'With or Without You' is a short BL horror game I'm currently working on for this year's NaNoRenO game jam. It has some fantasy and mystery elements, as well as some mild psychological horror.

This is just a chill thread to share my development progress over the next few days.

Premise:
You are an heir raised by a gentle butler in a secluded hillside manor. You're preparing a surprise gift for the butler's birthday when you stumble across an armed intruder. He says he's here to "save" you... from what?

The actual story's kind of trippy, but it works for short-form fiction like this.

The tl;dr is that the butler is a demon in Inferno fattening up the protagonist to eat. He does this to a new soul every few years. The intruder is one who got away and knows how to escape the demon's illusion, but he has to earn the player's trust to save them.

I was going for Hansel & Gretel vibes but ended up recreating that one arc in The Promised Neverland instead ;-;

Most of the endings are bad. There's a few neutrals and one good one. So long as the player picks up every item, avoids the butler, and saves the intruder, they'll survive.

Here's some early concept art of the characters.

I haven't decided if there's going to be a demon version of the protagonist yet. (He's technically also a condemned soul, but the butler's illusion and false memories are based on Earth.) If he has one, it wouldn't be treated like a big deal, just a minor sprite change after the escape.

(The game is SFW. They're only nude in these because I'm trying to figure out how to translate "stray dog," "overfed brat," and "sturdy servant" to body types lmao)

I accidentally collapsed the protagonist's chest in >>3. That's him in the moment before his torso gets pulled into a black hole or something lmfao

This is slightly more anatomically correct.

Here's the spreadsheet I'm working in for the current draft (it's the second or third, so most of the core logic has already been worked out).

The stuff there is by no means final, though.

The "Series Grid" is an organizing/plotting technique used by traditional authors to track events, themes, recurring words, relationships, etc. throughout a story.

The "Script" sheet is the actual writing (dialogue, which sprite shows up when, etc). I also plan on doing the bulk of the coding in there.

The "Assets" sheet is for tracking things that need to be consistently named in the script (art/audio assets, variables, etc).

I'm trying to figure out how to organize the writing itself. As I realized in my last few attempts at scripting this game (in the previous drafts), there's a lot that happens between the outline and script.

I tend to lose track of important information that comes up during the writing process but isn't necessarily relevant to the overarching story (like the subtleties of how a character feels in a scene or why they're making the expression they are, and so on), which can make the story feel inconsistent or open up plot holes.

I might add a "writing" column to the series grid spreadsheet and gradually add scene drafts there. It'll be easier to see how they're related to the overarching story that way, and I can hop from scene to scene without a ton of scrolling. The branching path formatting is also already built in.

I can maybe add some nested columns next to it and track whatever else I need to remember there (ex: "character YM is showing a 'dark' expression because they're thinking deeply about what's happened as a result of x choice... this reflection will continue through the next few scenes, so that modifier would stay in the sprites and affect their mood/behavior.", or w/e)

When I'm ready to do the dialogue proper, I can move to the dedicated scripting sheet.

I added the drafting section mentioned in >>8 and removed all the excess rows/columns yesterday, so the spreadsheet is easier to navigate and doesn't freeze every ten seconds.

This morning, I did some research on different organizational techniques (mostly a refresher on what I already know). The project has definitely been on the right path.

I have four main concerns at the moment:
1) ensuring the main themes (horror & romance) come across clearly,
2) fleshing out the characters in more detail (for consistency),
3) having a clear understanding of what each sprite expression is,
4) and starting the current draft of the story.

For #1, I added another series to the grid ("romance vibes") and will be going through the document one more time to update the "romance vibes" and "horror vibes" with more ideas and detailed information.

For #2, I drafted up a character skeleton that should give me the basic info I need to show these characters in more depth. I'll be adding this as a sheet and filling it in for all three boos shortly.

For #3, I'm going to dig through manga with really expressive, well-drawn faces (Bungou Stray Dogs, D. Gray-Man, Pandora Hearts) for references.

For #4) I'm going to treat the next draft like a part of the outline that can be iterated on at any point and not worry about it too much.

^ and a quick sketch of the mc with horns

I added a relationship grid sheet.

It's not really necessary for this particular story (since I plotted out the relationship details that matter in the series grid), but I wanted to try it out anyway.

It might be a useful technique for organizing the relationships in my bigger stories & these small-scale works are a good way to test it out.

