tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8513419230792463952024-03-13T19:46:17.455-07:00Grover's BlogAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08456791321619475062noreply@blogger.comBlogger637125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851341923079246395.post-16408486927642253202023-12-31T13:23:00.000-08:002023-12-31T13:36:18.208-08:00Year 2023 in Review<p>2023 has been a very trying year from literally Day 1. The year has been a rollercoaster. Between dealing with some cyberbullies and cyberattacks on New Year's Day and throughout the year, to the constant state of flux in the tech and game industry, this has been a year of peaks and valleys. <br /><br />We had LVLUPEXPO, Anime Gaming Expo in Fresno, So Cal Gaming Expo, and shared a booth for San Diego Comic-Con earlier this year. Instead of hauling big computers, we began experimenting setting up a few Steam Decks attached to TVs instead. It works, our setup time was cut to a fraction, and we were able to save a lot of space hauling things. For any indie game developers that are reading this for some reason, invest in Steam Deck(s), a few Docks, and turn developer mode on. It makes demonstrations at shows a lot easier to set up and tear down. This setup we were able to polish and show it at PAX West in Seattle this year. I have to give Paul, Matt and Mizore credit for holding the fort down in Seattle this year, I was not in the right mental mindset for the show this year. I hope my next experience at PAX West will be better. (Through no fault of the show itself. PAX West was a fantastic show.)<br /><br />We went to GDC, while the show wasn't too great (it really had its issues this year), we learned from our last trip in 2017 and made a point to go there with an agenda and the three of us were able to accomplish that goal. We were able to confirm that Spellbearers is coming to current consoles (Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation) because of the contacts we made at GDC. This has been a great achievement for the studio. I also have to give a special shoutout to my friend and game developer Larry Kuperman who was a big help in getting some initial conversations that led to these meetings.</p><p>Since 2019 or so I had a goal to visit the east coast and I was able to finally get that off my bucket list after several years of delays due to the pandemic. Our group of friends flew out to New York, we got yelled at on a train to Connecticut, we stayed in New Jersey and rode a ferry across the Hudson River, took the subway (against many people's suggestions), got to see a lot of NYC landmarks, got rained out in Philadelphia, and went through Delaware and Maryland on train to visit Washington DC. </p><p>I lost my grandfather who was really like a second parent to me. I made every effort to see him on Sunday mornings whenever I was in Los Angeles and he would talk about his adventures and stories, and I would share any new adventures I went on and my successes and failures I was having. I got to meet an aunt for the first time and meet some cousins and a side of the family I never knew. My grandpa inspired me to go on adventures of my own, to make sure I know who my family is and where we came from. I'll remember those words.</p><p><br />Right before Thanksgiving, we released a giant patch for Selatria: Advent of the Dakk'rian Empire on Steam that enables Cloud Saving and Steam Deck compatibility for the first time. It also includes the ton of changes we've been cooking to prepare for the full release. I sound like a broken record when I talk about when the game is going to be done, but I hope that this shows that we've put a significant amount of effort into polishing the game in preparation for the full release. We'll also be putting a patch for Advent sometime in January that addresses some glaring bugs that were found over the holiday season.</p><p>In 2024, I'd like to focus a bit more on myself. I've gotten a bit too comfortable with where I'm at and I feel I'm falling behind, even if I might not be. A friend mentioned that I have a "grind mindset", but I don't really know what I'm working towards. I spent a lot of 2023 fighting smaller battles and not enough time looking at the bigger picture. Spending more time trying to stay afloat, looking for immediate projects without getting the necessary skillsets to be able to get out of that situation entirely or fighting social media algorithms to try and get our games noticed without properly delegating it to someone or team that can handle it. It's a lack of self-fulfillment. Some in my circle have suggested settling down in one location, or finding a significant other and/or starting a family, or simply switching jobs and getting more money, but I don't believe any of these will solve the underlying problem.<br /><br />I'm looking forward to taking some leaps and risks into the unknown. To learn that new game engine, to overcome anxiety and set up conversations with those publishers, to bring old projects to the finish line, to ask for help when it's needed, and consider new and alternative opportunities. To continue to travel to new places. Time to embrace the growth mindset. <br /></p><p>I'm glad to see 2023 come to a close. I don't know what trials 2024 will bring, it really is filled with question marks as of this blog entry, but I hope to find some personal fulfillment out of it. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>.</p>GroverWhimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991729119391398481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851341923079246395.post-73906469805277256582023-10-24T19:32:00.003-07:002023-10-24T19:32:43.740-07:00Selatria Release Date Window (No, Really) <p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Selatria (Full Version) is going to be released in mid-April 2024 for Steam and Steam Deck.</span></span></p><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We will have a playable demo and steam codes available for sale at next years LVLUPEXPO in Las Vegas in April and SoCal Gaming Expo in Pasadena in June. A big shoutout to our team for hanging in there all this time.
There's an ongoing joke between the team that I announced it way too early for August 2012, and I wanted to not repeat that mistake. We're wrapping up loose ends and side stories now, and using this time to get in a lot of testing done.
</span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto">We are likely going to keep this a Steam-only release right now, if you see a game page for Selatria direct to some kind of .exe download that's not on Steam, it's not legitimate as of this posting. </div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
All in all, I'm excited to bring this 13 year development journey to an end and looking forward to what's next.</span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(And we still beat Duke Nukem Forever)
</span></div></div>GroverWhimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991729119391398481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851341923079246395.post-20751246857718477942023-09-02T08:50:00.002-07:002023-09-02T10:51:19.610-07:00Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #72<p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Here is our 72nd update with what's going on at Whim Indie! We’re currently at the PAX West convention in Seattle and have some new information to share. By the way, if you're at PAX West, come and visit us this weekend at Booth 3118 (or Booth 3218 if looking at the PAX West map, all roads lead to Rome.)
</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmOv1iYtZqgeS4EcDewQcxB9OZeGTo5qHRvvavDfPHoZO7Ht6tfzbZJ0eAMO5lCH8SWmgRSx6nktOQrQ9v3yXVRWRQIlMVjkwbvvfSaE8fsSi7J9mcN4iWjxARvAKckzzVpcpum3FHEsVkJbBsQ39HrVHZ49KfGVayFUg2SLDAyBSJoLmoPpv3m5jdhI/s2000/20230901_083123.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmOv1iYtZqgeS4EcDewQcxB9OZeGTo5qHRvvavDfPHoZO7Ht6tfzbZJ0eAMO5lCH8SWmgRSx6nktOQrQ9v3yXVRWRQIlMVjkwbvvfSaE8fsSi7J9mcN4iWjxARvAKckzzVpcpum3FHEsVkJbBsQ39HrVHZ49KfGVayFUg2SLDAyBSJoLmoPpv3m5jdhI/w640-h480/20230901_083123.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">
</span></span><p></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-1febbafc-7fff-3641-1c87-0bd10e309be4"><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 13pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">-
Spellbearers Switch Port and new Steam Pricing</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 266px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; overflow: hidden; width: 271px;"><img height="266" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/TBPg9rSJBgB7fyk140nnuF3p8_clBHKNr3Ew3YyUuo6xuxj5Zx_wWeOO53aIGPCgdXQgOIDYmOQ8aktzdvc2_QZB1QxKlB1xIyKkJumLXrFT98xynRGLwqwZlJAiIksAidvdTx-ag4jT038b7kSymjc" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="271" /></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 13pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 13pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Fresh off PAX West, we’re happy to announce that the Nintendo Switch version of Spellbearers is officially in development! We’ve been working on this port throughout the past few months, and we’re excited to be working on our studio’s first console game. Other consoles including PlayStation and Xbox will be coming in the future as well.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We’ll have more to share about the Nintendo Switch version of Spellbearers in the coming months so please keep an eye on future updates. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We’ve also permanently decreased the price of Spellbearers down to $9.99* (USD), so there’s never a better time to give the game a play. We would really appreciate reviews for Spellbearers (good or bad), </span><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1304160/Spellbearers/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">please let us know what you think. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: yellow; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: yellow; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">*Note that the price may vary in different regions/currencies.
-</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 13pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Selatria: Advent of the Dakk’rian Empire - Version 1.90 Patch</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 13pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline;">Originally we were planning on putting the final patch of Selatria: Advent of the Dakk’rian Empire on August 25th, but we hit some performance snags. Jon was able to fix these issues, and we’re going to delay the release to September 15th so we have some time after Labor Day to give it a final playthrough and make sure everything still works and is compatible.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline;">This patch will finally make the game compatible with Steam Deck so that the game can be enjoyed on the go for the first time. This patch will also set the foundation so that files can be carried over to Selatria: Full Version with minimal issue. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline;">We really appreciate your continued support and positive feedback on Selatria. Thank you so much and we’ll work on applying this feedback to the second half of the game.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><img height="600" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/yx8XOEtc9oB7qZ3AIC0-K6EzhT7Aroeao0I1fqym4wmFQF_bydvWFcRE51a26seGgFGHVm5ejYUCIfZoshU-HUWjqHc2sMQZa-aJkzFyldDWl7vNTtVn7FzUHurKlhc3o8i_fAnazuaTOPV1hvemuuI" style="color: black; font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: collapse;" width="454" /><br /><br /></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 13pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 13pt;">-</p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 13pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 17.3333px; font-weight: 700; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Return of the “On a Whim!” Podcast! - Season 4 now Recording!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><img height="303" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/UoJPukMPPrk4xDZZbfdo8_lHjAGwu4mkv7PBxZDm6vErdN1UNhNHoH8T8hEZbaJE6Oh6nm_rtA6GumpKVy-zoixgSBuyYZ6aiZqeULXC_IycZbpMOFTgBEKfG7InGa0wxnumhlnyOs3CUeF9BHpiSS0" style="color: black; font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: collapse;" width="315" /><br /></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 13pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We have begun recording episodes for the On a Whim! Podcast. Season 4 is going to be a bit different as we’re recording episodes a decent time in advance as opposed to the week of or the week before to account for our various schedules so we can keep a consistent schedule of episodic releases. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We also have a brand new logo for the “On a Whim!” podcast, created by Jessica M. Jacuinde as well as a revamped music package done by award-winning indie game composer </span><a href="https://chasebethea.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Chase Bethea</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We’re putting a lot of effort into making Season 4 the best season it can be with more guests and insights into the studio. We also do live recordings </span><a href="http://discord.gg/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">on our Discord</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> and the audience is welcomed to participate and chat with us as we record our episodes. A great chance for Q&A with the hosts and guests in the show. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 13pt;">-</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Screen Smash - “Is it Worth It?”</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I was a guest on a recent episode of Screen Smash where I talked with the hosts about pricing of indie games and how Vampire Survivors affected Spellbearers and our future games. Please have a watch!</span> <br /> </p><center> <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4eO15UngVDM?si=9h1JHhuhriTjQAx7" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe> </center> <br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 13pt 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">--------</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">That’s it for this development log!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 13pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Be sure to follow us on</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Facebook</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">,</span><a href="https://www.twitter.com/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Twitter</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">,</span><a href="https://twitch.tv/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Twitch</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, and join our</span><a href="https://discord.gg/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Discord</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">! </span></p><h3 dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1304160/Spellbearers/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #29aae1; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Purchase Spellbearers on Steam</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 15pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">!</span></h3><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://anchor.fm/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #29aae1; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Listen to the "On a Whim!" Podcast</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://whimindie.itch.io/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #29aae1; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Follow whimindie on itch.io</span></a><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1052040/Selatria/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #29aae1; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://forms.gle/L9Q5htaLce8WV5hw5"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #29aae1;">Subscribe to our Marketing Newsletter!</span></span></a></p><div><br /></div></span>GroverWhimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991729119391398481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851341923079246395.post-33281928616298777622023-09-01T08:17:00.018-07:002023-09-02T08:25:30.637-07:00Remembering My Grandfather<p>Remembering my grandfather - Husband, Father, Grandfather, Great-Grandfather, Great-Great Grandfather, WW2 navy veteran, electrician, worked for the newspaper in downtown LA, raised a great family. He told me he always wanted us to know our history and make sure we kept in touch with one another. <br /><br />I was grateful to hear his stories, about our family history, and your words. He was a fighter until the very end and i hope to keep the family history alive for future generations so they can hear and pass on your stories to future generations.<br /><br />When no one really believed in me or the studio, he would be the one to always tell me that we were gonna make it, that we were going to be successful. I did whatever I cold almost every Sunday morning that I was in California to make it out to see him, no matter how tired I was. <br /><br />The world lost a Grover today, and I love and miss you grandpa. <br /><br />Rest in Peace: Grover C Wimberly, Jr. - February 12, 1928-September 1, 2023</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmUK9pu0dRcuMJbT6eA09_s6fg-wqsBKKgmM4_nB546SpqN8gy5CVnaH2Np4kce-srWfjFCkL-GwCe_vPkrVFBd7Kt50hBqmk168_QdbRsPYQ4w9cwgjcq0Qk8gi2rDKKC9EvJWqXfiqvs5eElV9BfbzmJz-L_esAemItZYxs9IZpeipZF3K9WlUv1hQ/s2048/27992930_10214882062863071_2467819895532786504_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmUK9pu0dRcuMJbT6eA09_s6fg-wqsBKKgmM4_nB546SpqN8gy5CVnaH2Np4kce-srWfjFCkL-GwCe_vPkrVFBd7Kt50hBqmk168_QdbRsPYQ4w9cwgjcq0Qk8gi2rDKKC9EvJWqXfiqvs5eElV9BfbzmJz-L_esAemItZYxs9IZpeipZF3K9WlUv1hQ/w640-h360/27992930_10214882062863071_2467819895532786504_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>GroverWhimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991729119391398481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851341923079246395.post-70219950824076498052023-05-01T12:17:00.004-07:002023-05-01T14:45:17.577-07:00Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #71<p>Happy May!<br /><br />Here is our 71st update with what's going on at whimindie! This one is going to be a bit more Selatria focused, but also have some information on Spellbearers updates and upcoming conventions. </p><p><b>Selatria</b></p><p>We will be pushing one more final update to Selatria: Advent of the Dakk'rian Empire on Steam. This will be considered Version 1.9x (where as the Full Version will be 2.x) - Version 1.9x will roll-in the hundreds of changes and improvements we've put into the upcoming full release. Although this includes a lot of gameplay changes and several bug fixes, the biggest change is that we're aiming for all versions of Selatria to be compatible with the Steam Deck, and this will set the foundation for that. <br /><br />Though Selatria: Advent of the Dakk'rian Empire will continue to not have Steam Achievements, save files that are carried forward to the Full Version will have achievements that are mostly retroactive. If you completed Chapter 3, they will all trigger/check upon finishing the first cutscene in Chapter 4.<br /><br />Shadoe has also worked to re-record and edit the soundtrack to be compatible with Steam Deck, and we're now working on improving the performance on the Overworld so that it doesn't slow down on the Deck as much. <br /><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZqIcSwSxCi6Zf8NLuma69sXWRXc2SXFbqWItq8Ob9fL1gfa_m6TOOCaptzqn3g5uYNmfaIvKttzaTOCu5Y_BrMv-XjDUz5BNBH8wLns-9oDL-7SqvvT1_b4sT3xOUtWCs1EIhKNAR8UcrbZeUOUi9Dbv2BpQf9rgNgd27PDdd0qH6LeD26_hXuUK/s4032/20230501_120811%5B1%5D.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZqIcSwSxCi6Zf8NLuma69sXWRXc2SXFbqWItq8Ob9fL1gfa_m6TOOCaptzqn3g5uYNmfaIvKttzaTOCu5Y_BrMv-XjDUz5BNBH8wLns-9oDL-7SqvvT1_b4sT3xOUtWCs1EIhKNAR8UcrbZeUOUi9Dbv2BpQf9rgNgd27PDdd0qH6LeD26_hXuUK/w320-h180/20230501_120811%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Selatria running on Steam Deck - Overworld Test Map</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The Overworld is the biggest problem with the Deck at the moment. As you can see in the above screenshot, it's running at 60 FPS, but only after we stripped out all of the events and even the clouds from the area. So we're going to try our reworks and make adjustments in pieces to see if we can have a similar experience to the Desktop version. </p><p>There's also some other pain points that we still need to fix and adjust for a smooth experience. We are aiming for a late-Spring or early-Summer release. This may be adjusted due to several other high-profile games coming out.</p><p>As for the full game, work is continuing on the final chapter of Selatria. Most of the cutscene work and boss battle designs are completed, it is quite an uphill battle tying the different sections of the game together. Jessi, who worked on our trailers for our previous games, has begun work on the trailer for the final game, and hopefully we can show that soon.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Spellbearers</b></p><center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ODCOFSIElAI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe> </center>
