lizardhazardgames

[lizardhazardgames]

We released Lovingly Evil yesterday! It’s a dating sim where you get to create your own villainous character, go to the Villain Conference and meet some eligible baddies! You can date iconic villains such as the Evil Stepmother... or Satan himself! You can support us by buying the game or wishlisting it for later: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1247020/Lovingly_Evil/

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Design your own villain in Lovingly Evil and attend the most evil conference of 2020. These are just a few examples of what you can do with our character creator!

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Lovingly Evil, The Big Bad Dating Sim, is in development for 2020! Customize your own villain, attend the Villain Conference, network, play minigames and win your favourite villain’s heart. Check out our website to keep up with the game!

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Fairytales wouldn't be the same without an Evil Stepmom! In Lovingly Evil, you can date one!

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Lovingly Evil, The Big Bad Dating Sim, is about dating villains!  So, meet one of our available villains, Satan himself

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Lovingly Evil, The Big Bad Dating Sim, a game about dating villains, is on the way! Visit our website to learn more!

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Our game is coming out (heh :D) in just 2 days!! Play as Prince Amir and rule the fairytale Kingdom of Al-Marahij. Try to survive royal life as a gay prince!

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Last chance to try the Your Royal Gayness Alpha demo before we delete it forever!  https://aviala.itch.io/your-royal-gayness-demo We’re releasing the game later this month, and when we do, we don’t want the alpha demo around causing confusion. The game has come so far since the demo - everything looks better and there are sooo many new features we’ve implemented in the past few months. So please don’t judge the game too harshly based on the demo, but feel free to try it if you’d like! :D P.S. Sorry for the long radio silence! We’ve been focusing really hard on finishing the game.

[lizardhazardgames]

Your Royal Gayness - Sound design in indie games

Hello!

This is Hana. I'm the background artist for Your Royal Gayness, but today I'll be talking about the other role I play in this team: sound design!

Sound plays an important role in the development of a game; it helps with immersion and setting the mood and also serves as an identifier, which means that it helps the player realize an action has occurred.  Of course, they can’t be too obvious. A general rule of thumb is that a good sound is a sound you don’t realize it’s there, but you would know something is off if it wasn’t.

In Your Royal Gayness I’m responsible for providing ambient effect sounds (also known as foleys) and some UI sound effects like buttons.

For indie games like ours there are two ways to approach sound effects; either looking for free ones to use from the web, or, the more fun option, making your own! I’ll talk a bit about both today.

Part 1: The Interwebz

Big game companies usually buy licenses to access big sound libraries to pick their sounds from, or they even have their own studios to record them. If you’re an indie developer… well tough luck in regards to those, but there’s still plenty you can do. There are plenty of websites where you can get the sounds for free! Just make sure that they are under the Attribution 3.0 or Public Domain License and that you credit them properly. Those things are very important, especially if you want to sell your finished product.

Now, some of the sounds you get online are not the best quality, so usually sounds have to be slightly edited before they can be used, but it doesn’t take a lot to be able to fix that by yourself.

For my work, I use the program Audacity, which is a free open source cross platform software. Because it’s open source and free, the amount of tutorials and plugins you can find on the web is huge.

It’s also great because you can use it to record sound with it too!

Part 2: REC.

As I’m not a professional sound designer I haven’t felt the need to invest into amazing equipment, and I get by just fine without it. All you need to make good quality sound effects is a bit of creativity.

I use my phone to record any sound effects I might need and then transfer them to my PC where I edit them. When it comes to making sounds… the sky is the limit. Anything and everything can be used with a bit of tweaking, layering and editing. Epicsound.com is a great source of tips for making your own folleys, like sword sound effects done with cutlery etc. Your own voice is also a great tool! I’ve done everything from growling and meowing to coughing.

To get the cleanest sound possible without any background noise, my advice is to record yourself on your bed under a blanket. You might look silly, but trust me, it’ll sound great!

[lizardhazardgames]

Your Royal Gayness - The making of a developer’s video for Kickstarter

Hello from Lizard Hazard Games! I am Verna, one of the writers and game designers working on a game called Your royal gayness. We recently successfully finished our first kickstarter campaign and I am here to talk about the how’s and why’s of having a video on your campaign page.

Read more after the cut!

