Hello, 2013~

Yaaay! It's the time of the year where we all say it's the time of the year, and then talk about the previous year and the upcoming year and it's fun and stuff!

So, let's start with a summary of 2012. Thankfully, I didn't get into any horrific car accidents this year. So that's definitely a plus over 2011. Also, went to SakuraCon for the first time, which was all kinds of fun. Made a lot of friends, kept in touch with old ones, and in general had a great time. Sadly, didn't actually finish any VNs (although Yousei is close - so beta testers should keep an eye open for the voiced version going up today or tomorrow). We did make a lot of progress, though, so onward to 2013...

This year, my rule is start nothing new, and finish everything else. So let's go down the list and see what's up.

Every Sunrise - The long awaited sequel to Ripples. Yes, the story goes on. No, you don't get to find out why Kuu and our mascot Kurara have similar hair (although discerning readers have probably already figured it out). Every Sunrise will be another kinetic novel. It will also be our first try with (optional) voiced narration. With increasing requests to make VNs more accessible, we're going to release this with every word available to be heard. While doing the same for a VN with choices seems like a difficulty at the time, if the response to full narration in Every Sunrise is good, we'll look into solutions for games with different paths.

Swan's Melody - A free game that Deji and I have been working on on the side. It's been a sort of on and off project for years, and we used 2012's NaNoRenO to push ourselves to get a decent amount of the work done. We'll likely do the same this year. The game involves cute girls. And magic. Potentially at the same time. Will we finish it this year? Only time will tell! There's kind of a lot in it.

Oneiro - The game that won't stop revamping. orz We're currently on our third background artist, and our second revamp of sprites and CGs. I don't know why bits keep falling apart like this, but I really want to finish this game. I'm quite fond of it, and I'm really looking forward to sharing it with you all. The writing is basically done, and the OST is complete. Until we can finish the new art, please enjoy this lineart of Lance and Asami having a moment.

Backstage Pass - I've been hinting at this on and off last year, but with tooaya busy with school, we haven't been able to devote much time to working on this. This will be our first otome game in the Green Tea Line, and it will have everything some of the things you guys wished RE: A++ could have had. It'll also cover a year of time instead of a month. I hope you like showbiz, because it's got a singer/musician, an actor, a model, and a magician. >_>;;

Jisei Mark IV - Those with the beta of Yousei already have an idea of where the next game is going, but for the moment I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't played yet. This will probably come late in the year, as I'll be spending the early portion of the year promoting Yousei and working on the above mentioned VNs. Currently, the plan is to make it approximately the same length as Yousei. Also, someone will probably die in it.

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Other stuff I will get around to eventually but probably not this year:
-Kangai's Big Little Adventures: I want to write some free side stories for Jisei that involve the group solving non-murder mysteries that aren't directly linked to the main story. I also want them to be illustrated with chibis.

-Jisei in Fairbrook: Started as a joke, but kind of isn't a joke anymore. So...maybe this will happen? Someday? I don't know.

-A big, multi-artist project: I've been toying with the idea of doing a VN in which the main character visits multiple worlds, and each world is illustrated by a different artist. I think it would be super cool, but I'll have to do more than just think about it before it really comes into fruition.

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In summary, my goal remains the same as ever. Finish two free games and one Green Tea game. Considering how far along I am in two of the free games on the list, that looks like it might actually be a possibility this year. Whoa.

Happy Valentine's Day 2012

We wish you all a happy Valentine's Day! Kurara loves you, whether you're dating or not, and there will always be a cupcake for you. Blog updates have been scarce because we've been working behind the scenes on quite a bit of stuff for the summer. As a little thank you for your patience, here's a gorgeous image by Deji and sample loop from Every Sunrise by Marc: >Download<

In other news, we're already gearing up for con season! Mini A-KON is this Saturday, so if you're in the area, come by and say hi. It's free! Tell us you're a sakefan, and we'll give you a free prize.

First Look: Koda

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

Status Update Times!

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 completely different story. That means a loooot of writing. But hey, it'll all be worth it in the end!

The Flower Shop - Winter in Fairbrook, by Winter Wolves
This game is late, excuses and other things here, blah blah. This year has been a complete mess for me outside of making games, and unfortunately, that's done terrible things to my ability to work on games. The writing is all complete, AND I wrote a really cute bonus scene last week to apologize for taking so long to get this out. Soon, my friends. Really, really, soon.

hanami x 2, by sakevisual (Ooh, that's us!)

Sprites are done, backgrounds are done, and the game will likely have at least some original music in it. Where are we now? Making CGs, and I'm saving up to hire voice actors for at least the boys (maybe not for the lead female, we'll see). The artist for this game is working on a volunteer basis, so getting all the art done for it will take a while because it's not top priority for her.

Oneiro, by sakevisual

This feels almost backwards. Usually, recording the voices is the last step in creation, but in this case, all the voices are recorded already, but the art isn't really that close to being finished. Again, it's because it's a really low priority project for the artist, so it's coming along slowly. We have an original soundtrack, at least!

Jisei Chapter 03, by sakevisual

Although I'm still in the planning stages for this, Deji has already started on the sprite artwork for the main cast (Kan, Aki, Naoki, Li Mei, Miko), so the art is further along than the writing (There is no writing. Ha!). I already have a rough outline of the story from the initial planning stages for Jisei, but now I need to fill in the details like how people get killed. If the government ever gets their hands on my search history, I might be trouble. My current search history includes, "how much cyanide it takes to kill a person," "can you taste arsenic in a drink," "blunt force needed to kill a person," and "how to hide a corpse." Does that mean there will be cyanide, arsenic and hitting people? Maybe. Maybe not. Probably not. I can tell you that one body disposal might make you less hungry for a while. NO, not like that.

Something Else, lalala!

It's something else! It's something you've been asking for. It's something I've been hinting at. It WILL be part of the Green Tea Line, but I promise you won't be disappointed by it, and there will be plenty of free giveaway options and stuff. bo_o

Another something else~

Deji mentioned it in her blog here, and she and I are both really, really excited about this project. There's not much I can say about it yet because we're still trying to make it work. O_< But it won't be like a normal visual novel. Yup.

Wordcount Wednesday - Every Sunrise

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 Kuu there, but hey, here's a sprite preview! Woo! We've been planning this for a while, but we've just started actual work on it recently. This is sort of a side project right now (as Winter in Fairbrook and Cinders take precedence for me and Deji has other work, too), but at least we've begun!

Statistics:
The game contains 53 screens of dialogue.
These screens contain a total of 562 words,
for an average of 10.6 words per screen.
The game contains 0 menus.

P.S.

This game will be free.