Entropic Float
3/18 Patch Notes
- Returned the CG of True's 3rd Memory Seeking to the game- Not sure where that went.
- Fixed an instance of an unchanged bit of placeholder text in Beloved Ghost
- Added a large chunk of secret content to Beloved Ghost (If you're curious how to find it... Try asking Box about 'Class 2C', change your name to any of the ten additional classmates she mentions, and see if you can actually answer the 36 Questions this time.)
Letters To A Beloved Ghost: DLC Is Now Available!
After a long development process, balancing chronic illness with an unexpected increase in scope, Letters To A Beloved Ghost can finally be purchased and played! This DLC represents a collection of side stories, some silly and some serious, culminating in a meta-narrative conversation with the GUI's narration herself.
What was that about scope? Oh, right- The DLC contains OVER 150,000 words of new content and OVER 100 pieces of brand new original art. I've been very busy getting this ready for all of you to enjoy, and I truly hope that now that it's here, you do!
And if you backed the EF2 Kickstarter- You'll receive your download keys very soon!
Thank you all again- And good luck finding all the hidden secrets I've hidden away in this game. None of the lore here will leave you lost in future main-line games if you decide to skip it, but there sure are some fun hints. Happy hunting!
3/4 Update: DLC Framework
Entropic Float 2 Kickstarter Update!
Steam version of the demo is still coming soon! Unfortunately, many things have happened in my personal life preventing me from sitting down with the time-consuming process that is getting a new steam page set up, approved, and configuring the uploader tool. In the meantime, here's news!
Midway through the day on November 18th, we hit our funding goal of $2,000 USD! Thank you so much to everybody who contributed- Every single pledge and promo post has been so incredible, we never could have made it without the amazing response and support from the community! I never could have imagined that we'd make it to the finish line so quickly, and I cannot overstate my gratitude. In just one week, you came together to give us a proper budget, an amazing upgrade from the first game!
With this funding goal reached, Entropic Float 2: Land Of The Witch will be able to pay for the partial voice acting of 7 lines per character, all 20 memory-seeking CGs from Shoii, and a portion of its original soundtrack costs. The money raised will also, of course, go toward taxes, fees, and fulfillment of your wonderful rewards! Look forward to your goodies, which as stated on the main page, I hope to deliver by May!
Of course, hitting the finish line isn’t the end of the Kickstarter! Any additional funds raised will make the final game even better. An extra fifty can be another CG added, an extra hundred can be an additional title screen variation from Soyokaze (along with an additional acrylic standee!), but even just one more dollar can be put to use making sure that Entropic Float 2 and the Beloved Ghost DLC are the best they can be.
These remaining days are still plenty of time to push ahead towards our stretch goals, but first, how about a preview of what you’re supporting?
“The Tale Of The Secret Knowledge” by Guest Author Kinu Nishimura II
One year after the events in the Clock Tower, the McGermanottas arrive for a summer trip in the town of Mesteri, Washington, to visit the Nozomis. Despite the dreary, hopeless nature of the town, a new mystery unfolds before Stephanie's eyes—but is it a mystery that will allow her to win the battle against herself?
A tale of 'the bonds of family' unfolds in the world of Entropic Float! Though, that's not to discount the burning-hot young love, either... Perhaps it's a bit long of a diversion from your goal of reuniting with 'her', but it's up to you to choose to continue.
More info on the Tale here: https://pastebin.com/kJJDTFbb
That’s just one of the many side stories you’ll be able to find in the DLC- Which, I’ll reiterate, you get a key to download with any pledge above $5 USD! For Entropic Float 2 to be the best game it can be, it’s going to take some time, so I hope that the Letters To A Beloved Ghost will be a wonderful narrative snack in the world of Entropic Float before I can get you the main course.
Moving on to those stretch goals mentioned above!
We’re well on our way to the first stretch of $2,500 ! At this goal, we’ll be able to produce an official cover of the full version of Midnight’s Requiem~
If we surpass this goal, the next in line is musical as well! At $3,000 USD, we’ll get the opportunity to make an actual Renfield Future song- The guy whose design you can vote on if you’ve pledged at least $15 is a musician after all! This song would be featured in both the DLC and EF2, so it’s a stretch goal everybody can appreciate. Help us show off his personality with his band’s hot single!
If we manage to pass that goal, $3,500 waits on the horizon! Reaching this goal allows us to commission several more title screens from the artist Soyokaze, adding versions with different characters and allowing those characters to be added as acrylic standees! In addition, reaching this goal will add a poll for backers to vote between a few options for a bonus side story to be included in the DLC- These would be stories featuring characters from the second game, as opposed to the current lineup that mainly features those from the first, a great way to get another taste of EF2’s characters prior to its release.
Finally, with one last big jump, $5,000 is a stretch goal that would let us add a substantial amount more voice acting! It would still be limited to key moments, but we’d get a few more voiced lines from each of our wonderful VAs to help the characters feel even more alive. And if this goal is reached, every option that would have been included on the poll will be added to the DLC!
