sakevisual

Happy Lunar New Year! The Dragon is Coming.

2012-01-23T12:31:00.000-08:00

It's the Lunar New Year, and that means time for tasty food, fireworks, and hope for a great harvest. I'm making rice cakes for dinner tonight. ^o^ As it's the year of the dragon, I thought it would be cool to post a sketch of a relevant character from Jisei, but then I realized that that would be a massive spoiler. D: However! I did get this lovely dragon logo from Alisa, and it was just too

First Look: Koda

2012-01-08T19:57:00.000-08:00

Phew! Last week was a lot busier than I imagined it would be. I've only managed to write about a hundred words all week. orz But it seems about time for an update, so here's another character sketch from Every Sunrise! I know you've all been wanting to see him, so here's Koda! He's never been big on fashion, but don't hold it against him. XD

Hello, 2012!

2012-01-01T23:42:00.000-08:00

Wooo! It's time for a new year's post. Because that's what we do! 2011 was a crazy year. I've been hearing that from a lot of people, and sakevisual went for quite a ride as well. At the start of the year, Deji's computer and tablet were stolen, along with a lot of her other stuff, which unsurprisingly put a sort of pause in our projects. In March, Japan was hit by an

Biweekly Poll - Explore ALL the Paths!

2011-12-30T11:07:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited! We've never gotten 400 votes before. : D 401 is our new record. Yaaaay! This time, I asked you guys how you play your dating sims. Only seven people said they don't play at all, but I suspect that's because most people who don't play dating sims simply didn't answer the poll. Most of you are completists, aiming for all the endings no matter what. What makes the "non-good"

Good News and a Question

2011-12-17T03:16:00.000-08:00

Does anyone remember Oneiro? Because we started working on it two years ago, and then it sort of faded away. But we're back on track! The good news: We have enough money for all the art and music. Because you guys rock. I cannot thank you enough for the support, the donations, and for buying Jisei and Kansei. You are absolutely wonderful. The question(s): Is art and music enough? What we

Biweekly Poll - The Hook

2011-12-11T20:42:00.001-08:00

This go around, I asked you what attracts you to trying out a new visual novel. Some of the results I expected. Others were surprising. Here are the results out of 266 votes: Nice Art 229 (86%) Interesting Premise 214 (80%) Favorite Genre 153 (57%) Looks Different from Others 72 (27%) Has an Artist I Like 73 (27%) Has a Writer I Like

Wordcount Wednesday - Brace yourselves. Winter is coming.

2011-11-30T10:10:00.001-08:00

You'd think by now I'd be done with the wordcount posts for Winter in Fairbrook. I'm not! The WiF beta has been out for a while now, and we've gotten some great feedback, bug reports, and general thoughts. One of the main things we heard was that one of the character routes felt less involved than the others. I don't want any of my boys left out in the cold (Ha! I made a joke.), so I went back

Beta Testing in Fairbrook

2011-11-23T12:49:00.001-08:00

You always think you're done. And then it's time to beta test. Hello, typos! Winter in Fairbrook is officially in beta testing mode right now. There are a couple bugs and typos here and there, but you can play the game all the way through, and there are endings and pretty pictures, and it's a whole lot of fun! Honestly, I think I'm wasting more time playing the flower raising bits than

Biweekly Poll - Minigames in VNs

2011-11-15T23:47:00.001-08:00

Hey, it's time for biweekly poll discussion again. Yay! We're back to talk about minigames. Mostly because I've been playing a lot of stat raisers and sim games lately. >.> Here are the results of our poll: Minigames in VNs? No. 23 (11%) Skippable 123 (63%) Hidden Object Games 49 (25%) Turn Based Fighters 52 (26%) Puzzles 94 (48%) A

Status Update Times!

2011-11-01T15:41:00.000-07:00

Cinders, by MoaCube Pretty much everything is done for this game short of the writing. Code, art, music, everything. Tom and I are both working on the writing, but there's a lot to do. This game is kind of incredible because there are a lot of choices, and they all make a difference, so the branching is kind of nuts. The cool part is that you can play the game a second time and see a

Biweekly Poll - I want to see more...

2011-10-18T19:25:00.000-07:00

Yay, biweekly polls! A clear winner this time around (which always makes things fun). More dev posts for sure. I've already revived Wordcount Wednesday, but I'll probably do more "journal" type posts as well about the development process if you guys are interested in stuff like that. Any other things you'd like to see more of? Development Posts 174 (83%) Screencaps 122 (

Wordcount Wednesday - Every Sunrise

2011-10-12T20:39:00.000-07:00

Sprite preview shamelessly lifted from Deji's tumblr. Hey! It's Wordcount Wednesday! On Wednesday! Let's see how long that lasts. XD I've been talking about it on and off, but I haven't officially announced this project yet. Well, here goes! Yes, Ripples is getting a sequel, and it's called "Every Sunrise." If you've been following our facebook page, you already saw the design sketches for

Biweekly Poll - More Platforms

2011-10-05T02:20:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I did one of these posts. I've actually saved all the old results, but I wound up not doing a lot of discussion posts because I was away at a lot of cons this year. D: Well, no more! Discussions are back, and first off is something a lot of you guys have been pushing for: more platforms for visual novels. I've been experimenting with online visual novels. By now, you've

Con Fanart Collection 2011

2011-09-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

Over the year, I've collected some really nice physical fanart pieces from sakefans at conventions. Since the con year is over for me, I'm posting the 2011 collection for everyone to admire. This one is actually a sticker. ^o^ Derek is very popular with the ladies, it seems. From Anime Expo. Finding our table was already hard enough, so this was an especially lovely gesture.

