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[Devlog] Amethyst Hearth

A topic by Drone Garden Studios created Dec 01, 2021 Views: 413 Replies: 22
Viewing posts 1 to 23
Submitted(+2)

I'm not going to start until tomorrow, but I wanted to set up my devlog tonight.  Just so I have a spot to log my daily process!

My name is Sci, I've made quite a few visual novels and assorted games.  I love writing sci-fi stories that revolve around robot dudes.  I've been hankering to write a really sappy romance visual novel, like a Hallmark Christmas special level of sap.  I was playing around with some prompt and title generators, and got a cool title and a properly-sappy Christmas romance prompt.  Mix in a dream that I vividly remember about and my desire to see more lonely-girl-on-burly-robot-man romance stories and wow, I got me a game idea!  But I need an outside force implementing a deadline on me or else I'll never get it made.

My goals for this jam are:

  • Flesh out this story idea to a full-length game (so an hour at minimum, preferably longer; right now, I'm shooting for at least five acts, but we shall see)
  • Build it on RPG Maker VX Ace, since I've had the engine for years and have done nothing with it.  Don't worry, I won't be adding in combat.  I hate working with combat.
  • Create a branching narrative wherein the player character can choose a romance or a friendship with the burly robodude
  • Use some of the DLC packs I bought for RPG Maker VX Ace on a whim
  • Work towards properly marketing the game on Twitter and my blog (posting a page early, creating a trailer early, posting regular updates and links on social media, etc)
  • Work sustainably, a couple of hours in the evening after work (and in-between updating my one visual novel with a price tag and making a walking sim which is probably going to be a disaster but oh well at least it is fun)
  • Release the game at a set price, because I've been doing this dev thing long enough that think I can start trying to sell my games now.  It won't be too expensive.  Yes, I'm aware that actually selling it will be a challenge.  I enjoy challenges.

Anyway, that's my plans.  I'll be posting daily updates here, for whoever may or may not care.  :-)  See you all tomorrow when I start off with all the paperwork (documentation, story writing, etc) and maybe set up the assets I want to use.

Submitted

I wrote up the design document for the game, imported the DLCs I want to use, generated a main character, and made a test map to make sure the stuff I added worked.  I still have no idea what any of these characters will be named (except for the main character, she will be whatever name the players give her).  I still am a bit shaky on how the story will go.  But I've already started putting ideas in motion.

This is about all I can manage today, as work was very rough.  Tomorrow, story outline (I'm shooting for five acts at 30 min each, filled with all sorts of sappy crap and drama...that's what I have a hankering for writing this month, idk...) and maybe designing the first few maps.

Note: Burly robot man will probably not be this sassy in the final product

Submitted

Used today to write up a basic story outline.  There's a few parts where I don't know what's going to happen just yet but still, a general outline is good.

I'm still exhausted from work, I need SLEEP

Submitted

Today I got the house layout done.  It's a weird mixture of homey farmhouse and futuristic apartment, and I'm happy with it.  I really struggled with map layout with the last RPG Maker game I made, so the fact that this house looks this good right off the bat is a good sign.  Also, the laptop in the main character's room acts as a save point of anyone wants to use it.

I also went ahead and whipped up the intro cutscene, which is a dream sequence that 1.) lets the player name the main character, 2.) lays out a bit of her backstory, and 3.)  introduces the first choice (which admittedly doesn't go anywhere, it's just there to let plays know that they WILL have choices in this game).  I'll probably flesh this out a bit more later.  Right now, its very blunt.  I need to stretch it out.

I'll work on this section a bit more tomorrow.  Need to make it so that players can't walk over the furniture.  Maybe add some more flavor text around the room.  Again, I'm trying to make each act at least thirty minutes.  Give people their money's worth.

Also, this is sad, but I really wish I had a bed like the big one irl.  That's a very nice bed.

Submitted

Besides adding a lot more dialogue and setting up the Perfect Tree subplot, I also touched up the house, made the front yard, made the front yard covered in snow, and the inside of the house decorated for Christmas.  Yes, it looks bad, but that's because Onyx (that's the burly robot man) decided to decorate for [you] and he's not very good at it yet.