<p></p><p>We heard your feedback, and we're planning on adding mouse support to Spellbearers! The mouse will act as a cursor for what direction the Spellbearer can shoot in. It can also be used to click options on the menu. We also plan to have it compatible with touch screens such as on the Steam Deck.<br /><br />However, we're also working on updating the whole project to an LTS version of Unity so we can continue to provide stable updates for the game moving forward, so I will have to ask to wait on this feature a little longer. Sorry about that!</p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>GDC 2023 Retrospective</b><br /><br />This is the first development log entry since our time at GDC. I have a lot of mixed good and bad emotions to say about GDC. It has been 5 or 6 years since we last attended. The first time, we didn't know what to expect, didn't have any games released or to show, to be honest, feeling like it was a waste of time. <br /><br />This year, however, we went in with a battle plan and got a lot out of it. We were able to have meetings and get contacts with the teams at Xbox and PlayStation, so things seem quite promising on the console fronts. Hope to share more concrete news soon. Some pictures below...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhot-IFLeHgkpG0Z8mIVsIVV0k0ito3dwVk5GMQr4CDC8Kmd63g-HErlvN3j32RlThpmx_OHPYRHQs_SYcnahBbojtDziDxEi1Tsi64tEBq8h99T1mToZwOAOuscm9IyQBM1NFQXEemVj4huZnKH2-SkuZUe6agxg7ed9xXnSMqc4XuT98NCYqKseyK/s1080/Fr7Y3ScaQAAapGk.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1080" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhot-IFLeHgkpG0Z8mIVsIVV0k0ito3dwVk5GMQr4CDC8Kmd63g-HErlvN3j32RlThpmx_OHPYRHQs_SYcnahBbojtDziDxEi1Tsi64tEBq8h99T1mToZwOAOuscm9IyQBM1NFQXEemVj4huZnKH2-SkuZUe6agxg7ed9xXnSMqc4XuT98NCYqKseyK/w400-h334/Fr7Y3ScaQAAapGk.jpg" width="400" /></b></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>After meeting the ID@Xbox team, they gave us ID@Xbox boards. (Note the year! Eerie.)<br /><br /></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvomETpaUVbRM9rlsd5pa6pRQs_rxg0RHrvIsQCxVzpAOkekI9zIf6_cYDuy3IQKDrEY9iyOEGOavbK9FZUoHojkBEr6wVIUD70lnBP_jB5aGyq46qMYuqjlMtQx9aBZTu5oH0XlRwNCL0mL0l8NTWBUdUMd22ivqwgb7lmT_qZkSiKyXOujHZWAH/s3968/20230322_141017%5B1%5D.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2232" data-original-width="3968" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvomETpaUVbRM9rlsd5pa6pRQs_rxg0RHrvIsQCxVzpAOkekI9zIf6_cYDuy3IQKDrEY9iyOEGOavbK9FZUoHojkBEr6wVIUD70lnBP_jB5aGyq46qMYuqjlMtQx9aBZTu5oH0XlRwNCL0mL0l8NTWBUdUMd22ivqwgb7lmT_qZkSiKyXOujHZWAH/w400-h225/20230322_141017%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mizore and I meeting Tim Sweeney - Founder/CEO of Epic Games<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></b></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRZ0K8z6E2bsI2liXJRjHSnYqPqAKJFt1M2xCUus7_0fA7lDPQTd8uOYNGwwb6a8C47FZqYqgHkXDeohxEVwclSPrX5_dvmArfw6BaNAhMtIV7tfbzh3mchVjl38T7bKRERwTiYcz0IQRCenLyUI7kUSH5jjQNfgRSLEOc1V74-vvT0zpPei_9AK-b/s1448/FsEyP8QacAAypt2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1448" data-original-width="1086" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRZ0K8z6E2bsI2liXJRjHSnYqPqAKJFt1M2xCUus7_0fA7lDPQTd8uOYNGwwb6a8C47FZqYqgHkXDeohxEVwclSPrX5_dvmArfw6BaNAhMtIV7tfbzh3mchVjl38T7bKRERwTiYcz0IQRCenLyUI7kUSH5jjQNfgRSLEOc1V74-vvT0zpPei_9AK-b/w300-h400/FsEyP8QacAAypt2.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Stopping by PlayStation HQ on the way home... for good luck</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Though GDC went well for us as a studio, the overall show had very big problems. Especially with attendees who were drugged, harassed, and assaulted at the convention or GDC related after parties. This isn't what the game industry should be about. I am wary about going next year or taking any team members next year. I was already concerned about our team members when we split up to do different activities. Conventions (and associated after parties/dinners/etc) like this should be safe for all.<br /><br /><br /><b>So Cal Retro Gaming Expo 2023</b></p><p>We will be demonstrating Spellbearers, Selatria, and Star Rider at So Cal Retro Gaming Expo in Ontario, California this upcoming weekend May 6-7, 2023. We're taking time to improve our newest game Delivery Issues using feedback we received from LVLUPEXPO and it will not be at this show. We hope to share more news about that game in the future.<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOFjsGwcqI0Qe41FjQA9fLyTWD71N_D79BDXBQpu5DmlU3gSjMdcuE_tIBoq2Cp9En0vOKwRo9cInE4Omgeopdby8c5C4gjZcYfgXAIOSye0U37vcjc1RowFELCRJ5h5U38xxof2LzN0k7ssDGhGaDAX320ZLSK4W0zqakCgTwoJh8EJhGQeJ7saCn" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="1279" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOFjsGwcqI0Qe41FjQA9fLyTWD71N_D79BDXBQpu5DmlU3gSjMdcuE_tIBoq2Cp9En0vOKwRo9cInE4Omgeopdby8c5C4gjZcYfgXAIOSye0U37vcjc1RowFELCRJ5h5U38xxof2LzN0k7ssDGhGaDAX320ZLSK4W0zqakCgTwoJh8EJhGQeJ7saCn=w640-h157" width="640" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://socalretrogamingexpo.com/tickets/">Buy tickets for So Cal Retro Gaming Expo here</a><p></p><p>--------</p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Be sure to follow us on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://www.twitter.com/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://twitch.tv/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitch</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and join our </span><a href="https://discord.gg/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discord</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! </span><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hope to see you at So Cal Retro Gaming Expo!</span></p><div><h3><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1304160/Spellbearers/">Purchase Spellbearers on Steam</a>!</span></span></h3><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://anchor.fm/whimindie">Listen to the "On a Whim!" Podcast<br /></a><a href="https://whimindie.itch.io/" target="_blank">Follow whimindie on itch.io</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1052040/Selatria/" target="_blank">Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam</a>
<br /></span></span></div>GroverWhimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991729119391398481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851341923079246395.post-25911482884205192422023-01-31T14:43:00.001-08:002023-01-31T14:43:19.781-08:00Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #70<p>Hey all, it's been a little while since the last development log, and I wanted to talk about some updates going on with whimindie for this year. This update is going to be a bit more text heavy than demonstration so thank you for reading this.<br /></p><p>---</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Addressing the 2023 New Year's Day Cyberattack</h3><p>As some of you may have seen and heard, I fell victim to a cyberattack on New Year's Day. After doing some travelling during the holidays and not getting much sleep (and not thinking clearly), I received a message from someone who I thought was trying to get their game up to a point to where they could pitch it to our studio. Little did I know that I was going to be the target of a cookie stealer Discord scam which used my personal login information on my computer to troll my Facebook and LinkedIn accounts, attack several other accounts (including Amazon and Reddit), and have them take control of our itch.io developer account. </p><p>For three weeks, they turned our itch.io account into "Wyntale" and uploaded versions of our games that contained malware and other viruses, using the same method that compromised me. After working with the itch.io Support Team, we were able to restore our account on Thursday, January 26th, and we rebuilt all of our pages and content and put our games back online on Saturday, January 28th. <br /><br />We have taken measures to protect our studio accounts so that we can collaborate on updating our game pages in a way where 2FA-methods can remain enabled and we will no longer be accepting new game pitches/demos in a way we have done before nor will we allow play my game downloads on our Discord or through DMs. <br /><br />If you're reading this and have visited or downloaded anything from "Wyntale Independent Studios" or "wyntale.itch.io" during the period of January 1-26, 2023 I recommend to please clear all of your cookies on all of your internet browsers, delete any installed programs that look suspicious, and run your antivirus programs and rkill to stop anything weird that may be running in the background. <br /><br />We have also upped the requirements of new people joining our Discord that they must have a verified account with a phone number and unable to interact for 10 minutes so that we can evaluate those who come in and out of the channel. Furthermore, legacy members who have been sitting unverified on the server and haven't agreed to the rules of the Discord will be removed from the Discord on February 1st, 2023. <br /><br />Thank you for your continued support and this is a situation that we will make sure will not happen again.</p><p>---</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Updates to Selatria</h3><p>This is finally the year that we're working to complete Selatria. We're bringing a lot of hands on deck from our other projects to be able to finish cutscenes, dungeons, battle adjustments, and generally tie things together for the final game. We also made a handful of adjustments to the core game to make it Steam Deck compatible. </p><p>This Spring, we're going to be pushing out one final update to Selatria: Advent of the Dakk'rian Empire to update it with all of the features that we've developed for the final game and to finally give it some much needed compatibility with the Steam Deck. A shoutout to Shadoe and Jon for making all of the conversions required to get it playable. We still need to figure out a handful of bugs, so please wait a little bit longer if you own the game and have been trying to play it on go with the Steam Deck. <br /><br />With Selatria: Full Version we will have a simultaneous launch for PC and Steam Deck so you can play on the go/docked or at your computer. We're aiming for the second half of the year for the full version and hopefully we have more details and updated assets to share soon. </p><p>---</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Upcoming Conventions!</h3>This upcoming weekend, we will be making an appearance at <a href="https://www.animegamingexpo.com/">Anime Gaming Expo</a> in Fresno showing and selling Steam codes for Spellbearers! <div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHvIV04My1juOgx5-FaxGZ_Wbq-6KDW75YJNjayPDYfT8SwU5fjqx98Qi8HTcVyhtCYhSnza2oNbaF1xdpv7TpEI4jVCOFJKTQ-ax-8UWZXgZRyJFVDwAOHlUqj7cw8IPlKSsOn3bvyQ0YR_nnfTSKvxmslOYcmyuh67dfOnO2McF3PPNp-_nSOpG7" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="1309" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHvIV04My1juOgx5-FaxGZ_Wbq-6KDW75YJNjayPDYfT8SwU5fjqx98Qi8HTcVyhtCYhSnza2oNbaF1xdpv7TpEI4jVCOFJKTQ-ax-8UWZXgZRyJFVDwAOHlUqj7cw8IPlKSsOn3bvyQ0YR_nnfTSKvxmslOYcmyuh67dfOnO2McF3PPNp-_nSOpG7=w640-h278" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />We also have plans to show Spellbearers and Selatria at our return to <a href="https://lvlupexpo.com/">LVLUPEXPO</a> in Las Vegas in mid-February, <a href="https://socalretrogamingexpo.com/">So Cal Retro Gaming Expo</a> in early May, and at a special shared booth at <a href="https://www.comic-con.org/">San Diego Comic-Con</a> in July! <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihZMi78rFULigHrvPNZnN-DtcnEa4llbStuhE-a_iK1tiNpD94U8sicoxzKoVVu_chrdO2_Eyw9w1Rx83BzvDSK18D3OMkDqPRjrkmYVdIsgmWZId-zsykPoGjdsPW-GcXCRKNaNLfJQSVA5JUcvHD1o8ml45s_P70cvm2jliiPkGtPglof-NW69ph" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="940" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihZMi78rFULigHrvPNZnN-DtcnEa4llbStuhE-a_iK1tiNpD94U8sicoxzKoVVu_chrdO2_Eyw9w1Rx83BzvDSK18D3OMkDqPRjrkmYVdIsgmWZId-zsykPoGjdsPW-GcXCRKNaNLfJQSVA5JUcvHD1o8ml45s_P70cvm2jliiPkGtPglof-NW69ph=w640-h320" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqkRiRAfL-o9sv2IcdYQVvfSTgYzhww0I8yNZID4bOoKckHwqMOH4yiyc8tX6NmNW2UI1Dn-ZzG3ZD642cm_PkrHVpXk7Ew9V9MO_DK9t4tZ0umQaggW2R5lk0xYh8RkL5SQr7taVmmNLrikaujiXshyhYD15785WZanl6Xqp-cMs9ms8stw8CbSC3" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="309" data-original-width="1277" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqkRiRAfL-o9sv2IcdYQVvfSTgYzhww0I8yNZID4bOoKckHwqMOH4yiyc8tX6NmNW2UI1Dn-ZzG3ZD642cm_PkrHVpXk7Ew9V9MO_DK9t4tZ0umQaggW2R5lk0xYh8RkL5SQr7taVmmNLrikaujiXshyhYD15785WZanl6Xqp-cMs9ms8stw8CbSC3=w640-h154" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />--------<p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Be sure to follow us on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://www.twitter.com/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://twitch.tv/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitch</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and join our </span><a href="https://discord.gg/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discord</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! </span><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">See you soon at Anime Gaming Expo in Fresno and LVLUPEXPO in Las Vegas! It's good to be back.</span></p><div><h3><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1304160/Spellbearers/">Purchase Spellbearers on Steam</a>!</span></span></h3><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://anchor.fm/whimindie">Listen to the "On a Whim!" Podcast<br /></a><a href="https://whimindie.itch.io/" target="_blank">Follow whimindie on itch.io</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1052040/Selatria/" target="_blank">Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1258230/Corpse_Castle/" target="_blank">Wishlist Corpse Castle on Steam</a></span></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></div>GroverWhimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991729119391398481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851341923079246395.post-24350714319851143052022-11-04T16:21:00.003-07:002022-11-04T16:21:29.422-07:00Post-Release Depression and POC in Game Industry<p>I'm going through a post-release depression atm after Spellbearers. I try not to use that term lightly, but a lot of symptoms are there. I'm tired, irritable, sad, lethargic, and have lacked the drive and motivation I usually do to keep things moving on over the past few weeks. <br /><br />Even with Spellbearers being successfully Kickstarted, we used a lot of personal funds to make sure the project kept going and didn't become another Kickstarter failure as well as keep as much of the team together as we could during uncertain COVID times.<br /><br />The typical advice I've received should have me glad I released the game. "You're farther than the x% of devs who didn't finish. Good job!", but at the same time I feel like I've wanted out after seeing how poorly the game has turned out to be financially.<br /><br />It has had me consider really just looking at it and stopping and exiting while I could. I think it's the burnout speaking, but I needed some time to focus on repairing the damage to my savings/bank account to save the Spellbearers project. Selatria also needs to be finished.<br /><br />Seeing today's news about Yoshi-P and POC was a good wake-up call on why I need to keep trying to make games. Yoshida is my favorite game developer and idol and it's heartbreaking to see his words come off like a politician in regards to Final Fantasy XVI. I would have liked to see this as a template to create more people of color. They could implement a character randomizer using their own implemented tools for XVI characters instead of having the generical look.<br /><br />I also want to say I'm very thankful for the \team at whimindie to keep things positive and moving along with our games while I've been mainly offline to collect my thoughts while I've been in this funk. Please give Spellbearers a play. Thanks for reading.</p>GroverWhimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991729119391398481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851341923079246395.post-64966577543262625972022-10-14T12:31:00.000-07:002022-10-14T12:31:28.549-07:00Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #69<p>Here is our 69th update with what's going on at whimindie! Please note that a lot of this information will be cross-posted to our Spellbearers project page on Kickstarter for project backers.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="330" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3eCghAzAAro" width="519" youtube-src-id="3eCghAzAAro"></iframe></div><br /><p>We're finally here! The release of Spellbearers for Steam. The trailer above was edited by Jessica M. Jacuinde who also worked on a lot of the user interface in Spellbearers, and the narration was done by the talented Aimee Smith! If you backed us on Kickstarter, you should have been emailed your code. If you haven't received it for any reason, please message us on Kickstarter or Discord and we can get it sorted out. Aside from the Selatria tier which will be completely fulfilled when the game is completed, we have fulfilled the rest of the rewards possible for the campaign.<br /><br /></p><h3><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1304160/Spellbearers/?fbclid=IwAR2ti8wO2LBZBwF7Jfd2rNsXsU6JHPjLZSnhBQqnsC0IlSoAq9lmIpZlqas">Spellbearers is available on Steam!</a> We have a launch discount of 30% off until October 21st. If you play it, let us know what you think!
</span></span></h3><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Now that we've released, we'll now be working on future patches and content for the game, and I also wanted to use this time to answer some FAQ from the conventions and community about some of our future plans for Spellbearers.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div>------</div><div><br /></div></span></span></div><h3>Frequently Asked Questions from the Community:</h3><div><br /></div><div><span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><b><i>Will you ever change levels to counter a meta or tactic, or at least tactics that are considered to cheese through the game or level?</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>There are some safe spaces in each fight/level where you can learn or practice a tactic, but we don't have any plans to change any tactics that cheese the game. It's already difficult as it is. If there's something broken though, like walls people can run through, we may make changes to that.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Will you ever add extra color Spellbearers? (Even if it means they will be DLC) </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Yellow is a color I would personally like to see added - I don't want to put one in the game in a way that makes the character feel like an afterthought or DLC for the sake of being DLC, so we're going to watch sales, and see if this is worth adding in later with additions to other changes.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>Would you consider adding a difficulty above Hard version? Like Nightmare difficulty or something for elite hardcore players</b></i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>We have the chance to see the percentage statistics for players who cleared hard mode. If a lot of people clear hard mode, we would like to do this, but if the percentages on clearing hard mode are still really low, then it might be best to hold off on the feature. The Hard mode is really difficult as it is. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Would you ever consider adding a boss rush mode?</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not sure we have enough bosses to warrant adding this. If we expand the game and add more bosses, this could be something to look into.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Would you ever consider a stat tracker for players, or at least the Highest score ever achieved for each level/etc? What about Cloud Saves?</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>We have plans for a future patch to add this! We want to add Leaderboards and cloud saves so your saved progress will transfer from PC to Steam Deck and vice-versa seamlessly. We want to show the players how they compare. I need to discuss with the team how best to organize it. I don't want an easy or normal player to be ranked higher than a hard mode player just because they made it further and have a bigger score/life count.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Would you ever release a Spellbearers official soundtrack?</i></b></div><div>
The official soundtrack is on all major digital platforms already, and we're working on a physical release. Check us out <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Spellbearers-Original-Video-Game-Soundtrack/dp/B09C2K435X">on Amazon music</a> or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/4gW03zIvkecgvfvb8eiXkl">stream on Spotify</a>!</div><div><br /></div><div><b style="font-style: italic;">What's the status on the console versions of Spellbearers?
