Hello again everyoneヽ(＾Д＾)ﾉ! Today is the last day of the month, and the time I was suppose to deliver the content(；・∀・).
Regarding the Artbook - Unfortunately, I am unable to finish the artbook on time. Originally, I was planning to include the protagonists artwork (8 character illustrations) I did as part of the main content of the artbook, but I decided to instead make new fanart artworks. I may still include it, but only as extra content. I also wanted to add and draw more variations from different jrpgs.
So for now, here is the teaser of some of the artwork included in the artbook, you might be able to guess some of the characters here (ᗒᗨᗕ). I'll try my best to deliver within the 1st week of november & to make it not disappointing, but worthwhile.
Also, in the sketch section of the artbook, I am considering if I should make a poll for it for my supporters to vote which sketch would you like to be painted/colored/finish for the next artbook and some other ideas that involve my supporters .
Despite the 2 months preparation, I am still quite overwhelm with the transition from making art packs to artbook and took me a lot more time than expected (planning& implementing the patreon content overhaul & preparing the artbook).
Regarding the Devdiary - I am planning to combine the update on november, so two updates, one will be for the technical part, and the other will be about the world, design, story, characters, lore, etc. And again, I couldn't manage to prepare on time.
-- I am really sorry for the delays, although I did do crunch, it was not enough, these past 2 months flew by me really fast w/ juggling between different tasks, I still find it hard to believe that I haven't been quite active w/ my art platforms for the past 2 months(time flies too fast for me, although it might have been longer for you), but I am giving my best to be back on track soon. Also, special thanks to my commissioners this month, it will help me sustain myself for a while so I can focus on my content for the coming months while I haven't reach my patreon goal yet. Another special thanks to my supporters who continue to support me despite the changes in my content and even without much activity this past few months, I am really grateful to you for staying and helping me on my journey ༶ඬ༝ඬ༶ --
I wanted to post this update before the monthly charge start to allow you to decide if you want to continue supporting me despite the delays.
Thank again for your time & have a good day ۹(ÒہÓ)۶（＾ｖ＾）!
• JRPGArtbook - I am making a monthly digital artbook mostly containing fanart from the games I love, this will mostly contain jRPG/RPG alongside some anime fanart. It may or may not contain some original art.
• JRPGEmojis- I'm also making jrpg artwork emojis for my protagonists(patreon-supporters).
• Draknier Story - is a jrpg-inspired game solely to be developed by me and which I am planning to release as free. This is not a one time project as I want to create jrpg-inspired games for the rest of my life. If you want to see the devblog, you can the devdiary https://www.patreon.com/gofelem/posts?tag=Game%20Development%20Diary
With patreon, it will help me to easily connect with my supporters, get in touch, update them on what is happening, and help me get independent from freelancing.
I've been freelancing for around 8 years working on other's project, as it keeps going, my drive of wanting to work on my project just keeps growing to the point that I couldn't contain it any longer and so it was about time to work on my passion and dreams which is making my own jRPG-inspired game & jrpg artbook. There was not a single day I stopped thinking about my passion since I started and even before I started freelancing.
Why not just focus on your personal game project?
Making the artbooks helps me mentally, reignites my passion. It also allows me to share that inspiration with everyone♥. Also, it's fun to talk or share moments about these games with fellow fans of the game!
Secondly, I want to give something back to my supporters while the development of the game is ongoing as they are supporting me w/ their valuable money. I don't think that showing progress report & expectations of my game project is enough.
Playing games for me is also a form of recreation to avoid burnout, it recharges my passion/motivation just like making fanart, and it also help me form connection with my supporters & community and also sharing the fun stuff about the games. I don't play games out of obligation, but i play it because i either love it or feel very interested. Also, jRPGs being my favorite genre.
(The cycle would be: Play games - Draw fanart of games - Make my own game)
Besides the artbook as reward, what are the other incentives of being a supporter?
• You will be credited in the credit section of the artbook.
sample:
What are the license/terms for the Artbook?
Personal use-only. You may share some screenshot/screencap of the artbook and it's content to fellow fans of the game. Please don't sell, modify, redistribute, or upload the actual file(PDF version/high res image version) for public use. You can also wait for an upload version of the artwork (artworks I upload base from the artbook on my social platforms such as twitter).
How do the JRPG Emoji for protagonists work?
Since these JRPG Emojis are access-only content for supporters, what are the terms?
You are able to use the emojis as long as you are still a patreon supporter/protagonists of my content as you are given access.
And depending on what tier you are the terms for each tier:
3$ Tier 2 Iron Rank Protagonists ✓ Access to small-resolution of all the emoji artworks ✓ Requires Credit / Attribution
5$ Tier 3 Silver Rank Protagonists ✓ Access to small-resolution of all the emoji artworks ✓ Access to medium-resolution of all the emoji artworks ✓ Access to emotes that have animated version(.GIF) ✓ Requires Credit / Attribution ✓ Can be used on your monetized videos, twitch page, stream sub emojis (youtube, twitch).
10$ Tier 4 Gold Rank Protagonists ✓ Access to Small-resolution of all the chibi artworks ✓ Access to medium-resolution of all the chibi artworks ✓ Access to emotes that have animated version(.GIF) ✓ Access to original high-resolution of all the chibi artworks ✓ Can be printed on your personal merchs(pillows, mug, etc.) or gifts. (personal-use only) ✓ Credit / Attribution is no longer required (Still appreciated if you credit as it helps) ✓ Can be used on your monetized videos or stream sub emojis (youtube ,twitch page , twitch).
How will we receive the reward?
Digital Artbook - You will be sent a private message via patreon for the download link along with a gumroad/cubebrush code
JRPG Emojis - You will immediately get access when you become a patreon supporter/protagonists.
What if I want to be patreon and want the previous rewards?
I haven't finalized anything yet, but I am planning to perhaps have it available/archive in gumroad/cubebrush for a certain amount. You can also send me a message after you became a patreon supporter to inquire about the previous rewards ｡^‿^｡.
Where does our supported money go?
Some percentage will go to paypal and patreon fee. The rest will go directly to supporting me.
Reaching the 400$ goal will fully cover my monthly cost so i can put focus more on my content creation(artbook, jrpg emoji, & game development project).
The money you support will also help me of having more access to resources and improving the equipments that will aid me on the production of artbook, video editing, game development,research materials, and being able to afford better services for servers/download source. Examples of these are-- buying software for better music production along with buying plugins for it, game engine license in order to have more access to paid features, art equipment, etc.
Are you doing any livestream? Ocassionally on twitch! I don't often do livestream due to limited internet bandwidth (currently have 5mbps w/ daily 10gb data cap & only fast during night time) and my computer gets really slow while streaming so at time it is hard to draw especially with larger canvas(Will upgrade both in the future when I have the resources).
During stream, I communicate with my community while drawing a jrpg fanart.
Thank you for checking or taking your time to read this FAQs, if you have any more concern, you can message me directly and then update this faq accordingly.
Hi everyone, this is the dev diary update #03 which is long due, sorry for the long wait (ᗒᗨᗕ)
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First let's start with the programming/game engine stuff , I have been working around with unity, setting it up and getting used to it. I just realized that it no longer use the built-in editor, and utilizes Visual Studio instead as the default editor which I had to manually install.
I did experience some minor issue, although I'm not sure yet if how persistent will it be. The issue is when executing/compiling the code on Visual Studio, it sometimes, doesn't reflect/sync to unity's execution. Anyway, it is negligible for now.
To get more familiar with unity(since the last time I used it is like 4 years ago), I gave unity's learning course a look.
I give this one a try, and I concluded that this is not what I need for now, so I went with the next one
While I did manage to delve into it a bit, I just had to stop. While this will help me get familiar with unity's features, I felt that this was also not the time for it. And unfortunately I am the type that couldn't fully digest everything when following something like this so I decided to postpone this(I might revisit later).
I decided that I'll go with something more basic first, while I did make a working jrpg prototype on unity back then which is around 2015, I never fully utilize c# which makes my code convoluted and filled with faults. very spaghetti code, just like the cables behind my desk.
From working w/ Godot Engine, I learned to be more organized and tried utilizing stuff I didn't before so going forward, I want to use what I learned there in Unity. While there are things I missed in Unity when I was using Godot (such as double array, multiple scripts in one node/prefab, etc.), it is still a great Engine!
