cutegamesclub

my game PEAK FREAKS is out and FREE!

I want to thank everyone so much for their continued support. My game PEAK FREAKS is finally finished after 1 year of development. You can go to itch.io now and pick it up for yourself!

What's next for me?

My long time programmer and best pal, Salty, has asked me for a couple years off to work on some of his own projects as a solo dev and in collaboration with a few other people he has been interested in working with. This is obviously awesome but kind of scary news! Of course I want to keep working on my own projects as well, so I will be doing the programming myself (gulp!)

I'm not going to lie, it's pretty intimidating, but I'm also excited for the challenge. I'm hoping to kick things off by doing 100 hours of programming to get myself back in shape, and while that probably won't result in anything cool or super playable, I intend to blog about it as much as possible in order to give myself some motivation/momentum. So keep an eye on this space to see what comes out!

I hope you enjoy PEAK FREAKS, please let me know what you think or if you run into any bugs, I am inspired every day to keep making games and videos because you guys are backing me and believe in me!

Best, Terry

NEW VIDEO: Playing Assemble With Care!

I played Assemble With Care over the Holidays, and it was such a blast I wanted to share it with everyone. The repair industry is so fascinating and fun, and I really hope people are inspired to repair their own things at home.

Watch the video, and then check out this *Peachy Pair* for further reading! As part of my research, there's so many cool articles and things I want to include in the video but can't due to brevity, so I'm adding them to this mini-blog. I hope you'll enjoy looking through all the materials as much as I have~

How Do LCDs Work?

In Assemble With Care you can repair a gameboy with a broken LCD screen. LCD technology is such an awesome invention and not many people know just how it works, so here's a video that breaks it down more than I did in my video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbdhbyiHX-s 

How Does Polaroid Film Work?

Original Polaroid film prints and develops all in one ingenious package, right in the camera! Get these links to learn the history of the Polaroid film AND how it works:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7xKWLsCd8E 

https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/27/weve-come-full-rectangle-polaroid-is-reborn-out-of-the-impossible-project/ 

Was Early Photography Film Racist?

The history of photography and race is yet another example of how easy a single detail can lead to the complete exclusion of an entire community of people. Read the story below to learn more!

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/25/lens/sarah-lewis-racial-bias-photography.html 

The Future of Planned Obsolescence

In "Unauthorized Bread", Cory Doctorow writes a humorous but sobering science fiction set in the near future where people are not allowed to repair their own appliances. Current industry practices, in which products don't work unless they can be "verified" with an internet connection, or built with technology that deliberately degrades itself over time so that new products have to be bought, is the dangerous reality we live in, and the story is a nice reminder of how much we probably don't want the trend to continue.

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/01/unauthorized-bread-a-near-future-tale-of-refugees-and-sinister-iot-appliances/ 

New Video: Kirby and the Amazing Mirror's Map Design

this video explores the "amazing" (heehee) map design of the awesome GBA game Kirby and the Amazing Mirror and its map design.

Now that Pairanormal is finished (although we're still fixing bugs) It's so exciting to continue to make cute games content. Thanks to everyone for continuing to support my work!

I do a little paintover of townscaper

I really enjoyed playing Townscaper and started getting into painting over the buildings. Totally forgot to upload this, but if you're in a bad mood, this video will cheer you up~

This Weekend: Second Round of Bugtesting on Pairanormal

Hey guys, I can't believe how much closer and closer we're getting to the beta release. At some point, We'll be sending out testing copies to any one of our patrons who want one. For the moment though, I'm going through the entire game for the second time to squash out the most obvious and noticeable bugs. Here's what we accomplished this past week

• Currently, with some additional tools, the game plays from start to finish!
• We're tightening up the Investigation Scenes. There was a game breaking bug in them but its been fixed, so we can do more precise testing in them
• Nearly all grammar/text errors have been squashed in the main game playthrough, but not in the "dating" scenes with each character, which haven't been fully tested yet.
• I added in 6 bonus character portraits for the end-game scenario.