</b>
We are currently actively working on the Xbox One and Series X|S version of Spellbearers and in talks to port the games to other platforms. Without getting into specifics, it's been an uphill battle to talk to other consoles, and if you enjoy playing the game we would really appreciate the positive word of mouth or positive steam reviews on the game to make it easier for us to work with them on porting the game!<b style="font-style: italic;">
</b></div><div><br /></div><div>
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<br /></div><div>Finally, I asked some of the development team to share their thoughts on the release and I gave my own personal message as well. Please take a look!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>------</div><div><br /></div></span></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Messages from the Development Team Members on Release:</h3><br /><i>It has been a real pleasure to work on this game with such a talented team and to see an idea I had four years ago develop and finally come to life. It couldn't of happened without you all! My deepest appreciation to the Kickstarter backers and everyone at whimindie who made this happen. As I was inspired by other games to create this one, I hope this game may inspire some of you to create your own. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy playing the full release of Spellbearers.</i><p></p><p><i>Spellbearers Director<br />Gerren Willis</i></p><p><i>--</i></p><p><i>Wow, it's been four years since this game has been in development, just as long since I first joined whimindie as the Director of Marketing and Advertising! I can't thank everyone enough who supported this game from just when it was a small Kickstarter that very few knew existed and throughout the various expos and digital events the game has been presented at! As a marketer, this is one of my first projects, and I hope to continue introducing new games to gamers, whether old or new! As a gamer myself (a very terrible one, but I have fun), I know this will be enjoyable and fun for all. Spellbearers takes inspiration from great SNES games back in the 90s, like Super Smash TV, The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past, and even Castlevania. It pays homage to those games and adds a new modern flair that just kicks ass and is incredibly entertaining for your friends and family in co-op mode! So I hope you have your couch all warmed up and the pizza and Mountain Dew ready to go because you're going back to the 90's with this game, and you're going to love it! </i></p><p><i>Director of Marketing and Advertising<br />Jabari Mizore Lewis-Smith</i></p><p>--</p><p><i>Heeeeeellllllooooooo!!! It's been a long road but here we are, release! I want to thank every single one of you for believing in Spellbearers and helping us bring it to life. I'm so proud of the team; they put in so many hours of hard work and I hope it shows in every pixel, in every sfx, in every musical note. We have many plans in the works and I hope you stay tuned for what we have cooking for Spellbearers and for our other projects. Until next time... keep it nerdy!</i></p><p><i>Spellbearers Executive Producer<br />whimindie Administrative Director<br />Paul Vela</i></p><p>--</p><p><i>Thank you for all of your support! We have been working on this game for four years and I'm really happy to bring this game out to the world. Thank you to everyone in the team, and a massive thank you to our Kickstarter backers who supported us and were patient with us over the delays while we worked to get the game done. We have plans over the next year to now get this to additional platforms and work on additional features to Spellbearers, and to show the game off to many more shows and conventions! PS: Share with us on social media (@whimindie) if you stream the game! We would love to share it.</i></p><p><i>Spellbearers Producer<br />Grover Wimberly IV</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdufinmIH0Eezqd3tAsjeuqLRiWGIBV2lDuCWyWVXrJzzF2teBXdE1TwqTaA5hGx7_LrWxgq94-MWJWRI5Zl5krjtlvBvPOwqKsqSUjAjlBqqLZE9aWBnEwQ3m4WG6uerfw_DDEKL4dvkzVLTJud_lbMDXj8OYpyWo85veHdxNCRhePLfV_98OiC7o/s2048/IMG_6691.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdufinmIH0Eezqd3tAsjeuqLRiWGIBV2lDuCWyWVXrJzzF2teBXdE1TwqTaA5hGx7_LrWxgq94-MWJWRI5Zl5krjtlvBvPOwqKsqSUjAjlBqqLZE9aWBnEwQ3m4WG6uerfw_DDEKL4dvkzVLTJud_lbMDXj8OYpyWo85veHdxNCRhePLfV_98OiC7o/w640-h480/IMG_6691.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Thank you!!!</p><p>--------</p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Be sure to follow us on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://www.twitter.com/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://twitch.tv/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitch</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and join our </span><a href="https://discord.gg/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discord</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! </span><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Until next time!</span></p><div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1304160/Spellbearers/">Purchase Spellbearers on Steam</a>!</span></span></h3><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://anchor.fm/whimindie">Listen to the "On a Whim!" Podcast <br /></a><a href="https://whimindie.itch.io/" target="_blank">Follow whimindie on itch.io</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1052040/Selatria/" target="_blank">Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1258230/Corpse_Castle/" target="_blank">Wishlist Corpse Castle on Steam</a></span></span></div>GroverWhimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991729119391398481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851341923079246395.post-13153785996590263342022-09-01T11:34:00.002-07:002022-09-01T11:34:07.039-07:00Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #68<p><span>Hi everyone! </span><span>Here is our 68th update with what's going on at whimindie! Please note that a lot of this information will be cross-posted to our Spellbearers project page on Kickstarter for project backers.<br /><br />This update will also be primarily Spellbearers focused, as we will have more Selatria news to share in the coming months.</span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjukyvLCDIIx_eLapCJCOzMi6IxnXTqdnt8ETER51EnkfQJmTlNN73WQo6XEqt5sAH3ubC5ko66ZwFcrTqWbxQG5bhmWS1vJ8LensCF6bNCUinnNrhdJCvLeTa1IB8KJSOK-jFdyJ-fFit9BVVEZ3Gwg32875JbAsWYJP9wLTiW5CM55Ys4LiHsugeE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="1013" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjukyvLCDIIx_eLapCJCOzMi6IxnXTqdnt8ETER51EnkfQJmTlNN73WQo6XEqt5sAH3ubC5ko66ZwFcrTqWbxQG5bhmWS1vJ8LensCF6bNCUinnNrhdJCvLeTa1IB8KJSOK-jFdyJ-fFit9BVVEZ3Gwg32875JbAsWYJP9wLTiW5CM55Ys4LiHsugeE=w640-h258" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><h3><b>Spellbearers</b></h3><div><br /></div><div>In the last development log, I mentioned our timeline for soft launch and beta testing to take place in "Late July 2022". I apologize that we weren't able to reach that planned timeframe, but I am happy to say as of <b>today</b> that the beta version/early access of Spellbearers is now uploaded and ready on itch.io!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiB0wY6--EMKOKyeVq5nsU2K4lRZztczYQKLus3Ji2AGNnf4onnlTzmLLU9lK0KNKAKv5haOfmCZcKZJvOJ-Ct7DuSWta2I1178qScIIh1Od47j4PgVi2yxvtJofzJq--i92wi40Xl3Jaa5dmgeOwJEhmaLb5scFcIwH0Wh5yKudF9d0eiDMQwOEW5K" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiB0wY6--EMKOKyeVq5nsU2K4lRZztczYQKLus3Ji2AGNnf4onnlTzmLLU9lK0KNKAKv5haOfmCZcKZJvOJ-Ct7DuSWta2I1178qScIIh1Od47j4PgVi2yxvtJofzJq--i92wi40Xl3Jaa5dmgeOwJEhmaLb5scFcIwH0Wh5yKudF9d0eiDMQwOEW5K=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>New Free Demo Available!</b><br /><br />We have also uploaded a new free demo of Spellbearers on our <a href="https://whimindie.itch.io/spellbearers" target="_blank">Spellbearers itch.io page</a>. This includes an expanded difficulty mode and updates to lighting systems, UI, and other effects. As with the previous demo build, it will only showcase Level 1. Please give it a play and let us know how you like it!</div><div><br /></div><div>Below I would like to share some details about how code distribution will work for backers and for those who would like an early look at Spellbearers. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3gmr58CMgS0_S1riqwKAM48TDuDIH6n_TTKdeE7mLMX8iYgp_UURDcJm1IirV_ANWso6vy-A2H6At2lGo_LJZeqeYK_2YlJ-_foRz4wVTdScjYDIJwwc1i_GcoRT7tgS3SnPujuspuv22VPUQJZKK60TDMy1s1f2K57FuI8UzV1Ljgyhkjivzk5ve" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="799" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3gmr58CMgS0_S1riqwKAM48TDuDIH6n_TTKdeE7mLMX8iYgp_UURDcJm1IirV_ANWso6vy-A2H6At2lGo_LJZeqeYK_2YlJ-_foRz4wVTdScjYDIJwwc1i_GcoRT7tgS3SnPujuspuv22VPUQJZKK60TDMy1s1f2K57FuI8UzV1Ljgyhkjivzk5ve=w400-h100" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /></b></div><div><b>Early Access of full game on itch.io and first-wave code distribution to backers</b><br /><br />Starting today, we will begin itch.io code distribution for Early Access for Spellbearers. We're using the time between now and Steam release to gather feedback and bugs so our official release in October can be as smooth as possible. We have a lot of backers to send codes to, so please be patient! </div><div><br />* Do note that during the early access period, you will be unable to accumulate or get credit for any achievements and we have disabled the feature temporarily. We are aiming to have implementation for this beginning in October with the official release. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We would love to hear feedback on bugs, issues, or the overall experience. Please feel free to write out your thoughts on the early access or demo build <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc3djoGy04ax6-i6L71dyBQS8JjC7wbDzyMHIoH05V6hSiavg/viewform" target="_blank">on our survey</a> and bugs can be <a href="http://discord.gg/whimindie" target="_blank">reported to us directly on our Discord under the #bugs-and-issues channel</a>. </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br />Progress Reset/Wipe on Launch Day </b><br /><br />Because we're still working on Achievement implementation at the moment, it will be necessary for us to perform a save data wipe/clear on launch day so that players who have played Early Access can be able to play through and obtain Achievements that might have been triggered and saved otherwise. <br /><br /><br /><b><br />Steam Release Date Update</b><br /><br />We will be slightly delaying our game release on Steam from October 7th, 2022, to <b>October 14th, 2022.</b> This will allow us to demonstrate our game at the upcoming Steam Next Fest, which we have a lot of plans for! Backers will be receiving Steam codes around launch day as well, so please look forward to it!<br /><br /><br /><b><br />Regarding Steam Deck<br /></b><br />For early access, we recommend playing the build with <b>Proton Experimental</b> settings ON to be able to play. It should run decently on the platform. We hope to have more consistent requirements of Steam Deck before the official release. <br /><br /><br /></div><div><div>---</div><div><br /></div><div><h3>Upcoming Conventions for our Games</h3></div><div>Another reminder that we will be at the Mega Bit Game Expo showing Spellbearers, Selatria, and another game being developed by CSUSB alumni Star Rider in Simi Valley (Los Angeles) on September 11 at the Grand Vista Hotel! <br /><br />Please come check it out if you're in the area!<br /><a href="https://megabitgameexpo.com/" target="_blank">https://megabitgameexpo.com/</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEge-VJdj-SOUUp9N-gvVRQbSffppWJDPRVFJFtuWKMQBCE4pRu06UJ_KzehJHCFn6Ehwsx0OLKeSTRNiEBhXv8FjJIrRjRWt2Gb8MA8ccAYld6oB5CTkdnv2uuQc8EqqjdmOsdLbuYN3x5-Jvz5jGJxFMI0yfhEp5BMojmBtx-6qpV0fTLHLFEArZNA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="491" data-original-width="721" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEge-VJdj-SOUUp9N-gvVRQbSffppWJDPRVFJFtuWKMQBCE4pRu06UJ_KzehJHCFn6Ehwsx0OLKeSTRNiEBhXv8FjJIrRjRWt2Gb8MA8ccAYld6oB5CTkdnv2uuQc8EqqjdmOsdLbuYN3x5-Jvz5jGJxFMI0yfhEp5BMojmBtx-6qpV0fTLHLFEArZNA=w400-h272" width="400" /></a></div><br />We'll be demoing Spellbearers at the Steam Next Fest in October livestreaming Spellbearers and showing off our new trailer. Please look forward to it! </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXuwybMwopiIoiYfF1by2lk6m2wyOgulSadoR3EaPkYJcKoN27PUTnOH4rRcoJmd8WfZkzKDU_mz_VS5k0_rjxzv4desvlKQ2lYy62nK6ybF3DZCFRO-L01YEJxsMXPdatSF57L3gaFLYBcNHwleYP3A5AwrGsau2XvMPZxxEjuUPHzJIenYX5uTbe" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="999" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXuwybMwopiIoiYfF1by2lk6m2wyOgulSadoR3EaPkYJcKoN27PUTnOH4rRcoJmd8WfZkzKDU_mz_VS5k0_rjxzv4desvlKQ2lYy62nK6ybF3DZCFRO-L01YEJxsMXPdatSF57L3gaFLYBcNHwleYP3A5AwrGsau2XvMPZxxEjuUPHzJIenYX5uTbe=w400-h180" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We will also be at Sin City Anime November 18th-20th showing Spellbearers and Selatria as well in Las Vegas! Please come and say hi! <a href="https://www.sincityanime.com/" target="_blank">https://www.sincityanime.com/ </a></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRfOw9fk5dNwnHf7A5pUB88xIx_oVHzWHpTJs9rItD5JJCx9QtzYT2BLiP0mJT4JAMd4FpSR1N3Xe5C1oXqPMzcZBcudOUhAO8LQHukh8spt8KQOCH-LmiRhaff9vz6F5YB5_NQjl1zMeqJgCuXJgcOMTlE5zSNklKFAVXKuM_01kOmMo8tzcIy3GQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="1283" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRfOw9fk5dNwnHf7A5pUB88xIx_oVHzWHpTJs9rItD5JJCx9QtzYT2BLiP0mJT4JAMd4FpSR1N3Xe5C1oXqPMzcZBcudOUhAO8LQHukh8spt8KQOCH-LmiRhaff9vz6F5YB5_NQjl1zMeqJgCuXJgcOMTlE5zSNklKFAVXKuM_01kOmMo8tzcIy3GQ=w400-h268" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div>---</div><div><h3>On a Whim! Podcast</h3></div><div>We do a weekly podcast show where we talk about development of our games and other news going on in the game industry and other topics! <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6PxQYVO7zbJfNx9nmzAcVc">Check it out on Spotify</a> or wherever you get your podcasts. We put out a new episode weekly.<br /><br /><br /></div><div><div>---</div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That's all for this development log. Thank you for your support! See you Simi Valley in a few days!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also, be sure to follow us on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://www.twitter.com/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://twitch.tv/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitch</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and join our </span><a href="https://discord.gg/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discord</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! </span><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Until next time!</span></p><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
<a href="https://anchor.fm/whimindie">Listen to the "On a Whim!" Podcast <br /></a><a href="https://whimindie.itch.io/" target="_blank">Follow whimindie on itch.io</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1052040/Selatria/" target="_blank">Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1304160/Spellbearers/">Wishlist Spellbearers on Steam</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1258230/Corpse_Castle/" target="_blank">Wishlist Corpse Castle on Steam</a></span></span></div></div></div>GroverWhimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991729119391398481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851341923079246395.post-58062246825425294132022-08-08T22:30:00.007-07:002022-08-08T22:33:53.925-07:00Easing back a bit after Selatria and Spellbearers are doneI had this entry drafted since sometime in February, but left it as an empty entry until now. I'm personally against people just announcing publicly on social media about taking breaks (just do it), but at least writing it down here even if no one is reading may help me remember putting these words down on paper.<br /><br />I'm going to take a much needed break from game development after my obligations for Spellbearers and Selatria are finished. That's not to say whimindie is done, though. We have other talents taking the helm for immediate next games in the pipeline, and we have the project management set aside to handle it. <br /><br />I think I'd like to just take a good amount of time to relax without the pressure of getting something done outside of mandatory life/work. <div><br /></div><div>And as my best friend puts it (constantly) - I can take a real vacation. <br /><br />I promise I'm going to blog/write more often. Even if it's just my thoughts on web paper, it helps me get into a calmer state.<br /><br />(Wow, my English was all messed up on this entry. I had to edit this multiple times. Time for sleep.)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>GroverWhimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991729119391398481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851341923079246395.post-55390503420474782552022-06-29T12:16:00.002-07:002022-08-29T15:22:46.026-07:00Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #67<p><span>Hi everyone! </span><span>Here is our 67th update with what's going on at whimindie! Please note that some of this information will be cross-posted to our Spellbearers project page on Kickstarter for project backers.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">---</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><h3><b>Spellbearers<br /><br /></b></h3><div><b>We have a Steam Release Date! (Also updated Timelines) </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div><b>October 7th, 2022 on Steam - Save the date! </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Last week, Gerren and I finished taking all of footage for the upcoming release trailer and up until this date we will be working on polishing and testing various aspects of the game and Jessica is working on the final trailer to be shown later this summer.<br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Here is an updated timeline on where we stand:<br /><br /><div><b>Late July 2022: </b>Soft launch / Initial "Beta Test" release on itch.io platform (itch.io codes will be provided to backers on the Early Bird Tier/"The Game" and above.) - This will include an updated Level 1 free demo on itch.io and Steam to gather feedback on the normal difficulty. Achievements will be disabled.</div><div><br /><b>October 7, 2022: </b>Initial release on Steam/Steam Deck addressing feedback and patches from itch.io release. We also plan on reaching out to curators and have a new trailer around this period. (Steam codes will be provided to backers on the Early Bird Tier/"The Game" and above.). The ability to receive achievements will be enabled on this date.<br /><br /><b>Late 2022-Early 2023: </b>Initial release on Xbox platforms/Xbox/Microsoft Store</div><div><br /></div><div><b>2023/Future:</b> Focusing on PlayStation versions<br /><br /></div><div><b>TBA:</b> Research other possible platforms for Spellbearers release</div><div><br /><br />*Please note that for those with the Selactic Spellbearer FLASH TIER! that Selatria codes will be sent out when that game is completed. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Implementing Changes to the Player HUD and Changes to Bosses:</b><br /><br />In the last development log, we mentioned how some information was difficult to understand for the players. What did the diamonds mean near the characters? In the last development update, I shared a mockup by Jessi on how the new UI would be implemented. I would like to share the final HUD that will be presented in game! See below:<br /><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXZi5FhWHEGUegM8MfH0zbCDNLIdf038nWdVm_vqYxj5V6rKUlYceV8oaWP6tMi3TiURr2XdvUZwX4xFFnFHi1UNmhPJqpxwPpQpaeNlI3PAxR_-KehqQ1sSqGyzxjmIoVWKIJhVxD_oIlUt5z6rTboyZYsfdVAn55nSLNrjuljp0hafEZag1YPar/s1366/Spellbearers%20-%20Level%203%20Picture.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="1366" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXZi5FhWHEGUegM8MfH0zbCDNLIdf038nWdVm_vqYxj5V6rKUlYceV8oaWP6tMi3TiURr2XdvUZwX4xFFnFHi1UNmhPJqpxwPpQpaeNlI3PAxR_-KehqQ1sSqGyzxjmIoVWKIJhVxD_oIlUt5z6rTboyZYsfdVAn55nSLNrjuljp0hafEZag1YPar/w640-h326/Spellbearers%20-%20Level%203%20Picture.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMVsUnRHaHSB1lFCDnYoeLbWwNBvaco9ZyW9tlnX4wLUy31WdY9tMBd0weh14hIcL8R7XwMgM7zZlxgC1WucTcwN5vBYC6iic1XFPlFhqcSbIhGDQyny0yw_VMd-Kko6LDUVDuXoLP3cY9lNZfEtn7a__tjzLF0q2hSjC8ulSiyPUpcwdIjcKclRw/s1365/Spellbearers%20-%20Boss%20Picture.