INTERVIEW: Starbeam Studio - Harem Protagonist - Page 2 of 2

harem_protagonist_cheebers_by_cuddle_beam-da9rjch — Chibi Harems are cute!

OR: You mention that there will eventually be an H-patch down the road. How much content are you hoping to add through this patch?

SS: Enough to satisfy those who would like to play it. Given that it would be a separate thing, adding more H-patches with more content is an option, so I’m not too concerned.

OR: Will the H-patch be free or will it be sold for an additional cost?

SS: Free.

OR: Will the stretch goals influence the content of the H-patch at all, and if so to what degree?

SS: Yes, because assets made for stretch goals can be used/modified for the H-patch. So, for example, if we hit the Maid Mode stretch goal, adding maid-themed content for the H-patch would be possible.

OR: What would the touch mode be like if that goal is met?

SS: Something like Senran Kagura’s Dressing Room, but with the Live2D girls.

OR: When do you hope to have Harem Protagonist finished and released?

SS: Winter 2016, that would be the dream. However, I have posted on the KS that we will deliver [by] July 2017 at the latest.

My favorite answer of the entire interview – Crystal

OR: What would you say to feminists claiming such games hurt women’s image?

SS: Nothing, they’re free to think as they wish.

OR: The KickStarter says the full game will cover up to a full year of life in the game what will that translate into game hours? How long will each playthrough take? (approx of course)

SS: About 5h-10h if you’re aiming to get the one waifu and steamroll to the juicy parts. Double to triple that if you want to get more in-depth into plot and subtleties.

OR: Why did you go with Live2D art instead of something more traditional?

SS: Ambition. I wanted to make a more interesting experience than static sprites – Live2D animation allows me to do precisely that.

OR: Why did you go with Unity instead of other visual novel engines, like Ren’Py?

SS: Because Live2D in Ren’py lacks important features. They have to be imported as a kind of movie file, instead of being “built” within the program, which is extremely limiting. In Unity, I can have live physics, randomized blinking, transitions from any pose or motion to any other via spline interpolation, etc. In Ren’py I can’t do that. Unity is immensely more powerful.

OR: Kiyoko seems to just want to give you a hug… and never stop hugging you. In how much mortal danger are you around her?

SS: Absolutely none and I guarantee you that there is no orange-haired girl with a knife at my throat right now.

OR: What’s the story behind Ayano’s jacket hanging off one arm?

SS: She is a bit absent-minded, and the jacket-hanging thing is a visual metaphor for that trait.

OR: You note that Hotaru is very skilled with her hands. So is she more likely to build a giant robot or would she rather find and rebuild a tank for competition purposes?

SS: GIANTO ROBOTTOOOO!

OR: With Satomi being a shy cook, how hard is it going to be to get her to prepare the traditional school lunch box for you?

SS: Aaaah that actually happens in the current script, I’m not going to spoil it ohohoho.

Harem Protagonist — Flat is justice! I see what you did there.

OR: How did you come up with the title of “Paranormal Investigator Loli” for Ava and is it as awesome as it sounds?

SS: One day it just hit me lol. She is actually the first character I came up with.

OR: Sakaguchi looks very dedicated to her training. Will there be a montage of you either training with her, or coaching her to victory?

SS: I’ll keep my tiger’s eye on the watch for this one.

OR: While the overall tone is over the top and silly, the characters do seem to have complex issues from what you’ve shown in the demo. Such as Izumi’s body image and Ayano being bullied. How big a role in the overall story will elements like this play?

SS: There are different things that players strive to get from Harem Protagonist, and while retaining the core identity of the game, these scenes aim to round out the experience.

OR: What character tropes were designed from other characters in gaming or anime?

SS: Nearly all of them. Kiyoko has taken from Marika Tachibana from Nisekoi, Gasai Yuno from Mirai Nikki and more, Izumi has taken from Ayame Reikadou from Noucome and Meiko Shiraki from Prison School, etc.

OR: Do those giant breasts hurt her back and does she need a brace of any sort?

SS: Nope lol

OR: The girls are all of a different body type, what made you go this route rather than the standard one size fits all route that a lot of VN’s are going with?

SS: Variety. I wanted each character to be distinct and unique.

OR: How did you come up with the idea to include a boobs physics slider in a VN?

SS: One of the funnest parts of working on the girl’s Live2D Models for me was to control the physics parameters. It’s just hypnotic lol, it’s like the effect catnip has on cats but… Boobs. I was sure that others would enjoy it a lot as well so I decided to include it!