Saturday, May 11, 2013

Introducing Navigame

Any Android users out there? a2 is now on Google Play, so please check it out and give it a try! :D


Nellie and I had a lot of fun (i.e. pain) trying to optimize everything for the Android app, and it took more planning than we'd initially anticipated. Repositioning things after changing the resolution, then redesigning the GUI to be more "small screen/fat fingers friendly," were the main issues. Then getting the game below 50 MB was a bit challenging because of all the music files, but everything worked out in the end. It was a good learning experience, and I think the game looks really cute on my phone now. <3

Speaking of me and Nellie, we've finally decided on an "official" name for our collab group thing! We were bouncing back and forth between Team N/A and Variable X + NSEY for a while, which got pretty confusing. But we've decided to call ourselves Navigame from now on.

Why Navigame? Well, it turns out our initials spell out the four cardinal points on a compass (NSEW). And going with the compass theme, "Navigate" is one letter away from "Navigame," and we make games, so here we are. We'll be using this name for full Pirate Mermaid game, the a2 remake, and some secret upcoming projects that we're very excited about, so please look forward to it! :)

Monday, April 1, 2013

Autumn's Journey + AXIOM.01 update

Hey, guys! I've been laying low this past month, so it's about time I gave an update on the things I've been working on.

Thing #1. After completing a2 in one month as an early NaNoRenO project, I got sucked into coding a real NaNo game for the entire month of March. I've been working with Deji (artist), KittyKatStar (writer), Nellie (chibi master + my partner-in-crime) on a fantasy/friendship/fluffy VN called Autumn's Journey, which you can learn more about at our LSF thread.

Our release will be delayed a bit past the beginning of March, but I definitely think it will be worth it! There will be cool bits of voice acting and animations, beautiful CGs, adorable chibi arts, and more. Just look at these sweet screenshots and tell me you don't want to try this game. xD





Thing #2. I've been pretty quiet about my first game, AXIOM.01, but there's actually a good reason for that (i.e., one that doesn't involve me slacking/getting distracted by other games)! The truth is, AXIOM.01 is undergoing a major overhaul, and I think it's about time I revealed my plans...

Friday, March 1, 2013

a2 is complete!

a2 ~ a due~, the one month music "Valentine" game I described in my previous post, is now complete! You can download it from our Lemmasoft thread or from the links below.

Downloads
Windows, Mac, Linux + Music Album

Android
iTunes 



a2 art cg gallery
a2 chibi art
a2 screenshot sona
a2 screenshot hao

We're planning to release a "remastered" version later on, which will retouch the things we weren't able to fully refine in the one-month time frame. So feel free to leave suggestions after you've tried the game!

And now...to finally get some sleep... (collapses into bed)

Thursday, February 14, 2013

a2 ~a due~ (Valentine game to February NaNoRenO)

Hey, guys! Sorry for the lack of updates recently! January was pretty busy, and at the beginning of February, I got a crazy proposal from Nellie and azurextwilight. They wanted to do a complete game in 2 weeks for Valentine's Day.

2 freaking weeks.

Needless to say, I thought they were insane. But I signed on anyway, and it's actually been a lot of fun (and sleep deprivation) so far. We got a bit too ambitious and didn't finish in time for Valentine's Day, so we're extending our self-imposed deadline to the end of February. We're calling it an early NaNoRenO project.

Though the official NaNoRenO event is in March, I think our project is essentially in the same spirit. As in, our challenge will be to create an entire visual novel in one month. We're already two weeks in, so wish us luck!

Okay, now onto the actual project! The name of the game is a2 ~a due~, which comes from a musical direction that indicates two players are to play a part in unison. It's a romantic dramedy (drama + comedy?) focusing on a rather odd couple - a tough-talking Asian-American girl who doesn't know much Chinese + a straitlaced Chinese conductor who doesn't know English.

It's been years since rocker girl Sona Song last talked to her father, a famous classical music conductor. So she's shocked, and a bit annoyed, when he leaves his orchestra to her after he dies. Though Sona just wants to slack off, she's soon visited by Yin Le Hao, her father's musical protégé from China. Hao doesn't speak any English, but he's determined to whip the orchestra into shape no matter what.

Yeah, that is possibly the first otome heroine with a mohawkHopefully that doesn't scare anyone away.  ^^ Sona's cut from a similar cloth as the Pirate Mermaid protagonist, so I think if you liked her, you'll like Sona as well.


We'll be posting updates as the project proceeds at our LSF Work in Progress thread, so check it out if you're interested in learning more!