Game Journal #63 - Stickers, Day/Night, Music

Hey everyone! Happy New Year! This is the year that my game's going to be released! Doesn't that make you excited? I sure am!

Because this is my game's release year, I've been ramping up the marketing. If you haven't seen it already, (you must've, since it's a popup on this website now,) I made an Indiegogo for a physical copy of my comic book, Paranormal Investigations. Back it if you want it continued, don't if you don't. Simple as! If it reaches 200$, you'll get your copy, and if not, you'll get a refund. Link here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/paranormal-investigations-volume-1/x/18624286#/

(Secretly, I hope nobody buys it so I can have an excuse for not continuing it when someone asks. Because there's always that ONE person who does, years later.)

Secondly, I made a Redbubble account for my game merch! For now, I'm focusing on stickers, but I might end up making some other things in the future. Check it out! https://www.redbubble.com/people/HaxDev/shop?asc=u

I'll be adding more designs as I finish more of the party portraits, so check back often!

Why Arkansas? Well, for a long time I wanted to move to Tennessee. However, during that time, EVERYONE had the same idea as me, so now it's unaffordable to live there. Many such cases. Arkansas is right next to Tennessee, and it's still affordable, so why not? Seriously, when was the last time you heard anyone say "I'm moving to Arkansas?" Exactly, that's why it's affordable.

Arkansas has pretty much everything I'm looking for. Low(er) taxes than NJ (but that's not a very high bar, tbh) warm weather, lots of things to do outdoors, good bikability/walkability, affordable homes and expenses. The bikability is a really big factor. It's downright impossible here in NJ. Some roads don't even have shoulders, nevertheless a bike lane or sidewalks. I remember when I lost my car for a few months, and it was incredibly frustrating trying to get around without one. I really don't like being forced to drive around everywhere or risk being pegged by some car going 50 mph. Plus, it's good exercise!

Why Hot Springs, then? For me, it has two important things. One, a FedEx that I can transfer to for work, and two, a highly rated ophthalmologist (eye doctor.) It'd be super convenient to have both in close proximity! Additionally, I really like the idea of having hot springs nearby that I can go to. I've always liked the idea of going to one (in fact, it's a pretty big component in my game) so yeah! I think it'll be awesome. Also, there's tons of farms and local markets in Arkansas. I, for one, am sick of the sneed oil processed garbage that passes for "food" here, so I'm really looking forward to getting some fresh stuff.

Lastly, I painted this adjustable shelf I made in my welding class! If you don't know, I collect figurines as a hobby in my spare time. I have so many that I ran out of space to put them, so in my welding class, I decided to make a shelf to put more of them on. The process was actually pretty easy! I got some 10-gauge steel, cut it to length, drilled holes, and then welded them together. Not bad, eh?

I'm actually really shocked that you can't buy something like this in the store. It's so handy! Shelves tend to be either really small, or really big. There aren't really any you can put on a desk. But anyway, it gave me a nice spot to put some figurines that I got on Black Friday. I got these super awesome and rare Lord of Lord Ryu Knight ones for about 80 dollars! Yep, all of those were only 80 bucks. For reference, one of them alone is usually at least 60. It pays to be a fan of an old and obscure property! I can also get rare Lupin the third figurines for great prices, too. Old anime gang gang!

If you like JRPGs, I strongly suggest watching Lord of Lords Ryu Knight. It's my favorite anime of all time. I watched it when I was going through a rough time in my life, and it cheered me up immensely. Since then, I've watched it about 3 times, I think. Might watch it again sometime. Haha. It's really good! It's a fantasy adventure, only the classes are mechas. So there's a knight mecha, a priest mecha, mage mecha, etc. It's really awesome. I've actually done some fanart, too!

Ryu Knight, Zephyr!

My fanart.

Okay, that's all my life stuff that's going on. Now, what about my game? Glad you asked! I actually added features to it this week! WOAH! I know, it's been ages eh? I've just been doing assets for the most part, but now that my game's looking nicer I've gotten the urge to start programming again. I really only added a day/night cycle, but it's a feature!

I also made some more music. Check it out! I actually made an Investigation theme this week. I completely forgot that I had to make those... this is a detective game too, you know.

Thirdly, I've found a place where I want to live. If you've been here a long time, you know that I'm planning on moving out of New Jersey. The list for why is long (trust me) but the biggest reason is that I simply can't afford it. The taxes are just too dang high! And for what, a 500 square foot shack in the middle of gang town? Pass! I will line Phil Murphy's pockets no longer. So where have I decided to move? Arkansas! Specifically, Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Here's my mini dev-log. See you next time! I might have all the class portraits done by then, who knows. I only have about 5 or so left, but I've been painting so much that I might take a break.