After 2 and a half years of hard work, our team of 3 has finally released A Quiver of Crows! http://store.steampowered.com/app/347280 We're super excited and super duper nervous. We really hope you like this game. Thanks to all of you who supported us throughout development! Alice, Chad, & Danny

[ 2016-10-19 16:26:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

After 2 and a half years of hard work, our team of 3 has finally released A Quiver of Crows! http://store.steampowered.com/app/347280 We're super excited and super duper nervous. We really hope you like this game. Thanks to all of you who supported us throughout development! Alice, Chad, & Danny

[ 2016-10-19 16:26:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi All! October 19th! Our twin-stick shmup A Quiver of Crows is launching October 19th! Here's what we've been up to as we prepare for the game's launch:

October 19th!!!

Have we mentioned the game launches October 19th? Go wishlist it now!

Featuring a Song by Laura Shigihara

Laura Shigihara is best known as the lead composer and sound designer for Plants vs Zombies, as the composer/lyricist/singer for To The Moon’s “Everything’s Alright”, and as the voice for the Singing Sunflower pet in World of Warcraft. We love Laura's music and we're super happy she contributed a song to our game! It's called "Better Days" - check out the music video below! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-72HWsAygDI

Behind the Scenes - Programming

For you programmers (or aspiring ones) out there, here's a run down of the development environment we've used and modified to create A Quiver of Crows: Developing a 2D Game for Windows, Mac, & Linux with Cocos2d-x. In the post, lead developer Chad highlights the languages and frameworks we use as well as the modifications we have made to overcome certain implementation challenges.

Prepping and Testing

The past month has mostly comprised of testing and prepping for launch. With all this testing, we're getting really good at the game! Which is good because we've also had to test the leaderboards a bunch too!

Launching October 19th!

That’s it for this progress update. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at crows@sheado.net or start a discussion in our Steam community hub. And don’t forget to wishlist the game on Steam and follow us on Twitter @AQuiverOfCrows for more frequent updates! http://store.steampowered.com/app/347280

[ 2016-10-14 20:17:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi All! October 19th! Our twin-stick shmup A Quiver of Crows is launching October 19th! Here's what we've been up to as we prepare for the game's launch:

October 19th!!!

Have we mentioned the game launches October 19th? Go wishlist it now!

Featuring a Song by Laura Shigihara

Laura Shigihara is best known as the lead composer and sound designer for Plants vs Zombies, as the composer/lyricist/singer for To The Moons Everythings Alright, and as the voice for the Singing Sunflower pet in World of Warcraft. We love Laura's music and we're super happy she contributed a song to our game! It's called "Better Days" - check out the music video below! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-72HWsAygDI

Behind the Scenes - Programming

For you programmers (or aspiring ones) out there, here's a run down of the development environment we've used and modified to create A Quiver of Crows: Developing a 2D Game for Windows, Mac, & Linux with Cocos2d-x. In the post, lead developer Chad highlights the languages and frameworks we use as well as the modifications we have made to overcome certain implementation challenges.

Prepping and Testing

The past month has mostly comprised of testing and prepping for launch. With all this testing, we're getting really good at the game! Which is good because we've also had to test the leaderboards a bunch too!

Launching October 19th!

Thats it for this progress update. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at crows@sheado.net or start a discussion in our Steam community hub. And dont forget to wishlist the game on Steam and follow us on Twitter @AQuiverOfCrows for more frequent updates! http://store.steampowered.com/app/347280

[ 2016-10-14 20:17:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Save the date! October 19th! After two and half years of hard work our small team of 3 is nearly done developing our twin-stick shmup: A Quiver of Crows!
The game will be launching for Windows, Mac, & Linux on Steam. It will be priced at $14.99 / 14,99€ / ¥1,480 and there will be a 10% discount during the first week of launch. So make sure to wishlist now and get the game during launch week!

Stay Tuned!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at crows@sheado.net or start a discussion in our community hub. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @AQuiverOfCrows for more frequent updates!

[ 2016-09-20 19:24:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

Save the date! October 19th! After two and half years of hard work our small team of 3 is nearly done developing our twin-stick shmup: A Quiver of Crows!
The game will be launching for Windows, Mac, & Linux on Steam. It will be priced at $14.99 / 14,99 / 1,480 and there will be a 10% discount during the first week of launch. So make sure to wishlist now and get the game during launch week!

Stay Tuned!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at crows@sheado.net or start a discussion in our community hub. And dont forget to follow us on Twitter @AQuiverOfCrows for more frequent updates!

[ 2016-09-20 19:24:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi Peoples! We're getting close to completing development on our twin-stick shmup A Quiver of Crows! Here's a status update:

Music

Alice has been working hard writing more music (while also polishing up some level designs). Here's the latest track she's created. Listen to it! It's awesome! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1dzh7uujZE

Bugs & Beta

The game is now entering its final beta. The team has been chipping away at testing while also fixing bugs and design issues as they arise. We're not doing a let's play video this month so that we can focus on these final tasks.