Making a video for a kickstarter campaign is, in general, a good idea. Having a video has been known to raise the credibility of your project and it will help possible backers get information about your project without having to read too much text or use up too much of their time. When we started planning out our kickstarter video for our game Your Royal Gayness, I volunteered to help out and to edit it because I enjoy video editing. I was also able to use my amazing connections and got my sister, who is an actual professional with these things, to help us out.

The CEO, Salli.

Before filming

Before you start filming it is good to have at least a rough storyboard of your video. Try to figure out where you would like to have cuts and where the camera and the possible lights and microphone should be. It is also always good to have the basic structure of what you want. If you do not have a light or microphones the important thing is to have the camera on a steady surface or a tripod if you have one. You should always avoid holding the camera with your hands because a shaky video does not look very professional.

Making a script of the important things you want to say in your video is important. This way you are less likely to forget something important.

Filming

Filming our video went quite well, minus some trouble with some of the equipment. Here are some tips for filming although mostly it is all about trying your best and googling a lot.

How to prepare:

1. Do your research and practice

It is all about research and preparation. It is important to know what you are going to talk about. Figure out the most important things you need to mention to make someone interested enough to want to make someone check out your campaign.

Go through what you want to say multiple times. It is good to do it also in front of the camera because this will help you to get used to it. If you feel stiff then just try to say your lines in a funny voice or with a thick scottish accent to loosen up.

2. Think about your posture and eye contact

I know looking into the camera can feel funny at first but talking to the viewer is more effective than talking to someone on their left. Sitting also makes you look more relaxed and you also avoid making your feet hurt form all that standing you have to do.  

4. Have help

These things need help. Figuring out the camera and the possible lights can be quite exhausting (How do some youtubers do it?). Having friends around to help also makes the whole thing more fun.

5. Have time and remember to have breaks

Filming can take a surprisingly long time. Our filming lasted about 6 to 7 hours and that is not counting in the editing I started that day. Having breaks, eating and drinking lots of water is also very good.

Small tip: Remember to film a lot of footage so that you have a lot to choose from. It is also a good way to catch some possible bloopers ;)

After filming

Then comes the editing. This is when you really hope that you remembered to film everything and that the microphone worked. There are many possible editing programs to choose from. For example I prefer Adobe Premiere but if you are more of a Mac person then Final Cut could be for you.

Editing our video was a challenge simply because we were not 100% sure what pictures and video footage we wanted. I spent too long editing things that in the end did not quite make it. I also had some trouble with the program but that was my fault :P In general when editing you want to go for good pacing. Fast cuts work only if that is the style you are going for throughout the entire video and if you are good at editing. In a video like this you want to make sure that everyone can follow what is being said and what is on the screen with no problems.

It is also important to note that at this point editing the sound will be quite difficult. This is why making sure that the sound works fine during filming is important.

That is all I have about making videos for kickstarter campaign. Have fun and remember to plan ahead!

[lizardhazardgames]

Your Royal Gayness hits Greenlight!

Hear ye! Hear ye! Your Royal Gayness, the ultimate fairytale parody game, is now on Steam Greenlight!

Find the campaign here!

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=894045333

We've also reached the last week of our Kickstarter campaign. It's the final push; we're so close to getting funded!

Find our Kickstarter here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mysterycorgi/your-royal-gayness-the-ultimate-fairytale-parody-g

You can help us out by reblogging this post and checking out our campaigns! Your support means the world to us <3

[lizardhazardgames]

Your Royal Gayness over 65% funded on Kickstarter!

Your Royal Gayness is a humorous fairytale parody where you play as a gay prince trying to survive royal life and avoiding marriage.

We’re getting nearer to the end of the campaign with 12 days left, and even though 65% is an important milestone, we could still use your help!

You can help us out by sharing this post and checking out our campaign. You can also tell your friends about it, that’d make us really happy ;) We recently introduced community quests, which help you help us. More info on the campaign page:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mysterycorgi/your-royal-gayness-the-ultimate-fairytale-parody-g

[lizardhazardgames]

Your Royal Gayness - The ultimate fairytale parody - GIVEAWAY

We’re giving away 5 download keys for Your Royal Gayness on our Facebook page! Enter before 26th of March for a chance to win one of them, or to get a free upgrade to your pledge if you’ve already backed our Kickstarter campaign! More info about the giveaway on our facebook page: Click Here. Find our Kickstarter campaign here: Click Here.

