Note: This post is a serious, longform discussion about some of the thought that has gone into writing Nick and how a relationship with Dom/sub roles might develop between him and Alex. As with most Behind the Scenes posts, this one sheds some light on the development process, and it can be read (or skipped) with no impact on your experience in playing the game. 2021-03-17 12:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post
With Build 0.3 available for patrons, I've begun working on Build 0.4. The first part of this is going to be completely redoing the shots for the prologue (again).
Why? Well, to avoid burying the lead: Build 0.4 will be introducing a new character, this one developed for our antediluvian-tier patron. He's going to be in the background of one image i...
2021-03-16 02:59:34 +0000 UTC View Post
UPDATED May 5, 2021: Build 0.3c is now available to the public. The links have been updated with links to this build. Compared to build 0.3b, this build incorporates additional descriptive text in an explicit scene, updates to the UI, and fewer typos.
Guys, it is big and it is coming to your hard drives -- NOW!!!...
2021-03-14 21:34:06 +0000 UTC View Post
We are almost there guys! I've been sharing some running updates on our Discord server so, if you're interested, definitely head on over and check things out. Here's a rough estimate of where things currently are:
Edit/Update: The initial results are very strongly in favor of including a walkthrough, so I’ve put something together through Chapter 6. I’ll try to keep it updated going forward provided it doesn’t get too complicated or distract from making the actual game.
Original Post
While a visual novel is a relatively linear experience compared...
2021-03-09 13:01:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Sometimes I'm not sure what folks will find interesting, but one of the things I'm going to be doing in the near future is a short Behind the Scenes video of how the 3D software I use works, and how all the different assets are put together to create the images you see in Bound by Night.
In advance of releasing that video, one of the things I thought m...
2021-03-08 14:01:03 +0000 UTC View Post
As promised, here are a couple of NSFW images for what's coming in the next release. You already saw some teasers of Nick doing a bit of a strip tease of some sort, but did you catch the other news at the end of a post earlier this week?
The end of Chapter 6 will include an explicit scene between Nick and Alex... and it will have two different ways to, shall we say, finish things off. ...
2021-03-05 17:41:54 +0000 UTC View Post
Work is coming along for the next release of Bound by Night, including Chapters 4, 5 and 6. These chapters will begin to show the pressures Alex is under at work and have the beginning of the relationship between Alex and Nick.
With this post, I'm sharing some of the SFW images I've put together so far for this release. The NSFW images will release later today.
2021-03-05 13:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post
Last night I rendered a bunch of images; some for the end of chapter 5, others for the opening of chapter 6. When I checked them this morning, I realized I'm going to have to redo most of them, but I thought it might make for an interesting Behind the Scenes post.
There is a way to preview a shot before you render it, but I don't do it for every shot. Rather, I tend to do it a couple times per ...
2021-03-02 14:55:21 +0000 UTC View Post
I had told myself I was going to take some downtime last week but the truth is I had too many ideas running through my head and wanted to get them written down and in motion. So, work on the next release is well underway and it should include Chapters 4 through 6.
It’s too early for me to hazard a guess as to when it will be ready, but certainly this month. 2021-03-01 20:52:35 +0000 UTC View Post
Edit 3/29: Added profiles for Kai and upcoming character Connor.
For those who haven't tried the game yet, here are some profiles of some of the characters currently featured in the game. (Connor will be introduced in Build 0.4, coming in April.)
2021-02-28 19:49:56 +0000 UTC View Post
NOTE: I was planning to release this post next week, but that would be after Patreon does the monthly billing cycle. Since I thought this might be nice information for you to have while you decide whether to continue to support the project (and I hope you do!), I decided to push it out now.
Recently, I've had a couple conversations that required me to articulate how "f...
2021-02-26 17:34:23 +0000 UTC View Post
One of the things I'm doing this week is playing around with a lot of the models to see what I can do with them. While we're not likely to see a shifted werewolf in the game in the next few updates, these images are from some of the explicit work I was doing, comparing models both for werewolves and their junk.
How Alex will actually wind up encountering a werewolf is still in development and I...
2021-02-26 01:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Normally, I keep the NSFW images and sneak peaks limited to the Hunter and above tiers, but this felt more borderline so it's available to all patrons.
I won't reveal too much about this scene, but I will tell you it heavily leverages multiple sets of choices you make as a player and two different relationship dynamics that were implemented in the last update. I expect it will be fairly har...
2021-02-25 03:32:20 +0000 UTC View Post
With Chapters 2 and 3 released (making that our launch and a major update in the first month), I'm going to give myself a little time to breathe for the rest of February, but that doesn't mean work is stopping.
At present, I plan to have the next couple of chapters focus on Alex continuing to come to grips with whatever happened (is happening?) to him, and meeting some of the other lea...
2021-02-23 12:55:19 +0000 UTC View Post
Last night, I released version 0.2a to patrons at the Hunter tier and above. This update includes two new chapters and more than twice as many images as in the first release.