I am actually also making my own cheatsheet/reference when coding. I know this is very simple, but I tend to easily forget syntax especially on cases when I stopped coding for a few days(e.g. working on the art assets, etc.). While I do learn a lott of stuff, I am unable to fully retain them in my mind(I know that consistency is the key, but I do think that I don't have a great memory as I easily forget things when I focused on something else, but consistency helps a lot and I will try my best to keep up with it, even a 30 minute coding per day helps).
One thing I realize about me when working and learning for my game is that I really prefer to make mistake and slowly learn the answer rather than having a smooth sailing working code.I want to try everything myself first, fail many times, repeat, solve, and with growth, improvise later on. Maybe I am just being stubborn, but I do think that's a more effective method for me when learning. While the community for unity is rich, I first need to first figure it out by myself, before looking for answers (Since with unity, we can probably almost find answers to everything with a simple search <I remember the hard times dealing with godot, searching for specific answer is hard>).And this will also help my brain to think and find its own answer rather than being too dependent on existing solutions (And I don't mean reinventing the wheel, but attempting to understand and not just copying). When I exhaust everything I can do, then I can seek the existing answers or clues & with that I will be able to digest that knowledge more. I also do think this will help a lot later on when trying to innovate some features (which is not the focus in my current project, but should I innovate something in the future, it will be more on the mechanics of battle gameplay).
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Now, let's go to the narrative of the game, I did spent lot a time working on the characters, story, settings, and flow of narrative. But for now I would like to refrain from showing anything as there will be lots of changes happening(I know I've written something to my previous dev diary about the characters and world, but pretty much a lot has already change, and somewhat makes the story in that devdiary quite obsolete).
If there is something I want to share, it's that I added another main female character, and other more characters. The story seems to be getting more serious(+darker) than I expected although I have many flavors to add into it. It's really hard to talk about the story without spoiling anything and not everything is set in stone yet.
One thing that always persist in my mind since forever is the Talking Protagonist vs. Silent Protagonist. After a lot of though I actually decided to go with the talking protagonist, but looking at the narrative now, the way I made the main character works or acts is no different from a silent protagonist. I am really fond of silent protagonists (e.g. Suikoden MCs, Breath of Fire's Ryu, Persona, SMT, chrono trigger, Legend of legaia,DAQ , God eater, and etc.) my prior decision was due to worrying about the others opinion when I did my long research, but since I am making this game the way I want it to be, I'll go with my preferred silent protagonist. I find that there is something mystical about it that pulls me in and not just about being self insert. I always see the silent protagonists as good listeners.
(Many times have I considered including a plot to make the main character mute just to make it a silent protagonist)
And oh, being able to change the character name too(I know for some, it might not make sense, but it's just the way I wanted it to be).
I am actually excited to share new art, but I think that can wait later until I make a functional game, narrative being solidified, or maybe when I start working on the 3D Models.
One thing I am also figuring for the narrative is the civilization, technology, and biome of the world. While I already have early concepts, I want to look more into it as it can influence many things such as the character design and overall feel of the world. I already have some new ideas so the early concepts may go away.
One of the exciting challenges I am facing is tying the way things work(world/story/lore setting) with the gameplay(for example abilites). Abilities are not just there for battle, but also plays a part in my narrative.
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Lastly, I have actually find a real good use for the clip paint studio I bought before during it's sale(Back when I mentioned in a post), and that is using it as 3D reference. When I draw, I usually invent my own forms/pose, but recently I did try it to use with some artwork
This probably looks familiar to you (as I used this for Breath of Fire 3 Nina art pack).
The reason I am bringing this up in this devdiary is there are a number of benefits to this, this actually helps me when I start working on the 3D stuff such as getting familiar with the rigging and its limitation, the navigation of camera to make a scene, pose, etc. Although the model has its flaw, I find it extremely great for my needs, this will prepare me when I make my 3d characters, rigging, doing an ingame scene/cinematic, getting used to playing around with the joints/bones for animation, and etc. (It also benefits my drawing as it helps me get away from my muscle memory and comfort zone)
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That would be all of my update for now, my next plan for the next update is hopefully I can make small multiple independent game prototypes (which later can be used as reference for the main game build prototype). Just like with drawing, sketching multiple times before working on the final, this gives me leeway to be flexible and do experiment/exploration.
Thank you for sparing your time and reading this, have a good pleasant day (*≧∀≦*)
I apologize for the lack of update, my preparation is still not ready for my patreon overhaul, but I am hoping it will be ready soon! I have to prepare art for the revised and new tiers which are 8 full body characters(had a different tier art done before, but had to scrap it) along with artbook preparation.
Here's a teaser
As for the upcoming charge, please worry not, I will be disabling the monthly charge this month for my supporters. I don't want to take advantage of my supporters. I apologize again for those who insist for continuing to support me despite the setback with my content, I really appreciate it, and I feel really bad to inconvenience you for finding other way due to me disabling the monthly charge(You may instead increase the pledge for the next charge and revert to normal after that as I think it is the least inconvenience I could think of).
At one point I did a special commission offer only for patreon. The amount you supported can be used as deduction to the commission price. I am planning to remove it as I haven't given thought that keeping track of it and making it as a motive of support would be difficult to handle in the long run. So I am planning to open a commission for a limited time for those who supported and want to use the amount supported and offer refund for those who supported due to commission discount(unfortunately, I have limited option of giving refund, only via paypal or game gifts via steam)
• For those who want to refund, please DM me here in patreon.
Lastly, as for the artbook. I would like to make a survey/poll later on after I finish an artbook so you can have basis to help me decide about its price/value.
Thank you again and have a pleasant day （＾ｖ＾） -- p.s. I will be posting the august game dev diary by tonight or tomorrow
Hello my protagonists! It's been a while since my last post, I have many posts in draft and preparation to make for my new content, but aside from that, I have important things to consult with you.
Before making any changes, I want to make sure to let you know of any changes to my patreon because you are the pillars of my content, without you, my content would not exist.
I have been in a dilemma about some changes. While I am working on the new FAQ due to my changes on my patreon, I end up repeatedly making changes to it, and so my game development dev diary has been also late due to it. I already have a draft post for dev diary, but I want to focus first on this main issue.
Originally, I was only planning a 1$ even after the changes in my content (from art packs to making artbook just for my supporters). But there have been some demand of higher tier for my patreon and I thought I might use this opportunity to make changes before i implement the update.
For now, I am considering the following tier: (below I will explain the details)
Tier 1$+ (Main, Mysterious, and Hidden Protagonists) - Digital Artbook (PDF version) - (Extra Content)Credits on Emoticon/Emoji pack - Discord Role (Main, Mysterious, or hidden protagonists) (Permanent) - Supporter/Protagonists only channel - Supporter/Protagonists only posts/poll
Tier 3$+ (New Type Protagonist - Art currently a work-in-progress) - Digital Artbook (PDF version) - Digital Artbook (Image/version) - (Extra Content )Credits on Emoticon/Emoji pack - Copper Credit in artbook - Copper Credit in artbook video trailer/promotion - Credits in my gamedev jrpg project "Draknier Story" - Discord Role (Permanent) - Supporter/Protagonists only channel - Supporter/Protagonists only posts/poll
Tier 5$+ (New Type Protagonist - Art currently a work-in-progress) - Digital Artbook (PDF version) - Digital Artbook (Image/version) - (Extra Content) Credits on Emoticon/Emoji pack - Silver Credit in artbook - Silver Credit in artbook video trailer/promotion - Credit in my gamedev jrpg project "Draknier Story" - Discord Role (Permanent) - Supporter/Protagonists only channel - Supporter/Protagonists only posts/poll - 15% discount on all of my gumroad content
Tier 10$+ (New Type Protagonist - Art currently a work-in-progress) - Digital Artbook (PDF version) - Digital Artbook (Image/version) - (Extra Content) Credits on Emoticon/Emoji pack - Gold Credit in artbook - Gold Credit in artbook video trailer/promotion - Credits in my gamedev jrpg project "Draknier Story" - Discord Role (Permanent) - Supporter/Protagonists only channel - Supporter/Protagonists only posts/poll - 30% discount on all of my gumroad content
------- <This limited tier is just an idea & might not make it to final> Limited Tier XXX$+ (New Type Protagonist) - Digital Artbook (PDF version) - Digital Artbook (Image/version) - (Extra Content) Credits on Emoticon/Emoji pack - Diamond Credit in artbook - Diamond Credit in artbook video trailer/promotion - Credit in my gamedev jrpg project "Draknier Story" - Discord Role (Permanent) - Supporter/Protagonists only channel - 30% discount on all of my gumroad content
- Supporter/Protagonists only posts/poll - Have a certain jrpg/anime character you want be drawn be included in the artbook - .PSD and .PNG of the character artwork you've selected to be drawn -----
As you've notice, the 1$ credit for the game and artbook, I was thinking that I should do this early than later considering that it can get overwhelming for me to keep track assuming that if it grows bigger and I have the artbook as reward unlike before when I was making free content, there was only credit as reward.