AnimeFest 2011 Report

2011-09-09T13:38:00.000-07:00

And thus concludes our last convention of the year. Woooo! We staked out a couple tables in the dealer's room this year (not pictured: Sayuri Studios' table right next to us), met up with old friends, made new friends, and danced a whoooole lot. I'd like to extend a public apology to the dealer across from us who looked less than pleased to have listen to Girls' Generation, and Super Junior

San Japan 2011 Report

2011-08-23T23:17:00.000-07:00

San Japan was a couple weekends ago, but it's taken me a while to get around to this post (more on that later). We shared a table with Sayuri Studios, and as always, it was tons of fun. The turnout to the "How to make Visual Novels" panel was the best we've had yet, and I'm really excited to see all the people who are interested in making VNs. This is also the first time I've run out of free

Fanart Contest Winners!

2011-07-31T22:43:00.000-07:00

Alright, sakefans! After tallying up the votes and deleting the multiples, we have our five winners! You can see them listed below. Prizes will be sent out within 24 hours. Remember that ANYONE who entered will be getting a code, so check your inboxes tomorrow. ^o^ By http://xrainingtogether.deviantart.com By http://rey-of-sunlight.deviantart.com By http://hiddenwings07.deviantart.com

Jisei/Kansei Fanart Contest!

2011-07-24T19:30:00.000-07:00

And the entries are here! A huge thanks to everyone who entered. You guys are wonderful. *_* Voting is at the bottom of this post. You may pick up to THREE pieces that you like. Be sure not to vote for any more than three, or your vote won't count. Anyone can vote. There will be five winners total. 012 013 014 015 016 017 018 019 020 021 022 001 002 003

Kansei Complete!

2011-07-11T00:34:00.000-07:00

Yay, Kansei's out! ::keels over:: I think I need to go sleep now. XD But let's talk about the important stuff first. You can get it here, should you so desire: http://sakevisual.com/kansei/buy.html And the demo is available on LemmaSoft and the official site. If you're looking for discounts, details follow: 1.) Donation: If you donated to the Support Japan project, there's a discount code

Anime Expo + Future Plans

2011-07-05T21:26:00.000-07:00

And I'm back from my very first Anime Expo! It was craaazy, but I had a great time meeting everyone there. Visual novels got a great representation there with several EVN dev groups putting in an appearance (Dischan, Kinou Games, Kuroi Games, Okashi Studios, R3 Productions, Sakura River, Zeiva Inc. and Zero Zigen, to name some in alphabetical order). It was also great to meet a lot of you guys

For want of a better word..."Owwww."

2011-06-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

A behind the table shot of me attempting to explain something or other. Two things happened this weekend. 1.) A-KON 22 2.) I got in a car crash.Pretty much in that order. The bad news: My car was hit by some flying debris when I was driving home from the con. The car spun out of control and crashed into a wall. I wound up bleeding and bruising a good deal, but no bones were broken, and I'm

So, about those free games...

2011-06-01T11:12:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been spending a lot of time talking about Kansei and Winter in Fairbrook, since both of those are very near to completion. However, I'd like to dedicate this Wednesday to talking about some of the free games we're working on. Yes. We're still working on free games. So, what's the deal with those? Well, they're all moving along and their own paces. hanamix2: Mugen is back on board with

Updated Art

2011-05-24T09:47:00.000-07:00

To the left, you can see art from our first build of Kansei. The initial plan was to use the same sprites for the returning characters for the sake of consistency, but as we worked on it, we quickly changed our minds. Deji felt that her art had improved enough that she wanted to redo the characters. Looking at some of the feedback we received, we decided to update the art style to something more

Biweekly Poll Feedback

2011-05-23T08:54:00.000-07:00

Mmm...biweekly polls. My favorite time(s) of the month! Somewhat predictably, the most popular game we've done thus far is RE:A++. It was really interesting to see the thoughts on the other games, though. Poor MagiCos. : ( I'm actually pleasantly surprised that Jisei ranked second, as it's part of the Green Tea Line, and thus has fewer players overall. I secretly hope that Kansei unseats it and

Twins

2011-05-19T20:36:00.000-07:00

Well then. Guess who didn't update on Wednesday? I wasn't kidding when I said we'd be back to our normal schedule. owo Please enjoy this screencap from Kansei. Only one of these characters is female.

We now return you to your regular blogging schedule.

