Updates (20th February 2013)

Spero: The Forest Dwellers - Miyu

Miyu is finally done! And the new textbox which you can see is now a transparent dark green in contrast to the rather bright blue in the original version ^_^; The textbox will go back to blue in Ocean Divers though (Dark blue).

One more thing to note is her new sword! Took me a while to design it (it's not my strong point). The white decor on the top is actually a feather like material, the entire sword has changed (including the blade) but you'll have to wait till the game is remade to see it ;) I never mentioned the details but it's actually a one-handed weapon; Miyu uses it with both her hands though since she's still rather young and inexperienced.

Not much other progress to note at this point. For any of you who have yet to play Spero: The Forest Dwellers I'd recommend waiting for the remake as it's essentially the same game. Next character to be redesigned is Heidi!

Quick answers to some questions I've had over the weeks:
Q: Is there a release date yet for 'Spero: The Forest Dwellers' remake and 'Spero: The Ocean Divers'?
A: No, most likely this year though. I'm hoping April (again) for The Forest Dwellers but no promises. As for Ocean Divers... probably late Autumn this year

Q: Is there a release date for your manga: 'A Noble Curse'?
A: Nope. It's still in storyboard stages since I've increased the number of chapters from 9 to 15. I don't want to release it until it's completely finished... otherwise you'll end up reading 5 chapters and then waiting maybe two months for another!!

Q: I've seen visual novels available for my Android and i-Phone. Any plans?
A: There was yes, for Android. However I'd need more time to read up on that. No plans for iOS, I was surprised I could make Spero available for Mac users in the first place!

Q: I use Linux but Spero isn't available for it...
A: I can make a Linux version. It's untested though and I didn't want the users to face any risk. If you have a Linux and would be happy to test it then by all means let me know! Note that I won't be seeking a tester until the new games though.

Q: Will 'Spero: The Forest Dwellers' be any different to its current version?
A: Yes and no. The game will play out virtually the same but I've added some hidden plot devices that I had (for some reason) forgot to originally. It'll be worth playing again, and if you have played it then you'll already know it's a fairly short game.

That's all for today! Thanks as always!

-Yoyoli

Updates (5th February 2013)

Spero: The Ocean Divers - Miles

Final art for Miles done! Yes Spero: The Ocean Divers is back on artistic progress. The game WILL be 1024x768 in terms of dimensions. I don't know how well that will translate on smaller screens (such as netbooks)  but I will test it out. Most likely it'll have to run full screen for those devices.

You can see the art style since my first game has changed a fair bit. The remake of Spero: The Forest Dwellers will be more like this.

A Noble Curse is making steady progress in terms of storyboards.

Hopefully some of you have seen the updated website! I'll try to get the Ocean Divers section made soon (probably end of this month).

Thanks for reading!

-Yoyoli

Updates (20th January 2013)

??? - A Noble Curse

First off a Happy New Year! I know it's 20 days late but I didn't get a chance to make a blogpost on the 5th January.

More work on A Noble Curse over the past few weeks and a few changes to the website (Not uploaded yet though). Above is a mystery man; why a mystery you ask? Because I haven't made a name for him yet! I can tell you, however, his official description is along the lines:

"The youngest hero of Crylite, his magic is powerful enough to engulf a village in flames. Many dark rumours seem to surround this young man and his cold personality doesn't add to his popularity."

Better wording when I've given him a name but that should do for now. He's also still with the Royal Guards but doesn't care much for his position, in fact he's pretty eager to leave for some reason. Will he be a friend or foe?

Now for some other news which may or may not affect Azure Tales. As you know I'm currently a student and I now have the chance to search for a Year in Industry/Year placement. There are 2 possibilities:
A) I find a local placement, in which case Azure Tales will not be affected
B) I find a placement which requires me to relocate. This will affect Azure Tales projects

If the placement is local, I'll be able to work on Azure Tales projects as normal and if not even more than I am now. The most probable situation sadly is B, and this would mean leaving my equipment and software behind. I can still do some basic things but I won't be able to work on any final art/sound development.

B Doesn't mean I'd stop development entirely. There's planning, art concepts and even coding that I can still do; you just wouldn't see a final product until late 2014 at earliest. Thinking about it now that's no different how my pace is currently, but just as an early warning: progress will become incredibly slow over this year and the next.

Thanks for reading as always!

