“So far, so good!”
Hello everyone! Here’s a quick development update. Everything’s advancing as smoothly as possible with new and exciting in-game improvements I’m VERY happy about. I’ll talk more about those in upcoming updates but suffice to say the game is really taking shape.
On the technical side Cyrille recently developed a super-simple tool which allows me to concentrate on creating the game’s environments without slowing down my workflow. It’s basically something that lets me import/export locations from the game with a single click. And it’s awesome!
Especially because, as you know, Dwindling Heights (and everything around it) makes for a rather large environment with secrets passages and both open-air and subterranean areas. This way I can concentrate on specific locations while not being slowed down by having to display the entirety of the game’s environments at once.
If any French-speaking reader is interested, there’s currently a very nice double-page about Ghost Of a Tale published in “Jeux Video Magazine” (issue #172). The pages appear just after an article about “The Witcher 3”, which is always nice (if only slightly intimidating)… 😛
Finally I’ve started implementing better vegetation in the game. It will improve before the release of course but I thought you guys might get a kick out of knowing that a lot of it comes from the faraway lands of… my backyard. Here’s a picture detailing the process, starting with taking a photograph, then applying it to a model in Maya.
Note the model itself remains very simple since the sheer number is going to convey a feeling of fullness. And finally the look in-game. By the way the most observant amongst you may notice that the area around the well can also be seen on the magazine screenshot and it has really improved since the screenshot was taken!
I hope you enjoyed this update! As always, don’t hesitate to leave your questions (and/or encouragements) in the comments below, they are much appreciated! I’ll go back to work now…
Evan
April 23, 2015 at 9:19 amI’ve been following the updates to the campaign for quite some time (from its initial Indiegogo campaign in May 2013…also posted it on our website encouraging our readers to support it), but never dropped a comment previously. I’m quite excited to see where the game’s heading, and can’t wait to get to play it once it lands. Awesome work!
LordCrash
April 23, 2015 at 9:37 amLooks great, I like the vegetation! And congrats for being featured in the magazine. Well deserved. 🙂
KwisatzHaderach
April 23, 2015 at 11:08 amCongrats on the feature and don’t worry Seith, Tilo the Grey Mouse will have Geralt the White Wolf for breakfast, I’m certain of it!
Thanks for sharing some of the technical details of your methods and work-processes, it’s always facinating to read about them!
Also, I love you for including clover in your vegetation! I’m serious! The culpable neglection of clover in virtual gaming world’s thus far really strikes me as odd, having seen those lovely leaves of clover now, on your screenshot! I mean, it is such a common plant (where I live), why can I not remember a SINGLE game that features it? And, yes, I do spend considerable amounts of time in a game studying its vegetation, trying to work out what the devs used as a template or inspiration. The clovers give the whole scene an unpredecended sense of realism and immersion 🙂 You should use them in your promotional trailer: “Ghost of a Tale. Out now! With clover!”
Sorry, I’m getting silly, but I do find them rather lovely. Just make sure to hide ONE clover with four leaves somewhere around Dwindling Heights, would give me an excuse to play the game for 100s of hours ;)=
Seith
April 23, 2015 at 11:50 amHaha! Thanks, you’ll be happy to know there’s a lot more in the game! And yes, I’ll put at least a four-leafed one somewhere… 😉
evilkinggumby
April 23, 2015 at 1:47 pmGorgeous and congrats! alwaya great to be featured in a magazine, even moreso to get a multipage spread and be a feature! I am so happy for you. The grass featurette is a kool thing to see, I see them doing similar grass in so many games now and I was always curious if they just went into the yard or if they downloaded pictures of grass or.. what. 🙂 it is kool to see clover. I’d love to see dandelions and even some wildflowers. will you have small ladybugs and other bugs randomly buzzin around in spots too? 🙂 I know we talked about collectibles for the game.. having a collection of varied rare flowers and mushrooms to find across those indoor and outdoor areas would be right fun.
Seith
April 28, 2015 at 6:56 amThank you sir. I’d say depending on the type of game some devs do use stock grass texture. It’s just that I saw an opportunity before I mowed the lawn. 🙂
And there probably will be dandelions in the game. And insects and mushrooms too!
Crinkem
April 27, 2015 at 6:01 amFirst time commenter here – I’m really excited for this game. Even though there’s no solid release date, I’ve kept this on my countdown app just for the fun of it.
