Pyromantic

Inactive. Find at Pyromantic-art.

[pyromantic-arts]

blackcrystalsrpg replied to your photo “@pixelhorrorjam Update #…! God, I keep forgetting. 9? I think it’s 9....”

OMG how many showPictures are at work in this single gif :O Looks amazing!! also I'm happy to know you're safe and well <3

UH I guess it depends on how you count it. The menu’s based on two variables and every element of the portrait has it’s own variable too, so six variables. But then there’s like six individual branches for the menu, more branches than I’m willing to count for the portrait and OH YEAH the message is it’s own variable with associated branches. But thanks!

Also yeah, we actually had a really close call! At it’s peak the floodwaters were like the next street over from where I live, but we kept dry and now it’s all receding. 

[pyromantic-arts]

OH GOSH

So I just installed tag viewer and I looked at what you people have been saying and why are you all so NICE. Further why were you all nice in a format I couldn’t see until like JUST NOW? @scatterbrawn I see you now. I see your game. I see what you said in those tags. And @nedras OH JEEZ THANKS you’re a sweetheart. And @ anyone else who’s sent an anon or made a nice tag or something, thanks a lot! I know I don’t always respond back but I usually see it and appreciate it.

Ah, anyway, that’s all I had to rant about! Update tomorrow!

[pyromantic-arts]

What program are you using to make achroma?

RPG Maker VX Ace! I use parallax mapping instead of tilesets, and made most of the pixel art in Photoshop.

[pyromantic-arts]

Achroma Update #6

It’s another pic-less update - I got a few maps I could post, but I don’t want to spoil. Besides, I might need them later since I’d like to announce that Achroma is (Kinda, sorta, if you bury this statement in asterisks) finished! Ish! Finished-ish!

It’s not complete, exactly, but you can play from start and to finish and get a mostly whole story. But there’s still a lot to be done. For one, there are several routes in the game and currently only one is finished. For two, a few transition scenes are very, very bare-bones. And for three, everything needs more polish. Literally everything. 

Once I’ve got the basics in the game, I want to go back over and redo a few things, and also add in a few features I was afraid I wouldn’t have the time for. So I’ll probably use the full time until October, but unless I have an existential crisis and decide the game’s not worth releasing (Which, I won’t lie, is not out of the question.) I should have... something to turn in, at least.

Progress report!

Maps - 20 / 26

Sprites - 10 / 10

Portraits - 4 / 10

Eventing - God damn I don’t even know anymore. 

Overall - 70 %

[akademia-project]

Akademia - Demo Release

❗ DOWNLOAD HERE AT ITCH.IO!!

Thank you for all of your support! Akademia’s demo is here! It covers the introduction and the beginning of the game, and takes about 45 minutes to an hour to complete. 

You can also find me on Twitter for any questions you have!

[pyromantic-arts]

Questions 1, 3 and 22😄

1. What got you into game-making?

The Humble Bundle sale.

I’ve always played with the thought of making games (Or working in any creative medium) but never really sat down to do something about it until… well, until Humble Bundle sold me RPG Maker and a ton of other resources for like 12 bucks.

But I think… the first time I wanted to make a game, specifically, I was about 16 or so? I got this idea for a game set in a fantasy weird west setting. Gun-slinging bounty-hunters riding atop dragons, dusty frontier towns plagued by necromancy, forgotten gods sleeping in the sands - stuff like that. As I recall, the main trio consisted of a messenger who dabbled in smuggling (A job gone awry pulled her into the main story), a drifter who made ends meet working as a travelling cleric mage (he cleaned up said job’s aftermath and got too curious), and a law(wo)man who’s investigation kicked off the main plot. It didn’t feel like it could work as anything but a game, and all the freedom that offered. 

I never developed the idea much, and I doubt I ever will. But I’d still play the hell out of any game like it, if someone’s so inclined to make one.

3. Why did you start making the project?

Last semester, for my Creative Writing class, I had to write a short story. I tried out one concept, which never really came together, but the idea for it morphed into this one. Like with the weird west game above, it felt like it needed to be something other than text. But honestly, the urge to actually make it struck back in… about mid-June, when I saw the PHJ contest posted and went “Man, that aligns pretty nicely with the hiatus I’ll have to go on in a few months.” So, I thought I’d give it a shot!

22. Is game-making a career or hobby for you?

I figure most would say they’d like it to be a career. I’m not exactly alone in the “hobbyist indie dev who wants to make something of themselves” category.

But that’s sort of the issue, right? Everyone wants to do it. Which naturally means very few do - no one ever says the janitorial industry’s hard to break into because who the hell wants to. But here, supply far outstrips demand.

