Like a phoenix, I rise from the ashes.......... of lazy depression and working a day job. Wooooo. Bad news first: While I promised to finish Ventio Mortis before the end of the year, I am ashamed to admit that it's been a struggle. I completely intend to finish it and get it out there one of these days, but for now, we can all just assume it's reached the "development hell" stage. From this point on, there will be no more empty promises or release dates/quarters. If there are updates, I will be sure to post them asap. Until then, I simply apologize, and hope to at least one day finish it and release it to the world. That being said! I'm happy to announce that I am back to work on Sector Chimera, and progress is going quite well. I've begun chiseling out the first world's side quests, finalizing the main quest content, and have implemented a new "battle system" akin to simon says. The "combat" might change in the future, but for now it's safe to assume this will be it's final form. I've also started to finish all the background art for the "N" zone, which I'm already tired of, but it'll be so sweet when it's done.......... Finally having the first chapter of the game ironed out is exciting. It's a moment I never thought would come. I was afraid I'd be constantly trying to rewrite things, redraw things, but now I've finally managed to reach a level of comfort in my work, and confidence in my abilities, to actually know when enough editing is enough.
I know I've been m.i.a. lately, and it's been hard for me, as well. I've been trying to decide if I should put this 'game dev' stuff behind me and focus on my sales career, and I've since decided that this is what I love. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life. Period. Even if it's never going to be a paying career, this is what drives me to wake up in the morning. I missed having the sense of accomplishment that one gets from creating content and art. I hope it shows through, and I hope, truly, to finish something that I will be proud to share with all of you. That being said, I of course still have to focus on my job, regardless, but I promise myself that I will continue working toward my singular goal -- the goal that has always driven me -- making a goddamn game. Thank you all for bearing with me. This has been an interesting journey in my 6~ years of development, and this last 2 years has been the hardest by far with reality crashing down around me at every turn. Conversely, this has been two of the most rewarding years, as well. Since I've posted my content online, I've been surprised to see that people are genuinely interested in my art, my characters, my visions. So, I won't give up. I can't give up, because I made the mistake of posting my work online, and now people expect results! And I thank each and every one of you who comments on my itch.io, tumblr, facebook, ect., because without your support, I would have given up for good.
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I apologize to anyone who expected regular updates. I decided on a different approach for sharing progress on my games considering how hard a time I have being consistent. I'm going to wait until my projects are in their late stages of completion before I share progression updates and previews. This is being done in part to keep me focused on the game and not worried about external responsibilities so I can guarantee a polished and finished product, as well as stay focused on the tasks I've mapped out for myself. That being said, I will still try to share some things here and there, but they will not be nearly as consistent as they have been in the past.
The other reason I've chosen this new approach is because of the pressure to completing things in a timely fashion while also posting every other day. If I find someone to help me run this blog, there will be updates galorem but for now we have to sit in this solemn medium. As for Ventio Mortis: It is slightly on the backburner for now. I am focusing on Monster Party, but will switch back and forth between it and Ventio Mortis. The unfortunate facts are these: I want Ventio Mortis to be the best finished product it can be, and I don't feel I can do that without extra cash to pay for some background CGs. That being said, if it comes down to it at the end of the day, I will release it with whatever assets are on hand, but for now I intend to wait until I can afford, comfortably, to have this game look the way I want it to. I may also go back and rewrite everything, rescript some routes for my own sake and sanity, and rework some menus/ideas. Thank you for being patient with me, and remember you can download the demo from itch.io. (The demo also might have some bugs in it at this moment. Should you encounter any, please send me an email from the contact form.) tl;dr: To anyone who's worried, I am still working on Ventio Mortis, along side my new project, Monster Party. However, my focus has shifted to Monster Party for the time being. Ventio Mortis is still being worked on. And as a gift for making everyone sit in the dark for so long, here's a preview of the character creator for Monster Party. Hello all! I suppose there's no way else to start this post than to address the fact that I've been missing for a few months. Why, you ask (or don't)? Well, I've been working on a side project of mine for a few months now and wasn't sure if I was ready to share it with anyone who wasn't a personal facebook friend. But the time has come, now that there's enough so show and feel confident about, to finally reveal it to the world. What is it? Monster Party is a mystery dating game (seems to be my field of interest, huh?). You are a high school monster just trying to make it in the world -- and if that isn't bad enough, your datefriend seems to have gone missing without a trace. Where have they gone? And more importantly, who knows something about it? You're determined to get to the bottom of it, even if that means shaking down your own bullies, breaking school rules, and cavorting with unsavory folk after classes. As per standard with Jingleriot Games, customization has been a huge part of the project. It will feature character customization (with the ability to modify parts to create your perfect monster). Of course, choosing your own name, and even name your missing SO. Other features are currently up in the air (such as going so far as to let you customize your SO's appearance as well), but might not make it to the final product based on time and energy. *Disclaimer: The following previews are not final, and are used to showcase the features within the game. Everything is subject to change. The Suspects . . . Wait, I meant characters.
