I use Clip Studio Paint and Aseprite. On my iPad for pixel art, I use Pixsquare which I assume is an Aseprite fork. There's some other Aseprite forks on the app store too. I also sometimes use Toonsquid for basic animation/storyboarding. Both of these programs cost money though. There's free Aseprite forks out there because Aseprite can be freely compiled and is/was FOSS though I don't think there's any on the app store.
The main brushes I use are the default CSP oil brush (I actually change the settings based on what I need at the time), and I also like to use Teromeeka sometimes.
Pages with lots of information are usually made with a combination of PHP and SQL databases. A lot of my pages have frontends but some I edit directly in the database.
Q: Why does your work have so many typos?
Because I have migraines that deterioate my cognition which includes my typing amongst other things. I have migraines basically 24/7 and a lot of my work is made for relatively short jams.
People often look over my work, but editing is more complicated than that for the kind of long narrative work I create as a chronically ill sole developer. More details are here. You are free to ask for more details but do be aware it is a sour topic for me so I can be a bit cunty when I talk about it but do know it an expression of frustration towards my pain rather than at others (for the most part).
I'm working on Steam releases of some of my visual novels and have a beta readers and editor for those! This is possible because of the financial support of my Patrons. Thank you!
Q: Why are the Cake Sisters not normal?
LOL. If you are asking this, you are in minority of people who have played both Devil's Food and Ommatophilia. Let's discuss this now LOL.
It's a question that is very hard for me to answer because of the above.. it really is just that I just don't think Ommatophilia is finished and Devil's Food is a project from high school.. I also want to make more stories about the Cakes' or that have them present but I haven't gotten around to it. I do have one small wip project I keep making deadlines for and not finishing haha.
Q: How did you make friends in developer spaces / in spite of mental illness / etc?
There isn't really a single answer. I think about it a bit logically because I am autistic, but even then, a lot is vibe-focused. However, to me, it all boils down to engagement.
Frequently, I imagine relationships on these scales, and I try to hold others to the same standard as myself. Friendships vary in how you engage with each other. I talk to some friends not that frequently, others I talk to a lot, and some I catch up with from time to time but these states we are all comfortable with. With some friends, if they became less present in my life, I would not be happy about it.
When the scale becomes unbalanced, I either give up on the friendship, try to communicate, or the scale has been unbalanced for so long that I have a mentally ill girl moment (smiles). I try hard not to get to the last point, generally though. When it occurs, I generally feel disrespected at this point in my adult life.
I've been in therapy for an extremely long time, and I've cultivated my long-term friendships. I have friends who have not seen the depths of my mental illness, but others who have. It has been a long ordeal. There is no clear answer. I've also accepted that I am extremely strange and annoying when I am not masking at times.
I do not try to talk to people who merely tolerate me because it makes me extremely depressed, and I challenge opinions big or small rather than trying to be railroaded, which helps me not to explode. Even then, I am not perfect. I have to relearn the stuff I've taught myself over and over again haha.
There's other general advice but ah, people vary so much. My clinical approach is therapeutic, but it fails to acknowledge the variety of humans. A friendship you hoped to cultivate may fail. You reflect on it. You move on. I have more ramblings about it under social.
Q: How do I get started with web development?
Well, the question is kind of all over, but everyone should learn basic HTML/CSS! You can just fuck with existing templates before you start, but I prefer being a bit more methodical..
These are the resources I used at the time of ophanimkei.com's creation!
Don't worry too much though. Anyone with a brain can learn basic HTML/CSS. They're nothing like other programming languages- hence basically everyone having a website! JavaScript can get complex but most indie web developers don't need to worry about that~ PHP is something else.
I may have other elaborations under web dev.
Q: How do I start making games like you?
I make games in a variety of engines so this question is difficult, so I tackle it in a few sections:
I've made other games but they're less popular so I am not going to worry about them smiles. I may have more elaborations under game dev.
I think for a while. I write down things in my journal (characters, story arcs, ending). I write the story in Google Docs. I often picture the characters in my head then just go straight to drawing the sprites, but sometimes I need to sketch if I am struggling. I sometimes make a list of assets too especially for game jams.
Q: Why don't you use Renpy anymore?
While I managed to reach a state of profiency with Renpy due to using it for many years, I felt it was not the engine I wanted to move forward it for various reasons.
I am not opposed to its use and still think it's the best VN development tool to start out with due to its community, tutorials, and its ease of use (a pro of Python). I still miss Screen language. She is so beautiful. I may go back to it for a longer more complex project.
This just happens also. I am reaching a similar state with RPG Maker slowly but surely. I really do enjoy Godot in a way I haven't enjoyed many other tools. It is just a general purpose engine though so it can be a bit scary for beginners.. I like it for small projects but there are still other better beginner engines for small browser narrative experiences like Videotome and Twine.
Storytelling is all I have and is my motivation for living and if I could not tell stories then my life would be over. I first became proficient with computers at a young age (like 9-10) because I wanted to write stories, and I started drawing to assist my stories. Everything is for the sake of it. When I feel like I might not make stories anymore, I remind myself that one day I will die. I need to make art while I still can.
I don't wanna answer questions about possibilities unless you are doing a task and actively struggling with it and even then, nowadays, I tend to be busy due to being disabled and in poverty.
You can send me stuff in this askbox or in my guestbook!!! I don't have DMs on on most SNS because of various reasons but I do have an email I check pretty often (ophanimkei@disroot.org) too but 50/50 chance of me responding because I experience a lot of physical pain.