That's all for the moment. Salty and I are working super hard to finish the game this year. Thanks, as always, for your continued support. Whenever I send a build off to Salty after a QA session, I've been also keeping busy by studying the history of cute games. You'll keep getting those fun bonus videos as well!

The Secret History of Pokemon Snap (Part 1)

Wow you guys, what a week it's been! This past week was my last week of income on unemployment, so now I'm pivoting full gear into looking for work. I plan to produce some videos about applying to jobs in the game industry, but for now I have amazing news: I've been making a video series about the history of Pokemon Snap. And even crazier news: I actually learned something nobody else in the english speaking game community knows! My videos are going to cover all the juicy info, so if it's something that interests you, please like and share it around your circles.

I also took the liberty of thanking my $10 patrons in the video. Thanks to everyone for your continued support.

For those looking for Pairanormal updates, Salty is putting the finishing touches on Chapter 5, and I anticipate spending several upcoming weekends smashing bugs. Exciting!

Quarantine Bonus: A full length video about sonic

I can't explain it. But if you liked the sonic adventure series you'll probably enjoy this video?

While I've been waiting for salty to program Pairanormal, I've gotten into video making! Here's a game design analysis about Sonic and Tales Runner, an old MMORPG. I went ahead and credited my $10 patrons as well, as thanks for supporting me even now!

Watch this space for some cool credits/resources I dug up related to video game history while researching for this video.

All art for Pairanormal is FINISHED!!!

There was I time when I was afraid I'd never write these words. As of today, all the assets needed to make Pairanormal have been sent to my unbelievably loyal programmer, and the final stretch of making the game begins.

Very shortly, we'll be making an announcement looking for beta testers of the game. This is open to all patreon supporters and their communities.

yaaaay!

Animating Characters

Yahoo!  It's the final step before programming, animating the characters. As of now, all art has been made. We are in the final step of adding all of our content to the engine. It's a very exciting time, and I've been mainly throwing myself completely into this work because america is on fire and...yeah. But here's a dog in a bag!

Hope everyone is doing well.

An Absurd Abundance of Art

Right. So earlier this year, I finished writing and annotating Pairanormal. Yes, you heard me. All 5 Chapters of the game have been written. You could, if you were crazy enough to care, sit down and experience the game from start to finish in written form.

But I still have to finish art.

Currently I'm making about two backgrounds/images/characters a day. I haven't done the math about how long it would take me to finish all the art I stupidly assigned myself to make in the game, but I am going pretty darn fast with this, because goddamn. It has been five years already. Five. Years. If I don't finish this thing during the crazy amount of free time this quarantine has now afforded me, I don't deserve to call myself a game developer anymore.

The reason I haven't posted about the game much is because I really have only been writing it, and there's nothing I could show off without spoiling things. But expect lots of art posts from now on, and shortly after that--the announcement that the game is done.

Thanks for sticking by me, 45 patrons. I love ya! Stay safe out there.

New Avatar, don't be alarmed!

Hey all. I'm now working on Chapter 4. I recently updated my avatar--just a heads up so you know it's still me! more changes will be coming in the future to my profile page, but otherwise I'm still working on Pairanormal. Have a great day--who's ready for July?

Important Pairanormal News! BIG Changes!

Hello all, hope your summer is going great! I'm writing to inform you all of a recent decision I made regarding Pairanormal. 

I'm currently wrapping things up on Chapter 3, and before we started entering the new data into the game, Salty said he was interested in updating the game's engine so he could make this process easier. "If you want to retcon anything, now would be the time". I realized that there actually were something things I wanted to tune up in Chapter 2 to make the overall story flow better.

At this time, I started looking at the comparative success of Chapter 2 versus Chapter 1, and the difference is pretty huge. I talked to some fans and friends, and most of them said they're waiting to play the full game instead of each chapter. So I decided, I guess I'll just make the whole thing in one go and not bother with chapters anymore.

Of course, this presents a problem because the chapter-based release system is what keeps patrons interested over long periods of time. I want to provide regular content instead of months of inactivity. so what I hope to do is stream previews of the game and create video uploads for patrons to watch/listen to instead of giving you guys chapters to play.

