Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #66

Hi everyone! Here is our April update with what's going on at whimindie is here! Please note that some of this information will be cross-posted to our Spellbearers project page on Kickstarter for project backers.

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Spellbearers

In February, we released an update on changes to co-op gameplay, so please take a look at that if you haven't. 

As of this month, our main focus of the game is working on the final boss battle design and implementation, so that we can go through the whole game and implement the final achievements UI. 

We're also doing a lot of testing in both 1-2 player modes to make sure we knock out a lot of critical bugs and make sure the difficulty scales appropriately. For now, we're trying to determine what's acceptable for a "Normal" mode of difficulty, and use that to tune the "Easy" and "Hard" modes. 

We are considering releasing a test build for Kickstarter backers to give feedback once we iron out our internal testing. Is this something you might be interested in? Please let us know.

Upcoming Changes to HUD: 

We're also in the process of addressing some feedback that some of the icons in the HUD of the game are difficult to understand. The diamonds weren't being understood as the indicator for speed boosts and the circles weren't being understood as the indicator for the familiar stacks, so we'll be making adjustments. 

Our UI designer Jessica M. Jacuinde came up with a mockup that we're planning on adapting into a final design and implement later this month. Please take a look! 

Is there a design that stands out to you? We would love to hear your feedback!

Update on Retail Release Date Timing and Staggered Approach: 

Due to our ongoing participation in the Rogue Jam, we cannot release Spellbearers before the show airs unless we disqualify ourselves from the ongoing competition. If it is determined that we are not advancing forward for any categories and/or do not receive any funding to expand the game even further, we will then begin to plan out final release dates for the game as we are polishing it today.

Here is kind of a rough timeline of how we plan on releasing if the Rogue Jam does not pan out. We want to do a gradual approach to release to make sure we have smooth launches on all of the available platforms and we can give each individual channel its needed attention for feedback and adjustments.

Early-April: Internal Testing and Bug Fixing + Development of Level 4 Boss Battle

Mid-Late April: In-Game/Steam/Xbox Achievement Implementation and Testing and Research and Implementation of Steam and Xbox Leaderboards

April 18-May 16, 2022: Rogue Jam Competition

Late Spring-Early Summer 2022: Soft launch / Initial Release on itch.io platform (itch.io codes will be provided to backers on the Early Bird Tier/"The Game" and above.)

Summer 2022: Initial release on Steam/Steam Deck addressing feedback and patches from itch.io release. We also plan on reaching out to curators and have a new trailer around this period. (Steam codes will be provided to backers on the Early Bird Tier/"The Game" and above.)

Late Summer-Fall 2022: Initial release on Xbox platforms/Xbox/Microsoft Store

2023/Future: Focusing on PlayStation versions

TBA: Research other possible platforms for Spellbearers release

*Please note that for those with the Selactic Spellbearer FLASH TIER! that Selatria codes will be sent out when that game is completed. 

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Selatria

We also have a lot of information to share regarding updates for Selatria. We're making a lot of progress towards linking up all of the completed cutscenes with all of the gameplay. While we do that, we are also working on various quality of life improvements.

Updates to Font Style 

We found out that the font style we've been using with Selatria is a Microsoft owned font "Tahoma" and so we've switched Selatria to switch to an open-source equivalent "Wine Tahoma". We wanted to choose something that is similar to the font we've used this far, but it also results in some of the text looking a bit thicker, so we are making some tweaks and adjustments to certain windows in the new font style. You can see an example of the changes below. 

(Old)

(New)

Updates to Gobby's Moves and Animations

Jon is currently going through all of our characters and making sure the animations and playability is fun

Barrage: Effect is being changed to three attacks in succession on the same target. The animation is being changed to be quicker. 

Fusillade: Effect is unchanged but will show a new animation on all enemies. 

Keyboard Layout/Changes 

In the last development log, we showed off the changes to the controller layout, and now we have changes for the keyboard layout implemented as well. Unfortunately, this means that the controls will no longer be customizable with the F1 key. 

In the previous development log, I mentioned that we're making the control diagrams easier to understand. Deborah and Jon completed the implementation of the updated keyboard controls. We are only showing the player controls based on the current scheme.

Here's how the controls will look if the player is using a keyboard.

(Old) 

(Now)

Do keep in mind if you prefer the old way without the controls visible on the screen, this can be turned off in the Options menu.

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On a Whim! Podcast

If you haven't had a chance to listen to our whimindie podcast, checkout the "On a Whim!" Podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts. We talk a lot about current events, gaming trends, and some of our gameplay design decisions in more detail. We release an episode every Tuesday, and we have plans in the future to bring on guests in team as well as other friends in the game industry.

