Hello, I am Konotoko; the developer of a game in progress named Their Radiance. The game is intended to be a unique and unconventional video game and has been in development for about 2-3 years.
On the surface, Their Radiance is a 2D platformer with no enemies. It’s intended to be about a quest of two individuals who are trying to look for each other. The game is expected to be released in the year 2020.
I personally have been dealing with real-life struggles and would say that the game has been worked on from time to time. The game is planned to be a free release with the option to purchase the soundtrack of the game in case someone chooses to provide support.
Audio
I would like to begin by discussing the tools that were involved in the making of this project. We could start off with the sound. The only sound effect that is used, as of this time, is the jump sound effect. A program known as Bfxr was used to create the jump sound effect in the game.
Probably an essential and a personally important aspect of my game is the music. I have completely composed the entire soundtrack so that I can sculpt the game entirely to my own image and vision. I want the player to experience the game in what I feel is my vision for this game.
The program used for the music is known as Famitracker. I think it is one of the best music creation tools ever created. It is used to create chiptune music that uses the sounds of the game console that is known as the Nintendo Entertainment System. I personally love Famitracker because I think it can be learned by reading enough of the program’s documentation and watching online tutorials on it. One other music program I have experimented with is LMMS. The music for my game has some chiptune music in it, but there is also going to be music that is more complicated, like orchestral music and synthwave music. I am planning on creating such music using LMMS. I also believe that this program can be learned by watching online tutorials. I also would like to reveal that the piano rendition of the game’s main theme that was used in the game’s trailer was created using LMMS.
Visuals
Another aspect of my game that has been worked on by me are the visuals and illustration. I would like to start off by stating that I used the Piskel program. I used the online browser version. The program is useful for tracking down each animation frame and the overall outcome of the animation that is trying to be created. I don’t remember correctly if some of the sprites that are in the currently released demo were created using Piskel.
The program that I use for all visuals now that is excluding the animation sprites is FireAlpaca. I have been using this program for quite some time now. I highly recommend this program for people who want to get into illustration. I use FireAlpaca to draw with pixels to draw the backgrounds and objects in the game.
Engine
One other aspect of my game that is very important is the programming. The game is powered by the game engine known as GameMaker Studio 2. This is quite the game engine. I think it is powerful if one studies the game engine long enough. The reason why I chose this game engine is quite simple. The game engine is personally easy to use but still powerful in creating whatever is desired.
I was previously immersed and fascinated with computer science. But times have changed. I wanted to code the entire game from scratch using a programming language such as Java. I then realized that I would find it personally time-consuming. I am not saying that it is wrong to program a game from scratch. I personally lacked the skill to do so. So I chose GameMaker Studio to not make things complicated for myself and make my vision a reality.
The game engine also manages to not be too simple. It has its own programming language that is known as GameMaker Language or GML for short. I felt that it was a right balance between simplicity and power to use GML over programming from scratch in Java.
Motivation
There might be a question that would be on one’s mind: why is the game free? The game is intended to be a free release instead of purchasing to play. The reason why the game is a free release is because I would like for people to try my game out first before thinking about purchasing anything. Depending on how well the game is received by an individual, they have the option to donate by purchasing the game’s soundtrack for 1 United States Dollar or more. If someone feels the game was worth more than 1 United States Dollar, then they can donate more.
I am also more concerned about people understanding the overall message of the game. I am attempting to make a statement. I want to make an unconventional narrative that really makes the player think. I want to make a game that makes people have philosophical questions about themselves and about their own life. I personally feel that I am creating something different and something else that has not been seen in a video game. I’m not sure how people would react to my game. But even so, I am still curious to find out. I am curious on how people would interpret and experience the game. Also, I am interested in what people think about what I have to offer as a narrative.
I personally feel that I am creating something different and something else that has not been seen in a video game.
I believe I first wanted to make my own video game around the time I was a freshman in high school. I would have a number of doodles that was an interpretation of my initial idea for my game. But as time passed, I scrapped some ideas and finally came down to what I currently have now as my present plan for my game. I believe the final idea was thought about around the year 2017. The game has been in development for about 3 years ever since that final idea.
Development for this game would have been in a further stage but, real-life issues have been in the way and have things slower. I don’t think it is necessary to reveal to much as of now. But I struggled with emotional conflict in the past. I wouldn’t say it was all bad news though. One thing that happened while developing my game was learning to play the piano. I really love the piano. I feel that it is one of my favorite instruments and feel it would be an essential part to my game. I also feel that by learning to play the piano, it has helped me compose and write music for my game.
I feel that this game I am creating is very important to me. I would say it is probably the biggest project I have ever worked on in my entire life. The game in progress is something that I feel would be a project that is unconventional and is different from other projects I have worked on. There was a time where I created animations on YouTube. I also attempted to create videos where I would discuss ideas about certain topics and would create illustrations that would be accompanied with the narration I provided. I feel like I want to provide a narrative that makes individuals think by creating this game.
If anyone is interested in playing what has been completed so far by me, it is possible. I have completed a short and simple demo of my game which contains 8 levels from the game. The trailer for the game can be seen on YouTube. The downloadable demo is available to play on the Itch.io site.
I believe that is some of what I have to discuss about my game. I might provide more updates on my game on the IndieGameDev site. I plan on revealing more about myself and the game’s development in the future. I believe the game is rougly about 35-40% completed. The percentage of the game’s completion might change depending on any changes to the game’s length.
I hope that anyone reading this post is excited for the game. I apologize if the game seems to be quite vague even though I explained a portion of the game. That is the idea though. I do not want to spoil to much of the game or the game’s message. I am looking forward for people to understand what they play when they see the game and experience it. I look forward for people to play Their Radiance in the future. I plan to release updates on the game on YouTube and Reddit. I can be followed on my YouTube channel and my Reddit page if one is interested. I want also like to thank anyone who has taken the time to read this article and to take care. Thank you for reading.
If you’d like to read more devblogs about Their Radiance please let Konotoko know by contacting him via Reddit.
To learn more about making your own chiptune music, take a look at Making Quick Chiptune Music For Your Game with Open-Source Software.