As engine building has been winding down, I started the beginnings of a marketing push for Harmonic Odyssey. I got back into forums and have generally been having a lot of fun with this part of game design and community involvement.

I also like to visit advice columns on Discord and elsewhere, to both get and give recommendations for the many facets of game design and development. A question that comes up time and again is how to get ideas for a story.



One big lie that is told about writers and creatives in general, is that they've always got ideas at the ready and can come up with things on the fly, else why consider yourself a writer at all? It's ridiculous to think that writing is an all-or-nothing thing. A muse is nice, but unreliable and fleeting (and I believe, if left unchecked, can chain the writer to a single area of a much bigger project).

Here are five ways that have worked for me when it comes to getting story ideas:

#1: Get away from your game. Simple enough -- take a break from your project. Go do anything else for a time (especially some of the other items on this list). My family and I recently picked up Hollow Knight for the Switch, and just messing around on something someone else made, when the inspiration to write another line of dialogue is failing me, has allowed the creative side of my brain some breathing room. You'd be surprised how often you'll get stuck on something, walk away for a few minutes, and come back with an idea for tackling it.

#2: Use your good ideas right away. Sometimes we'll come up with a great idea, but we'll stash it away for "down the line" in the story. Truth is, a lot of good ideas you have for later, could be equally or more effective, at the point in the game you're currently trying to come up with a story for. Alternatively, you might want to go ahead and work on parts of the story you know are good, and in doing so, you might inadvertently spark a new idea for earlier or later in the tale. Too, both are great ways of carving out the tone of your work, and that might do a lot to help you determine the overall direction you want to take things.

#3: Get out of your current space. Going outside, to someone else's house, or changing your surroundings in any way is a great method for kicking yourself out of a lackluster creative zone. Oftentimes, the ideas in our head are tied to the things going on outside of it. If you are tired of looking at the same four walls, perhaps you are unconsciously zoning out due to a lack of variety in your day-to-day. Put simply, it's hard to think of new things when we're used to the same old stuff, and that includes our environment, routines, and schedules.

#4: People-watch. Go find some people and observe them from a distance. Making up stories is something that comes easier with practice, and one easy way of getting that practice is to just sit in a spot where other humans gather. I write this during the time of COVID-19, however, so there is an assumption you can find people gathering anywhere at all while maintaining safe distance, yourself. In the midst of an epidemic, your mileage may vary!

#5: Re-read or re-watch one of your favorite stories. If you bothered to make your own story, there must have been others that inspired it. Taking a time-out to remember why you fell in love with something -- a book, a movie, a game, is one of the best ways to recall why you're making something in the first place. Do some "research" and make observations on the feelings that story evokes. Ask yourself how you can re-create some of those same feelings in your project.

Work on Harmonic Odyssey continues this week, as I have just finished the system that will serve as a stage-select screen for the next three areas in the game. More on those next time and in the weeks to come!

This is it! The moment your humble dev-team (me) has been waiting for! Harmonic Odyssey: The Five Gods now has a playable demo!


Harmonic Odyssey is a new visual novel, the latest release from EVOLV Games and artist/writer/solo-developer, Dawn Best. Join Baen-Shee, an all-female band of misfits as they explore a futuristic dystopia ruled by a quintet of malevolent monsters known as The Five Gods. Be warned, though: Harmonic isn't just another visual novel with kinetic gameplay. Your choices along the way may disrupt or enhance your experience, as paths will open up or be closed forever based upon your actions, interactions, exploration, and combat results.

...Wait. Combat? In a visual novel?



Did we mention there's also a turn-based battle system with timed mini-games that put you in charge of the girls' musical abilities? That's right -- you'll be using music to do battle with your foes along with other unique and sometimes a little off-beat skills and attacks. And it's not all about timing. Pay attention to how your enemies react while making note of their weak points to deal the most damage.

Harmonic Odyssey: The Five Gods demo is currently available for Windows and MacOS, with other versions releasing, soon. The game is free to play, but a donation of $5.00 or more will land you a "Development Pack" that includes a concept art book, original soundtrack of 18 songs, a digital comic book of "Daemonology #0" that features the cast in their first original (and quite different) iteration, a few wallpapers, and of course, access to any additional versions of this pack of extra goodies as they are released. The full version of the game is scheduled for release, Q3, 2020.

