I don't think many of you were expecting this announcment. If you did, leave a comment and I'll find someway to reward you with a, "I knew it was coming!" badge.
My dream goal is to bring the story of Omni Link for you to enjoy as an Anime. I'd like to confirm that progress towards an earlier step is happening. Omni Link is transitioning to a Manga. I'm going to ask and answer some questions I think you would ask.
Is the "Game Version" story and Manga going to be the same?
A new script has been written for the Manga. These drafts are different from, but complement the game. Edit: I can't have side quests, tons of battles, and traveling from place to place in a Manga script, so I had to write new content for the Manga. Much of the new content makes for a better story and some of the content will make it to the game.
Also, bringing the characters together quickly was important, so completly new events and scenes were added for the Manga..
Will game development take longer now with the manga?
Doing this has somewhat taken my attention from developing the game at full speed, but it's worth it and has enriched the game. For example: the story has been enhanced with complete and compelling backstories for the characters. Dialogue has been flushed out, and you can see from my last update to the game I changed from passive to active voice.
This was all possible thanks to the extra work I've done in preparation for a Manga with the help of my artist.
On the subject of funding?
Game sales while positive have been low (due to visibility) and the funds from Patreon have been a great help. My crowdfunding initiative is because I haven't been able to do what I want to do:
1) voice acting
2) translation
3) localization
I haven't been able to do this because lack of funding and talent. Is there anyone out there that would like to sing, "Love is Pretend" in japanease? Both the game and the Manga need this.
I'm going to run this Kickstarter for a very small amount that will alleviate the risk I've been taking going full out with Omni Link. I don't have another job and have been working full time on Omni Link. I want to create a story you will enjoy and be happy that you've read. I can't do that with my hands tied.
Can I have confidence in this project?
If you want to read Omni Link as a manga, or play Omni Link as a game... this the answer is absolutely yes!
Take a look at what's happened since last year!
1) 300 pages of dialogue have been written for the game
2) 114 pages of anime/manga script have been written (separate from game script)
3) Two new original songs have been recorded
4) Game itself is polished with 60 fps, New Save System, 17 total avatars,17 backdrops, 19 hand drawn fully rendered scenes with 11 currently in the game, 15 playable ships.
5) And tons of research has been done to see if a Manga is realistically possible... and it is!
It would be nice if you share information from the project after it launches, or if you know a big industry guru, you can share it with them now.
When the Kickstarter launches, please donate $1. Kickstarter takes donations of any kind very seriously and that will improve my ranking and visibility which ultimately gets me funded.
What the heck is Kickstarter!
Kickstarter is a way to fund something you like. They actually have some pretty cool gadgest on there sometimes.
If you haven't bought the game, you can buy it from there instead. I keep more of the profits and you get rewards such as:
1) A signed copy of the theme song or
2) The new song
3) Issue #1 of the manga
4) Credited in the manga
For a limited time during the Kickstarter, I'm letting people who donate on Patreon get the same rewards on the Kickstarter. Meaning the amount you've donated there will translate into the reward tiers on Kickstarter. All the way up.
I've covered much and will edit if I've missed anything. Any questions?
Summer Sale and News
Looks like Dawn is ready for summer vacation. If you remember last Christmas, I also did one with that theme. I was going to post this as the main image in the store, but nobody else seems to be doing it.
Omni Link is 20% off right now. A couple weeks back I had a major update so you can play chapters 1-3 now. Although, I don't consider those chapters finished, there is still plenty to play.
I have an announcement I want to give, but it's not ready. Early next month is my estimation. So this is an announcement of the announcement hmm...
Thank you for your positive reviews. Although few, they mean a lot and Omni Link hasn't got much attention. I'm glad to know you are liking the game and look forward to improving based off the feedback I've gotten so far.
Happy Summer!
Omni Link Update 0.7 - Out of Darkness
Latest Patch Notes:
A new update released and now is a great time to join in the experience. It occurred to me as I'm working on the game... this is early access! Let's give them what I've got so far.
Take in mind that this is a stepping stone and still early access. I'm still missing assets and other things I want to add. Post any bugs in the forum (or improvement suggestions) so I can fix them. Post your ship ideas in the forum sticky so that I can add them to the game. This is the long list of changes:
Content Updates:
New Save System – Save into 9 slots that take screenshots of your progression.
7 New avatars making 17 in total.
6 new hand drawn scenes making 11 in total.
12 new backdrops making 17 in total.
4 new ships making 15 ships in total. - I have more ships, but I'm focusing on main story first. Then I will flush out ships, balancing and side quests.
1 Huge chapter 3 path choice – Consequences to your major choices in chapters 1 and 2 begin in chapter 4. The major one being, what did you do to the pirates?