Want to get involved?If you're interested in joining the team (of... me. And sometimes my co-writer, Inujuju), let me know! I've got most character assets and UI complete, but programming help is still always appreciated. For the most part I need people who make backgrounds and music, and potentially voice acting, but the game will do fine without all of it. Still, if you're a masochist who likes working for free, shoot me a message.
If you'd still like to get involved but don't have any of the skills described above, fret not! I'm still looking for suggestions on character creation parts to include in the game (hairstyles, clothing styles, ect). Don't be afraid to send messages or send anonymous questions to our tumblr, here. First things first: sorry for inconsistent updates. Not that I'm the queen of consistency, but I'm generally uploading more often and I haven't been. I, number one, got a new job. Number two: I've had a pretty intense case of seasonal depression sweep over me this month. However, I have been working on the games in between long "staring at the wall in despair" sessions. Venio + The Kickstarter: So, if you've been following us from the start, you know we launched a kickstarter for Ventio Mortis. I realize now where I went wrong, and am unsurprised that it wasn't funded. I know I need to have a following, and more importantly, a plan next time. On the other hand, I got to see how to take those steps, made connections, garnered interest and random support. It really made me excited to know that even though this kickstarter never could have taken off, it still managed to gain quite a bit of support and attention despite the lack of followers or connections! It made me feel good, even if the kickstarter fail felt a little bad, so to speak. In the future, we will try to run the kickstarter again. When our advertising has gotten better, our following has gotten larger, and our posts can be more consistent, and the game comes closer to being finished, as well. Thank you to everyone who helped and spread the word to their friends! It meant the world to me. Another update for Ventio Mortis -- the artist, drawkill, finished the final sprite and so from here on out it'll just be scripting the game left. It's very exciting, and be sure to catch a glimpse of the detective's sprite in the next coming days. Chimera + New Direction?: I've been toiling away more recently, however, on Sector Chimera. I've been working on making maps, scripting quests, fleshing out scripts, and most importantly... deciding what artistic direction to take the game. I want to make this game a 3D game along the lines of persona 3+, but I have no skill in 3D modelling. I'm not expecting to become a skilled 3D artist in the next week or month or year, or ever, really, but if I can't find a way to get help with the modelling on the low, or find a way to make decent money, haaa... I'm going to be practicing 3D modelling. Hopefully one day chimera can be the game I always imagined, but for now it's likely going to stick to the 2D sprite design it currently has. Which, isn't bad. Just not what I always wanted. Anyway, here's some visual updates from Chimera! To balance the "grime" and "misery" of Chimera, the first world in Limbo is a bright magical fairy tale land. Another noticeable difference is that these are actual maps, and not just pixel scenes. Another thing we wanted from Limbo was that you could battle enemies, traverse a map, complete quests, meet weird inhabitants... And of course, have that authentic RPG feeling. You will be able to roam around with the real world companions you make, and maybe even help them on their own personal quests along the way. Limbo looks pretty, but don't forget how deadly it can be!