Entropic Float 2 Demo, Kickstarter Launch, And DLC News!
PLEDGE TO THE KICKSTARTER NOW!
Picture a point-and-click adventure game. Now picture a branching, time-looping ontological mystery visual novel. Entropic Float 2 combines those into its gameplay concept: A point-and-click where you can never solve every puzzle at once. Where you have one key that fits two locks... And the only way to see what's behind the lock you didn't choose is to die, repeat the day, and try something different this time. With only you and your protagonist aware of the loop, seek an answer that earns new information. Through trial and error, solutions and murder... Can you find the way through this new Anomaly?
In early 2021, I started working on a project just for fun. Using the character creator and scene assembly tools of Illusion's Koikatsu, paired with the visual novel engine ren'py, I decided to learn to make a VN. A year and a half, over three hundred thousand words, and quite a bit of pocket money later, I released 'Entropic Float: This World Will Decay And Disappear' for free on steam and itch.io.
Something that was never meant to be more than a fun exploration of a concept grew into a huge endeavor for me, a visual novel as long as any two Umineko episodes combined! I got guest artists, made plenty of art myself, and learned a lot more about coding in ren'py than I ever thought I would. After releasing the game, my friends were proud of me, and I've heard from a lot of people it connected with. It became the basis of what I want to keep doing creatively- Expanding on this world, telling its story, and finding those people it will resonate with.
That brings us to Entropic Float 2: Land Of The Witch. A sequel I've been planning since the first game released a little over a year ago now. It's a game that can't be free (though if you, for any reason, cannot purchase it- I care more about sharing it than I do about making money) and a game I want to create to that standard. There won't be assets made in a character creator or royalty free music this time. I hope to bring the Pine Creek Anomaly to the screen with my own two hands, and a little bit of help from freelancers. I want to make a point-and-click adventure worth paying fifteen dollars for, an artistic experience that constitutes a huge step up from the first game.
To get that little bit of help from freelancers, I also need a little bit of help from you. Whether you're a fan of Entropic Float already, somebody who's interested but hasn't had the chance to play it, or just a supporter of indie games and art- Your support would mean the world in bringing Entropic Float 2 to life.
If you've played Entropic Float, you may remember a promise I made at the end of the game- That there would be a crowdfunding effort for Entropic Float 2 in 2023. Well, that has now come to pass- And with the Kickstarter, I also have EF2's Demo now available (for free!) over on itch- It will be coming to steam soon as well, but there's a few more steps I need to take to do that! Approximately 20,000 words of content, the equivalent to one of the first game's standard routes, can now be explored in a very preliminary version of the game! This demo is just a small taste of what's to come, but that small taste should give a pretty good idea of the upgrades you can expect from the sequel. Give it a try, and if you want to help bring it forth into the world, go ahead and make a pledge!
You may also remember mention of a certain DLC for Entropic Float- Letters To A Beloved Ghost!
Pledging to the EF2 kickstarter will get you a key for the DLC- so if you planned to buy it anyhow, may as well do it this way! Stretch goals for the kickstarter will include ways to improve the quality of the DLC as well, of course. It's crowdfunding for the future of Entropic Float, so please do consider it!
And, as always, thank you for reading!
11/01/2023 Patch Notes
- Added a few lines to the GUI dialogue when replaying the Miracle Route
- Fixed the issue where Kanatsun's 'secret note' could not be viewed on his profile
- Finally replaced the placeholder CG in Madeline's Third Memory-Seeking Segment
- Fixed a few more small errors in the text, including one where I implied Shinjiro was born in 2003 because I can't do math. A 19-year-old in 2024 who has a January birthday is born in 2005, not 2003... I'm pretty sure
- Something that used to function perfectly broke because I've updated ren'py since the last update. It seems video files no longer automatically pull from the images folder. I fixed this by moving the videos to the base game folder.
Entropic Float's One Year Anniversary!
(Madeline by unluckyerror404 on Artfight)
It was a labor of love- I worked on it for just over a year and a half, and my life changed a lot during that time. I got a job related to my degree, then proceeded to crash and burn when it turned out that I couldn't actually manage that job alongside my chronic conditions. Working on Entropic Float was the only thing during that time that really made me happy at all, so it's no surprise I ended up quitting for my health shortly after release...
Since I released Entropic Float, lots of things have happened. I've seen it referred to on reddit as 'the queerest game I've ever played'. I've received wonderful fanart. People have come to me saying that the game helped them realize they were physically disabled. My good friend, the vtuber FreyaFukunaga, played through the entire game on stream. There have of course been bad reviews too, negative feedback- No game can be for everyone, and Entropic Float is a game for some rather specific people. I've taken into account critiques made in good faith, and made efforts to improve these things where possible in updates to the game, and even moreso in the way they will be structured in Entropic Float 2: Land Of The Witch.
