Hey everyone, I've been taking a break on the development for SOTS for over a year now. I'm excited to announce that development has been restarted! I'm a little behind schedule as I planned to restart in July, but we're here. There is a lot more to say, but I'll wait until things have materialized more. The next update should be in approximately 2 months, stay tuned!

[ 2023-08-17 19:24:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

New Design for Seika

Hey everyone, thanks for tuning in. The new version of Serenade of the Sirens (SOTS) is still underway! In the mean time I wanted to reveal the new design for Seika.
I would love to reveal more about the updated version, but there is still work to do and I want to make sure things are further along before I do so. As I mentioned in the previous devlog that the goal for the next milestone is in May and I'm aiming to have a build that can be play tested in the wild by the end of it. Other than that, I'll post another update in May. Talk to you then!

[ 2022-03-30 00:20:50 CET ] [ Original post ]

Wanted to give a quick update before the year closes out. Serenade of the Sirens is still in development! Devlog updates will be infrequent until I have a new working demo available. Until then the goal for the next milestone is May 2022. That's all I have for now, Happy New Year!

[ 2021-12-31 17:51:09 CET ] [ Original post ]

Updates

Hi everyone, welcome to another devlog of Serenade of the Sirens (SOTS). Wanted to give another update of the current state of SOTS and be as transparent as possible. As I mentioned in previous updates, I have rebuilt the game from scratch and am working on a new version. I'll create a beta branch with the new version but I would like to expose the latest version with a smaller group of play testers first. If you're interested in play testing you can join my discord (https://discord.gg/wzfMfGNd3q) for more details. I'm also offering a free key to a small group for play testing, so tell your friends!

Post Mortem of V1 SOTS

This section is a little more on the personal side as I would like to give a sort of post mortem for the previous version of SOTS as that will be put to rest soon. As SOTS is coming up on it's 3 year anniversary from being released, I have many thoughts about the game and development in general. A quick note, v1 SOTS refers to the old version and v2 SOTS refers to the latest version that hasn't been released yet.

Working on Multiple Projects

This is a big one for me and is one of the reasons this game isn't further along or finished. I bit off way more than I could chew by not only making this game by myself, but also spreading myself thin by working on other projects on the side. The cons of this is not being far along with SOTS as I could have been, making promises to people that I couldn't fulfill which burned bridges, and ultimately not having something 'finished' with anything I was working on. On the positive side I did learn a lot in the process. If I was to do it again, I would have just kept SOTS as my full time project and not over commit myself (like an occasional game jam is fine).

Not Enough Prototyping

Another mistake I made is I didn't spend enough time in the prototyping phase of v1 SOTS. I like to set deadlines on projects so I can move it forward and I set an arbitrary timeline of 6 months for the game. After working on v2 SOTS now, I can see how some of the problems I have solved in the latest version could have been caught and remedied had I gave SOTS more time to bake in the oven. Will definitely wait longer in the future before I release a game on steam (even if in early access).

Art Challenges

This has definitely been one of the challenging areas of both versions SOTS for me. I started off as the original artist then eventually outsourced the artwork so I can focus on the design and programming side of things. I feel as though the art doesn't have a cohesive style and definitely could have used more work. I'm hoping v2 SOTS delivers a better experience in this regard, but it still has been challenging finding the right fit for artists and SOTS.

Gameplay

I may have highlighted some of these things in previous dev logs/updates, but I thought it's relevant to the discussion. Here a few things about gameplay that I thought could have been improved in v1 SOTS. Lack of Progression One thing I felt is lacking, and kind of a sin for roguelites, is any meaningful progression. There are items you can collect to make you stronger and end game powers up that have permanent effects, but they weren't exactly that great in my opinion as they either suffered from not much of an impact or just not enough options to progress. Lack of Variety There are four stages with v1 SOTS and besides art and slight enemy changes there isn't much difference. There is also only one style of attack and the abilities that you gain aren't that well thought out looking back at it now. The bosses (a.k.a Sirens) need to be revamped as well as add additional ones. Also there aren't many surprised or secrets as well. There needs to be something that brings you back to the game and I think the lack of variety didn't help. Better Enemy and Room Designs Another thing I wasn't satisfied with is the lack of synergy between the geometry of a room and the placement and mechanics of enemies. What I mean by that is more thought should have went into enemy placement as this can help with strategizing how to proceed further. I'm not relying on manual placement of enemies as opposed to more procedural for v2 SOTS. More fun and interesting opportunities can reveal themselves with the right placement and design.