Animation vlog

Danny's been uploading some short animation behind the scenes videos. In each video Danny shows an animated asset and explains which Spine (animation tool) features he used for creating some of the effects. We added a bunch of these videos to our Game Development playlist on YouTube - check them out if you're interested in animation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGqZrp8ol1g&index=10&list=PLtN-gbT-0zFIf7J4Q_MGlOt3FACDS7BD2

T-Shirt

We designed a t-shirt! Actually, we wore these during MomoCon while we were exhibiting the game a few months ago. Buy one and represent your corvid spirit!

Press Previews

If you’re part of the press and would like to preview the game, please email us at crows@sheado.net.

Stay Tuned!

That’s it for this progress update. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at crows@sheado.net or start a discussion in our community hub. And don’t forget to wishlist the game and follow us on Twitter @AQuiverOfCrows for more frequent updates!

[ 2016-08-24 01:29:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi Peoples! We're getting close to completing development on our twin-stick shmup A Quiver of Crows! Here's a status update:

Music

Alice has been working hard writing more music (while also polishing up some level designs). Here's the latest track she's created. Listen to it! It's awesome! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1dzh7uujZE

Bugs & Beta

The game is now entering its final beta. The team has been chipping away at testing while also fixing bugs and design issues as they arise. We're not doing a let's play video this month so that we can focus on these final tasks.

Animation vlog

Danny's been uploading some short animation behind the scenes videos. In each video Danny shows an animated asset and explains which Spine (animation tool) features he used for creating some of the effects. We added a bunch of these videos to our Game Development playlist on YouTube - check them out if you're interested in animation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGqZrp8ol1g&index=10&list=PLtN-gbT-0zFIf7J4Q_MGlOt3FACDS7BD2

T-Shirt

We designed a t-shirt! Actually, we wore these during MomoCon while we were exhibiting the game a few months ago. Buy one and represent your corvid spirit!

Press Previews

If youre part of the press and would like to preview the game, please email us at crows@sheado.net.

Stay Tuned!

Thats it for this progress update. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at crows@sheado.net or start a discussion in our community hub. And dont forget to wishlist the game and follow us on Twitter @AQuiverOfCrows for more frequent updates!

[ 2016-08-24 01:29:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi All! Another month, another progress update on our upcoming twin-stick shoot'em up: A Quiver of Crows. We are finished with the gameplay aspects of the game - all 26 stages are done. We are now working on the details of the game that make it more polished such as achievements, sound, music, Steam controller, etc.

Developer Speed Run Let's Play Video

Here we show off the Japanese localization, the settings menu, and speed run through a stage. https://youtu.be/eEdzRCNcGgc

New Monsters

• Evil Eye Winged Creatures - There are currently three variations of these winged evil eye monsters in game. Their inclusion gives the game a very old-school shmup-y feel of bullet hell dodging.
• Chained monster - no screenshot of this monster yet. They are like vicious chained guard dogs.

Weapon Upgrade Level 4

This means all 4 different types of weapons now have a level 4 version. Plasma weapon has 5 simultaneous plasma bullets, the laser is now screen-length, etc.

Settings Menu

Want to play the game in windowed mode, without music, and with half the sound volume? Now you can! Controller customization is also available.

Localization

The game will be localized to Korean, Japanese, Russian, Portuguese, Spanish, and French.

Press Previews

If you’re part of the press and would like to preview the game, please email us at crows@sheado.net.

Stay Tuned!

That's it for this 28th progress update. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at crows@sheado.net or start a discussion in our Steam community hub. And don't forget to wishlist the game on Steam and follow us on Twitter @AQuiverOfCrows for more frequent updates!

[ 2016-07-06 01:51:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi All! Another month, another progress update on our upcoming twin-stick shoot'em up: A Quiver of Crows. We are finished with the gameplay aspects of the game - all 26 stages are done. We are now working on the details of the game that make it more polished such as achievements, sound, music, Steam controller, etc.

Developer Speed Run Let's Play Video

Here we show off the Japanese localization, the settings menu, and speed run through a stage. https://youtu.be/eEdzRCNcGgc

New Monsters

• Evil Eye Winged Creatures - There are currently three variations of these winged evil eye monsters in game. Their inclusion gives the game a very old-school shmup-y feel of bullet hell dodging.
• Chained monster - no screenshot of this monster yet. They are like vicious chained guard dogs.

Weapon Upgrade Level 4

This means all 4 different types of weapons now have a level 4 version. Plasma weapon has 5 simultaneous plasma bullets, the laser is now screen-length, etc.