(Also, I just realized that you can't expand rows/columns in view-only mode. You have to save a copy to your own Drive account and open it in edit mode.)

>>11 Well, I say it's not necessary, but it's actually helping me get past some blocks I'm having with the character sheets.

I'm finding it a lot easier to plot out the initial meetings between YM/Butler/Intruder in this format. I think the scene breakdown and visual progression of time are helping (vs trying to explain the their entire relationship history in one big paragraph).

The game will probably not be done before the nano submissions page closes, but I'm going to keep working on it at a jam pace anyway.

I'm really enjoying the process and am learning a lot. I always thought the use of smaller projects was to "get that feeling of 'finishing' something out of the way" / "get publishing experience," but the organization skills you gain by pieces the parts together in a smaller scale project are way more valuable.

Anyway, I watched this fantastic talk about the ways music can be utilized in VNs today.

I researched some other plot structuring methods and brainstormed the way I want to work on this one. By merging the iterative approach with the fractal writing technique, I think we can get the draft hammered out pretty quickly in an organized way. I tested it in The Guide, then re-structured it a bit and added a new sheet to the main spreadsheet that should function the same way. (The "extra column in the grid" approach was just too messy and didn't leave enough room for notes /etc.)

I also added a "scene ID" column to the series grid. Most series grids use scene numbers instead, but because I will probably be adding and removing scenes as I work, I'd prefer a non-sequential system. Some of these scene IDs may be used as labels later on, so it's also helpful for them to be a little more descriptive. These IDs correspond to the IDs used in the fractal drafting sheet.

I'm debating adding a "worldbuilding" or "where are we" column for references to things outside the manor's illusion (mainly Inferno, their demonic forms, etc). I don't want the escape endings to be a huge shock to the players who are paying attention.

I started gathering and archiving facial expressions from the manga mentioned above. I'll probably keep that as a fun side project for future uses and not rely on it too much during this game. It's tedious but fun; it's an excuse to go back and re-read manga I really enjoyed while simultaneously building up a useful reference bank.

>>13 by piecing the parts together*

I keep getting writer's block, so I dug a little deeper to figure out what's been setting it off.

After a little journaling, I've discovered several major, very obvious plot holes in the worldbuilding. They're things that I took for granted b/c they were part of the original outline prior to bringing it into this universe (things like the mechanics of birth/death, which are very different in the afterlife).

I'll have to re-do the series grid (especially the endings) with this information in mind.

Will continue journaling for now. Want to make sure I catch as many of these issues as I can before reworking the grid.

I'm getting evicted from the trailer park next month (for being too young to be a resident, according to the new owner's preferences; can't afford to fight it). I have a place to store my things and can probably find a place to sleep, so I'm trying my best not to freak out.

I'm going to continue working on this game. If I want to make a living from my creative work, then I need to be able to complete projects. I need to be able to continue producing content even when I'm stressed and insecure. This is an opportunity to learn those skills.

It's also important that I continue functioning normally instead of relying on panic mode / mania / adrenaline to get me through life's problems. I'm going to do my best to keep working towards the things I've been working towards instead of completely restructuring my goals around one unfortunate event. Consistency and direction will help me get out of this in one piece.

Slightly personal for a dev thread, but w/e.

I've been getting my software and workflow in order in case I need to move everything to the laptop. I needed to make backups of the project anyway lol

Other than that, I'm ironing out the worldbuilding and character backstories.

The core plot is together and can be written at any point. I might do a draft tomorrow just so I can see the flow of it in-engine. But getting the environment/characters fleshed out better will make the dialogue more believable.

I'm also moving the project from Google Docs/Sheets to LibreOffice. (LO finally fixed a visual glitch that made it annoying to use for a while.)

Finally decided on their names.

YM = Mahir (Arabic for skillful)
Butler = Lachlan (English/Scottish for distant lands, land of lakes, underworld)
Intruder = Caden (American/Scottish for fighter)

The name origins will affect their ethnicity and appearance (mostly just the colors and textures). I also imagine Caden having a bit of French in him appearance-wise.

Caden's backstory and his relationship with Lachlan has been fleshed out. The only thing left on the backstory front is getting a better idea of Lachlan's origins.

I'm almost at the 4th week of this project; it'll probably take longer than the intended jam time. I'm adding two weeks (for a total of six) to get it put together.

