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[starrystarrygames]

Game Dev Log #2

Hi, Qi here, writing a dev log in my turn for the first time. If you find something odd, it’s a little bit of joke. 

Eh what? This is only the second one and it’s been over a year since last update?

Hmm, sorry about the delay. And long time no post on Weibo and Twitter either… Not a procrastinator! We are just getting things more ready for a showcase, whatever… Well, forget it!

Anyway, let’s get back with a passion for the log.

Now let’s talk about our latest internal demo. pause Yes, we made it here with all this hard work, a complete demo version! It’s internal, not for players yet… Disappointed? No worries, a public demo will be right after that.

Thanks for Waiting: A Guidebook of Babel

ahem Thanks for the demo, this is our first step on Babel. We plan to reach the deck before the Monsoon. By the way, please do not try to get aboard by yourself! The only choice you can make is flying puffer. Pardon? What is a flying puffer? Well, please check it out in our previous posts! Found nothing? Oh… Sorry. I’ll add a reminder. Thanks.

The Monsoon

We have designed a episode here to test on gameplay and playability. The episode features Mr Javet, the coach of the Swimmers, and Mr Tomas, the mysterious guy. Welcome. And, in addition, Mr Breath. Come, Mr Breath, up to the stage. Don’t be shy, come.

Qi: Mr Tomas, introduce yourself and your story in the act.

Tomas: Oh, my pleasure. I must keep my secret identity for now, hehe… I came to the deck seeking the parts, which is, hehehe… Phew. That was close. No more spoilers since Mr Javet is here.

Tomas on a Secret Mission

Qi: Al-alright… So, Mr Javet, it’s your turn.

Javet: The Swimmers received a search order for an incident on the deck. And then, huh, as I expected. When you smell something fishy, humph.

Qi: It’s usually THE Tomas?

Javet: Exactly. It was him. Dammit…

Unexpected on the Deck 

Qi: Okay. Thank you all, And good luck to Mr Javet. Next, Mr Breath? What the heck. Has anyone seen Mr Breath?

Er… Thanks. In brief, we will witness a hide-and-seek game of Mr. Javet and Mr. Tomas in the demo. You can play the part of Tomas and try to escape from the Swimmers. While our unfortunate Mr Breath, another protagonist in the whole story, has always been involved in many incidents. No exception this time.

“Mr Key” — Breath

I said we built the demo for gameplay test, right? So you think your hundred-hour experience from adventure game puzzles would probably help? However, we are glad to remind you of the “Mission Failed” popup.

Confused? Hey, remember the hint from our narrator, Mr Antoine. Note the clues! Every clue exists for some reason. Imagine how to manipulate the story, which is the important thing. Yes, the key that underlies these stages — Butterfly Effect! Make use of it, and their fate is right on your fingertips!

Clues and Events Recorded in the Guidebook

That’s it. Refresh your mind and take it as an all-new experience instead of a cliché!

On our side, this demo truly means a form of our gameplay, scenario, art style and game framework. It is our base standard for further development, rather than just a 20-minute prototype demo. All the time we spent proved to be worthy…

Well, we did experience a frustration in the last year. Forget about it. The previous demo was so messy that we spent four months to get it right!… Uh? Didn’t I mention the previous version? Really?… Jeez, screwed up… I didn’t mean to make a disillusion.

Finally, a Simple Makeup

Well… It’s impossible to stay out of any trouble. Fortunately we have settled the matter. Thanks for the critical advice from our friends. Thanks a lot, really.

One more thing. Based on our story structure, a more detailed and refined scenario is in progress. You want some leaks? Hey, I’m not a spoiler, and I’m good at keeping secret! In a few words? Okay, a few words… The full story would be tightly packed… Does it make any sense? Forgive me.

Challenges and difficulties, umm… Funds, and… Crew member, probably. Of course, we do like new teammates! But funds also matter. We are welcoming! Or maybe crowdfunding… ahem Necessary for advertising. Good luck to me. Frankly, we don’t want to take too long time, but most of all, quality is the point. Don’t worry.

Focus on Development! Or an Irritated Little Will!

That’s all. Writing a dev log like this is unexpectedly relaxing for me, surprised. Oh, don’t forget my own profession! It was like I had almost switched to a full-time blogger!

So much for today. Thanks for reading. We would be appreciated if you like it. I’ll put aside my keyboard and grab my pen tablet. May inspiration flash on Babel! Have a nice day!

[starrystarrygames]

Game Dev Log #1

I.    The Origin — How did we start?

I am Evelyn, the thumping dreaming couponing hotpot-loving chattering Witch. Let’s get straight into the topic. Our project originated from a story that Qi shared with Rick and me:

Qi and his wife went to the aquarium with their daughter, little Qii. Naughty Qii picked up a white seahorse doll and began running in the souvenir shop. While Qi was chasing after her, a foreign couple stopped him and intended to pay for the doll because they recalled their daughter who had passed away…

Perhaps the couple was fortunate to encounter the one they missed so much. What could we have done if we had been together for a moment? A lot of thoughts came to mind, and we decided to get started with a game. Soon after that, a trio came together in an shared office space so active that even a noise-canceling headphone would be beyond hope.

Another World    

Ⅱ.    Project Overview — What do we want?

Qi has always been thinking about how to describe what the game is like without being too spoilerific. It’s a piece of cake for me. A Guidebook of Babel is composed of multiple related storylines. “So where is Babel?” you might ask. It’s like a ship. The name may be confusing though. Seriously? Absolutely. It’s a giant airship floating above the clouds, invisible to anyone on the ground. The crew on Babel keeps an eye on death, and they will take his or her soul on board when someone dies. Memories attached to souls are utilized as the main fuel source for Babel in return… 

In any case, you play the role as differentleading characters in various stories and explore the bizarre world. Any choice you make might have an influence on the fate of other characters. Find out butterfly-effect relevance among sections and complete the stages!

 A Guidebook of Babel 

Ⅲ.    Project Progress — What have we done?

It has been 3 months since the project was launched in November, 2017. And here is what we have done:

1.  We are working on a bizarre fantasy world and an original multi-character narrative script. Qi was inspired by a travel guidebook and came up with a proper way of illustrating the plot.

Antoine seems to be a lover of notes

2.  A core gameplay concept named “disordered puzzles”.

_Disordered Puzzles _  

3.  Basic art design in progress with a romantic style.

Wonders of Babel

4.  Technical architecture for editing and expressing the plot. And some simple experimental shader work by Rick where it comes to distortion effect etc.

Ⅳ.    To Be Continued… — What’s next?

Objective: select a section from the plot and build a game demo, which is expected to be done by the end of April, 2018.

The second thing is about our working site. We are going to leave the current shared space and settle down in a quiet and peaceful place such as a single room, caring for some succulents, and basking in the sun for rest on the balcony.