VN Ren'Py Cocky Me (handmade claymation-style) [Sighbug] [Development Thread]

[Sighbug]

TL;DR​

SighBug here, I'm currently experimenting with claymation-style visual novel "Cocky Me" . The creation primarily features handmade set and puppets, complemented by real lighting, as well as stop-motion animation with erotic content.

Spoiler: Why i do

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Spoiler: How to do

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About "Cocky Me"​

• Heads Up​

The adult visual novel "Cocky Me" is my first project, and I hope it won't be the last. The scale will be small because a newbie like me should avoid being overly ambitious, to prevent the project from becoming too complex and time-consuming.

Moreover, due to space constraints (I don't have extra room for another physical set), the entire story will take place in a single scene. Our MC will not leave this scene; the only thing that will progress is the story's timeline.

This is a challenge for story writing, but it's also a design necessity. At the same time, it will be a kinetic novel. There will be some choices, which won’t affect the story or characters at all, but will provide players with the illusion of having choices and serve as save points.

BTW, English is not my native language, but I'm using AI translation effectively to convey my intended meaning as accurately as possible.

• Story and the tone​

To be honest, I don’t want to reveal too many story details. Saying too much will ruin the surprise. But to put it simply, our protagonist is a penis, literally.

If you are familiar with Kafkaesque nightmares, you’ll have a rough idea of how the story will unfold.

As for the story’s tone, it is an absurd and satirical realist drama. The main storyline revolves around the protagonist's internal monologue and the reactions and changes of the characters around him due to his predicament.

If you really want to know the story, here is the synopsis.

Spoiler: Synopsis

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• Project Length and the expected release time for EP1​

The overall story is already finalized, and I know the ending clearly. It's expected to be wrapped up in 5-6 episodes, so the story isn't too lengthy. I aim to avoid dragging it out unnecessarily and will ensure a tight and compact narrative. During this period, I'll focus on learning and honing various necessary skills and techniques, optimizing the production process, and so on, to improve my performance in the next project.

The sole set of this visual novel is already complete. However, aspects such as puppet design, production for other physical shoots, and more are still being explored. Therefore, I've decided to release EP1 in two parts, allowing me some buffer space to handle ongoing production challenges while continuing to work on it.

Currently, the first half of Episode 1 has entered experimental filming. If all goes well, including integrating the text and images into Ren'Py, I anticipate releasing it by the end of August. However, this is just an estimate. I expect to provide a more accurate release schedule soon.

• Characters​

The entire story, apart from the MC, includes a total of 4 female and 1 male characters. Currently, the puppet designs for two female characters have been tentatively confirmed, with potential aesthetic adjustments still under consideration.

After all, the current puppet designs are far from the attractive ideal I envision, leaving significant room for improvement. But based on the development deadline, I just have to accept the limitations of my current sculpting skills and ultimately lean towards a not ideal but stylized approach.

I will show improvement in my next work and enhance the overall aesthetic appeal by then.

Spoiler: Showcase

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• Visuals, animation, music, and sound effects​

As you all know now, since it's real scene creation, every photo is taken under real lighting, featuring real interactive scenes with pose-able puppets.

Spoiler: Set

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80% of the set objects are handmade by me, will using a classic three-point lighting setup. Currently, the approach to using music and sound effects is unclear and still being explored.

About animation, yes, there will be stop motion animation of lewd scenes. But don't expect too much, as everything is still in the experimental and learning stages.

• Future plans and tasks​

During the "Cocky Me" development phase and beyond, I plan to enhance various production and animation techniques. I will honestly confront my fetish by creating puppets like an alien girl, Cyborg girl and others, and exploring various shorter stop motion animation experiments. In short, I don't see what I'm doing now as just a hobby; rather, it's a career path I envision for the long term.

If my plans, my first project "Cocky Me," and my vision resonate with you, I would greatly appreciate any support and encouragement now or in the future.
Although it's currently only in the early stage, if you still wish to support me, acknowledge my potential for development, and are willing to provide practical support, please visit the subscribe page to choose any plan or simply follow me , thank you.

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[osanaiko]

Finally, some actual real original content. Keep going, I beg you!

 

[Sighbug]

View attachment 3900353

Finally, some actual real original content. Keep going, I beg you!

Thank you for the reply! Dev of The Moorcock Incident! Mine will be releasing the initial version this month. I hope your game development goes smoothly as well!

 

[Sighbug]

0807 Update:

The phased (ep1-partA) shooting is complete, and I'm working on the coding, albeit a bit slowly since I'm a complete beginner. However, things are going well, and I expect to release the initial version this month after final editing work for some photos.