Also instead of the actual amount being shown which might be uncomfortable for some, I decided to use copper, silver, gold when crediting your name in the artbook and to reflect the amount you supported.
The previous credits from the art packs, I am not omitting them, i still plan to include them in the game as promised, but with the changes to my patreon, from now on the new credit implementation will start with 3$ tier.
For my protagonist that will change to the new tier(since some already supported amount equal to a certain tier), you will still retain 1$ role while also having a new one for that certain tier.
Currently, the 5$ tier and 10$ tier rewards even with discount are not getting much since I don't have paid digital content yet (digital content such as previous artbooks), but if I ever do content such as livestream, game dev diary video, art assets, etc. hopefully I can add more rewards into it.
When I thought of this tier proposal, it is not to force my current supporter to upgrade, but to expand and give more rewards and distinction for my current supporters who are already giving a lot without getting much anything except a credit back when I making free content.
With this large overhaul I am going through w/ my content, if I find that I may not be able to deliver quality work/reward this month of september, I plan to pause the monthly charge billing and resume it on october, but rest assured as I will still continue to work on content such as creating and preparing my own template for both the artbook and video and to solidify the workflow for next month. But I will never skip on my game development diary as I will still be posting one for september! Maybe I'll consider opening a commission this month instead due to many inquiring and waiting for an opening for a long time already.
Please let me know what you think about these ideas and what are you thoughts, am I pushing or pulling too far with my content? I am not uncertain. I am no longer making this alone, this project is not mine alone as you are the pillar of it, helping me make this project possible, and so I would really appreciate to hear your feedback. You may comment on this post, send me DM, chat in discord, or contact me in any form.
Thank you for sparing your time and checking this post, have a good day!
Hi Everyone! I would like to talk some major changes coming to my patreon.
and I would appreciate to hear your honest thought about it (You may comment or contact/message me directly). I've been considering and thinking about this for quite a long time now. There are both negative and positive news, I'll tackle the negative first.
ART PACK - ENDING/CONCLUDING
It is unfortunate, but I am planning to stop making art packs due to a number reasons.
Making art packs has been quite taxing on me. This is not due to the artwork itself, but something more which I will elaborate below.
• I find myself constantly feeling pressured,restricted, and anxious everytime I draw as I am recording it due to worrying about how long the process will it take me to finish as if I take too long, processing, rendering, and uploading would get more difficult for me due to limited resources. And being too short, I worry that I may make my supporters feel that I am not doing enough, although at those times, it tends to hit the mark.
• In most cases, I end up spending more time preparing the packs rather than the actual drawing/painting part, even with the help of the template i made, it still takes more time, and I also have to handle multiple websites and setting it up (patreon, gumroad, cubebrush, my own website, youtube),editing, render, upload, etc.. I honestly feel burnout doing the production/preparation for each every art pack.
• I have less creative freedom. It made me feel like I have to follow a certain formula/pattern way to draw. Doing something different instill fear within me. My recent 2 art packs, Nina from Breath of Fire 3 & Tiki from FE:Awakening where i tried something a bit different, such as the way I color or drawing a full body, and honestly it left me terrified that it makes it look lazy or not as complete as the previous packs considering that there is no background. The Blade Nia artpack is an example of this which I originally wanted it without background, but I feel oblige I needed to put BG as the previous art packs have one.
• My game development project has been really affected negatively by the art pack production. And since my movement to 3D jrpg development, I want to put more time to learn and work with the technical subjects related to it.
**Now going with the positive stuff,
ARTBOOK - NEW
While I will stop with art pack, I am planning to make a mini-artbook/sketchbook/monthly art book just for my supporters. I do think that my supporters deserve more than just the credit, and I've been trying to think of other ways and this is the answer I came up with. It may seem like a paywall, but its the only way I can think of to make more exclusive rewards for my supporters.
This approach, I fear that I may have betray your reason for supporting me because I make free content for everyone, and if you want to stop supporting me because of it, I will respect it and I deeply apologize for it.
Also, I will still be posting and sharing artworks in my social media/art platforms(upload version,like the one I usually post in my websites/social media --around 900px) that belong to the artbooks. E-book version & artbook image .PNG version will still be exclusive reward for my supporters/protagonists.
I've been trying my best to make everyone happy, but I felt like I wasn't able to do much for my supporters, this might be the opportunity for me. There are also many positives for me if I work on mini art book/artbook/sketchbook.
• Less time spent on the production and more on drawing artworks
• I can draw more fanart characters or just about anything and in diversity, be it painted, sketch, short strip, etc. Sometimes I want to redraw characters(Which is hard to consider during the art packs as i am only able to produce few art packs per month). There are just so many characters from other games I want to draw
• More creative freedom
• Less pressure due to not worrying about recording the drawing process.
• Looking at from the perspective of a videogame/anime fan, I think having a sort of artbook might be more enjoyable for my supporters.(When I have artbooks of games I like or something, I just adore it)
• More time to work on my gamedev project
• I only need to focus on 1 quality production for the artbook (Youtube Video to showcase/preview it and making artbook feel like a real artbook with its aesthethics)
• Sometimes I just suddenly have a flare of inspiration want want to draw something
Sometimes I just want to draw, and have fun,goof, or play with it. Maybe fuse two characters from different game, or make some short comic strip, crossovers, A basic drawing of character interactions, landscape/environment, and more. This is something I can do within the artbook without worrying about following a certain pattern.
*The artbook will be more personalized as I will also include also personal text there. Perhaps about why I draw this certain art, about the character, or something else. It won't be just a compilation of artworks.
*Two versions of artbook - e-book version and .png/image version
*Artbook will still mostly contain jrpg/rpg/video game fanart, and some anime/manga fanart too
PHYSICAL ARTBOOK (N/A)
I currently don't have resources or connection to have those resources, but I would really like to revisit/look into this case in the future. I can also do a quarterly edition(compilation of the artbooks released [3 monthly artbook in 1 compilation]) for it when I got the resources. -- I actually did have a one and only art book of my old works printed back in 2016, I got it for a one time 0$ promo and just have to pay a shipping fee(ᗒᗨᗕ). I did not have that much time to work on the layout and such, but this is the result of what I've made. Most of the artworks in here are original art unlike the upcoming artbooks where it will mostly be filled by fanarts particularly characters from jrpgs.
(p.s. This artbook is not the best example of what I am planning to do with the upcoming artbooks, there will be more to it, I am just showing/sharing my stuff for those who might be interested to hear about it(ᗒᗨᗕ) )
Hopefully in the future, I can make the upcoming artbooks have an available option for those who are interested in physical art books.
NEW CREDIT SYSTEM FOR THE ARTBOOK
I am thinking of implementing a new credit system for the artbook.
1) All current supporters/protagonists will be listed in the credit section as I really want to give acknowledgement, along with the amount supported will be converted to Levels like in jrpgs/rpgs/videogames.(I'm still not sure if I will do it as [1$ = 1level] or [1$ up to 3$ = 1 level]).
And to distinguished the protagonist type, it can be a color text or make a mini pixel icon.
(The Video preview of artbook in youtube which I am planning to include credits there too, will still feature the main/mysterious/hidden protagonists system, but I can also utilize the new one if my supporters prefer it more)
As a supporter/protagonists, I would appreciate to hear your thoughts on this.
-- Website update:
I'm also scaling down with posting content on my website shop as it pretty much hit its limit with the current amount of content
I'll probably have to omit the grid item list there. I feel like it has become redundant due to patreon, gumroad, and cubebrush, and updating it has become more difficult.
