" AND FANCY WORDS

oh god I'm retarded thank you

>>25415

Men and women's bunks right next to each other? Sounds like a recipe for NAUGHTY PEEPHOLES!

>>25433

Excuse me but these are PROFESSIONALS they don't have time for such NAUGHTINESS

girls are totally macking on dudes gonna use that, thanks!

So we've seen tons of the "normal" facility. Do you have anything from Nightmare-Mode yet?

>>25448
Also do you have anything to do with this.

http://www.mspaintadventures.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=7917&sid=b75b14c2cccc743ee13f4e444e001451

>>25448

Nothing on my computer, just a bunch of plans/ideas in my notebook waiting to be transferred over and a collection of nightmares I've jotted down but nothing completely fleshed out ready for human consumption.

Hopefully, or at least my logic thinks that, by planning the basics out ahead of time I'll have more time for planning/getting artsy stuff done ahead of time so updates don't take forever to do (plus my worst finals are done on Friday so I can kick it into gear and quit being such a lazy jerk) .

I'm also (because silly ambition) am trying to put together a handful of music tracks to accompany some updates. However my musical talent, even when just working with music loops and the like is dubious at best. Between that and working on my .gif learnings I'm hoping it won't turn out too lame!

When I start churning out nightmare stuff would you like to see it or would you rather it be kept under wraps until after it's shown in story?

>>25451

Nope!

>>25452
Yeah, you should probably hide it until it comes around in the adventure. Need the creep factor to there for when Crazy-Time rolls around.

Also,
>music
>gifs
yes

Whoa, I did stuff?!

Also have 2 music tracks done, one I like and one that's not so much my favorite but if I tinker with it anymore I'm going to lose it.

What made you decide to go with making the items in the world all gray-scale pictures?

>>25484

Actually, a couple things. First and foremost, I needed some way to catch the readers attention and decided that easiest way to do this was by having sudden bursts of color (such as the red in the sign above) and make them think about why something is so starkly different compared to the rest of the environment. Like in the Hanna-Barbara cartoons when something that would be used by the characters would be brighter then the rest of the dim background.

Second, I was trying to think of a way to establish the setting besides simply saying "IT IS 1953 WHAT DO". Besides black and white/grayscale being trope shorthand for "this is set in the past", its a little reminiscent of a TV set from the era. Hopefully it helps set the scene a little more.

And lastly it makes it ridiculously easier for me so I don't have to color much and hopefully make updates faster because I'm a lazy.

im seeing lots of backgrounds but not many standardized positions for foreground objects/characters

i suppose you might want to be keeping them secret, though

>>25499

>>25499

I'm kinda planning to draw them by hand as I go. I draw them in Flash 8 which has those great-for-lazy-jerks anti-aliased brush tools and then just transfer them over to the background in photoshop so it really takes little time at all to do.

Nothing secret on those, really!

Should have some updates up today, more backgrounds, sadly. Maybe I'll upload some not spoilery sketchbook bits if anyone's interested?

>>25534
Just spoiler tag 'em.

>>25537

Will do when I can make my way to the scanner tonight! For now a few more backgrounds. I'm pretty much on schedule for starting, which is surprising beings as I thought school held me up a lot.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:
Tonight: upload a few sketches (ahhhh they are bad)
Tomorrow (5/10)-Wednesday (5/12): Finish the last few rooms you can enter from the start of the game between studying for my last final. THE BORING BACKGROUNDS ARE ALMOST OVER YAY.
Thurs: I want to do a quick practice run with you guys! I'll maybe do it (depending on how many people respond and how long it takes me to do) until Friday night.
Sat.: Game start on the MSPA forums!

ahhhhhhh I'm nervous ahhhhh what if it sucks ahhhhh

Whoops forgot my hats

>>25554

Delicious soda

old timey sodaaaaaaa

>>25593

Best type of soda.

Also the scanner decided late last night that it was a PRINTER ONLY so as soon as I slap some sense into it I'll get those stupid scans up.

>>25553
>Game start on the MSPA forums!
GO TIME

To counteract the usual update of boring background shit here is some awful music for you to jam to!