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Reuploading ANTics and The Dastardly Dairy Debacle (Android Version) on itch.io

We've had a lot of requests both from the public and from the team on us taking down our older no-longer supported projects "ANTics" and "The Dastardly Dairy Debacle". As of today, both games are now available once again on Android through our itch.io channel for software archival purposes. 

Please keep in mind that support for both of these games have ended in 2020 and we have no plans to have the Android versions of these games supported on newer hardware. Download and play at your own risk.

View ANTics on itch.io
View The Dastardly Dairy Debacle on itch.io 

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The whimindie Super Mario Maker 2 Game Jam! 

I'm putting together a Super Mario Maker 2 Game Jam on the whimindie Discord to make or play through levels created in the jam between now and 4/16. We'll create, play, and (constructively) critique levels created. 

Anyone is welcome to participate! But for now only levels created from now and in the next two weeks should be posted! 

I've had a Super Mario 3 level simmering in my head for a while and finally looking forward to putting it on paper myself this upcoming Saturday. Let's a-go! 

If there's a lot of levels created, maybe I might stream them... Note that this is NOT a Nintendo event nor are we sponsored by Nintendo to do this. It's just a great game design exercise. 

Join the whimindie Super Mario Maker 2 Game Jam!

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That's all for this development log. Thank you for your support!

Also, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, and join our Discord! Until next time!

Listen to the "On a Whim!" Podcast
Follow whimindie on itch.io Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam Wishlist Spellbearers on Steam Wishlist Corpse Castle on Steam

Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #65

Hi everyone! New year! New dev log! It has been about three months since the last one and there's quite a lot of new information to talk about. 

Here is our monthly update with what's going on at whimindie. Please note that some of this information will be cross-posted to our Spellbearers project page on Kickstarter for project backers.

Spellbearers

We have some announcements regarding Spellbearers that I'd like to share. Please take a look.

New Spell Incoming! Prima's Discord

As of current plans, this will be the final spell added for the game. I could only show a small part of the screen due to avoiding spoilers. But with this, we have all of the spells done for Spellbearers! 

Co-Op Gameplay Changes for Upcoming Release/Launch

We are going to be making a list of changes for the 2-player mode for Spellbearers for release. Originally in the demo version, a second player would be able to hop in and out of gameplay at any time throughout the level. Due to new balance changes we have implemented to make gameplay with 2 players scale, we are making the following changes to co-op gameplay for the retail release. 

• A second player will be able to join at the character selection screen. If they join from the start, both players will start with the default amount of lives. 
  
  
• Player 2 will no longer be able to join mid-game the middle of fighting in a room. In order for Player 2 to join mid-game, the room will need to be safely cleared of all enemies and be able to proceed to the next room. If Player 2 loses a life, they will be able to respawn in game as normal.
   
• If Player 1 has less than the default amount of lives when Player 2 joins mid-game, then Player 2 will start with that amount of lives. (ie: Player 1 has 3 lives at the point when player 2 joins, they will have 3 lives as well.)
  
  
• If Player 1 only has one life remaining, Player 2 will not be able to join mid-game.
  
  
• Player 2 will no longer be able to join mid-game during bosses or in the corridor hall just before the boss.
  
  
• If Player 2 joins mid-game, a Spellbearer will be randomly selected from one that Player 1 did not select.
  
  
• Player 2 will no longer be able to drop game once they've joined in. They can only drop by running out of lives.

It's a lot of nit-picky new rules when it comes to how we handle two-player co-op play, and I don't think most people will notice these changes if they play normally or plan on playing co-op from the start. These were rules that we had to implement to make sure the enemies spawn correctly for each room without being game breaking, and with playing/demonstrating at conventions or live game demos when people come in and out to play. 

Production of PlayStation 5 Version

I am happy to say that a PlayStation 5 port of Spellbearers will begin development in the next month! We're still working out details on how this will affect current backers and how/if they will be able to switch their pledge.

I hope to share some more details on this in a future update. Please be aware as of our current plans that Xbox and PlayStation 5 versions of Spellbearers will launch AFTER the PC/Steam release.


Production of Steam Deck Optimized Version

We will also be working on a Steam Deck compatible version of Spellbearers. We want to use this specific build as a basis for how other... similar piece of hardware *cough* might be able to handle the game. I hope to provide updates for this in the next few months as we get a clearer idea of how Steam Deck runs other similar games and we get our environment set up to be able to test the performance. 

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Selatria

We also have a lot of information to share regarding updates for Selatria. We're making a lot of progress towards linking up all of the completed cutscenes with all of the gameplay. While we do that, we are also working on various quality of life improvements.