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="1365" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMVsUnRHaHSB1lFCDnYoeLbWwNBvaco9ZyW9tlnX4wLUy31WdY9tMBd0weh14hIcL8R7XwMgM7zZlxgC1WucTcwN5vBYC6iic1XFPlFhqcSbIhGDQyny0yw_VMd-Kko6LDUVDuXoLP3cY9lNZfEtn7a__tjzLF0q2hSjC8ulSiyPUpcwdIjcKclRw/w640-h326/Spellbearers%20-%20Boss%20Picture.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>We'll be moving forward with using chevrons for speed boost buffs. And as you can see in the second screenshot, we've made the decision to implement a Health Bar for all bosses. The boss health bar will only be visible in Easy and Normal modes of Spellbearers, so players looking for an additional challenge will have to deal with the bosses without any help! Good luck!<br /><br /></div><div><p>--- </p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><h3><b>Selatria</b></h3></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Work is continuing on the final two chapters. The end of Chapter 5 is taking a lot longer to finish than planned, and we're unfortunately about 4-5 months behind where we need to be for the project as a whole. We're going to be reallocating some of the team over the next few months to place emphasis on Spellbearers and Selatria and finishing these two games will be a priority. <br /><br />Unfortunately, there's not much more I can share on this project for this development log. I hope to have something more substantial to show next time. </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div>---</div><div><br /></div><div><h3>Some Upcoming Conventions for our Games</h3></div><div>We will be at the Mega Bit Game Expo showing Spellbearers, Selatria, and another game being developed by CSUSB alumni Star Rider in Simi Valley (Los Angeles) in September! Please come check it out if you're in the area!<br /><a href="https://megabitgameexpo.com/" target="_blank">https://megabitgameexpo.com/</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEge-VJdj-SOUUp9N-gvVRQbSffppWJDPRVFJFtuWKMQBCE4pRu06UJ_KzehJHCFn6Ehwsx0OLKeSTRNiEBhXv8FjJIrRjRWt2Gb8MA8ccAYld6oB5CTkdnv2uuQc8EqqjdmOsdLbuYN3x5-Jvz5jGJxFMI0yfhEp5BMojmBtx-6qpV0fTLHLFEArZNA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="491" data-original-width="721" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEge-VJdj-SOUUp9N-gvVRQbSffppWJDPRVFJFtuWKMQBCE4pRu06UJ_KzehJHCFn6Ehwsx0OLKeSTRNiEBhXv8FjJIrRjRWt2Gb8MA8ccAYld6oB5CTkdnv2uuQc8EqqjdmOsdLbuYN3x5-Jvz5jGJxFMI0yfhEp5BMojmBtx-6qpV0fTLHLFEArZNA=w400-h272" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div>We will also be at Sin City Anime November 18th-20th showing Spellbearers and Selatria as well in Las Vegas! Please come and say hi! <a href="https://www.sincityanime.com/" target="_blank">https://www.sincityanime.com/ </a></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRfOw9fk5dNwnHf7A5pUB88xIx_oVHzWHpTJs9rItD5JJCx9QtzYT2BLiP0mJT4JAMd4FpSR1N3Xe5C1oXqPMzcZBcudOUhAO8LQHukh8spt8KQOCH-LmiRhaff9vz6F5YB5_NQjl1zMeqJgCuXJgcOMTlE5zSNklKFAVXKuM_01kOmMo8tzcIy3GQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="1283" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRfOw9fk5dNwnHf7A5pUB88xIx_oVHzWHpTJs9rItD5JJCx9QtzYT2BLiP0mJT4JAMd4FpSR1N3Xe5C1oXqPMzcZBcudOUhAO8LQHukh8spt8KQOCH-LmiRhaff9vz6F5YB5_NQjl1zMeqJgCuXJgcOMTlE5zSNklKFAVXKuM_01kOmMo8tzcIy3GQ=w400-h268" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div>---</div><div><h3>On a Whim! Podcast</h3></div><div>We do a weekly podcast show where we talk about development of our games and other news going on in the game industry and other topics! <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6PxQYVO7zbJfNx9nmzAcVc">Check it out on Spotify</a> or wherever you get your podcasts. We put out a new episode weekly.<br /><br /><br /></div><div><div>---</div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That's all for this development log. Thank you for your support! See you at Megabit Game Expo in September!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also, be sure to follow us on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://www.twitter.com/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://twitch.tv/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitch</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and join our </span><a href="https://discord.gg/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discord</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! </span><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Until next time!</span></p><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
<a href="https://anchor.fm/whimindie">Listen to the "On a Whim!" Podcast <br /></a><a href="https://whimindie.itch.io/" target="_blank">Follow whimindie on itch.io</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1052040/Selatria/" target="_blank">Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1304160/Spellbearers/">Wishlist Spellbearers on Steam</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1258230/Corpse_Castle/" target="_blank">Wishlist Corpse Castle on Steam</a></span></span></div></div></div>GroverWhimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991729119391398481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851341923079246395.post-10352453696500486652022-04-04T11:32:00.004-07:002022-04-04T12:01:58.015-07:00Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #66<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hi everyone! </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here is our April update with what's going on at whimindie is here! Please note that some of this information will be cross-posted to our Spellbearers project page on Kickstarter for project backers.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">---</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><h3><b>Spellbearers</b></h3><div>In February, we released an update on changes to co-op gameplay, so please take a look at that if you haven't. <br /><br />As of this month, our main focus of the game is working on the final boss battle design and implementation, so that we can go through the whole game and implement the final achievements UI. <br /><br />We're also doing a lot of testing in both 1-2 player modes to make sure we knock out a lot of critical bugs and make sure the difficulty scales appropriately. For now, we're trying to determine what's acceptable for a "Normal" mode of difficulty, and use that to tune the "Easy" and "Hard" modes. <br /><br />We are considering releasing a test build for Kickstarter backers to give feedback once we iron out our internal testing. Is this something you might be interested in? Please let us know.<br /><br /><b>Upcoming Changes to HUD: </b><br /><br />We're also in the process of addressing some feedback that some of the icons in the HUD of the game are difficult to understand. The diamonds weren't being understood as the indicator for speed boosts and the circles weren't being understood as the indicator for the familiar stacks, so we'll be making adjustments. <br /><br />Our UI designer Jessica M. Jacuinde came up with a mockup that we're planning on adapting into a final design and implement later this month. Please take a look! <br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqWKkwEnwEOQGbxXLAJv7vjkgOQ-GDzm-wBBhUi0OZZ8tJmBJJmFcsRHAWRIyHMNw0AITmrRP5fUnokv25k7_0xS7gvqaqlycB0a7tjkLtfKoEAu5tkuBqIZU96cqYZUOD79UtFqsKfD4iBQLMNOl47G7d57fQbWIotjPi_jqIMU1YjPcDfOxafKSq/s2732/Spellbearers-UpdatedHUDMockupJMJ.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2732" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqWKkwEnwEOQGbxXLAJv7vjkgOQ-GDzm-wBBhUi0OZZ8tJmBJJmFcsRHAWRIyHMNw0AITmrRP5fUnokv25k7_0xS7gvqaqlycB0a7tjkLtfKoEAu5tkuBqIZU96cqYZUOD79UtFqsKfD4iBQLMNOl47G7d57fQbWIotjPi_jqIMU1YjPcDfOxafKSq/w640-h480/Spellbearers-UpdatedHUDMockupJMJ.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Is there a design that stands out to you? We would love to hear your feedback!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><b>Update on Retail Release Date Timing and Staggered Approach: <br /></b><br />Due to <a href="https://roguejam.com/faq/">our ongoing participation in the Rogue Jam</a>, we cannot release Spellbearers before the show airs unless we disqualify ourselves from the ongoing competition. If it is determined that we are not advancing forward for any categories and/or do not receive any funding to expand the game even further, we will then begin to plan out final release dates for the game as we are polishing it today.</div><div><br />Here is kind of a rough timeline of how we plan on releasing if the Rogue Jam does not pan out. We want to do a gradual approach to release to make sure we have smooth launches on all of the available platforms and we can give each individual channel its needed attention for feedback and adjustments.<br /><br /><b>Early-April:</b> Internal Testing and Bug Fixing + Development of Level 4 Boss Battle<br /><b><br />Mid-Late April:</b> In-Game/Steam/Xbox Achievement Implementation and Testing and Research and Implementation of Steam and Xbox Leaderboards</div><div><b><br />April 18-May 16, 2022:</b> Rogue Jam Competition</div><div><b><br />Late Spring-Early Summer 2022: </b>Soft launch / Initial Release on itch.io platform (itch.io codes will be provided to backers on the Early Bird Tier/"The Game" and above.)</div><div><br /><b>Summer 2022: </b>Initial release on Steam/Steam Deck addressing feedback and patches from itch.io release. We also plan on reaching out to curators and have a new trailer around this period. (Steam codes will be provided to backers on the Early Bird Tier/"The Game" and above.)<br /><br /><b>Late Summer-Fall 2022: </b>Initial release on Xbox platforms/Xbox/Microsoft Store</div><div><br /></div><div><b>2023/Future:</b> Focusing on PlayStation versions<br /><br /></div><div><b>TBA:</b> Research other possible platforms for Spellbearers release</div><div><br /><br />*Please note that for those with the Selactic Spellbearer FLASH TIER! that Selatria codes will be sent out when that game is completed. </div><p>--- </p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><h3><b>Selatria</b></h3><div><br /></div><div>We also have a lot of information to share regarding updates for Selatria. We're making a lot of progress towards linking up all of the completed cutscenes with all of the gameplay. While we do that, we are also working on various quality of life improvements.<br /><br /><br /></div><div><div><b style="background-color: white;">Updates to Font Style </b></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">We found out that the font style we've been using with Selatria is a Microsoft owned font "Tahoma" and so we've switched Selatria to switch to an open-source equivalent "Wine Tahoma". We wanted to choose something that is similar to the font we've used this far, but it also results in some of the text looking a bit thicker, so we are making some tweaks and adjustments to certain windows in the new font style. You can see an example of the changes below. </span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">(Old)</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjPs7SIEeAReIlEtZhs8krEru1hYOjQ4lLrzamyn-yiOMVcQswiDDfZU46rGCWIJ1Ag_UihB_kNjw4twiNgF74nevMqtiULYbvnCLEX2TiyZZ_q3m74R2dnB6LZJuOEEnTr51K6wlJ27bfFVP1oq2BmbcvzJK7SXLb7PhHbE_JsuRxhCf74SUEXRcD4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="547" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjPs7SIEeAReIlEtZhs8krEru1hYOjQ4lLrzamyn-yiOMVcQswiDDfZU46rGCWIJ1Ag_UihB_kNjw4twiNgF74nevMqtiULYbvnCLEX2TiyZZ_q3m74R2dnB6LZJuOEEnTr51K6wlJ27bfFVP1oq2BmbcvzJK7SXLb7PhHbE_JsuRxhCf74SUEXRcD4=w400-h328" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">(New)</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEirK_3APhy7VShbEPjHZBtreliS3_1Z28qWCHvL5C1bCs5g7i_aZW6LAmydDo0Rm-lt63jJYsPzY5IhN6Ly_m6AUpicvQ09bgqg_z0hmq4xw1MPd9zbNjkodRl00xZYzsHew6IY0j0Fg9_Yc46ahnL6ykKxeNsd0aYMUn7p7gMIXRBVdDUivmsSSCg8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="546" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEirK_3APhy7VShbEPjHZBtreliS3_1Z28qWCHvL5C1bCs5g7i_aZW6LAmydDo0Rm-lt63jJYsPzY5IhN6Ly_m6AUpicvQ09bgqg_z0hmq4xw1MPd9zbNjkodRl00xZYzsHew6IY0j0Fg9_Yc46ahnL6ykKxeNsd0aYMUn7p7gMIXRBVdDUivmsSSCg8=w400-h328" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /></span></div><div><b>Updates to Gobby's Moves and Animations</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Jon is currently going through all of our characters and making sure the animations and playability is fun<br /><br />Barrage: Effect is being changed to three attacks in succession on the same target. The animation is being changed to be quicker. <br /><br /></div><div>Fusillade: Effect is unchanged but will show a new animation on all enemies<b>. </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div>
<center> <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XEpq-eOlCoY" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe> </center> <br />
<center> <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hA_ZjoUENsc" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe> </center> <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Keyboard Layout/Changes </b><br /><br />In the last development log, we showed off the changes to the controller layout, and now we have changes for the keyboard layout implemented as well. Unfortunately, this means that the controls will no longer be customizable with the F1 key. <br /><br />In the previous development log, I mentioned that we're making the control diagrams easier to understand. Deborah and Jon completed the implementation of the updated keyboard controls. We are only showing the player controls based on the current scheme. <br /><br />Here's how the controls will look if the player is using a keyboard.<br /><br />(Old) <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNihXx3eYRZleSzYgqgZnGXqc7GbUfx7ga0am5tSvyDzdo_kQ7BdcBu4wd_gdsNXW10qpjJsTZavFUBWPjs_WjStWvDo2OF257wbQI0UMjUx2NG5aIssBw8fFDBlK_4oqaUqhoOMwbkvjnjnWYQZ2Zabg0BkDpueTN2NYkhn2pQcVX9lzixxgMtUPp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="544" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNihXx3eYRZleSzYgqgZnGXqc7GbUfx7ga0am5tSvyDzdo_kQ7BdcBu4wd_gdsNXW10qpjJsTZavFUBWPjs_WjStWvDo2OF257wbQI0UMjUx2NG5aIssBw8fFDBlK_4oqaUqhoOMwbkvjnjnWYQZ2Zabg0BkDpueTN2NYkhn2pQcVX9lzixxgMtUPp=w400-h306" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />(Now)</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGy7ygRDoGWJIbmVQEVAXFcYeYBmEkAOoBeFgQ4PykCty5E7XNgGjrZBqnrwutUFxnU4_qhlLKyxQBGwAxy8yn6WWOCnNzNpMbaaDGZm78kT7oipdx4uOziFlmH1Sh318tQvExFyfTRkCXSoYz0OIZuVE0HhrEnqFz0ip7EQqo-riwNZ8RSDhQto1d" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="834" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGy7ygRDoGWJIbmVQEVAXFcYeYBmEkAOoBeFgQ4PykCty5E7XNgGjrZBqnrwutUFxnU4_qhlLKyxQBGwAxy8yn6WWOCnNzNpMbaaDGZm78kT7oipdx4uOziFlmH1Sh318tQvExFyfTRkCXSoYz0OIZuVE0HhrEnqFz0ip7EQqo-riwNZ8RSDhQto1d=w400-h319" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>Do keep in mind if you prefer the old way without the controls visible on the screen, this can be turned off in the Options menu.</div><div><br /></div><div>---<br /><h3>On a Whim! Podcast</h3></div><div><br /></div><div>If you haven't had a chance to listen to our whimindie podcast, checkout the "On a Whim!" Podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts. We talk a lot about current events, gaming trends, and some of our gameplay design decisions in more detail. We release an episode every Tuesday, and we have plans in the future to bring on guests in team as well as other friends in the game industry.</div><div><br /></div><div><br />
<center> <iframe frameborder="0" height="102px" scrolling="no" src="https://anchor.fm/whimindie/embed/episodes/On-a-Whim--S3-EP7-We-have-an-Accord--Lets-be-The-Bad-Guy-e1gdk4l" width="400px"></iframe> </center>
<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>---<br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Reuploading ANTics and The Dastardly Dairy Debacle (Android Version) on itch.io</h3></div><div><br /></div><div>We've had a lot of requests both from the public and from the team on us taking down our older no-longer supported projects "ANTics" and "The Dastardly Dairy Debacle". As of today, both games are now available once again on Android through our itch.io channel for software archival purposes. <br /><br />Please keep in mind that support for both of these games have ended in 2020 and we have no plans to have the Android versions of these games supported on newer hardware. Download and play at your own risk.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://whimindie.itch.io/antics" target="_blank">View ANTics on itch.io</a><br /><a href="https://whimindie.itch.io/dastardlydairydebacle" target="_blank">View The Dastardly Dairy Debacle on itch.io </a></div><div><br /><br />---<br /><h3>The whimindie Super Mario Maker 2 Game Jam! </h3></div><div><div><br /></div><div>I'm putting together a Super Mario Maker 2 Game Jam on the whimindie Discord to make or play through levels created in the jam between now and 4/16. We'll create, play, and (constructively) critique levels created. <br /><br /></div><div>Anyone is welcome to participate! But for now only levels created from now and in the next two weeks should be posted! </div><div><br />I've had a Super Mario 3 level simmering in my head for a while and finally looking forward to putting it on paper myself this upcoming Saturday. Let's a-go! </div><br />If there's a lot of levels created, maybe I might stream them... Note that this is NOT a Nintendo event nor are we sponsored by Nintendo to do this. It's just a great game design exercise. <br /><br /><a href="https://discord.gg/BmAePkFEcz?event=959855635409801287">Join the whimindie Super Mario Maker 2 Game Jam!</a><br /><br /></div><div>---</div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That's all for this development log. Thank you for your support!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also, be sure to follow us on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://www.twitter.com/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://twitch.tv/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitch</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and join our </span><a href="https://discord.gg/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discord</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! </span><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Until next time!</span></p><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