I need to work with RPG Maker more, its so much fun.  And, unlike some engines, its stress-free!  Except for the stress of knowing I won't ever have a house this nice irl.  I'm very upset.

Tomorrow is my day off, but Monday I will make the farm map.  It will be the first time I work with a map that scrolls, so we will see how that turns out. 

Submitted

I got a LOT done today!   I added a new cutscene that makes for a better lead-in to the dream sequence cutscene, edited the house maps, designed the tree farm map, learned how to have characters randomly wander about, wrote the big Tree Debate that kind of spurred this whole story idea on, AND learned how to both edit existing scripts and add new scripts in order to create a less-cluttered pause menu!  And considering how stressful a weekend I had + how crazy work was today, this amount of work was great.

Tomorrow, I finish up Act One (and if I play my cards right, I'll definitely hit my 30-minute length goal!) and also start adding music.  My normal source for royalty-free music has a bunch of Christmas songs, so I'll probably be using some of those.  Depends on how the various tunes the engine comes with sound.  Then some double-checking for errors and Act One is done!

This game is actually turning out really nice so far.  I feel pretty good about putting a price tag on it.

Submitted (1 edit)

So no pictures this evening, but I worked on the scene that occurs after the big tree argument.  I plan on having the robot follow [you] around for a bit, that seems fun.

Tomorrow I not only finish off Act One for reals, but I will set up the page so that people can add it to their wishlists or whatever.  And so that I have something tangible to link people to when I show off my progress.  xD

I wanted to get more done, but I had a Roblox class to teach this evening and also my nieces are visiting so we gotta go look at Christmas lights and fun stuff like that.  BYYYYE

*EDIT* Okay i take it back, here's a picture of the menu:

Submitted

https://sciaenops.itch.io/amethyst-hearth

I KNOOOOW I said I would work on this, but I worked overtime on my other jam project (which is due very soon so yeah it may be better that I spent so much time on it instead of anything else) and ran out of motivation.  But tomorrow I will finish out Act One and start Act Two!  Definitely!

But I did get the earliest beginnings of a page started.  I'll update it with a trailer and banners and whatever else on my big update day next week.  I guess Wednesdays are my big update days now.

Submitted (2 edits)

So instead of starting Act Two, I decided to finalize Act One, and release it as a demo.  This demo is available NOW!  And it will continue to be available after the game is released.

I don't think I've done this before (I mean, I had an Early Access demo for another project once, but the game changed drastically between the demo and the release and they had their own pages so I don't know if that's the same situation).  This is kind of a big nervewracking thing for me so hopefully this doesn't backfire horribly.  xD

Anyway, here is the demo release notes, have a great Game Awards night!

*EDIT* Let it be known that I rocketed awake at 4:30am in horror because I realized I had somehow uploaded the wrong file for the Amethyst Hearth demo. It is now fixed, enjoy! https://sciaenops.itch.io/amethyst-hearth

Submitted

Today's update is an out-of-context outburst.  :-)

Started work on Act Two, which involved a lot of map copying and/or designing.  Then I ended up writing the scenes out of order, I wanted to write a scene where [you] have coffee with your old family friends but ended up writing the scene after that where you meet up with  Onyx and his awful owner.  That was fun.  But tomorrow, I gotta write that coffee scene.  I also want to write their date trip.  Originally, players were going to pick from three different locales.  But i decided to just make it a big shopping trip instead ([you] are shopping for decorations, Onyx is picking up books from the bookstore for his owner).  That's all I got, hopefully it will come to me tomorrow.

Right now, I have a Python class to teach and then a Christmas concert to go to right afterwards.

Remember that Amethyst Hearth has a demo that you can play like right now!

Submitted

Worked some more on Act 2.  I'm running into a bug where its not transferring the character to the right map, but it might resolve itself if I start a new playtest save.  I don't feel like playtesting from the beginning tonight, though, so oh well I will check up on that glitch on Monday.  But all I need to do for Act 2 is the shopping trip that [you] and Onyx go on together, which should be plenty cute.

I also made a gif to put on the game's main page to spruce it up a bit.  I have never edited a gif like this before, so it looks horrible.  I may refine it later on in the week, but right now its fancy enough. 

