Rorasuketo Dev Blog

I dove back into SteamPipe last night to upload the official version 1.00 of the game, so we are ready to push the button to launch at any time. It's exciting. Usually, my cats dominate my living space, whether it's sleeping butthole-to-head, occupying comfy chairs, or having a good old fashioned lap-sit. Normally, I don't have the heart to move them. But when SteamPipe is on my monitor, cats are unceremoniously removed from my desk. Usually multiple times. They are very confused by this. But I'm not taking any chances. When I am on a computer, phone, app, etc. as a user, everything seems very stable and safe and under control. But when working with  my  project, everything feels so remarkably fragile. Could a keystroke in the SteamPipe UI break everything? What if I uncheck a box in RPG Maker and the whole thing crashes on launch? Is the entire electronic world teetering on the brink of disaster as much as it feels my work does? Probably not. But then there's alway...

Hey, folks! Three days to launch. Are we excited, or what? Autumn is rolling around, and I am declaring it the month of Rorasuketoctober. We've got three things coming up now: Launch, Mitten Kitten, and Bardertown. Credit: 13 On Your Side Bardertown Video  is self-described as a "mom and pop" style video rental store in Wyoming, Michigan. (Yes, this is a town in Michigan. I will not be in the Rockies.) I've been patronizing this shop weekly for over a year renting VHS tapes and DVDs, and come to know the owner, Rob, fairly well. Bardertown as a collective is invested in the local creative community and has been extremely supportive of  Rorasuketo.  There's a lot of talk about the lack of "third spaces" these days, and Bardertown is a pretty great third space. So definitely check them out, and check  us  out. The afternoon of October 24th, myself and Jerry (the other half of Tibbs-Babu Publishing) will be at Bardertown with a demo table. I'm going to ...

I received a lovely email this morning from Mustafa, who asked about translating (localizing)  Rorasuketo  for Turkish audiences. Unfortunately, RPG Maker is a bit of a pain when it comes to editing text; you have to manually add line breaks, the text is input through point-and-click methods rather than coding, and the font I created is not monotype, so it can be difficult to predict whether the text will run long or not. So Rora  will likely not see a release in other languages - but if you're a game dev, maybe reach out to our friend: Mustafa “Neekagami” Dinç is a volunteer Turkish game localizer who helps independent developers bring their games to Turkish-speaking players. He has contributed Turkish localization to more than 10 games, working directly with developers on translation, terminology consistency, in-game testing, and localization QA. His work is entirely voluntary; he generally asks only for access to the game for testing and an in-game credit. He is partic...

I have noticed an interesting evolution. A 'tude check, if you will. Nebyoolae started (and finished) the soundtrack very early in  Rorasuketo's  development, as did Tiffany with her storyboard. For a good six or seven years, it felt like the game rested entirely on my shoulders. Everyone was just waiting for me to finish it. It was all up to me. Every glitch, continuity problem, typo, misplaced pixel, and obligation belonged to me and me alone. Tiffany and Mike (especially Mike) were very encouraging and supportive, and pushed me to the finish line - and that's no small feat. Their contributions were not small. Neither were those of my husband, Jerry. But it felt like  my  game for a very, very long time. What's that you're working on? Oh, it's my video game. Now that it's done, and we are all celebrating together, I find more and more that it is  our  game. Maybe, now that my vision is no longer clouded by doubt, anxiety, insecurity, and even dread,...

Our story guru Tiffany Van Peenen also happens to be faculty over at Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek, Michigan. When some students in the KCC Tech Club found out that their (very cool) instructor had also made a video game, they offered to put  Rorasuketo  in their arcade cabinet. So word on the street is that this is totally happening . This is just about the coolest thing ever. I've got to compile a "Michigan Edition" demo version of the game, which will be a collection different areas you can explore. Maybe a little derby, maybe a date, maybe a town or two. I think that's what will end up on the cabinet, as well as what we'll have at Mitten Kitten for your enjoyment. Stay tuned! We will be planning a release party at Bardertown Video in Wyoming, Michigan at some point, too.  

Not only will we have a Rorasuketo demo table at Mitten Kitten, but you'll see our glorious logo emblazoned on the volunteers' t-shirts. Turns out there is a queer-owned screenprinting shop right up the street from my home (they also have a storefront if you want to check it out!), so we get to feel cool about keeping things relatively fresh and local. I thought it would be fun to have a little "dialogue" on the front. Completing a project and getting into the promotion side of things (especially when there are deadlines involved) is giving me a lot of opportunities to say "Hey, good enough, let's push the button!". It's uncomfortable for me - a pathological perfectionist - so I'm trying to see it as an opportunity for growth. As plans change and budgets shift (don't they always?), I find myself reflecting more on the concept of ROI (Return On Investment). Forgive me if I've rambled about this before, but it's still true that  Rorasu...