<a href="https://anchor.fm/whimindie">Listen to the "On a Whim!" Podcast <br /></a><a href="https://whimindie.itch.io/" target="_blank">Follow whimindie on itch.io</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1052040/Selatria/" target="_blank">Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1304160/Spellbearers/">Wishlist Spellbearers on Steam</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1258230/Corpse_Castle/" target="_blank">Wishlist Corpse Castle on Steam</a></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>GroverWhimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991729119391398481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851341923079246395.post-57256235011143368742022-02-01T08:00:00.273-08:002022-02-01T13:16:30.304-08:00Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #65<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hi everyone! New year! New dev log! It has been about three months since the last one and there's quite a lot of new information to talk about. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="white-space: normal;">Here is our monthly update with what's going on at whimindie. Please note that some of this information will be cross-posted to our Spellbearers project page on Kickstarter for project backers.<br /><br /></span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><h3><b>Spellbearers</b></h3><div>We have some announcements regarding Spellbearers that I'd like to share. Please take a look.<br /><br /><b>New Spell Incoming! Prima's Discord<br /></b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjInuxKh2Z9x8S5KbDrdgaoXqQN3P4PZgLWw4i9fOfjEo-2HW_xoPd9ZHunQQdmWIOZIk7UlGxfs0jHgmsRpt6r01Q93vzsaMInYs4ejbD2jrYld29U0SVu3JlM9vnDKQuGjq2TQjNKhpipWsRlC_yeS3a9ft-3w-TbhcGLrbfBXKqy1vHe5srnOYsx" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="479" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjInuxKh2Z9x8S5KbDrdgaoXqQN3P4PZgLWw4i9fOfjEo-2HW_xoPd9ZHunQQdmWIOZIk7UlGxfs0jHgmsRpt6r01Q93vzsaMInYs4ejbD2jrYld29U0SVu3JlM9vnDKQuGjq2TQjNKhpipWsRlC_yeS3a9ft-3w-TbhcGLrbfBXKqy1vHe5srnOYsx" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />As of current plans, this will be the final spell added for the game. I could only show a small part of the screen due to avoiding spoilers. But with this, we have all of the spells done for Spellbearers! <br /><br /><br /></div><div><b>Co-Op Gameplay Changes for Upcoming Release/Launch</b></div><div><br />We are going to be making a list of changes for the 2-player mode for Spellbearers for release. Originally in the demo version, a second player would be able to hop in and out of gameplay at any time throughout the level. Due to new balance changes we have implemented to make gameplay with 2 players scale, we are making the following changes to co-op gameplay for the retail release. <br /><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>A second player will be able to join at the character selection screen. If they join from the start, both players will start with the default amount of lives. <br /><br /></li><li>Player 2 will no longer be able to join mid-game the middle of fighting in a room. In order for Player 2 to join mid-game, the room will need to be safely cleared of all enemies and be able to proceed to the next room. If Player 2 loses a life, they will be able to respawn in game as normal.<br /> </li><li>If Player 1 has less than the default amount of lives when Player 2 joins mid-game, then Player 2 will start with that amount of lives. (ie: Player 1 has 3 lives at the point when player 2 joins, they will have 3 lives as well.)<br /><br /></li><li>If Player 1 only has one life remaining, Player 2 will not be able to join mid-game.<br /><br /></li><li>Player 2 will no longer be able to join mid-game during bosses or in the corridor hall just before the boss.<br /><br /></li><li>If Player 2 joins mid-game, a Spellbearer will be randomly selected from one that Player 1 did not select.<br /><br /></li><li>Player 2 will no longer be able to drop game once they've joined in. They can only drop by running out of lives.</li></ul>It's a lot of nit-picky new rules when it comes to how we handle two-player co-op play, and I don't think most people will notice these changes if they play normally or plan on playing co-op from the start. These were rules that we had to implement to make sure the enemies spawn correctly for each room without being game breaking, and with playing/demonstrating at conventions or live game demos when people come in and out to play. <br /><br /><br /></div><div><b>Production of PlayStation 5 Version</b><br /><br />I am happy to say that a PlayStation 5 port of Spellbearers will begin development in the next month! We're still working out details on how this will affect current backers and how/if they will be able to switch their pledge. <br /><br />I hope to share some more details on this in a future update. Please be aware as of our current plans that Xbox and PlayStation 5 versions of Spellbearers will launch <b>AFTER the PC/Steam release.</b><br /><br /><br /><b>Production of Steam Deck Optimized Version</b><br /><br />We will also be working on a Steam Deck compatible version of Spellbearers. We want to use this specific build as a basis for how other... similar piece of hardware <b><i>*cough*</i></b> might be able to handle the game. I hope to provide updates for this in the next few months as we get a clearer idea of how Steam Deck runs other similar games and we get our environment set up to be able to test the performance. </div><p>--- </p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><h3><b>Selatria</b></h3><div><br /></div><div>We also have a lot of information to share regarding updates for Selatria. We're making a lot of progress towards linking up all of the completed cutscenes with all of the gameplay. While we do that, we are also working on various quality of life improvements.<br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br />Controller Layout/Changes </b><br /><br />In the last development log, I mentioned that we were making the controls a bit easier to understand. A big issue we've noticed especially noticing internal and demo testers and players at conventions is that we overload the player with a LOT of information at one time, and it's something we definitely wanted to change before the release. <br /><br />Jon, Deborah and I have made a lot of tweaks and changes to the layout of the game to make things a lot easier to understand on a quick look. Some of the actions we wanted to take and prioritize. <br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Only showing the information the player needs to see. If the player is using a controller, we focus on showing only controller functions and operations. Same with the keyboard. <br /><br /></li><li>Updating the diagrams and tutorial controls for various minigames and in-game events with necessary controls using easy to understand visual cues and icons.<br /><br /></li><li>A toggleable battle help window that shows icons to help new players.<br /></li></ul><br />With these bullet points in mind, we were able to simplify something like this (original design)<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNihXx3eYRZleSzYgqgZnGXqc7GbUfx7ga0am5tSvyDzdo_kQ7BdcBu4wd_gdsNXW10qpjJsTZavFUBWPjs_WjStWvDo2OF257wbQI0UMjUx2NG5aIssBw8fFDBlK_4oqaUqhoOMwbkvjnjnWYQZ2Zabg0BkDpueTN2NYkhn2pQcVX9lzixxgMtUPp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="544" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNihXx3eYRZleSzYgqgZnGXqc7GbUfx7ga0am5tSvyDzdo_kQ7BdcBu4wd_gdsNXW10qpjJsTZavFUBWPjs_WjStWvDo2OF257wbQI0UMjUx2NG5aIssBw8fFDBlK_4oqaUqhoOMwbkvjnjnWYQZ2Zabg0BkDpueTN2NYkhn2pQcVX9lzixxgMtUPp=w400-h306" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The old/original controls diagram</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br />to this</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmcZeN8QHg-LAdt-HNj1Q4hyIcQKTQbfXGdl4r4AIoId2AF6H3HjdDIvMC1IaIB93YnsHJvGUDb8wZwsestXTsnlO4eWUtSggZpYu3oNT6P-rAYC237je3SaOq29-3-hJhiLoAYBgYo1HLqCdTycG2RUbJloVn2iWYiEit6HHDYdi8yO-q2G-oKsqI=s1109" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="877" data-original-width="1109" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmcZeN8QHg-LAdt-HNj1Q4hyIcQKTQbfXGdl4r4AIoId2AF6H3HjdDIvMC1IaIB93YnsHJvGUDb8wZwsestXTsnlO4eWUtSggZpYu3oNT6P-rAYC237je3SaOq29-3-hJhiLoAYBgYo1HLqCdTycG2RUbJloVn2iWYiEit6HHDYdi8yO-q2G-oKsqI=w400-h316" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The new controls diagram (Controller View)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5SuGNMFC_jMbtNQyxHkw7o4Kos3gqcy6VglAqQbHbNrYgitCZBxH67GkWOHBEb4XTxBOWGewi1SthQmiSG0q0aMGQuF9TW-gCXOLJRRk2DnVQekwmgQm-4eMqisOU-aWFgjWjPou5M_Rn2nRNIe4FLUNLEeSZIG1H4m1TdtpWHgph07NQpak9x9M9" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="578" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5SuGNMFC_jMbtNQyxHkw7o4Kos3gqcy6VglAqQbHbNrYgitCZBxH67GkWOHBEb4XTxBOWGewi1SthQmiSG0q0aMGQuF9TW-gCXOLJRRk2DnVQekwmgQm-4eMqisOU-aWFgjWjPou5M_Rn2nRNIe4FLUNLEeSZIG1H4m1TdtpWHgph07NQpak9x9M9=w400-h328" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Battle Screen (Keyboard)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj17hLy85-SdUyiGDSQ4XpwGCTH2C5kAyP23LbBXfgYE51T3ueq5NvYb_mTsWsiiZTo3c5sqej5AuVmw7C_KdeKugdlNwyxgK6szgTU1-0Fp1lfIvJwDRf6xarcocAlwa0Dn6sJ4KBVgfUFq1VzVnifHsthkc_Dx3R4jw25dsm-2MVYY3SMcpGqUS0k" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="547" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj17hLy85-SdUyiGDSQ4XpwGCTH2C5kAyP23LbBXfgYE51T3ueq5NvYb_mTsWsiiZTo3c5sqej5AuVmw7C_KdeKugdlNwyxgK6szgTU1-0Fp1lfIvJwDRf6xarcocAlwa0Dn6sJ4KBVgfUFq1VzVnifHsthkc_Dx3R4jw25dsm-2MVYY3SMcpGqUS0k=w400-h328" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Battle Screen (Controller)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></div><div>Do keep in mind if you prefer the old way without the controls visible on the screen, this can be turned off in the Options menu.</div><div><b><br /><br />Production of Trailer for Selatria - Full Version</b><br /><br />We are starting production on the trailer for the full version of Selatria. Our trailer is being worked on by Jessi who handled the ANTics and Selatria Part 1 trailer several years ago, and we're hoping to share something even greater. Please look forward to it!</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Steam Deck Port being Researched</b></div><div><br />With the upcoming release of the Steam Deck this month, we have found out that we may be able to make Selatria compatible with the Deck. Our main concerns regarding porting Selatria is the amount of space the game takes up, MIDI not working on Steam Deck, how we can have something comparable in quality to the PC version. <br /><br />Shadoe has converted a lot of the MIDI tracks over to an .ogg equivalent that is compatible with the Deck and the quality sounds very comparable. Jon is researching how we can have the Deck version play .ogg equivalent of files of .mid so we don't have to convert data for hundreds of maps. And Parker will be handling the testing on the Deck itself.<br /><br />I can't absolutely promise as of this update if we're going to guaranteed have a Steam Deck-compatible version of Selatria, but we're going to make every effort to try!<br /><br /><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="white-space: normal;">--- </span></span></p><h3><b>Rogue Jam 2022</b></h3><p><br /></p><p>Spellbearers has been nominated for an Audience Choice Awards at the Rogue Jam hosted by Rogue Games and IGN! If you haven't voted yet, the deadline is on Friday, February 4th! <br /><br />Be sure to give Spellbearers a vote on the <a href="https://roguejam.com/game-time/">Rogue Jam Audience Choice Awards website!</a><br /><br /></p>
<center> <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-iGicDMP600" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe> </center>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJIzW2jaAm6k9j_S2cHJ-pT0SSHn-jksYMflHwKjO7k0OlXtpdUxJ-BZoMwEa-0Bx09OLdVlVV7GQLWpt2BeyutlMsw4ejZz3FGQbQdDZ3anII3QWauz9qSqumXrFgpGWTRw-nKvacspXEuCQl7K-Aig_jCIOl8oi-6vJC717Eb6DARDOpdofuXWpQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="414" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJIzW2jaAm6k9j_S2cHJ-pT0SSHn-jksYMflHwKjO7k0OlXtpdUxJ-BZoMwEa-0Bx09OLdVlVV7GQLWpt2BeyutlMsw4ejZz3FGQbQdDZ3anII3QWauz9qSqumXrFgpGWTRw-nKvacspXEuCQl7K-Aig_jCIOl8oi-6vJC717Eb6DARDOpdofuXWpQ=w345-h400" width="345" /></a></div><br /><br /></b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">---</span><b><br /></b><h3><b>LVLUPEXPO 2022 Update</b></h3></div><div><br /></div><div>I wanted to also talk a bit about LVLUPEXPO. </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Originally we planned on attending and showcasing some of these changes in this year's LVLUPEXPO 2022 scheduled for later this month. However, due to concerns about the COVID-19 Omicron variant, we have made the difficult decision to back out of this year's convention. We will not be showing our games at the convention this year. <br /><br />I'm wishing the LVLUPEXPO convention the best and I hope we can be able to present at the convention in 2023. </div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">---</span></p><div><h3>Regarding NFTs and Blockchain Games</h3></div><div><br /></div><div>The last point I want to make is regarding the rise of publishers and developers wanting to embrace NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) in their games, products, and services. </div><div><br /></div><div>A lot of publishers and developers are interested in embracing NFTs, and there's quite a bit of pushback from indie game developers as well as players against them. <br /><br />While I don't have any ill will for companies, publishers, or developers that wish to use NFTs or make blockchain games, <b>it is not a direction we are taking the studio in. </b>Our focus is to make enjoyable games that are, at its core, fun. Our hope is to keep it that way. Thank you for your support.</div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">---</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That's all for this development log. If you haven't <a href="https://roguejam.com/game-time/" target="_blank">please vote in the Rogue Jam</a> and give your vote for Spellbearers! We really appreciate your support. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also, be sure to follow us on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://www.twitter.com/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://twitch.tv/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitch</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and join our </span><a href="https://discord.gg/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discord</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! </span><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Until next time!</span></p><div><div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
<a href="https://whimindie.itch.io/" target="_blank">Follow whimindie on itch.io</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1052040/Selatria/" target="_blank">Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1304160/Spellbearers/">Wishlist Spellbearers on Steam</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1258230/Corpse_Castle/" target="_blank">Wishlist Corpse Castle on Steam</a></span></span></div></div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>GroverWhimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991729119391398481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851341923079246395.post-25925928645134107132021-11-01T12:10:00.007-07:002021-11-01T12:59:09.334-07:00Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #64<p> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Hi everyone! Happy November!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="white-space: normal;"><br />Here is our monthly update with what's going on at whimindie. Please note that some of this information will be cross-posted to our Spellbearers project page on Kickstarter for project backers. </span></span></p><p>--- </p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><h3><b>Spellbearers</b></h3><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I want to start off by saying that this month's update will be the <b>final game-development related monthly update </b>before the Spellbearers launch. Future updates will center on backer updates and fulfillments, a retrospective on the project, as well as release date and porting timing when we have finalized decisions on these. </span></p><p>This is good news for the project as it means we are nearing the finish line and most of the remaining content that is left is in spoiler-territory. Thank you all for your support and backing of this project through Kickstarter and your supportive comments on Discord. It really means a lot to us that you all have given us this opportunity. I really hope you'll enjoy playing through Spellbearers on Steam and Xbox. </p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Now on to the footage! Please note that this is not finalized and subject to change. This was taken and implemented by our game director Gerren - Please take a look.</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><center><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m4IEY2q76fM" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4xevosH0ubM" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/38-ORRgkPXI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<br> <br>
</span></center><p>All four Spellbearers are implemented along with the brand-new character selection screen. If you remember in the <a href="https://groverwhim.blogspot.com/2020/12/whim-independent-studios-development.html">53rd development log</a> that was posted a year ago, we showed off mockups of the character selection screen, so it's awesome to see all of the work of the art team come together full circle. <br /><br />You may also have noticed there will be secret rooms! There will be a secret room in every level that will include bonus powerups, lives, treasures, and achievements! I hope you can find them all. </p><p>--- </p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><h3><b>Selatria</b></h3><p>Meet Merrylegs Squigglefingers!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MPPX8mC-PyI/YYA51p3dZtI/AAAAAAAAMm0/b8UIrm8XkhYgUr9bfMqfki1OBpeWJ4PRACLcBGAsYHQ/s548/SelatriaMerrylegsSquigglefingers.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="548" height="306" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MPPX8mC-PyI/YYA51p3dZtI/AAAAAAAAMm0/b8UIrm8XkhYgUr9bfMqfki1OBpeWJ4PRACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h306/SelatriaMerrylegsSquigglefingers.png" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you're a long time fan of the project, you might notice this enemy is from the title screen of the first part that we released on Steam and itch.io, and you'll actually be able to fight him on the Faylien continent. Squigglefingers is one of the toughest optional superbosses, so best of luck if you can defeat it!
Also, you may notice a small change in the battle window above. I mentioned in past development logs that we are looking to improve the UI a bit to make it so it's a bit easier for newcomers to learn and pick up the controls. Jon is currently implementing a system where the controls will appear for keyboard and controller and they will be based off the last input of the player.
Right now Selactite is being used as placeholders while Deborah is working on finalized pictures of the buttons and keys that will display for controller and keyboard players. And for those who liked it the old way, don't worry! All of these controller/keyboard suggestions will be toggleable in the Options menu. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm hoping to show some footage of Chapter 5 and some updated battle UI in next month's updates. Until December!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">---</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That's all for this development log. Thanks for your support, and be sure to follow us on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://www.twitter.com/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://twitch.tv/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitch</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and join our </span><a href="https://discord.gg/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discord</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! </span><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Until next time!</span></p><div><div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
<a href="https://whimindie.itch.io/" target="_blank">Follow whimindie on itch.io</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1052040/Selatria/" target="_blank">Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1304160/Spellbearers/">Wishlist Spellbearers on Steam</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1258230/Corpse_Castle/" target="_blank">Wishlist Corpse Castle on Steam</a></span></span></div></div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>GroverWhimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991729119391398481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851341923079246395.post-12683321842876797382021-10-01T00:00:00.086-07:002021-10-01T12:52:40.074-07:00Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #63<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="white-space: normal;">Hi everyone! Happy October! Happy Fall! <br /><br />Here is our monthly update with what's going on at whimindie. Our 63rd development log! Note that some of this information will be cross-posted to our Spellbearers project page on Kickstarter for project backers. </span></span></p><p>--- </p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><h3><b>Spellbearers</b></h3><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I'd like to start off by showing some new game video footage of Level 3: The Fiery Lands of Floga! Please take a look.<br /><br /></span></p><center><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xojgsCbNqpc" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe> </span></center><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This is some footage from one of the later rooms! What do you think? Looks pretty chaotic. Because of the arcade nature of Spellbearers, only the really dedicated players will be able to make it this far! Do note that we're still working on making adjustments, improvements, tweaks, and changes and what you see here is not exactly finalized yet. But I think Gerren did a great job in compiling the team's work together for a cohesive Level 3. I can't wait for you all to play it.
</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now for some of the bad news: We're about a month and a half behind our development schedule. Originally, we were aiming for a holiday release, but we still need some time to polish up the experience and performance of the game as well as finish up some spell assets and art for the final level. Since we're an independent studio, we are not in any rush to complete and we can take our time to deliver the game. For this reason, we are going to be postponing the release to early-2022.