Settings Menu

Want to play the game in windowed mode, without music, and with half the sound volume? Now you can! Controller customization is also available.

Localization

The game will be localized to Korean, Japanese, Russian, Portuguese, Spanish, and French.

Press Previews

If youre part of the press and would like to preview the game, please email us at crows@sheado.net.

Stay Tuned!

That's it for this 28th progress update. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at crows@sheado.net or start a discussion in our Steam community hub. And don't forget to wishlist the game on Steam and follow us on Twitter @AQuiverOfCrows for more frequent updates!

[ 2016-07-06 01:51:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Peoples! We just got back from MomoCon where we were showing our corvid-based twin-stick shmup.

MomoCon

A couple of months ago A Quiver of Crows was selected as a MomoCon 2016 Indie Award Showcase Finalist! So last week we found ourselves in the lovely city of Atlanta, Georgia where we got to show the game all 4 days of the convention.
Gamers competing to complete a difficult stage.
The 3 of us excitedly watching the action! MomoCon was a great experience for us. We met tons of awesome people who were not afraid to show their love for gaming, anime, cosplay, and all things art. Our booth constantly had somebody playing the game from the time we set up on Thursday until the last moment of the event on Sunday. We even had people competing to beat the most difficult stages as well as speed running others. The 3 of us were kept really busy at the booth, but from time to time we were able to slip away to check out a few of the other indie games that were at the show. Of the games we got to try our favorite was Fossil Echo - if you're looking for a fun platformer with beautiful artwork, you should really check out this game: http://store.steampowered.com/app/466350 We also really enjoyed Shu, Dragon Fin Soup, and Ellipsis, just to name a few. You can check out the full list of MomoCon Indie Award Showcase finalists and winners here.

Stay Tuned!

Hopefully we'll have another progress update for you in a few weeks. If you're part of the press and would like to preview the game, please request your key via Keymailer.co. Got questions? Please feel free to contact us at crows@sheado.net or start a discussion in our Steam community hub. And don't forget to wishlist the game and follow us on Twitter @AQuiverOfCrows for more frequent updates! http://store.steampowered.com/app/347280

[ 2016-06-02 01:30:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Peoples! We just got back from MomoCon where we were showing our corvid-based twin-stick shmup.

MomoCon

A couple of months ago A Quiver of Crows was selected as a MomoCon 2016 Indie Award Showcase Finalist! So last week we found ourselves in the lovely city of Atlanta, Georgia where we got to show the game all 4 days of the convention.
Gamers competing to complete a difficult stage.
The 3 of us excitedly watching the action! MomoCon was a great experience for us. We met tons of awesome people who were not afraid to show their love for gaming, anime, cosplay, and all things art. Our booth constantly had somebody playing the game from the time we set up on Thursday until the last moment of the event on Sunday. We even had people competing to beat the most difficult stages as well as speed running others. The 3 of us were kept really busy at the booth, but from time to time we were able to slip away to check out a few of the other indie games that were at the show. Of the games we got to try our favorite was Fossil Echo - if you're looking for a fun platformer with beautiful artwork, you should really check out this game: http://store.steampowered.com/app/466350 We also really enjoyed Shu, Dragon Fin Soup, and Ellipsis, just to name a few. You can check out the full list of MomoCon Indie Award Showcase finalists and winners here.

Stay Tuned!

Hopefully we'll have another progress update for you in a few weeks. If you're part of the press and would like to preview the game, please request your key via Keymailer.co. Got questions? Please feel free to contact us at crows@sheado.net or start a discussion in our Steam community hub. And don't forget to wishlist the game and follow us on Twitter @AQuiverOfCrows for more frequent updates! http://store.steampowered.com/app/347280

[ 2016-06-02 01:30:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi Everybody! We were hoping to release the game early next month, but we've slipped behind schedule a bit. We don't want to release the game with missing features so we are going to have to postpone the release to Fall 2016. Sorry to keep you all waiting steamsad The good news is that we only have 3 more levels to complete before we finish all of the gameplay for the game. Unfortunately though, as we were so busy working on gameplay we never got around to completing the other things such as a nice start menu, achievements, leaderboards, and settings. You only get one shot at a first impression, so we decided to postpone the release date instead of adding and improving things in updates. Thank you for your support and understanding, - Alice, Chad, & Danny [img=http://www.aquiverofcrows.com/images/sunset.gif]

[ 2016-05-09 21:47:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi Everybody! We were hoping to release the game early next month, but we've slipped behind schedule a bit. We don't want to release the game with missing features so we are going to have to postpone the release to Fall 2016. Sorry to keep you all waiting ːsteamsadː The good news is that we only have 3 more levels to complete before we finish all of the gameplay for the game. Unfortunately though, as we were so busy working on gameplay we never got around to completing the other things such as a nice start menu, achievements, leaderboards, and settings. You only get one shot at a first impression, so we decided to postpone the release date instead of adding and improving things in updates. Thank you for your support and understanding, - Alice, Chad, & Danny [img=http://www.aquiverofcrows.com/images/sunset.gif]

[ 2016-05-09 21:47:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

Howdy! Time for another progress update on our upcoming twin-stick shoot'em up: A Quiver of Crows.