So for now? Hobby. If something ever comes of it, I’d love to jump on the opportunity. But it’s healthier for me if I treat it as a fun, low-stakes hobby. - and maybe one day it’ll be something more.

Besides, I’d like to get better at damn near everything before I move to doing this in any professional capacity. 

[pyromantic-arts]

8, 15 & 21!

8. What’s your favorite part of game development? Least favorite part?

I love to come up stories and characters and concepts! I don’t consider it part of development per se, since I’ve come up with a lot of ideas over the years that never made it to paper, but it’s probably the most natural and exciting part of it for me. I’ve also always found making the maps for the parallaxes to be a soothing, stress-free experience.

Worst? Sound design. I have no skill with it, or even much interest, and having to stop development to scour the internet for a free-to-use sound effect is so tedious. I’ll admit I sometimes cut corners here.

15. What’s your favorite part of your project so far?

Hmm… it’s hard to get into this without getting into spoilers, but there are a few turns with the writing that I like.

I’m also pleased with how the mapping’s gone. I’ve never done a side-scroller before, and looking at my earliest maps, I’d say I struggled a bit with it. But since I got into the swing of things, I kinda like what I’ve been turning out.

21. What kinda games do you play in your spare time?

UUUHHHHHHHHH….

WELL. I guess there are a lot of RPGs in my backlog. Dragon Age, Fable, Elder Scrolls, all that jazz. I have a weak spot for certain sim games - I’ve sunk way too many hours into Viva Pinata and the Sims and such. Stealth games can be cool, and I grew up on 3D platformers like Jak and Daxter.

I also have Dishonored 2 and the new Deus Ex sitting around but haven’t gotten to play them. I’ve got my eye on Prey and the upcoming Yakuza and Persona 5 could be cool, but I still have to finish 4.

But I think the common theme in all games I play is that I love exploration. Curiosity and discovery are things that, I think, games are uniquely well-suited to stimulating. 

[pyromantic-arts]

10, 11 and 12. ^^

(Just a general notice, I’ll assume all project-related questions are for Achroma, since that’s what I’m working on right now.)

10. What’s your favorite character to write?

The main character’s a bit snarky and don’t-give-a-fuck, which is always fun, especially when pitted against serious characters and situations. Sometimes writing snark makes me self-conscious, since there’s always the fear that it isn’t funny and I’m just being dumb. But otherwise it’s a blast to be nonchalant about nearly everything.

11. Which character is the hardest to write?

I’ve had a… surprisingly easy time developing most of the characters. Generally I spend a few months or so getting them into decent shape, but this bunch snapped together in a matter of weeks. A few things about them are still dodgy, and they’re not quite as complex as I generally like my characters to be, but they’ll do.

That being said, one character in particular has given me a bit of trouble. I worry that he’s a bit bland, and will get passed up in favor of the other, more bombastic characters. But I’ll have time to polish, and even if he doesn’t come together, hopefully the other characters can pick up the slack.

12. What’s the most important aspect of your game?

Story! I imagine almost every project I do will emphasize story above all the rest. 

I’ve always thought of myself as a writer first, an artist second, and everything else last, if at all. So most of my projects will likely be story-based and light on gameplay. I know some people don’t like that, but I feel like trying to crowbar in gameplay that I don’t want will just make for a bad game, and a stressed-out dev. 

Anyway, thanks for asking, Flare! :D

[pyromantic-arts]

Game Development Ask Meme!

1. What got you into game making?

2. How long have you been working on your game?

3. Why did you start making your project?

4. Do you have any previous projects you've never released?

5. How do you come up with game ideas?

6. How much planning have you done for your game?

7. What do you focus on most when you make a game? (eg. gameplay, graphics, music...)

8. What's your favorite part of game development? Least favorite part of game development?

9. What have been some of your biggest obstacles working on the game so far?

10. Who's your favorite character you've made so far?

11. Which character is/was the hardest to write?

12.What's the most important aspect of your game (e.g. gameplay, battle system, story)?

13. What are some goals you have for the game?

14. What do you want to avoid in your game? (boring plot, bad gameplay, wonky controls, etc.)

15. What's your favorite part of your project so far? (or the part that makes you the proudest!)

16. What are you expecting upon your game's release?

17. If you had the money and time to do anything you want with your game, what would you put into it?

18. Do you have scheduled times where you work on your game, or do you just do it when the mood strikes you?

19. What are your sources of inspiration? Any particular music, books, anime or anything else you'd like to share?

20. What's your definition of "game"?

21. What kind of games do you play in your spare time?

22. Is game making a career or a hobby for you? Something else?

23. Do you plan on selling your game? Why or why not?

24. Are there any other forms of media you'd like to see your game in? (eg. comics, books, movies, tv shows, zoetropes, bathroom wall graffiti, etc.)