--
Since this is a new workflow for me, it might take some time for me to adjust and learn, but I will give my best to make it look great. Hopefully my conclusion about moving to artbooks will be fruitful and healthy compared to the art pack. I have prepared for this new endeavor, but in actual practice, I hope it goes well.
This will cause changes/updates to my patreon's current overview/mainpage including the tier rewards. I am planning to wait few hours/days before making changes in case you want to review/note it before the changes comes.
As for the other content:
• Previous Art packs will still be available and free
• Emoticon/Emoji Pack will still be made and free, but I am uncertain if I will continue next month, but for this month I will be doing it and see how things goes with the artbook and with the time allocation.
• I am planning to remove the optional credit on the gofelem website as pretty much no one utilizes it and it will save me more time to do something productive instead of maintaining it
•The Collection pack will be omitted.
• My Draknier Story jrpg game development project, no changes as it will still be free
3D Due to my game development moving to 3D, I am planning to work on placeholders later on that is to be used for the advance prototyping. And these placeholders will be base on the Main, Mysterious, and Hidden Protagonists. I will talk more details about it in the Draknier Dev diary #03.
-- I know that this post is long, and I can only apologize for taking your time, but this is something important that I want to inform you so you can be aware of this change in order to decide if you will continue supporting me or not.
That would be all the update for now. Also if you have any thoughts you want to share about these changes, you may comment or message me directly. Thank you and have a pleasant day （＾ｖ＾）
Enjoy ヽ(＾Д＾)ﾉ! -- This Art 'free', If you want to support to help me continue working on creating content like this, you can become a Patron(Supporter/Protagonist) on my patreon: https://www.patreon.com/gofelem
Thank you, your support & interest means a lot to me (๑˃́ꇴ˂̀๑)! -- Join the Gofelem JRPG Discord Community https://discord.gg/UDwwD3w
Enjoy ヽ(＾Д＾)ﾉ! -- This Art pack 'free', If you want to support to help me continue working on creating content like this, you can become a Patron(Supporter/Protagonist) on my patreon: https://www.patreon.com/gofelem
Thank you, your support & interest means a lot to me (๑˃́ꇴ˂̀๑)! -- Join the Gofelem JRPG Discord Community https://discord.gg/UDwwD3w
-- This Art pack 'free', If you want to support to help me continue working on creating content like this, you can become a Patron(Supporter/Protagonist) on my patreon: https://www.patreon.com/gofelem
Thank you, your support & interest means a lot to me (๑˃́ꇴ˂̀๑)! -- Join the Gofelem JRPG Discord Community https://discord.gg/UDwwD3w
-- This Art pack 'free', If you want to support to help me continue working on creating content like this, you can become a Patron(Supporter/Protagonist) on my patreon: https://www.patreon.com/gofelem
Thank you, your support & interest means a lot to me (๑˃́ꇴ˂̀๑)! -- Join the Gofelem JRPG Discord Community https://discord.gg/UDwwD3w
-- This Art pack 'free', If you want to support to help me continue working on creating content like this, you can become a Patron(Supporter/Protagonist) on my patreon: https://www.patreon.com/gofelem
Thank you, your support & interest means a lot to me (๑˃́ꇴ˂̀๑)! -- Join the Gofelem JRPG Discord Communityhttps://discord.gg/UDwwD3w
-- This Art pack 'free', If you want to support to help me continue working on creating content like this, you can become a Patron(Supporter/Protagonist) on my patreon: https://www.patreon.com/gofelem
Thank you, your support & interest means a lot to me (๑˃́ꇴ˂̀๑)! -- Join the Gofelem JRPG Discord Communityhttps://discord.gg/UDwwD3w
Tanjirou & Nezuko fanart from Kimetsu no Yaiba, I've loved this manga since its 1st year and I was overwhelmed to find out ufotable picking this up for anime adaptation (๑˃́ꇴ˂̀๑)
-- This was originally the first art pack as I made this back on 1st week of April,2019, but was afraid to post it sooner due to the focus of my content being jrpgs/video games, but after a lot of thinking & my community convincing me with this poll, here it is (≧▽≦)
-- This Art pack 'free', If you want to support to help me continue working on creating content like this, you can become a Patron(Supporter/Protagonist) on my patreon: https://www.patreon.com/gofelem
Thank you, your support & interest means a lot to me (๑˃́ꇴ˂̀๑)! -- Join the Gofelem JRPG Discord Communityhttps://discord.gg/UDwwD3w --
Hi everyone, this will be a long update as to address the situation so if you have some spare time, please bare with me (≧▽≦)
I 've decided to make the Draknier Story into full 3D. As much as I love 2D pixel art, and it having special place in my heart, I believe that going full 3D is more optimal preferable(personally) and beneficial for both me and my supporters.
With my game dev, I was planning to approach it like going 2D for the first game, 2nd game, and eventually move to 3d on 3rd or 4th game(Yes, it's plenty of game,but I plan to make games for the rest of my life and I'm not expecting to make all these games within a short amount of time<like just few years>) by then just like how the classic jrpg games evolve(Breath of Fire, Final Fantasy, etc.). If I was going to move to 3D eventually, I might as well start developing my skillset for it from the beginning instead of working on my 2d pixel art that I eventually plan to move away from.
I do have some background & understanding with 3D so it won't be an overwhelming transition. Here are some of the stuff I did in the past.
This is one from I think july of 2013, I used this model to experiment and use it as a placeholder for my game project(I know, you might think of it as an abomination, I actually had no plan,concept, or direction when I made this one(ᗒᗨᗕ)).
In august of 2013 I have made another, but no longer as a placeholder, but base on the concept I did for the game project 'descend arc' which was suppose to be an arpg(also this monster is one of the weakest mob, equivalent to a goblin)
Then in 2015, the project had a reboot and I made a basic 3d model to be use as the main placeholder complete w/ animation (walk, run, idle, angry, & talk) Here's a video sample of the project:
In 2017, I did some 3d spaceship models for a client's manga project to help me with drawing the manga (but this time in sketchup, which have different workflow -- and I rarely use any curves with this one as I was after the lineart generated by the software, and curves don't work well with that)
With going 3D, here are the list of positives:
• Scope - With going full 3D, I know that creating characters can take more time and resources upfront, but depending on how it is utilize, 3D can be less work in the long run compared to 2d pixel.
• Character Design - With 2D , I pretty much have to design the character in a way that it can translate well to a 2d pixel character, I do have the option of having a more detailed sprite, but that would increase the complexity and more work for drawing each frame. Going 3D will give me the leeway to design a more detailed Character.
• Versatility in Art - Going 3D gives me flexibility to able to modify/add/refine animation, 3D model change or add design, reuse animation for other characters, attach 3d objects(armor, accessories, weapon variation, horns, wings, etc.), customization, and more. There will be transformation involve in the story so it really helps, unlike with 2D, i will have to redraw every frames for each action.
• Versatility in Game Design - with 2D, if I were to make an art w/ isometric view, that means should I make some changes to the art direction later on or change to battle/gameplay mechanics, the 2D asset may end up not to be usable, unlike with 3D which can still be useful. It will also allow me to implement a more complex battle gameplay that t I've always wanted without worrying the number of frames I have to draw for each character like the example below. (Unfortunately, patreon doesn't allow video in the body text, but here's an image and link to the video) https://youtu.be/8jrutqOzj9g?t=9
• Versatility in Story Telling - The camera, I can play with the camera to tell a different kind of story! You've probably notice in my #00 dev diary post that I've been drooling over the potential of 3D cinematography/cutscene (ᗒᗨᗕ)
Also it gives me another option of using the 3D models outside of the game and make pre-rendered cutscenes(By this, i mean a short video clip instead of in-game engine cutscene)
• 3D Model sharing - with 3D, I'll be able to share to you the 3D models of the main characters for your personal use if you are into Modding, VRChat, MMD, Meme Making, or something else (≧∀≦). With this, I am able to share something that you can play or have fun with while the game is still not yet playable or ready (ง `ω´)۶.