New Trailer

We have a new trailer! It's been a while since our Greenlight trailer, so we figured it would be good to have a fresh trailer full of all the latest stages and weapons in the game. https://youtu.be/J8i4KDbX5Ns

Co-op Developer Let's Play Video

We finally polished the co-op gameplay functionality - check out our first co-op let's play! It also features a Sunset stage, new sound effects, toucans, beetles, and the latest weapons. https://youtu.be/r4bVMnRHK1o

Award Finalist

A Quiver of Crows is a MomoCon 2016 Indie Award Showcase Finalist! We're also going to be showing the game at MomoCon in Atlanta, Georgia. Come by and play the game if you're attending the convention.

Latest Additions

We're adding more content into the game all the time now. The latest enemies we've added are the:

• Toucan
This enemy can become ghostly from time to time during which it doesn't take any damage. Pro tip: if you use the laser beam, you can hit this enemy when it's in a ghostly state.
• Beetle
Don't be fooled by this thing's sluggishness. Let it get close enough and it will dart at you, horns first!

We've also got some new upgrades:

• Weapon Level 3
With this upgrade, each of the weapons gains an additional spread or feature. For example, the plasma weapon now shoots 3 simultaneous plasma bullets.
• Shield
Pick this up and your crow is protected by up to three enemy attacks.

Last, but not least, we've been getting the Sunset level into the game. People seem to really like the pink colors in this one:

Press Previews

More press previews are being put up on YouTube and Twitch. If you're part of the press and would like to preview the game, please request your key via Keymailer.co

Stay Tuned!

That's it for this 27th progress update. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at crows@sheado.net or start a discussion in our Steam community hub. And don't forget to wishlist the game on Steam and follow us on Twitter @AQuiverOfCrows for more frequent updates!

[ 2016-04-24 21:55:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Howdy! Time for another progress update on our upcoming twin-stick shoot'em up: A Quiver of Crows.

New Trailer

We have a new trailer! It's been a while since our Greenlight trailer, so we figured it would be good to have a fresh trailer full of all the latest stages and weapons in the game. https://youtu.be/J8i4KDbX5Ns

Co-op Developer Let's Play Video

We finally polished the co-op gameplay functionality - check out our first co-op let's play! It also features a Sunset stage, new sound effects, toucans, beetles, and the latest weapons. https://youtu.be/r4bVMnRHK1o

Award Finalist

A Quiver of Crows is a MomoCon 2016 Indie Award Showcase Finalist! We're also going to be showing the game at MomoCon in Atlanta, Georgia. Come by and play the game if you're attending the convention.

Latest Additions

We're adding more content into the game all the time now. The latest enemies we've added are the:

• Toucan
This enemy can become ghostly from time to time during which it doesn't take any damage. Pro tip: if you use the laser beam, you can hit this enemy when it's in a ghostly state.
• Beetle
Don't be fooled by this thing's sluggishness. Let it get close enough and it will dart at you, horns first!

We've also got some new upgrades:

• Weapon Level 3
With this upgrade, each of the weapons gains an additional spread or feature. For example, the plasma weapon now shoots 3 simultaneous plasma bullets.
• Shield
Pick this up and your crow is protected by up to three enemy attacks.

Last, but not least, we've been getting the Sunset level into the game. People seem to really like the pink colors in this one:

Press Previews

More press previews are being put up on YouTube and Twitch. If you're part of the press and would like to preview the game, please request your key via Keymailer.co

Stay Tuned!

That's it for this 27th progress update. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at crows@sheado.net or start a discussion in our Steam community hub. And don't forget to wishlist the game on Steam and follow us on Twitter @AQuiverOfCrows for more frequent updates!

[ 2016-04-24 21:55:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Attention beta testers and press previewers - we've released alpha update version 0.10. Please give it a shot! The update includes these new features:

• Local co-op! - You'll need two controllers for this.
• New Weapons: Sine Wave - this green weapon fires super fast and allows you to "spray" your enemies. Sticky Bomb - a sticky projectile with a delayed explosion.
• Third Upgrade - across all the four different weapon types.
• Shield - protects you from three hits before disappearing.
• New Enemies: Skull - spits out medium skulls which then spit out baby skulls. What is this monstrosity?! Spikey skulls - harder-to-kill monstrosity! Beetle - tough and slow moving, but get too close and you could get rammed! Toucan - randomly turns ghostly and becomes harder to hit. Who you gonna call??
• New stages - there are now 18 stages in the game. New areas include a junkyard, tropical scenes, and some new caves.

