Topic: Castlevania: Umbra of Sorrow (1999 Fan Project)

[SecretWeapon]

i pmed you

[OldSchoolArikado]

Well, recently I saw a drawing of Junki on Twitter and also the Grimoire of Souls has come back to life so I would like to know how the project is going and how much the history of the Grimoire of Souls will affect the game.

[theplottwist]

I have received requests to respond if the project is alive or not. So, pseudo-update time. I'll try to be objective and offer a bit of context where needed.

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Is the project alive? Yesn't.

The project has not done leaps for a good while now. We're talking years. The reasons for this range from naturally slow development to lack of budget. Mainly lack of budget, but at the end of the day, it's my responsibility.

Slow development means I can take something up once in a blue moon, and obsess over it until it's absolutely perfect. So, every skeleton, bat, zombie, it's all original, all super fluid, etc. When the stars align, the programmer Dracula9 and I will go nuts and work in a burst until we burn. we set an objective, we do it in just a few days time. Music is a non-issue: These guys have composed an entire game's worth of music just on descriptions alone. But the bigger issue is budget.

As said before, I made a point not to make a single dollar from this project, while ripping zero Konami graphics. However, this means I have to leave for work, which means freelancing and disappearing for months at a time until work is done, and stringing a project on the next until the spring stops giving.

Every gain goes into sustaining mine and other people's living, and seeking help with my health. I have exposed my failing health - this is still true. Not as bad as I was back when I exposed it, but still bad that my work got slower. I still have no answer on that front, and covid made it nearly impossible to keep the doc visits going, but I'm trying.

On top of me working, the team needs my direct input on the meat of the project and can't perform alone. The director needs to be there to DIRECT, but outside reasons keep me away. One such example is: D9 needs graphics to code into the engine and placeholders can only work for so long. Where are the graphics?

Thing is, I'm actually reasonably fast. However, in my current state, this speed can only happen if I'm earning while I'm drawing or if it WILL earn in the future. Working on Umbra means the income will stop flowing, which means I can't eat Umbra for dinner, or pay the doctor with Umbra coins, etc. Ultimately, it all boils down to budget and health. A salary for developing this project (this goes for every member, not just me) would complete it in 2-3 years tops. But no budget could mean this will come out when the 2035 eclipse happens in real time, or not at all.

So, again, is the project dead? It nearly is. We never once discussed giving up on it for real, actually. For us it feels like it's still going. But if progress is not getting made, then what is the difference?

Finally, bear in mind that all this is speaking only for myself, because the biggest responsibility is mine. Hence why my health, my work, etc etc. Despite all members having their own personal lives, it's my direction that is faltering, and it's my direction that is key to make it walk.

TL;DR: Budget is the bigger issue. I can't work more than I already do for a living, therefore Umbra has slowed down to a halt.

There's the pseudo-update. Now, for something a little more positive.

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We actually downsized the project, with Dracula9 spearheading this move. We still want to do the full thing, but we're afraid if nothing comes of it, we STILL have something to show for it. So, it's STILL not all doom. This downsized thing actually has content going, actually looks pretty damn great, but I'll leave Dracula9 to expand on what it is and how it works when it's time to do it. He plans to speak about that before the year ends, meaning within two months or so.

To conclude this screed:

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2022 is the final year for Umbra. It will decide if it lives or dies. This will also be the last update until things take a drastic turn, which has to happen in 2022.

I shouldn't really have to say this, as I owe nothing to anyone. But nonetheless, I apologize for firing up expectations for anyone who has them. Despite making it clear not to have them when this project began, I know it's inevitable on the wasteland of content Konami has going on. This is also why I avoid giving updates - I can't do it knowing this will give someone expectations that are more likely to end in frustration. The correct path is to do your thing without telling anyone. I didn't do that, this was a terrible mistake.