Here's a bit of a breakdown with where we're at:
</span></p><div class="p-rich_text_section" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #1d1c1d; counter-reset: list-0 0 list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><b data-stringify-type="bold" style="box-sizing: inherit;">What's completed:</b><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /></span></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d1c1d; font-family: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">Most of the programming done for multiplayer selection.</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d1c1d; font-family: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">All Player Art/Animation</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d1c1d; font-family: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">Level 1-3 bosses and enemies</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d1c1d; font-family: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">Level 4 Art and Enemies</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d1c1d; font-family: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;">In-game achievement system</span></li></ul><div class="p-rich_text_section" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #1d1c1d; counter-reset: list-0 0 list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"><span class="c-mrkdwn__br" data-stringify-type="paragraph-break" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block; height: 8px;"></span><b data-stringify-type="bold" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span> <br /></span>What's left to go:</span></b></div><div class="p-rich_text_section" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #1d1c1d; counter-reset: list-0 0 list-1 0 list-2 0 list-3 0 list-4 0 list-5 0 list-6 0 list-7 0 list-8 0 list-9 0; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Level 4 Enemy Balancing</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Final Boss</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Secret Room Implementation/Mechanics</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Difficulty Levels</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Graphics/Audio Setting Implementation</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Sound Effects for later levels/UI</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Xbox Achievements and Polishing/Playtesting</span></li></ul></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">
While we still aim to complete what's left this year, we're going to use November-December before the holidays to playtest and adjust and make sure performance on Xbox is also on par with the PC release, all while being able to have the time we need off with our families for the holidays. </span></p><p>--- </p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><h3><b>Selatria</b></h3><p>Selatria is also making some solid progress.<br /><br />Matt and I are working on implementing and tying Chapter 5 together. Matt's working on enemy and troop placement for the Imperial Castle and I'm currently tying Don's cutscenes to the gameplay and doing a lot of polish. Here's a preview shot of one of the scenes we're currently working on. (Still subject to change).</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OfJpulYUdqM/YVdGIkaRyyI/AAAAAAAAMg0/W7ac2e1VsG0x6WlhLhvn_ydeLZI1DzXQgCLcBGAsYHQ/s639/SelatriaCh5-Attack.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="484" data-original-width="639" height="484" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OfJpulYUdqM/YVdGIkaRyyI/AAAAAAAAMg0/W7ac2e1VsG0x6WlhLhvn_ydeLZI1DzXQgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h484/SelatriaCh5-Attack.png" width="640" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Scene from Chapter 5 - The Faylien Capitol is under attack</b></div></b><p></p><p>As mentioned in the last development log, we're still working on a way to easier explain the controls without overwhelming the player with diagrams at the game's opening. Jon and I are going to be spending most of this month figuring out the best way to go about that. <br /><br />We've also started work on the official soundtrack for Selatria. As most of the music is MIDI, Shadoe is currently recording the songs how they sound in game, and from there converting to other formats and editing them. There will be 121 songs in Selatria's soundtrack! An amazing collaboration between a few different composers who helped out with the soundtrack. It will be awesome and can't wait for you to hear it.<br /><br />---</p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That's all for this development log. Thanks for your support, and be sure to follow us on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://www.twitter.com/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://twitch.tv/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitch</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and join our </span><a href="https://discord.gg/whimindie" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discord</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! </span><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Until next time!</span></p><div><div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
<a href="https://whimindie.itch.io/" target="_blank">Follow whimindie on itch.io</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1052040/Selatria/" target="_blank">Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1304160/Spellbearers/">Wishlist Spellbearers on Steam</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1258230/Corpse_Castle/" target="_blank">Wishlist Corpse Castle on Steam</a></span></span></div></div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>GroverWhimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991729119391398481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851341923079246395.post-6036495202798419122021-09-01T12:18:00.010-07:002021-09-01T12:43:26.557-07:00Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #62<p>New month, new updates! Here is the monthly update for what's going on at whimindie. Our 62nd development log. Note that some of this information will be cross-posted to our Spellbearers project page on Kickstarter for project backers. </p><p>--- </p><p></p><h3><b>Spellbearers</b></h3><div>Work has begun on the final level of Spellbearers. Gerren has completed all of the enemy implementations in the game and sent this over to show! Take a bow, enemies!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E-jVSFcOpco/YS_Ew3meyII/AAAAAAAAMbg/RyI00I_SgcsA80zGhcYPPI9I163hOpX2gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1026/spellbearersallenemies.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="1026" height="412" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E-jVSFcOpco/YS_Ew3meyII/AAAAAAAAMbg/RyI00I_SgcsA80zGhcYPPI9I163hOpX2gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h412/spellbearersallenemies.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Spellbearers Enemy Showcase</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Last month I showed you a preview of the Fiery Lands of Floga, and now I'd like to show you preview of the first form of the boss, the Hygregore. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9VSWgIb3bSY/YS_F8CwiONI/AAAAAAAAMbo/jcx2nyB_mTIjELf_K0dzUnOe07jioVL0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1142/spellbearershygregore.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="715" data-original-width="1142" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9VSWgIb3bSY/YS_F8CwiONI/AAAAAAAAMbo/jcx2nyB_mTIjELf_K0dzUnOe07jioVL0wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h400/spellbearershygregore.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>The Hygregore</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>We are still a few months away from finishing Spellbearers, thank you for being patient with us while we work on a final release date. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><p>--- </p><h3><b>Selatria</b></h3></div><div><b>Voiceover Recordings Complete!</b><br /><br />As of last month, all voiceover work for Selatria is finally complete! 10 years in the making. A big thanks to Shadoe who took charge on voiceover editing and scheduling voiceovers to come in to do recordings and retakes... so many retakes. A big thanks to Jabari Lewis-Smith to challenging us to make a game using voiceovers and a huge thanks to all of the voiceover cast of Selatria for working with us over the years, and being patient on my personal incompetence with never have leading a project let alone with voices. And I'm very glad that milestone is finally completed.<br /><br /><b>Adjustment to New Game Experience/Control Windows<br /><br /></b>A big issue I want to address with Selatria is that we dump a lot of control schemes and complicated diagrams at the player early on and expect them to magically remember in Chapter 1. I noticed it with streamers who get confused by our options windows and by inexperienced gamers at conventions and shows who stare at the control screen at the beginning for what I feel is a bit too long.<br /><br />We're currently looking into a way to simplify the new game and control experiences to make the game a bit easier to understand early on by showing only the keys that plan to be used and separating the controller diagram to its own section. We're only in the diagram and planning stages for this at present, and we're open to ideas as well. If you have any games that have really good control tutorials, we'd love to hear them and study for science. <br /><br /><b>Selactic Cave - Preview</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>One of the dungeons that I've been working on is the Selactic Cave. In Chapter 3 when you get the ship, you have access to be able to explore just the first level of the area, but later in the game you will be asked to return for a reason I won't get to in this blog entry. (Find out by playing in the second half when it releases!)<br /><br />There were quite a bit of adjustments needed to solve some slowdown issues and to make the map a bit more simplified/streamlined. (The original vision of the map had the player constantly getting on and off a raft and it got a bit too tedious, not to mention add un-necessary load to the area.) </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sPIb-3oiRPs/YS_RC0QVWOI/AAAAAAAAMcY/oAatA50KwLEkyChgcQYYVKAP9g6wlRl4gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/selatriaselactitecave.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="640" height="474" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sPIb-3oiRPs/YS_RC0QVWOI/AAAAAAAAMcY/oAatA50KwLEkyChgcQYYVKAP9g6wlRl4gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h474/selatriaselactitecave.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sejg2zJ7nX0/YS_RC7RPLuI/AAAAAAAAMcc/_wba-GF0r_QrkOEXqi72S3fxsxUM8H9aACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/selatriaselactitecave2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="640" height="456" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sejg2zJ7nX0/YS_RC7RPLuI/AAAAAAAAMcc/_wba-GF0r_QrkOEXqi72S3fxsxUM8H9aACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h456/selatriaselactitecave2.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div>As I mentioned last month, we're finally back on track a bit for Selatria, so expect a few more updates on new dungeons and new screenshots in the next few months including some other dungeons the other team members have been working on.</div><div><br /></div><div>--</div><div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><h3><b>Gameacon 2021 @ Rancho Mirage<br /><br /></b><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">I know with the Delta variant of COVID-19 making its rounds, us attending the Gameacon convention was a bit of an obstacle, but we had a safe and good turnout. A big props to the team at Agua Caliente Casino and the Gameacon showrunners for emphasizing a safe convention by limiting attendance, promoting social distancing, and requiring the use of face masks for the convention.</span></h3><div>We got a lot of valuable feedback on Spellbearers and Selatria and we plan on using it to improve both games before their final release. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ox-32V2tfDE/YS_J4Fo_56I/AAAAAAAAMb4/PjrEgJaQLeYE85HMT8eqbbgOkEZVfe_3wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20210814_130515_01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ox-32V2tfDE/YS_J4Fo_56I/AAAAAAAAMb4/PjrEgJaQLeYE85HMT8eqbbgOkEZVfe_3wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/20210814_130515_01.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0hkZrElXL_8/YS_J39LpmHI/AAAAAAAAMb0/CnqfDcW_fqQhl7Xc6XdPeOuJpvReW7AywCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20210815_114744.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0hkZrElXL_8/YS_J39LpmHI/AAAAAAAAMb0/CnqfDcW_fqQhl7Xc6XdPeOuJpvReW7AywCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/20210815_114744.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HT0fPYlMQQU/YS_J3mJy8tI/AAAAAAAAMbw/mkMoF8ZIZX8dNN04B1NzXP4KfProGPaqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20210815_115546.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HT0fPYlMQQU/YS_J3mJy8tI/AAAAAAAAMbw/mkMoF8ZIZX8dNN04B1NzXP4KfProGPaqQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/20210815_115546.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />A big thanks to Paul, Morgan, and Parker for helping show at the convention!<br /><div><br /></div><div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">--</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><h3><b>End of Physical Studio Space<br /></b></h3><h3><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;">whimindie is switching to be a complete virtual studio. We've moved out of the studio space in San Bernardino and all of our team will be working remotely from home permanently. It was the best way to reduce costs and put more focus on the team and cloud infrastructure and continue to do what we love to do. Making fun experiences.<br /><br />Some final pictures from move out day.<br /><br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V9NvGYCpZ_Q/YS_KyJ6bgUI/AAAAAAAAMcM/8iVBBajv6c4-29VGNYJJQxZhvwMuC8jvACPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20210828_132308.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V9NvGYCpZ_Q/YS_KyJ6bgUI/AAAAAAAAMcM/8iVBBajv6c4-29VGNYJJQxZhvwMuC8jvACPcBGAYYCw/w480-h640/20210828_132308.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fNGhOyF-jHw/YS_KyAO2iBI/AAAAAAAAMcI/Pm_zE0K8Gio3s7v-vmSFGPO32mNcU6pAQCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20210828_132248.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fNGhOyF-jHw/YS_KyAO2iBI/AAAAAAAAMcI/Pm_zE0K8Gio3s7v-vmSFGPO32mNcU6pAQCPcBGAYYCw/w480-h640/20210828_132248.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vvb-Al13V8c/YS_KyHJE5ZI/AAAAAAAAMcQ/aDrJUNRnzVIRRHjwR0-GnvySCC9U8beTACPcBGAYYCw/s2048/20210828_132236.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vvb-Al13V8c/YS_KyHJE5ZI/AAAAAAAAMcQ/aDrJUNRnzVIRRHjwR0-GnvySCC9U8beTACPcBGAYYCw/w640-h480/20210828_132236.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></h3></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">--</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also a thank you to Black Game Developers <a href="https://twitter.com/Blackgamedevs/status/1432236621714313216" target="_blank">for the shoutout</a>!
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eCEdjlutRoI/YS_SqJ4aNQI/AAAAAAAAMco/b-YTZ7JXDNM5LEerlfdYEsUBmLKd-a2PQCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="606" height="640" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eCEdjlutRoI/YS_SqJ4aNQI/AAAAAAAAMco/b-YTZ7JXDNM5LEerlfdYEsUBmLKd-a2PQCLcBGAsYHQ/w472-h640/image.png" width="472" /></a></div><br />
Thanks for your support, and be sure to follow us on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://www.twitter.com/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://twitch.tv/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitch</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and join our </span><a href="https://discord.gg/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discord</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Until next time!
<a href="https://whimindie.itch.io/" target="_blank">Follow whimindie on itch.io</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1052040/Selatria/" target="_blank">Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1304160/Spellbearers/">Wishlist Spellbearers on Steam</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1258230/Corpse_Castle/" target="_blank">Wishlist Corpse Castle on Steam</a></span></span></div></div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>GroverWhimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991729119391398481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851341923079246395.post-30514835208132267232021-08-25T00:00:00.006-07:002021-08-25T00:00:00.186-07:00Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Remastered Edition<p>I'm slowly trying to get through my stack of shame, and one of the games I put on the backburner was the remastered version of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (Nintendo Switch Version).</p><p>I tried to play it with some studio friends last year but it was a pain in the butt to deal with and super frustrating, so I put it in the back and moved onto some other games to play. <br /><br />After finishing a few other games in the stack and while FFXIV Endwalker is coming out a few months away, I decided to revisit it and set aside a few hours each week to play it with friends who are willing to put up with the rough multiplayer aspect. <br /><br />At first I thought it was still a royal pain, but as I'm now in Year 4 and there are a lot of dungeons to do without cutscenes getting in the way as much, I'm enjoying it a bit more. When you get into a dungeon and everyone is in, it's fun, but it's the stuff in-between that really dampens the experience. The flow of the game is really off, and I wish they redid some fundamental things of the game to make it work for a modern age. <br /><br />I wouldn't know how to pull it off, and I don't think Square-Enix did either. Still aiming to finish it, though.</p>GroverWhimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991729119391398481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851341923079246395.post-68024842038831002882021-08-24T00:06:00.004-07:002021-08-24T00:10:40.835-07:00Blog RevampIt's been some time since I've made a post not directly related to what's going on in the studio. I've utilized a black/blue color scheme on my blog for a really long time. I wanted to kind of revamp it to match a new color scheme I'm liking a bit more these days. Black/White/Light Blue. A bit less edgy, but a lot easier on my eyes.<div><br /></div><div>The new cover photo is a commission from Loren Petty (@lorenpettyart) who worked with us a bit on whimindie projects last year. It shows an up-to-date montage of the projects I've been focusing on. <br /><br />Stay safe everyone.<br /><br /><br /></div>GroverWhimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991729119391398481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851341923079246395.post-11139843845307765642021-08-01T10:54:00.006-07:002021-08-01T23:52:52.971-07:00Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #61<p>Hi all, Happy August! Here is the monthly update for what's going on at whimindie. Our 61st development log. Note that some of this information will be cross-posted to our Spellbearers project page on Kickstarter for project backers. </p><p>--- </p><p></p><h3><b>Spellbearers</b></h3><div>This month, our team put a lot of work into building Level 3 and implementation of Achievements for both Steam and Xbox versions. Take a look below!<br /><br /><b>First Look: The Fiery Lands of Floga</b><br /><br />Here are some first screenshots of Level 3 - The Fiery Lands of Floga that our game director and lead programmer Gerren Willis provided last week. If you've backed our project and already received a copy of the soundtrack in the mail, you can take a listen and match the music with the area. It's going to be quite hectic!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-guWv5OrtmqM/YQbcVWaFb4I/AAAAAAAAHcg/Nn2GMC1gjwku2mG9q-YC1F4wyz_RaoWVgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1035/SpellbearersFloga1.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="1035" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-guWv5OrtmqM/YQbcVWaFb4I/AAAAAAAAHcg/Nn2GMC1gjwku2mG9q-YC1F4wyz_RaoWVgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h400/SpellbearersFloga1.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v9Jos_Z3r5E/YQbcVmPP7nI/AAAAAAAAHco/_S92-jHztqYm7j28tJOQSEyB2AmZGJEmACLcBGAsYHQ/s1071/SpellbearersFloga2.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1071" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v9Jos_Z3r5E/YQbcVmPP7nI/AAAAAAAAHco/_S92-jHztqYm7j28tJOQSEyB2AmZGJEmACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h400/SpellbearersFloga2.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8_G0K1oGR_c/YQbcVacPYCI/AAAAAAAAHck/TAApqEB9kZsJoU4Lb2n044Xi_07c7TNkQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1074/SpellbearersFloga3.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="1074" height="396" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8_G0K1oGR_c/YQbcVacPYCI/AAAAAAAAHck/TAApqEB9kZsJoU4Lb2n044Xi_07c7TNkQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h396/SpellbearersFloga3.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>What kind of traps and obstacles will have to go through in Floga? We're excited to have you find out soon! A shout-out to our terrain artists Parker Colon and Kevin Picotte and VFX artist Zion Jones for realizing this in-game! <br /><div><br /><b>Achievement Implementation<br /></b><br />A lot of work on Spellbearers this month went into implementation of our achievement system. We set out to implement a global system that will interact with both Steam and Xbox from the get-go so we can minimize our amount of work for porting/adjusting later on. <br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HYRgBUibsFk/YQbe97e25lI/AAAAAAAAHc8/1C4DAKLSrvEen63lKEBKisLpZUGgbXhRgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Achievement%2B3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1104" data-original-width="2048" height="346" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HYRgBUibsFk/YQbe97e25lI/AAAAAAAAHc8/1C4DAKLSrvEen63lKEBKisLpZUGgbXhRgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h346/Achievement%2B3.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GnaLWis5OYU/YQbe-A3V-xI/AAAAAAAAHdA/1mSlZq2EbLAHl8MDnYnJ8-UuDznEk2TbgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Achievement%2B1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1191" data-original-width="2048" height="372" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GnaLWis5OYU/YQbe-A3V-xI/AAAAAAAAHdA/1mSlZq2EbLAHl8MDnYnJ8-UuDznEk2TbgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h372/Achievement%2B1.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bKRjGFlHwLQ/YQbe-VGMEoI/AAAAAAAAHdE/pZsHNHIN-5QV9vQrnO4fPm0ALcef-aX6QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Achievement%2B2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1104" data-original-width="2048" height="346" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bKRjGFlHwLQ/YQbe-VGMEoI/AAAAAAAAHdE/pZsHNHIN-5QV9vQrnO4fPm0ALcef-aX6QCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h346/Achievement%2B2.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Do note that we're still adjusting details on how this Achievement UI will look in game. What you see here is not final and still subject to change.</div><div><br /></div><div>We also have an in-game achievement overlay planned for platforms that may not have their own achievement or trophy system... I'll leave it at that. </div><br />A shout-out to Parker Colon, Gerren Willis, Jessica M. Jacuinde, Deborah Groves and Jonathan Dishaw for working on this implementation into the game!<br /><div><p>--- </p><h3><b>Selatria</b></h3></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Development is back on track!</b><br /><br />After a month of getting the environment set up and moving files over, we're finally back on track for development. A lot of Selatria work this past month is tying the game together and wrapping up loose ends and incomplete dungeons. This also includes doing final minor character voiceover re-takes, contacting team members involved for final credits, and unvoiced scenario quests.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Revised Shutdown Date for Chapter 4 Alpha Version </b><br /><br />For those who participated in the Chapter 4 Alpha, thank you for your feedback and support! Now that we're able to get back to development, the revised shutdown date for Chapter 4 Alpha Version will be <b>Saturday, August 28, 2021. </b>While we did get some valuable feedback and addressed a lot of critical issues in Chapter 4, the participation in the alpha test was not at the level that we expected, and so we plan on doing something a bit different in the future to get player feedback.<br /><br /><b>Note that if you were given an alpha test key for Selatria Chapter 4 Alpha, it will be invalidated after this date and you will no longer be able to play the game. </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div>--</div><div><br /></div><div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />That's all for this development log. Catch you at <a href="https://www.gameacon.com/">Gameacon in Rancho Mirage</a> in a few weeks (August 14-15, 2021)! We'll be at Booth 112 and 113 showing Selatria, Spellbearers, Corpse Castle, and Reapers! See you there!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--H56xMocTBc/YQbdOUZGcgI/AAAAAAAAHc0/CcEuBi4X5OA0SoGqZ8yUTXtxyIosmcf4ACLcBGAsYHQ/s979/Gameacon%2BFloor%2BPlan.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="979" data-original-width="979" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--H56xMocTBc/YQbdOUZGcgI/AAAAAAAAHc0/CcEuBi4X5OA0SoGqZ8yUTXtxyIosmcf4ACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h640/Gameacon%2BFloor%2BPlan.png" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div><br /></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thanks for your support, and be sure to follow us on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://www.twitter.com/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://twitch.tv/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitch</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and join our </span><a href="https://discord.gg/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discord</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Until next time!