-- I do have more experience with 3D as I've been doing it before so I just need to do some refresher and learn the new workflow of Blender 2.8 (Which was very recently released)
Moving back from Godot Engine to Unity Engine
I've been doing lots of research the past few weeks whenever I get a chance for a bit regarding Godot, Unity, and Unreal. I have decided &I am leaving Godot Engine for Unity Engine as Unity is more feature rich for 3D development currently. Also, this gets rid of my concern about any potential for porting. With Godot, you have to go through 3rd party for porting to console. (Although Unreal has caught my attention because of japanese developers moving to unreal and developing games like Dragon Quest XI, and it's powerful terrain editor)
Second, the resources w/ Unity is just massive when it comes to game development, you will probably find a solution with a quick search due to its large community. With Godot, I spent most of time last year trying to figure out how things works as the documentation is quite lacking, even finding examples is difficult, particularly with 3D. When it comes to 2D development, Godot is very great, but with 3D, it has lot to work on yet. I love Godot & I truly believe Godot Engine will be great, it is growing at a fast pace, but I think unity is the better choice for me now.
I originally started with unity back in 2012-2013 and I used javascript/unityscript back then which I just found out that it was removed now. I've always been interested in using Unity w/ C# and comparing it to few years ago and this time, there is massive resources to unity's C# game development so it will help me a lot with the pacing.
Some inspirational developer who used unity for making jrpg is Tokyo RPG Factory (I know game engine are just tools, but it's impressive to think that it is made of unity) I am Setsuna
Lost Sphear
And plenty of other jrpg-inspired indie
2D vs 3D Development The scope and roadmap is pretty much the same, it's just the character will utilize 3D instead of 2D characters in 3D engine. Complexity isn't really that different from 2D as the game features I am planning still works the same.
3D Models I won't be targeting to make AAA or realistic 3D models, I aim to make around low-poly or mid-poly. The lowest detail I could go with is something like most of the PS1 title, like threads of fate, megaman legends, Legend of Legaia, etc. But with how fast the technology has become and hardware having more power, somewhere between low-poly and mid-poly or up to the state that it doesn't look very boxy(Although I actually love those boxy low-poly, they have a special place in my nostalgic heart(ᗒᗨᗕ)).In fact, very low-poly can be more difficult as you are reducing the poly count and trying to still make it not look weird as possible, most low-poly are because of hardware limitation, and the design being optimized for it.
Below are some previews of the inspiration I have:
Threads of Fate which is the one I am pretty much aiming back in 2013(Since I was also considering a mobile development & consider smartphone capabilities) Video to show see the 3d models in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmA5mBy7m4A
Legend of Legaia (which I mentioned on the in "Versatility of Game Design")
Megaman Legends 2 (without anti-alias)
(with anti-alias) And some modern ones like : Bravely Default (The combination of 3d w/ 2d painting background is alluring)
Alliance Alive:
Ideally, I would love the level of 3D Model of Radiata Stories (One of my all-time favorite ps2 jrpgs), It's one of my major inspiration when it comes to 3d modeling
And Tales of Abyss is a great one too
If you want to know the peak or I hope to someday achieve since long time ago( I don't see it happening anytime soon, just a dream of mine(≧▽≦)), that would be Tales of Vesperia. Now that I've seen them side by side, I actually feel like the level of detail is not far from Tales of Abyss, but is rather using unique shader and other post-processing effect
And one of the major 'inspiration'(Although this one is maybe something I won't reach, just an 'inspiration') is Xenoblade Chronicles 2, I really love the 3D cutscenes, character animation, & environment, in this game (ᗒᗨᗕ)
A Peek into my Game Development History & Going Forward
You've probably notice that I keep stopping on my project, this is due to an incoming freelance project w/ tight deadlines during that time and me in need of money (fortunately, my situation now is not as terrible as it was compared to the past years) and not due to running out of passion. Every time I return to the project after a long time of not working on it, I feel lost with the programming code I did as it wasn't organize enough and I didn't add enough line comment(e.g. //This Code function as -- and so on) and also it's a terrible spaghetti code, where I just go on if it works, which makes restarting to be much easier. With my recent project, I've been trying to make it more organized(Can't perfectly say it as OOP/Object Oriented Programming, but I guess something like that, or at least trying to be).
Then my next development move to 2D and change my engine preference to Godot(Actually it was in 2016 I think), I was thinking of a simple short mini game that looks like a jrpg, but not really a jrpg, just rpgmaker-esque without battle, but only dialogues(It was supposedly a tribute project). Then the cycle only continues to repeat, and then I rebooted again my 2D game project last year< I was actually able to reuse fragments of the code this time and move to Godot 3.0 which had a lot of changes, as the old build i used is Godot 2.1> while trying to avoid freelance as much( which was the Draknier prototype, it is actually featured rich when it comes to story telling as it has movement, npc (ai, emotions, & actions), cutscene management, camera management, weather, multi-event, dialogue tree<different sequence>, door triggers<moving outside to inside>and more).
The way I worked on the last project is, modular, so if something doesn't work, not everything breaks. With moving to unity, I do hope that I will be able to keep up with this practice.
I just tire of these cycle of stopping and restarting, it pains me, and it never fades, but only accumulates, and I've reached my limit, that's why I am taking more risk with different approach (patreon). I've been passionate about making games since as far as I can remember, I used to make games on paper back then like during elementary, creating puzzles that may require certain item to pass over, secrets, and trap passages -- or creating rpg on paper with saves making people(classmates) play it, while I manage the system(a.k.a. the game master/human game engine). Good times, and sorry, I seem to be derailing from the topic (≧∀≦)
With that endless cycle, I hope to end the cycle this time with the help of moving away from freelancing and focusing on creating self/original content through patreon (Art packs & this game development project). Conclusion One thing I've notice is I am always looking ahead and what the end result would be and I always put lots of pressure to myself to finish the game within the a certain period of time.
With patreon and my current state, everything changes, I don't have to take the traditional approach of development to meet a specific deadline with a full length complete project(jrpg is a type of game that is quite long). I've also learn something from my supporters. Although I am not sure if every supporter I have will agree, I've decided to take things more slowly(not rushing) and spend quality time working on it. This will give me the leisure of having some space to innovate game features and make more quality content than quantity.
I think I should approach this more positively, like I can have fun and share stuff with my community about the games we enjoy, while alongside also sharing the game development I do, that is inspired & birthed from my love of games. And going forward, I do think that I should also share my study progress or result related to my game development (music, 3d modelling, etc. even if it's not good?(ᗒᗨᗕ)) and not only the major progress report of the project. While it can be a serious project it can be treated in a casual way, more of a fun project. I am afterall making a game the way I want it to be played and story to be told and share that, and not perfecting a 'product' to 'ship' within a period of time.
The Draknier project will evolve as it goes, but the focus on the main core features is still there, and I do have some draft plan for game features(after the development of core features) that might work well with this method of development(Which I'll talk about in future dev diaries).
Lastly, all I can say is I'll give my best!
Thank you again for supporting and being interested with the stuff I do! Without your interest and support, I won't be fortunate enough to be in my current state and be able to work on the stuff that I love ｡^‿^｡
Sorry if this post is too long, it's hard to convey all these in a short post, My Draknier Dev Diary seems to become my development diary instead, sorry if that may not interest you (；´∀｀). Thank you again for sparing your time, if you have any concern, you may comment or private message me, have a pleasant day （＾ｖ＾）!
p.s. the 1080 video process for the cubebrush will be coming later, no worries as the 720p and the art files are already there, and gumroad download link having it complete (ง ^ω^)۶ I was not able to record the sketching process properly as it had no proper direction, but if I were to estimate it, perhaps around 20 to 40+ hours(ᗒᗨᗕ)
-- This Art pack 'free', If you want to support to help me continue working on creating content like this, you can become a Patron(Supporter/Protagonist) on my patreon: https://www.patreon.com/gofelem
Thank you, your support & interest means a lot to me (๑˃́ꇴ˂̀๑)! -- Join the Gofelem JRPG Discord Communityhttps://discord.gg/UDwwD3w --
Next upcoming art pack is Blade Nia from XC2 ง `ω´)۶
Greetings my protagonists and everyone else! I would like to first thank you for your continued support & interest with my endeavor, it means a lot to me, and makes me feel fortunate enough to be able to pursue my passion with your help (〃∀〃)ゞ.Special thanks to my protagonists and commissioners who helped me during my crisis this month, I feel grateful to you＼(★^∀^★)／
Alright, let's start with the update and here is the list of update and possible concern you may have(>ω<):
• Not meeting the minimum art packs of 3 for the month of july. Unfortunately, I was unable to reach the minimum this month, things happen like having a hardware issue. My recent art pack which is Pneuma also took me more than 20+ hours to finish (more than I expect, compared to previous art packs) and the current work in progress Lyn art pack takes more than that and I'm still not done (Have to omit the video recording of linesketch process and proceed to paint). :;(∩´﹏`∩);:
But I think it is not an excuse for me to under deliver, and I can only apologize, but not only in words, but in action too. Since we pretty much the same protagonists/patreon supporters with a few additional that joined for the month of august<thank you both new and existing protagonists>, I am planning to deliver at least 5 art packs this month of august (the 2 I am lacking for july, I added it on august, and use the credit for august).Should I fail to deliver the 5 art packs this month, I promise to refund the amount you've supported for both july & august, because it's only fair I risk losing something for disappointing you, but worry not for I am resolved to work hard fulfill 5 art packs (ง `ω´)۶.
