stormsingerstudios
patreon
Santa Lucia Build 15 (Patreon) - December 2020
🕑 Added 2020-12-02 02:15:34 +0000 UTCHey guys, Devilizer here, I wanted to talk a bit about the art in this update.
As most of you will notice (or, I hope you will, haha), Zach’s sprite has been revamped entirely! Don’t worry, the character doesn’t look any different from what you remember, he’s still the same shy dragon you know him as. Since he was one of the first sprites I did more than a year back, he’s always had a few nitpicks that bothered me, and that I felt would have to fix before I add in some new expressions for me, otherwise the jump in quality between expressions would have been too noticeable.
I’m personally really happy with how he came out, but you guys will be the final judge on that.
Other than that, I’ve also worked on two CGs. I thought I could use some rest after the last huge quasi-animated CG from last update, but I ended up making another big CG, although more static, this time. Tell me what you think about it!
We’re steadily approaching the start of the branches, and I’ll make sure to get as many expressions ready for your favorite characters as soon as possible, and as such, I’ll also rework a few of the old sprites. You can expect the same level of differences as Zach’s: still the same essence, but in a higher quality body, hehe.
Anyway, that’s all from me, I’ll let Dzahn finish this up! See you another time guys.
~Dev
----------
Alright, my turn.
This month’s update has what I consider to be some of my best writing so far. However, I also anticipate not everything is going to sit well with everyone, so I’m going to preface this update with a trigger warning:
Players will learn a rumor about a certain member of the cast. It involves the topic of consent.
I trust that if you’ve stuck with me this far in the game, you know I’m not the kind to take these topics lightly. Before dismissing the character entirely (or me, for that matter), I ask that you give me the time to see this character arc through to the end. Trust me, it is worth the patience, and it is not one that can be concluded in a couple builds. Thank you for believing in me.
Besides this part, we’re getting into the more heavy content in the game as we make our way towards the inevitable route split. Expect some shocking reveals.
This build concludes day 6 from previous build and also contains the entirety of day 7. Day 8 is the last day of Act 1, meaning we’re right on the cusp of the route split. I anticipate writing for day 8 to take the next two months of development. If all goes according to plan, you should be playing individual character routes by March’s build. As a writer, this is both exciting and terrifying, knowing that the next phase of the game’s development is just around the corner.
As we get closer to Act 2, I’ll most likely put up a poll for our patrons to determine which character is going to receive writing priority. I plan to cycle through the cast, giving the character with the highest priority an extra month of development for every other character’s one. The update cycle, therefore, would look something like this: Character 1 build, Character 2 build, Character 1 build, Character 3 build, repeat,. We can talk about it more later, though.
I think that covers the topics I wanted to hit. Thank you again for all your support for Santa Lucia, guys, and I hope you find this update as exciting to read as it was for me to write!
Cheers!
~Dzahn
Build 15 Notes:
+ The rest of day 6
+ All of day 7
+ 2 new songs added to the soundtrack
+ Zach sprite revamp
+ 2 new CGs
+ Can now skip opening video without having to watch it through all the way once to unlock the option
Windows:
https://mega.nz/file/HZtiiRKJ#PekX42BNiRI-w1TnDUuMIsc6OoEDIm1P1HjqvaLJdJU
Mac:
https://mega.nz/file/WRlSCZBS#NSsErOTvfzlPbWlvIRNOylYreLyDlD5kDr5fayBsSzw
Android:
https://mega.nz/file/uU12BbaT#kIxaayeUuHCZscRiV1nJDCwDu4lSjTlBxGDt95i3m0g
Linux:
https://mega.nz/file/TN0EhT4A#MDL26ocCpJM-oFbcQTk0Nh5Pc4TdR6ycTpOIvbg5kvI
Comments
Stormsinger Studios
In that scene, Ben realizes he's jealous that Karina found a boyfriend because he doesn't have one himself, not that he wishes he was her boyfriend.
Stormsinger Studios
I'll put that on the list of things to fix for next build! Thanks! ~Dzahn
Stormsinger Studios
Yeah, that's more or less what I was going for! I'm still gonna see if there's any way I can improve how I'm doing these so it isn't so polarizing. ~Dzahn
I do somewhat like the "fake choice" though, as it gets you involved into the story and also just shows that there is nothing much that you could have done about that, showcasing the internal conflict residing within Ben's head, I suppose.
Lucia
Thank you for the extensive reply! And to be clear on point 3, yeah the creature noise at the end of day 6 was too loud for me- so I agree with Dev. Thanks!
Stormsinger Studios
Thank you for the feedback! 1. Yeah, we've been noticing things that are off with the main cast sprites. We're most likely looking at Carlos and Russell next, followed by Chris. 2. Dzahn's been experimenting with some ways to involve the player in decisions Ben makes, even if they don't actually have a "choice", per se. You're not the first to have an issue with these, as our editor Frostclaw didn't particularly like them either. Dzahn was aiming for something on the meta-narrative level, but it doesn't seem to be hitting the mark 100%. We'll most likely take another look at how we're approaching this element of the game. 3. I'm not quite sure what you're referring to here. Ben's coughing sound effect? I know that one is played on the bridge. Or are you referring to the weird creature noise at the end of day 6? Dev thought that noise was probably too loud, too.
Lucia
Time for an update review- will try to stick to this! Another well-written update. I'm glad that Zach's finally gotten some uninterrupted screentime. He's such a bean and he's just the cutest, especially throughout the entirety of Day 7. As Dzahn said, go into this with an open mind. I can see a few ways that the story will progress in light of the character revelation (no spoilers here), and I think it'll serve for some really great development. Some specific feedback from the devs: -I'm glad you've acknowledged that the character sprites need a refresh. Russell's sticking out like a sore thumb, especially when on screen right next to the freshly-updated Zach -Fake choices: if there's only one option to click, I don't see the point in having the player click, e.g. "Go the long way round" -Volume of the bridge voice. I know it's there for shock value, but it's too loud
Shpongle Spore
Ahh the 1st of the month.... My monthly fine wine and Santa Lucia play-through sesh <3 Hype for this update~
