It's only a Good Bye!

I think it's already time for us to leave. It's a small blog, but the beggining of a big adventure for me. Sometimes I'm afraid to be unable to finish this game, or have to forget some of my others passions. (writing especially.) But I don't give up! I will do it slowy and at my rhythm. It's a passion, not an obligation and I musn't forget that! Thank you for reading me and contonue to be determined in your life!

I leave you with a Jazzland's character. Say Hi to Grincement. But be sur he will not be so adorable in the game...

A little talk with independent professionals.

Natalia and Mister Red, her hand puppet.

So! Tow days ago, I had a little talk on Facebook with Natalia Figueroa from Killmonday studio, the designer and creator of the indepedent game called Fran Bow. What an adorable woman! It was a really brief talk but it encourages me a lot for Jazzland. They use same method as me to create their game (Game Maker Studio for programing and Anime Studio for animated characters and events, ect.)


Watch their video help me to acquire a work organization and now, I know what to do to keep in mind a lot of things about my project. I will going to make sketches and research about locations and characters design. At the moment, I'm on hiatus because I want to focus on my homeworks and somethings I have to do very soon. But I don't give up Jazzland! It's to important for me to put an end to this game.

Oh! And, important news! Jazzland's dubbing will be in english! The game will be normally available with french and english subtiles.

Anime Studio Pro 9.5

Software interlude! I think it will be my Christmas present. In addition to Adventure Game Studio, I'll need it to animate my characters and create cutscenes. The frame by frame method would be too complicated and too long, this program seems to be a good solution.
It looks simple to use and instinctive, exactly what I need. There are very good animations made with this software.

Downfall and The Cat Lady

Two games created by the same man. Rem Michalski. Leader of Harvester Game. Actually, these games convicted me to use Aventure Game Studio engine to create my game. A beautiful result with so few resources generates admiration. The work will be enormous for me (I developed Jazzland alone at moment and I need to design characters and locations, animate them all alone.) but it's the price for a satisfactory result!


So. In fact, I only played The Cat Lady but I also know Downfall' story. I really enjoy the first one (maybe a bit unrealistic sometimes but nothing really unpleasant if we allow the game guide us.) Downfall is older and, at my opinion, darker and stranger than The Cat Lady. (It deals with themes like anorexia, madness, marital problems...) The Cat Lady is more emotional than Downfall. But I think Jazzland is more similar to Downfall in many aspects (Anorexia for example is one of Snow's health problems.) 

I really encourage you to play these two beautiful game for discover their stories and gameplay proper to Adventure Game Studio. (Downfall will be the object of a remake very soon! 

Meantime, here's a list of very cool songs we can find in The Cat Lady.

• 27 Years - Ben & Alfie
• The Will - Warmer
• Sojourn - Tears of Mars
• Don't You Worry Love - Warmer 

Poppy Z Brite

Let's talk about something a little different this time. I've already told you about tow video game. This time, I'm going to indroduce you a book. Well... Not really a book but an author. Actually my favorite writer. Poppy Z Brite. His real name is Billy Martin and he is born Melissa Ann Brite, in May 1967. Martin is a trans man and demand to be qualified as a man.

Borns in New Orleans, he is an underground novelist but few of his books was edited in France.  He retired for now in 2010 because of health problems and his unabily to disconnect with some aspect of his life. He probably continue to write, but not for publication, only for himself. Now, he sells some creations (paintings and handmade jewellery) in his Livejournal.

He wrote a lot of novels and short stories, must of them wasn't very famous. (in fact, Poppy Z Brite his not a famous and popular author in general... And that's probably better like this.) For example, he wrote Lost Souls, my favorite novel ever, in 1992. Martin is the first who denigrate this book but Lost Souls has a spontaneity and a vision we don't found in his other books. (A bit in Drawing Blood, which has been written in 1993)

Poppy Z Brite had a dark poetry and a very particular and pleasing ironic sense of humor. His books are often considered offensive by general public but are more famous in the underground environment. Amusing detail, he is a "Cat Lady" (I don't know the expression for a man, sorry) and host many cats in his house.


Lost Souls has had a huge influence on my world and my discovery of this author brought my passion for New Orleans and its legends (In the game, Snow is a native of this city. In fact, Jazzland is an alternative reality of New Orleans.)



 “ The sky is purple, the flare of a match behind a cupped hand is gold; the liquor is green, bright green, made from a thousand herbs, made from altars. Those who know enough to drink Chartreuse at Mardi Gras are lucky, because the distilled essence of the town burns in their bellies. Chartreuse glows in the dark, and if you drink enough of it, your eyes will turn bright green. ”
― Poppy Z. Brite, Lost Souls

The Path

It's time to talks about a small UFO videogame with an incredible graphics and sound atmosphere. Let me introduce you The Path, a narrative game inspired by older versions of Little Red Riding Hood. Same story, but six characters, one by one send to their grandmother house. 







    Ruby, Carmen, Rose, Ginger, Robin and Scarlet must get lost in the woods and find their "Wolf" to "win" the game. Stay on the path like said at the beginning only lead you to a Game Over. The goal here is to meet our wolf (who is a different symbolic for each girl.) No real story, no cutscene, no explanation, just an strange and beautiful atmosphere and a lot of reflections about this game. No monsters, just a narrative experience. Disturbing or fascinating, depends of you. The lack of logic and the strangeness of The Path really inspired me for the conception of Jazzland. The game deals with difficult and troubling themes we also found in mine. (Death, depression, the quest to find oneself, temptation, the figure of the Wolf...)

 I rather let you get an idea yourself.

 

Rule of Rose

This one is my favorite game ever. And I think it influenced maaany of my creations. Drawings, texts... And now, my new project : Jazzland. It's a wonderful videogame, a bit hard to understand if you have not the habit of complex stories.








 Rule of Rose is the story of Jennifer, a young woman trapped in a old mansion by a little boy. She was then taken to an airship by a group of children called "The Aristocrats Club". In this place, children make rules and, with the help of a dog companion named Brown, Jennifer must find gifts for the Aristocracy, or be killed for her "insolence". Among the game, Jennifer recovers the forgotten memories of her childhood. Because the plot is based on Jennifer's memories who distort events and dates. We see strange et disturbing events, monsters, only because of the fear Jennifer's feels about her past. This game is a masterpiece despite its involvement in silly controversies.

It was developped by Punchline and Edited by 505 Games in Europe. Rated M for mature players, it was released in 2006. Original Soundtracks was composed by Yutaka Minobe. 

I love this game because of its atmosphere and its dark vision of childhood and fairy tales. The plot is just awesome, poetic and emotional. (I cry at the end. Every times.) So, it's impossible for Jazzland to not be influenced by Rule of Rose. I just don't control it I think. And we find the same dark aspect of fairy tales and innocence in my game. (particulary with the character of Snow who is loving and horrible at the same time.)