• Emoticon/Emoji pack for month of July Unfortunately<yet again(;ﾟдﾟ)>, I am delaying it for the month of august, I was actually planning to create a Fire Emblem Three Houses Emoticon/Emoji pack, but I haven't played to know the characters & its world yet, and so I can't truly make a fan content (;´Д`).
With the announcement of switch revision, I had to delay my plan of purchase for a switch, and with how tight the schedule is with the catch up of content during July, I would also probably not have a chance to play it during that month(∋д∈).
In conclusion, you will get 2 emoji/emoticon packs for the month of august (july & august pack)
• Patreon Implemented a new feature multiple image preview Patreon implemented a new feature where I can now upload multiple image preview in a single post(๑˃́ꇴ˂̀๑)! I am still not sure how I will utilize it or if there are any limitation to the feature, but I will try to think of something that could be beneficial or at least fun/entertaining for you (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و
Once again, I would like to apologize for the lack of content for the month of July. And I would also like to thank everyone for taking interest with the work I do, and special thanks to my protagonists helping me to continue & make this possible. I, a jrpg slave, am eternally grateful to you (♡ >ω< ♡)
If you have any concern, please feel free to contact/pm me in any of my platforms, or comment on this post (๑•́ω•̀).
Sorry for long wait! Here is Pneuma's art pack from Xenoblade Chronicles 2! ｡^‿^｡ Video Trailer: https://twitter.com/gofelem/status/1154836904962973696 I ended up spending a lot more time to create this more than I expected, but I feel like it's worth it (ᗒᗨᗕ)
p.s. the 1080 video process will take me a while to upload due to long video(25 hrs[6 hrs @ x4 speed]) & limited bandwidth/internet cap, no worries as the 720p and the art files are already there (ง ^ω^)۶
-- This Art pack 'free', If you want to support to help me continue working on creating content like this, you can become a Patron(Supporter/Protagonist) on my patreon: https://www.patreon.com/gofelem
Thank you, your support & interest means a lot to me (๑˃́ꇴ˂̀๑)! -- Join the Gofelem JRPG Discord Communityhttps://discord.gg/UDwwD3w
I would like to talk with you about a system I was actually thinking and planning about since I really want to somehow give back something to my supporters(๑˃́ꇴ˂̀๑) .
I was initially planning to implement a reward system that I would add, that for every 1$ you supported, you obtain 1 mana essence which you will have the option you can use as discount when I open a commission if you decided to commission me.
After going through a lot of thinking and considering multiple factors(which I will elaborate below), I decided not to make it a feature reward or publicize it.
The reason is, if I did implement it and add it as one of the rewards in the current tiers, while it may be appealing to hook new potential supporters, I don't want it to become the reason for getting supported. To support to earn mana essence. Implementing this publicly, I feel like it will just shift the entire direction of all the projects and current atmosphere.
I also don't want to over promise and then under deliver, if I were to implement this, it means I have to always do commission more than I need to, and doing so, could greatly affect the projects. And I cannot guarantee that there will always be commission.
- What if I stopped doing commission, what will happen to the mana essence of those supporters who only supported because of it? - What if the patreon supporters grow in large number, and they want to use their mana essence to commission me all at the same time? Even if I do it in limited quantity, what about the growing/snowballing pending lists of commissioners? Such questions came to my mind.
While this could potentially boosts my patreon and bring me more money, as having those mana essence a part of tier reward sounds attractive,I don't want to bait nor use it as my way of promoting. Making lots of money has never been the priority for these projects I am making, it is not all about that. If I could make just enough to live comfortably that enables me to continue these projects, that is more than enough.
I think I have genuine supporters that I feel so fortunate and blessed enough to have, supporting someone like me, that is a stranger, without really getting much in return ༶ඬ༝ඬ༶.
And oh, while I did say I won't implement this system, I would like to say to you that I will still be giving the benefit/option of you can still use the amount you supported to discount when I open a commission, so basically, it's still somewhat still there (ง `ω´)۶.
I just don't want to use it to promote and hook new patreon supporters because of it. I won't publicize it, but I will offer this option to all patreon supporters who have supported me & upcoming patreon supporters. For you, who have supported me, I really grateful, so it is only one of the few ways I am able to somehow give something back even if you didn't expect much something in return when you became a patreon supporter.
And if I ever decided to stop doing commission entirely while you are still saving and accumulating the amount you supported to commission me, no worries, I won't just abruptly stop as I will make a last opening of commissions for those who want to use up the amount they have supported.
To summarize everything: if I were to have supporters, its to be the ones that just want to support because they believe the cause for these projects or just want to support me to help me continue the projects, and not attract supporters because of the mana essence. While supporters are not expecting much in return, I want to give this additional option/benefit to patreon supporters of using up the amount supported as discount for commission. And for new patreons, prior to being supporters, without letting them know that there is this benefit/option before they become a supporter, I will let them know about it if there is a commission, they are already a supporter and inquired, or they happen upon this post.
I hope what I am trying to say has not confuse you, but reached you. I've really thoroughly think carefully about this, and this is the conclusion I came up with that I feel like will be for the better ｡^‿^｡.
Sorry if this was a long wall of just text, if you have any concern, opinions, or want to clarify something, please do so, you can contact me directly or comment (๑˃́ꇴ˂̀๑)
Obtained new equipment! Increases inventory slots! (New HDD storage) Thank you everyone who is supporting me and have commissioned me （＾ｖ＾）! I finally got my new hard drive, so I won't have to worry too much about hardware failure anytime soon. Thank you again for making this possible! I'll backup as much as possible whenever I can (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و.
Status Recovery! (Data Recovery Status) As for the status of the data recovery, I manage to salvage most of the important files, while I haven't tested every each one of them, I do hope and feel optimistic that they will be fine (I'm not sure if I missed some files, but I do think I manage to get most of them back).
I still haven't recovered all the other files, but I think it's much better now since some of them can still be found in the web and as not as important as the files I manage to recover first. I am just happy that I will be able to be back on track!
Crafting Items! (Art Pack Updates) As for the art pack updates, I am really sorry for not being to release one this past few weeks, but I will give my best to catch up and deliver my monthly quote of content before this month ends, I have plenty of work in progress (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و!
Thank you again for the support and being patient with me, I am really blessed and fortunate to have such supporter, it only makes me want to work more harder(ง `ω´)۶!
Hi everyone! I would like to apologize as I have a lack of update when it comes to art pack or any updates . Critical Hardware Issue
This past few days, my computer has been undergoing a frequent slowdown and freezing/crashing. This is what I posted with my incomplete game dev post due to this error:
"Hello everyone, sorry again, this game update is almost complete, just missing 1 chart of image. I was suppose to be finished few hours ago, but I had a hardware failure. it took many hours just to figure out what is causing the constant freezing and crashing. It is morning here now, and that much time wasn't enough for me to fix the issue.
The problem is the one malfunctioning is my hard drive that i bought 2-3 years ago (my 7-8 year old hdd seems to be still working fine, just slower), and it's the drive where all the artworks and game projects I did is currently stored. I am currently trying multiple solutions to fix this.
As for the update, there are 2, one is more on the art and story side(which I linked above), while the other is more on the technical side(the one w/c is incomplete). I am planning to release both, and will update this one when I have resolved my issue. I am really sorry for always giving delay ༶ඬ༝ඬ༶. Will definitely update this as soon as I can."