Happy god-hunting!

As promised in our last devlog, here are snapshots of our four heroines, the ladies of Baen-Shee -- their pertinent details, personalities, and skill attack screen shots. Those of you who have been familiar with these characters for some time now will likely be surprised by more than a few significant changes... Or perhaps you'll be more interested to see just how much hasn't changed...

Nita Nirvana:



In-Game Bio Excerpt: Unlike her bandmates, Nita Nirvana’s life path as a former pop star kept her mostly on the straight and narrow. Despite outward appearances, though, the petite songbird has a fiery personality and unmatched tenacity that one would be unwise to dismiss.

Vocalist supreme and leader of the group, Nita acts as main protagonist of the game and the character most under the player's sway. She is constantly trying to find common ground amongst her other opinionated and persuasive bandmates, and is often tasked with keeping them safe from themselves. Nita is otherwise quite laid back and avoids confrontation, though her optimistic nature can come off a bit naïve. Take care in trusting others when it's time to make important decisions (and remember that all decisions have the potential to be important).

Nita's Attacks:

Pictured above: Nita's Voice Skill and Sound Barrier Skill

Caj Stryker:



In-Game Bio Excerpt: Caj Stryker boasted the reputation of musical powerhouse long before joining Baen-Shee as its nimble-handed guitarist. Though rumor persists her on-stage prowess is an elaborate front for her past as a cold-blooded assassin.

A true virtuoso, Caj is one of the world's greatest guitarists and an all-around musical genius, though one can't shake the feeling that she's hiding a few skeletons in her closet. It is perhaps for this reason that she comes off as a hard egg to crack and more than a bit aloof. Throughout the game, Caj will be one of Nita's fiercest allies (having a not-so-subtle crush on her vocalist, besides), and someone who can be counted on to pull the group out of danger. Unfortunately, she tends to be significantly braver than the rest of her bandmates, and her confidence in battle may end up putting our heroines at great risk for what may or may not be great reward.

Caj's Attacks:

Pictured above: Caj's Guitar Skill and Stealth Skill

Sparkles



In-Game Bio Excerpt: Sparkles, the Bass Player, acts as the group’s heavy. This beastly mystery woman is short on words, big on action, and as talented at finding the natural rhythm of things as she is deadly.

"Speak softly but carry a big bass" could be Sparkles' motto. Quiet as a mouse, this woman of mystery mostly keeps to herself, but you won't exactly be able to ignore her, should she ever decide to make her opinion on something known. Throughout gameplay, Sparkles will let her actions speak louder than words, and you may find yourself (reluctantly or not) following her lead more than once. She is surprisingly insightful, however, and if you pay attention to her reactions, few and far between as they are, you may just be rewarded.

Sparkles' Attacks:

Pictured above: Sparkles' Bass Skill and El Kabong Skill

Cherry O'Reilly:


In-Game Bio Excerpt: Notorious airship pirate, Cherry O’Reilly, acts as pilot of the Sky Thrasher, Baen-Shee’s flying tour bus. An expert in the field of controlled substances and syncopation, Cherry dispenses pain medication and thunderous drum beats in equal measure.

A bit of a loudmouth, but one hell of a drummer, Cherry nevertheless remains more interested in talking the talk than walking the walk. As the team's healer, her skillset is utterly essential, though she often comes across as looking out for number one -- and you'll have to be sure she's not overpowered during combat. Don't confuse her self-centered nature as self-serving, though. Cherry is all about preservation, and the things that drive her through the game will be most likely to keep her head (and those of her bandmates) firmly attached. Just don't let her go overboard when it comes to adult beverages and other illicit "performance enhancers".

Cherry's Attacks:

Pictured above: Cherry's Drum Skill and Sonic Sensation Skill

That's it for now. Join us next time for more gameplay footage and a new trailer, coming soon!

Harmonic Odyssey got a lot of work done under the hood this week. We have amped up our animation and continue to make our battle system something that'll really pop. Take a sneak peek in this new video!



This post is from an archived article on our main site.

When you talk about game development, one of the topics that is bound to come up is that of rewards. What do players get for doing whatever it is you have them do, level to level? Why should they care to keep doing it?

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