Submitted


I will fully admit: I am behind schedule.  I was supposed to finish Act 2 today.  I did not.  Almost did, but not quite (literally just have to finish up one store, and then there's a cutscene that takes place on the side of the road where Onyx admits he doesn't want [you] to meet his abusive owner and then he asks you to the Festival of Lights, and this really wasn't supposed to be so sad but I guess it fits, and then I have to make sure the music is as I want it to be).  But what I do have is pretty fun (except for the aforementioned sad parts).  I added a scene where Onyx meets a Santa actor and freaks out.  I did not PLAN on this scene, it just kind of happened.  But it's maybe my favorite Onyx shenanigans so far.

Tomorrow, I absolutely MUST finish act two and start on act three.  If I'm aiming to release this on Christmas Eve (because its a sappy Christmas romance, I have no choice but to release it on Christmas Eve), then I have to put my pedal to the metal and do it.   Even though I still have work to do...and tomorrow I actually have two jobs to work...I gotta do it!

Submitted

Another out-of-context Onyx quote, but its one that I mentioned yesterday because pretty much everything I wrote today was really sad.  Basically, I went full-speed ahead and confirmed that Onyx's owner abuses him.  He doesn't go into detail, but its still heavy.  It was drawing on some of my own experiences dealing with a loved one getting abused.  It also probably didn't help that work was extremely tough and emotionally exhausting today.  I'm in a weird spot today, basically.

But I did also get some overtly-romantic stuff in there (if you so choose to do romantic stuff; there's still friendship options!).  Head-bumps with faceless robots FTW!  I was concerned though because I realized that there's 

Tomorrow I start Act 3.  All I know right now is that they are going to a festival, playing midway games, and then it snows.   Hopefully I will figure out the rest once I start writing.  Also, I post my big weekly update on the game's page tomorrow.

(Also big thanks to everyone who has downloaded the demo so far!)

Submitted

Okay, I just gotta rearrange my whole schedule.  I am too drained from college-transfer-related stress/drama to deal with anything else today.  Also, I forgot that I had an event tonight to go to.  Lol.

BUT...I did finish the first two acts (except for music/sound details) and spruced up the page a bit and kept writing one of my other robot character's names instead of Onyx's and got my big weekly devlog posted essentially did get a lot done.  Just not as much as I'd hoped.  I think I can afford an extra break and still release by my due date.

Leave me alone i tired.  :-(

Submitted

I got most of Act 3 done.  The biggest issue was getting the Festival of Lights set up.  I wasn't happy with any of the tilesets I had, so I added a couple more DLCs to the project.  It's still really bizarre, but I'll just have to write around it.  Anyway, getting the map set up was the hardest part today.

I also wrote a scene where they play an arcade game (which is also me poking fun at one of my other games).  And a scene where they drink coffee.  Onyx gets a free mug of oil just for being a robot, that's how he can share a drink with [you].  Tomorrow, I finally add snow to the project!  I've had the snowy maps made since the beginning of this project, so I'll finally get to use them,  As for any snow-falling animations, I have no idea how to do that but I will figure it out!

Submitted

THERE I FINALLY FINISHED ACT THREE

This map was mostly just an excuse to fit that awesome tree sprite from the DS+ pack in.  This is where [you] and Onyx have your big, tender moment (although just HOW tender and what kind of tenderness, that's up to you).  Then it starts snowing (which I learned that RPG Maker does all that for you, too, without additional scripting or coding, and why did I put off making games with this engine for so long).  Then there's a big conflict that sets up the climax.

I also wrote out the ending because I got hit with inspiration on how to tie up some of the other loose ends, but I'm not spoiling that.  ;-)

Tomorrow I start act four, which is going to start with [you] repairing Onyx's arm after his owner beat him so hard that she knocked his arm off.  Surely, this will not be too melodramatic.

Submitted (1 edit)

So um....I'm not going to be working on the game today.  It's the last Scratch class I teach before I leave this company I'm working for (and I'll fully admit, this has been my favorite coding class to teach, so I'll probably cry a bit afterwards), then I am volunteering at the aquarium, then I will fully admit my selfish desires but its Unification Day in No Mans Sky and I want to participate so that I can get over my crippling phobia of talking to people in virtual spaces.

