I’m almost done all the side project stuff I’ve been doing, so it’ll be back to RoP before the week is out. I also made some VERY USEFUL backend improvements to the loading handlers, greatly reducing code duplication! This doesn’t affect the user at all! Actually modders will thank me so there’s that.
Urimas is making some bandit sprites, Koops is threatening to draw reindeer girls, and Chicken is off her day job temporarily so maybe we’ll get some exciting art out of her.
Curious Cat
Fan Art
I don’t know if that second one counts as fan art because it’s not of the game, it’s nominally of… me? Koops made a doll programmer called Sweet Justice and that’s supposed to be me, taking a bath.
But the first one is Demon Jeanne and I think it looks fucking awesome.
A Cornucopia of Links
Holy cow there’s just so many links. I can’t keep all of them, you want some?
The Changing Times TF podcast had us on to record a stunning 2.5 hour session where we discussed Pandemonium, it’s history, challenges, how we do art, and Koops’ cats. The episode is currently in editing and I’ll post a link as soon as it’s up, which may take a bit. Get psyched!
Monoceros Update
People responded very well so far to Monoceros, which is good. I have to talk with Chic about it, but I think the plan will be to have a set of milestones that we’ll shoot for, and post updates when we reach those. More on that next week.
Otherwise, the result has been very positive and I’m looking forward to working on it. Our current goal for release is September 2023, as Chic is doing all the art herself and has a day job. We’ll average a few images per week and when they’re done, the game ships.
Fan Art
There is some fan art in the pipe, but it’s not done yet. You’ll get to see it when it is, or you can get into our Discord and check the Pad-emonium chat!
Development Update
Chicken surprised everyone this week by not ramming her face into an object in the hopes of breaking it, and instead doing some art! Patrons get to see it today. I’ll push the wind elemental to next week to give Koops a bit of time to finalize it.
Otherwise, I’m currently working on an unannounced project with an unannounced artist. I should be able to finish everything up this week, then it’s back to RoP. Urimas is doing sprites, Hunt just did a piece…
Which depicts the biolabs in chapter 5! This was done as part of the charity stream we did some months back. Now you know what the residential domiciles and hydroponics buildings look like! We even have clouds in there due to magic science!
Hey Did You Know Pashaimeru Still Makes Games?
Longtime fans and people who read the second part of this sentence will know that Pashaimeru is the person who made the original Pandemonium games for Inform like 10 years ago. Well guess what, they’re still making games, and just released the first version of Faescape! Follow that twitter for updates and stuff. We’re all wishing you well!
Updated August 2nd, 2022: Version 1.01. Fixed the inventory bug and the vendor bugs, plus a few others and made imps spawn a bit more.
What the hell is Monoceros?
You can find out more about it on this page. I’ve been working on it for two months with art by TheChicMonster. We’re going to finish it later this year in between me working on the other 20 projects I have going on at once.
It runs on the same engine as Pandemonium (in fact it is a mod of Pandemonium) so engine upgrades apply to Pandemonium as well. It’s a battle-TF game inspired by Abyss Cave. You don’t need any more details, just go play it you nard.
This prototype contains four TFs and associated bad ends. I haven’t put in the boss bad ends, and the UI needs an overhaul since the game doesn’t use the same damage types and has its own skill system. These may or may not get patched into the prototype, or I might just save them for the final game.
My goal is to have Monoceros ready by the end of the year, but you how plans are with us indie programmers. More details on it as it develops.
Curious Cat
Niko has so many questions and they all involve food.
The people have spoken and they want feathery tail and sickle feet on the raptor girls. Okay. You’ll get what you want – this time.
Coding and Stuff
I still am hauling ass to have Monoceros ready next week. The prototype goes live on the 1st or August. I had to pull Urimas in to make some sprites for it, and Chic is going to finish up the rest of the art this week.
Meanwhile, Koops and Chicken are BACK ON THEIR BULLSHIT and making more art. Chicken will be doing enemies, Koops doing some more character concepts.
Hund finished the Westwoods map and region marker, and now I don’t have anything for her to do. Maybe dig up coal? Plant potatoes?
Fan Art
As an update to last week, the maids got colored! It really makes Talia look cool with the turquoise highlights. Cybermaid Lotta is still my fave.
Because apparently the mousebots are all going to be perspective shots, here’s Mousebot Mei from Hadezmuze. I wonder what will happen?
I SAID I WONDER WHAT WILL HAPPEN, DRAW MOUSEBOT LOTTA.
Despite my keyboard bursting into flame, I finished most of the prototype work for Monoceros. I’ve been dealing with bugs and adding polish. Because the best Monday is August 1st, that’s our target for the prototype.
Urimas has been helping out with sprites due to a sudden unexpected absence for Chic. Chicken is mostly back to work, but has a lot of day-job shifts coming up. Koops managed to shake off the art block and has completed Sanya Harpy, but this week patrons (and non patrons!) will instead be voting on raptors.
Don’t worry you’ll get Harpy Sanya next week.
Fan Art
First up we have Christine getting turned into a mouse robot by Lux! I mean Lux didn’t turn her into a robot, the core did – you know what, forget it.
I liked it so much and there’s a big hole in my head, so I even got HadezMuze to draw Jeanne Mousebot!
Everyone loves maids. Maybe a bit too much. So here’s the entire gang as maids by BlueLily!
I like cyber-maid Lotta but sporty-maid Talia is also pretty great. This is also the rare depiction that has Jeanne taller than everyone else.
Curious Cat
You know how in Jurassic Park, the raptors get smarter with each movie as the humans (and writers) get dumber? Yeah that’s not a problem with cats.