Here are some actual shooting.

(Although I made some setting errors, I initially shot in 4K resolution. However, when importing into Ren'Py, I encountered screen size issues. As a result, I had to adjust to a 2048x1080 format. For part B, I will shoot directly in 1920x1080 format.)

 

[osanaiko]

Honestly, this is amazing. I'm staggered by the audacity of just the concept of doing a real-world claymation adult game.

And from the sample images you've shared it actually looks like it's got some goddamn quality effort going into everything - the details of the background set! the care around the camera shot framing and angles!

Regardless of the eventual success or otherwise (cue the muppets complaining that the characters are "ugly"), this is going to leave a mark on history. I'm looking forward to seeing the results...

 

[Inkshade]

This remind me of Wallace & Gromit for some reason...
And tbh I would be a lot more interest in this if it wasnt an AVN... The artist side of me is saying "I wish I have the ball to do a porn claymation visual novel" like this guy, but the market analytic side of me is feeling this is the wrong product for a wrong market...

Claymation/stopmotion and miniature have an extremely niche audience, on top of that Visual Novel itself is still a niche market, and then adult visual novel is even more niche. 99% of AVN consummers will just immediately disregard this due to the artstyle, and the mainstream gamer will immediately disregard this because it's a porn game
I feel like if you just ditch the porn aspect, and just focus primarily on the claymation and the kafkaesque nightmare story telling and you might get yourself a cult following on Steam or something... otherwise you are setting yourself up for a financial failure...

 

[osanaiko]

Claymation kafka porn - this is fucking art man, let's not talk about financial failure. There is no way the dev is doing this to become rich - and preceisely because of this reason, it's going to be REAL.

And funnily enough, REAL shit is exactly what is needed to become some sort of cult following. Of course, no guarantees of anything, but it is certainly the price of entry. There's no way some shit AI asset flip would win a following, but something like this, built by the tears and efforts of a madman ... there's a chance.

 

[Sighbug]

This remind me of Wallace & Gromit for some reason...
And tbh I would be a lot more interest in this if it wasnt an AVN... The artist side of me is saying "I wish I have the ball to do a porn claymation visual novel" like this guy, but the market analytic side of me is feeling this is the wrong product for a wrong market...

Claymation/stopmotion and miniature have an extremely niche audience, on top of that Visual Novel itself is still a niche market, and then adult visual novel is even more niche. 99% of AVN consummers will just immediately disregard this due to the artstyle, and the mainstream gamer will immediately disregard this because it's a porn game
I feel like if you just ditch the porn aspect, and just focus primarily on the claymation and the kafkaesque nightmare story telling and you might get yourself a cult following on Steam or something... otherwise you are setting yourself up for a financial failure...

Thank you for your insightful response!

Indeed, using this method to create an AVN might seem like a bit of a waste, but after all, it's still just an initial experiment. Besides, if I can create an AVN without worrying too much about success or failure, then what else can't I do?

However, creating non-adult content VN is indeed part of my future plans. To be precise, whether it's adult or non-adult content, or even more extreme and unconventional themes. For example, mimicking the SCP series, the Backrooms series, or Lovecraftian themes, among other subcultures.

I believe there is potential to explore all possibilities.

 

[Sighbug]

Claymation kafka porn - this is fucking art man, let's not talk about financial failure. There is no way the dev is doing this to become rich - and preceisely because of this reason, it's going to be REAL.

And funnily enough, REAL shit is exactly what is needed to become some sort of cult following. Of course, no guarantees of anything, but it is certainly the price of entry. There's no way some shit AI asset flip would win a following, but something like this, built by the tears and efforts of a madman ... there's a chance.

Dude, you’re already a bit excited even before seeing the initial version. Are you hinting at wanting to be the number one fan of Sighbug himself? Please lower your expectations to avoid getting hurt.

And yes, money is great, earning it is wonderful. I wouldn't mind if my creations in the future allowed me to lie on a Hawaiian beach and my account is filled with currency. But as you said, making money is definitely not my primary goal.

 

[Inkshade]

if I can create an AVN without worrying too much about success or failure, then what else can't I do?

That's a very fucking based mentality tbh, I wish you the best o7.

 

[osanaiko]

Dude, you’re already a bit excited even before seeing the initial version. Are you hinting at wanting to be the number one fan of Sighbug himself? Please lower your expectations to avoid getting hurt.

Haha, i am perhaps a bit overexcited.

