|
Naphtalite Newsletter Archives Index
|
Subscribe
|
|
|
September18, 2006 - Naphtalite Newsletter >> |
|
********************************* NAPHTALITE NEWSLETTER - Issue #01 ********************************* 1. INTRODUCTION 2. NAPHTALITE NEWS 3. EPISODE ONE WILL BE LONGER! 4. KAPTAIN BRAWE PROGRESS 5. MEMBER GOODIES ############################ 1. INTRODUCTION Well, must say that the August was quite a month. It started great, my productivity was at its peak, and I was cramming 2 locations per week. Surely, this tempo couldn't go on for long, so it dropped considerably. BUT... Just because I weren't working on Kaptain Brawe, doesn't mean I've been lazy. Did a lot of research on Search Engine Optimization, and gradually started optimizing Naphtalite.com to be relevant for point and click games. At first its position was awful, somewhere around 36th page on google. Now, it's on 17th (last time I checked, but it seems there is alot of fluctuation considering google ranking). Furthermore, I've added a newsletter service, and what you have here is the VERY FIRST ISSUE! I'm not sure how it will work, as it seems some people have registered, but I don't see them on my list. If it doesn't go well, maybe I'll just use the forums for news and updates. Also, I was thinking of having a blog, which I swore on my dead cat's soul I will never have. Blog could be an interesting form of developer diary, aswell as a vent off spot. Well, we'll see. I wish to thank everyone that subscribed, aswell as forum members. I love you guys. (ok, stop yapping and get on with it....!) ############################# 2. NAPHTALITE NEWS Well, as mentioned above, I seriously started optimizing the site to rank better at google. ALso, I've been having problems sending my mail off and was unable to send e-mails to relevant sites that cater adventure and point and click games. Must have a word with my host and see WHY THE HELL IS IT HAPPENING! Also, I've been toying with an idea that I should DEFINATELY take more people onboard after I finish this. Must say, there is FREAKING ALOT to be done. John Green - www.johngreenart.com - offered some help (thanks as always John) on future installments, and I must say it would be an honor to work with him. A decent animator would really help, as after doing animations for Brawe I DREAD the idea of doing the same amount of work for the other dozen or so characters that will appear in the first episode. So, hereby I declare that I WILL be looking for an animator for the second episode (payed position of course). As for Kaptain Brawe's popularity on the web, I must say I don't fare good. Of course, this has alot to do that I did virtually NO MARKETING whatsoever, but whereever I post something regarding the game, hit counts go up, and the number of demo downloads increases. For instance, 300 people requested the demo in August, but almost 90 downloaded it in past two days - being the result of posting in a thread over at Eurogamer.net forums. Overall, around 1000 people got the demo over the last 3 months. If I EVER sell that many units, I will be kissing the forum members! Oh, the horrors game developers are able to press onto a world. Anyways, one BIG announcement that some of you don't know about.... ############################# 3. THE FIRST EPISODE WILL BE LONGER!!!! Yeah, that's right, A Brawe New World will be longer, extending to one more planet, besides Jama Spacea. It will include 5-6 more locations, with one BIG puzzle to solve. This decision came as a result of seeing that what was initially planned didn't really look like it would satisfy the gamers. So to draw the line, here is what you will get: 1. Around 5-9 hours gameplay (depending on how your little brain cells work) 2. 15 characters 3. Around 30 scenes 4. 2 planets to explore 5. More than 15 unique musical scores 6. God knows how many puzzles 7. Grave digging This, of course, means that the 1st Kaptain Brawe game will consist of TWO episodes 1. A Brawe New World 2. still a secret Well, that wraps it up. Next, what have I've been doing on the game... ############################ 4. KAPTAIN BRAWE PROGRESS First of all, Kaptain Brawe has been featured in Game Tunnels quarterly online mag. It seems indies are becoming more and more popular. VIVA LA REVOLUCION! Ok, so, last month I did 5 locations and implemented ALL the puzzles and interactions. Ofcourse, samples need to be added, some custom Brawe animations and music files, but it could be finished soon! This is, essentially, a part of the story (something like a demo was) that spreads over 7 locations before you can move on to a bigger part of Jama Spacea (and further reveal the story). What remains to be done is 2 characters and, CHECK THIS OUT, - AN ANIMATED SEQUENCE!!!!! Yeah, you heard it right, when you finish that segment you will be rewarded with an animated cutscene. God knows how will I do it. This will be an .avi sequence, probably not very fancy (considering my animation abilities). One of the things that I really don't like doing is adding a bunch of non-relevant descriptions on objects. You might have noticed that alot of indie adventures use humor, which usually doesn't do any good to a story. So, the main problem remains, since there is a butt load of interactive objects, is how to push the story further, how NOT TO BORE the player with descriptions and how to remain true to the world that surrounds the player. Must say, it's damn hard and annoying to do. After that's done, that part will be thouroughly tested before I move on. Some of you just MIGHT get the chance to beta test it! I want to do this, as I got INVALUABLE INFO after releasing the demo. You wouldn't believe how many things get overlooked while you are working solo on the project. That is why I need a second, third or fourth opinion, and YOU are the best people to contribute! So, show me you participate in discussions over at www.naphtalite.com/forums as I will be picking some of you from the forums, not from the newsletter subscriptions. And that leads us to PRESENTS! YAY! ############################# 5. MEMBER GOODIES As I promised, with every newsletter you will get a little snippet from the Kaptain Brawe production. In the future, those might be sketches, wallpapers, new characters but for this 1st SPECIAL issue of Naphtalite Newsletter you get THIS: 1. Interlude 1 music (when you land on Jama Spacea) - http://www.naphtalite.com/files/media/Interlude_Jama.mp3 (Right Click, Save As...) 2. A scene that accompanies above mentioned music - http://www.naphtalite.com/Images/KB/J_Interlude.jpg and 3. A BRAND SPANKING NEW SCREENSHOT - JAMA SPACEA MAP! - http://www.naphtalite.com/Images/KB/J_Map.jpg 4. An UPDATED Windmill scene - that fits better in the story - http://www.naphtalite.com/Images/KB/J_Windmill.jpg Expect the same in the next issue, which should appear in 2 weeks. Until then, STAY SHARP and SPREAD THE BRAWE WORD. ONWARD TO WICTORY, KB. |
|
|
September18, 2006 - Naphtalite Newsletter >> |
|
Naphtalite Newsletter Archives Index
|
Subscribe
|
|
|
Archives powered by Zinester's Mailing List Service
Details on Naphtalite Newsletter |
Browse for more newsletters at Zinester's Ezine Directory
Managed by Zinester's Mailing List Management |