25. What other games would you like to make in the future?

26. What are some cool tutorials you've found?

27. Got any advice for other developers?

If you're working as a team:

28. How did your team come together?

29. How does the workflow go on your team? (for example, does your whole team start brainstorming then someone does this or that?)

30. What do you guys like about working on a team?

31. Are there any challenges to working as a team? (like timezone differences and such) How are you working around them?

32. Any advice for developers who want to work as a team?

[pyromantic-arts]

We interrupt your regular game dev blubbering to bring you: some fan art a friend of mine requested.

I should probably add a disclaimer saying I’ve never played Risk of Rain.

[pyromantic-arts]

@pixelhorrorjam Update #3! Also known as the “Fuck I love purple” update. Not the greatest gif quality in the world, but here you go. I’m trying to not give away all the maps I’ve made...

Anyway, progress update!

Maps - 10 / 26 (This will hold steady for a while. The first ten maps make up the bulk of the game. The remaining ones only get seen once or twice, so I’m going to tackle them as they come instead of all at once.)

Sprites - 9 / 10

Portraits - 4 / 12 

Eventing - 21%

Overall -  40 %

I had to slow down a bit to take care of some work stuff, but that’s mostly done with now, so... yeah. Thanks for sticking around.

[pyromantic-arts]

hi I just wanted to say that your pixel art is super super cute, I love it!

Ah! Oh jeez, thank you! ;u;

[pyromantic-arts]

I didn’t forget to update you forgot to update. Don’t judge me. Nyeh. 

But look! I bring flowers! And some trees, I guess. But the flowers are the important part. When I was I thinking over the idea for this map, I though “Man that’s going to look terrible, I can’t do flowers at all.” But! I dunno, I think they turned out better than I would expect. I would’ve gotten an in-game screenshot, but it wouldn’t have been able to get everything without looking weird.

On a mostly unrelated to DE note, I made a dude as a short exercise in larger sprites. He looks all:

I’m trying to give him a walk cycle too, but, uh...

Well, it’s a work in progress. 

[pyromantic-arts]

Hey, how are you? :) You have recently published a background resource as free available to the others (a tileset and background that you made in a class). I'm starting a tumblr about my game and i want to know if it is ok to use the image like the background of the tumblr (I'm even using it inside the game). Sorry for my bad english and thank you ><

You mean the assets from this post, right? Yes, that’s all completely free for anyone to use, or modify if you like. I didn’t have any use for it once I got the grade, and it seemed wasteful to just sit on it, so! Use it however you like. :D

[pyromantic-arts]

So this blog hit 500 followers... a pretty long time ago and it hit 400 followers some time before that but HEY BETTER LATE THAN NEVER. I kind of ran out of ideas for milestone pics that wouldn’t take a whole lot of time, so have this quick pic of, uhm... some random person, I guess.

I appreciate all your support! And I’d like to take this time to direct your fine and lovely attention to other strangers on the internet you can support. Since I skipped the 400 milestone, I decided to do six dev blogs instead of three this time. Check them out below!

Dreameerie (Link) by Umiloo

Mouse Dev (Link) making Peach’s Short Morning and various others

Akademia (Link) by Somnimouse

Moacir (Link) by Pollinating-Games

Scarlet Dream (Link) at Scarletdreamgame

And Chromora (Link) at Chromoragame

Thanks for sticking around!

[pyromantic-arts]

Well it took some creative use of Galv’s Menu Themes but I finally got to make a menu I didn’t hate. And it changes mid-game! So there’s one version for the dream world at night, and another for the waking world during the day!

Update on the game in general - December was a busy month, and I didn’t get in as much work as I would’ve liked. But with the school semester done and the holidays over, I’ve had a lot more time in the past week or two to put in work. School, of course, starts up again in a few weeks, but I think I’ll still have plenty of time to work.

Unfortunately I’ve also decided to redo some stuff. Everything in the demo will remain the same, I think, but there are parts beyond it that I was already mostly finished with that... well, I’m just not so satisfied with them anymore.

So! I’ll keep you guys posted. Thanks for hanging around!

[pyromantic-arts]

Hey, I played the demo to Dream Eater. It looks pretty cool. I'm a sound designer and have some interest in working on your project. My portfolio is available if you'd like to see some things I've done already. I can get you a link but it won't let me post one here. Let me know if you're open to working with another person. I do own and have some experience RPGMVXA.

Thank you, but I already have someone helping me with sound! I appreciate you reaching out, however.