atelier konditorei

Indie game studio, aspiring pastry shop https://konditorei.itch.io/edelweiss-knights

[konditorei]

Revamped Overworld Map UI/UX, Discord Link

Work on the new demo is continuing at steady pace! I'm in that situation where I make a lot of progress, but I tend to forget to communicate it properly, so it feels like I'm not progressing at all? I wish I could showcase fancier stuff, but instead you get a bunch of screenshots and a sketch of Edelweiss sipping tea. >:)

Revamping UI/UX

I've streamlined the Overworld Map (from which you access battles) a lot. You can see a lot of stats. I just like peppering the screen with numbers. I know it's  not everybody's cup of tea, but heh. As Edelweiss Knights meshes tactics and visual novel aspects, I feel that simulative elements could fit well too. 

So you will find in the demo, an in-game Calendar (you spend days by moving across nodes,much like Final Fantasy Tactics Advance). Some days can be tougher than others! And I mean it. You can see on the top-right corner, the Blood Moon countdown.

Once a Blood Moon starts, battles become tougher!

So, there is this element of strategy even in the Overworld Map itself. Traveling between nodes has a cost in terms of possible threats the Knights can encounter. This ties into the recovery system and stats management in general!

The Battle Preview screen also factors in, as it displays info on the upcoming Battle. Again, numbers! And the creatures you see, are Deity, and they are accompanied by a forecast, or the chance of them appearing on the battlefield and doing their business.

That's it for today.

Before I forget, here's the DISCORD LINK to konditorei's server:

https://discord.gg/kDwuh9WKpr

It is still just me basically. So, if you join, it will be very awkward, at first. Maybe even later. But who knows? Maybe you'll be in for some surprise, like, trying new builds in advance! Builds and awkwardness, that sounds like a fair tradeoff to me.

[shallow-thinking-games]

Forgot I haven't posted this promo shot here yet! I installed NetRadiant Custom the other week and slapped some brushes down for the first time in a long time. It had some peculiarities compared to the various older Radiant forks that I'm more used to, but for the most part the flow came back really fast and I only needed to look a couple of things up.

There's a lot to be said for building world geometry in a tool that was specifically designed for that, rather than a more generalist 3D program. Interestingly NetRadiant Custom adds some extra tools that are more like a full 3D package, but integrates them in a sensible way and preserves what was there. Apart from removing the Z-axis pane which I will never stop being mad about :D

Aaaaaaaaanyway... This isn't a complete map, just a handful of rooms/atria I built to demo my resurrected vintage texture set Rivets n Rust which is 300+ environment textures for a measly eight bucks with a commercial use license.

(Does tumblr spank visibility on posts with links? I have no idea.)

[racheldrawsthis]

🎱🎰 JCC FULL CHAPTER 1 OUT NOW 😈🎲

Jackpot Crash Course is a multi-chaptered, casino-themed death game visual novel about crime, luck, and spectacle.

Against all odds, you must take part in a game show starring only criminals and gamble against rival players to prove yourself still worthy of being pardoned for your wrong deeds. But is the show really about proving your innocence?

In just the first chapter:

🔥 90k Words, 13+ Characters, 300+ CGs 🍒 Multiple story paths 🪙 About 210 ~ 240 minutes of gameplay 🎷 25+ Original Soundtrack

If you've played the demo before, this build contains the second half!

Download and Play Chapter 1 Now for FREE!

Jackpot Crash Course on Steam

In a game show starring only criminals, you must gamble against rival players to prove yourself worthy of being pardoned for your wrong deed

Reblogs are very much appreciated!

[konditorei]

Devlog: On Dread and Summer Ahead

A long due update with the help of moving images

Tomodachick, please write a post where I sum up two months of development. Use an overenthusiastic tone full of will-do attitude and make me sound like a hip, successful indie developer who isn't absolutely struggling coding and promoting the game at the same time.

TomodaChick: So, I should be the one making up for your lazyness?TomodaChick: I'm afraid no technology is advanced enough for that. TomodaChick: Besides, nothing in the lore so far implies that I'm some form of synthetic sentient willing to do your biddings.

TomodachiPod: The game's lore is a bit confusing at the time being, to be fair.

TomodaChick: Said the character from an older game prototype set in a different timeline.

Some explanation is well due in the future! Meanwhile, let Developer focus on the task at hand.

---

Hey! Developer here. I've been silently building the game for the last two months. So, without further ado, it's time to share what I have been working on so far!

Improved Knockback

Enemies (and Player Units) can now fall off the grid and die after receiving a knockback.

What kind of psycho would find satisfaction in throwing enemies off a cliff, I wonder?

Boss Fights

The encounters now offer more variety, as the Knights trio must face more intense battles with Deities. These levels have unique mechanics and require a combination of clever positioning, a bit of puzzle logic and some preparation.

Preparation, as in, you buff up your characters eating Pastry in the Café!

Deity Link Moves

In a previous version of the game, you could summon Deities on the Battlefield. That felt kinda clunky and slow. Instead, now you will be able to create a bond with a Deity and use a special move connected to them by simply pressing a UI button.

There are many other interesting bits:

The Map Editor sped up the workflow significantly, so there is much more content in the pipeline.

The system to unlock new Units is also locked in: expect to see some new face around and how their story intertwines with Edelweiss, Aliza and Violet.

Oh, and now Deities can also roam on the Overworld Map and chase your team, forcing you to a a fight.

Always love me a taste of that sweet, Lovecraftian existential dread.

Before I release this version, I will need to squash bugs, balance this whole thing and tackle many necessary chores. I'm racing against the start of Summer, when it usually becomes too hot to even think of doing anything even remotely connected to development.

What  can you do meanwhile?

Perhaps some time under the sunlight?

You can try the WebGL demo to savour the game loop! Maybe leave some feedback?

Wishlist the game! Yes, yes, I know. Boring marketing stuff. But this helps the discoverability of the game and the project's survival.

Join konditorei's Discord Server

Thanks for the attention!

[konditorei]

Boss Fight Battlefield - wip

[konditorei]

Developing Demo Boss Fight

It will never cease to amaze me how retro RPG graphics can make something like falling off into the void still look cutesy.

There's also this small sense of dread of heights you find in old games... Trying to jump between suspended platforms in 2D Super Mario is a good example. Conversely, Zelda: TOTK doesn't nearly gives me this sensation (yet it's very thrilling to traverse between islands in the sky).

[konditorei]

Testing maps...

[konditorei]

VERTICAL TILES! Recently we've introduced verticality in our maps. This expanded our opportunities significantly!

So, you can see in the video one of the lead chars, Aliza, mounting on an overhang. Then, the enemies follow her very rapidly upstairs.

Lastly, she zaps them with an AOE attack. You can see swarm of enemies moving very quickly. We want regular skirmish to feel very hectic, and add visual chaos.

[konditorei]

We're making a game! And it could be worth of your time...?

Hey. We're a micro studio, developing Edelweiss Knights, our run-based SRPG with visual novel elements. The game tells the story of a Trio of Knights climbing a sacred mountain, in search of a sacred grant-wishing domain.

We've been in the process of finding our home as of late. The game is WORDY, ODD, and SLOW. You have to READ stuff. Oh, and it's turn based. Lore-wise, it deals with Deities, mysticism, themes of loss, but with some classic RPG levity.

It is the type of the game we want to make, despite every wise marketer would advice us otherwise. So, if you're even slightly intrigued by the premise, I suggest following us. We're chaotic, a little bit messy, but we love what you're doing and we'd love to share it with you!