Controller Layout/Changes 

In the last development log, I mentioned that we were making the controls a bit easier to understand. A big issue we've noticed especially noticing internal and demo testers and players at conventions is that we overload the player with a LOT of information at one time, and it's something we definitely wanted to change before the release.

Jon, Deborah and I have made a lot of tweaks and changes to the layout of the game to make things a lot easier to understand on a quick look. Some of the actions we wanted to take and prioritize. 

• Only showing the information the player needs to see. If the player is using a controller, we focus on showing only controller functions and operations. Same with the keyboard. 
  
  
• Updating the diagrams and tutorial controls for various minigames and in-game events with necessary controls using easy to understand visual cues and icons.
  
  
• A toggleable battle help window that shows icons to help new players.
  

With these bullet points in mind, we were able to simplify something like this (original design)

The old/original controls diagram

to this

The new controls diagram (Controller View)

Battle Screen (Keyboard)

Battle Screen (Controller)

Do keep in mind if you prefer the old way without the controls visible on the screen, this can be turned off in the Options menu.

Production of Trailer for Selatria - Full Version

We are starting production on the trailer for the full version of Selatria. Our trailer is being worked on by Jessi who handled the ANTics and Selatria Part 1 trailer several years ago, and we're hoping to share something even greater. Please look forward to it!

Steam Deck Port being Researched

With the upcoming release of the Steam Deck this month, we have found out that we may be able to make Selatria compatible with the Deck. Our main concerns regarding porting Selatria is the amount of space the game takes up, MIDI not working on Steam Deck, how we can have something comparable in quality to the PC version. 

Shadoe has converted a lot of the MIDI tracks over to an .ogg equivalent that is compatible with the Deck and the quality sounds very comparable. Jon is researching how we can have the Deck version play .ogg equivalent of files of .mid so we don't have to convert data for hundreds of maps. And Parker will be handling the testing on the Deck itself.

I can't absolutely promise as of this update if we're going to guaranteed have a Steam Deck-compatible version of Selatria, but we're going to make every effort to try!

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Rogue Jam 2022

Spellbearers has been nominated for an Audience Choice Awards at the Rogue Jam hosted by Rogue Games and IGN! If you haven't voted yet, the deadline is on Friday, February 4th! 

Be sure to give Spellbearers a vote on the Rogue Jam Audience Choice Awards website!

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LVLUPEXPO 2022 Update

I wanted to also talk a bit about LVLUPEXPO. 

Originally we planned on attending and showcasing some of these changes in this year's LVLUPEXPO 2022 scheduled for later this month. However, due to concerns about the COVID-19 Omicron variant, we have made the difficult decision to back out of this year's convention. We will not be showing our games at the convention this year. 

I'm wishing the LVLUPEXPO convention the best and I hope we can be able to present at the convention in 2023. 

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Regarding NFTs and Blockchain Games

The last point I want to make is regarding the rise of publishers and developers wanting to embrace NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) in their games, products, and services. 

A lot of publishers and developers are interested in embracing NFTs, and there's quite a bit of pushback from indie game developers as well as players against them. 

While I don't have any ill will for companies, publishers, or developers that wish to use NFTs or make blockchain games, it is not a direction we are taking the studio in. Our focus is to make enjoyable games that are, at its core, fun. Our hope is to keep it that way. Thank you for your support.

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That's all for this development log. If you haven't please vote in the Rogue Jam and give your vote for Spellbearers! We really appreciate your support.

Also, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, and join our Discord! Until next time!

Follow whimindie on itch.io Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam Wishlist Spellbearers on Steam Wishlist Corpse Castle on Steam

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Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #64

 Hi everyone! Happy November!

Here is our monthly update with what's going on at whimindie. Please note that some of this information will be cross-posted to our Spellbearers project page on Kickstarter for project backers.  

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Spellbearers

I want to start off by saying that this month's update will be the final game-development related monthly update before the Spellbearers launch. Future updates will center on backer updates and fulfillments, a retrospective on the project, as well as release date and porting timing when we have finalized decisions on these.

This is good news for the project as it means we are nearing the finish line and most of the remaining content that is left is in spoiler-territory. Thank you all for your support and backing of this project through Kickstarter and your supportive comments on Discord. It really means a lot to us that you all have given us this opportunity. I really hope you'll enjoy playing through Spellbearers on Steam and Xbox. 

Now on to the footage! Please note that this is not finalized and subject to change. This was taken and implemented by our game director Gerren - Please take a look.

All four Spellbearers are implemented along with the brand-new character selection screen. If you remember in the 53rd development log that was posted a year ago, we showed off mockups of the character selection screen, so it's awesome to see all of the work of the art team come together full circle. 

