Hello everyone! It’s been a long while since the last update in June last year, and that’s largely because development has been extremely stagnant this last semester. Due to a lot of RL constraints and general development issues, not a lot of things were done in this period and some team members have been unable to work on the project. 

However, in January, Novae got picked up back again, some team members quit and others joined, and now the project is finally back at a decent speed. Today I’ll update on what you can expect for the project’s future.

The development updates will actually be frequent as it was originally promised, and though sometimes the months may be slow, we’ll always try to show something. Our twitter account, @projectnovae, is also going to be posting much more frequently and engaging more with the community in general, multiple times a week ideally, so please, if you’re interested in the project, follow us over there!

We have new members on the team! Since a lot of our level designers needed to step down, I’ve recruited three prominent designers from the Level Palace community to help us. They each wrote a short intro:

“Hey there, I’m Jon/LaserTrap_ and I’m a musician of several trades, also helping out with this game’s level design. As a huge Metroidvania fan it’s very exciting to have an opportunity to work on a new one, and watch the team’s work become a reality.”

“I’m MrGerund, mostly known as The Flying Dutchman.

I’m just another leveldesigner helping out with wanting to die creating something huge! I take my leveldesign and criticism seriously so that’ll be something worth working with i suppose… Alright yes kthnxbye”

“Hi, I’m Orangetack. I’ll be doing some of the level design for Project Novae. I’ve been interested in game design ever since playing Mario as a kid. I’m really happy to be able to contribute to a full Metroidvania game!”

Regarding the game itself, our game has been converted to C# for easier future development. The first area is being steadily worked on, as well as being adjusted to fit a newer vision. All music tracks relating to it are complete, the enemies that will appear in this area were almost all sprited, and tiles/objects are also being worked on.

The map’s design for the first area is almost final, and soon there should be a rough playable version of it. I’m extremely excited to share of it with everyone eventually, so keep your eyes peeled for that!

Speaking of eyes, I couldn’t possibly go this update without showing anything, so below I’ve compiled some sprites we’ve finished that weren’t showcased yet:

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These are all enemies that show up in the first area. More things will be gradually shown in future updates and twitter, so stay tuned!

I close this development post thanking everyone for taking the time to check our game out. and this hopefully will be the start of a new phase for our game: one where things are done and shown here more often. Our hopes is that Novae is successfully developed and shared to the public, because what we have is truly special. I’m excited to show more of it in the future, and hope you’ll end up feeling the same.

See you again soon,

-Yuri, director of Novae.

Could it be?! Official concept art of Weaver wielding the signature powers of the Dream Matter. I think it is!

Alright so this isn’t going to be too long of an update but we do have some stuff to show off. First off the first official concept art for the game is here, it’s not too much, but it gives us a better look at the main character of our game.

Anyhow, with that out of the way it’s time to reveal what we’ve been focusing on this past while.

First, we’ve continued to work on level designs. I know that we’ve been working on this for forever now, but it’s difficult to find the right balance of combat, exploration, platforming, puzzle and story elements to put into a map. Initially our first designs were overly focused on combat with little of anything else, then we pushed it too far towards platforming, it’s been a hassle, but a necessary one. I mean look at all these drafts, and these don’t even include the ones stored online.

Second, we’ve been working on some tunes that you’ll be jamming to while exploring this world we’re creating. Just like the rest of development we’ve been focusing on music for the first area before we move into the next area, taking it step by step, y’dig. Here’s a little sample of what’s been cooking up over in the music department

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/413106906283114496/562790445462323211/Project_Novae_04_-_Skidwalk.mp3

Lastly, story writers have been fleshing out characters, though I won’t go into detail this update and programmers have been implementing features as they’re decided on.

That summarizes most of what’s been happening behind the scene lately, so I’ll end it here. Until next time

– MrMaple

We haven’t posted an update in awhile despite us saying that we would. And I suppose the main reason is that we didn’t have anything much to show and I’ll get to why later, However this blog isn’t just to show of our progress it’s for our thoughts and processes that go on as well. So here we go

The program, Godot, we’re working with wasn’t something that we were all familiar with and because of that many of us has had to learn to work with it now. This is since we’re moving from concepts to putting it into Godot. And let me say, it is a lot to learn for a crowd with not much experience with it.

Progress is still being made while we’re learning how to use Godot we’ve been working on more concepts. We want the opening of the game and starting area to blow people away, after all the beginning and end of anything is what people remember!

So while it’s not much, take our word that work is being done, and progress made. We hope to have more for you next time.

-MrMaple and the Development Team

Since we’re going public with information on Project Novae, we figured we may as well share some of the progress we’ve made thus far. Here’s just a peak into what we’ve done so far.

The figure shown above is none other than Weaver, the main protagonist of the game, showing off some of their more polished sprites. The tileset you see is a glimpse into what will be the first area of the game, any guesses? However, keep in mind that this is all liable to change as it is still an early demonstration of the game.

-MysterMaple

Hello and welcome to all those reading the Novae Development Log, as the existence of this blog may indicate we, a team of workers from PixelLoaf, have decided to go public and share the progress that we make on our game as content is created. Some of those reading this may already know bits and pieces of what this game will entail, there’s even a chance that some of you have already played a demo or even the full version of the game and have decided to check out this blog to see the development that went into the game. But for many of you this will be your first time hearing about Project Novae, so I’m here to fully introduce the concepts of our game.