With luck, this will actually speed up development because I don't have to troubleshoot each new chapter, and can just playtest them as a coherent whole.

Thanks for reading. I look forward to showing off more Pairanormal content on the patreon.

The Art Continues

FUCK. I really wish I could share the artwork I have been making without SPOILING CHAPTER 3.

Hopefully posting it at midnight using only silhouettes is a decent enough compromise? Anyway have a great weekend. More art to come! (Which won't be in silhouettes)

New Pairanormal Investigation Scene!

I've just finished wrapping up writing Chapter 3, after making a major overhaul of the script. I stupidly decided to put way more content in this chapter than I have any right to make. So I'm basically tired of writing. My brain is fried for a good long while. 

As reparations to myself, I had a lot of fun making the background for a new investigation location in chapter 3, the soda factory. I was very excited to post it, until I realized pretty much the entire picture contains massive spoilers for a good chunk of the game. So instead, here's a modified peephole version (ooh, naughty!)

Thanks again for hanging in there. It's been a while since I've had anything I can actually -show- you, I mean I could just post photos of the script but I figure that's kind of boring. So I appreciate everyone who continues to support me, especially now that I'm living on my own. Have a good memorial day weekend!

Bonus art: an evil 80's magical girl

IM IN BOSTON!

Whoah! Wow! Incredible! Yes, you heard me right folks. This April I packed up all my belongings and drove across 22 states  in 28 days. It was freakin' amazing. And now I'm living my dream of being a resident of Boston. It's been crazy, this is my first time living on my own. I'm a little scared, a little exhausted, but I have a place to sleep and food to eat and that makes me so happy! I'm even more committed now to working hard on my projects.

I have a schedule set up where I'm applying to jobs in the morning and working on Pairanormal in the afternoon. Expect to see lots of posts (which let's be honest are long overdue) concerning updates to Chapter 3.

Well that's all! I'm alone right now so I thought I'd tell somebody. Don't stop believing!!!

Some art for you~

hey guys. It's been a nice weekend, a little calm before the storm, if you will. I'm moving to boston in 10 days. How wild is that? I'm trying my hardest to do as much Pairanormal as I can before I relocate. Currently Chapter 3 is about 1/3rd scripted out. Sometimes, even though I have a complete outline, I struggle with making the text "punchy", you know? I never like stories that are overwhelmed with text--in visual novels, I think it's especially important to get to the point, kind of like a TV show. Anyway, now I'm rambling!

Today I spent a little time doing some art, which is fun and grounding. These are just some characters I made to look like they're from an 80s magical girl anime. Many might not know this but I'm obsessed with hand drawn cartoons from early television. I read up on light/exposure techniques, cel painting, and all the ways that special effects were achieved using analogue film. They give those old cartoons a really rich, warm feel. Now I understand how some music geeks are obsessed with vinyl records.

Have a great weekend!

Back to Pairanormal Full Time~

whew! All march I was working hard at Chaos Tavern. Well, my contract is up, and now I've got plenty of time in March to work on Chapter 3 of Pairanormal. Expect a future writing stream within the next week. With Any luck, I'll have a prototype ready before I start my road trip.

Anyway, if you're going to GDC this year, give my friends DragonBearStudios a shoutout, and be sure to support their game, Chaos Tavern! 

I'm not dead! In fact, here's what I've been up to.

LIFE COMES AT YOU FAST.

I got a last minute job contract to work with the awesome Dragon Bear Studio. They're gearing up to make a super cute multiplayer time-management inkeeping game known as ⚔🍻CHAOS TAVERN🍻⚔. And yours truly is making all the UI.

In like, one month.

I was so happy to accept this work. For one thing the pay will allow me to live worry free for two months! During which I'm seriously hoping to put a dent in the ever-promised Pairanormal. Believe it or not, even though my schedule has been crazy, I've also been working on my game. I've recently finished up playing through the latest build of Chapter 2, and the idea is to have it back up this week, new art, music, and all!

