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.

Progress Report

The con rush has died down for a month, so now is a good time to summarize where we are and what our upcoming plans are for the future.

Yousei is slated to come out sometime this summer. We're around the 25% mark in terms of overall completion, but the framework is in place. The sprites for the main cast are done, writing is underway, and music is on track (haha, pun). The final game will be about twice the length of Kansei.

Oneiro will be out this year. Wooo! Right now, I'm thinking sometime in the fall. After reading all the feedback, I've decided not to go with a free vs. deluxe version sort of release. If you want to support Oneiro, we'll have bonus things like posters, t-shirts, or other goodies (like figures) for sale. This game WILL be voiced, and I'll probably be holding auditions for extras in a few months. Keep an eye out for that.

Swan's Melody has always been a side project for Deji and I, so while we're still working on it, it's not high on the priority list. However, I'll be posting updates as we have them.

Good News and a Question

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 have right now is enough to make a complete story that I'm confident you'll enjoy, but I know that a lot of people want more than that. I've been thinking of creating a "deluxe" version of Oneiro that includes bonus material. What might that include? More CGs, sketch galleries, commentary, voices, and anything else you guys come up with. Maybe it would be a lovely physical release complete with pretty packaging. The deluxe version would sell for $15 like Jisei or Kansei, while the free version would be...free. Is this something you would be interested in? What sort of material would you need to make it worth buying? Would you never buy a deluxe version if the free version were available? (I'll release a free version no matter what, so don't feel bad telling me if this is the case.)

In the end, I want to be able to share as much free stuff as I can with you guys. Making games is how I make a living, though, so I have to find a way to share with you, continue to survive, and pay all the team members fairly for their work. It's tricky to find the balance, but I'm willing to experiment with different models to see what works. I know it's weird to say I'm going to charge full price for a game that's free online, but I've seen a lot of TV shows that stream free online and still sell DVDs at full price, so I'm willing to give it a shot if you guys are interested.

So, about those free games...

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 the background images, so that's cool stuff. The sprites for two of the three main characters are complete, and the writing is about halfway done. We've also recorded some character dialogue already. Hopefully we can get the whole thing voiced. @_@

Oneiro: We have a new background artist, so that'll help speed things up. Two of the five sprites are done, but their alternate outfits haven't been completed yet. Writing is about 85% complete. The original soundtrack is done, and it sounds beautiful. I'll probably post some samples later in the summer.

Plat du Jour: Anyone remember this? XD Yes, there are still plans to finish it, but we're still sort of on a detour. Ripples was meant as a prologue, but we've decided to write a second "in between" story that fits between Ripples and PdJ before we go forward with PdJ. Plans for that story are being drawn up as we speak, but the team is currently rather busy finishing Kansei, so it'll be a few months before we start work on it.

Overall, I hope that we'll be able to finish at least one more free game of substantial length this year. I really do love releasing games for free, but it's hard to keep up, since everyone involved has other obligations.

Something or other Wednesday

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 blog, twitter, and my choice of forum avatar. >.> Here are some things that you can look forward to coming sooner rather than later:

-Winter in Fairbrook: The sister dating sim to Winter Wolves' The Flower Shop. Writing is somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 complete, and the artwork is coming along beautifully. Release date is likely between late December and January.

-Oneiro: Another free otome game from sakevisual. The writing is nearly complete, and two out of five sprites are finished. Thanks to loving donations from viewers like you, all the boys in this game will be voiced. I'm still not sure when this will be done, but we're moving at a fair pace, so that's pleasing.

-Kansei: The second chapter in the Jisei series. Currently with three endings you'll want to get, and a few more that you probably won't. I don't have any finished screens for you yet, but we're working on streamlining some of the navigation, and integrating suggestions from the last game. We're currently slated for an early summer 2011 release.

Progress Update Wednesday

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 - Oneiro

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.

Ruka Sketch

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.

Biweekly Poll - Mobile Devices

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. XD

Anyway, 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. : D

First off, not many of us have the luxury of a smart phone in the first place. (It's okay, my phone plan is so cheap I don't even have texting options XD).
iPhone: 22 (15%)
Droid: 4 (2%)
Other: 11 (7%)

It seems like a lot of us would really like to have a smart phone, though.
Want an iPhone: 40 (27%)
Want a Droid: 18 (12%)
Want Other: 6 (4%)
Don't want one: 17 (11%)

The votes don't really add up to 100%...but I'll assume that the missing votes probably go into the "don't care either way" category.

Aaaaand the major question of the whole ordeal: Should there be more mobile VNs?
Yes: 25 (17%)
Focus on computer versions only: 102 (70%)

Wow. That's probably the biggest percentage of votes I've gotten for a single option since ever. You guys even beat out more story in VNs. The majority is pretty clear this time around. As it stands, I'll continue to focus on computer releases, with mobile ports of those releases when possible.

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Our newest poll is a very timely and important one! Your vote will be hugely useful to me and a lot of other VN developers, so exercise your right to vote! XD

There's been a lot of talk lately about bringing visual novels to a web platform. Rather than download games, you'd just log in to whatever site is hosting the games, and play away. A few different engines have made themselves evident lately (I've seen three NEW ones in the past two weeks, and there are a few old ones still floating around), and I'd like to know if you guys are interested in playing your visual novels online via Firefox, Chrome, or some other browser (none of the engines I've seen can really handle Internet Explorer). The cool thing is you'd be able to just surf the net and tada! A VN! Right there! No downloads, no installation. On the downside, it's not so good if you lose your connection, the site goes down, your connection is so slow that parts of the game don't load, etc. Do you have a preference as to how your VNs are delivered?

What about once they're commercial? Would you be fine paying for a game that you can only play online, or do you prefer to pay for a game that you then download?

Asami

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 and responsible. Her most hated chore is washing dishes, probably because it's the one she has to do the most.

New Work in Progress - Oneiro

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 wonder.

The story follows a girl named Asami (on the right). She's a fresh high school graduate looking for answers. College is on the horizon, and she still has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She decides to vacation on a remote island to get away from everything for a while and find herself. Unfortunately, what she finds is the curse of an ancient religion, and a hidden struggle for power. Since this is a free game, there's no estimated release date, but we'll do our very best to make sure you don't have to wait too long. XD

Oneiro is funded entirely by donations and revenue from Jisei. If you don't have any money (I totally understand), try your hand at the indieDB promo contest. Not only could you win $150 for yourself, but if we win, all the money will go to producing free games (like this one!).

Oneiro

"The secret lies in the sleeping city."