Here is the update to that situation:
Three days ago, it got really worst to the point that I could barely navigate the computer or draw. I spent my recent days investigating what was the issue, At first I thought it was a RAM/Memory issue, after debugging and doing some stuff, that was not the case so next I check on my software that could possibly be causing it particularly the codecs so I uninstalled them. No luck, that was not the issue. Next I tried looking into the motherboard, As I was checking it and assumed that it might be the CMOS battery, then the hard drive came to my mind. I tried unplugging and booting the computer and then my computer suddenly got faster! I am still uncertain that it might be the cable(SATA), port, or computer itself having the issue, so I tried it on my sister's computer and the problem is really the hard drive.
This 2TB hard drive which was only bought 2-3 years ago, after debugging and figuring out what the problem is, it's actually dying. I did not realize before, but navigating and transferring files has become incredibly slow while my old 2TB Hard drive(7-8 years old) is still kicking fine. the new hard drive is actually a backup for my old one.
Conclusion: The problem is this hard drive that is failing/dying contains all my important files like business files, work project files, all artwork files, Recorded artwork videos, game development files, Video and PSD templates, and many more stuff. I am currently trying my best to salvage the important files as much as possible before it completely dies off, but transferring really takes so much time even going with 24/7, I don't know, but it could take me 1-2 weeks of transferring all the files if it still survives by that time.
While I do backup my files, I've learned a lesson that I should do it more frequently ,consistently, and multiple backups.
So I am getting 2 new 2TB hard drives that is both to replace my old 7-8 year old HDD(While it still works, i don't think it will last long) and the HDD that is dying. I will also be getting an external 1TB HDD as emergency backup. While the size may sound overkill, it actually fills up so fast with the stuff I do (Video Recording, PSD files, Multiple PSD backups,resources, etc.) It will take a while before I receive the parts as I ordered it online since it's almost double the price locally.
Art pack Updates Melia & Tiki Art pack will be delayedas the files are still being salvage from the failing drive. So I'll probably work on a different one for a mean time (will still deliver it this month, but perhaps starting around 3rd week) . I'll start making a poll on twitter base on the previous poll(Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Nia Blade or Pneuma) to decide which art pack, and then bending a bit my rule, will make Edelgard(Fire Emblem Three Houses) art pack.
Commission Open (Emergency) With this unforeseen situation, my budget to buy nintendo switch, fire emblem three houses, and xenoblade has been affected so I am opening a commission ahead of schedule and with discount. As most of my content are nintendo-related, having nintendo switch will help me connect in another way with our community and it will also enable me to experience & understand the characters I draw(personally, I believe I shouldn't make a fanart without being an actual/real fan or having experience the world/character).
Draknier Story Game Development Update I was able to recover the roadmap file from the failing hard drive so I have now updated the Draknier Story Game Development #00. It has now a roadmap image and more text to explain the direction and approach for the game. https://www.patreon.com/posts/draknier-story-28174217
Things can happen,being sad will not improve the situation, I can only be optimistic and move forward （＾ｖ＾）
And that is all for my update today, sorry it's a long update, but I hope you do find the post to be interesting. Have a good pleasant day ｡^‿^｡!
If you have any concern, please feel free to message or contact me via email gofelem@gmail.com
Draknier Story is set in a world of medieval fantasy where magic, fantasy-like biomes/landscapes , and many cultures exists.
THE TRIBES/RACES
The world consists of multiple continents, not only human exists, but also different races categorize as Draknier Tribes. Tribes do also have different clans which have contrasting ideologies/culture.
Here are some of the Draknier Tribes: Human - A tribe that is a man. Ferungga - A tribe that looks like a combination of man and lion/tiger. Warriors in nature. Worgis - A tribe that looks like a combination of man and wolf/dog. Great hunters. Waruban - A tribe of sea, they have fish-like features. They specialized as merchants or pirates depending on the clan they belong to. Wartogals - A tribe that looks like a combination of man, orc, and boar. The clan variations are barbaric/savages, loves farming, or merchants. Meral - A tribe that looks like a combination of man and goat. They are huge and buff. Their nature is more on being a blacksmith/craftsman. Aisfil - They look exactly like a human, but with eyes having the color of pink and green, white hair w/ red highlights, and green outfit. Elkatren - They are nature/plant-like creatures. Kuwago - Owl-like creatures.
And many more~!
THE SCENARIO
The story will mostly revolve on Odinbia continent where most human resides. It is a continent that is always at the brink of war. The Empire of Dragua is located at the center of this continent. Whilst holding the greatest power, it is, but surrounded by other kingdoms that has formed armistice (excluding the Dragua Empire), turning the situation into a battle of two giant opposing force. Should the Dragua Empire invade another kingdom, the other will take advantage of the situation to invade Dragua Empire, thus the entire situation turns into a stalemate. Although in a stalemate, skirmishes/small scale war still occurs.
THE CHARACTERS**Warning: Minor spoilers ahead ** Tips: Right click the image and 'open image in a new tab' for bigger preview
Mir, our main protagonist. He is a soldier of Dragua Empire under a specialize small squad which deals with unorthodox and investigatory tasks. 3 years ago, he was found unconscious and without memory-- the one who found him will eventually become an important person to him. He joined the army for the sake of living the dream of his friend and also to find a certain someone in the army which his friend was looking for.
A year after being a soldier, he returns to visit his friend for a bit. The story will begin there. -- Mir uses fists and kicks with martial art and aura as his weapon.
Nem Adrest, our secondary protagonist that you will confront later in the story. She is leading a rebellion against Dragua Empire. Despite being young, she used to be a general of Dragua Empire due to her exceptional brilliance with strategy and swordsmanship.
For what reason is she leading a rebellion, was it fate? Only time can tell. -- Nem uses sword and utilizes magic enchant for her sword.
-- All design, story, and world details may or may not make it to final, everything can be subject to change. But I am pretty much content -- And with that, the update has concluded.I hope you find this update to be enjoyable, thank you for taking your time to read this and the support! ｡^‿^｡
Hi Everyone! Sorry for the long wait! My game development update is finally here!
As you've notice, I made an artwork for my darknier story update that looks like a game menu screen. Nothing is final, but I hope you will like it ｡^‿^｡!
Most of the stuff discuss in this diary #00 are technical stuff, so if you are not really into that, you can skip to my development diary #01 where i talk about the world, scenario, and characters of Draknier Story https://www.patreon.com/posts/28172658
Okay, let's begin!
What is Draknier Story? Draknier Story is a jrpg-inspired passion project that I am creating which is inspired by many jrpgs, ranging from classic jrpgs to modern jrpgs. I am creating this game not to prove something nor I am trying to make a masterpiece, but I am creating this game to with the purpose of where I can give life to a world where my characters can belong to, to fully express my narrative, and the way I would want the game to play.
What about the Music? Albeit slowly, I actually have been studying music since last year which is the piano, the DAW, and once I have grasp the foundation, maybe try to delve a bit into music theory. I would love to post some melodies or music I've made(I have like 2-4, and one of them is an improved version of the one i use at the end of each art pack videos), but I'm still quite not ready yet, but I will definitely share it, hopefully soon!
Is Draknier Story a 2D or 3D? The older build of Draknier which I was developing last year is purely 2d as it was made in Godot's 2d viewport. I want to migrate the old build to 3D , meaning the characters will remain in 2d, but the viewport is in 3d and I will be utilizing X,Y, and Z axis instead of just X and Y. While I do plan to make the background/environment also 2d, I'll also have a look into 3d and find if it will the art direction I am planning.
So in short, 2d, but in 3d engine, or hybrid(if I go w/ 3d background/environment).
If there is something I really want with going full 3D, it is the ability to create beautiful cinematography/cutscenes and be flexible when adding more animation which really is vital for game design like combat, or customizable outfit. With 2d pixel, it is as what you see. And depending on the game design, it can get more complicated and require massive 2d art, which I will get into when discussing the road map later. The Game Design Roadmap
One thing I am really excited about is, once I make the first game, I can utilize it as my base for the next game and build upon it for improvements and more content. In jrpgs, examples of this are breath of fire 1 & 2, and Suikoden 1 & 2 as you will notice that the sequel builds upon the 1st one, and expand there. Not only in jrpgs, but in other games too (It's why some game can release faster). I will try my best to make the new first game to still be usable, or at least use it as reference for future projects..