The very long, tedious, and mostly boring process of adding all the portraits to the game is underway, and should be done within the week for Ventio Mortis. What does this mean for all of you? It means a playable demo of the first chapter is on its way now that I received the final character portrait needed to release the demo!! Once all the portraits and animations are in place, I'll be sending the game out to testers to fix bugs, and then be releasing the demo into the world in a week to two weeks time. In the meantime, if anyone would like to play test the demo before release to help find bugs, please fill out the form below and you will hear back from me with information on how to be a part of the playtest! If you're just excited to play the demo, hang on tight. It'll be released after the portraits are finished being put in place, and the bugs are finished being stomped out as best they can be. Here's a little preview of the boring work being done in the background. If Ventio Mortis isn't your cup of tea, then hold on tightly because Sector Chimera is moving along just as well! I'm trying to get all the sprite work done before working on the game itself, but I did manage to begin working on the arcade, finished some portraits, and made a new sprite for the character Kit. Unfortunately, a great deal of the content I finished cannot be seen yet, since it's very spoiler-y for the end game, so here's what I can show! Some finished character sprites, most you've already seen. The Arcade, nearly finished. And the first boss world, original art credited to edermunizz
I'm extremely exhausted from long work days and long "work" nights, but I am so so excited to show off some more progress (at least art wise) for Sector Chimera! Since I'm making all the art for this myself, it's a lot easier to tell everyone that a demo will likely be released within the next month (unless anymore surgery, moving, or work hours come into play...), so keep an eye out for that! Now onto the pretty pretty previews~. First up is a look at one of the stores you can visit in the city! This is Second Image (name may be changed at a later date, but for now that's what we're sticking with). It'll serve as the "armor" clothing store for the most part, with the ability to buy companion gifts here later on. Aaaand here are the first world's enemy sprites! These were a lot of fun to draw, and I really can't wait to work on more later on. These guys are a little too specialized looking to feel right having them as basic monsters, but that's just how it'll be for now, so expect troops of these lil guys. If you're wondering what's going on with them, I'll explain a bit! Kere are the enemies in Limbo. They were once other dreamers who killed and hurt others too much and mutated into monsters. The more they consume other dreamers, the more disfigured they become, so if one looks more humanoid, that's why. Their eyes glow, their teeth are sharp and big and curved into smiles, and they turn into shades with gross tendrils. These ones have flowers simply because their domain is known for being beautiful, and so despite their dis-figuration, they're a little more pretty than the rest. The purple glow is also a result of the domain they became corrupt in, so the first world's creatures are all purple. And now it's time for me to sleep and wake up early tomorrow to go to my day job. I hope you guys are as happy with these graphics so far as I am, but if not let me know in the comments below. And let me know if you are! And most importantly, remember not to get lost in your dreams.
First and foremost, many many apologies for not posting anything recently! I was writing a post yesterday when in an attempt to clear some tabs, I closed the blog update page and sat in my chair defeated for a moment. But here I am again, prepared to write a new post! This post will have updates from all three games, and I am very excited to share all these updates with you~! Up first, we have Sector Chimera. All new art, including a redone MC's bedroom. In these screen shots is the new room, a first peak at the "forum" system you can use to see how the others in the city interact (which you will be able to respond to on occasion if you decide to.), an updated HoloCall system (the holocall device will be "turned off" when you have no available calls, and will be on and animated when you do.), and all new character face sprites! So far, only Quinn has a new face sprite, but everyone will be following shortly. I've also drawn up the inside of the restaurant, but that will only be available for preview on the patreon page.