Anyway, in the meantime, expect the occasional peppering of updates about my work on this game, ⚔🍻CHAOS TAVERN🍻⚔ in between the usual Pairanormal fare. 

Have a good black history month!💖💖💖

Wiggidy-Wiggidy What!?!?! We got NEW MUSIIIIIC

WHEW. okay,  A lot's been happening. I've got a couple of announcements coming up. But first, I want to hit y'all with some BONUS NEWS: Maglo, our awesome musician, just finished up some new music for Pairanormal. It's the new "investigation" music!

Take a listen and get groovy with it. As always, thanks for backing!

Pairanormal Updates~

Heyo, Chicmonster here.

Now that Angel.Net is finished, I'm back to the grindstone with Pairanormal. I'm bug testing Chapter 2 in the hopes that it can be released again soon, and at the same time am writing future chapters so I can start developing them. I finished three important outlines today, which means it won't be long before I start fleshing things out and revealing awesome stuff for you guys!

Thanks for your continued support!

-Tess

Angel.Net is finished! Download it Now~

Click here to go to the game's page on it.chio 

My interactive coloring book, Angel.Net, is finished. I feel AMAZZZZZZIIIING!!! I MADE A GAME IN ONE MONTH HOLY SHIT AND ITS WEIRD AND FUN AND ME AND CUTE AND ASKLDJAFHGKS. It was through the process of making this game that I decided to leave twitter. I'll probably write a post about that soon, it's a Whole Thing ™️ .

Also I made these adoptables. Remember adoptables from those early internet days? I loved those things, but I never knew how to make 'em. Now that I'm older, I do!

Not gonna lie, it was exhausting. But man, it feels good to jam. In any case, look forward to all future posts being STRICTLY about Pairanormal. 

2019 LETS GO!

quick #acejam2019 post!

Hallo folks! Just checking in tonight to let you know what I've been up to. I've finally hammered in the details for the game I'm making for acejam2019. It's an interactive coloring book meant as an homage to the early 2000s. You might wonder what that might have to do with asexuality--I'm hoping it'll be explained better with the gameplay. Anyway, keep tuned for future updates! I'll be jamming all month long!

Happy new Year, Patrons!

Hey y'all, how's it going? I'm so excited and hopeful for the new year. Salty and I are both back from the holiday's now, and we've got some new VIGOR for working on our upcoming games. I've given a huge list of bug fixes to Salty for Chapter 2 or Pairanormal, and I'm hard at work blocking out the next one. in the meantime, I'm excited to announce a project I'm taking on in January, to KICK THE NEW YEAR OFF RIGHT: 

 I'm participating in the Ace Jam in January!   

It's a month long jam celebrating Ace characters, and I've already planned out what I want to do - currently titled ANGELdotNET. As my patrons, of course you'll be getting sneak peaks this month of the game I'm working on. It's something small that I'm hoping will really kick off my momentum.  Anyway, have a great new year! 

I'm Streaming All Day!

Welcome one and all. tune into my Pairanormal LiveStream while I play through -every- route in Chapter 2, bug testing for our upcoming re-release. I'll work for about 15 minutes and take stretch breaks in between, but in the meantime I'll answer your questions and hang out with you.

Come on down and join the fun!

Pairanormal streaming now!

Over the next few days, I'll be playing through Chapter 2, doing art, and hunting for bugs. join me on my journey.

changes are underway!

take a look at my most recent work; the updated clubhouse investigation scene from chapter 2! As you can see, sever changes have been made. I was frustrated with the clarity of the scene, and made objects much easier to see and investigate by taking out some of the noise from trees and foliage, and increasing contrast between the foreground and the background.

The library will not undergo go such drastic changes, but there's be tweaks made to the image. stay tuned for more!

Chapter 2 is being taken down for major updates!

Heyo folks. Anyone who is currently trying to play Pairanormal Chapter 2 might notice that the game is no longer available on itch.io. That's because we're taking the game down while we enact some big fixes (some which change the gameplay experience slightly). Here's what's coming soon!