2011-05-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

Ohai! I finished all the writing for Winter in Fairbrook, which means that we'll soon be able to show you all sorts of fun stuff like gameplay videos. Above you can see the "success" screen after Natalie does a good job at work. The current word count is 42,591 words, which is slightly longer than The Flower Shop, so the games should be pretty equal in length of gameplay. I'm back to blogging

MagiCos: The (very) Short Saga

2011-04-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

On April 1st, 2011, we released a short little visual novel called "My Magical Cosplay Cafe." The game was, in fact, intended to be a joke for April Fool's. We also made the game for NaNoRenO, so it was made within the time constraint of a month. Yesterday, we released an updated version with real CGs and a few small tweaks to the background art and text (nothing huge). Since the final release

Winter in Fairbrook Teaser

2011-04-08T10:23:00.000-07:00

Because you guys deserve a teaser image for Winter in Fairbrook. There are more at the Winter Wolves blog.

AAAAAAHHHH (Everything Post)

2011-03-21T17:05:00.000-07:00

Hello. Remember me? Yeah, probably not. XD So what happened to me? A lot, really, including a lot of things that really threw a spanner in the works.First off, the earthquake/tsunami/volcano in Japan. While my life didn't come to a grinding halt or anything, I spent most of my time and effort raising money for Japan. Besides the sakevisual donation pool, I helped organize and coordinate other

Kansei Update

2011-03-03T20:27:00.000-08:00

I suspect that if I ever chose to move Wordcount Wednesday to Thursday, we'd begin to celebrate Apology Friday instead. Anyway, here's a sneak peek of Detective Gurski from Kansei. This is a sketch by Deji of the updated design, and personally I rather like it. What do you guys think?Also, Kansei is currently at 13,650 words, and the victim just died about a thousand words ago. This is most

Biweekly Poll (Also: Looking for BG Artist)

2011-02-28T17:41:00.000-08:00

I'm looking for a new background artist for our in progress (free) otome game, hanami x 2. The previous artist, sadly, has had to drop the project due to real life issues. Above is a sample of his work. You are not require to mimic it. I don't mind 3D or 2D as long as it looks nice. The setting is Heian Era Japan. Email me at ayu@sakevisual.com with samples of your work if you're interested.And

It's the Glasses

2011-02-24T08:55:00.000-08:00

Welcome to another exciting edition of Apology Thursday! We're 21,137 words in to Winter in Fairbrook, and the end is in sight! All the sprites and CGs are done, leaving us to work on extra art, some fun minigames, and lots of cute, romantic scenes to go in between. And hey, look! Another familiar face from Fairbrook. Just look at those glasses.

Belated Biweekly Poll and V-Day

2011-02-15T21:04:00.000-08:00

Hey all! Sorry for the lateness; I've been out a lot lately and running around preparing for Kami Con next weekend, plus I spent all of yesterday out with my boyfriend. Anyway, a somewhat belated "Happy Valentine's Day!" to you all. I've spent this holiday single for most of my life, but I've always enjoyed spending it curled up on the couch drinking tea and reading shoujo manga.Our latest poll

History of Writing

2011-02-11T15:51:00.000-08:00

Random post is random. I was inspired by this thread on art improvement, so I dug up my old writing to see how much I've improved. The answer: a lot. (See how eloquent I am now, using phrases like "a lot?") I know it's not as fun as looking at pictures, but hopefully some of you will find this interesting. The following are samples of my writing from over the years. Any spelling or grammar errors

Maybe we should rename it to "Apology Thursday"

2011-02-10T09:13:00.000-08:00

The less I update, the more work I'm getting done. It also makes it look as if I'm not getting any work done at all. orzAnyway, hello! Another update for all you patient readers out there. Two things on the horizon that should make you happy:-Winter in Fairbrook reaches a milestone. Nearly all the art assets are complete. We still have one CG and a few backgrounds to go, but the art is definitely

Biweekly Poll - Minigames

2011-01-30T21:18:00.000-08:00

Hey, all! Look what I got in the mail the other day. Deji drew me like the prettiest thing ever. ::hearts:: It's up on my mantle now next to my Lelouch figure and my sonic screwdriver. I call it my mantle of yay.*Anyway, this poll clocked in 255 votes, and I haven't seen this level of division before. I asked your thoughts on minigames in visual novels, and they really ranged the gamut.Skippable

Wednesday Update Wooo!

2011-01-26T17:02:00.000-08:00

Yay, another actual update on a Wednesday! Deji's hard at work drawing some beautiful romance CGs, but showing those would be cheating, so have a picture of Jacob instead. That looks like an awfully comfy sweater.

Biweekly Poll - Art!

2011-01-18T07:53:00.000-08:00

Another two weeks gone, and another poll down with 216 votes. MAN, a lot of you guys have Photoshop. I...don't. D: Yeah, I use Photoshop Elements, and occasionally SAI, GIMP, and Manga Studio. But hey, cool! Photoshop! I'm still working on the VN tutorials. They're progressing pretty well, but they're really, really long. I write too much. XDPhotoshop 110 (50%) Photoshop Elements 32 (14%)

First Encounter

2011-01-12T07:52:00.000-08:00

Guess who forgot to update last week? Ha! ::points to self:: Hello. Hopefully this gorgeous screencap from hanami x 2 will be enough to make up for it.

