Here it is, folks. My latest game in the Off-Peak odyssey. Dive in! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1129920/Tales_From_OffPeak_City_Vol_1/ And the standalone soundtrack is available, too! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1288050/Tales_From_OffPeak_City_Vol_1_Soundtrack/ On the corner of July Avenue and Yam Street, all is not what it seems. What role will you play in a city's fate? Thank you to all the fans who have been enjoying my work all this time. Hope you enjoy the new one!

Earlier this year I posted a screenshot teaser for the game I've been working on since I finished The Norwood Suite. But now the timeline is set and the release is imminent: Put it on your wish-list: Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1 is coming soon! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1129920/Tales_From_OffPeak_City_Vol_1/ About the game: Its a hazy Sunday morning on the corner of July Avenue and Yam Street. Caetano Grosso, a former saxophone player and longtime pizza-maker, is just getting his pizza oven warmed up. Orders are trickling in, and he needs someone to help with the deliveries. You sense an opportunity, but unbeknownst to him, what youre really after is his old saxophone, and youre going to get it one way or another. Your pursuit will set off a chain of events across the neighborhood, taking you deep into the hidden worlds and private lives of the people living there. Tales From Off-Peak City is a first-person adventure game series, all set on, around, and under a single street corner. Filled with memorable characters and the spaces they inhabit, the game provides an open-ended world full of secrets and hidden agendas. Building on the gameplay foundations of Off-Peak and The Norwood Suite, players will explore the streets and its surroundings, make pizzas, take photos, push buttons, open drawers theyre not supposed to, and lose themselves inside the atmospheric musical score that integrates itself directly into the game world. Volume 1: Caetanos Slice is the first game of many in the anthology of Tales. While each Volume is its own self-contained story and experience, taken together, they build towards the larger over-arching narrative of whats really going on at the corner of July Avenue and Yam Street and what role you ultimately play in its fate.

My next game is called Tales From Off-Peak City. I'll have more to say on it as the year unfolds, but in the meantime, you can follow its progress on my Discord channel. Watch this space...

Hello! This week celebrates the release of the high-quality FLAC version of the Norwood Suite Soundtrack. The soundtrack now includes FLAC versions of all the tunes plus two as-yet-unreleased digital bonus tracks. You will find the FLAC files alongside the mp3s where the Soundtrack itself is installed. Enjoy new music in newer, higher quality! And for those of you who are curious and don't have the soundtrack yet, you can pick it up below: https://store.steampowered.com/app/716930/The_Norwood_Suite__Original_Soundtrack/

Join The Discord Group!

In honor of the release of The Norwood Suite on vinyl, I’m hosting a live internet radio broadcast on Friday, August 10th at 12pm-1pm Eastern Time.  It will take place on Discord, my new community server for all things related to my games Off-Peak, The Norwood Suite and my as-yet-untitled third game, which is also set in the same universe. 
The Discord channel will be a repository of all manner of happenings around my work, as well as an opportunity for fans of my work to connect. The internet radio show coming up will feature select music that’s inspired me and the making of The Norwood Suite, including alternate versions of the Norwood Soundtrack and some new jams I've been working on. Hope you can listen in, and in the meantime, feel free to connect and check in on the progress of my next game on my Discord channel!
-cosmoddd

Yes... it's here.

The Norwood Suite is featured in the February Humble Monthly bundle.

The Norwood Suite is featured in the February Humble Monthly bundle.

Greetings Off-Peak fans, Hi everyone. Check out this video and scan to 16:43... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t0AiQmgQqk&t=1001s Cool Ghosts is Matt Lees and Quinn Smith, who review board games in their day-to-day, also leave room for video game criticism and discourse, through their video channel Cool Ghosts. They work their magic on Norwood at 16:43 and mention Off-Peak, too. ** I did an interview with Gamasutra about the way I implement music in The Norwood Suite... if you were wondering how that facet of the game evolved from Off-Peak and what my thought process was behind implementing sound as I did, check this link: https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/308131/Finding_the_right_beats_in_Cosmo_Ds_surreal_The_Norwood_Suite.php ** PC Gamer went in deep on the immersive sim comparison: http://www.pcgamer.com/the-norwood-suite-is-a-surreal-hotel-that-demands-to-be-explored/ The author, Tom Sykes, first wrote about Off-Peak for the PC Gamer freeware column back in 2015. ** And Rock Paper Shotgun celebrated the joys of being in the hotel itself. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/11/28/the-norwood-suite-hotel-game/ ** Also, The Norwood Suite placed on RPS's advent calendar and Slant Magazine's best games of the year: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/12/02/game-of-the-year-2017-2/ https://www.slantmagazine.com/features/article/the-25-best-video-games-of-2017/P2 ** If you enjoyed Off-Peak and want to see how I expanded upon the experience with The Norwood Suite, you can try a demo for free, and the saves will carry over to the full game. http://store.steampowered.com/app/696480/The_Norwood_Suite/ -cosmo d