So the new due date is May 6th.

>>21 You seem to have been talking into the void of the dollars so I decided to tune in :D

I have some questions

Q: What engine will you make this in?

Q: Have you considered the creation of a discord server or something of that like?

Q: Is this a solo project or do you have plans too get assistants in the future?

>>22 The void is my anxiety's preferred audience haha. But thank you for stopping by ♥

A: Ren'py or Love2D. Depends on how I feel when I get to the code.

A: Nah. I'm not aiming for a huge release and don't have much to share at the moment anyway.

A: Solo. It's just a short jam game to test how much I've learned from working on my bigger projects.

I took a break to read Tokyo Ghoul + TG:re. Can't believe I've managed to avoid it this long, what a fantastic series. It's given me inspiration for another story, but I'd like to finish this first.

>>24 If you enjoyed Tg and :re I reccomend looking into the inspiration for both series. That being the novels/short stories of Franz Kafka.

A Crossbreed is my favourite and I believe arima mentioned it was his favourite in :re which was a trippy experience for me :P

>>25 Book Architecture discussed The Metamorphosis in a lot of detail (dissecting it and building a story grid for it). Considering how engaging their summary was, I'm sure his full works are great. I'll have to grab an anthology one of these days.

Some chill art from today. The boys are kid!Mahir (with previous coloring) in his OG outfit + a very rough idea of how he appears in the fake memories.

Lachlan can only tweak strong memories like that, so a lot of the original flambouyant colors and textures of his clanwear will be kept, but they'll be applied to an overworld outfit (button-up, tie, cardigan, scarf, dress pants/shoes, etc). The overworld version will probably have a pimp vibe by the time I'm done with it... we'll make it work somehow lmao

(Mahir would have hearing problems from the placement of his horns in this version. oops. I forgot they came from behind his head.)

I've also been storyboarding. I decided to express the opening scene through CGs rather than the monologue I planned since even Mahir doesn't like the sound of his own voice that much. He still has a few lines, but the audiovisual side plays a bigger part.

On a personal note, this month has been 100% chaos. Had to fight with my landlord to stay here, had a parent diagnosed with cancer, lost a dog, job security disappeared, gained weight. ugh. Here's to hoping May brings better days. At least drawing the art for this is pretty relaxing.

I was really hoping this would be a shorter project that I could complete during the jam window, but things just didn't work out that way. It's officially been moved to my "projects I slowly progress on over time with no clear due date" pile. Updates will come whenever.

Hi! hi! How's the progress ? just curious

>>30 No progress worth reporting. This project has been on the back burner for a while. I might give it another try this month (maybe a Halloween jam?).

If nothing goes wrong in the next few days, I'm continuing this project as part of Devtober.

I also got into gamification recently and may apply some of what I've learned to this project... If I do, I'll post the meta game rules beforehand.

Things went wrong b/c the presence of peace in my soul is a harbinger of chaos, but we're charging through anyway uwu

Below is a long-ass "Day 0" devlog about my plans / devtober / gamification / etc. Not really anything of substance about the game itself. Those will be coming later.

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The goal/challenge of Devtober isn't to finish a game -- the goal is to work on a game (preferably one you've already started) consistently each day of the jam and to share your progress on social media.

In addition to the gamification, I'm trying something a little different than usual. I'm going to build the game up line-by-line with all assets and code. Normally, I would work on just the writing, then just the art, then just the audio, then just the code... That system makes sense for teams, but it's not as practical for an indecisive solo developer who will redo their prep work twenty times and give up before ever moving onto the next asset type.

By working on all the assets for one small section at a time, I can share an updated demo at the end of each day (or most days) and hopefully be inspired by the visual progress, even if that progress is just a line or two of dialogue.

The main psychological challenges:
1) Accepting subpar assets. Realistically, this is a first draft, and I'll probably have to go through and redo most of my work for a more polished project later. But knowing that logically and actually allowing myself to not be a perfectionist about it are two very different things.

2) Allowing slow work. The gamification elements will be slowing it down already, which should help. I always struggle to focus on the little details instead of trying to rush through assets. (I'm aware, logically, of how dumb it is to both be a perfectionist and to rush through things. Just not emotionally aware of it when I'm in the moment.)

3) Not hyperfocusing on this project. I have other things going on that I need to worry about. I may make a lot of progress when I zone in on one thing, but that progress isn't worth it when it comes at the expense of taking care of my basic needs.