Brand new prologue sequence.
2 new major characters revealed. One of them hinted in previous chapter 2.
Improvements and changes to story.
D-8 changed to D-7. Too many people kept telling me, “Hey Dawn, wanna go on a date?”
New minimum requirements to assure 60fps gameplay:
Geforce GTX 260
8 GB Ram
Core 2 Duo 8500
500mb HD space
Fixes or Improvements:
<*>Optimization pass #1 – 400mb to 20mb game startup. 250% memory improvements throughout game.
<*>60 FPS cap increase – After I made the jump, some timing issues appeared. I fixed most, but there may be some speed issues lurking. You'll know what I mean if you see one. (such as animations playing too fast)
<*>Editing story Pass #1 – Passive to active narrative voice (still editing).
<*>Lots of bugs squashed.
Known Issues:
* After he new windows 10 update: I noticed if my game started in full screen, the screen displays only black until the game is shrunk. I think I have fixed this problem, but I wanted to tell you just in case.Hit Alt Enter to go to full screen.
Solution – hit alt + enter
* Clicking too fast before a dialogue choice appears will sometimes freeze conversations.
* Chapter 2 (rare bug) destroying Dreadlords fleet sometimes does not trigger the next story progression.
Solution – Load the game
Progress Update - Chapter 3
The save system has been updated again. It will go through testing once the new build is ready. I won't update the steam build until chapter 3 is ready. You can save the game to 9 slots as shown in the screen above.
These are the technical changes:
-Changed old save file system to allow multiple files
-Modified exiting pause screen
-Added Folder Tabs
-Added backdrop snapshot
-Added folder tab game snapshot
-Added folder save/load menu
-Modified Load Detect behavior
As far as the work required before uploading a new Steam build:
1) Insert 125+ pages of new dialogue with code.
2) Insert side quests and new ships for gameplay.
YOUR SHIP IDEAS:
This is important. I created a thread so that you may submit your ship ideas. I will pick from the lot and put the ship in the game. This is a good time to post your ideas.
Since launch I've updated Omni Link's progress regularly on Patreon. My project there reveals concept art, early ideas, and frequent game updates of all kinds.
Concept Art: (sample post from patreon)
https://www.patreon.com/posts/concept-art-open-7019745
Your ship in game: I mentioned in the "early access" dialogue how I'd like to put your ship ideas in the game. I'll be creating a thread for this so you can post your ideas. If I really like them, then I will message you and talk about bringing it into the game.
Details include: Primary weapon, secondary weapon/skill, speed, armor, weaknesses etc... I should also mention that you will decide on a graphical look for the ship. More details on the thread.
Your character in game: I wanted to briefly mention that one of you will have an opportunity to have your character in the game. Details coming later.
Your ideas in game: Some great ideas have been posted in the forums. This includes a multiple save file system, adding RPG elements, system map, and releasing a soundtrack. This is early access so keep the ideas coming. The core engine is in place, but I will work my best to make the much needed changes.
Insight on choices & gameplay: It's hard to see how your choices make a difference. I'm working on some spoiler gameplay videos when I have the time. Below are a few spoilers:
1) Collect all the crystals in the tutorial. You won't regret it.
2) Kill Darkstar and you get his powerful ship, let him go and...
3) Don't kill the pirate base and you get a clue to the location of a powerful ship. That artifact wasn't just for show.
4) No one said killing every ship is a good thing. Destroying neutral pirate ships will get you credits, but they have a chance to join your fleet "If you are the pirate leader." When your ship touches a neutral pirate ship, they have a 50% chance to join you.
Those are just a few of the choices and consequences of your actions.
Grab some Icon Portraits just for fun!
Save Fixes and Future Updates
Save game system had a complete re-write and will be pushed to public tomorrow 10/27. This will break current saved games, but the system is more stable.
Backlog chat system in place - hit "L" to review conversations
While most of the time was spent fixing the save issue, some minor fixes have been added.
Beta Channel:
When the first major update is ready, I will most likely open a Beta Channel. I still have major changes to implement and testing to do. Anyone will be welcome to join. I also want to include multiple save files. Those that want to wait tell the full game release can stay on the Public channel.
[Upcoming Fix] Saving issues
Thank you to all those purchasing and playing the game. I'm continually making improvements based off your feedback, and I can see that many of you are enjoying the experience.
I felt it important to address a save game issue that crept up after launch. I did not encounter this issue in my testing or those that helped me. I'm working tirelessly to fix it. I have a fix in place, but I need to test it first. I want to be sure it's fixed, so this may be a long process.
If you want to make a playthrough of the game, you might want to wait tell this fix is done. This is my highest priority.