Biweekly Poll - Rivenwell Class

2011-01-04T13:13:00.000-08:00

Whoa, with 288 votes this might be one of the most even polls I've seen in a long time. It's also the most votes we've gotten yet. That's cool. Plenty of lovely angels among us. I'm glad to hear that. XD Which Rivenwell class would you play? I'm curious to know why you picked the one you did. I think I'd play a Knight, but that's because I really like to hack away at stuff with a sword. XDKnight

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T12:57:00.000-08:00

A happy new year to all! 2010 was a fantastic year, thanks to all of you, and I'm looking forward to everything we're going to do in 2011.2010 Retrospect:-RE: Alistair and RE: Alistair++ are released. The amazing artist known and tooaya and the lovely programmer Thee Forsaken One put their blood, sweat, and tears into making this game for you guys, and we're very proud of what we've created.-

Heian Era in Pastel

2010-12-29T19:22:00.000-08:00

Ha! Wednesday. I remembered. I need a better name than "Wordcount Wednesday," as this is more of a generic "Update Wednesday" instead. Unfortunately, "Update Wednesday" doesn't have the same alliterative niceness. Suggestions are welcome. XDAbove, you can see the first (mostly) finished image from hanami x 2. Those of you waiting for hx2 have been immensely patient, so here's to your patience. I

Calling to the One

2010-12-24T23:53:00.000-08:00

Like the opening to Jisei? So do we! We are happy to provide a full version of the opening song, Calling to the One by Aural Wave, free for your enjoyment. If you like this song, please check out Jisei or follow Aural Wave on twitter. >Download< Lyrics: Calling to the one Can you hear me? Relive my dying moment Our voices call out to you The one who unveils the truth The one who senses our

Kansei Teaser

2010-12-22T15:33:00.000-08:00

Hey, look! A progress update on Kansei! Exciting, isn't it? This is a screencap from the opening scene of Kansei. Check out the protagonist's new look! I wonder where he is right now. He certainly doesn't look happy to be there. D:

Biweekly Poll - Game Releases

2010-12-21T21:15:00.000-08:00

I've been playing around with some painting software that simulates various canvases, paints, and brushes lately. Part of me was wondering if I could make art nice enough to be usable for a visual novel. Short answer: No, I can't.The latest poll had a pretty obvious winner. Medium length games are best, which makes sense. It's a happy agreement between content and waiting. As much as I wish we

Ewwww...responsibility.

2010-12-16T17:24:00.000-08:00

Ooh, hey! It's a teaser image from the opening scene of Winter in Fairbrook. Natalie doesn't look too thrilled about the prospect of getting her first job. She reminds me of a certain someone, although he seems to be doing better these days.

RE: Alistair++ Artbook

2010-12-09T14:04:00.000-08:00

Thursday. Curses! I was so close to Wednesday, too. I've been doing a lot of catching up this week, updating the site, putting together a con schedule (coming soon!), and finally putting the coveted artbook up for sale on Lulu. The book features art from the game, along with several original pieces illustrated by tooaya, some guest art from others, and a short story about Rui and Fiona. It's $20

Biweekly Poll - Nonhuman Types

2010-12-06T06:39:00.001-08:00

Unrelated image is unrelated. Actually, it's a piece I was planning on using for hanamix2, but it clashes with the sprites, so I've got someone doing new backgrounds. The sprites are super cute, BTW. Maybe I'll post one on Wednesday?Our latest poll covered nonhuman characters. I asked what sort of characters you like strictly in a character sense, and not necessarily as a romance option.Elves

Something or other Wednesday

2010-12-01T14:04:00.000-08:00

Starring the ACTION MYSTERY COOKIE drawn by Stranger from Transplanted Liver.I was rather busy last week due to the National Holiday, but I've been up to a lot since then working for sakevisual and doing things with other fantastic VN groups. A lot of things are still in the very early stages of production, so I can't give away much right now, but I do like to drop hints here and there in the

Biweekly Poll - Physical Extras

2010-11-22T12:19:00.000-08:00

The above screencap is from Koenchu, a doujin game by Zero Zigen. I capped it because it made me giggle a little (I know, I'm childish), and I like posting random whatnot for the biweekly polls.This was the most fun poll for me, because I'm a total sucker for extra stuff. I love buying collector sets and limited edition boxes just for the bonus books, stickers, CDs, and all that extra stuff.Mini

Progress Update Wednesday

2010-11-17T11:26:00.000-08:00

A new dude appears. Ruka isn't the only character in Oneiro after all! Woooo! This guy doesn't seem nearly as friendly, though. : (

Wordcount Wednesday - ON WEDNESDAY!

2010-11-10T16:29:00.000-08:00

Wow. I actually remembered to do this on Wednesday. I'm in shock. And this one even comes with a screencap! Who is that mysterious boy with the cute, brown ponytail?The game contains 1,535 screens of dialogue.These screens contain a total of 15,196 words,for an average of 9.9 words per screen.The game contains 4 menusNext week is an Oneiro update. Promise.

