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.

A Real Announcement

Well, as most of you figured out, the previous entry was an April Fools joke. It looks like I dug a hole for myself, seeing as some people actually want to see it done. Unfortunately, I only have the one joke with the screencap, there. ^_^;; If anyone DOES want to make such a game, do feel free. I have no more ideas for it. D:

As thanks to everyone for putting up with my terrible sense of humor, here's an actual announcement: We're working on Swan's Melody. No, the demo isn't ready to go. Unfortunately, Deji has fallen ill (everyone wish her a get well soon), so the demo will have to wait a bit (but just a bit!) for the release. Now seems like a good time to talk about, though.

This project started as a one-off comment while Deji and I were chatting. It was meant to be a passing thought, but both of us kept thinking about it, and we finally agreed that we might as well just get it done. We didn't want to add another project to our pile, but NaNoRenO seemed like the perfect time to get out a working demo so we could at least get some feedback on it. The game will generally be a cute story about cute girls doing cute things. As some people have already guessed, there will be a twist (when is there ever NOT a twist?), but in general we plan to keep it a very lighthearted piece.

As for why we're releasing a demo first, it's because this will, in fact, be a hybrid game. No, it's not a first person shooter. XD

(Also, it will be free.)

NaNo Update

Poll results show that not many people know what NaNo is. But that's totally okay! Because I'm going to tell you now. : D NaNoRenO is a yearly tradition among English VN makers. In the spirit of NaNoWriMo, we spend a month creating a visual novel from scratch. The goal is to start and finish creating the game within a month. Last year, we made My Magical Cosplay Cafe. This year, we're doing something a little bit different. Deji and I have been toying with ideas for a VN called "Swan's Melody," for a while, and we decided to use NaNo to make a demo for it. The final game will be much longer, but we hope to release a nice little preview to get you guys interested in it. It's less than a week before the NaNo month is over, and we've still got a ways to go. Will we finish on time? Stay tuned to find out!

Yup! I always do.	4 (2%)
It's my first time.	19 (11%)
Not this year.	30 (18%)
Never have.	57 (34%)
I don't know what that is.	81 (48%)

Votes so far: 166