[ 2016-03-29 02:34:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

Attention beta testers and press previewers - we've released alpha update version 0.10. Please give it a shot! The update includes these new features:

• Local co-op! - You'll need two controllers for this.
• New Weapons: Sine Wave - this green weapon fires super fast and allows you to "spray" your enemies. Sticky Bomb - a sticky projectile with a delayed explosion.
• Third Upgrade - across all the four different weapon types.
• Shield - protects you from three hits before disappearing.
• New Enemies: Skull - spits out medium skulls which then spit out baby skulls. What is this monstrosity?! Spikey skulls - harder-to-kill monstrosity! Beetle - tough and slow moving, but get too close and you could get rammed! Toucan - randomly turns ghostly and becomes harder to hit. Who you gonna call??
• New stages - there are now 18 stages in the game. New areas include a junkyard, tropical scenes, and some new caves.

[ 2016-03-29 02:34:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey All! It's time for another progress update on our upcoming twin-stick shoot'em up!

Developer Let's Play Video

Check out the latest developer let's play we recorded - sine waves, skulls, and more weapon upgrades! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSdgCtLWOAk

Press Previews

Last month we finally got around to completing and sending out the press preview build. A whole bunch of press and let's players streamed the game on Twitch and YouTube. It was really fun to watch their reactions, especially how different gamers handled enemy swarms when they happened. Here's a couple of our favorites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbzZ0J5P3oQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLU_ZeWUJO1LZn1E5VqG9lol_9sQul8gTL&v=5CjI4ZYGb7c

Sine Wave

We've been balancing and fine tuning the sine wave weapon. This is the fastest weapon in the game, but it's the lightest. It's good for taking out fast moving enemies like the wasps, but the light weight of these bullets makes them ineffective at moving heavy enemy corpses. [img=http://www.aquiverofcrows.com/images/sineWave480.gif]

Shield

The stages are getting more and more difficult. Health upgrades already exist in the game, but for the later stages we're also throwing in shields to help players get through the really tough areas.

More Stages

A good chunk of development time over the past couple months has been spent on stage design and building. The Dawn, Morning, and Noon stages are complete now and we are now focused on the Sunset and Night stages. Check out this lovely work in progress screenshot of one of the Sunset stages: [img=http://www.aquiverofcrows.com/images/sunsetShack.png]

Stay Tuned!

So that's it for this progress update. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at crows@sheado.net or start a discussion in our community hub. And don't forget to wishlist the game on Steam and follow us on Twitter @AQuiverOfCrows for more frequent updates!

[ 2016-02-29 21:37:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey All! It's time for another progress update on our upcoming twin-stick shoot'em up!

Developer Let's Play Video

Check out the latest developer let's play we recorded - sine waves, skulls, and more weapon upgrades! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSdgCtLWOAk

Press Previews

Last month we finally got around to completing and sending out the press preview build. A whole bunch of press and let's players streamed the game on Twitch and YouTube. It was really fun to watch their reactions, especially how different gamers handled enemy swarms when they happened. Here's a couple of our favorites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbzZ0J5P3oQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLU_ZeWUJO1LZn1E5VqG9lol_9sQul8gTL&v=5CjI4ZYGb7c

Sine Wave

We've been balancing and fine tuning the sine wave weapon. This is the fastest weapon in the game, but it's the lightest. It's good for taking out fast moving enemies like the wasps, but the light weight of these bullets makes them ineffective at moving heavy enemy corpses. [img=http://www.aquiverofcrows.com/images/sineWave480.gif]

Shield

The stages are getting more and more difficult. Health upgrades already exist in the game, but for the later stages we're also throwing in shields to help players get through the really tough areas.

More Stages

A good chunk of development time over the past couple months has been spent on stage design and building. The Dawn, Morning, and Noon stages are complete now and we are now focused on the Sunset and Night stages. Check out this lovely work in progress screenshot of one of the Sunset stages: [img=http://www.aquiverofcrows.com/images/sunsetShack.png]

Stay Tuned!

So that's it for this progress update. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at crows@sheado.net or start a discussion in our community hub. And don't forget to wishlist the game on Steam and follow us on Twitter @AQuiverOfCrows for more frequent updates!

[ 2016-02-29 21:37:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey! Happy New Year! Here’s the latest progress update on our upcoming twin-stick shoot’em up: A Quiver of Crows.

