In the photo above, my cat Orfeo (italian name for Orpheus) in a curious pose (to say the least)!
What’s about the promo sales in the title? Well, the game engine I used for all my recent manga games, Ren’Py, got a big update recently, improving the speed, compatibility and adding the DirectX support (requires DX9 installed though).
So I am slowly rebuilding all the games I’ve developed with it in the past years. The first one to be updated was Heileen 1, the first visual novel I developed myself. For each game update, I’ll have the game on sale at very big discount, with the idea that many people will buy it and report eventual problems (there really shouldn’t be any, but you never know!)
As I’m rebuilding the games I am also adding some small features, like for example I added the infamous relationship bar (see the image below) that was missing on the first two Heileen games.
I’m also going to switch all the old one to the new popular online activation, with the exception of big games with voices like Heileen 2 or Bionic Heart (which would require demos of over 100mb, and it’s a bit too much!).
To buy the game for only 4.99, simply head to the game purchase page. You don’t need any code, but be careful since the offer expires next sunday!
What other games I will update? well, all of them, but I’m taking it slowly, so not more than one every week or better every 10-15 days. The next ones I have scheduled are Heileen 2, then will be the turn of Bionic Heart, Flower Shop, and so on.
The best way to know when the promotional sale is on is to follow me on Twitter or Facebook, since I announce the offers there first, while I update the blog only once a week.
Apart the promotional sales, I’m working hard on the various games in progress: I’ve written half of the 100 scenes for Heileen 3, the RPG framework for Loren RPG is at good point, and I got new art and ending images for Planet Stronghold: Warzone and Undead Lily.
And, “sometimes before Christmas”, Flower Shop: Winter In Fairbrook will finally be released (we decided to add a bonus extra scene to compensate the long wait!).
Hey! It would be a good idea to increase the spacing between the good/ bad portraits and the bar to be about the same as between the bar and the text. In design, breathing room is almost as important as the graphics themselves.
Also, are you sure about the the gloss on the bar? Right now it feels like there are 3 separate styles going on: the top bar is really small and squashed and flat; the progress bar is really 3-dimensional and Apple-glossy; the portraits with text are only elements with 3D borders. Fonts are also different for each of these.
This kind of things I have noticed before, with your other games. I really think you’d benefit from working with a designer on the user interfaces for your games. I can’t really recommend myself, being more of a design enthusiast at this point than a designer, but write me and maybe I can at least give some advice?
Hmm well while is true that has different styles, I don’t think is “that bad” 😀
But yes, I’m working with an artist now for the next games that does also the UI of the game, so the style will be more consistent with the game!
I purchased this game and was very, very disappointed with it. The artwork is great, but that’s the only redeeming quality. The story is terribly written – it’s disjointed and incoherent, a random jumble of unrelated plots with no real character development (or character personalities, for that matter). The main character fluctuates from being sweet to sassy to arrogant and back again within seconds, and all the male characters are portrayed as sex-starved dogs.
All in all, wasn’t worth the money even with the discount. It’s clear that you’re good at designing and coding games — perhaps you should leave the writing to others.
That is the first VN I made, 4 years ago, and indeed now I’m leaving writing to others.