Post by PixelFade-Dishu on Jul 10, 2015 11:46:56 GMT -5
Hello,
It’s been a busy summer so far! We apologize for the lack of a June update; there were some items we needed to finalize before providing an update. By the time the data was confirmed, it was already mid/end June and made more sense just to merge it with the July update.
So what’s the big news? We have our release date for Episode 1 confirmed! That means Ace Academy will be available to our Episodic Viewer+ backer with full voice over and combat mini-games implemented.
Give me the date already!:
August 16th, 2015
If the Steam Early Access integration process takes longer than our projected timelines, we will provide a downloadable copy in the interim until we get that Steam key to your hands!
That’s it for the “tl;dr” version of the update. You can continue reading below to get an inside scoop to our development process leading up to this point. As always, we are all about transparency with the people who made the project possible.
Direct Link to Spreadsheet
Artwork:
Our artist is polishing assets for Episode 1 and continuing to work into Episode 2. Less news is good news!
Sound:
One of the components we were thinking hard about was voice over and how we were going to implement it. If possible, doing all the voice once the project is complete (meaning 5 episodes later and we are transitioning from Steam Early Access to Live Release) would have been much more streamlined and substantially cut down on development time between episodes. Another was to have the pieces ‘separate’ meaning that some episodes would release without voice and then be caught up with them as other episodes also come out. This would create a situation where let’s say episode 1 released with no voice, then episode 2 came out, but with that update, episode 1 voice was complete and came out too.
All that said, voice is an integral part of what made KC! unique from other EVNs. We felt that there was just something missing without the emotions voice puts to lines. We’ve made the decision that every episode will include full voice over with their releases as originally planned. We strongly believe development time is far outweighed by the positive player experience voice brings.
We’ve separated our spreadsheet voice over between Raw and Post Processing. Raw is the unedited audio files we get from VA talents. Post Processing is the magic Cylight Studios does to normalize audio levels and put effects as needed. In example, this is what your GEAR AI sounds like before and after (Headphone users, be aware of changing audio levels):
UNEDITED (volume quieter, not normalized)
soundcloud.com/pixelfade/eagle-ai-unedited/s-pdhCe
EDITED (volume normalized, effect added)
soundcloud.com/pixelfade/eagle-ai/s-up0XU
Programming:
There’s major news regarding programming. As you may have noticed, the battle system has been in development update after update for nearly 5+ months. We ran into the issue of feature creep. We took a step back and considered if what was being done was worth the time and effort required for it. Ultimately, we came to the conclusion that it wasn’t due to varying reasons, the main point being VNs are for the story and rarely gameplay. There were even backer requests to have an option to skip gameplay entirely.
The programming team is also responsible for putting the scenes together which is to say directing the artistic flow of the storyline (music fade ins and outs, expression choices, screen effects…etc). We noticed there was a depreciation in quality both from a technical (bugs, variables not triggering) and artistic standpoint for what the Alpha Testers played when compared to the demo build of KC!.
Taking all that into consideration, we decided to shuffle our programming team to better align with project goals.
The PixelFade staff member that performed technical activities on the original KC! will be returning to the programming team in full capacity along with another programmer who brings strong Ren’py experience.
Since Ace Academy was using a heavily modified custom engine of Ren’Py setup by the previous programmer, it had to be scrapped entirely.
In two weeks, they’ve rebuilt the sprite management system with upgrades. We can randomize outfits and hairstyles for characters. You can buy them accessories that characters will wear if you like you enough (think stuff like Yuuna’s hairpin, jewelry like necklaces, bracelets…etc). It doesn’t stop there, if you have a preferential taste, the game can take that into effect. You like long hair and cute outfits? No problem, she might take that into account for your next date. The layering of randomness with player preferences will definitely make playthroughs even more unique and personalized.
They also went back to the drawing board and fully implemented a couple of mini-games in lieu of a combat system while retained some core elements like the ability to customize your GEAR equipment aesthetically (with some gameplay advantages).
And of course, the base framework required for the project was completed in those two weeks. Things like stat tracking, QTE engine, Rollback Function as a choice…etc. There is some feature from the previous system like clickable acronyms in text not implemented though these functions will be vetted for feature creeping and pursued if the opportunity cost is worth it.
This also brings programming partially “in house” again meaning less uncertainty regarding programmer goals. What that means for our backers is more defined timelines with release dates.
On that finishing note, the reason why the original PixelFade programmer did not perform technical work on Ace Academy is because he was handling the business side. Incorporating, taxes, resource procurement, project management…etc. Now that most of those jobs are either completed or only require ad hoc attention, he can focus on programming!
Writing:
Our writers have been progressing along at a great pace with Episode 2 just about finalized. You’ll notice Episode 4+ sequencing is currently blocked. That’s because after Episode 2 is released, we’ll be working with our Director+ backers to have their scenes incorporated into the storyline.
That’s about it for July’s update. All aboard the Hype Train to August 16th, 2015!