You may also have noticed there will be secret rooms! There will be a secret room in every level that will include bonus powerups, lives, treasures, and achievements! I hope you can find them all. 

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Selatria

Meet Merrylegs Squigglefingers!

If you're a long time fan of the project, you might notice this enemy is from the title screen of the first part that we released on Steam and itch.io, and you'll actually be able to fight him on the Faylien continent. Squigglefingers is one of the toughest optional superbosses, so best of luck if you can defeat it! Also, you may notice a small change in the battle window above. I mentioned in past development logs that we are looking to improve the UI a bit to make it so it's a bit easier for newcomers to learn and pick up the controls. Jon is currently implementing a system where the controls will appear for keyboard and controller and they will be based off the last input of the player. Right now Selactite is being used as placeholders while Deborah is working on finalized pictures of the buttons and keys that will display for controller and keyboard players. And for those who liked it the old way, don't worry! All of these controller/keyboard suggestions will be toggleable in the Options menu.

I'm hoping to show some footage of Chapter 5 and some updated battle UI in next month's updates. Until December!

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That's all for this development log. Thanks for your support, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, and join our Discord! Until next time!

Follow whimindie on itch.io Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam Wishlist Spellbearers on Steam Wishlist Corpse Castle on Steam

Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #63

Hi everyone! Happy October! Happy Fall!

Here is our monthly update with what's going on at whimindie. Our 63rd development log! Note that some of this information will be cross-posted to our Spellbearers project page on Kickstarter for project backers.  

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Spellbearers

I'd like to start off by showing some new game video footage of Level 3: The Fiery Lands of Floga! Please take a look.

This is some footage from one of the later rooms! What do you think? Looks pretty chaotic. Because of the arcade nature of Spellbearers, only the really dedicated players will be able to make it this far! Do note that we're still working on making adjustments, improvements, tweaks, and changes and what you see here is not exactly finalized yet. But I think Gerren did a great job in compiling the team's work together for a cohesive Level 3. I can't wait for you all to play it.

Now for some of the bad news: We're about a month and a half behind our development schedule. Originally, we were aiming for a holiday release, but we still need some time to polish up the experience and performance of the game as well as finish up some spell assets and art for the final level. Since we're an independent studio, we are not in any rush to complete and we can take our time to deliver the game. For this reason, we are going to be postponing the release to early-2022. Here's a bit of a breakdown with where we're at:

What's completed:

• Most of the programming done for multiplayer selection.
• All Player Art/Animation
• Level 1-3 bosses and enemies
• Level 4 Art and Enemies
• In-game achievement system

  
What's left to go:

• Level 4 Enemy Balancing
• Final Boss
• Secret Room Implementation/Mechanics
• Difficulty Levels
• Graphics/Audio Setting Implementation
• Sound Effects for later levels/UI
• Xbox Achievements and Polishing/Playtesting

While we still aim to complete what's left this year, we're going to use November-December before the holidays to playtest and adjust and make sure performance on Xbox is also on par with the PC release, all while being able to have the time we need off with our families for the holidays.

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Selatria

Selatria is also making some solid progress.

Matt and I are working on implementing and tying Chapter 5 together. Matt's working on enemy and troop placement for the Imperial Castle and I'm currently tying Don's cutscenes to the gameplay and doing a lot of polish. Here's a preview shot of one of the scenes we're currently working on. (Still subject to change).

Scene from Chapter 5 - The Faylien Capitol is under attack

As mentioned in the last development log, we're still working on a way to easier explain the controls without overwhelming the player with diagrams at the game's opening. Jon and I are going to be spending most of this month figuring out the best way to go about that. 

We've also started work on the official soundtrack for Selatria. As most of the music is MIDI, Shadoe is currently recording the songs how they sound in game, and from there converting to other formats and editing them. There will be 121 songs in Selatria's soundtrack! An amazing collaboration between a few different composers who helped out with the soundtrack. It will be awesome and can't wait for you to hear it.

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That's all for this development log. Thanks for your support, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, and join our Discord! Until next time!

Follow whimindie on itch.io Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam Wishlist Spellbearers on Steam Wishlist Corpse Castle on Steam

Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #62

New month, new updates! Here is the monthly update for what's going on at whimindie. Our 62nd development log. Note that some of this information will be cross-posted to our Spellbearers project page on Kickstarter for project backers.  

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Spellbearers

Work has begun on the final level of Spellbearers. Gerren has completed all of the enemy implementations in the game and sent this over to show! Take a bow, enemies!