Developer Let’s Play Video

For the tl;dr in you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHzAMlcJP1U

Dynamic Camera

After getting a bunch of beta feedback we noticed a common issue in some of the comments: offscreen enemies sneak up on you way too quickly. We believe part of the reason for this is that the camera used to always be centered on our heroic crow. As a result, you could only see half a screen’s view ahead of you when flying in any direction. To remedy this, we introduced a dynamic camera that pans ahead relative to the crow’s speed and direction in order to allow you to look ahead as much as possible. So far, we’re finding that this new camera functionality has helped significantly reduce sneak attacks by offscreen enemies while also allowing players to fly their crow more quickly into unknown territory.

More Music

Another month, another track. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoA_1-yl9_8

Artwork

More art assets are being churned out every day. The Dawn and Morning stages are finished. The Noon stages are nearly complete (check out the screenshot below) and the Sunset and Evening stages are still in the works.

Stay Tuned!

That’s it for this progress update. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at crows@sheado.net or start a discussion in our community hub. And don’t forget to wishlist the game here on Steam and follow us on Twitter @AQuiverOfCrows for more frequent updates!

[ 2016-01-14 02:22:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Peoples! Here's another progress update on our upcoming twin-stick shoot'em up:

Developer Let's Play Video

Watch our latest developer let's play video showcasing one of the latest stages as well as some newly completed weapons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm5Z0RXNQKY

More Enemies!

Over the past few weeks Danny and Chad spent a lot of time adding new enemies. Our goal is to introduce a new enemy every 2-3 stages. Among the latest enemies is a darting beetle, a floating urchin that shoots spikes all around, and a demonic flying eyeball that shoots a triple spread of bullets.

New Weapon Upgrade Level

A Quiver of Crows is heavily influenced by traditional shmups that feature weapon upgrade pickups. We have just finished developing the 3rd level upgrade pickup, which causes the purple bullets to spread 5 ways, the plasma weapon to fire 3 parallel bullets, and the laser beam to reach further. With the level 3 upgrade the game has really started to feel even more chaotic as the screen fills with colorful bullets and piles of enemies.

More Music!

Enjoy the latest track, courtesy of Alice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSB_xH6Fl-A

More Stages!

Alice has been working hard creating stages. She's nearly 40% done with all of our planned stages, and we hope to have another beta and press preview build ready soon.

IndieCade

Last month we got to show our game at IndieCade's IndieXchange Gametasting. It was awesome to have lots of other developers play the game and give us feedback - much of which has already influenced the latest build of the game. The showing went great and the game was even selected as part of the Gametasting Spotlight!

Stay Tuned!

That's it for this month's update! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at crows@sheado.net or start a discussion in our Steam community hub. And don't forget to follow us on Twitter @AQuiverOfCrows for more frequent updates!

[ 2015-11-30 20:14:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey All! Another month, another progress update!

Developer Let's Play Video

Fine tuning the pacing of the game has been our focus over the past month. Watch the latest let's play video, which covers the subject in more detail. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvSQY3R1HvM

Pacing and the Stages

We've done 3 beta rounds now and have made a ton of changes as result of all the great feedback we've been getting. The most significant of these changes affects the pacing of the game. Previously our stages were 6 minutes long with no checkpoints. The majority of players found it too punishing and tedious to almost complete a stage, only to die and have to start over again from the beginning. After weighing different options to address this issue, we decided to go with the solution of having very short stages with significantly greater difficulty. The result is a much more action packed frantic game, which is exactly what we're going for.

New Weapons and Upgrades!

Over the past few weeks, we've also been adding and fine tuning some new weapons for our beloved crow. These include the laser beam, a bomb special attack, a sticky bomb special attack, and another upgrade level! The laser beam has been refined and now can pass through multiple enemies at once. Players will want to switch to this weapon when massive hoards are heading their way in tight quarters. In the special attack department, the new standard bomb is a nice alternative to the heat seeking feathers. This weapon has a bit of force, so it's useful for clearing away enemies and their ragdolling bodies. Similar to the standard bomb, we are also adding a sticky bomb, which players can stick to a clueless enemy! Lastly, we've finalized the 3rd weapon upgrade level, which results in a larger spread or more power depending on which weapon the player is using.

More Art!

It's "more art day" every day at Sheado.net. Danny's churning out more new art every day. Check out the latest forest he created:

Controls

As promised, keyboard and mouse controls are finally in! We're still fine tuning the controls, but they are very near finalized.

Stay Tuned & Happy Halloween!

That's it for this month's update! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at crows@sheado.net or start a discussion in our Steam community hub. And don't forget to follow us on Twitter @AQuiverOfCrows for more frequent updates!

[ 2015-10-12 00:35:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi Peoples! We are currently seeking Early Beta testers that meet the following requirements:

• Prefer playing with a controller.
• Are ok with bugs and crashes.
• Willing to fill out a questionnaire to help us improve the game.