Biweekly Poll - Bonus Content

2010-11-08T19:27:00.000-08:00

Above: An in progress/practice image for a scene in Kansei. Looks like a fancy place to be. O:I'm unreasonably excited because we had 286 votes this time. I wonder how long it'll take us to reach 300. I'm very enthusiastic about things. XD This poll asked what sort of bonus content you prefer in your game, and the answers were very interesting (to me, at least).CG Gallery 213 (74%) Music Room

Wordcount Wednesday - HA

2010-11-03T23:13:00.000-07:00

Guess what I forgot to do last week? ::sigh:: One day, I'll get this right. Another Winter in Fairbrook update. 13,266 words this time around. I know it doesn't seem like much, but I am doing a good bit of writing for other projects. The only reason I'm not talking about them is because they're still in the very early stages, and I don't want to spill anything too soon.

Biweekly Poll - Genres

2010-10-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

Ooh, mysterious drawing is mysterious! >.> This round was a rehash, but a useful one nonetheless. We talked about genres we like. With 219 votes, we definitely have a better take than last time.Slice of Life 102 (46%) Fantasy 117 (53%) Sci-Fi 47 (21%) Historical Fiction 57 (26%) Mystery 98 (44%) Romance 173 (78%) Cookies 65 (29%)Sadly (or happily?) cookies are more

Wordcount Wednesday -

2010-10-21T16:56:00.000-07:00

I'm sure it's still Wednesday SOMEWHERE out there (it's not). I swear I'll get into this rhythm eventually. Maybe I should mark all the Wednesdays on my calendar or something. As it stands, I keep waking up on Thursday (or sometimes Friday) and realizing "Oops. I didn't post a wordcount." But at least I'm updating weekly! Winter in Fairbrook currently weighs in at 13,056 words. I've been playing

Biweekly Poll - Voiced Games

2010-10-12T11:26:00.000-07:00

A nice 239 votes for this round. Much love to you all. The question of the hour is "Voiced games?" And the answers are:Definitely! 89 (37%) No, thank you. 24 (10%) Either way is fine. 142 (59%) Not if it takes longer to release the game. 63 (26%)Thankfully, you're all kindly relaxed about whether or not the game is voiced. Of course, those who dislike voices always have the

Playtesters Needed for [text]

2010-10-06T14:11:00.000-07:00

Hey all~ I'm bumping Wordcount Wednesday (again) to let you know that I've finished writing a new (short) sound novel and I'm looking for a few good people to playtest it for me before the release. The novel is called [text] - A Summer Story. The gameplay looks like it does in the screencap above - no character sprites or CGs or any of the usual stuff you'd see. Just a phone and some photos.I'm

Wordcount Wednesday - Now Available on Friday!

2010-10-02T02:41:00.000-07:00

Apparently Friday is the new Wednesday. I missed WW again because I forgot that it was a Wednesday. D: That's a good thing, though. The less I update, the more I'm actually working (and thus, have no time to update). Anyway, I've got a word count on the game I announced a little bit back.The game contains 444 screens of dialogue.These screens contain a total of 3,147 words,for an average of 7.1

Biweekly Poll - Figures

2010-09-28T21:27:00.000-07:00

It's been a long week. :: sigh :: Finally here, though. 273 votes, which I think breaks our record. Lots of votes are yay! Thank you all so much for the votes and the comments - it helps a lot. The poll options are basically the most popular ones I got from the informal survey I ran on facebook and twitter.Alistair 81 (29%) Jisei Protagonist/??? 74 (27%) Kuu 74 (27%) Travis 59 (21%)

Wordcount Wednesday - Branching Out

2010-09-22T20:01:00.000-07:00

This week, the wordcount is for Winter in Fairbrook, a visual novel not being made by sakevisual. It's a Winter Wolves project. I'm just the writer, but I really like this project, and I think a lot of you guys are looking forward to it as well. So yey! The current count is 11,759 words full of cute boys and flowers. Yey!Sketch was filched from project artist, Deji-chan. As usual. >.>

Announcement Friday - New Message

2010-09-17T22:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry I missed last Wednesday. I got so caught up in working on a little project that I ran out of time to update. @____@ But that's usually how things go. Anyway, I'm working on something small. Nothing too exciting, but I'm currently trying to learn some of Ren'py's fancy new capabilities, as well as remake a short little VN to be prettier and slightly (slightly) longer. I finally managed to

Sakevisual Figures?