Rebuilding 2 Times

Maybe recreating the game 2 different times wasn't the best idea and usage of time. For the first rebuild, I wanted to recreate the game with a better code base and in the end I got the same game (with a few performance improvements). I justified this in my mind by saying new features would be easier to add which they were, but this was short lived as I eventually decided to rebuild the second time. If I could do it over again, I would just have refactored the first version which would have been a lot faster than starting from scratch (with the first rebuild). I feel good about the decision of the second rebuild as there are actual fundamental changes compared to the first rebuild.

Final Thoughts

Honestly working on games have been a dream come true. I love the roguelite genre and I hope the v2 SOTS will be a much better experience. There is definitely more I can say, but for now I'll conserve that energy and focus on v2 SOTS. Thanks for reading!

[ 2021-07-03 18:40:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

Progress on Alpha

Hey everyone, the alpha version of the new Serenade of the Sirens (SOTS) is still in development. I'm currently working to get the game to a presentable state, but it will take more time. Development isn't going as fast as I would like but progress is being made! Also I stripped '0.11.x' from the title since this version of SOTS has its own version scheme. Other than that, I'll continue to push forward and provide more updates in the future. Thanks for tuning in!

[ 2021-04-06 00:57:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

End of Year Update

Hey everyone, as promised here is a quick end of year update on the progress of Serenade of the Sirens (SOTS). I'm continuing to work on the new version of SOTS (will call it SOTS 2.0) and I'm still aiming to have an alpha build by 'the end of Q1/early Q2'. It's been over a year since my last game update, so my number 1 priority as of now is getting the alpha build out for feedback. One of the biggest changes to come to SOTS 2.0 is switching from full procedurally generated rooms to hand crafted ones. This simple change has caused sort of a break through for the game as it makes designing elements of the game a lot more accessible and under my control. With the way the rooms are generated changing, it has updated the way I have designed the enemies and stages. The enemy encounters I feel can be planned out a lot better. I won't get too far into the weeds of SOTS 2.0 until things are further along next year. The next news update will most likely come out in February and I should have a lot more to show and to talk about by then. Thanks for tuning in and I want to wish YOU a happy new year!

[ 2020-12-30 21:29:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi everyone, thanks for checking out another news update about Serenade of the Sirens (SOTS). The alpha version of the new SOTS is still in development and I hope to show off something soon. I originally planned to have a new build by the end of the year, but I need more time to develop the new version of SOTS. As of now I'm aiming to have something playable by "the end of Q1" to "the beginning of Q2" 2021. I'm very anxious to replace the current version of SOTS with the updated one and it's been awhile since I posted any new content. So as a cancellation for not having anything to show yet, I'll reveal something that can be listened to. Here is a track that I have planned for a cutscene. I titled this post after the title of the song as I have a constant longing to complete the game that will always come tomorrow...forever. Maybe it's not that dramatic, but I thought it was compelling enough of a title. Anyways, that's the news I wanted to share today. I'll post another update before the end of 2020. Since the new playable version of SOTS will be available next year, I'll definitely need play testers for the alpha version. As of now, I plan on making that available through a separate branch. More details will come in future updates.

[ 2020-12-08 01:08:47 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone! I'm still developing the new version Serenade of the Sirens (SOTS). I'm working hard to replace the current version of SOTS and I think the best way to introduce it is to add a beta branch/build once a playable build is available. I'll post an update on this in a future update once I have more info. I wanted to post an update sooner but didn't want to talk about things that are subject to change. I feel as though I'll run the risk of things changing regardless of when I reveal, so here I go:

• Seika art has been changed.
• Seika's home world added as an entry point before entering a dungeon.
• Seika can gain more attacks and abilities during a dungeon run.
• More items.
• Added a room map to see how all rooms connects.
• Updated minimap.
• Increased game resolution.
• Added more background layers.

What has or will change isn't limited to this list. All in all, I think it's going in a better direction but I'll need play testers to be the judge. That's it for now, will post another update soon.

[ 2020-11-10 18:00:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

As I continued to work on 0.11.x update I realized that I'm building on an unstable core. As I eluded to in my previous update, the biggest challenge has been shedding what's already there. I also previously rebuilt Serenade of the Sirens (SOTS) but I just recreated the same game with "better code". This time I'm rebuilding with the intention to change things radically for the better. As of now things are good so far. I'm planning to have a playable build for the new version of SOTS by the end of the year and I'll give more details in a future update. Also one thing to note is that the demo and full release versions may be identical with the initial release of 0.11.x.