I’m most of the way done the work for Monoceros for the prototype. I’d like to spend some time polishing it up, of course, but we’re only a couple scenes away from release. That, and the art. I’m always ahead of the artists.
Urimas is making more bunny sprites, Chicken is still only half at work, and Koops still reports the symptoms of art block no matter how many pictures of cute cats I send her. I was told they are the universal medicine.
On the plus side, Mario finished the werecat story for reals and Patrons get to read it! Today! And maybe it will even go up for purchase when we FINALLY GET COVER ART for it.
Fan Art!
Jeanne works best because she has like a reverse set of bunny ears. Don’t act like you don’t see it.
I’m spending the rest of the month working on Monoceros and getting it ready for a prototype release. Chicken is back to work (nominally) and we’ll hopefully have some concepts from her next week. Koops is going to “revisit” the raptor concept for FEATHERS due to popular demand, and after that it’s more enemies and stuff. Urimas completed some fun stuff that will be in the next release, and Mario says the Werecat story will be out for patrons next week. We’ve decided to coerce Yuuta into doing the cover art for the stories going forth and possibly TF sequences.
Fan Art?
What if Mei was a battle-hyena? Hadezmuze has the answer: It’d look like this (and she’ll kill your ass).
I’m still working away on Project Monoceros. As part of that development work, I updated the pathing algorithms and added some more mod capabilities for remapping paths. I might start using the new pathing system in chapter 2!
Chicken is on a break for the time being. Koops is currently battling the most dangerous foe an artist can face: Art Block. I’m sure she’ll overcome it. Urimas got me some tiles and icons and is currently making our most stupid/ambitious set of tiles for chapter 2. Hund is doing a nice landscape and then presumably is off to work on the chapter 2 map for Westwoods.
Fan Art
It’s Ghost Jeanne by HadezMuze! Who likes DnD and goblins! Never let a DnD fan start talking about it or they won’t stop.
Project Monoceros is the codename for an upcoming RPG set to be released this year. It follows three vampire hunters working to stop an evil vampiress who has taken over a small island east of where chapter 1 takes place. That’s right, it’s a Pandemonium Gaiden Game!
And that means you get transformations. Unlike the main Pandemonium game, this one uses a new Battle-TF system. Characters can get transformed when hit by enemy attacks, and even become enemies if you don’t do something about it. But with the help of some magical charms provided by the church, you can use the enemy’s transformations against them!
Izana is from the order of Witch Hunters, authorized by the church to investigate a fog that has shrouded an island. She meets Caelyn, a knight from Rondheim, and Cyrano, a local bush-priest. Together they will fight their way through several different areas and beat up a bunch of different enemies, from harpies to slimes to ice dragons.
The game runs on top of Pandemonium as a mod, but is a standalone experience. We expect the cost will be $10-$15 USD on Steam/Itch.io. We will have a means of getting free copies for Patrons to be announced as we get closer to the release date.
Unlike other Bottled Starlight projects, this one is being worked on by me (Salty. Hi!) and TheChicMonster, who I have collaborated with multiple times. She’s handling all the art and sprites. Music is by DrDissonance, and I just sorta pointed him at the Castlevania soundtracks so I think we’re going to get some good ones.
Because TheChicMonster isn’t actually a Bottled Starlight team member, development expenses aren’t going under the patreon’s umbrella. Don’t worry, work on Pandemonium is continuing while this project is being made because those wacky artists are always behind.
Our goal is to have a playable prototype ready at the end of July, which will feature four playable transformations (and accompanying bad-ends), a couple boss fights, and lots of stupid witty dialogue.
The UI will be getting an update as we get further along. My goal is to have this game finished later this year, possibly for a winter release. Look forward to it!
Other Development Stuff
Koops finished the Raptors concept, Urimas isn’t sick anymore and has gotten me lots of tiles, and Hund is working on a charity piece. I’m going to spend the rest of the month getting Monoceros ready for the prototype (which also doubles as the game’s demo) and then spend July getting Pandemonium ready for its next release.
How can one person work on two projects like this? Joke’s on you I’m working on four. More on the other ones later.
Fan Art
The Lotta/Doll comic is now actually a running thing and I’m thinking it’ll be better to post it when it’s complete. If you haven’t joined our Discord yet, the link is in the link pile at the bottom of the post. Pages are getting posted in our pad-emonium chat.
But here’s Princess Odar by Luuco! Have you ever wondered what it’d be like if Odar was a girl? Well now you know (hint: HOT). This would not have stopped Sanya from beating her up though.
Unfortunately, Urimas got an infection in his cheek and the pain kept him from making all those cool tiles I need. I have finished all of the maps for the next section, including several extra maps I hadn’t intended to put in but hey, I’m insane. The maps are also glued and ready to go.
Koops finished a new concept for the raptor girls, but it’s not colored yet so I’ll put it up for patrons next week. Chicken finished her art obligations for the fundraiser and that will be our everyone bonus stuff.
Hund did a bunch of weird alternate low-money TFs for Mei, like water, gold, invisible, and ice. They take an hour or two each and might be something we explore in the future to get you more of the content you crave.
Fan Art
Holy shit do we have some fan art for you. This first piece was sent in anonymously. I love the hell out of it.
First, the evil marionette transforming the girls from last week, by BlueLily.
And also by BlueLily, we have jester transformations! My favourite is Lotta with the pawprint pattern, can’t beat that.
How about Gravemarker Lotta? Done by artist HadezMuze. With enough guns to kill a whole crowd of non-believers!
And lastly, a comic about Lotta (Gee are you noticing a pattern?) finding a doll girl and just… taking her along. Will it continue to be a thing? Find out!
Pandemonium Development 