2010-09-13T14:36:00.000-07:00

Hey all! If you've been watching twitter or facebook, you've probably already got an inkling as to what's going on. Well, now it's time for details on what exactly I'm up to.Over the past year, I've gotten a lot of requests online and in person to have figures made of some of the sakevisual characters. As a collector of trading figures and gashapon, I was down with the idea from the beginning,

Biweekly Poll - Tutorials

2010-09-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

In our last episode, our heroes were planning on writing a few tutorials. What will happen next?Well, tutorials, really. The numbers are as follows:Planning a VN 90 (52%) Using Ren'py 97 (56%) Using Novelty 39 (22%) Making/Finding Art 82 (47%) Writing Branched Stories 97 (56%) Other (Leave a Comment) 1 (0%)I'll start with writing branched stories, since there were a lot more

AFest VN Panel Part 02

2010-09-11T18:05:00.000-07:00

More video from AFest. This one covers planning a VN, drawing story trees, the steps you go through to make art, and brief discussion of programming and music. Most of you VN creators probably already know this stuff. Please keep in mind that I giving advice to people who I expect to be working solo or in very small groups so there's a lot of emphasis on streamlining things, working small, and

Wordcount Wednesday - Oneiro

2010-09-08T07:44:00.000-07:00

Oneiro update! Yay~ And some nice art of a new character. His name is Tamotsu, and he has long hair.The game contains 2,752 screens of dialogue.These screens contain a total of 27,749 words,for an average of 10.1 words per screen.The game contains 17 menus.

AnimeFest 2010 Report

2010-09-07T09:50:00.000-07:00

Aaand we're back from AnimeFest. Woooo! This four-day convention was filled with fun, free goodies, and lots and lots of dancing. Our wonderful friends at Sayuri Studios were also present to spread the visual novel love with games never before available in print, and Zero Zigen's doujin game, Koenchu. Our table in the dealer's room this time was a lot nicer than our table at A-KON a few months

Wordcount Wednesday - hanami x 2

2010-09-01T16:58:00.000-07:00

Yay, it's time for Wordcount Wednesday! Alliteration is FUN.The game contains 591 screens of dialogue.These screens contain a total of 5,524 words,for an average of 9.3 words per screen.The game contains 7 menus.For those of you looking for something to measure that number against, that's about one fourth of the words in RE: A++. Also enjoy the pretty sketch of the heroine, Teisen, drawn by

Kansei - We're Not Dead Yet!

2010-08-30T01:59:00.000-07:00

"Everyone's going to think I'm dead if you don't update!"Progress update ahoy! For those who have played Jisei (or even those of you who haven't), you probably know that it's the first chapter in a series. The question on everyone's lips is "When will the next chapter be out!?" The answer is "Not yet." But we ARE hard at work on it. We've gotten some wonderful feedback on the first chapter, and

Biweekly Poll - This Blog Needs More...

2010-08-30T01:19:00.000-07:00

Woo! This poll was pretty straightforward. We had 129 votes, and pretty much everyone agrees.This blog needs more...Sketches - 65 (50%)Progress Updates - 116 (89%)Photos of Stuff - 30 (23%)Video - 22 (17%)Cookies - 31 (24%)I have heard your cries. Expect an update shortly (like in a few minutes). And from now on, I declare every Wednesday to be "Wordcount Wednesday," a day set aside for me to

AnimeFest Schedule Up!

2010-08-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

To those of you in Dallas, or otherwise planning to attend AnimeFest next weekend, please drop by and say hi to us. We'll be running a panel on making visual novels and you have TWO shots at seeing us (yay). Both panels cover making VNs from the planning stages to releasing your game. If you can't come, tell any local friends to come instead. We love having people. ^-^Friday 4:00pmSunday 9:

Biweekly Poll - Online Games

2010-08-17T21:08:00.000-07:00

Wow, these weeks brought in a fantastic 246 votes. I owe you guys a little dance. XD Also, sorry for the lateness of the post. I've been flying around the world and I just got back. >.>If you haven't seen it yet, Ripples now has an online player version. This lovely update coincides perfectly with the subject of our latest poll. : DThis poll, we had some great discussion about playing visual

Ruka Sketch

2010-08-10T03:30:00.000-07:00

Oneiro is still alive. Writing is progressing pretty well, and I'm here with a character sketch to tease you. XD This is Ruka, the MANLIEST of men....I lied. He's not the manliest of men. But he DOES know how to cook, which is a very manly pursuit. We're working on his sprite right now - I'll post a teaser screencap once it's complete.

DEREEEEEEK!!!

2010-08-03T15:55:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy~ This is one of the things I was super excited about yesterday. Eeee~ MAN, I get so excited about like...everything. Seriously. AHHHHH~ Man, I'm totally babbling right now. XD These were made by the lovely renealexa. She's very talented, so do stop by her dA (and fave this deviation) if you are so inclined.