<a href="https://whimindie.itch.io/" target="_blank">Follow whimindie on itch.io</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1052040/Selatria/" target="_blank">Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1304160/Spellbearers/">Wishlist Spellbearers on Steam</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1258230/Corpse_Castle/" target="_blank">Wishlist Corpse Castle on Steam</a></span></span></div></div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></div>GroverWhimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991729119391398481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851341923079246395.post-81683223042284345612021-07-02T20:06:00.007-07:002021-07-02T20:16:43.637-07:00Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #60<p>Hi everyone! Here is the July 2021 update for what's going on at whimindie. Our 60th development log! Note that some of this information will be cross-posted to our Spellbearers project page on Kickstarter for our backers. </p><p>--- </p><p></p><h3><b>Spellbearers</b></h3><div><b><br /></b></div><div>For this month's update I'd like to address some concerns regarding the release date and some user feedback from our recent demo release.<b> </b></div><div><b><br /><br /></b></div><div><b>* Release Date delay until Fall 2021</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>So I'll have to start with the bad news. Previously we mentioned that we were aiming for a release date for September of this year, but due to needing some more time to develop the last two levels, we are making the decision to delay the release of the game until later in Fall. As the game nears closer to completion and we make final adjustments, I'll be able to provide you with a more defined month and date. I apologize for the delay. <br /><b><br /><br />* Addressing User Feedback<br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Thanks for playing the demo that we've released! We've gotten quite a bit of feedback from players across our Discord, boards, and emails asking for certain features to the game and I would like to address some of the more pressing questions. </div><div><br /><br /><i><b>Any plans for a Nintendo Switch version of Spellbearers?</b></i><br /><br />We at whimindie love the Nintendo Switch platform and we would love to have Spellbearers on Nintendo Switch. However, we currently have no concrete plans to release for this platform at this time. If you would like to see a Nintendo Switch port of Spellbearers, the best way to make that happen is to let Nintendo know you want to see our game on their platform. <br /><br />North America - <a href="https://twitter.com/IndieWorldNA">https://twitter.com/IndieWorldNA</a> <br />Japan - <a href="https://twitter.com/IndieWorldJP">https://twitter.com/IndieWorldJP</a></div><div><br /></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><b>Are you going to implement 360 degree movement for the Spellbearers? </b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>We currently have no plans to introduce 360 degree movement. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>There are too many monsters and it's easy for me to get cornered and lose a life!</b></i></div><div><br />We are aware there are situations where it's easy to get cornered by monsters and bosses, and we are considering a dash/dodge feature using the shoulder buttons to make it easier to get away. I can't guarantee it will be added into the game at this time, but it is something we're talking about at the moment. <br /><br />We do have plans to adjust the amount of lives one has when starting the game out as well as easier and more difficult modes of play that adjust said amount of lives available.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><b>Is there going to be Mouse support for Steam/PC?</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Adding mouse support has been our biggest and most requested feature for Spellbearers. We are currently unsure about how we would implement mouse support for Spellbearers as it would affect co-op play or extending the development timeline. If only one player could use the mouse, then the other player not using a mouse would be at a disadvantage. We're going to continue monitoring feedback and responses, take a look at how other PC games of the same genre handle mouse implementation, and we may revisit this topic in a future post, so I'm hesitant to give a solid answer to this at this time. </div><div><p><br /></p><p>We'll continue to keep an eye on Steam/itch.io/Discord feedback and do our best to have a fun twin-stick shooter. Thank you all for your feedback and support! </p><p>Before I end with this month's Spellbearers update, I would like to show you one particular character:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--sqi0zUHUvY/YN_Suerz3KI/AAAAAAAAHOY/SWyOo_sr8hoOEraMaTGJMlW_fVlMAOt-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1881/SpellbearerGhoul.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1881" data-original-width="1145" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--sqi0zUHUvY/YN_Suerz3KI/AAAAAAAAHOY/SWyOo_sr8hoOEraMaTGJMlW_fVlMAOt-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/SpellbearerGhoul.png" /></a></div>What did the Spellbearer do to become an undead...? Hmm...<p>--- </p><h3><b>Selatria</b></h3></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><p><b>* Chapter 4 Alpha Testing end date postponed indefinitely</b></p><p>Due to needing more time to gather feedback and fixing bugs to Chapter 4 of Selatria, we are going to be delaying the previously planned end date of June 30th.<br /><br /></p><p>My main development computer is still down for the next few weeks - due to the worldwide parts shortage, the soonest I'll be able to get back on track is looking like mid-July if my emails from the manufacturer yesterday are any indication. </p><p>That being said, there will not be any updates to the Selatria alpha testing until that period, and the Selatria alpha test period will continue indefinitely until a further announcement.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><p><b>* Release Date Delay until early 2022</b></p><div>Selatria is going to be delayed until early 2022, not because of anything related to the game development, but because we want to focus on releasing Spellbearers and putting our marketing funds towards that at the end of this year and we don't have the bandwidth to launch two games near each other. <br /><br />Spellbearers also has the bigger fan-base/install-base due to Kickstarter and it's something that will have to be focused on. Selatria will continue its development at its pace and we'll release it when we have the opportunity to do so.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>--</div><div><br /></div><div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />That's all for this development log. Hope to see you at <a href="https://www.gameacon.com/">Gameacon in Rancho Mirage</a> next month! <br /><br /><img height="170" src="https://gyazo.com/7900a93b088f981e7fafaacd92581992.png" width="640" /><br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thanks for your support, and be sure to follow us on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://www.twitter.com/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://twitch.tv/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitch</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and join our </span><a href="https://discord.gg/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discord</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Until next time!
<a href="https://whimindie.itch.io/" target="_blank">Follow whimindie on itch.io</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1052040/Selatria/" target="_blank">Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1304160/Spellbearers/">Wishlist Spellbearers on Steam</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1258230/Corpse_Castle/" target="_blank">Wishlist Corpse Castle on Steam</a></span></span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>.</div><div><br /></div>GroverWhimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991729119391398481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851341923079246395.post-70513835629202820862021-06-01T11:58:00.000-07:002021-06-01T11:58:03.893-07:00Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #59<p>Hi everyone! Here is the June 2021 update for what's going on at whimindie. Note that some of this information will be cross-posted to our Spellbearers project page on Kickstarter for our backers. </p><p>--- </p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Spellbearers</b></h3><div><b><br /></b></div><p></p><p><b>* New playable demo </b></p><p>First, I would like to start off that we have a new playable demo of Spellbearers available to play now for Steam and itch.io - this is also the demo we sent to IndieCade. This shows the new additions we've added in the past few development logs, just note only level 1 is playable in this demo version. <br /></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ehqKsGbehCc/YLZ4G-IvuXI/AAAAAAAAG3A/37jcIAfCexAIX2mSEAdMHospq8175oNbQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/Spellbearers%2BTitle.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="722" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ehqKsGbehCc/YLZ4G-IvuXI/AAAAAAAAG3A/37jcIAfCexAIX2mSEAdMHospq8175oNbQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/Spellbearers%2BTitle.PNG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Spellbearers Title Screen</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1304160/Spellbearers/" target="_blank">Play Spellbearers Demo on Steam</a><br /><a href="https://whimindie.itch.io/spellbearers" target="_blank">Play Spellbearers Demo on itch.io</a><br /><br />We would love to hear your feedback, so please let us know what you think.<br /><br /></p><p><b>* New illustrations for Level 2 and Level 3<br /><br /></b>In <a href="https://groverwhim.blogspot.com/2021/04/whim-independent-studios-development.html">Development Log #57</a> I showed the illustration for the first level. The illustration work has been completed for the next two levels!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IFxOzA9qFz4/YLZhaEcejII/AAAAAAAAG2w/CSypZr1bG40WEUWzGUZXg_35piNDGV7vQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/level2castle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IFxOzA9qFz4/YLZhaEcejII/AAAAAAAAG2w/CSypZr1bG40WEUWzGUZXg_35piNDGV7vQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/level2castle.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The Icy Realm of Pagosia (Illustration: Niko)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7CKKsbZXO9s/YLZhaLD47YI/AAAAAAAAG20/1IrTtRUIVJkQN6d7Iy-ymn0LS4GkE3ZZACLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/level3castle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7CKKsbZXO9s/YLZhaLD47YI/AAAAAAAAG20/1IrTtRUIVJkQN6d7Iy-ymn0LS4GkE3ZZACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/level3castle.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The Fiery Lands of Floga (Illustration: Niko)</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The illustration art will be displayed as the storyline/backstory of the level is shown. This will also act as a loading screen for the level. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br />* Working on performance issues and planning out achievements</b></div><p>We're currently working on fixing performance issues and planning out achievements for the game. We're bringing over a team member from the Selatria team to help with achievement implementation in Steam and working to have similar achievements implemented for Xbox. <br /><br />If you notice any performance issues with the Spellbearers demo, we would love to hear about it on our <a href="https://discord.gg/whimindie">Discord channel</a>. Please let us know your technical specs and we'll see about how we can work to polish the game further. <br /><br /></p><p>--- </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Selatria</b></h3><div><b><br /></b></div><p><b>* Chapter 4 Alpha Testing will be coming to a close on June 30th. </b></p><p>We have gotten a lot of feedback on the difficulty and pacing of the Chapter 4 demo we made available a few weeks ago. We have made over 30 adjustments and bug fixes in Chapter 4 to address player feedback and make the game a more enjoyable experience. <br /><br />Among the greatest points of feedback was the build crashing on certain areas, and the difficulty of the Endless Desert. Over the course of the alpha test period, we put out some updates and adjustments and we're going to continue playing through and getting polished difficulty curve for the final chapters.<br /><br />Due to the story content for Chapter 5 and 6, we don't plan on having an alpha or beta test for those chapters.<br /><br /></p><p></p><p><b>* Selatria - Main Scenario Cutscene Work Complete!</b></p><div>Cutscene work on the main scenario for Selatria is complete, and we're currently working on tying the game together with the cutscenes, adjusting boss battles, and finishing up incomplete dungeons. <br /><br />With the second half of Selatria, there are quite a few optional dungeons and additional areas to go through, and the puzzles are fairly difficult. ...Difficult to the point where I need to see internal guides on what to do as a reminder. I wish you best of luck gathering all of the lost cats! <br /><br /><br />---</div><div><br /></div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Game Design Graveyard</b></h3><div><br /></div><div>Throughout this month, I will be starting a new blog series this month that talk about game designs that were started on but had to be put on hold for various reasons. While I am personally attached to the game designs, I don't have time to turn these incomplete plans into a full game, and I'm hoping they might be an inspiration for some other game designer or programmer looking at this blog for something they can build a game on.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>--- </div><div><br /></div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>whimindie @ Gameacon 2021 at Rancho Mirage, CA</b></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vE8Dm4AdgMI/YLaAa-qKLEI/AAAAAAAAG3I/wuY2del5Jaw_f0ORLNv5TyvyUyQafaPSACLcBGAsYHQ/s591/Gameacon%2B2021.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="591" height="429" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vE8Dm4AdgMI/YLaAa-qKLEI/AAAAAAAAG3I/wuY2del5Jaw_f0ORLNv5TyvyUyQafaPSACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h429/Gameacon%2B2021.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Our last announcement for this development log is that we are planning on having our first in-person demonstration at Gameacon 2021 in August in Palm Springs, CA. Some of our team will be there and we will be demonstrating Spellbearers, Selatria, Corpse Castle, and more! <b>If you are fully vaccinated</b>, I encourage you to stop by!<br /><br />Find out more about Gameacon <a href="https://www.gameacon.com/">here</a>. </div><br /><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">--<br /><br />That's all for this development log.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thanks for your support, and be sure to follow us on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://www.twitter.com/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://twitch.tv/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitch</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and join our </span><a href="https://discord.gg/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discord</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Until next time!
<a href="https://whimindie.itch.io/" target="_blank">Follow whimindie on itch.io</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1052040/Selatria/" target="_blank">Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1304160/Spellbearers/">Wishlist Spellbearers on Steam</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1258230/Corpse_Castle/" target="_blank">Wishlist Corpse Castle on Steam</a>
</span></span></div></div>GroverWhimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991729119391398481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851341923079246395.post-6536668411827289792021-05-01T20:18:00.006-07:002021-05-01T20:36:56.610-07:00Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #58<p>Hi everyone! Here is the May 2021 update for what's going on at whimindie. Note that some of this information will be cross-posted to our Spellbearers project page on Kickstarter for our backers. <br /><br />As of this post we just finished our submissions to the IndieCade festival for 2021, and I'd like to talk about what's coming next for our games we have in development.</p><p>--- </p><p><b>Spellbearers</b></p><p>Last month, we showed off a <a href="https://groverwhim.blogspot.com/2021/04/whim-independent-studios-development.html">first look at the deeper parts of Level 2</a>. This month's update is going to be showing some new playable characters and some of the new implemented UI and story. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dTuwBhh5TNw/YI4U5wiM18I/AAAAAAAAG1M/wwgFPS60XPMycQN2frmKd_kZUjB1Z4wEwCLcBGAsYHQ/s542/Spellbearer%2BPurple.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="350" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dTuwBhh5TNw/YI4U5wiM18I/AAAAAAAAG1M/wwgFPS60XPMycQN2frmKd_kZUjB1Z4wEwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Spellbearer%2BPurple.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x14o_YaEgkQ/YI4U52ljoOI/AAAAAAAAG1I/KCOTFLhncccwrqgUK-ePuMhMRpfD5mXWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s585/Spellbearer%2BGreen.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="350" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x14o_YaEgkQ/YI4U52ljoOI/AAAAAAAAG1I/KCOTFLhncccwrqgUK-ePuMhMRpfD5mXWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Spellbearer%2BGreen.png" /></a></div><p>We previously showed the green Spellbearer in some promotional material, but this is the first time the purple Spellbearer has been shown in any capacity! With the blue and red Spellbearers this will round out the playable Spellbearers you can play as at launch! Thanks to Deborah Groves for developing the look of the new Spellbearers! (Now excuse me while I go listen to a certain funky rocker...)</p><p>A few months ago, we showed some UI mockups, and this time our team has implemented the updated UX/UI and the initial boot up/story dialogue. Take a look!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lCz5jMcjHS4/YI4QS9vJsbI/AAAAAAAAG08/pKBYXJk1sUgevR0xM_M8cTAfV_-GfO4mwCPcBGAYYCw/s1920/Spellbearers%2B2021-05-01%2B19-04-54-51.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lCz5jMcjHS4/YI4QS9vJsbI/AAAAAAAAG08/pKBYXJk1sUgevR0xM_M8cTAfV_-GfO4mwCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h225/Spellbearers%2B2021-05-01%2B19-04-54-51.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AoJUQMSf0uI/YI4QS2FB_gI/AAAAAAAAG1E/fkSbGnD0CIQangrOoBFn9fKDdFCdEOHDACPcBGAYYCw/s1920/Spellbearers%2B2021-05-01%2B19-04-39-51.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AoJUQMSf0uI/YI4QS2FB_gI/AAAAAAAAG1E/fkSbGnD0CIQangrOoBFn9fKDdFCdEOHDACPcBGAYYCw/w400-h225/Spellbearers%2B2021-05-01%2B19-04-39-51.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DtRa64k1z80/YI4QVwgPteI/AAAAAAAAG1A/KpagKxU3kyksfnJjc5JtFjckGTQjeTtrwCPcBGAYYCw/s1920/Spellbearers%2B2021-05-01%2B19-08-26-56.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DtRa64k1z80/YI4QVwgPteI/AAAAAAAAG1A/KpagKxU3kyksfnJjc5JtFjckGTQjeTtrwCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h225/Spellbearers%2B2021-05-01%2B19-08-26-56.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rys7ZV0XKns/YI4QWH_vsKI/AAAAAAAAG1A/pP9tBpN3f0svycbKnCYmf_YwjQ_hqmNWACPcBGAYYCw/s1920/Spellbearers%2B2021-05-01%2B19-20-26-69.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rys7ZV0XKns/YI4QWH_vsKI/AAAAAAAAG1A/pP9tBpN3f0svycbKnCYmf_YwjQ_hqmNWACPcBGAYYCw/w400-h225/Spellbearers%2B2021-05-01%2B19-20-26-69.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-km7JgIkloGY/YI4QWvYGOHI/AAAAAAAAG1E/ArBRcX-oCNs0RuKVDiK7cvokUsImgXAvgCPcBGAYYCw/s1920/Spellbearers%2B2021-05-01%2B19-20-29-68.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-km7JgIkloGY/YI4QWvYGOHI/AAAAAAAAG1E/ArBRcX-oCNs0RuKVDiK7cvokUsImgXAvgCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h225/Spellbearers%2B2021-05-01%2B19-20-29-68.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Thanks to Jessica M. Jacuinde for doing the UI/UX/Boss Intro Artwork, Niko for the illustrations, and Zion Jones for the Visual Effects! <br /><br /><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1304160/Spellbearers/" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Wishlist Spellbearers on Steam</a><br /><a href="https://whimindie.itch.io/spellbearers" target="_blank">Follow Spellbearers on itch.io</a></p><p>--- </p><p><b>Selatria</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VFJF7TolDFk/YI4WDN49yBI/AAAAAAAAG1Y/eJb2ayT6rSIe6j-7dewGW1ZE61RxAITTwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1544/170916931_10224813143533881_7652884401941174886_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="1544" height="182" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VFJF7TolDFk/YI4WDN49yBI/AAAAAAAAG1Y/eJb2ayT6rSIe6j-7dewGW1ZE61RxAITTwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h182/170916931_10224813143533881_7652884401941174886_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />I made a post at the beginning of April that we were about 97% complete. <br /><br />A lot of the work is done for Selatria, and we're currently working on the ending cutscenes and tying everything together. A lot of dungeons have incomplete rooms that need to be tied together. We're also finishing up side quests and implementing Steam assets such as achievement art, Steam trading cards for the full version, and etc. The main team is now down to 4 designers and one artist, and one in-house tester aimed to reduce the amount of "a lot of cooks in the kitchen" and focus on finishing the last of the game. <br /><br />Speaking of which, we made an important announcement for owners of "Selatria: Advent of the Dakk'rian Empire" on Steam. Please <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/578890/view/3110273656387515673">click here</a> to see it. In a nutshell, due to Steam restrictions, we will be keeping Part 1 available with the second half of the story purchasable as DLC. For the full version (sold separately), there will be enhancements such as achievement support, new trading cards, and a digital download of the soundtrack included. <p></p><p>A few weeks ago, we also launched Alpha Testing for Chapter 4 and got a lot of feedback. There will be further updates to the alpha build as we try to make the the last chapters an enjoyable experience for all. Thank you to all who applied! We will open again for more Alpha Testers at some point in the future, please watch this blog for more information on when that will take place. <br /><br /><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1052040/Selatria/" style="white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam</a><br /><a href="https://whimindie.itch.io/selatria" target="_blank">Follow Selatria on itch.io</a></p><p>--- </p><p><b>Corpse Castle</b></p><p>Corpse Castle, the game we're helping produce with developer Wicked Cake Games is getting some positive impact! We recently put a new version out on itch.io and Steam, take a play through some of the new levels if you haven't!</p><p>You can play the game for yourself <a href="https://whimindie.itch.io/corpsecastle" target="_blank">here!</a> <br /><br />Also, thanks to Colonel Steev for the positive feedback!<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="372" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/stv7dduzLDk" width="491" youtube-src-id="stv7dduzLDk"></iframe></div><p></p><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1258230/Corpse_Castle/" style="white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Wishlist Corpse Castle on Steam</a><br /><a href="https://whimindie.itch.io/corpsecastle" target="_blank">Follow Corpse Castle on itch.io</a><br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">--<br /><br />That's all for this development log.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thanks for your support, and be sure to follow us on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://www.twitter.com/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://twitch.tv/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitch</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and join our </span><a href="https://discord.gg/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discord</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Until next time!