But before we talk about Entropic Float 2, which I'm sure you've all been waiting for information on, let me put some concerns to rest. I have, by no means, been doing nothing all this time. EF2 is coming along, though not in ways that are easy to share. Still, have a look-
Admittedly, it's a bit ugly without all the extra buttons, text, and more that will accompany this frame- It's just one small piece of the GUI I've been building. Entropic Float 2 is a big shift in style from the first game- For one, I'm no longer using Koikatsu for talksprites or environments. For another, it's going to be a point and click adventure game (Though the final release will include a 'kinetic novel version' option for those who prefer to play VNs on auto-advance!). You can see it, right? The menu buttons along the right edge, an inventory with tabs you can cycle in the bottom right corner, some information about the current state of the game in the empty space on the left...However, besides EF2, there have been other things I'm working on, and I'll admit to having some trouble finding a good workflow. During EF's development, it was simple enough- In my free time, I did those things which made me money (commissions, convention prep) and when those were done I worked on Entropic Float and did very little else. This workflow can no longer apply, because in the interim year, I've been building my small business, Nico's Fan Niche, on etsy. There are some pieces of Entropic Float merch available there! But the point is, now it seems there is always 'something to do which can make me money', as designing new products has a direct impact on my life now.
Besides the store, I'm also involved in other gamedev projects- I continue to be support staff on Heart Fragment, and am the primary artist of an RPG with a few friends of mine, yet to be formally announced. To top it all off, I do still have a day job. I work 30 hours a week (sometimes up to 39) with a studio called Small Victories. It's a wonderful and fulfilling position that gives me the space I need for personal projects, but that's still 30+ hours of the week not spent on those projects.
(Sharma by Quartoch on Artfight)
Finally- Entropic Float 2 is a loftier game than Entropic Float was. When I started EF, it was just for fun, to play with ren'py, and was never supposed to be as long as it ended up being. EF2 is a followup game. It needs to be bigger, better, and the pressure is on. For this reason, I decided to postpone making the game's art until after July- After Artfight 2023. My username there is nhitori if you want an attack from me! Each year, Artfight represents a huge burst of improvement for me and my artistic abilities. A talksprite drawn in June and a talksprite drawn in August would by nature be very obviously different in quality. I've been writing, outlining, working on GUI, but there hasn't been anything worth sharing on here yet.
Even so, I am very happy to announce- You should be able to expect the Entropic Float 2 Demo, and its Kickstarter, in November 2023!
Enter the Pine Creek Anomaly to discover exactly what happened in the small, Appalachian town several years ago- And why, so suddenly, the Anomaly started to invite outsiders in, after flying under the radar all this time. Kanatsune Ame returns to be guided by the player as he searches for the answers within a new cast of characters; Some familiar faces, some made more familiar after a mention in the Anomalous Clocktower, and some he's never met before at all.
And following shortly after the EF2 Demo and Kickstarter- There's one backer reward that will be fulfilled right away. Releasing in December 2023, right away for backers, just in time for the holidays if you just want to purchase it on its own (For only 5 USD- But if you played Entropic Float because it was free, and you really can't spare the money for any reason, do reach out to me.)
">It's been such a long time... But I've finally found You." (Box by Vanitasium on Artfight)
Quite a while after the stabilization of the Anomalous Clocktower, but not yet when you join Ame in the Pine Creek Anomaly- A voice calls out to you. A voice that is familiar, the voice which spoke directly to you throughout the first game. Informing you of the endings you've acquired. Warning you of what's ahead. Asking if you'd like to bring about the miracle. You never would have imagined that voice belonged to somebody. But it seems... She's gathered a new collection of stories for you. Fragments of those you've met before. Histories you couldn't see at the time, updates from the year since you left them behind. If you can read these stories and become more powerful again, like you did in the Clocktower, then maybe, just maybe... You and Her can meet face to face.
The Letters To A Beloved Ghost DLC for the first game will be arriving in December 2023! Along with the DLC, you'll also be able to install the 'Anachrono Mode' for Entropic Float. This mode replaces koikatsu talksprites with drawn talksprites in any cases where those have been added for DLC content. As the characters may be dressed in different clothing in these talksprites, and there may not be exact analogues for every expression, and the environments will remain koikatsu-style in most if not all places- It promises to be a bit anachronistic. But if the talksprites exist, may as well give you the option to use them!
One last thing- I'll be tabling in the Artist's Colony at Connecticon 2023, though I haven't got a table number yet. I also may be tabling at FANEXPO Boston 2023 (Unconfirmed), and Otakuthon 2023 (Waitlisted, but I'll still be attending as a guest if I don't get a table.) So if any fans reading this wanted to come say hello- There's a few opportunities. I might even have something for you, if you come by my table.
With that, the anniversary update is finished. That's all I've got for you right now- But there's a lot to look forward to! Thank you, as always, for reading, for playing, for being here with me on my gamedev journey.
CTGamerCon 2023
If you can't make it to come see us at the convention, don't worry! The same merchandise is also available in my etsy shop. But if you come and see me, I might just answer your spoiler questions for Entropic Float 2... Or for the DLC. Sneak previews and cool stuff awaits you!