• tons of brand new art/images. I've updated the images in the game and created a good handful of new ones to enhance the game's text. Some of these images will now even appear in investigation scenes!
• a working gallery. we've promised it for so long, and by golly we're still working on getting it going. Soon all the images you encounter in the game will be viewable in the game's gallery!
• balanced sound/music. I noticed in chapter 2 that several of the game's sounds were out of balance! some too loud and others too soft. I'm working on balancing all of them so they don't destroy your ears
• a new music track. Our musician Mag.Lo is hard at work on a brand new track for the game, which will be played during investigation scenes.
• updated investigation scenes! The Library and Clubhouse will be modified so they're easier to navigate, and a couple new objects in the game will be able to be shown to NPCs, unlocking more of the story!
• an updated romance/friendship system. Behind the scenes, the game tracks your relationships with certain characters. We're tweaking the system a little bit to make it easier to get closer to multiple characters at once ( before you get excited; no, not a poly relationship! think 1 romance/several friends)

There's so many awesome changes being put in place, we want to make sure anyone who hasn't played it yet doesn't have to do it twice to get all the good content, which is why we're taking it off of itch.io for a little bit!

Are you a patron who wants to play Chapter 2 regardless?

If you're a patron and want to play the earlier version of Chapter 2, shoot me a message or a comment and I'll happily provide you with a zip file. The game is currently fully playable, so if you can't wait to read the story we're not gonna stop you! 

Pairanormal News! Fan Shoutouts!

Hey guys. whooooooo. Okay, so some news:

Recently, my family went through a pretty gnarly tragedy. No I'm not gonna talk about it, just know that it sucked, and thank goodness most of its over now, and that's why I've been kind of silent after Chapter 2. I've since left my seasonal position and expect to be working for the rest of the year full time on Pairanormal. I hope that this will help the success of the game overall; Chapter 2's beta profits are not too high so far. Luckily for me I've got lots of savings from my previous job--I just have to work on paying our awesome programmer and musician. I want to polish up Chapter 2 and add some additional content to it, as well as dedicate a little more time to marketing. Hopefully this will bolster pledges/sales of the game.

If you have played chapter 2, I encourage you all to PLEASE submit your feedback here. And if you've published a playthrough or review anywhere, send me a link! Not only am I watching it for my ego, I'm also watching and listening to all your feedback and looking for any errors we can correct in future updates.

Okay, on to the good news:

I want to thank Geek Remix for playing through the game! You can watch their playthrough by clicking THIS!!! 

I'm so honored Mari and Stacy continued to support me through the development of Chapter 2; they were constantly reaching out and sending me encouragment. Much love guys!

I also want to give a shoutout to the podcast Queer and Pleasant Strangers, a gaming and popular media podcast hosted (in part) by none other than Pairanormal's own, Laura Kate Dale! Pairanormal gets a shoutout in their 41st episode, amongst other things ;)

finally, I want to let our fans know they should keep an eye on the awesome queer gaming youtube channel Hex Code Girls, which I'm sure you'll remember did a hilarious and engaging playthrough of chapter 1, and have told me they expect to follow up with chapter 2.

Okay, I'm gonna get back to work. Love you guys!

Pairanormal V 2.05 Bug Report Post

Hey folks. Hope you're enjoying Chapter 2 of Pairanormal! I've set up this post here so you can write out anything you encounter that doesn't seem to work, and we'll spend the next few days patching those bad boys up --obviously, a game breaking bug will have priority, but I'm a perfectionist, so I'll get to everything in good time.

Remember to describe the whole situation, including what you did leading up to the bug, to help us out. Feel free to include a screenshot as well if you think it might be useful!

thanks again to all our patrons for supporting us, and I look forward to making the game better for youuuu!

Pairanormal: racing towards the finish!

We are hard at work polishing the last of Chapter 2. At this point, most bugs have been squashed, and I've been making all the cool images (like the one you see above you) that will help round out the story! There are a total of ten images left. When those are done (and I'm gonna make as many of them as I can today) we'll be releasing Chapter 2!