But because version 0.2a also included revised shots to the Prologue, Chapter 1's cliffhanger, and revised dialogue, I decided to re-release the "demo" with the updated assets. This ...
2021-02-22 14:38:09 +0000 UTC View Post
Note: Links updated for Build 0.2b
Build 0.2b is now available to the public! Enjoy!
I am happy to announce (earlier than expected) that Version 0.2b of Bound by Night is now available to Patrons at the Hunter tier and above. This includes Chapters 2 and 3, introduced two new characters, a relationship tracking system, and ...
2021-02-22 01:58:53 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi all. I thought I'd give you a status update on the work on v0.2a, which will include Chapters 2 and 3. In short, I think we're looking at middle of next week as a reasonable target.
As I've been doing editing and QA on Chapter 2, I decided to redo the opening shots, switching from a 2D background to a new 3D environment I picked up. I also a...
2021-02-19 14:54:08 +0000 UTC View Post
For this week's NSFW image, Alex is just enjoying the sunlight in his kitchen. (And maybe just took care of something else.)
This image is just for you and won't be in Chapter 3, but composing it for you did give me an idea about a new part in Chapter 3 that I'm going to try to work in with the next update. I think you'll like it.
Enjoy, and have a ...
2021-02-19 13:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Earlier this week, I posted a shot of the set I'm using for Chapter 3 featuring a lighting effect some people call "God rays" (aka sunbeams). I liked the effect so much, I decided to redo some of the shots for Chapter 3 and thought I would share with you some of the original shots and those with the updated lighting. The godrays in these shots are pretty subtle, but ...
2021-02-18 13:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostI have a small favor to ask if you don't mind. I was wondering if you could let me know how you found out about Bound by Night. That will help me identify were people are coming from and where I should be focusing efforts on sharing information and updates on the game's development.
Thanks!
2021-02-17 17:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Work this holiday weekend was focused primarily on staging some shots for Chapter 3, editing the script, and experimenting with some of the more technical stuff that goes into creating the models and scenes for Bound by Night. Later this week, the NSFW image preview will include some of the model-related assets I picked up over the weekend, but th...
2021-02-16 13:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post
The work on Chapter 2 of Bound by Night is largely done, as are the new shots for the prologue and Chapter 1. That means I'm now full speed ahead on rendering the images for Chapter 3, which will have us return to Alex. Here are a couple of SFW images from Chapter 3. Some NSFW images (which will at least be inspired by the location) to come soon.
2021-02-15 13:01:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Progress on the first post-launch update is going well, both in terms of new content and my own technical proficiency. Here is a quick summary of the more significant updates (and what might be possible as a stretch):
Yeah, so it's a little early. We're a bit dysfunctional over here, but we're having fun doing it. Whether you're spending the day with your special boo, several boos, or taking the opportunity for some self-loving, the guys and I hope you have a great weekend!
Cheers,
The Bound by Night Crew
2021-02-12 11:01:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Lighting. Shadows.
These two factors can have a huge impact in how a scene impacts a viewer or player. This is particularly true for a story with a horror theme. When everything is lit up like Times Square, creatures and people who are written as hiding in the shadows, looming at the edge, just stand out under the klieg lights just like every other character.
When I was doing the first cut of images for Chapter 1, I was really struggling with figuring out how lighting worked in th...
2021-02-11 13:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostWhile trying to avoid spoilers, I thought folks might be interested to learn a little about the process I’m putting into in developing the mythology behind the supernatural and horror elements of Bound by Night. Now, I’m not so conceited as to claim I’m inventing “a wholly unique mythology.” There isn’t much that’s truly unique these days. (“Simpsons did it!”)
But I am drawing inspiration from a number of pieces that, blended together, I think...
2021-02-10 13:01:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Yesterday we had the SFW preview images of the next two characters to be introduced. Today, we get a NSFW glimpse of one of them. I have to say, I'm really happy with the result. I used some new textures, played around with this model's face and... well, I hope you enjoy him, too!
An NSFW preview of the other character teased in yesterday's post is going to take a little longer. All of the other models in Bound by Night are based on the Genesis 3 set, but I cou...
2021-02-09 06:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
As I was working on the two new characters (previewed earlier today), I bought some new textures and presets for skin and was really happy with the result. Based on that, I did a little playing around today with Alex, and would welcome your input.
The "Original" is Alex as he appears in the Demo. Versions 2 and 3 have some tweaks to the rendering to improve his hair but also the new skin textures (one paler and one a little more tan).
Let me know what you think, and if you have an...
2021-02-08 18:43:43 +0000 UTC View PostCompared to other visual novels that have been in development for much longer, it is just a fact that Bound By Night — having just gone public less than 48 hours ago — is comparatively short. So, for people to be pledging their support now (including one person at the Antediluvian tier!!) before this game has a track record of updates and new content, means a lot.
Of course, it is hugely appreciated as a show of support and a validation that I’m onto something that other people a...
2021-02-08 13:29:53 +0000 UTC View Post