The software I'll be using:
I don't want to mess around with anything more involved than is absolutely necessary for this (to save time / energy / stress), so we're sticking with a few basic tools I'm already very familiar with. I'll be programming in Ren'py, drawing in Clip Studio Paint, and doing audio with Audacity.

The gamified development rules:
I'll be roleplaying with 1:12 scale miniatures as I go through the story. These will also serve as visual references while I draw the background and character art. Variables and inventory will be tracked on pen and paper. (If I get fed up with this system, I'll just sketch the rooms on that paper, nbd.)

One of the reasons I want to do miniatures, aside from it being fun, is that I've always struggled with environmental art; playing with everything in a 3D space should help me get a better feel for it, which is a long-term benefit to justify the extra prep work between scenes. It also gets my wary eyes off the monitor / hands off the keyboard now and again.

Development will be turn-based. I'll pick a turn type and set a goal (ex: "draw the character expressions for the next scene"), then roll a six-sided die (multiplied by 10 minutes) to determine how long I have to accomplish that goal. If I accomplish it, I'll earn a token. (Tokens are a universal currency I'm using across all my gamified projects. They're a fun way of visualizing my progress. I can exchange them for rewards or to skip through gameplay I'm not in the mood for.) There is no punishment for not accomplishing it except feeling bad for myself, which is worse than any punishment I can artificially manufacture lol.

I'll take a break between turns. With that, this system is like a gambler's pomodoro.

Turn Types:
Mixed -- between any and all of the below
Crafting -- working on the miniatures
Roleplaying -- playing with the miniatures
Drawing -- creating the digital artwork
Audio -- recording and editing the audio
Coding -- programming the project
Writing -- adding the dialogue and narration
Social -- uploading demos & posting about it
Meta -- handling meta issues (ex: fixing software)

As I write the game, whenever I come to a point where there should be a decision, I'll list the possible choices and then roll a die / flip a coin / rng to pick one route to take. (I can pay tokens to choose a route manually.) When I reach an ending, I'll either go back to the most recent decision or return to the beginning and play through the game thusfar. I won't have to physically roleplay through sections of the game I've already passed b/c they'll be ready in Ren'py to play digitally.

Obviously, this system wouldn't work well for a game with a lot of variables and combat. I'm using it specifically because With or Without You has very simple mechanics that are well-suited to it. The only technical challenge will be the recursive dialogue options when searching through the rooms for supplies; I'll handle that when I get to those scenes.

For each day that I work on the game and make some kind of progress, I'll also earn a token. This is my incentive to at least open the project and work on it a bit on rougher days. I'll print out a fancy reward for myself at the end if I actually do work on it every day according the jam guidelines (because I apparently have to treat myself like a fucking toddler to get anything done in my life).

Other recent updates?
In the past few days, I've updated the character backstories to fill in some plot holes, noted possible adjustments to the character designs (these will be finalized as I make their models), and streamlined the story / gameplay to best suit the time restraints I have and mechanics I'm working with. I've prepped the Ren'py file, made a backup folder, and set up an itch.io page.

Anyway, yeah. Those are my plans. There's like a 2% chance of me actually following through with them and accomplishing anything, but hey, it's at least worth a try~

Overarching Jam Goals
1) Complete a digital demo of one route of the game.
2) Complete a 1:12 scale dollhouse of the manor.

Turn One
* Type: Research (forgot to mention this one lol)
* Goal: answer "how the fuck do I make a dollhouse?"
* Time: 30 minutes.
* Plan: google, youtube...

I need to know how to make the rooms visible/accessible in a realistic dollhouse. I know Barbie houses are literally just split in half with hinges, but they only have a couple rooms, so there are no internal walls to get in the way.

* Start: 4:35 PM
* Results:

On more realistic houses, the roof and exterior walls are on hinges and open up. They design the layout so everything is accessible from those places and so rooms have multiple angles looking into them whenever possible. This shouldn't be too difficult even if we build the layout as we go. Hopefully. I can hinge the corner exterior rooms so they reveal the interior rooms if needed. Each floor will definitely be removable for the sake of my sanity.

I want to make the manor in a more Victorian style where it's larger vertically than it is horizontally with just a few main hallways. There are lots of rooms, but each of those rooms is rather small and has one dedicated use. The house is broken into wings with different purposes (for servants, master, guests, entertainment, and storage). Other than that, I don't want to design or plan specific rooms before the characters are going to be using them.

