Progress!

Polishing continues in the world of Pier Solar, with the results visible below:



Our to do list is quickly diminishing with only a few assets still hanging on the wrong side of "complete". A few more maps, some sound effects, and NPC dialogue implementation is all that stands between us and capital-V-Victory! Oh, and scripting, gotta keep up with the scripting.

After that it's bug test city and our strongest members will be placed in a room with two items and two items only: a copy of Pier Solar and a large steel bat.

Assuming the tester emerges victorious we'll be ready to kick that sucker out the door. The tunnel is still long, but the light at the end just keeps getting brighter.

-WM

Screenshot... of JUSTICE

Most of the weekly treats we've presented in these updates have been in the form of assets. Be they random monsters, map shots, or concept sketches, each and every glimpse of the game thus far has been somewhat intangible and we're certain we've left many of you wondering if these disparate elements will ever coalesce to form an actual product.

Well wonder no more! Feast your eyes on the following in-game shot of Pier Solar in action.

Enjoy!



Ok, so it's not much, but what do you expect? We're busy. :)

-WM

A Mini-Update

Well gang, we're sad to report that today's update will be brief. Brief like the torrid love affairs in early 40s french cinema. The good news is that our collective game design might has come to together to form MelonTron (like Voltron only... juicier... and not part of early french cinema). That being said are just too busy for a normal update.

Fear not, for the blog is merely bowing to progress itself and Pier Solar's pieces are merging together to form... Pier Solar...tron...

*Cough*

Anyway, our programming lead is currently being hurled across continents to Brazil, where more work on the game will commence and, for those of you itching for some release date action you'll be pleased to know that internal deadlines have been set and we should be ready to announce an official date in the coming weeks. Maybe.

Keep in mind, the final deadline for our WP contest is January 30th, so now is your last chance to send in a Pier Solar themed wall paper. The best one will win a free copy of the game. Check out our forums for more info.

And here are some spiffied up comparison shots of the forest you guys played in the demo.



See you guys next week for a bigger, badder update and the winner of our Pier Solar WP Contest!

-WM

A Little Bit O' Spit and Polish

Greetings boys and girls. Come, sit 'round the fire, pin your ears back and partake in our previous week's adventures.

The last seven days has seen a steady stream of work being done on all fronts: Monsters being molded from our collective creative power (and in defiance of God's will!), new cities emerging, and changes a-plenty being implemented to the script. Story wise we're on the third of five planned drafts, the entirety of which will be completed by the end of the month. After that our translators will emerge from their cages and begin their dark work - allowing us to not only wreak havoc in one language, but several.

We've begun the polishing process on some of our older areas, including the ones you've played in the demo. Check it out below.

Here's the starting town from the demo:



And here's what it looks like now:



Subtle changes to be sure, but an increase in quality nevertheless.

Finally, here's an early sketch of one of our monsters. Until next week!



-WM

Our Influence Spreads...

A'hoy me mateys! Welcome back to another week of exciting, scrumptious and tantalizing Pier Solar previews. While we're sure you all spent the holidays consumed by drunken merriment we've continued to toil away. For you! Then again, most of our days are spent in an inebriated stupor anyway so we didn't miss anything.

The last couple of days have been exciting on the publicity side as interest from the press has begun to grow. We've got new mentions in CVG and Develop and further upcoming coverage in a magazine that will remain nameless until the details are finalized.

Needless to say, we feel watched. All the time. It's kind of creepy.

Heebie-jeebies aside we've got some new shots for you, but in order to prevent spoilers they're going to be displayed completely without context. Mysterious!







That's it for now and remember, our contest is still ongoing. The final deadline is January 31st so get those WPs in ASAP. Dismissed!

-WM

Shiny Boxes Revealed!

Behold! After many, many, many requests we finally decided to reveal the packaging that will accompany Pier Solar's descent from the heavens. Or, more likely, delivery by a bitter member of the postal service. Regardless of its mode of transit, this is what will await you upon the game's release (and subsequent purchase of course!)

The final boxes have been given the seal of approval by the Fonz and now they wait for their union with the finished project.

Speaking of, we've been busy producing new monsters, refining some cutscenes and building new locales all of which we think you'll really love. Here's a bite size sample of one of our more Arabian themed areas:



Remember, our contest to win a free copy of Pier Solar is still ongoing. All you have to do is toss together a Pier Solar themed wallpaper, attach it and hit us up at wolfrider31 at hotmail dot com with your subject reading Pier Solar Submission. Multiple submissions are allowed and the best one will be notified by email and have their WP enshrined in our hallowed halls / posted on our website.

Here's a sneak peak at the inside of the instruction manual - good advice dwells within!



See you all next week!

-WM

New Screens and "The Fonz" Battles a Chinese Factory Boss

Perhaps "battles" is too strong a word, but there were indeed fisticuffs - complete with wire teams and slow motion drop kicks. In the end, our fabled graphics designer emerged victorious and The Boss (think Hattori Honzo with cardboard... and... Chinese) agreed to emerge from retirement and do this one final task: Assemble the boxes for Pier Solar.

Okay, so martial arts drama wasn't exactly part of our man's plane trip but he did make the arduous journey to see the boxes being birthed in their native land. Thankfully he was well pleased and no blood had to spilled. Again.

While Fonzie was busy ensuring our packaging was of the utmost quality (and desperately trying to resist the seductive power of Communism) back at the salt mines we were busy injecting Pier Solar with pure liquid excellence. At the moment our script is being worked over and a second draft will soon be delivered to our translators. Of course little changes will be added right up until the very final stages of development, but this version will represent the official and completed plot.

That is until we tire of it and decide to replace the whole cast with mimes. You know, so we can get that whole "art-game" label.

For you, our loyal Solarites (can we call you that or is it too cultish?), we have a few new work in progress screens for you to enjoy. Below are a few locations both in and out of battle and an early example of one of our cutscenes.







In the spirit of the holidays we have a special contest coming up where you, yes you, could win a free copy of Pier Solar. Check back in next week for all the details.

- WM