Greetings Off-Peak fans, Hi everyone. Check out this video and scan to 16:43... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t0AiQmgQqk&t=1001s Cool Ghosts is Matt Lees and Quinn Smith, who review board games in their day-to-day, also leave room for video game criticism and discourse, through their video channel Cool Ghosts. They work their magic on Norwood at 16:43 and mention Off-Peak, too. ** I did an interview with Gamasutra about the way I implement music in The Norwood Suite... if you were wondering how that facet of the game evolved from Off-Peak and what my thought process was behind implementing sound as I did, check this link: https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/308131/Finding_the_right_beats_in_Cosmo_Ds_surreal_The_Norwood_Suite.php ** PC Gamer went in deep on the immersive sim comparison: http://www.pcgamer.com/the-norwood-suite-is-a-surreal-hotel-that-demands-to-be-explored/ The author, Tom Sykes, first wrote about Off-Peak for the PC Gamer freeware column back in 2015. ** And Rock Paper Shotgun celebrated the joys of being in the hotel itself. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/11/28/the-norwood-suite-hotel-game/ ** Also, The Norwood Suite placed on RPS's advent calendar and Slant Magazine's best games of the year: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/12/02/game-of-the-year-2017-2/ https://www.slantmagazine.com/features/article/the-25-best-video-games-of-2017/P2 ** If you enjoyed Off-Peak and want to see how I expanded upon the experience with The Norwood Suite, you can try a demo for free, and the saves will carry over to the full game. http://store.steampowered.com/app/696480/The_Norwood_Suite/ -cosmo d

Greetings, Off-Peak fans. In the spirit of accessibility, I've prepared a free Demo of my latest game, The Norwood Suite, sequel to Off-Peak. You can access it from the Norwood Suite's main page below: http://store.steampowered.com/app/696480/The_Norwood_Suite/ On the right-and column, click 'Download Demo' and it's yours. Also, save games from the demo are transferable to the full game. It'll give you a good idea of what to expect from the whole experience. And as you're already familiar with Off-Peak, it's an experience that builds upon the foundations of what Off-Peak laid down. Dive in!

Greetings, Off-Peak fans. In the spirit of accessibility, I've prepared a free Demo of my latest game, The Norwood Suite, sequel to Off-Peak. You can access it from the Norwood Suite's main page below: http://store.steampowered.com/app/696480/The_Norwood_Suite/ On the right-and column, click 'Download Demo' and it's yours. Also, save games from the demo are transferable to the full game. It'll give you a good idea of what to expect from the whole experience. And as you're already familiar with Off-Peak, it's an experience that builds upon the foundations of what Off-Peak laid down. Dive in!

At long last... http://store.steampowered.com/app/696480/The_Norwood_Suite/ As a general FYI, I will be migrating over to the Norwood Suite community boards to answer any specific questions related to Norwood. I'll still be present in the Off-Peak boards, though Norwood will take up the bulk of my focus for the time being. Thanks for your support thus far! -Cosmo D

At long last... http://store.steampowered.com/app/696480/The_Norwood_Suite/ As a general FYI, I will be migrating over to the Norwood Suite community boards to answer any specific questions related to Norwood. I'll still be present in the Off-Peak boards, though Norwood will take up the bulk of my focus for the time being. Thanks for your support thus far! -Cosmo D

Hi everyone, You can now preview tracks from The Norwood Suite on Bandcamp. https://cosmoddd.bandcamp.com I'm feeling the approaching immediacy of the release date -- tide yourself over with some new tunes in the meantime. cheers, -Cosmo D

Hi everyone, You can now preview tracks from The Norwood Suite on Bandcamp. https://cosmoddd.bandcamp.com I'm feeling the approaching immediacy of the release date -- tide yourself over with some new tunes in the meantime. cheers, -Cosmo D

Hi Off-Peak fans, I just wanted you all to know that The Norwood Suite's Steam page has gone live today. The release date is real and the store presence is, too. Check it out: http://store.steampowered.com/app/696480/The_Norwood_Suite We're coming to what is seemingly the end of a long journey inwards... and now I get to share that journey with you. The Norwood Suite is the direct sequel to Off-Peak. It's my attempt to answer the question of what Off-Peak would be like if it were longer, richer, and had more going on in every respect. October 2nd...

