Zefyr : A Thief's Melody Windows game

Hello there!

It’s time for a quick game update! So, what’s new this month?

I – Polish

I have mainly focused on polishing various systems, including maps, dialogs, and some sounds:

• Maps: I have made significant improvements to the maps by handcrafting them. Previously, they were top-down renders, which looked cool but were not very understandable. Many meshes were overlapping, making it difficult for players to identify the platforms. Therefore, I took the time to design the maps manually for each level of the demo. I hope this has made them much more readable. Additionally, I have also reworked the icons, avatars, and map borders. Check it out:

Maps showing 2 floors of the same level.

• Dialogs: to make the texts and dialogs more engaging, I integrated a third-party library called “Text Animator for Unity” (Febucci.com). I initially had a custom-made system to display letters one by one, and I started exploring how to dynamically add shaking, growing, or shrinking effects. However, as I delved deeper into it, I realized that coding it correctly would take quite some time. Therefore, I opted for an existing library that already offers these functionalities. This has improved the dialog box and I have also reworked the speech bubbles that appear when characters speak. Additionally, I added interjections, especially when the player jumps.

Little interjections to give a bit more life to the character.

• Sound Design: I have continued working on sound design, focusing this time on animal sounds such as ducks, cats, dogs, fennec foxes, and sheep. I have also worked on item sounds for doors, chests, arrow blocks, and cannons.

II – Next Demo

OK, with all these improvements plus working on the content of the 1st chapter, I can finally see the finish line for the demo release. In fact…

I plan to release the demo in July.

I have just completed a “release candidate” build and will start sharing keys for people to test. So stay tuned for the upcoming announcements! It’s a significant achievement for me after all these years to finally be able to consider a part of the game “DONE.” Of course, there will be bugs and things to fix, but in terms of content, intention, and quality, I believe it’s all there… (for the demo, of course, not for the final game).

Some new content: a species of flower.

Very soon, you will be able to tell all your friends, “Go check out this crazy indie dev” if you want to spread the word, of course :)

As for the rest of the game, another tester has completed it (making a total of 4 people, including myself). There is still a lot to correct and fix, but I am gradually bringing it up to the quality level of the demo.

The first playable version of the home island from 2014.

Final version of the home island. And yes, now you can see all the other islands in the world. Quite some progress!

III – Communication

Regarding the marketing, here are two main updates:

• First, I tried running Reddit ads, and the results are quite interesting. It has gradually increased the number of wishlists, so I think I’ll continue with this strategy and work on optimizing the process.
• Secondly, I have created a Discord server as some people have requested. Here’s the link if you want to join: Discord.gg. However, there isn’t much to do or see on it at the moment. I’ll use it to share important news and updates, of course.

And, as always, I’ve been focusing on bug fixes and code cleaning. I won’t bore you with the details.

I hope you found this update interesting. As always, thank you so much for your support and patience, and I’ll see you next month!

Take care and peace!