Best Regards,
PixelFade Studio Team
It’s been a busy summer so far! We apologize for the lack of a June update; there were some items we needed to finalize before providing an update. By the time the data was confirmed, it was already mid/end June and made more sense just to merge it with the July update.
So what’s the big news? We have our release date for Episode 1 confirmed! That means Ace Academy will be available to our Episodic Viewer+ backer with full voice over and combat mini-games implemented.
Give me the date already!:
August 16th, 2015
If the Steam Early Access integration process takes longer than our projected timelines, we will provide a downloadable copy in the interim until we get that Steam key to your hands!
That’s it for the “tl;dr” version of the update. You can continue reading below to get an inside scoop to our development process leading up to this point. As always, we are all about transparency with the people who made the project possible.
Direct Link to Spreadsheet
Artwork:
Our artist is polishing assets for Episode 1 and continuing to work into Episode 2. Less news is good news!
Sound:
One of the components we were thinking hard about was voice over and how we were going to implement it. If possible, doing all the voice once the project is complete (meaning 5 episodes later and we are transitioning from Steam Early Access to Live Release) would have been much more streamlined and substantially cut down on development time between episodes. Another was to have the pieces ‘separate’ meaning that some episodes would release without voice and then be caught up with them as other episodes also come out. This would create a situation where let’s say episode 1 released with no voice, then episode 2 came out, but with that update, episode 1 voice was complete and came out too.
All that said, voice is an integral part of what made KC! unique from other EVNs. We felt that there was just something missing without the emotions voice puts to lines. We’ve made the decision that every episode will include full voice over with their releases as originally planned. We strongly believe development time is far outweighed by the positive player experience voice brings.
We’ve separated our spreadsheet voice over between Raw and Post Processing. Raw is the unedited audio files we get from VA talents. Post Processing is the magic Cylight Studios does to normalize audio levels and put effects as needed. In example, this is what your GEAR AI sounds like before and after (Headphone users, be aware of changing audio levels):
UNEDITED (volume quieter, not normalized)
soundcloud.com/pixelfade/eagle-ai-unedited/s-pdhCe
EDITED (volume normalized, effect added)
soundcloud.com/pixelfade/eagle-ai/s-up0XU
Programming:
There’s major news regarding programming. As you may have noticed, the battle system has been in development update after update for nearly 5+ months. We ran into the issue of feature creep. We took a step back and considered if what was being done was worth the time and effort required for it. Ultimately, we came to the conclusion that it wasn’t due to varying reasons, the main point being VNs are for the story and rarely gameplay. There were even backer requests to have an option to skip gameplay entirely.
The programming team is also responsible for putting the scenes together which is to say directing the artistic flow of the storyline (music fade ins and outs, expression choices, screen effects…etc). We noticed there was a depreciation in quality both from a technical (bugs, variables not triggering) and artistic standpoint for what the Alpha Testers played when compared to the demo build of KC!.
Taking all that into consideration, we decided to shuffle our programming team to better align with project goals.
The PixelFade staff member that performed technical activities on the original KC! will be returning to the programming team in full capacity along with another programmer who brings strong Ren’py experience.
Since Ace Academy was using a heavily modified custom engine of Ren’Py setup by the previous programmer, it had to be scrapped entirely.
In two weeks, they’ve rebuilt the sprite management system with upgrades. We can randomize outfits and hairstyles for characters. You can buy them accessories that characters will wear if you like you enough (think stuff like Yuuna’s hairpin, jewelry like necklaces, bracelets…etc). It doesn’t stop there, if you have a preferential taste, the game can take that into effect. You like long hair and cute outfits? No problem, she might take that into account for your next date. The layering of randomness with player preferences will definitely make playthroughs even more unique and personalized.
They also went back to the drawing board and fully implemented a couple of mini-games in lieu of a combat system while retained some core elements like the ability to customize your GEAR equipment aesthetically (with some gameplay advantages).
And of course, the base framework required for the project was completed in those two weeks. Things like stat tracking, QTE engine, Rollback Function as a choice…etc. There is some feature from the previous system like clickable acronyms in text not implemented though these functions will be vetted for feature creeping and pursued if the opportunity cost is worth it.
This also brings programming partially “in house” again meaning less uncertainty regarding programmer goals. What that means for our backers is more defined timelines with release dates.
On that finishing note, the reason why the original PixelFade programmer did not perform technical work on Ace Academy is because he was handling the business side. Incorporating, taxes, resource procurement, project management…etc. Now that most of those jobs are either completed or only require ad hoc attention, he can focus on programming!
Writing:
Our writers have been progressing along at a great pace with Episode 2 just about finalized. You’ll notice Episode 4+ sequencing is currently blocked. That’s because after Episode 2 is released, we’ll be working with our Director+ backers to have their scenes incorporated into the storyline.
That’s about it for July’s update. All aboard the Hype Train to August 16th, 2015!
Best Regards,
PixelFade Studio Team