If you're up for the task, please contact us at crows@sheado.net to get started. If you're on the fence, check out our latest gameplay video to help you decide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLuP8NoMOFY Thanks! Alice, Chad, & Danny

[ 2015-09-27 20:57:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Peoples! The summer is flying by as we chip away on our game! Here's a summary of all the progress we made over the past month working on our upcoming twin-stick shmup.

Developer Let's Play Video

Rather watch than read? We'll you're in luck! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbQy5niWsvk

More Locations!

The Dawn level is now complete and is comprised of 11 stages. Over the past month we've been adding multiple new areas to these stages including an underground arena, multiple tree caves, as well as various forest scenes.

More Foreground Animations!

Danny, the artist, has also been focused on creating more foreground animations to help the stages appear more lively. For the Dawn stages, this included large crawling ants, crows gnawing at skulls, and various plants swaying in the wind. [img=http://www.sheado.net/aquiverofcrows/images/skull.png]

More Skelecrane Boss Polish!

The first boss was completed in August, but we've spent more time polishing, balancing, and fine-tuning the 3 headed skelecrane boss. [img=http://www.sheado.net/aquiverofcrows/images/boss2.png]

More Sounds!

After churning out all of the stages for the Dawn level, Alice - developer and composer - has moved on to sound effects. She’s already sourced or created 20 different sound effects and is now working on the audio programming end of things.

Title Screen and Alpha

In preparation for an upcoming alpha test, we've been spending more time working on non-gameplay features such as the user interface. The title screen and several of its related menus were completed. We can’t wait to get through alpha, get feedback, and move on to beta testing with more people! [img=http://www.sheado.net/aquiverofcrows/images/title.png]

Stay Tuned!

That's it for this update! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at crows@sheado.net or start a discussion in our Steam community hub. And don't forget to follow us on Twitter @AQuiverOfCrows for more frequent updates!

[ 2015-08-30 22:54:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey All! Hope your August is off to a good start! Here’s a summary of all the progress we made over the past month working on our upcoming twin-stick shmup: A Quiver of Crows.

tl;dr

Rather watch a let’s play progress update? Well then – check out our first let’s play progress update video! http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=493060565

Stages! Stages! Stages!

This is going to be a recurring theme for us now. We are in stage building mode and we’re almost done with all the stages for the Dawn level. In the Dawn level there’s lots of lush greens and blue skies. Some stages are outdoors while others are held entirely inside of large trees or underground. We’re also throwing in a couple of battle arenas to mix up the gameplay.

Map View

In A Quiver of Crows you have 360 degree range of motion and you can explore any part of a stage in any order you want. In case you get lost though, we decided to go with a fog of war enabled map view so you can see where you’ve been, but not the places you’ve yet to visit.

Localization

We’d love to support every language! But we can’t =/ So after careful consideration we decided to go with the following languages: Spanish, Russian, French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), and of course English.

Interview!

We had out first interview! Thanks to J.A. over at Obsolete Gamer for making our first interview experience a pleasant one! https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLtN-gbT-0zFIf7J4Q_MGlOt3FACDS7BD2&v=Wg3wCXDxFfY

Stay Tuned!

That’s it for this update! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at crows@sheado.net or start a discussion in our community hub. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @AQuiverOfCrows for more frequent updates!

[ 2015-08-03 02:05:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Everybody! Time flies when you're making a video game! Another month has already passed since the last progress update. Here's a summary of all that we've been up to with our upcoming twin-stick shmup: A Quiver of Crows.

Levels & Stages

The past month has been all about the Dawn stage. Alice has been busy designing and building the stages while Danny has been continuously churning out the graphics for them. Check out the latest screenshots from the Dawn level:

Music

Alice has been chipping away at more music too. We don't have any new tracks to share at the moment, but we did post one of the previously completed tracks on YouTube for your listening pleasure.

Physics

Chad's been busy adding new physics capabilities to the game in order to support some of the features required by the bosses in the game. The most time consuming of these is partial ragdoll support. Currently when an enemy is killed, it ragdolls and falls to the ground. With this new feature, a boss enemy can stay alive while parts of its body ragdolls - all the better to make them even more uniquely spooky. Check out this development screencap of the work in progress:

Rescuing Crows!

In this twin-stick shooter you will be spending most of your time mowing down demons and ghouls with the crow's various weapons and special attacks. One additional responsibility you will have is to rescue your fellow crows by shooting their cages open. Free the crows and you get to move on to the next stage. Check out some screenshots of crow rescues in action:

Tutorial Billboards

We've always been fans of minimal instructions and tutorials. So for A Quiver of Crows we are using billboards in the background and occasional flyers in the foreground to guide you with the basic instructions in the game. See the screenshot below of a billboard instructing you to rescue a crow:

Press and Stuff

From time to time somebody writes something about A Quiver of Crows. This month OneAngryGamer did - check it out here. In hopes of reaching out to more potential fans and reviewers, we submitted A Quiver of Crows to IndieCade - an indie gaming festival in California. Here's a peek of some of the games that applied - can you spot ours?