[lizardhazardgames]

Your Royal Gayness - the ultimate fairytale parody game - on Kickstarter!

Hear ye! Hear ye! The ultimate fairytale parody game Your Royal Gayness is now on Kickstarter!

You can find our new trailer and playable demo on the campaign page - how scandalous!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mysterycorgi/your-royal-gayness-the-ultimate-fairytale-parody-g

We'd greatly appreciate if you could spread the word about the campaign - the easiest way to do that is to simply reblog this post. <3

[lizardhazardgames]

How to Survive a Game Jam

Game Jam’s can be brutal, especially Global Game Jam which only lasts for 48 hours. But have no fear: Tips from a 3-time GGJ -veteran ahead!

First, for those who don’t know, a game jam is an event where you make a game in a very limited time, like 48 hours in the case of Global Game Jam. The Global Game Jam is an experience that will either bring you joy, motivation and a finished game, or despair and both physical and mental pain. Sometimes both at the same time. You probably can’t avoid the negative side effect altogether (after all, you’ll probably be working A LOT with very little to no sleep), but you can tip the scales and make the postives far outweigh the negatives. Preparing The first thing to remember about game jams is that you should mimic scouts and BE PREPARED. I’m going to assume here that you’re planning to join an official jam site as opposed to jamming from your home. Pack everything except your computer two days in advance or at least the day before - if you’re a nerd like me, you probably need your computer up until you leave for the Jam. Here’s a handy checklist of things you’ll need: -Toothbrush -Towel -Other hygiene products, like soap or tampons -A change of clothes, even if you got the official jam t-shirt (trust me, you’ll feel better when you’re not completely filthy) -A warm sweater, tired often means cold as well -Sleeping bag/blanket and something soft-ish to sleep on -Pillow, if rolling up clothes under your head isn’t your thing -Your Computer & Screen -All of the necessary chords (double check!) -Keyboard & mouse -Drawing tablet if you’re an artist -Portable music equipment if you’re a musician -Headphones -Enough food to last the first day, unless you’re sure there’s a store nearby -Wallet -Keys, etc Extras: -Gamepads or controllers -Extra screens or other equipment -Energy drinks -Pens and paper to do messy designs and ideas on If you own a PC/a desktop computer, you should give yourself at least an hour to pack it before you leave. Hurry means forgotten chords, which means either a very awkward and non-digital jam or a trip back home. It’s a good idea to pack all of your small items like chords and headphones in one bag, your screen in one, and just carry your PC as it is, since that monstrosity will never fit in a bag anyway, and you’ll end up hating yourself if the bag’s handle breaks. When you travel to them jam, you probably want to be hugging your rig the whole time, or at least stroking it gently to make sure it feels safe and doesn’t move around. You may even want to wrap the seatbelt around it because that thing is probably more important to you than your firstborn child. Another option is to put it in the trunk, but make sure it can’t move around, and that you small items can’t get crushed under anything heavy. At the Jam

When you get to the Jam, you probably need to register and maybe sign a form to allow the event show you on their stream and other possible materials. After that, follow instructions at the site and find a place to sit. If you have a team, you can set up your computers but if you’re alone, you can literally walk around asking who needs help - teams that are gathered on-site are a great way to meet new people. For me, it’s part of the experience, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Once the theme is announced, you can start working on your game. If you don’t have a team yet, ask the organizers for help - they’ll be happy to assist you. Of course you can also jam alone, but where’s the fun in that? The first thing to do is to design your game. Remember the age-old rule: KISS - keep it simple, stupid. You only have 48 hours, so concentrate on creating just a tiny game - one level or a few minutes of gameplay is a reasonable goal, and a lot of teams fail to deliver even that. Plan what you’re going to do, and stick to the plan. Don’t add more features unless you’ve already completed everything else. Every time a teammate says “hey, what about this cool thing”, slap them or if you’re nonviolent, tell them it’s gonna be in the sequel.

When you’ve worked for a few hours, you probably start feeling pretty gross. That means it’s time to be a human being again: walk around a bit, eat, go to the toilet and wash your face if that helps you. Breaks are completely okay, they help you focus and be more productive. Keeping up an acceptable level of hygiene will also make you feel better, as crazy as it sounds.