The Premise
In our game you will play as Weaver, the mysterious protagonist with the power to enter the minds and dreams of those around him. Throughout the game you will travel through mysterious, bizarre and creepy dreamscapes in an attempt to solve the troubles, worries, fears and traumas of the individual whose dream you inhabit at the time, the Dreamers as we call them. Some of those playing the game might even relate or have experiences with topics that this game deals with.

You help the Dreamers overcome their traumas by pushing past hordes of enemies, the Dreamer’s fear manifested, before confronting the source of the trauma itself, however it won’t be easy. Be warned, this game will not be appropriate for those of a young age or who are easily creeped out due to the horror like nature, and mature themes of the game.
The Gameplay
To start this segment off it’s worth mentioning that this game will be a metroidvania. You will explore the unique and complex world of the Inside, the dreamscape of the Dreamers, with the aid of multiple upgrades collected throughout the game. Just like an usual metroidvania game you’ll have a map, and the world will be full of secrets to discover. As is standard in metroidvanias, as you collect more abilities new paths will open up, allowing you to progress further and discover some of the secrets of the world.
The most important part of your collection will be Dream Matter, or DM for short (Yeah we know, better go hit some stuff with your Direct Messages). DM is an amorphous form of energy that can transform into a variety of things. It will be used throughout the entire game acting as your main form of attack and as a tool that will supplement many of your abilities. Dream Matter will also be your main form of offence, with it being capable of performing many powerful attacks.

The Team

Now then here’s something a bit different. We’d like to introduce the team that will be working on Project Novae, it’s not like we’re some kind of group of numbered clones, amiright Number 13. Alright, lets get the introductions coming, here’s how thing are going to work, The name of the team member will come first, followed by a brief description, finishing off with their roles in the project. Here they are:
Mr. Maple
Sup everyone, My names MrMaple, However I also go by ShadeRaider. Some of you may already have guessed or noticed that I’m the one running this blog with the help of a couple admins, Yuri and Bronzebrush, I’ll be the person who post updates such as this one as well as working on keeping the site as organized and as accessible as possible. Outside of the blog I help out with a variety of things, mainly storywriting and design with me being one of the chief mapmakers. However I also help out with a variety of other things including concept art for some of the creatures you’ll be seeing amongst other things and spewing out a never ending flow of ideas for the game. I look forward to going on this journey with all those keeping up with the blog. Cya!
-Storywriter -Designer -Cool Dude

Yurio
Heya, I’m Yuri/Yurio, the lead manager of Project Novae. I get things going here, scheduling reunions, making development plans, organizing stuff, and overall doing everything possible to make our vision be realized in the best way possible. When it comes to the practical things, I do everything I can as long as I know how to- story development, art and spriting, level design… and just about anything else that’s not music or programming (yet, mwahaha).
-Project Manager/Director -Artist -Storywriter -Designer

Bronzebush
Hi there. My name’s Sam, though I generally go by the username Karyete or Bronzebrush. I’m sort of a general handyman around these parts but my favourite task is designing the wacky enemies you’ll be seeing throughout our game. Please don’t say they’re cute.
-Artist -Musician -Designer

Harmless
Heya, I’m Harmless! I’m in charge of everything music related for Project Novae. I am in charge of composing the OST for Project Novae alongside Karyete, and have composed many of the songs you would hear within it. I have many years of experience composing, writing, and transcribing music, and hope it provides the best experience possible alongside experiencing and playing the game as a whole. I also give feedback to art, help give pointers for gameplay, and provide general constructive feedback for miscellaneous things regarding the game.
-Musician -Storywriter

NanTheDark
I’m NanTheDark, and I’m an artist. I help with spriting and concept art. I can also help with coding if necessary, as well as provide feedback on the project and suggestions.
-Artist

DJVoxel
Hey, I’m Voxel. I’m mainly a storywriter on the project, and will be helping build the narrative amd world of the game. Also, once I put some more time into reading over the existing codebase, I hope to be able to assist the other programmers on the team on the backend code with my knowledge from building a couple of small game engines from scratch.
-Storywriter – Programmer

Forgotten
I’m Forg, and I won’t say much about myself because I’m a mysterious person. :3
But anyway, I’ve always been interested in game development. I’m trying to improve, and maybe get better at pixel art too.
I mostly work on graphical assets.
-Artist

Axiloci
Hey readers, I’m Axiloci! I’m a storywriter/designer for this project, meaning I help out in writing dialogue and making ideas for the different maps.
-Storywriter -Designer
Jellonator
Hi, I’m Jellonator. I have some past experience with game design and programming that I’m hoping to apply to this project. My role is mostly programming core aspects of the game.
-Programmer

Doram
Hey, I’m Doram. I’m not directly in charge of anything, but I’ve had lots of years of experience in a lot of fields, and have given advice and resources to other people working on the project just about everywhere, art design, music, programming, and writing, much less overall organization. I’m also there for general morale and community support. GO TEAM!
-Artist Consultant

Project Novae is the stand in name for an in-development game by the internet group known as PixelLoaf. Here you can find updates on the development of the game and insight into our development process.

In Project Novae you play as the protagonist Weaver as they explores the minds and dreamscapes of those around them in an attempt to solve their fears and traumas.