BUT...because I'm resting from it today, I'll do what I was planning on doing tomorrow.  Which is no longer starting act 4, but its playtesting/editing acts 1-3 and finally making the trailer.  Yes, Sundays are my napping days, but I haven't been napping  too long lately and I've been bored out of my skull post-nap so this will be fine.

Anyway, see you tomorrow.

Okay, so uhhhh the in-game event kept crashing for me so I went ahead and did some playtesting but i have to start from the beginning yet again because of a goof so i'll still be playtesting and making a trailer tomorrow BUT...in the meantime, here's a hidden conversation that i actually forgot i'd added in but i like it a lot


Submitted

So here's the trailer.  The next four days will be a mixture of writing and playtesting.  The game so far is about an hour long (assuming players are not exploring or searching for hidden conversations), so while I don't think I will quite be meeting my two-and-a-half hour goal...I'll be coming pretty darn close!  

btw if you're looking for a new Christmas movie to watch, check out Beyond Tomorrow, its a movie from the 40s that is the exact balance of weird and sappy that I was drawing upon for this game.  Which is a happy coincidence, I'd never heard of the movie before we watched it on a whim and it just was exactly the tone I'd been searching for.

Submitted


The title makes sense now!

Originally, Onyx was just going to come over to hang out, set up Christmas decor, and play not-Pokemon cards.  But with how I wrapped up Act 3, I decided it would be more fitting to have him come over with his arm removed, him almost passing out from oil loss, and [you] fixing him...before going to wash up and change, during which he sets up the decor because he was bored.  YAY!

Tomorrow, is THE big scene where players lock in to either a romance or a friendship with Onyx.  If I were mean, I'd have an option where you reject him and that ends the game right there.  But meh, its a sappy Christmas special, only happy and uplifting choices allowed.  If players want to choose neither romance nor friendship, then they shouldn't have kept playing.  I'm not saying that in an uppity way, I'm saying that in a "gamer-who-has-quit-games-when-she-realized-she-didn't-want-to-be-forced-into-romance-or-friendship-with-any-of-the-characters-so-i-get-that-feeling" way.

Submitted


Not only did I get Act 4 finished off and wrote the big touchy-feely-uwu parts but I started on Act 5 as well!  Went from being way behind schedule to getting ahead of it.  If I focus and divide up my dev schedule, I could maybe even finish the game tomorrow!  Don't hold me to that, though.  I also still would have playtesting and stuff to do.  

Two things, though: I am not hitting that original goal length.  But frankly, I'm fine with that.  The story is as long as it needs to be.  And it's still going to be probably over an hour (and feels even longer, idk why).  I'd rather have a short game that's to-the-point than a long game with a lot of padding.  The other thing is...I'm not going to have enough time to playtest/edit nearly as much as I want to.  So it seems that I will have some post-release stuff to do, namely spelling error correction.  Spelling errors bug me.

Submitted

Just as the picture says, the writing for Amethyst Hearth is DEE-OH-EN-EE!  DONE!  All I need to do tomorrow is add the appropriate music stings, then I have both tomorrow and Christmas Eve morning to get it playtested and edited.  But most importantly, IT IS ACTUALLY DONE.  Which is especially great, considering I had a splitting headache and had to take a nap for a good chunk of the day.

The text is totally not covering up ending spoilers.  Nope.  Nuh-uh.  :-)

Submitted


Here's some general screenshots to represent playtesting sessions!

I was starting from the beginning and going to the end, editing along the way.  But now, RPG Maker VX Ace has decided not to bother updating my playtest file to reflect my changes and I don't know what I am doing wrong.  So I'm taking a  break, will try playtesting again later in the evening with a new save file to see if that's what was causing the trouble (and if not, well I'll figure something out).  Then one more playtesting session tomorrow morning, and I will export it and upload it and all that!

Submitted

Amethyst Hearth is officially available!  And it's available at 20% off until January 3rd!

It's been fun, glad its done.