I get quite pissed off at some of the whiny, entitled, pencil-dicked morons who complain about dev's being "lazy", when actually they have no fucking idea how much work is involved . It's just so disrespectful considering 95% of them won't pay a single cent to support the developers. It then gets worse when random anons appear and whine about this fetish or that fetish, somehow convincing themselves that even one single person gives a shit about catering to their specific narrow subset of kinks - and all of these bullshit complaints are made in game or dev threads when it would be perfectly easy to NOT say anything and spend the same effort looking for a game that DID already include their desired content .

So, when I see something that I think is cool, I'm VERY ready to encourage the developer. And in this case (as I have stated multiple times ) I think this is a crazy and unique idea, so I want to support you in a way that I can. I know it's just words, but I can see the obvious effort that's already been put into this work, and I respect that.

So good luck to you Sighbug , may the play-doh forever be at your command.

 

[Sighbug]

0812 Update:


"As you can see, I’ve made (handmade of course...) a simple progress board which I will use to report the project’s development in the future. Again, as you can see, 'Cocky Me' EP1 - Part A is complete, and I’m doing the final checks. If all goes well, there’s a 99.9% chance I’ll announce the initial release tomorrow. Watch the thread if you don’t want to miss it!"

 

[Sighbug]

0813 Update:

Cocky Me EP1-PartA (v1.0 initial release) is now available!
(PC, MAC, ANDROID)

OK, the world's first handcrafted AVN, made with clay puppets and miniature sets, has finally taken its first step. But as the newbie developer, I’m fully aware of my shortcomings and the room for improvement, but I’ve given it my all.

As I mentioned before, EP1 is split into two parts due to development considerations. The experience time for Part A isn’t long—depending on your reading speed, I’d estimate it to be around 20 to 30 minutes. I’ve also done my best to avoid long-winded text blocks, ensuring that each segment is engaging and contributes to the story's progression. If you have a spare half hour, I invite you to give my work a try.

As for Part B, I can confirm that only minor adjustments are needed for the script. I could actually start working on Part B right away, but depending on the feedback from Part A, its production might be delayed as I plan to conduct some experiments with puppets and further trials with stop-motion shorts.


"Let me open a new window for you..."


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MAC

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ANDROID

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LINUX

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[osanaiko]

Aaaand that was even more surreal than I was expecting. Loved it.

- the use of actual photography gives it a sense of realistic place that's unachievable with digital means
- the figures are of course "unnatural", but that doesn't matter at all. the posing and shooting angles are remarkably good at bringing the characters to life.
- the story is truly weird but so far internally consistent.

A small number of feedback items:
1. a few grammatical fumbles, particularly in the prologue. Definitely needs a re-read with a critical eye. (the "But ... but ..."
sentence is an example)
2. before MC passed out, the internal monologue said the letter board had a message written on it, but then it had nothing when visible in that or subsequent shots until MC again wrote something on there in front of the others.
3. Some dialogue lines are too long and cause the text to spill onto a fifth row and cover the quick menu. better to split those into two sequential lines.
4. the Leah character's "noot noot" move was surprising to say the least. For me it kind of broke the immersion a bit, as up to that point there had been no deliberate sight gags (apart from the balls-out obvious one)

 

[Sighbug]

Aaaand that was even more surreal than I was expecting. Loved it.

- the use of actual photography gives it a sense of realistic place that's unachievable with digital means
- the figures are of course "unnatural", but that doesn't matter at all. the posing and shooting angles are remarkably good at bringing the characters to life.
- the story is truly weird but so far internally consistent.

A small number of feedback items:
1. a few grammatical fumbles, particularly in the prologue. Definitely needs a re-read with a critical eye. (the "But ... but ..."
sentence is an example)
2. before MC passed out, the internal monologue said the letter board had a message written on it, but then it had nothing when visible in that or subsequent shots until MC again wrote something on there in front of the others.
3. Some dialogue lines are too long and cause the text to spill onto a fifth row and cover the quick menu. better to split those into two sequential lines.
4. the Leah character's "noot noot" move was surprising to say the least. For me it kind of broke the immersion a bit, as up to that point there had been no deliberate sight gags (apart from the balls-out obvious one)

As always, Osanaiko, thank you for your prompt response and your sharp, spot-on critique. Even though it's the first day of release, I wasn’t expecting any feedback, but your insightful comments are a tremendous encouragement. Thank you.

Let me address your points one by one.

1. About the grammatical fumbles, I’ll see what I can do. As you probably know, English isn’t my native language, but I’ll do my best to avoid any grammatical mistakes.