Dollhouse hinges can be made with toothpicks, wire, paperclips, paper... Since I'm working with mostly cardboard instead of wood, they don't have to be overly secure. I'll probably use this kind or something similar.

(And for the love of god, no, we're not putting in electricity or working water wtf. I had no idea miniature crafters got so into it.)

+1 token
Break Time: half hour (1d6 x 5 minutes)

(The break time is more of a minimum than a maximum... It's a burnout precaution.) I cleaned up a bit, ate dinner, figured out what I'd work on for the next turn. Resisted the urge to listen to music so my next turn isn't tainted.

Turn Two
* Type: Audio
* Goal: make the title page music
* Time: 40 minutes
* Plan: choose the tone and instruments, record a combination chill and spooky intro, mix everything into a nice loop, convert them to the right file type, add it to Ren'py, backup everything...

* Start: 6:05 PM
* Results:

I gathered my props and folk instruments, took a ten minute break, turned off the ac, turned on my mic, opened audacity... (There's something about singing into a microphone that scares the shit out of me, even if it's literally just abstract breathy sounds, so there's a lot of avoidance in this turn lmao)

Re-familarized myself with audacity. Resisted the urge to take another break. Tested each instrument to see how well it did/didn't record. Hummed for a while to get a feel for the tune. Saved the test project. Basically, this ended up being a warmup.

Am now taking a full break to de-stress and get my head in the right place. Prepped the ren'py file for audio. Made a list of audio effects and sounds I'm interested in using. Socializing offline. About to take migraine medicine. Not sure if the next turn will be a crafting or audio one.

Day One Goals
* Create title music & upload demo w/ it.
* Create kitchen room base (structure, walls, and flooring).

Did some prepwork -- broke some china for stress relief (and to mosaic the dollhouse kitchen floor), started cutting out the cardboard for the room, pulled out my (unexpected massive?) collection of scrapbook paper and sorted through it for appropriate wall/floor coverings (at least for the background layer).

Am working on the title track again so I can get all those props and instruments off my work table lol It helps that the family TV is off now, as well, so I don't have to fight with the background noise as much.

Turn Three
* Type: Audio
* Goal: Title Track
* Time: 10 Minutes
* Plan: There's definitely not enough time in this turn to get the full track done, so I guess I'll focus on the vocal backing. Next turn can be more involved if I roll better.

* Start: ~11PM

(For the record, I'm quiet, and this is a pretty chill track. I'm not worried about waking anyone up.)

* Results: progress is being made... I think I need to focus on getting a solid 45 second loop instead of aimlessly messing around. (The in-game tracks should probably be a bit longer. Most people won't spend too much time on the title page.)

Break: drank some tea, dealt with personal matters, caught up on some fanfiction.

I ended the meta game for the night (+1 token for playing it at all today) and have just been working as I feel up to it. The vocal melody is worked out but needs a clearer recording. The kitchen floor is glued and being flattened now. There's a few hours left before I head to bed, so there might be more progress. I'd still really like to get that track finished so I have something to upload :c

All-in-all, I think this was a good day one for devtober. I worked on the project for several hours and only stressed a little.

References for the kitchen. I'm not trying to be perfectly period appropriate, just want to catch the aesthetic well enough. And I obviously haven't chosen which tart/cake Mahir is making in the opening yet lmao

I'm four successful turns into today, three crafting and one meta. The kitchen is going well. All of its wall panels have been cut out

What still needs to be done for yesterday's crafting goal:
+ cover wall panels
+ make hinges
+ mosaic floor
+ decorate panels (now or later?)
+ assembly

Haven't touched the music yet today but will soon. On break at the moment.

me: I want a spooky halloween decoration!
also me: I want a spooky halloween game!

Can I have both in one month? idk

Crafting progress has been made. I'm nipping the mosaics into smaller chunks so they make more convincing tiles. I plan on only using the floral details from the china.

Still two walls (plus the pantry) need base layers.

I'm adding a few rules to the dev/meta game.

1) Upload an update to itch.io every night, even if it's literally just one line added to an otherwise empty Ren'py project. My hope is that this will keep my head in the game and remind me that the other details are a bit time restricted.

