#sunset-rain

Hello in the New Year! I hope it finds you all well, so far.

When it comes to me - it’s been pretty busy and hectic, but I’m still finding time to work on translating  the game. The progress is slow, but steady. I’ve also managed to complete what I planned for last year - which was the translation of the prologue chapter and all general/gameplay elements of the game.

At the moment, the translation itself is on a backburner and now I’m collecting all the in-game text (dialogues, events, etc.) in a spreadsheet, where it will be all catalogued  and organised in both languages. This is a pretty slow, tedious process to get through, but should make the actual translation easier and quicker. At the moment, I have the whole story of Act 1 and a small bit of Act 2 accounted for. So, basically - 3 more Acts to go.

We’ll see how long the rest wil take, but frankly - I find the slow process convenient, since I have more time for improving the game itself, whether by tweaks or creating new graphical assets. Like character portraits! Here are some samples, if you’re interested (please note, they are unmodified yet, so will probably look different in the game itself):

On other note: Polish version of Sunset Rain has won (shared) the game of the year award on a Polish RPG Maker site! To the surprise of... everyone, including myself:

So, yeah - that happened.

Please, try to enjoy this anniversary art.

So, yeah - my first game - SpaceSave - was released on this day, half a decade ago. You probably don’t know what I’m talking about, in that case - welcome! I hope you’ll bear with my ramblings and shilling attempts.

What can I say - as mentioned before, this is my first game. It’s ugly as sin, janky(and only partially because of RPG Maker) and edgy. Patches could only do so much. But, it was, ultimately, my debut title, one I’ve spent a little over 2 years developing and so - it’s hard to me not to have fondness for this messy, little game. I’ve learnt a lot during its development and it gave me a ground work for my other games, which share a lot of the same DNA and design elements - counsciously implemented or not...

Still, I’m glad there are people who played and enjoyed the game. It’s nice to see someone else who can vibe with the work, even if it’s far for perfect. And I hope more people will happen to experience it too, especially since for a long time I’ve been planning a new version or even a remaster, with the main goal to greatly update the visuals, add original music and improve some more... notorious elements. I think the game is very playable in its current state, on the latest version 1.4 , but it could certainly benefit from this “ultimate polish”.

I’ve been promising it for years at this point and I know it’s a long time coming, but just this year I’ve managed to finish my second big game - SUNSET RAIN - and I am now in process of translating it to English. It will take at least half a year, or even more time, but after that - I guess it will be a good time for me to finally return to this violent, "semi-surreal” cosmic horror story, starring kids, aliens and bad humour. Hopefully, this will finally bring you a definitive edition of SpaceSave - one, I think, I’m finally ready to make, with my current dev experience.

Anyway, this is getting a little long-winded. I want to thank everyone who’ve played SpaceSave and I hope you enjoyed your time with it! And if you didnt... give it a try, if you want! It’s been five years but it’s never too late!

DOWNLOAD SPACESAVE HERE FOR FREE:

https://sadpinkstar.itch.io/spacesave

CHECK OUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF MY OTHER GAME:

The translation’s coming along(I’ve almost catalogued nearly everything, before the epilogue), so in the meantime - here’s another character showcase, while there are still non-spoilery characters available...

Damn, I almost forget how rough drawing with a mouse is, but I guess that’s what I get for wanting (mostly)consistent portaits...

ROY WESTMINSTER

Age: 70

Occupation: Retired Professor of English

Affiliation: Independent

A retired university professor, who volunteered to take care of the old library in the abandoned town of Heaven Gate. He guards not only musty old books kept inside the building, but perhaps even crucial clues to all the town’s mysteries.

How much does he really know - only he is truly aware of - but even then, his vast knowledge will prove useful to any Problem Solver, looking for clues to solve the infamous “Heaven Gate Mystery” or any good advice, in general.

The library is open from dusk till dawn.

The translation and game improvements are coming along, but nothing non-spoilery really worth showing, so how about getting to know more characters from the game?

<click image for full size>

MAYA

Age: ???

Occupation: General maid and a greeter

Affiliation: “Heaven Gate” Hotel Staff

A gasmask-wearing “Face of The Hotel”, Maya is a friendly and caring soul, ready to help any guest, from the very moment they take a first step into the Hotel. And if there’s anything else - don’t worry! You’ll find her - if there is any assistance needed - she WILL be there, before you know it.

MICHAEL PENDLETON

Age: 53

Occupation: Executive Manager of “Heaven Gate” Hotel

Affiliation: “Heaven Gate” Hotel Staff, Graylock Foundation

Hello!

I am glad to announce that SUNSET RAIN has been released... in Polish language, for now. What does it mean exactly:

For non-Polish speakers: you have a “living” proof that the game is done and playable. All you need to wait for is a translation - the work on which will commence very soon and hopefully - will be done in early 2023(it has quite many words, you see...). Thank you for your patience and I hope the game will be worth the wait.

Oh, you must be that “problem” guy.

For Polish speakers: Możecie zagrać w grę już teraz.

LINK DO TEMATU Z GRĄ

Header art(before applying thousands of filters in GIMP) by: Pequod

Wow, it’s been literal months since the last progress report! Almost a year, actually... So, what’s changed during that time?

Quite a lot to be honest. I’m happy to say, that the progress was tremendous and I have managed to complete all playable and story parts of the game, faster than I expected. I’ve also done almost all additional, quality of life improvements and features, so I will be able to start testing soon! A little slower process is replacing the art and music placeholders, but it is also coming along.

If all keeps going nicely, I presume the Polish version of the game should be available in the Autumn of 2022. After that - all hands on deck will be on translation and releasing the game in English, which hopefully will be done in the end of 2022/early 2023. I really hope to release it in a timely manner, but nevertheless thank you for your patience. Let’s just hope, everything will go according to plan.

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