Stay Tuned For More!

That's it for this update! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at crows@sheado.net or start a discussion in our Steam community hub. And don't forget to follow us on Twitter @AQuiverOfCrows for more frequent updates!

[ 2015-06-27 23:45:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Another month, another progress update! As usual, a pile of work got done and here's a summary of all the stuff we've been chipping away at for A Quiver of Crows.

Music

One of Alice's many gamedev hats is the music hat. In between building levels and gameplay programming she's managed to find some time to churn out a couple of tracks for the game's official soundtrack. Here's a sneak peek: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=444700887

Gauges

Back in April we were working on the gameplay gauges to showcase health, ammo, current weapon, etc. Since the last progress update, we finalized the gauge designs. Check it out:

Upgrade Orbs!

In true shmup form, we decided to go with floating orbs to deliver weapon and health upgrades. Some of these are placed throughout the levels while others are dropped from dispatched enemies.

Alpha Testing!

We were super excited to start our first friends and family alpha test this month. Feedback and bug reports are rolling in already and we're already making improvements, all thanks to our alpha testers. We'll probably do another round or two of closed alpha testing before we starting thinking about doing a public alpha or beta test. Check out some of the tutorial artwork that went into the game for the alpha test. The first image there shows the controls you can expect for the game. The second image shows some in-level tutorial billboards we're experimenting with to help provide instructions without pausing the game.

Building Levels

Level building is one of our biggest todos at the moment, so there's a lot of that going on. Danny's designing new environments, Alice is putting them together into levels, and Chad's implementing the necessary level features. Here's a video of some spooky environments being put together: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=432856794

Stay Tuned For More!

That's it for this update! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at crows@sheado.net or start a discussion in our Steam community hub. And don't forget to follow us on Twitter @AQuiverOfCrows for more frequent updates!

[ 2015-05-23 22:09:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello fellow twin-stick shmup fans! It's been a few weeks since the last progress update. We got lots of stuff done over the past month. Here's a review of all the progress we made developing A Quiver of Crows.

Gauges!

Everybody loves gauges right? In A Quiver of Crows gauges will show you your health, current weapon, and current bomb. It'll also show you bomb ammo and weapon upgrade level. In the screenshot below, you can see one of the gauge designs in-game.
The design has evolved a bit since we started on it. Check out (below) all of the different variations we've considered. We're still tweaking the design for the gauges, but we're getting close to finalizing it.
Also, while I'm at it, check out the awesome job Danny did animating the heart!

Vignettes!

Another thing we worked on was a vignette effect for when the crow dies at the hands of those demons and ghouls. Check it out in the screenshot below. We're still fine-tuning the color and shape of the vignette, but this is the type of effect you can expect when a pile of biters decides to overwhelm our dear crow!

Dream Catchers!

Each stage exit in A Quiver of Crows is controlled by a fire-bound dream catcher. Once you complete the stage, the dream catcher's fiery spell will be lifted, allowing you to move on to the next one. Much of the work for the dream catcher is done, but we have yet to place it in a pretty environment:

Damage Animation

Visual feedback when your player takes on damage is quite important. We decide to go with a glow to red effect for the crow when it takes on damage. We're still fine tuning this effect too, but you can get an idea of how red the crow will get for a split second when getting hit:

Upgrade Design

There are a million ways to design a shmup. How do you upgrade? How do you downgrade? How do you get your bombs? Hundreds of shmups have explored different solutions with varying results, and so we spent a lot time researching and revisiting old shmups in order take away our favorite designs from each. The community at shmups.system11.org has been extremely helpful in sharing ideas and opinions regarding shmup designs. If you're really into shmups, we definitely recommend you check out their site.

Balancing!

Last but not least - gameplay balancing! This is perhaps one of the most important tasks we've been working on lately. We want to make sure the different weapons, bombs, and enemies are all balanced accordingly. So we've been doing lots of math and fine tuning to get this just right.

Stay Tuned!

Okay - that's it for this update. Thanks for reading and supporting us! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at crows@sheado.net or start a discussion in our Steam community hub. And don't forget to follow us on Twitter @AQuiverOfCrows for more frequent updates!

[ 2015-04-20 18:32:58 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi Peoples, Welcome to our Community Hub! We're a small indie team of 3 working on one of our favorite genres: the twin-stick shmup =] We still have a few months of development ahead of us, so in the meantime we encourage you to follow us here for the latest development updates, concept art, and videos. And please feel free to ask questions in the discussion area. Thanks! Alice, Chad, & Danny

[ 2015-03-23 23:25:39 CET ] [ Original post ]