Hey everyone! Hope you have been enjoying 2016 :excelia:.
Well, this is it—I have decided to produce Without Within 3 in 2017. The story this time will take place during Christmas, so I am hoping for a timely release in around November. Please look forward to joining Vinty on her next adventure!
You know, Without Within 2 is not at all a financial success, and I gave this series a lot of thought during my Singapore and Malaysia trip back in 2015. I am thankful for everyone's support, but those Chinese translations pushed the project over budget, so the journey has been difficult.
No, I need to let Without Within end. I love Vinty, but I cannot progress my career with a niche series like this, I thought to myself.
Then one evening, I took a stroll around the streets of Penang, and as I gazed toward the distant beach, the ideas came flooding in. Vinty was telling me that hey, my story is far from over.
Perhaps Vinty meets a new calligrapher in Malaysia? No, maybe she reunites with Excelia first. Is there a new character, and if so, who is this person? Well, maybe this, or perhaps that.
All right, I am sneaking back to my hotel to type this all up.
You folks play a big part in this as well. Most of my other titles are more financially successful than Without Within, but none of them have bonded us together in the same way. One guy messaged in to say Vinty's tale has inspired him to pursue his photography dreams, while another girl is actually into calligraphy as well. There is just no way to tag a price on stories like these.
So yes, this is why I have no choice but to keep going. I know many players have no interest in the sightseeing aspects of WOWI2. Well, I am sorry, but I want to keep sharing my passion with you, so WOWI3 will continue that trend with links to real life footage of Singapore and Malaysia.
It sucks to end things on a downer, but to set expectations early, due to budget issues, it is extremely unlikely that WOWI3 will feature Chinese translations. I am deeply sorry about this, and it is my fault that Vinty’s adventures have not been well received enough to justify the costs involved. Some players have kindly offered to provide fan translations, but this is beyond my control, so I cannot make any guarantees.
Thank you everyone :vintysmile:!
WOWI2 turning one
Hello everyone :excelia:. Without Within 2 will be a year old in about a week’s time, so I have put together another Melbourne highlights video for you all. Thank you for making this Vinty community so special. She is not my character, but all of ours. By the way, please watch until the end!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF8I9dqmEdI
Thank you :vintysmile:!
Upcoming Melbourne trips
Hello everyone! Hope you have been enjoying 2016 so far. Almost August and heading toward Christmas already!
I will be making two trips to Melbourne this year, and since Without Within 2 takes place there, I really want to share my excitement with you. My first Melbourne visit will happen in September as I check out the Madman Anime Festival:
I will then fly over again in November for PAX:
I do not have a table at either con, so I will be attending as a fan. If any of you are going to those cons, feel free to let me know! Maybe I will bring some postcards along as gifts if I bump into anyone.
When I make my first Melbourne trip in September, if weather and time allow, I will record some more footage of the city and put together a new video. If I fail, I have November to try again on my second visit. WOWI2 will reach its one-year anniversary around then, so the timing is appropriate. I will share one more news along with that video as well, but I will keep it to myself until the details are settled.
In relation to that one-year anniversary, I have added this WOWI2 item on my Redbubble store. Please have a look! Maybe I will wear one of those shirts to Melbourne.
Hello everyone :excelia:! I will be sharing this on both the WOWI 1 and 2 boards, so sorry about the double post.
A couple of years ago, I found artist Karousel because I wanted to create a mascot for the InvertMouse brand:
Original sketch VS Karousel's render
And so came the birth of Vinty, who later starred in her own Without Within series. The first game was free, which certainly helped with reaching as many gamers as possible. I have never released a title that was loved (and hated!) by so many people before, so WOWI 1 will always hold a special place in my heart. Thank you to everyone who connected with this struggling calligrapher through the WOWI series.
When I heard Karousel wants to focus on her own projects in 2016, I knew I needed to make a post and celebrate the work she has done in the past few years. I wish for her continued success as an artist, so here is her website for those who wish to keep in touch:
http://www.karouselart.com/
If you enjoyed the Without Within series, be sure to let her know! Vinty is not just my character or Karousel’s. At this point, she belongs to the entire community.
As we proceed, I could find a new artist for Vinty and her games, but the truth is, I too am looking to change up my formula starting from 2017. During my Singapore and Malaysia trip last year, a new adventure for Vinty did cross my mind. Unfortunately, I am unsure when or if this story will be brought to life.
If I were to continue the WOWI series, I want to continue that travel novel trend from the second title. Vinty visits a new location, and there will be real life footage scattered throughout the adventure. I have a deep love for places, and I enjoy sharing this passion through the WOWI games.
However, according to most of WOWI 2’s negative reviews, many people do not share this sentiment, which is totally okay. I tried my best to mix storytelling with sightseeing, but perhaps I did not do good enough of a job, as some gamers thought the plot was lacking compared to WOWI 1. Most people enjoyed WOWI 2, but the feedback does shake my confidence to continue this series in the tourism direction.
Next comes the translation costs. Both WOWI 1 and 2 are available in Chinese as well as English. I barely broke even with WOWI 2’s development costs, and the translation fees played a huge role. If I ever produced WOWI 3, I doubt I would be able to feature another Chinese translation. This sort of thing happens even for larger titles, but the potential disappointment from players does frighten me quite a bit.
I am keen to share Vinty and Excelia’s next adventure with the world, but I am trying to grow this brand, and I think the market dictates I should venture in a new direction. Definitely not closing the books forever just yet, though.
Thank you for reading through this! Please feel free to share your thoughts :vintysmile:.
Postcard contest winners!
Hello everyone! Thank you for all of your good wishes during my trip. I really kept them in mind while I was on holidays! Anyway, I am back now, so here are the winners for the Without Within 2 postcard draw:
Please get in touch with me via email (invertmousegames(at)gmail(dot)com) with your mailing address and I will get you sorted. In the email, please let me know which username you are from the list.
Thank you :vintysmile:!
Thank you, and a giveaway
Hello everyone! Without Within 2's launch week has come to pass. Thank you so much for supporting Vinty and her adventures.
Back in October, I visited Melbourne to record those videos featured in WOWI2. When I was there, I already knew that once the game came out, I wanted to give back. This was why I bought the above set of postcards to give away. I have five cards with me, so that makes five winners. I will write a thank you note on the back of each card.
How about this? If you are down for participating, please leave a comment on this post and you will enter the draw. Right after I post this announcement, I will also add an update to my Facebook page. If you drop a comment there, you will be in the draw also. Of course, if you are keen to kindly stay up to date with my upcoming endeavors, please consider liking the page as well:
With my last project done for 2015, I am going on break until early-mid December. When I come back, I will make another post to announce the winners, and we can go from there.
Cool, thanks everyone! Let's see how this plays out :vintysmile:.
"Hey Invert, what if I live in Melbourne? Can I still enter?"
"Nah get outta here mate buy your own postcard!"
Just joking :vintywhy:!
Without Within 2 released
Hello everyone! Thank for being here again. I have just hit that publish button for Without Within 2. Now I leave it all up to you folks.
I want to give a mention to those who might be here because of Cursed Sight. Thank you so much for giving that game a chance even though I am still pretty new in this community. It is your open mindedness that allows me to do some work here.
There is no denying that your kind words for Cursed Sight has made me quite nervous about this release. Without Within 2 features a different art style, and the tone is also nothing like how it was in Cursed Sight. Still, I hope I have given it the same heart, so whether you think I have done well or poorly, I can at least say I have no regrets.
Thank you everyone, and cheers for supporting Vinty as well. Let's see what she gets up to over in Melbourne on this new adventure!