I really like the high res artwork of Tilo. Seeing all the stitching in the hat is a great detail – I like the little things like that 😉
Glad to hear everything is going smoothly. And even when things don’t go the way you planned, you’ll pull through it and have a success at the end of the day. You got this far, victory is in sight!
Seith
April 28, 2015 at 7:02 amThanks Crinkem! Your words of encouragement are very welcome! Things don’t always go smoothly, believe me! Between software quirks and hardware meltdowns I could do a whole series of updates just about that kind of thing…
But you’re right, I believe the most difficult part is behind me now, although the amount of remaining work is quite daunting. 🙂
Bruno
April 29, 2015 at 4:46 amwill release for ps4? will have subtitles in Portuguese?
Seith
April 29, 2015 at 6:20 amHi Bruno! PS4 release is a possibility. Portuguese is not yet on the list of supported languages but it might eventually make it later on; just maybe not right at release.
Bruno
April 30, 2015 at 10:43 amthanks for answering. I really enjoyed the game!
Hayden
April 30, 2015 at 12:08 pmAll it took was a couple of seconds on Microsoft’s ID@Xbox presentation for me to become immediately interested in this game, Seith. I am a long-time follower, first time commenter, and really liking how this game is coming together; your updates are always positive and extremely informative. I’m not an IT-savvy guy by any means, but it’s great how you find a way around most roadblocks you encounter.
This is shaping up to be a great game. Keep it up!
Seith
May 1, 2015 at 6:42 amThank you very much for expressing your support! You’re quite observant because those seconds passed mighty quickly during that presentation!
Credit is due to Unity for being such an amazing engine (and to the awesome Paul and Cyrille who help me develop the game of course). But yes, it feels great to be able to move forward without hitting any hard walls. Only soft ones… 🙂
Fabio
May 1, 2015 at 9:24 pmI am following the evolution of the game. Put subtitles in Portuguese (Brazil) please. Our player community is waiting for the game, which seems to be very beautiful and charismatic!
Seith
May 4, 2015 at 9:06 pmHi Fabio. Ultimately, money and time are what’s going to decide which language is supported at release time.
It would be very easy to try and do things quickly and cheaply. But I want the quality of writing (and translations) to be VERY good. Which often isn’t even the case in a lot of AAA games.
Anyway, rest assured your request is duly noted!
lucky
May 4, 2015 at 11:54 amHi there,
Just a few words to support you work, the game style and environments look so good!
All the best!
Seith
May 4, 2015 at 9:07 pmThank you very much, Lucky! 🙂
Eili
May 5, 2015 at 11:11 amHey, another lurker here, since we have been called;)
Picked up a random flyer at Gamescom because it looked pretty and when checked it at home it turned out to be a pretty promising and cute game! Reading up on the lore I totally fell in love!
Really interesting to read the different development stages and details, to be honest there are things that never would have occurred to me to notice in a game, it will be really interesting to lay my hands on a game that I could follow being developed! It definitely adds to the experience.
One question: what is going to be the playing age suggestion? (ie how scary all this is going to be?) I’ve got a little daughter who loves to watch mummy playing and I think she would go absolutely nuts about a little mouse having adventures:)
Seith
May 6, 2015 at 7:18 amHello Eili. Thanks for you feedback! The age rating the Gamescom demo got from Germany’s official organism (equivalent to PEGI, sorry I don’t recall the name) was a 6yo and up. I was actually surprised; I was expecting a 10yo+ but to be honest there’s not going to be anything truly shocking or gory. I mean you’re never going to see Tilo cut down into bloody bits or die excessively gruesome deaths.
There WILL however be locations that are quite dark and scary with some slimy monsters (all based on insects and animals) roaming around. But we’re not talking “Seven Pits of Hell” either… 🙂
Eili
May 6, 2015 at 5:49 pmWell, at this point I think I’m way more concerned about those spiders than she’ll ever be:))
Thanks for the answer!
Subject_J80
May 13, 2015 at 1:42 pmKeep up the excellent work. Been a long term admirer of the game and cannot wait to play it.
Each time I come back to new updates the game looks better and better.
Don’t forget to celebrate your successes!
Best of luck over the next few months.
Seith
May 14, 2015 at 11:47 amThank you very much! You’re right, it’s all too easy to get caught up in the madness of things and lose from sight something really important: I’m doing all this because I enjoy it! It’s a source of happiness. 🙂