As you've notice, the roadmap only features the basic foundation of a jrpg game(aside from the right side "additional features"). My goal for now is to make a complete functioning game, although basic, I want it to be a 'working' game. Ideas and Innovation can be easy to think of, but implementing those will be the difficult part.
Innovation and exciting ideas can come later when I have built the foundation. The purpose of this game is to be a medium to give life to my world, characters, and story, so gameplay comes as a second priority. I've considered manga or novels as a way to tell story, but when I asked myself that few years from now, which one will I be happy or content with the most, and jrpg was the answer without a second doubt as being the medium of my storytelling. Though manga/comic is also something I want to consider in future projects.
I am designing the game the way that it doesn't really restrict the story telling. Example of this scenario is If I make a very complex battle gameplay with tons of animations, this will limit my ability to add more playable characters, or even just npcs, because if I do it, It will be over scoping the this project and it will become an endless cycle of feature creep which must be avoided.
I am approaching it this way "the story controls the gameplay, and not the other way around". If a gameplay feature can be great, but at the cost of restricting a story element, then I think it is not worth implementing.
I know that this approach could be limiting when it comes to gameplay features, but with limit comes creativity. I will find ways to make the gameplay fun and exciting even with this limit, but that is something to think about later, need to build that foundation first.
Thank you for reading or checking this out, I hope you this update interesting ｡^‿^｡! Thank you again for the support and interest, and if you haven't check the story/art (#01)update, please check it here https://www.patreon.com/posts/28172658
-- This Art pack 'free', If you want to support to help me continue working on creating content like this, you can become a Patron(Supporter/Protagonist) on my patreon: https://www.patreon.com/gofelem
Thank you, your support & interest means a lot to me (๑˃́ꇴ˂̀๑)! -- Join the Gofelem JRPG Discord Communityhttps://discord.gg/UDwwD3w
Hello everyone（＾ｖ＾） ! Before I begin with the updates, I would first like to thank everyone who continues to show interest with the things I create especially to my protagonists/supporters who are making this possible to continue(´∀`). Today marks the 2nd month of my endeavor and going towards the 3rd, I will continue to strive my best(๑>ᴗ<๑)!
Patreon Update #1: I am increasing the monthly emoji/emoticon from 5-10 emoticons to 9 -16 emoticons After creating 2 emoticon/emoji artpack, I feel like this is the comfortable estimation and at the same time, makes me happy to be able to give more additional free content ヽ(＾Д＾)ﾉ!
Patreon Update #2: The video process in the art packs will be split in two parts if the file is too long and big(for the upcoming art packs, 1080 might be the only one affected).
The reason for this change is during the previous months especially july, when uploading the file to both gumroad and cubebrush(download sources), it can get interrupted/stuck and have reupload again, and this usually happens during the above 70%-90% progress. When this occurs, it means I've wasted internet bandwidth(My internet speed is 5mbps[ wireless LTE], but rarely maximizes that, most of the time its around 50% or less) which I have a daily cap of 10gb(combined for both download and upload).
And considering that I have to upload 1080p, 720p, and the main files then multiplied by 2 since I upload both to gumroad and cubebrush, it really takes a lot of time ,bandwidth, and a larger risk of being interrupted/stuck. It usually takes me days to upload the files completely.
Splitting the 1080 video process w/ huge file size will help me lower the risk of interruption.
Availability and cost of internet here is expensive(I pay around 34$ per month for the internet) If I get a more better internet in the future, I'll definitely consider putting it back to a single video. If this is an inconvenience to you, I really am sorry and hope you will forgive me༶ඬ༝ඬ༶ .
Patreon Update #3: No artwork collection(non-art packs) this month due to the reason that there is like only 1 non-art pack artwork which was Mythra(Xenoblade Chronicles 2) cheering everyone up for those who are having a tough time. But I'll do put this one when there is enough artwork for a collection (｡+･`ω･´).
PatreonUpdate#4: I got a new paint software called "Clip Studio Paint(Pro)" that went sale for -50% making it only 25$ instead of 50$ (ᗒᗨᗕ) ! I've been eyeing this software as Ihave tried it before, and I think it's really an affordable & nice paint software, I am still uncertain if I will be able to make art pack videos and artwork using this as its missing some feature I rely on photoshop, but it is something I really want to consider as it lowers the entry bar for those anyone interested to draw or paint like me as photoshop is an expensive option. It will take some time to study this software, though I might try it on some artworks which non-art packs (⊙ᗜ⊙).
Patreon Update #5: I will posting the new emoticon/emoji pack for the month of June in just a few hours (★^O^★)! Edit: It's now available here https://www.patreon.com/posts/28062209 （＾ｖ＾）
Game Development Update for June: The development diary update will be delayed by 1 week, I am really sorry (T⌓T)! I needed more time to work on it. As some of you may know, prior to the launch of patreon, I am committed to another game project(not a personal one) since last year, while I did give up a percentage of my share (I haven't earn anything yet) to lessen my task, I still need to do some art for it and a bulk of art was needed to be done. Meaning, I had lesser time to work on my game project along with the issues I faced with the uploads during the month of june(refer to Patreon Update #2). June was a busy month for me. I'm really feeling eager to show what my project is about even though it's not something extraordinary(Though it's really special to me) so I am really sorry again. I'll try my best to make it a worthwhile update <(｀･ω･)>!
If you've check or read this long update, thank you very much for sparing your time. Once again, I thank you and I am really feel grateful, I will work harder (ง `ω´)۶!
If you have any concern, please feel free to message. Have a good pleasant day ｡^‿^｡!
The characters featured are: • Katt - Breath of Fire II • Lyn - Fire Emblem: Blazing Blade • Tifa - Final Fantasy VII • Elly - Xenogears • Nanami - Suikoden 2
Enjoy ヽ(＾Д＾)ﾉ! -- This Art pack 'free', If you want to support to help me continue working on creating content like this, you can become a Patron(Supporter/Protagonist) on my patreon: https://www.patreon.com/gofelem
Thank you, your support & interest means a lot to me (๑˃́ꇴ˂̀๑)!
-- This Art pack 'free', If you want to support to help me continue working on creating content like this, you can become a Patron(Supporter/Protagonist) on my patreon: https://www.patreon.com/gofelem
Thank you, your support & interest means a lot to me (๑˃́ꇴ˂̀๑)!
-- Some Notes about this art pack: The initial sketch of this Azura artwork is she wasn't actually smiling and it bothers me during the process so later on I decided to make her smile in this artwork, Even Azura deserves some happiness(´∀`)!
-- This Art pack 'free', If you want to support to help me continue working on creating content like this, you can become a Patron(Supporter/Protagonist) on my patreon: https://www.patreon.com/gofelem
Thank you, your support & interest means a lot to me (๑˃́ꇴ˂̀๑)! -- Join the Gofelem JRPG Discord Communityhttps://discord.gg/UDwwD3w
While I am planning to create Melia art pack as the next xeno artpack, please help me decide what set to do after it. Don't worry protagonists & everyone, I will eventually be making them all, just the order of stuff, no one loses ｡^‿^｡!
Also, this poll will have a sequel on my twitter(https://twitter.com/gofelem) to decide which character should I make first base on the chosen set from this poll. You may also follow me there to get notified or via discord.
Protagonists & everyone, thank you for your time and support, have a great day ヽ(＾Д＾)ﾉ!
-- p.s. I already have 2 artworks ready for the art pack, just have to prepare the other content(edit and render my footages, and then upload it to 2 download source(gumroad & cubebrush). Each one took me around 13-15 hours, that makes 2 of them around 28-30 hours(I could probably finish 1 normal length jrpg with that (ᗒᗨᗕ)). Maybe this weekend or earlier for the 1st one, and the next one will be few days later after it. And another one on the weekend next week ｡^‿^｡.
What are you making?
Why Patreon? 
Why not just focus on your personal game project?
Besides the artbook as reward, what are the other incentives of being a supporter?
Where does our supported money go?
Are you doing any livestream?
Thank you for checking or taking your time to read this FAQs, if you have any more concern, you can message me directly and then update this faq accordingly.
Hello my protagonists!
