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Interview with the Visual Novel Game <Isekai Maid DLC> Development Team Cleaning Toolbox

*This is an indie game developer interview series. The photos and interview content used in the interviews were provided by the creators through Discord, etc. Game developers who are interested in participating in the interview can contact me through various methods (email, Discord, SNS address, post comments, etc.) and I can conduct interviews regardless of the platform.

Interview: Q (hashiruka48) / A (Team Cleaning Tool Box)

Game Title: Isekai Maid + Isekai Maid DLC (Cinderella of the Blue Rose)
Stove Store: https://store.onstove.com/ko/games/101463
Genre: Visual novel, simulation
Creator: Team Cleaning Toolbox (Moonkori Scenario / Programming Team Leader) (Salmon Jetty Current General Team Leader) (Angu Art Director and Team Leader of this Work)

Q. (Team Cleaning Toolbox) The team name is interesting. What is the meaning behind the team name?

A. (Angu) The team cleaning tool box started out as a team gathering, thinking that since our game is 'Isekai Maid', when you say maid, you think vacuum cleaner~ and when you say cleaning, you think cleaning tool box! We wanted to make it so that maid game = cleaning tool box.

Q. I did some research and found out that there used to be a team of college students. Are they now full-fledged members of society, with the DLC release coming up? Are they still college students?

A. (Moon Kori) Right now, the team members who created the main story and DLC are all different people, except for Anggu, and they are all working adults.

(Anggu) Some of the former team members are working adults, some are still working on outsourcing projects, and some are working hard on other projects, all living their own lives.

(Salmon Jetty) I think it's because we put so much love into the game by making the most of our free time after each person finished their individual work.

Q. What tools and engine was used to create “Isekai Maid”?

A. (Moon Tail) Isekai Maid is a game made with Ren'Py, a Python-based language!

Q. I understand that the DLC will be released around July. The main game is listed on Steam, but the main game is not yet registered on Stove. Will it be released as a compilation on Stove? Will the main game be released before the DLC?

A. (Moon Tail) We would like to register the main game on Stove before the DLC is released, so we are currently discussing it with Stove! Once it is confirmed, we will post it on the Tumblbug notice board.

Q. I understand that there are plans to dub with voice actor Lee Sae-ah. Please brag about the DLC!

A. (Moon Kko-ri) The dubbing work is currently complete! As expected from a veteran voice actor, he made the administrator character stand out even more with his cute and charming voice. In particular, when we recorded the ending song that we promised for Tumblbug, my ears were melting.

(Salmon Jetty) We heard that there were no shortcomings at all, but you re-recorded the parts you needed to record in better quality several times, which was really professional and something we learned a lot from seeing. We are glad that we will be able to come back with such great quality.

(Moon Kko-ri) So, while recording, I felt certain that the characters would really come to life once the dubbing was added to the game. I was glad that I could give the players who had been waiting a game that would live up to their expectations.

Q. Is the DLC game a standalone game (separate exe)? I wonder if it is a game that can be run without the main game, or an expansion pack that absolutely requires the main game.

A. (Moon Tail) I think you can think of it as an expansion pack that requires the main story. Since the DLC itself is about progressing through the route of an unplayable administrator character among the heroines that appear in the main story, it was inevitable that it would be connected to the main story, so we chose this method.

Q. Do I have to play the main story to run the game, or is it designed so that I can run the expansion pack (DLC) story right away?

A. (Moon Tail) The story design is designed so that you can jump right into the DLC. However, because of the nature of the administrator route, you can enjoy the story more by conquering the existing heroines, so we recommend that you play through the main story first and then play through the DLC.

Q. Looking at Steam, there are two types of DLC. This time, the voice actor for Cinderella of the Blue Rose, Issae Ah, participated in the dubbing. Is there a plan for a voice DLC?

A. (Moon Tail) Ah! As I mentioned on Tumblbug, there are special morning call voices and a side story novel that depicts what happens after the game ends. There are three types of morning call voices that players who have enjoyed all the DLCs will recognize right away.

Q. I'm curious if there are any minigames or subsystems that perform maid duties.

A. (Moon Kko-ri) Actually, there was a lot of talk about minigames within the team since the early stages of DLC production. Not only in our game, but also because opinions are always divided on whether minigames or subsystems are essential to the non-novel genre. In this DLC, while the original main game was a sweet love simulation with the heroine, the DLC has a stronger novel-like tendency to deal with the worldview and hidden secrets. So, in order to focus on the story, excluding the minigames, we decided to remove all subsystems except for the choice system.

Q. How is the progression structured? (choice-based, branching structure, etc.)

A. (Moon Tail) The route to enter the DLC is divided into the branch of whether to wake up on the first night or not, which was a choice that did not exist in the original main story. If you enter the DLC after that, you will talk a lot with the manager and build a relationship. The main character (player) has the choice to answer the manager's worries. The ending is structured according to the choice. There are not many choices, but it is a choice that can lead to a good ending only if you understand the story well, so I hope you enjoy it.