Biweekly Poll - Mobile Devices

2010-08-02T16:39:00.000-07:00

I'm working on something right now that makes me super excited. I wish I could show you guys some progress, but it's not ready yet. D: Have a sketch from Oneiro as an apology. XDAnyway, another great turnout. We got 145 votes this time, which is another record breaker. Yaay! If we get 200 next time, I will do a little dance. XD The results were pretty cohesive this time around, too. : DFirst off,

Flower Girl

2010-07-23T00:52:00.000-07:00

I lifted the above image from Deji's twitter. >.> This is Natalie, the heroine of Winter in Fairbrook (name subject to change), a spinoff of The Flower Shop. For those not familiar with the game, it's a dating/farming simulation I wrote for Winter Wolves. The game received a lot of good feedback, but there were also a lot of requests for a "girl's side" version of the game. The good (and kinda

Biweekly Poll Talkback - Buying Stuff

2010-07-19T22:44:00.000-07:00

Pictured above: A good example of why I hire real artists to draw for me. >.> My character sketch of a guy from a work in progress that may or may not be the second chapter in a mystery series. Anyway, down to the business of things. Thanks for bearing with me another two weeks on a "stuff" poll. This round garnered 118 votes, so we broke our voting record again. Wooo~So. Things you are

Familiar Face

2010-07-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

Woo, check it out! It's ??? sporting an attractive new shirt. The skull is gone, now replaced by a set of crosshairs aimed at his right lung. He seems to be a fan of the macabre. I can't really blame him, all things considered. Now, why would he be needing a new shirt? Probably because he has more cases to solve. Dun dun duuun.

Asami

2010-07-15T12:38:00.000-07:00

Meet Asami, the heroine of our otome/mystery game, Oneiro. As you can see from the image, she's a pretty fit girl. She practices judo because it helps her focus her thoughts. She's the sort of girl who likes to think a lot, and sometimes she winds up over thinking things rather than taking action. Having worked at her parents' sushi restaurant for as long as she can remember, she's very mature

Back from San Japan

2010-07-12T14:15:00.000-07:00

Wooo~! Just got back from San Japan. I am so tired, but I had a good time. I didn't put in an official sakevisual presence this time; I was just there to spend time with some friends (some are pictured above running the charity auction).I had a great time meeting new people and reconnecting with old friends. I donated a copy of Jisei signed by me and Micah Solusod (Kizaki's voice actor) to the

Biweekly Poll Talkback - Sakeswag

2010-07-05T14:11:00.000-07:00

To the left, a color test for a new character from Oneiro. He looks angry. Maybe it's because his design is still in progress. XDAnyway, fun week on my end trying to figure out what free stuff to give away at the next convention I go to. 92 votes.Stickers: 29 (31%)Buttons: 36 (39%)Bookmarks: 28 (30%)Art Prints: 50 (54%)Keychains: 52 (56%)Other: 15 (16%)I've heard a lot of people say that "useful"

New Work in Progress - Oneiro

2010-06-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been hinting at this for a while, but I think it's time to finally announce the production of our next free game. Introducing Oneiro, the visual novel about one girl, four boys, and a remote island. Yes, it's another otome game. This one is more of a mystery/adventure game, though, with no stat raising and less focus on dating and more focus on solving the mystery. What mystery? Hm...I

Biweekly Poll Talkback - Screen Size

2010-06-21T08:09:00.000-07:00

These random sketches I'm posting are largely unrelated to the biweekly poll content. Consider them a sneak peek of things to come (hopefully the genre of this game is readily apparent from the sketch XD). 101 votes this week, so we beat our record again. \^o^/Anyway! This week's poll results were once again very interesting to me. The ratios weren't quite as surprising as the last round's, but

indieDB Contest - Show your love and win!

2010-06-19T14:35:00.000-07:00

Hey sakefans! As if these eight reasons weren't enough, a ninth reason to plug RE:A++ has appeared! The lovely new website, indieDB is hosting a couple of really fun contests right now. You could even win $150 just for telling the world about your favorite indie game! Now, I don't wanna put any pressure on you or anything, but wouldn't it be great if you won by promoting a sakevisual game? (I am

Eight reasons why you should plug RE: A++

2010-06-17T12:59:00.000-07:00

Be popular like Derek! Tell your friends about RE: Alistair++!Shameless promotion ahoy! Leave now if you don't want to be indoctrinated. XDHey, sakefans! You should plug RE: Alistair++ to all your friends (as well as your acquaintances, and complete strangers). I'd be dearly grateful to you if you did, but if that's not enough of a reason to do it, I've compiled a handy list of reasons why you

A-KON 21 Report

2010-06-11T21:12:00.001-07:00

And a week later, I'm finally getting around to posting this. Haaaa... Anyway, hey! For those of you who didn't know, sakevisual was at A-KON last weekend. Amidst the crowds of thousands of people, we shared a booth with the Japanese doujin circle, Zero Zigen. It was a pretty small affair for us. We had a demo computer where people could play the Jisei demo or RE: Alistair++, we sold Jisei, and

Biweekly Poll Talkback - I would like more...