2. I have to say, your insight is really sharp. Although I noticed the contradiction between the description and the visuals earlier, you're right. After that line of monologue, the message from the MC doesn't actually appear on the letterboard. I was hoping no one would catch it, so I overlooked it. I'll make sure to fix that monologue in a future release."

3. Yes, I noticed that myself earlier as well. I actually did break down many long sentences into shorter ones, but it seems I became a bit numb after reviewing the text so many times, leading me to overlook some sentences that are still too long. I'll make sure to revise those in a future release.

4.I didn't anticipate Leah's sudden BJ would break the immersion. Honestly, in my imagination, I thought players would get used to the visual presentation of the puppets, so your observation caught me off guard.

Sadly, the 'noot noot' move is due to the limitations of the puppet's technical design. The nature of puppetry makes even a simple dong suck action involve many considerations. To be precise, any action that typically involves 'entering a part of the human body' is extremely difficult to achieve in the real world, especially with clay-based puppets.

In my structural design, there is no room for the puppet to engulf an object in its mouth. Well, unless I make the puppet's head out of latex, but that's a big step in the evolution of puppet-making procedures. I would love to advance to making latex puppets, but at the current stage, I can only accept the inherent limitations of the clay puppets.

I have no choice; you'll see more similar presentations. I absolutely won't admit this is the pinnacle of stop-motion animation for kids in a Pingu style of pornography; I'll only admit I've been too influenced by images of Octopus-mouth-shaped BJ.

But I think, over time, people will get used to this kind of visual presentation. I hope so, really.

 

[Sighbug]

0828 Update:

In about a week, my Busty Xenomorph puppet experiment including stop-motion short-clips will be done, after which I will move on to the production and shooting of Part B. The beta is expected to be released by the end of September, with the public release around mid-October.

(I'm not sure if you can see it clearly, but in the middle bottom of the image is our MC the dick monster from Cocky Me. With this size comparison, you can probably tell that this puppet is actually quite large...)

Check my Patreon page if you want to know more.

 

[Sighbug]

0922 Update:

"COCKY ME EP1 Part-B" RAW version coming soon!

(It looks like Erica got caught. Did she do something "bad"?)

(Are they talking about something important? Leah's even taking notes?)

(Who is it? Who's sneaking around to visit the MC in the middle of the night?)



I worked my ass off, and I’m finally down to the last scene. The entire shooting for EP1 Part B will be wrapped up in about a day or two. As expected, there were some issues during shooting, but I managed to solve them one by one.

If all goes well, after the shooting is done, I’ll immediately dump everything into Ren'Py. The BETA, or RAW version, is expected to be released this weekend for Scorpion-tier members.

What is the BETA, aka RAW version? Well, since my shooting is based in the real world, to speed up the process, I don’t spend much time fixing the clay cracks caused by the puppets’ movement during shooting, as that takes too much time. Detailed fixes are much easier to handle in post-production.

So, all photos need to go through Photoshop editing to erase any visible flaws for visual appeal. This work, though simple, is tedious, time-consuming, and boring.

Therefore, the RAW version is the unedited version of the photos, but that’s the only difference from the official version.

In conclusion, if you’ve got some bucks to spare, don’t mind the visual flaws, and want to be the first to experience Cocky Me and see how the story progresses, feel free to subscribe to the Scorpion-tier membership.

If you think it’s too expensive, no worries! The official version will soon be rolled out to Grasshopper-tier, Dragonfly-tier, and so on. And even if you feel subscribing is a waste of money, the public version is expected to be released by mid-October. You can subscribe as a free member to get the latest updates of Cocky Me as soon as they’re available.



(I’ll provide changelog when the official version is released, but in short, Part B mainly focuses on lewd scenes.)

 

[Sighbug]

0925 Update:
"COCKY ME EP1 Part B" raw version is now released for Scorpion tier members.

About half an hour of content to experience.

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[Sighbug]

0926 Update:
"COCKY ME EP1 Part B" Changelog and Official release schedule and dates.

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Changelog of EP1 Part B
Around 30 minutes of content
Newly design armature for Erica and Leah with new appearances
Over 3XX photos
3 lewd scenes for Erica
1 lewd scene for Leah
Total of 4 sets of stop-motion animations
Completion of episode 1
Revise some long sentences in Part A

Release schedule
Grasshopper-tier on September 29th.
Dragonfly-tier on October 6th.
Bee-tier on October 10th.
Public release will be on October 13th, Sunday.

 

[Sighbug]

Update:

Somehow, I was able to wrap and upload it early. Grasshopper tier can download the official version now. The rest of the release schedule will also be moved up. Hope you all enjoy the fruits of my labor. Now, I need to take a good break. Peace.

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