<a href="https://whimindie.itch.io/" target="_blank">Follow whimindie on itch.io</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1052040/Selatria/" target="_blank">Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1304160/Spellbearers/">Wishlist Spellbearers on Steam</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1258230/Corpse_Castle/" target="_blank">Wishlist Corpse Castle on Steam</a>
<br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>GroverWhimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991729119391398481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851341923079246395.post-598116253899030762021-04-02T15:43:00.002-07:002021-04-02T16:20:08.213-07:00Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #57<p>Hi everyone! Here is the April 2021 update for what's going on at whimindie. Note that some of this information will be cross-posted to our Spellbearers project page on Kickstarter for our backers. </p><p>--- <br /><b><br />Spellbearers</b></p><p>This month's update will be a focus on showing some new art and gameplay pictures that were worked on the last few months. </p><p>Each level we plan on having an illustration of the level while the assets load. If you play the current demo version, you'll notice it's taken up by a black Loading screen. While the level loads, we plan on showing off an illustration of the level with some background story on what's going on.<br /><br />Niko finished the illustration for Level 1: The Gothic Kingdom of Veki. Check it out!<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8OnNk7Y_bUY/YGedUSLj6mI/AAAAAAAAGcw/9ncgIWcHQoswXjaSYVwZK23y8O00yRC_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s928/NikoSpellbearersLV1SampleIllustration.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="697" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8OnNk7Y_bUY/YGedUSLj6mI/AAAAAAAAGcw/9ncgIWcHQoswXjaSYVwZK23y8O00yRC_gCLcBGAsYHQ/w481-h640/NikoSpellbearersLV1SampleIllustration.png" width="481" /></a></div><p>Two months ago, we showed you a preview of Level 2: Icy Realm of Pagosia. However, Pagosia is actually split into two parts. You get to explore the icy fortress, but here is a first look of the caverns underneath... </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_6QeM7vQ8o4/YGeZonDCc5I/AAAAAAAAGcQ/BjQX4eToPdUfNduqqR_OGRpaW0G1HMUZwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1808/wmplayer%2B2021-04-02%2B15-14-20-85.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1016" data-original-width="1808" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_6QeM7vQ8o4/YGeZonDCc5I/AAAAAAAAGcQ/BjQX4eToPdUfNduqqR_OGRpaW0G1HMUZwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/wmplayer%2B2021-04-02%2B15-14-20-85.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q6bWsIzXaWA/YGeZokWxfiI/AAAAAAAAGcU/A8Yw-ALXhEEIQV4URZj1n973Y_meXZMvACLcBGAsYHQ/s1808/wmplayer%2B2021-04-02%2B15-19-14-89.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1016" data-original-width="1808" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q6bWsIzXaWA/YGeZokWxfiI/AAAAAAAAGcU/A8Yw-ALXhEEIQV4URZj1n973Y_meXZMvACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/wmplayer%2B2021-04-02%2B15-19-14-89.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KNGCGTavfM0/YGeZoVj1pVI/AAAAAAAAGcM/_jG4SPGPEHQjGiDlVVOl828YtCNlR_1HACLcBGAsYHQ/s1808/wmplayer%2B2021-04-02%2B15-19-35-22.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1016" data-original-width="1808" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KNGCGTavfM0/YGeZoVj1pVI/AAAAAAAAGcM/_jG4SPGPEHQjGiDlVVOl828YtCNlR_1HACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/wmplayer%2B2021-04-02%2B15-19-35-22.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Wow, lots of icy spider webs in the dungeon... wonder what it could be? </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9cnbOoXWsCI/YGeZozdp2HI/AAAAAAAAGcY/MrLWFRalnzESRpQ6npFB_2yxw6xQ0q90gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1808/wmplayer%2B2021-04-02%2B15-19-55-46.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1016" data-original-width="1808" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9cnbOoXWsCI/YGeZozdp2HI/AAAAAAAAGcY/MrLWFRalnzESRpQ6npFB_2yxw6xQ0q90gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/wmplayer%2B2021-04-02%2B15-19-55-46.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It's not a spider...?</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NK_KgFxBDME/YGeZpCWxWhI/AAAAAAAAGcc/zDXdspKAY98sNZcTprveNpmdTLlFM7dSACLcBGAsYHQ/s1808/wmplayer%2B2021-04-02%2B15-20-25-73.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1016" data-original-width="1808" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NK_KgFxBDME/YGeZpCWxWhI/AAAAAAAAGcc/zDXdspKAY98sNZcTprveNpmdTLlFM7dSACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/wmplayer%2B2021-04-02%2B15-20-25-73.png" width="640" /></a></div><p>Ooh, a puppet that's being manipulated via spider webs. But what are the green eyes behind the puppet...? Guess you'll have to find out by getting through Level 2. Please look forward to it!</p><p>I'm also happy to announce that the soundtrack for the game is complete! Spellbearers will have 18 music tracks total in the game, and we hope you'll enjoy all of the fantastic tunes. We will have more to share regarding some of the music of Spellbearers in a future update. <br /><br /></p><p>--- <br /><br /><b>Selatria<br /></b><br />As we prepare for the <a href="https://forms.gle/2sjghR4zcYwAZZ2U8 " target="_blank">Chapter 4 Alpha Test</a>, I would like to show you some updated lore around one of the prominent cities in Chapter 4, the city of Verwin.<br /><br />Verwin is a city on the Dakk'rian continent will be one of the first locations encountered in Chapter 4. </p><p>Two rival families, the Mindaro and Vermilion families are in a constant struggle to control the city with their sprawling casinos, each taking up roughly half of the city. And to the north is a large Arena where challengers and political enemies are sent to fight for their lives against various beasts for the spectator's enjoyment.</p><p>Here's a look at the two casino heads.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W3j8LltRd8A/YGePQO1ahXI/AAAAAAAAGbI/CvaVNA7DchMKuwR-rVJR8dJotoTQ5wCwACLcBGAsYHQ/s864/Mindaro%2BFace%2BAmused.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="864" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W3j8LltRd8A/YGePQO1ahXI/AAAAAAAAGbI/CvaVNA7DchMKuwR-rVJR8dJotoTQ5wCwACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h320/Mindaro%2BFace%2BAmused.png" title="Maximillion Mindaro" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Maximillion Mindaro</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b1eJrd-FNbI/YGePRRKLCgI/AAAAAAAAGbM/ev_gF9486eYvj4nCRxXTlaVysrklrBgMACLcBGAsYHQ/s864/Vermilion%2BFace%2BNormal.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="864" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b1eJrd-FNbI/YGePRRKLCgI/AAAAAAAAGbM/ev_gF9486eYvj4nCRxXTlaVysrklrBgMACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Vermilion%2BFace%2BNormal.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Valeria Vermilion</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p>When completing all of the games at their respective casinos, you will be able to take on a special challenge against the casino heads which can lead to even greater rewards.<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6-8kZFYuzaY/YGeSDvsMx1I/AAAAAAAAGbo/KtqJvqHODFgwXDLU6AXfFCAm0simQU6VwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Game%2B2021-04-02%2B14-51-48-42.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6-8kZFYuzaY/YGeSDvsMx1I/AAAAAAAAGbo/KtqJvqHODFgwXDLU6AXfFCAm0simQU6VwCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Game%2B2021-04-02%2B14-51-48-42.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BBq59dq7GRE/YGeSDgUfZRI/AAAAAAAAGbk/v066BM_uEGsOngANMqiapxKSuAxbVcExQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Game%2B2021-04-02%2B14-51-07-79.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BBq59dq7GRE/YGeSDgUfZRI/AAAAAAAAGbk/v066BM_uEGsOngANMqiapxKSuAxbVcExQCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Game%2B2021-04-02%2B14-51-07-79.png" /></a></div><br />And meanwhile, at the Verwin Arena, the heroes see a familiar face...<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N9DhsQyktwc/YGeTkUMN2NI/AAAAAAAAGb0/x-LId1jXcpQgysbMFy7JqI84a2F15jCRgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Game%2B2021-04-02%2B14-55-56-86.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N9DhsQyktwc/YGeTkUMN2NI/AAAAAAAAGb0/x-LId1jXcpQgysbMFy7JqI84a2F15jCRgCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Game%2B2021-04-02%2B14-55-56-86.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t0akDHhmNPg/YGeULCfyooI/AAAAAAAAGcE/oNGZ_y9Kpg45fAli1cKzzBOOdYc9nP_ZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Game%2B2021-04-02%2B15-00-50-81.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t0akDHhmNPg/YGeULCfyooI/AAAAAAAAGcE/oNGZ_y9Kpg45fAli1cKzzBOOdYc9nP_ZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Game%2B2021-04-02%2B15-00-50-81.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Is it Number 016? And Waltear? The leader of the resistance? </div><div><br /></div><div>The Chapter 4 Alpha Test for Selatria will be going live on <b>Saturday, April 24th</b> on Steam! Invites will be sent out to those who fill out the alpha testing application. If you're interested in playing it and giving feedback, please visit out our <a href="https://forms.gle/2sjghR4zcYwAZZ2U8 " target="_blank">Selatria Chapter 4 Alpha Test Application.</a><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">--<br /><br />That's all for this development log.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thanks for your support, and be sure to follow us on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://www.twitter.com/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://twitch.tv/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitch</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and join our </span><a href="https://discord.gg/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discord</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Until next time!
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1052040/Selatria/" target="_blank">Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1304160/Spellbearers/">Wishlist Spellbearers on Steam</a>
Spellbearers Art by Niko, Deborah Groves, Parker Colon, and Gerren Willis
Spellbearers Programming by Gerren Willis
Selatria Art by Niko and Deborah Groves</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div>GroverWhimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991729119391398481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851341923079246395.post-82215080206376586702021-03-01T00:00:00.073-08:002021-03-01T15:49:41.885-08:00Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #56<p>Hi everyone! Here is the March update for what's going on at whimindie. Note that some of this information will be cross-posted to our Spellbearers project page on Kickstarter for our backers.</p><p>--- <br /><b><br />Spellbearers</b></p><p>In <a href="https://groverwhim.blogspot.com/2021/02/whim-independent-studios-development.html" target="_blank">last month's development log</a>, we showed off some footage of Level 2, and before I talk about some of the assets that are currently being developed, I want to talk a bit about the release date we promised on Kickstarter for the game. <br /><br />Originally when we planned the Kickstarter, we estimated for a March release date. As you all know, game development is really difficult. It's hard to manage a lot of moving parts between art, music and game production in general. Not to mention the ongoing issues with the COVID-19 pandemic and the delay of some of our art coming in due to one of our illustrators being based out of Texas. That being said, <b>we are going to need a few more months to complete Spellbearers. </b></p><p>Though I won't list a new release date right here and now, I will stress that we continue to make solid progress on Spellbearers despite these issues, and it's important to us that we also don't want to rush and release an incomplete game. When we have an updated release window, you all will be the first to know through these updates. </p><p>While we showed some new gameplay last month, today I'd like to revisit some of the UI and UX that Jessica has been working on. I know as a player, seeing me talk about user interface and windows is not exactly glamourous, but it's also important to note that a good user interface makes for a good game. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dp_uyxQbNlQ/YD13QpbPzjI/AAAAAAAAEpg/vEqPO9wN0UgnCDT2kxUdOqStS22I3Wi_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Spellbearers-KeybindSettings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dp_uyxQbNlQ/YD13QpbPzjI/AAAAAAAAEpg/vEqPO9wN0UgnCDT2kxUdOqStS22I3Wi_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Spellbearers-KeybindSettings.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1vto2LZhKGU/YD1541wJaDI/AAAAAAAAEps/-1oTEU-gnCEAt_Iztn3bdwx83PniGU1LQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Options%2B%2BConcept_Controller_02-01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1vto2LZhKGU/YD1541wJaDI/AAAAAAAAEps/-1oTEU-gnCEAt_Iztn3bdwx83PniGU1LQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Options%2B%2BConcept_Controller_02-01.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BqDvaGftCXs/YD154sD9tyI/AAAAAAAAEpo/1ej2pxlkBZ48jVEtwuWiOtRXRRwOW9UFwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Options%2BConcept_Keyboard_03-01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BqDvaGftCXs/YD154sD9tyI/AAAAAAAAEpo/1ej2pxlkBZ48jVEtwuWiOtRXRRwOW9UFwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Options%2BConcept_Keyboard_03-01.png" width="320" /></b></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>New UI/UX mockups - showing the new keybinds and settings.</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>These are some of the mockups for how some of the customization will work. If you play through the current demo, you see a rough implementation of the key-binds and controller settings, and we have plans to redesign it based off these mockups. Once we finish the level design, our goal will be to update the UI to match these mockups.</p><p>As for the game design development, a lot of artwork is currently being implemented into the levels after Pagosia, and in the next update, I hope to show you some of the fruits of that work.</p><div>--- <br /><br /><b>Selatria</b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b5l3WcK7VYs/YD188jtUMvI/AAAAAAAAEp4/vjqXZO6Q9bkRhYLFT7Jt30IDn4ovaVxRACLcBGAsYHQ/s460/headercapsule.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="460" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b5l3WcK7VYs/YD188jtUMvI/AAAAAAAAEp4/vjqXZO6Q9bkRhYLFT7Jt30IDn4ovaVxRACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/headercapsule.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />As we are nearing the end of Selatria development, we are looking for players of all skills and backgrounds to participate in alpha testing for the full version of the game. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>The alpha test will be aimed at gathering various points of feedback: Such as difficulty/pacing/audio or visual issues or other miscellaneous bugs or that we can address for future rounds of testing to have a smooth gameplay experience. We aim to start this process in April of 2021 starting with Chapter 4.</div><div><br /></div><div>Due to complications with COVID-19, instead of conducting closed testing sessions at our studio location, alpha testing will be done from user's home and user's computers via special alpha testing keys compatible with digital services such as Steam or itch.io.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you're interested, please fill out our <a href="https://forms.gle/2sjghR4zcYwAZZ2U8 ">alpha testing application</a> and we may reach out to you. Do note that alpha test save data will not be compatible with the release version of the game.</div><br /></div><div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">--<br /><br />That's all for this development log.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thanks for your support, and be sure to follow us on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://www.twitter.com/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://twitch.tv/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitch</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and join our </span><a href="https://discord.gg/whimindie" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discord</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Until next time!
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1052040/Selatria/" target="_blank">Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam</a>
<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1304160/Spellbearers/">Wishlist Spellbearers on Steam</a>
</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><b><br /></b></div>GroverWhimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991729119391398481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-851341923079246395.post-81465414002180596682021-02-23T10:20:00.003-08:002021-02-23T21:38:21.879-08:00Playing FFX again...<p> I have a newfound appreciation for Final Fantasy X after playing HD Remaster on the Switch after not playing the game in 20 years. </p><p>I remember having so much trouble clearing out the puzzles when I was 10 (I remember that ice temple being a LOT bigger) and struggling on that airship boss fight for weeks. Probably didn't help that I just used Yuna's aeons and nothing else leaving everyone else weak and not ready for it.</p><p>My gaming style has changed quite a bit in 20 years, or maybe I was so salty from the first playthrough that I knew what to expect. lol</p><p>After working on Selatria I now appreciate all the hard work to making a cohesive game with cutscenes and voice acting. I didn't give them enough credit for then and just considered it an inferior experience to FFIX. </p>GroverWhimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991729119391398481noreply@blogger.com0