Off-Peak fans, I'm pleased to announce the official release date for The Norwood Suite -- October 2nd, 2017. It's been an intense two years, but I'm excited to finally deliver this work. I'm getting the soundtrack mastered now and it's exactly as I'd envisioned - full, rich, focused. Full trailer below: https://youtu.be/yG3YIq2MIcM A new steam page will go up sometime next month. In the meantime, stay tuned for more info! cheers -cosmo d

Hi all, Seems like the right time for an update on the Norwood Suite's current status, in a bit of detail.
Music is fully implemented and getting mastered, but still needs mixing with sound design in-game. All sound effects are done, save for a few stray effects.
Gameplay is complete but still needs polish to address edge-cases. Players can save progress in this game, unlike in Off-Peak. This was a doozy to implement but ultimately has helped the game logic stay tight. That said, all potential edge cases are still being tested. Most importantly, the story and arc of the game are finalized, including the ending, which went through several iterations. I’m pleased with it now. In my playtest last weekend, my colleague Owen talked to me about the whole experience for another two hours after playing the game, interpreting its themes and subtexts with enthusiasm as the night wore on. I take this to be a good sign that the game is doing what I intended: giving the player a rich world to dive into, while leaving room for players to observe and interpret in their own way.
As a writer, my first instinct is to not give too much away, avoid the obvious, but the risk there is that you can easily fall into being too subtle, which the first iterations of Off-Peak and Norwood definitely were. There’s a balance that can only come through honest feedback and willful iteration. Hence, my current status on the game. More news to come as The Norwood Suite moves closer to the finish line. In the meantime, enjoy this tune: Excerpt - Pool Gaze

Here's an update on how The Norwood Suite is coming along, with some new GIFs and a teaser track.


Right now I'm actively implementing music to the game, and that's proven to be intense... in a good way. As many of you might know, music has always been my primary vocation. Re-focusing on it after some time spent on other facets of game design has been like a return to the home base. One thing I'll mention is that whereas Off-Peak's soundtrack was derived from Archie Pelago tracks that had already been floating around in some form on the ol' hard drive, Norwood Suite's music is, to a degree, more intentionally crafted for the game. I say 'to a degree' because there's still an element of just making the music for its own sake, but now that process feels more purposeful and directed, with an arc in mind. Here are the opening chords to one of the new pieces, just to give you a taste: https://soundcloud.com/cosmoddd/blue-moose-man-excerpt I'll be using these chords in a myriad of different ways, and in different contexts throughout the game. They become 'characters' in the game in their own right, and part of the world, helping reinforce the viewpoints people you'll meet, and provide wordless commentary on the environments you find yourself in. I won't say much more beyond this. Knowing how I work, Summer feels like the most appropriate time frame and once I can get more specific with a date, I will. thanks as ever for your support -cosmo d

Hi, I'm posting gifs to give you an idea of how my next game, The Norwood Suite, is coming along. For those of you just tuning in, The Norwood Suite is the direct follow-up to Off-Peak and is set in the same world.


I'll be at the Game Developer's Conference at the end of the month talking about narrative design and how it relates to my approach to sound design. I'll post a link to that talk when it becomes available to the public. I'll have more to share in due time. I'm deep in it. -Cosmoddd

Hey everyone, I just updated Off-Peak based on recent user feedback and requested features. Inverted Y-axis support, Linux support and more... full details can be found at this thread. Last week, Vice's Waypoint and Killscreen both interviewed me. The interviews are quite in-depth, covering different facets of how I came to make games. If you're curious to know more about me and where I'm coming from with Off-Peak and how I'm approaching my next game, The Norwood Suite, these two articles paint a clear picture, from different angles. [url=https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/how-indie-dev-cosmo-d-is-humanizing-new-york]Waypoint:
[url=https://killscreen.com/articles/making-videogames-inspired-new-yorks-musical-improv-scene/]Killscreen:
Be well, and if you have any questions / concerns, reach out to me at cosmod -at- cosmod -dot- net or follow me on twitter at @cosmoddd

This was a pleasant surprise. To whomever was responsible, be you a Steam human or an algorithm, thank you!
In other news, I have a new update [strike]I'm working on [/strike] I've released that addresses some of the technical feedback I've gotten on the build. Happy Halloween

Hi everyone. Cosmo D here, Thanks for giving Off-Peak a whirl on Steam! As this is my first game released on the platform, I appreciate your patience as I get my sea-legs with assorted Steam-related idiosyncrasies. Dialog bug fixed: The dialog system was a bit out of sorts, as I was basically telling the game to double-click through it unintentionally. If you are a little confused as to what people are saying in-game, it's probably because you are reading literally 1/2 the dialog written, and that's because of this bug. My bad... I just fixed it! Specifically, the PC side is fixed with a Mac-side fix coming as I type this. Patience appreciated. Any other bugs... please send all complaints to cosmod--at--cosmod-dot--net.