And by music I mean free domain loop and music mixing. bluh i have no ear for music at all

I did two more tracks today.

http://www.mediafire.com/?2ookiimywt3

Mild spoilers, I guess.
#1 is intro music
#2 is old timey radio music to play on the radio that's goin to be in one of the rooms
#3 is sort of obvious
#4 is the receptionist's little song!

So yeah, critique away so I can make changes and improve future tracks. I doubt I'm going to tinker with any of these anymore (because I am sick of them) unless they cause you to seize on the ground and foam at the mouth from the horror.

>>25621

Also mild spoilers on track 3 but nothing too horrible you'll see in game ok geeze

>You have entered the WOMEN'S QUARTERS where you go to get away from the rest of the world after a hard day's work. You and your insufferable bunk mate have taken to using the walls as the war zone in your brave fight against the nefarious forces of bad taste. To counter her garish display of HOLLYWOOD HUNK worship, you fired back with a few TASTEFUL AND INOFFENSIVE STYLISH POSTERS of your own. You think they really tied the place together. She had the gall to refer to your COLLECTION as "stupid".
>honestly who does she even think she is huh
>let's see whos stupid after you give willie holden a glorious ink mustache

>>25625
>resist urge to draw crudely-rendered dongs on willie holden's face

Oh yeah, does our heroine have a name, or will the readers be giving her one once the story begins?

>>25700

>You fail miserably.

Players give her one. Characters just have working names right now.

>examine 3D glasses.

>>25704

>Oh you'll examine those glasses...WITH YOUR ENTIRE FACE.

>Oh the glorious wonders of technology. Not only can you now experience your favorite FILMS in the third (and best) dimension but you can also look goddamn good.

>Time to strut.

>>25716

>Your STRUT is brought to an abrupt end when you are accosted by an AGENT with much more stylish shades than you. He raises an eyebrow and suggests you at least pretend like you're working.
>You sheepishly realize that perhaps dual tone paper glasses are not the height of fashion.

>>25718
>don't take this from HIM. this shit is coming back!

also

>examine contents of pocket.

>>25718
>flip him off
>steal his shades
>wear them over the 3d ones

>>25732
>>25739

>In a sudden burst of ego induced fashion fury you assault a federal agent. With a soft, childish whimper, he crumples to the floor like kite made of wet tissue paper.
>You take a moment steal his sweet shades, leaving him with only his vastly inferior BACKUP BIFOCALS.

>>25742

>You leave him to cry like the big dumb baby he is.
>You have acquired the FEDERAL NOVELTY FRAMES
>You are amazing.

>>25743
>>examine contents of pocket

>Looks like you have a tube of red LIPSTICK, some POCKET CHANGE, a GOURD, some PAINKILLERS and your LOW-RANKING EMPLOYEE KEY which allows you access you only a handful of the building's many tantalizing secret rooms.

>Where to next?

>>25744
>walk through Large door.

>>25744
>You're a nurse! Stop shirking your responsibilities and nurse something!

>>25748

>walk through Large door.

>As much as you like to go screw around outside, the sad fact remains that there is work to be done.
>You vow to return. Someday.

>>25756

>But enough dawdling! There are lives to be saved, dammit!
>You and your cool shades head up the elevator into the tiny ward where your only patient lies.
>He's not looking too good, but you try to put on a happy face anyway.

>>25762
>turn on the television, perhaps a televised show can cheer him up

>>25772

>Looks like the TVs already on, actually.
>He must be dying slowly and agonizingly laying on the remote. We're flipping through channels really fast.
>Oooh! Howdy Doody's on!
I feel like a total ass for saying this but this might go up on the MSPA forums later than expected. I wante dto get it up tomorrow but i have developed a virulent case of the flu. At the latest it WILL go up on Sunday. I will force it too.
Also thank you all so much for the suggestions! I've been trying to make .gifs of as many as I can manage so I can force myself to improve. Sorry it just kind of silly-diculous right now, but it awesome practice and fun for me!
Is there anything in particular to improve on?

>>25762
>Nurse like you've never nursed before!