Hi guys! It's been almost two weeks since the tweet about Scarlet Deer Inn turned our lives upside down. We didnt expect it at all, and it's been quite a journey. Thank you so much for all of your support and feedback! We've finally had time to think about it and made a list of frequently asked questions to help you understand what our game is about.
Why? We wanted to do something different and unusual. Its exciting that no one has ever done that in a game before. Of course, we had to come up with our own process for doing everything, but thats what we enjoy most about it. And, to be honest, thats the main reason why we make games. To enjoy trying and learning new things. Even though its not gonna be perfect. Wouldn't it be easier to just do it digitally? It would, but it would ruin the very reason we are doing it. It's a lot of fun to try to make real stuff and use them in a digital game. Everything does not necessarily have to be highly efficient, and it appears that many people enjoy it. The embroidery is barely visible. Why don't you...? Believe us, we tried A LOT of methods, like embroidering the entire scene, not using outlines, using embroidered outlines, many canvas and thread types and sizes, and much more. We also experimented with various digitizing techniques, such as using a photo box and various lighting settings, as well as stuff like normal maps, and so on. And this is the best we can do while it's still embroidered and suits our vision. The primary goal for us is to achieve a Ghibli-like style and feel, not the embroidery itself. Without the lines, for example, the characters feel totally different and don't fit in with the environment at all. When modifying it more in favor of embroidery and fabric would absolutely destroy the vibe we're going for. In any case, this is not the final look, and we're already hard at work on a demo that will reveal more of the game. The proccess The embroidery must be prepared on a computer beforehand. It means that the finished frame-by-frame animation must be replicated in vectors using embroidery software, with several options for threads, colors, stitch patterns, angles, and so on. After the embroidery is completed, the material is scanned back into a computer. Then, in Photoshop, each frame is taken out and the cloth around it is removed. Finally, the outline and shadows are applied. How long does it take you to make one character? It really depends on the complexity of the character animation. The embroidery takes hours to prepare, but then you can just make one frame in a few minutes. For example, minor characters have dozens of animation frames, but the main character has hundreds. It probably takes three times as long as standard digital frame-by-frame animation. Will the fact that the game is embroidered be reflected in the story or gameplay? No. That would completely change what we want to achieve. What will you do with all the embroidered artwork once it has been scanned for the game? Can I buy it? If there is interest and it makes sense, we would love to sell them once the game is ready. Because each piece is unique, it might be a interesting collector's item. Merch? Besides the embroidered artwork, we would love to have an art book. We love physical game stuff and already have some ideas of what it could look like. The same goes for other merchandise. It would be cool to have vinyl, as we write and record our own music. But it's too early to make any promises or discuss specifics. Right now, we must focus on developing the game. How big is your team? It's just my husband and me. We're both self-taught creators who do stuff we love. We work from home and handle everything ourselves. (design, story, dialogues, programming, art, animation, embroidery, music, sounds, PR and marketing, publishing, funding, and so on.) It's not perfect, but it's ours. As mentioned before, the main reason we make games is to try and learn new things. There are much easier ways to make a living than being an indie game developer. How did you come up with the idea, and how long have you been working on it? The idea to create such a game came to us sometime in 2014, when we were finishing our first game. Meanwhile, we were exploring different ideas to make our games interesting and cool, and this embroidered animation was one of them. We tried out some simple animations but put them away. We couldn't have put together something that complicated back then. But we didn't stop thinking about it. We started working on it right after releasing our previous game in early 2019. We started out focusing just on adjusting the embroidery, and it took us a long time to find a look we liked. Release date? Hopefully next year. We have completed all of the technical parts and mechanics, as well as the overall game design and story. We still need to finish the animations, backgrounds, music, and sound effects and put everything together. What platforms? PC and Nintendo Switch GOG, Xbox, Playstation: We're thinking about it. We'll see. Demo? Yes! We plan to release the demo in October for Steam Next Fest. In addition, we will be exhibiting at the Game Access conference in June. What genre is this? Will there be combat? It's an adventure platformer. There will be parts more focused on story, where you explore interesting places set in medieval Europe, meet various characters, and become involved in their daily lives and stories. On the other hand, there are also pretty chaotic parts that take place in dangerous underground. Youll have to find your way in the dark while your torch is quickly burning out. There is a little bit of light combat here and there, but nothing too complicated. A new trailer is coming soon; you'll see it better there. What machine and software do you use? The embroidery machine: Brother PR670E. Software: Hatch Embroidery 3, Unity, Photoshop, Rebelle, TVPaint, Yarn Spinner, Logic Pro and actual instruments,... Localization? It's too early to tell at the moment, as the dialogues are far from finished, but we plan to localize the game in as many languages as possible. Accessibility? We don't have any experience with this, but we'll be happy to do something about that if we're able to handle it. Again, thank you so much for all the interest and feedback! We really appreciate that! Eva & Lukas Attu Games