Q. Please also introduce the points you paid attention to in terms of UI/UX and character design (CG, BG, animation cutscenes, etc.).

A. (Angu) UiUx tried to bring back the classic background of the existing “other world” fantasy mansion with its antique look. We also tried to create the character design by mixing characters wearing classic short and long maid outfits so that everyone would like it. We also tried to give the manager character a point on the sleeves to maximize the loveliness of the maid outfit’s unique frill decoration.

I think the animation cutscenes will also appeal to users as they feature natural movements of frills and ribbons that take advantage of the casual maid look!

Q. Is the game fully dubbed or partially dubbed?

A. (Moon Tail) Unfortunately, the Tumblbug promise did not reach 1000%, so it is a partial dubbing, not a full dubbing. Originally, we were only going to dub the animation cutscenes, but while reading the script with voice actor Lee Sae-ah, she said that if we proceeded quickly within our budget, we could dub up to SD, so we added dubbing to more parts than before!

Q. Are there any plans to expand language support to include Japanese, Simplified Chinese (Traditional Chinese), etc.? Is it only supported in Korean? (Subtitles, etc.)

A. (Moon Kkori) We are not considering expanding support for foreign languages yet. If players love it a lot, we may try...

Q. Can the stove and steam versions be different depending on the usage level?

A. (Moon Tail) No, we are planning to proceed with the same content for both the stove and steam versions, so there is no difference.

Q. As an indie team, what prompted you to start this project, or is there an episode from the development process?

A. (Moon Tail) First of all, I heard from Anggu that the original Isekai Maid project was going to end with the main story. Some of the original project team members have now entered society, but Anggu has such a great love for this work, and users who played the original story showed a lot of interest in the administrator, so Anggu personally recruited each and every one of the team members who participated in the DLC, and the DLC project began.

Q. Who created this DLC scenario?

A. (Moon Tail) I was fully in charge of the DLC scenario.

Q. What were some impressive feedbacks or reactions you received from users?

A. (Moon Tail) First of all, there were many favorable reviews for the cute characters, the gorgeous voice actors, and the graphics, but there were many reactions such as "There are still some foreshadowings that haven't been recovered from the story, and what on earth is the manager and the mansion?" So when working on this project with Anggu, we tried to write a more in-depth story that would deepen the relationship with the manager while also uncovering the truth about the other world mansion that existing users of the main game were curious about.

Q. How were the roles divided within the team cleaning tool box?

A. (Moon Kko-ri) Basically, since Anggu, who was in charge of this work, gathered the team members, we divided up the roles according to the ones he suggested at the time of casting. After that, we took on parts voluntarily as needed, and since we are all members of society, there were changes in our roles due to consideration for each other's schedules.

(Salmon Jetty) Since it was an unavoidable time issue, I joined last and didn't need a lot of resource work, and despite my shortcomings, they trusted me and gave me the role of general team leader and the responsibility for each reward production. So now, Moon Kko-ri is in charge of the in-game elements, and I am the team leader for the external elements, and we have been able to come this far by working together. Externally, the two team members who took on the role of animation and each art were also very helpful.

Q. How long did it take to develop the game in total? Were there any difficult or unexpected issues during development?

A. (Moon Tail) The period of time required was from last year, but since team members left due to personal reasons or came in depending on the work, the actual development period seems to be about 6 months. Unexpected problems were that team members left due to personal reasons, so it was quite difficult to fill in the gaps. Also, as a story writer, I had a lot of concerns about the story.
It was quite difficult to develop the story without going beyond the framework of the story presented in the existing main story, while maintaining the setting, recovering the foreshadowing presented in the main story, revealing the truth of the world of this world's maids, and keeping the manager's character from collapsing. In particular, since I tend to write a lot of serious and emotional works, this was my first time taking on a story with a fantasy sensibility like This World's Maid but also a strong romantic comedy tendency. I think the hardest part was making sure the story didn't become too serious and loose.

Q. I'm curious if there are any streaming restrictions or guidelines for gamers preparing to stream on YouTube, etc. on the day of release.

A. (Moon Kko-ri) Since we don't have a secret version or anything, we haven't really talked about streaming. I think we'd be grateful if broadcasters enjoyed our game. I don't think there will be any restrictions on streaming, but I think we'll have to talk about replaying it or uploading the full version again within the team.

Q. There are many visual novel fans who haven't played the main game yet. I'm curious about the main game play time and DLC play time, as well as the differences between the main game and DLC.

A. (Moon Kko-ri) The main story is a romantic comedy that can be enjoyed more lightly than you might think, and it feels like you can feel the charm of the characters. That's why the play time is expected to be around 2~3 hours. If the main story focused on the charm of the characters, the DLC put more weight on the story.

Although the main story deals with four heroines, the DLC deals with the story of only one administrator, so it seems like it will be a bit more in-depth. So, it is a bit long for a DLC, and the play time is expected to be around 2~3 hours.