Please understand: In this context, we're just some dudes. If someone drops a wad of cash on our heads, Umbra is planned for 2025. Otherwise, if I'm to be transparent, it ain't going to happen in its full form. We could pitch this to, let's say, Konami. We have enough to build a pitch and I'm absolutely confident that it would be competent. But pitching this to anyone will just get the project killed for real and the SECOND I try to earn anything with it - effectively fixing the budget issue and basically giving it all it needs to be completed -, is the moment I'll get a C&D. "But that one dude with the Patreon!" anyone doing that obviously has something going I don't. I guarantee you I can't do the same and get away with it. We're already blessed to not get screwed up as we are, for I have actual proof Konami is aware of this project and has done no move to end it on the spot until the time of this post.

[theplottwist]

Well, recently I saw a drawing of Junki on Twitter and also the Grimoire of Souls has come back to life so I would like to know how the project is going and how much the history of the Grimoire of Souls will affect the game.

I'm responding to you in a separate post since the post above is meant as a general statement and has been linked in the front post of this thread.

As far as I know, GoS still has not moved beyond the point it was back when it was an Android beta. Whatever changes required to be done based on GoS at that point, is done. GoS has, for one, forced me to begrudgingly remove/rework the character of Charlotte in the plot. GoS is 80% decent writting, and 20% utter nonsense, with Alucard acting uncharacteristically ignorant and having zero idea about Dracula's return in the 1940s because, as a surrogate to the player, he has to have everything explained to him. And this is one instance of that.

Junki's piece is a fanart of the ideas he knows about the project. You will not see that scene in the game IF the game ever comes out.

[X]

I have received requests to respond if the project is alive or not. So, pseudo-update time. I'll try to be objective and offer a bit of context where needed.
 (click to show/hide)

There's the pseudo-update. Now, for something a little more positive.
 (click to show/hide)

To conclude this screed:
 (click to show/hide)

Honestly, I never expected for this to turn into a game from the get-go. So it comes as no surprise to me that it might not make it that far. It was only a story to explain what had happened in 1999 and to answer a lot of questions people had about IGA's non-existent CV game. You crafted a good story and did all that you could, going above and beyond the call of CV duty (as much as humanly possible) to accurately tell the tale of the Demon Castle War. With a little help from the many members of the CVD community you were able to bring about a story the pretty much fills the gaps and gives us all an idea of just how things went down and who was involved story-wise. While it is a shame the game might be nothing more then a dream, let's at least count our blessings that the story was able to finally be revealed.

[theplottwist]

Honestly, I never expected for this to turn into a game from the get-go. So it comes as no surprise to me that it might not make it that far. It was only a story to explain what had happened in 1999 and to answer a lot of questions people had about IGA's non-existent CV game. You crafted a good story and did all that you could, going above and beyond the call of CV duty (as much as humanly possible) to accurately tell the tale of the Demon Castle War. With a little help from the many members of the CVD community you were able to bring about a story the pretty much fills the gaps and gives us all an idea of just how things went down and who was involved story-wise. While it is a shame the game might be nothing more then a dream, let's at least count our blessings that the story was able to finally be revealed.

Thank you. To be honest, not 10% of the plot made it to a public place. The final form of the plot is known to very few people and it changed so much that sometimes someone will reference something written on this thread and I'll go "what? when did I say that?". Whatever happens, the plot and related content will be made public at some point.

[zangetsu468]

Glad to hear you’re still working on this Plotwist. Hope you’re staying well and life’s been good despite the global challenges in recent years.

[VladOfWallachia]

Plot,

It's been a great effort, the stuff you guys have shown looks and sounds great. There's no shame in not being able to finish a project of that scope with the resources you have. Those games are made by entire teams of highly experienced full time employees, with plenty of assistance from the publisher. Resizing the scope of the project is a good idea, as I'm sure people will be excited to see even a small bit of what UoS could be.

 

[Shiroi Koumori]

I'm just hoping for a written story and not a full game.
Plot, Stay healthy. You're life is the biggest priority.
If the game side is scrapped, you can always post the story with accompanying music. hehe.

[X]

And don't forget the images and sprites. People love visuals 

[Chernabogue]

And don't forget the images and sprites. People love visuals 

And the music