-Yoyoli

Updates (20th December 2012)

A Noble Curse - Roland Stark

Ooh a new character introduction from A Noble Curse! This here is Roland Stark, the head officer of the royal guards and one of the five heroes of Crylite. Our lively trio will encounter him a lot in the manga (though he's not the first of the heroes they meet).

I've been working on A Noble Curse for the past few days. Probably because I bought some manga myself which inspires me again to draw.

Some changes: Our heroes are now called Albert Solaris and Gilbert Solaris (instead of Knight as their surname). Notably my friend pointed out that Gilberts design strongly resembles that of Apollo from Spero: The Forest Dwellers. Not to mention the colour scheme is also red and their hair colour is similar. One will change though XD

This is the last post for the year! From myself here at Azure Tales: I wish you a happy new year and will post up in January!

-Yoyoli

Updates (6th December 2012)

Miyu - Redesign

This blogpost was meant to be yesterday but I had an exam today so I held it off! Sorry about that, but we're finally back on progress! University has pretty much ended for the semester so that gives me some free time (Not a lot sadly since I still have work to do over the break)

Above is Miyu's redesign. She now has a ponytail in her hair rather than loose; it suits her better in my opinion since when she goes hunting her hair would get in the way flying around. I've also added a new pattern on her shirt (it's just sewn on) and there's more I want to add but you'll have to wait! Her face is a lot more mature than I intended though, so I'm still working on this which you can tell by the mistake of the waistcoat length ^_^;

I may redesign the signature sword as well at some point but for now this little teaser will have to do! More pictures coming up as the weeks go by, check out our twitter account! I might post some pictures there.

The script and general code for Spero: The Ocean Divers is done (so it's a visual novel... without the visuals). Hopefully a screenshot of the game in progress next January.

I cannot thank you enough for your patience!

-Yoyoli

Updates (20th October 2012)

First of all: I missed a blog post on the 5th October, sorry about that!

There's not much news to report except Miyu will be the only character to change a fair bit in the remake of Spero: The Forest Dwellers. This is because she looks exactly the same as two other characters I've designed in previous projects ^_^; The only thing that will change is her hairstyle really.

Secondly there won't be ANY blog updates next month. My studies take priority (since without them I'd never have gotten this far!). There's a lot of coursework and tests in the next month. I'll make more progress during the Christmas holidays.

Again thank you all for your patience!

-Yoyoli

Updates (20th September 2012)

(No picture today)

This is more of an announcement post than an update one.

Voice Acting
I'm sad to say that Spero will NOT have any voice acting. I've done some thinking and it takes a fair bit of effort (and not to mention quality) that I can't really 'afford' right now. Not only in a monetary sense but a considerable amount of time as well. The plans for voice acting may arise again someday but not for at least another 2 years.

-For VA's who volunteered originally I give a thank you for offering and a sorry that I had to change plans.

Music
There IS plans for music though. My big problem with Spero was a lack of sound. So I'll be trying to compose something in my free time (Even if it's just atmospheric sounds). I don't intend to release Spero: Ocean Divers until there's music composed for that as well.

-Musicians who would like to consider composing pieces please get in touch via our public email. The pieces you compose MUST be original. Again this is VOLUNTARY, so you would be doing this for FREE.

-There will be a contract made and will require signing. (Details to follow in the next update post)

Remake
Spero: The Forest Dwellers WILL receive a remake. Mostly on the art side and as mentioned above with added music. I also intend to change the download process into one where you install the game rather than save a zip file. The remake will be released around the same time as Spero: The Ocean Divers.

-Once the new version of Spero: The Forest Dwellers is released it is advised you delete the current version. We apologise for the inconvenience and loss of save data (If applicable)

Website
Just an early warning that the website will be undergoing some maintenance over the next month. Also I viewed the website on my brothers laptop and it appears incorrectly on the Projects page. If any of you have had the same issue then I apologise and will have it fixed soon!

Poll
It seems to be an even vote for Miyu, The Boy, Heidi and Wizard. Thanks to the 4 people who voted! Those 4 will be redrawn first as a result~ The next poll will be about purchases. This is an important one for me and your views would be greatly appreciated! Poll will go live tomorrow.

Thanks for reading! I can safely say that both Ocean Divers and A Noble Curse are once again making steady progress! Look forward to some website updates next month!

-Yoyoli