#emeraldwasp

[vvayott7sll]

[ask-emerald-wasp-rpg]

And we're finally there... 3rd anniversary for #emeraldwasp 🐝I published a huge update with new graphics, fixes and voice acting! 🐝https://banya.itch.io/emerald-wasp 🔁Shares very appreciated 💖Thank you for the support!

[ask-emerald-wasp-rpg]

What is your favorite sign language gesture and why? [Béla, Leon, Archie]

Are you familiar with sign language? [Irena]

Why and when did you start learning this language? [Béla]

[Béla] My favorite one is "I love you" for how special it is. I learnt this because when I enlisted in the military I got interested in different languages and ciphers. I studied it out of curiosity, but I felt it might have been useful in a mission sooner or later. [Leon] ...it's the swear words. I'm that predictable, I know. But have you seen how many there are? [Archie] Oh, it's the "delicious" gesture! Well... because we have the same gesture in Italian like some learnt behavior, I didn't know it could translate to ASL too! [Irena] I've heard of tactile sign language but I could learn only some letter. With more practice, perhaps... (I apologize for the late reply ;w; thank you for your question!)

[ask-emerald-wasp-rpg]

Hi!! I really love Emerald Wasp and I’m trying to develop a game myself— I was wondering what the process of making Emerald Wasp was like?

What were the most difficult parts of development, if you don’t mind me asking? Your favourite parts & the aspects of the game you are most proud of? 🐝

Thank you so much, Bloodorangee1! First of all, good luck for the developing of your game! If you need advice feel free to write to me! Now to the questions:

🐝 The process of making the game: I'm not very methodical when making games, but I usually start by sketching out the idea on paper. Maps are usually placeholder blocks with temporary graphics just to test out the events, the whole bunker looked like the grey pavement block at the start. I still have screenshots! Then, when I start writing the actual dialogue, I always start from the endings. The bad endings first (so I don't repent later and remove them because I feel bad for the characters), in Emerald Wasp's case the first one that was coded in was Archie accepting Béla's deal. I did parallax maps prematurely and I had to scrap them several times and remake them from scratch (I do not reccomend) but I wanted the game to look good even in twitter screenshots at the time. While doing those I was working on the CGs, which were one of the last things implemented.

🐝 The difficult parts of development: At first, I wanted to release Emerald Wasp for a gamejam but missed the mark because at the time I was still writing the master thesis and then I started working as a commuter: so it began my first time slowing down development. It became a whole different creature to me for this. Burnout from study\work and IRL situations made it difficult to stay motivated for long, after the first year I was getting discouraged. There had been moments of burnout and moments I was considering shelving it and abandoning the project. Feedback from friends, beta testers and people online really saved the spark. On a technical note instead it has to be either the bug fixing or the way I had to navigate around my limitations. My skills at drawing, coding and making maps could get me only so far back then and it led to write scenes to adapt to my skill level and to the money I could invest - budget went all into the portrait sprites so I needed to take care of the rest.

🐝 The favorite parts & aspects: Oh, I'm really proud of the secrets in the game! It was something new I tried for the first time in Emerald Wasp, I never speak out loud about this on the pages otherwise I spoil the fun, but the game is an iceberg… there's more other than the gamefile. I like to inject history knowledge, musical quotes, personal experience and weird trivias in the game and Emerald Wasp is no exception, I had lots of fun making everything work together starting from "what do wasps and bunkers have in common?" Story-wise my favorite scene (to write) was Béla's flashback, especially the part with the queen, and the character I had more fun writing is Archie! Also, this is not something I did, but one of my favorite aspects is the themes that Alexander Bruyns composed specifically for the game. I love music and never had a personalized OST before, so I was overjoyed… and I still am!

I apologize for the late reply! I took quite a while to write it ahah

[ask-emerald-wasp-rpg]

What places do you like to visit? [Leon]

What is the best invention in your opinion? [Archie] 

[Leon] You can usually find me in basements and cafes where we host rock music gatherings. Like the LRC (Leningrad Rock Club), you know. Sometimes I just sit down on a bench at the park to practice with the acoustic guitar.

[Archie] To me personally it's the aerial screw! But theoretically speaking I would love to see a full functioning robot, like the ones from the Jetsons. That would be fly!

[ask-emerald-wasp-rpg]

I recently replayed the game and here I am again

What was your daily routine during the experiment (as Worker)? [Béla]

What was your daily routine as Queen? [Irena]

What do you think about your father? He left when you were little? [Archie]

[Béla] I was specifically requested by the Queen as her bodyguard, and I believe she did that to spare me from execution after the interrogation. My daily routine revolved mostly around guarding her chambers, but in other occasions I accompanied her entourage in secluded areas of the bunker. I stayed within arm's reach for immediate defense.

[Irena] I was considered a symbolic and unifying figure, so I had the authority but not the effective power. I met regularly the Workers to offer counsel, I administered the resources of the Beehive but most importantly my designed purpose in that society was to keep the morale stable.

[Archie] For a long time I thought of him as a loser, but the apple didn't fall from the three. I was somewhat used to see him leaving and coming back since I was a child, but one day he just never returned. And then we discovered the debts on the family account... oh boy. I know he's still alive, we just don't talk to each other anymore.

[qdeunomi]

[ask-emerald-wasp-rpg]

I wanted to know the bug eye of [Béla] is it like itchy or something? I always wondered if sometimes [Béla] has to like scratch the eye or something xd (by the way I LOVED THE GAME PLS DO A REMAKE OF THE GAME PLS PLS-) that's all!

It is! It still feels like a foreign body to him, even though he got accustomed to it. It also gets bloodshot very easily when scratched. As for a remake... I'm flattered, really! I don't think the game is popular enough, but if there's something you think I should improve or would like revamped I'll consider it! I'm still planning to replace the existing CGs