Q. Is there anything you paid special attention to when it comes to OST or sound design?

A. (Moon Tail) Regarding the OST, we made it with the expectation of maximizing the charm of the manager and the emotion of the story. We tried to infuse the OST with the manager's bubbly and cute charm, and for the emotional parts, we intended to make it focus on the piano melody to heighten the emotion even more. If you listen to the song sung by the new voice actor who appears in the ending, the entire story of the DLC is melted into the song, so I think it would be good if you looked forward to this song.

Q. What direction did you aim for with the style of the character design and background illustrations?

A. (Salmon Jetty) For the character designs, I thought a lot about the direction that would best represent each character's personality, and for this DLC, I thought it was necessary to focus as much as possible on the inner side of the manager, so I put my heart and soul into it, thinking that the key points were things like expressions that could bring out that charm, and the silhouettes of well-fitting clothes. For the backgrounds, I thought it was important that they matched the characters in the work, and I expressed it with the thought that a feeling where fantasy and modernity are mixed, as if in a dream, fit the work best.

(Angu) The character design was inspired by cell-style pretty girl anime! The goal was to create a cute look with big eyes and a round face! The goal for the background illustrations was to create immersive background illustrations that somewhat resemble a scene from an anime~!

Q. Will there be a promotional discount for the main game on the day the DLC is released?

A. (Moon Tail) I think we will hold a discount event because we want people to enjoy the main game before the DLC is released. The exact ratio has not been decided yet, but we are considering selling it as a set!

Q. What was the most rewarding moment while developing a visual novel?

A. (Angu) I think the most rewarding moment was when we released it and saw the users' reactions. I was so grateful to those who showed interest!

(Moon Kko-ri) There was a game that was the trigger for me to develop the first non-novel, and I think the comments left at that time were a great help. In particular, there are people who find comfort in the stories I write, so even though my writing skills are not great, I always write with the hope that at least one person will be moved. I think I will never forget the first comment I received.

Q. If you have any future works in preparation after “Isekai Maid,” please briefly introduce them.

A. (Moon Kori) Nothing has been decided yet, but there was a strong request from one of the team members that a bunny girl from another world would appear, so I think we will go with a story related to that.

(Salmon Jetty) Anyone can see who wants it the most. I also have a really positive view of it, so I'm planning to talk about it seriously.

(Angu) Yep! Looks like someone likes bunny girls~

Q. For those who are looking forward to the Isekai Maid <Cinderella of the Blue Rose> DLC, please tell us in a boastful manner why they should buy our game!

A. (Moon Tail) If the main story is about charming, strange, and unique friends, then the DLC feels like it's slowly breaking down the prickly and authoritarian administrator and showing off her cute charm. If you really look at it, it's based on pretty illustrations and cute SDs, and even animations were added to maximize the heroine's charm! Also, as the story writer, in this story, you'll learn about the administrator and the truth about the mansion that you couldn't even imagine in the main story, so I hope you'll try it at least once.

(Angu) I agree. I hope this is a good gift for those who have been waiting for the hidden story of our cute manager! Our manager story is really woven as much as you want to see!

Q. These days, many people are curious about whether AI is used in games, so I'd like to ask you a question. I would like to know whether AI is used.

A. (Moon Tail) AI was not used at all. The production team drew it one by one...

(Angu) I drew it... except for processing the SketchUp file...

(Moon Tail) Since the OST was not made using AI, but was created by the composers themselves, you can say that there is no content made using AI at all.

(Salmon Jetty) We made this piece by taking our precious time, and we thought it was a story that many people had affection for. So, even if it was lacking, we made it with the thought that it would be best to draw, plan, and create it one by one with sincerity.

Q. Who do you think is the character that players will most relate to or love?

A. (Anggu) I personally think that next to the manager is love. People usually like people who like them for no reason, so I think love can be loved in many ways.

(Moon Tail) It's up to the player to love the character, but since the story is mostly about the manager, I think the manager is the most relatable character. If you empathize with Yoon Sa-rang... it might be a bit dangerous...?

(Salmon Jetty) I feel like the administrator is not loved for nothing, so I think many people will fall for the administrator after seeing this DLC.

(Anggu) Even dangerous love is love.

Q. Will the side story novel and novel version be available at the same time as the game's release? Or will they be added later?

A. (Moon Tail) The side story novel and novel version are planned to be released at the same time as the DLC release!

Q. Lastly, please give a word to the visual novel game fans who are waiting for the main story and DLC.

A. (Angu) Our <Isekai Maid> Cinderella of the Blue Rose~ is waiting for the master who will find the maid's shoes!

Please love me a lot~

(Salmon Jetty) Your cute and lovely maid is waiting for you at the mansion! Please look forward to it.

(Moon Kkori) Since this is the first game I've officially released to you all, I think I've thought a lot about how I can provide a more fun and touching story to the fans. Whenever I write a story, my motto is to write a story that leaves a lasting impression on at least one user. I worked hard with my team to create a story that will not disappoint as much as you've been expecting, so I hope that those of you who play it will have a brief moment of enjoyment in your daily life!

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