[ 2020-09-28 19:03:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

Progress on 0.11.x

The updates have been less frequent but Serenade of the Sirens (SOTS) is still in the works! Progress is going pretty good as I continue to redesign and make changes to the game. The next update will be the biggest change yet to come to the SOTS universe, but this won't be for awhile. I'm not in a position to give a hard deadline, but I estimate the next update may be out by the end of the year at the latest. I'll try to give more frequent updates until then as the next build finalizes. So rather than continue blabbering on about an update that's not here yet, I would like to take the time to reflect on the past, current, and future state of the game. I'll do that by talking about specific areas of the SOTS.

Background

SOTS began as a game jam game for the GameGirl Jam. The theme of the game jam was to make a game that contained a female heroine that took place in a retro world. This gave birth to Seika and Serenade of the Sirens. I originally projected six months to complete the game and I was completely and utterly wrong!

Gameplay

I feel like SOTS is getting closer to where I want it to be, but I do recognize that there are some critical issues that need to be addressed before it can reach its full potential. I've highlighted below areas of the game that I'm working to improve:

• Attacks (variations), powers ups, and abilities
• Updating Stages to contain more meaningful content. Less empty space. More thematic and mechanical tie ins.
• Enemy and Boss redesigns
• Items redesigns
• Better end game/metagame mechanics and unlocks
• Visual improvements
• More content
• Bug fixes of course ;-)

This by all means isn't an exhaustive list. I've received great feedback and will incorporate them into the ecosystem of SOTS.

Story

There are a few story points in the current version of SOTS but there's not much. What's in the current game often clashes and doesn't do justice to the lore that birthed the universe. With the next update of SOTS, I would like to introduce more of the world and lore to the player. Since more stages and content will be added to SOTS by the time it leaves early access, there will be more opportunity to reveal why Seika is in such a perilous situation and why she is battling her way through underwater caves!

Biggest Challenge & Goal

One of the main challenges I've been facing with moving SOTS forward has been shedding what's already there. I'm taking SOTS in a new direction and that requires removing things. Some of these things I've unknowingly grown attached to while developing the game. My goal for the next build is to face and overcome this challenge. Not to change things just to change them, but make things better for the game overall.

Conclusion

All in all, I've been focusing on the steps to bring SOTS closer to its 'out of early access' form. I'll give more fleshed out updates once they become available. Thank you for tuning in!

[ 2020-03-28 03:18:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone! It's been a little while since the last update. SOTS (Serenade of the Sirens) is currently undergoing major design changes. There are things that will be added, removed, and modified. I took a break from working on SOTS to come back with a fresh new perspective. I now have a new direction that I want to take the game in and this update is the first among many that will be part of this new direction. The update includes changes to enemy health, player damage, and bug fixes. There will be more updates in the near future, stay tuned. Please be mindful that save wipes will happen occasionally before the game is moved out of early access. Changes:

• Tweaked player and enemy stat balance
• Fixed bugs related to audio and bosses

[ 2019-11-26 21:50:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

Bug fixes:

• Bug related to Boss Eva
• Some vibration and screen shakes not being triggered.

[ 2019-09-26 00:54:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

A small update to save user option preferences (including key mapping).

[ 2019-09-23 19:17:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

A small series of updates to make changes to controller vibration and bug fixes. Changes:

• Updated controller vibration
• Bug fixes

[ 2019-07-28 22:19:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone, it's been a while! I have finally finished rewriting Serenade of the Sirens and 0.9.0 update is complete. The original scope of the 0.9.0 update was to update the layout of the procedurally generated levels and the item shops, but as I dove further into it I realized that a rewrite would be more beneficial as opposed to just refactoring. What I didn't expect was how long the rewrite was going to take. Instead of going down the path of the rebuilding the game, time could have been spent working on new features. The trade off was having a better structured project, making some needed changes to the fundamental systems of the game, and preparing the future for more changes. I've been striving with the last series of updates to get the core game solidified so I can expand upon it and I feel like with the latest update the core of the game is at a place I have been wanting it to be for awhile. There are still some additions and tweaks that Serenade of the Sirens need to become the game that I know it can be and they will be applied in future updates as I continue to iterate on the game. A few points before I close out. It will be awhile before the next minor release 0.10.x version update, but I will provide patches to fix bugs and make tweaks to the 0.9.x version. Last but not least, the save file has been deleted with this new update. There is a possibility that saves will be wiped in the future while Serenade of the Sirens is still in early access, but this won't happen for awhile. I'll give a heads up before the next save wipe. Thanks for reading! Changes (including but not limited to):