How much you sleep during the jam is completely up to you, but I suggest getting at least 4 hours of sleep the first night and at least one on the second night. This is basically the minimum I need to function somehow, but everyone’s body is different so you might need more - I highly discourage sleeping less than that though, especially if you need to do ANYTHING on Monday. If you have work the next week, I seriously suggest you sleep a solid 5 and 5. The jam rules will most likely suggest you to start uploading your game 2 hours before the deadline. If you can, FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS. You might feel like it’ll only take 5 minutes to compile and upload a game, but you’ll probably end up taking a hour to fix game-crashing bugs and another fighting with the laggy servers - remember, thousands and thousands of people are uploading their games at the same time. You’ll save yourself from panic and stress if you give yourself enough time to  When you leave the jam site, remember to clean up your trash. Don’t be an asshole. To summarize: -EAT -SLEEP; min. 4 and 1 if you don’t have work, 5 and 5 if you do. -KISS -HYGIENE You can check out the game my team made in GGJ17 here: http://globalgamejam.org/2017/games/tentacles-two If you’ve enjoyed this little survival package, consider following Lizard Hazard Games and/or Your Royal Gayness on social media - we have tumblr, twitter and facebook. We’d really appreciate the support. Thanks!

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Your Royal Gayness - The journey so far Your Royal Gayness is a humorous (WIP) indie game for PC. You play as a prince who needs to manage his fairytale kingdom, but the prince is gay so you need to come up with excuses to avoid marrying a princess.

Read about how the project morphed from a simple game jam idea to a full, commercial game project under the cut.

A small introduction first. Nice to meet you, I’m Salli Loikkanen, better known as Aviala online. I study game design at university level, but I’m doing a special modified “program” that lets me gain study credits from working in my field. I have a few gamejam titles under my name, and I’ve been involved in a few commercial game projects before (though none of them have been released as of yet). I’m an artist and a designer, but most importantly, the project lead, producer and project manager for Your Royal Gayness.

I started working on Your Royal Gayness in Summer 2016. I was really excited - a game about a gay prince who needs to come up with excuses to avoid marrying a princess! What a great idea!

It was supposed to be a very small game jam project, and I was gonna get an artist friend to help me out a bit, but mostly, I was going to do everything myself - coding, art, writing, design, everything. I’m not quite sure where the summer went and what exactly I was doing, but needless to say that I didn’t get very far with the game - just a half-finished game design document and a few sketches.

However, when autumn came and I needed to start working on a game for a school course, the project popped back into my mind. I pitched the project to some second-year students since my classmates had their own ideas, and managed to gather a team of 6 people (we’ve gained a few more along the way after that!). I tried to give each person a role they’d be happy with, and apparently it was a success, since no-one’s complained! :’) The way we work is that we try to have a meeting each week and discuss our progress, and what needs to be done next. It’s incredebly useful to be able to meet up IRL instead of just online, and I recommend it to everyone who can manage to gather their indie team in one place.

Work has been somewhat slow so far since everyone has been studying and only working on the game on their free time, but we’ve also got a lot of work done. You should see our google drive - it’s full of documents and files and folders and subfolders, worth hundreds of hours of hard work. Too bad it’s all confidental!

What we desperately need from now on is more time for work, so I talked to my study advisor at Uni and she helped me to make time for work - I’ll be able to work on the game almost full time from now on! My team has also promised to work on the game as their practical training, so almost everyone will be able to work full time on May - that’ll be when we get the biggest chunk of work for the actual game done. The next step for us is a crowdfunding campaign. It’s scary and takes a lot of work, but it’s also very exciting. We’re going to keep our goal small, but hope that we reach some stretch goals - the more money we raise, the better the game will be. Wish us luck!

[lizardhazardgames]

A new year, and a new developer blog! Prepare yourselves, because on this tumblr blog we go more in depth about our game projects like Your Royal Gayness - give us a follow to read exclusive developer commentary on how our games are made! If you prefer more visual content and/or less reading, try our Facebook page or our official twitter! https://www.facebook.com/yourroyalgayness https://twitter.com/Lizhaz_Official