2010-06-07T21:12:00.000-07:00

Well folks, the numbers are in! Our latest poll asked you guys what you wanted to see more of in VNs, and I have to admit that some of the results really surprised me. The poll received 99 votes, which is the most I've gotten thus far (you guys rock!). Here's a quick summary with my thoughts. Feel free to leave your thoughts and reasons for your votes in the comments section!Story 69 (69%). Story

Pencils Ready

2010-06-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

Or tablets, or whatever it is you use. With Jisei's release fast approaching, I'm looking for ways to promote sakevisual AND make the game more affordable for all you wonderful sakefans. So we're staring with a call for fanart. Really. I confess, I'm a total sucker for fanart. It makes me ridiculously happy to see fanart of sakevisual's characters. So much so, that I am handing out a 25% discount

Biweekly Poll Talkback

2010-05-23T20:27:00.000-07:00

So, after telling everyone that voting in polls matters, I think I should actually open up some sort of discussion area so you guys can expand on your thoughts rather than just leave me a vote. So here you go. The most recent poll was about which "types" in dating sims you rather dislike.Results:Tsundere 13 (27%)The tsundere is the girl who never admits her feelings, and defaults to abusing the

Don't Panic

2010-05-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

Hey, all. Ayu here. I've gotten a lot of questions and comments about this, so here comes a long and open letter meant to confirm rumors and deny misconceptions. It's taken me a long time to come to this decision, and please know it's not something I randomly decided to do one day. Let me start with this, so that there's no misunderstanding:Sakevisual will continue to produce FREE visual

Countdown to Jisei (And why polls matter)

2010-05-20T23:08:00.000-07:00

The third suspect is now up! Only one more suspect left. I wonder who will round out our group of suspicious suspects? (Cue mysterious music of mystery.) Like the past two weeks, there's extra info for people who know where to look. And really, you don't have to be a world class hacker to find it.While you wait for more suspicious information about the mysterious mystery of suspicion, do take the

Kurara-rama

2010-05-19T13:42:00.000-07:00

Meet Kurara! Or, for those of you who've been with me for the long haul, here she is again! Yes, she's still alive. Kurara is the (un)official mascot for sakevisual, and the resident lover of sweets and baked goods. This is a lovely image that Dejichan has just finished. Do expect some prints of it in the future.And in the name of showing off Kurara artwork, please check out this wonderful gift I

Jisei - New Suspect+Release Info

2010-05-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

A new suspect for Jisei is now up on the teaser site. Only two more to go! And yes, this one is a guy. He just happens to have long hair. >.> You'll also notice last week's suspect has a little more info up. It's actually been on the site all week, just invisible. Sometimes words like to blend into the background.Also, Jisei's release date is currently set for sometime in early June. It will

Jisei - First Suspect (+Hints)

2010-05-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

A little bit of information on the first suspect is up on the website. Who is this mysterious shadowy person! Click to find out! No, seriously. Anyone who can add a highlight to the blackness might gain an extra kernel of knowledge.I've also had a few people ask for hints for entering the mystery zone.Hint 01 - Start on the projects page. That's where you'll find your answer.Hint 02 - Sometimes

Announcing Jisei - A mystery game of...mystery.

2010-04-25T21:09:00.001-07:00

Greetings sakefans! I bring tidings of comfort, joy, and murder! Well, mostly murder. Dust off your magnifying glasses, because sakevisual is writing a supernatural mystery series.The teaser website is up:http://sakevisual.com/jisei/New information will be revealed weekly. If you absolutely can't wait, you can get a sneak peek of the protagonist by sneaking into our mystery zone. Not sure what

Weekly(?) Update

2010-04-22T23:25:00.000-07:00

Even though this is supposed to be a weekly update, I keep forgetting to update. Does that mean I'm really busy writing games right now? Hmm...I wonder. <-terrible jokeCard Sweethearts is moving along beautifully. Currently doing testing of the poker game, and it's a lot of fun. I'm a terrible poker player, but I do enjoy a round of Texas hold'em or two, so it's a lot of fun to play. Mad props to

Weekly Update - Cards!

2010-04-13T20:11:00.000-07:00

Two important card-related updates. As you can tell from the photo above, I now officially have some beautiful business cards illustrated by Deji. They're more like miniature art prints that happen to have information about sakevisual on the back. I kinda want to frame one. XDAnd the second card-related update is...dundun...I have finished writing all the scenario for Card Sweethearts. Yaaay! It

Weekly Update

2010-04-05T21:35:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the week again, friends! Time for a wordcount~Card SweetheartsFinished Lisa's arc. My favorite scene is in this one. It's actually based on a restaurant I read about in New York, but that's all I'll say on that matter. There's only one arc (and the endings) left to go, so yay!Current word count: 26,336 wordsHappy MemoriesWrote all the intro scenes for meeting your friends at

Weekly Update

2010-03-29T02:16:00.000-07:00

I made a new logo. I'm actually going to KEEP this one instead of make a new one every two days.Anyway. Time for an update. Now with word counts!RE: Alistair++Finished writing for the extended edition. Some new scenes, some updated scenes, hopefully fewer bugs and typos...Final word count: 23,254Card SweetheartsFinished Carla's arc, and getting close to being done with Lisa's. Hers is fairly

Things that make me Happy

2010-03-13T11:53:00.000-08:00

I should update more often, but I don't because I'm usually busy working on the visual novels that I should be updating everyone on. But here's a list of things from the past week or so that make me happy. I'll post word counts later, in case anyone is actually interested in that sort of stuff. XD-Deji is safe. I was seriously freaking out when I heard about the earthquakes in Chile. But she's