Up next is Betterflies with updates on the script and UI. I've begun writing and programming the very first solo branches for the romances. I've already finished Reza, Vincent, and Magdalena's, although I may make some tweaks to Vincent's route to add more dialog between him and the MC. I've also decided to add in a daily planner feature, because I think it would best fit the game to include it. Your character will be able to decide between doing art, exercise, group therapy, and staying in her room, with other slight variations as time goes on if the story demands it. And the last update is a stats menu! I'm still iffy on if I want to include it at all, and it's very much in a rough draft stage, but if I decide to keep it, it will be keeping track of the MC's personality, romantic and friendship stats with each character, and the basic ability check stats. What these stats are, what they're named, and how many there will be is still undecided, but the preview is as accurate as it can get for now. Last but not least, Ventio Mortis! I've made many strides through the opening chapter (which is longer than I realized when I had playtesters take a stab at it), and I am proud to say that the first chapter is finally completed! I will begin writing the second chapter when my editor goes over the script and updates it, but for now I don't want to overwhelm her with too much writing. I've also received the finished portrait for Robbie, which means only Drisdon and the Detective are left and we are that much closer to the release of the Ventio Mortis demo!! If you'd like to get a peak at Robbie and a little bit more information on the hot-head, it's available on patreon. In the mean time, here is a preview of Inan and Hollowelle talking. Sidenote: I do intend to change his sizing, but for now scripting the little things remains my first priority for the game since editing his portraits will only take about 10 minutes. Link To PatreonI've gone back to work on Betterflies some more. It's a fairly easy project to handle, so it's nice to be able to work on something more laid-back in production. I've finished reworking all the backgrounds. I want to keep the nice pastel/pick aesthetic throughout the entire game, so I just added a really pretty set of filters over the premade backgrounds in use, and another set of filters over the characters themselves that gives it a really nice look. I am also using a place-holder textbox while I make a new one, and it's actually very cute! It's a little too dark for my taste, but the design is cute and will definitely be inspiration for the new one to come.
I would also like to add some sort of daily planner/personality stats/love meter/mental health status bar to the game, but I still haven't decided how exactly I would like to implement that. I'm not sure if I want to keep it as a plain ol' visual novel, or step it up to actual dating sim. I am leaning toward the latter as it stands. In the mean time, progress is being made pretty smoothly so far, and I am excited to continue working on it! I would like to open this post by asking for money! yes! The most detested part of development. Here's the breakdown. I've just gotten out of the hospital (and have therefore missed a week of work), I'm moving into a new apartment (where my rent will be much higher than now and therefore my money dedicated to my projects will now be dedicated to, well, living.), and I'm looking into getting a new job. It's starting to get hard to afford to pay my artists, and so progression of each of these games will inevitably come to a halt at this rate. To donate, you can support my patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jingleriotgaming Now that that's out of the way: I've begun reworking the Betterflies script. When I first made the original script, it was mostly just me messing around with an idea, but it's finally be refined. I want to make Betterflies more dating sim-esque than simply a visual novel, and that will take some time, but in the meantime here's a look at the character introduction scene! Here is where you first meet Reza, Anto, Vincent, and Magda. I am excited to work more on this game as soon as my artist finishes everyone's sprites! And in other news: I've begun working on Ventio Mortis again! After finally organizing the script well enough to figure out where I left off, I've started scripting the next sequence of events. I can't give away too much just yet, since the part I'm writing now is a bit spoilery, but I will be looking for some Beta testers soon, since my script is now taking on many, many story branches and I will need testers to thoroughly test those branches and make sure any random glitches or broken dialog trees exist. Please leave a comment with your e-mail, or simply go to the contact page and e-mail me directly with the subject "Ventio Beta Testing" if you are interested!
For now, here's a preview of a scene featuring Inan, one of the love interests available to Hollowelle. Inan, Hollowelle, Dharma, and Napoleon's sprites are all done, with Robbie on the way, and Drisdon and the detective still waiting to be finished. We're almost done with the graphical aspect of Ventio Mortis and on to story/scripting being the only thing left. How exciting! A playable demo for Ventio Mortis will be released as soon as I have all the character sprites. |