• Dungeon layouts are more 'cave like'
• Added soul note item (for end game currency)
• Added separate dungeon for item shop with shop keeper
• Updated Seika's projectile attack
• Updated dash/dodge
• Changes to Iceberg Depths and Coral Cavern Music Themes
• Updated coin and mp end game menu icons
• Added damage animation to Seika
• Various tweaks to the bosses
• Performance optimizations throughout various parts of the game
• Tweaked enemy to enemy collisions
• Save file deletion
• Various bug fixes

[ 2019-07-15 11:52:50 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone! It's been awhile since the last update. I normally give updates once I have a new version of the game out, but since the latest version has been in development for awhile now I thought I would give an update before release. In my previous update, I explained how I would be updating the levels and item shops in 0.9.0. I thought long and hard about this and decided to rebuild the game from the ground up! This was done not only to have a better level layout that fit the vision of the game but to also be able to easily add more features in the future. With the trajectory of the current phase of development, 0.9.0 should be out with the next 1 - 2 months. If anything changes, I'll be sure to provide an additional update in the future. Besides changes to the levels and item shop, there will be tweaks to the graphics as well as music/sound effects. As a cancellation prize for the current iteration of development taking so long, here is an updated version of Iceberg Depth's theme: https://soundcloud.com/chukobyte/iceberg-depths-theme

[ 2019-05-27 17:09:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

Serenade of the Sirens (SOTS) is finally widescreen! This gives Seika much more horizontal visibility. There is also a new title screen as well as changes to the background and tile colors. The next series of updates will focus on enemy (including bosses) and item changes. This will be contained within 0.8.x versions. Version 0.9.x will have updates to levels and the item shop. There is also other changes in the works, but I won't reveal until it's further along. If any of the plan shifts I'll provide details in future updates! Changes:

• Updated screen resolution to wide screen
• New title screen
• Updated tile and background colors

[ 2019-03-21 00:17:02 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changes:

• Added diagonal attacking
• Ability bug fix

[ 2019-03-03 03:37:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone! Here is another update for Serenade of the Sirens. The most notable change is Seika's main attack changing from a close ranged attack to a projectile. I believe this change aligns more with the direction that the game is heading in. I would like to also make a note that due to upcoming updates, which includes newly added and updated enemies, levels, items, and end game powerups, there will be at least one save file wipe. I will go in more detail in a future post. Changes:

• Changed Seika's main attack from close ranged to projectile
• New items that alter attack speed and adds damage to dashing
• Tweaked Seika's movement
• Lowered overall game volume

[ 2019-02-27 01:48:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! Pushing an update to add changes to the level backgrounds, tiles, and coin sprites. I also made changes to the amount of areas in the beginning part of the game. The next series of updates will focus on polishing and tweaking the existing elements of the game. I also have additional content mapped out for the future, stay tuned! Changes:

• Updated level backgrounds and tiles sprites
• Updated coin sprites
• Tweaked amount of areas at the beginning of the game

[ 2019-02-02 00:23:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Small update including tweaks to level generation and coins now representing in game currency. I'm almost to the place where I want to be before adding more content. I'll give more details in future updates. Changes:

• Switched in game currency to coins.
• Tweaks to random map generation

[ 2019-01-14 00:51:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Bug Fixes:

• Bubble Shield regenerates only upon entering new areas
• Bubble Shield wouldn't appear on boss fights

[ 2019-01-07 00:16:37 CET ] [ Original post ]

Happy New Years everyone! With a new year comes a new path for Serenade of the Sirens! Pushing out a new update to lay down the foundation for multiple paths throughout the underwater caves. The cave paths are currently linear but that will change in the near future. Included in this is update is the addition of persistent levels and the removal of the level timer. Stages now take slightly longer to generate, but I will fix that in future updates. Also, I felt that the level timer didn't align with my vision for the game so I'm removing it. Last but not least I'm disabling in level events until there are better integrated with the new procedural generation system. Changes:

• Persistent levels
• Removed level timer
• Temporarily disabled events
• Fixed bug with player start position

[ 2019-01-02 00:08:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

While I was working on changes to the way levels are procedurally generated, I ran across a bug that I can't believe I didn't catch. The size of the levels weren't calculated correctly! I'm continuing to work on 0.7.x but in the mean time I've pushed an update to fix level sizes. Another change includes a slight delay to the enemy shark's attack. Changes:

• Fixed bug related to level generation size
• Added slight delay to shark's attack

[ 2018-12-20 03:05:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changes:

• Decreased Seika's inertia for a better "feel".
• Bug Fixes:
  • Suna boss would glitch while being attacked when stunned.
  • Nina boss delayed door revealed and emerald drop on defeat

[ 2018-12-09 02:47:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

Bug Fixes:

• Seika could get stuck when exiting level in rare situations.
• Electric Eel Shock and Eva's Flame didn't do damage. (Broke from adding the mirror item)

[ 2018-12-08 20:15:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! Just pushing a small update to fix a bug with the "moving blink animation". 0.7.x is still in the works and I'll continue to push updates to fix bugs and make tweaks.

[ 2018-12-07 03:01:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

Small update to make minor tweaks and bug fixes. Changes:

• Updated intro level obstacle sprite
• Luck stat increase chance of plant life giving note
• Fixed bug with door while timer is 0

[ 2018-11-24 20:33:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

Added 5 new items, a new ability, and updated the sprite for ghost piranha.

[ 2018-11-22 23:26:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Small update to fix bug with projectile recharge particles. Changes:

• Bug fix

[ 2018-11-20 03:30:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

So I've been taking some time to plan out and redesign a few things. On the backend I've been testing out new content and will add more once 0.7.x is released. In the mean time, I thought it would be a good idea to patch 0.6.x since I've fixed a few bugs and added a few changes. In 0.6.8 Seika starts with a chargeable projectile attack. Previously the harp item gave Seika the projectile ability, but I thought it would be better to be in inherent ability instead and have the harp argument the charge speed. I've also added a new dash attack for Seika. This mechanic isn't fully complete as I'll add more tie ins to it as well as an introduction to how it works in game. I won't advertise it until it's complete, but you can test it by dashing against an enemy an hitting the dash/dodge button again. This also recharges Seika's projectile attack. Other than that, I've been doing some refactoring. I've stumbled across a few bugs and fixed those as well. New items and content will be in 0.7.x before Christmas! Changes:

• Seika now starts with chargeable projectile.
• Added turbo attack. (WIP)
• Bug fixes

[ 2018-11-18 16:23:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Implemented random level events. These events happen infrequently at the beginning of Seika starting a new level. I will add additional events and tweak how it's currently working in future builds. There are also a bunch of minor bug fixes in 0.6.7. Changes:

• Random level events
• Bug fixes

[ 2018-11-09 05:13:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

Small update to add a flash to the electric eel enemy to make the attack more telegraphed. Also fixing bugs related to Seika's animation and the in game shop. Changes:

• Electric Eel enemy's attack is more telegraphed
• Bug fixes

[ 2018-11-07 03:54:47 CET ] [ Original post ]

Small update to add a few changes and bugs fixes. Thanks to Sorokonojka in my steam suggestions discussion thread for suggesting a change in the "gaining a note" sound effect. A new sound effect for note gaining has been added in. Also the small coral, clams, seaweeds, etc that are decorated through out the level have a chance of giving a note. Last but not least there are fixes related to selection outline and other minor bugs. Changes:

• Updated note gained sound effect
• Plant life have a chance of giving a note
• Bug fixes

[ 2018-11-04 14:32:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

Added descriptions to end game power ups and outlines to objects Seika can interact with. Changes:

• Descriptions to end game power ups
• Interact objects outlined

[ 2018-11-03 15:06:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

Small update to add in shop item descriptions, modify values in clam treasure chest, and bug fixes. Changes:

• Added in shop item descriptions.
• Removed blue notes from treasure chest pool.
• Bug fixes related to UI and animation.

[ 2018-10-31 11:38:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

Updating procedural generation to include more variation in the size and shape of levels, more enclosed spaces (sometimes), and other minor tweaks. This is in preparation for more upcoming changes to the system including more content for stages. Build 0.6.2 also includes bug fixes for the UI. Changes:

• Procedural generation update.
• UI Bug fixes.

[ 2018-10-29 22:49:02 CET ] [ Original post ]

After:
Before:
Update to add CRT effect. The CRT effect was originally just in the intro cutscene, now it has been updated and applied all the time. There are also minor bug fixes. Changes:

• Added CRT Effect
• Bug fixes

[ 2018-10-27 23:09:24 CET ] [ Original post ]