Spellbearers Enemy Showcase

Last month I showed you a preview of the Fiery Lands of Floga, and now I'd like to show you preview of the first form of the boss, the Hygregore. 

The Hygregore

We are still a few months away from finishing Spellbearers, thank you for being patient with us while we work on a final release date. 

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Selatria

Voiceover Recordings Complete!

As of last month, all voiceover work for Selatria is finally complete! 10 years in the making. A big thanks to Shadoe who took charge on voiceover editing and scheduling voiceovers to come in to do recordings and retakes... so many retakes. A big thanks to Jabari Lewis-Smith to challenging us to make a game using voiceovers and a huge thanks to all of the voiceover cast of Selatria for working with us over the years, and being patient on my personal incompetence with never have leading a project let alone with voices. And I'm very glad that milestone is finally completed.

Adjustment to New Game Experience/Control Windows

A big issue I want to address with Selatria is that we dump a lot of control schemes and complicated diagrams at the player early on and expect them to magically remember in Chapter 1. I noticed it with streamers who get confused by our options windows and by inexperienced gamers at conventions and shows who stare at the control screen at the beginning for what I feel is a bit too long.

We're currently looking into a way to simplify the new game and control experiences to make the game a bit easier to understand early on by showing only the keys that plan to be used and separating the controller diagram to its own section. We're only in the diagram and planning stages for this at present, and we're open to ideas as well. If you have any games that have really good control tutorials, we'd love to hear them and study for science. 

Selactic Cave - Preview

One of the dungeons that I've been working on is the Selactic Cave. In Chapter 3 when you get the ship, you have access to be able to explore just the first level of the area, but later in the game you will be asked to return for a reason I won't get to in this blog entry. (Find out by playing in the second half when it releases!)

There were quite a bit of adjustments needed to solve some slowdown issues and to make the map a bit more simplified/streamlined. (The original vision of the map had the player constantly getting on and off a raft and it got a bit too tedious, not to mention add un-necessary load to the area.) 

As I mentioned last month, we're finally back on track a bit for Selatria, so expect a few more updates on new dungeons and new screenshots in the next few months including some other dungeons the other team members have been working on.

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Gameacon 2021 @ Rancho Mirage

I know with the Delta variant of COVID-19 making its rounds, us attending the Gameacon convention was a bit of an obstacle, but we had a safe and good turnout. A big props to the team at Agua Caliente Casino and the Gameacon showrunners for emphasizing a safe convention by limiting attendance, promoting social distancing, and requiring the use of face masks for the convention.

We got a lot of valuable feedback on Spellbearers and Selatria and we plan on using it to improve both games before their final release. 

A big thanks to Paul, Morgan, and Parker for helping show at the convention!

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End of Physical Studio Space

whimindie is switching to be a complete virtual studio. We've moved out of the studio space in San Bernardino and all of our team will be working remotely from home permanently. It was the best way to reduce costs and put more focus on the team and cloud infrastructure and continue to do what we love to do. Making fun experiences.

Some final pictures from move out day.

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Also a thank you to Black Game Developers for the shoutout!

Thanks for your support, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, and join our Discord! Until next time! Follow whimindie on itch.io Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam Wishlist Spellbearers on Steam Wishlist Corpse Castle on Steam

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Remastered Edition

I'm slowly trying to get through my stack of shame, and one of the games I put on the backburner was the remastered version of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (Nintendo Switch Version).

I tried to play it with some studio friends last year but it was a pain in the butt to deal with and super frustrating, so I put it in the back and moved onto some other games to play. 

After finishing a few other games in the stack and while FFXIV Endwalker is coming out a few months away, I decided to revisit it and set aside a few hours each week to play it with friends who are willing to put up with the rough multiplayer aspect. 

At first I thought it was still a royal pain, but as I'm now in Year 4 and there are a lot of dungeons to do without cutscenes getting in the way as much, I'm enjoying it a bit more. When you get into a dungeon and everyone is in, it's fun, but it's the stuff in-between that really dampens the experience. The flow of the game is really off, and I wish they redid some fundamental things of the game to make it work for a modern age. 

I wouldn't know how to pull it off, and I don't think Square-Enix did either. Still aiming to finish it, though.

Blog Revamp

It's been some time since I've made a post not directly related to what's going on in the studio. I've utilized a black/blue color scheme on my blog for a really long time. I wanted to kind of revamp it to match a new color scheme I'm liking a bit more these days. Black/White/Light Blue. A bit less edgy, but a lot easier on my eyes.

The new cover photo is a commission from Loren Petty (@lorenpettyart) who worked with us a bit on whimindie projects last year. It shows an up-to-date montage of the projects I've been focusing on. 

Stay safe everyone.