Before outlining the work I did this month, I want to share this write-up on participating in Steam Next Fest as a small developer with a small following. The event pretty much doubled outstanding wishlists for Amadeus - thank you all so much for the support. As for this month's updates: I spent the month of June inserting Sonic Adventure-flavored swag into my melancholy serious visual novel. This was a self-motivation tactic, but doing so has also resulted in an overall more compelling narrative. It's added an underlying layer of fun that the game was sorely lacking. The game is still serious, and it's still heartfelt; but there is now room in it for a little more insanity to dig into over the course of 5 episodes. It's got more life breathed into it. I've made a little more work for myself, but it's work I'm more excited about doing. I can't wait to share the new vision with you when it's ready. Other than that, I knocked out the bulk of this month's major tasks:
- Listed and sketched a concept for all remaining BGM for Episode 1
- Wrote first drafts for every scene in the game based on updated outline
- Wrote and started implementing revisions to demo scenes based on updated outline
- 90% of the way to building a Save/Load system that meets the game's needs
- Participated in Next Fest, baby!
[ 2024-06-25 01:56:00 CET ] [ Original post ]
🕹️ Partial Controller Support
🎮 Full Controller Support
Story
Play as Amadeus, a young werewolf struggling to understand his condition, as he navigates a tale woven by Witches. He is equal parts desperate and determined—how can one reclaim agency over themself, when afflicted by a curse that steals it from them every time the moon Aska draws full?
Amadeus: A Riddle for Thee is a narrative game heavily inspired by Umineko When They Cry thematically, and Professor Layton aesthetically. Gameplay is a blend of pure Visual Novel scenes + Point-and-Click Adventure scenes. The story is linear, and will be told in 5 sequential episodes.
Episode 1 ~ Waltz will release Fall 2024. Please check out the demo in the meantime!
Demo Features
20-40 minutes of playtime
7 detailed, hand-drawn backgrounds to explore
6 portrait expressions for Amadeus
6 original music tracks, including 1 track with 3 dynamic layers
Point-and-Click controls with unique cursor icons to indicate player interactions
Alternate Hover-and-Spacebar control scheme for players who have difficulty with mouse click
Toggle for auto-scrolling text with adjustible appearance speed and delay time between textboxes
Diegetic backlog of previously-read text
Optional splash screen to fill window beyond 4:3 gameplay (may impact performance - see system requirements)
Controls
VN Scenes
TAB Key: toggle Auto Text Progression on/off
SPACE Key: display full text/progress text
1/2/3 Key: select choice
Mouse click on the displayed buttons is supported as an alternative
Point-and-Click Scenes
HOVER with mouse, cursor will change to indicate if object is interactible
If cursor changes, MOUSE CLICK or SPACE to trigger...
-Boot: Amadeus will MOVE to location
-Eye: Amadeus will INSPECT distant objects
-Hand: Amadeus will INTERACT WITH nearby objects
-Arrow: Amadeus will MOVE to a new screen
WASD and ARROW KEYS supported as alternative to MOVE Amadeus
SPACE supported as alternative to INTERACT with nearby objects
UI
ESC Key: pause/open Settings Menu
N Key: pause/open Notebooks Menu
To adjust sliders in Settings Menu, use mouse to click and drag the pencil icon left/right
Menus can also be opened + closed by clicking on the buttons in the screen corners
Credits
Game Design, Art, Music/Sound, C# Scripting, Implementation, Narrative - Leo ArcanaXIX
Clarinet (Deal With a Witch) - Lucas Bere
Marimba (Spellbound Mischief) - Jay Lee
VO (Kain's Ghost) - Nat Ferare
Narrative Consultant - Ashlee Scheuermann*
Code Consultant - Dan Mellott
Mix Consultant (Deal With a Witch, Spellbound Mischief) - Sonia Mokhtari
Playtesting - Derek, Joanna, Luke, Aaron, Ashlee
Playtesting (original prototype) - Alex, Lucas, Skipper, Nathalie, Taylor, Dan
*Ashlee also wished to be credited as "Made Everything Worse." Thank you Ashlee. <3
- OS: Linux MintMemory: 8 GB RAMStorage: 500 MB available spaceAdditional Notes: Currently only tested on Linux Mint but should support other distros.
- Memory: 8 GB RAMStorage: 500 MB available spaceAdditional Notes: Currently only tested on Linux Mint but should support other distros.
- Storage: 500 MB available spaceAdditional Notes: Currently only tested on Linux Mint but should support other distros.
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