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[maruki]

ERMEHGERD cuteness overload! Can't wait to see this game in all of its greatness and glory!

Thanks!!!

I've finished a concept for the shrine maiden! Here it is:

[maruki]

hi everyone! We've launched a Patreon!



We are creating "games and 2D assets". Our goal is to support the development of Aftertile and future games, and the creation of public domain 2D assets.

[nathy after dark]

That's a really interesting idea. I'm sure there are others supporting their game development through Patreon but I've never heard of any of them—except, come to think of it, Henry Smith (Spaceteam creator) mentioned in a Kickstarter update that he's planning to start one.

I love the idea of doing public domain assets through Patreon, too. I just finished a big project so I'm back to little things on my own without an artist to work with, and free assets might be useful to me at some point.

I'm following, and I'll try to fund as I start working again in the next few months.

[maruki]

Thanks, Nathy!
Humblegrove and bombservice are also supporting their games via Patreon! The later was the one who gave me the idea, actually!

I'm glad to know that! Making assets for public domain is something that I like a lot, so I hope you enjoy!
I'm thinking of creating a $5 USD reward for sharing the .ase files of such assets, do you think it would be interesting?

[nathy after dark]

I didn't know what an .ase file was but I looked it up and it's the color palette, right? Yeah, I think that would be cool since I would definitely try to make modifications and use the public domain art as a basis for my own practice.

I don't have access to Adobe programs, though.

[maruki]

Oh, sorry for not being clear! When I said .ase files, I meant the aseprite file (aseprite has both .ase and .aseprite). It would be like sharing a .psd, but specifically for aseprite, which is pretty good imo (also very affordable).

[nathy after dark]

Ah, that's even better! I absolutely would like to see the original editor files (especially if I can afford the program  ).

[maruki]

The healing wells are done, in the way I wanted: soft, chill and smooth, in a way that reminds of lava lamps. Also, with the exception of the purple part at the bottom, there was only code involved (my programmer is )

I've also shared this update on my patreon

[binaryboi01]

This is super pretty, art, colors, everything  Good luck with your project

[maruki]

This is super pretty, art, colors, everything  Good luck with your project

Thank you for your kind words!

After lots of iterations, the colors of the first bodhitile are the way I envisioned.
Fugen is his name, and he is the first bodhitile Ghosty will meet. Bodhitiles are the entities that guide and protect the souls in Aftertile.



patreon update post: https://www.patreon.com/posts/7435461

[maruki]

Hi guys! I'd like your opinion on this:

I'm currently trying to trim the color palette a bit, because there are too many similar colors that don't actually translate into a significant visual difference and they make my job harder than already is. One thing I noticed is that I used gray shadows on the shrine maidens (something I've never done in any of the other sprites), and those shadows turn out to be a bit boring. I changed them for purple, what do you think?

[Tuba]

yep, looks better with purple IMO

[DireLogomachist]

Def better with purple 

[oahda]

Wow, that's one of the first useful applications of metaballs I've seen in a game! <3 Looks like a lava lamp!

[SolS]

The fluidity of the animations and the colors really create a calm and relaxing atmosphere! The shot with the new pink tiles looks really nice as well 

[Tuba]

This game is looking prettier every time I see it. Keep the good work! 

[Zorg]

I love your pastel palette but for me it's hard to divide the foreground from the background. I guess it's caused by the darker blue parts in the background.

That's an interesting observation. Would you suggest to eliminating the darker purple on the background altogether?

I would give it a try.


P.S.: I accidentally posted in the wrong thread (GIFs).

[maruki]

Hi guys!

yep, looks better with purple IMO

Def better with purple  

It's all purple now! Much better

Wow, that's one of the first useful applications of metaballs I've seen in a game! <3 Looks like a lava lamp!

Thanks! I'm quite fond of it! All credits go to my programmer as there was no art involved in it.

The fluidity of the animations and the colors really create a calm and relaxing atmosphere! The shot with the new pink tiles looks really nice as well  

Thanks! More people mentioned that the pink tiles look beautiful, so I'll be exchanging the tiles in the first stage for them! It's a long level, and I'm sure it'll play smoother with those colors.

This game is looking prettier every time I see it. Keep the good work!  

Thank you! I hope you guys like the next animations I've got to show. I'm trying to finish them up before 2017 (hahaha)

I would give it a try.


P.S.: I accidentally posted in the wrong thread (GIFs).

I will, when I finish this batch and go back to making tiles.

Recently two articles were posted about Aftertile, I've come here to share the links with you:

• Siliconera
• Geeks of Color

Apart from the animations, there's the long-promised Miko devlog! Yes, I'm working on that!

[maruki]

It’s time to talk about the shrine maidens.

As I’ve mentioned in previous devlogs, the shrine maidens (also referred to as “Comet Mikos”) are basically the “keepers of the comet”. They are the ones responsible for maintaining the structed habitable, for instance. They also regularly pay tributes to the deities that dwell in there, while keeping company to many of the spirits that decide to take their time before going to rest.



This last piece is what makes them so important to the game. As you may have noticed in the logo , Aftertile’s subtitle is ✧Conquer solitude with togetherness✧, by which we want to convey the idea that no one is ever alone in the game. The shrine maidens are going to be an important piece to relay this feeling.



Also, while working on their design I decided that they would be the beacon to establish a connection with the game. Upon seeing Ghosty, they establish an instant friendship with him, and by interacting with him in certain ways, they are going to convey the feeling of “being welcome”.

The shrine maidens are also an important piece of gameplay. The player will reach out to them to save the game, to respawn when being hit after running out of HP and to teleport. Also, if the player chooses to talk to them, it’ll be possible to gather valuable information about the enemies, the bosses, etc.




Building a shrine maiden village is in the plans. It’ll probably be located in the middle of the third level, and it’ll serve as a sort of hub for many of the missions.

I can say I’ve spent weeks on their design. From the mechanics to their accessories, I wanted them to be in a very specific way. And building them is not an easier feat, as their movement has to respect the design and mood decisions I made for them.



I’m currently taking the opportunity of drawing warm up doodles almost every day before start working, and this has allowed me to think of new interactions between the maidens and Ghosty.







On the next devlog, I’ll still write about character design, but this time regarding the bodhitiles.

Thanks for reading!

Also, I'd like to thank everyone that stopped by this year to give feedback and support the game, everyone who played the jam version, everyone who checked out this log. It really means a lot to us! Thank you!

[Zorg]

Awwwwww. Cuteness overload.