2) Sketch the characters every day and post a completed-ish sketch to Twitter. I want to get used to drawing the characters so that those steps don't hold us back later. I also get to participate in Inktober this way.

Ignore Lachlan's wonky eye lmao

I'm pretty happy with the updated character designs.

We did abandon Mahir's side burns somewhere along the way. They were fun while they lasted tho.

Tonight's Goals:
+ title page art & music (upload)
+ prep for kitchen construction

Optional Goals:
+ character expression sketches
+ accent color palette
+ environmental/prop sketch
+ craft some 1:12 props

If we decide to go full color and not accented monochromatic, this is roughly the color scheme we'd be looking at. Give or take some contrast...

I haven't progressed much the last couple days. Been distracted and trying to fix my sleeping schedule (so my days end closer to midnight instead of 4-5AM).

Of the previous goals, I've got some minor work done on each (more crafting prepwork + started working out the poses for the title illustration). Of the optional goals, we obviously did the palette, not much else.

I feel like setting goals and making to-do lists tends to backfire on me. But not setting them also does. idk. There's a fine line between over-planning and under-planning, and my brain is not a funambulist.

Probably the biggest issue is that I am an unwilling master of procrastination. If I have a clear idea of what needs to get done, I figure out exactly how long I can push it off until it absolutely must be rushed or abandoned and do exactly that, even when I'm intentionally trying to avoid doing so with all my willpower. Even if it's just a "work on x for y hours" goal, it still gets pushed off to hours with non-optimal working conditions.

So my most productive days in life seem to be the ones with unclear goals and just a vague feel for what I should be trying to progress towards. But when I leave it too vague, I end up confused and lost or prioritize things in an inefficient order.

Caden's hair... It suits him but damn am I not good at drawing it.

*has been really productive on everything except this project*

Hi hi again!
Nice progression :D i like to see you finishing this even if you don't it is very nice to conceptualize a game that you like. I hope i can do it huehue maybe someday or never, oh well just do what you like ;D

>>48 ♥ yes, even unfinished projects contribute to my pool of knowledge and push me a little farther each time. I still intend to finish this one, though. It probably won't be in time for Halloween.

I started working on a multi-chapter fic to get over my anxiety about the writing and publishing side of things, which has absorbed a bit of my free time. I should work on my ability to juggle multiple projects next haha

I'm currently working on my art speed/skills, just trying to reach a point where I'm comfortable drawing three characters interacting in an environment at a reasonable pace. It's going well. I hope to be back working on this project in a month or two.

I know I have a way of over-complicating things. It's always embarrassing to look back on my devlogs no matter the project. Just got to simplify where I can without compromising the idea too much and keep moving forward v_v

My art is doing well. The goal shifted from "three characters interacting in an environment" to "three stylistically consistent characters interacting in a stylistically consistent environment." This was, unexpectedly, a way more complicated thing than I thought it'd be.

You can't pretend you have a consistent style when you're drawing multiple characters in the same room and can clearly see everything looks like a different artist drew it.

(Also, did you know environment design is a whole thing? Like, you can work professionally as an environment designer for games. That's just your job. I had no idea it was so involved. I wish I'd known this and could have started studying earlier instead of finding shortcuts to take.)

I've got faces and dynamic poses and flowy gestural fabrics down. I can render heads pretty well (hair, expressions, etc.) in both a flatter and more detailed style. I can do rooms in perspective (legit perspective not just baby perspective), though I'm not very fast at it due to the lack of practice. It's the textures that are really getting to me... I think I'm at the point where I need to incorporate other pencils and brushes to achieve the effects I want. My mechanical pencil has hit its limit.

I did some work on this in August that I forgot to post here. Updated their designs for my current art style and worked out the floorplan of the house. It was all done on scrap paper when I was in a dramatic transitional period skill-wise, so I'm pussying out of sharing it. Will redraw them in a bit.

>>51 I have discovered frottage and it seems to be exactly what I was looking for. I can give fabrics and foliage etc. really subtle textures now without working at a larger size or using a different medium or being overly meticulous about it. It will take some practice and material gathering, though. It should be easy to replicate the effect with CSP, as well, if I decide to do the art digitally in the end.

Of what I've tried thisfar, book covers and metal files produce the crispest textures. Will keep playing around. I could definitely make my own textures with glass etching, wax rendering, paper cutting, etc. if I got really into it.