- SURPRISE! CLASH: BLUE MIRAGE IS OUT OF EARLY ACCESS!!!! - 1 March 2025
Yes, that is pretty much it. The game is out. Go buy it or whatever. I'm done. (Unless you guys find bugs that I missed and report them in the Steam forums and I see the bug report, I will then take time to fix it. But nothing big. I am retiring from visual novel writing because I just want to write, I don't want to do all the extra stuff anymore. :-) ) Game is released because idk, it is now $4.99 because idk, and Clash: Robot Detective is also now $4.99 because idk. Enjoy!
- February Hype Update (RELEASE DATE ANNOUNCEMENT!!) - 1 February 2025
So the bad news is, I've been having to take work home with me all last week and the next two weeks. That eats into devtime, which has - yet AGAIN - slowed down. But the good news is, the game is actually almost done. I'm a lot happier with the writing now than I was when I last looked at it. Just need to add finishing touches and the playtest it awhile, then I will release it out of Early Access and into the wild. In fact, even with this slowdown, I am confident enough that I can get this done Before June that I am setting myself a release date (with preemptive apologies for any delays, of which I currently foresee none): March 12th, 2025 And because the game is not as long as I'd hoped back when I started, the price will also permanently decrease to $4.99 like the first Clash game Also, barring any setbacks, this will be the last update before the game releases. See you all then!
- January Hype Update (Hello, 2025!) - 1 January 2025
Yet another year down for all of us. Great job! This is going to be short because its New Years Day and I've been partaking in the family traditions (hike in a local state park, eat cornbread, watch Star Wars, probably take a nap) and I don't have much time. If we want to get technical, all the writing for the game is done! However, the writing kinda sucks right now. About halfway through January, I'm going to go back to the project with a fresh mind and start revising what I have written to make it actually rather good. Sometime in early February, I'm going to reassess what I've got. If I am happy with it, I will add in the last bits of visuals/music/sound and pick a release date. If I am not, I will revise some more. So as of today, I can't commit to a specific release date. But I will give a range of between February and May of this year. Yes, the writing is that much of a mess right…
- December Hype Update (Goodbye, 2024!) - 1 December 2024
I'll make this quick. :-) Over November, I technically finished the writing for Chapter 6. It will need some serious revising because each branch is really short, but still. It's finished for now. I'll probably go ahead and write the endings next since I do have a fairly vivid idea of what I want for them. Then I will sync visuals and music. Then I will let it all settle for a little bit before revising. Then Early Access will be done and I will release the VN. And then I can focus fully on my book, yay! But now you may be wondering, how long will this take? When will this freakin' sequel finally be done? I don't even know anymore, man. Let's give a vague Summer 2025 and then hope for the best. Thank you all for sticking around, despite all the challenges and frustrations I have been facing this year both IRL and with this project specifically. At least I will be going into 2025 with a…
- November Hype Update - 1 November 2024
So as mentioned, I did take September off to work on a competitive game jam project. I didn't win anything but I did get better ranking than the last time I joined that specific jam, I got lots of good reviews from those who played my entry, and I got myself somewhat back into gear (if you kind of squint?) and got a good chunk of the Branching Updates paths done. In fact, this project changed my perspective on visual novel developing altogether. Mainly that I think Blue Mirage will be my last published visual novel. Eagle-eye watchers may have noticed that the promise of bonus stories was removed from the store page. That is because I can no longer guarantee those bonus stories will be made. Once Blue Mirage is pushed to 1.0, I want to leave visual novel development behind me. But I don't want to be one of those devs who leaves stuff abandoned in Early Access. The main game WILL be fini…
- September Hype Update - 1 September 2024
So I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is, I'm about a month into my new day job (absolutely loving it btw, I haven't been this happy in a day job in years!) and it leaves me with enough time and sometimes even enough energy to do devwork on weekdays. In theory, this means that Chapter 6 devtime should go a little faster. And I have gotten a decent amount of progress done on one of the Chapter 6 paths, I suppose. The bad news is, I'm burnt out. Fizzled. Tired of it. Two years of this and my brain needs a break. So I am taking that break and working on a different project in September. Then I'll go back to Blue Mirage in October. If this test goes well, I'll keep alternating between Blue Mirage and another project monthly to prevent future burnout. It also means the hype updates are going to slow down (and the crowd went wild). Doesn't mean I'm dead. Doesn't mean I'm runn…
- The True Negative Update + (Bit Early) August Hype Update - 30 July 2024
Hurricane Beryl be damned, I got the update finished on time anyway! The next Early Access update for Clash: Blue Mirage is now available! The main focus of this update is the addition of Chapter 5, examining the aftermath of what went down in Chapter 4. There's also a variety of fixes and revisions that have been introduced. Take a look at the patch notes: TRUE NEGATIVE UPDATE PATCH NOTES Added Chapter 5 - True Negative! Added three in-game achievements and one gallery image Added minor sound effects/voice blurbs at various stages of the game Minor narrative flow and spelling revisions made to chapters Intro-4 Fixed broken stat changes in Chapter 2 Fixed broken achievement in Chapter 2 Fixed broken Clash sprite in Chapter 3 Fixed Nathan's name displaying as 'Nicole' in Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 Fixed broken stat changes in Chapter 4 Fixed looping investigation glitch in Chapter 4 ISSUES…
- Update to that Chapter 5 Release Date... - 10 July 2024
Sooooo you know that July 30th release date for Chapter 5? You also know that Hurricane Beryl that blew through Texas and screwed up everything? Yep. So this is day three without regular power for me (my mom's bff has power so i can go over there to visit, but that's only in bits and pieces). No idea when I will get it back, but considering all the downed wires on my street it could be awhile. I'm also not dealing well with the heat - its 100 degrees outside my house and its 100 degrees inside my house, I have come dangerously come to heat exhaustion several times now. So with both a lack of power and a lack of health on the line, I now have no idea when I will be able to do regular devwork again. Best case scenario, I get power back in the next couple of days and am on track. Current predicted scenario, only Chapter 5 will come out on July 30th; might need to save revisions for a later…
- July Hype Update - 1 July 2024
I'm tired, I'm overheated from the sun, I'm just gonna keep it simple this month. Chapter 5 update is going to be released July 30th, whether I like it or not. All I need to do is add visuals and sound/music to chapter 5, then revise the game as a whole (and figure out a kickier name for the update than Chapter 5 Update). So July 30th is a date I am very comfortable with stating. So I will see you then I guess. Also, both Clash: Robot Detective and Clash: Blue Mirage are on sale for the Summer Sale. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2222480/Clash_Robot_Detective__Complete_Edition/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/2323650/Clash_Blue_Mirage/
- June Hype Update - 1 June 2024
Ah, summertime. When its too hot to go outside and when my day job is put on hold. I have no excuse NOT to get Chapter 5 at the very least finished. Which is the plan, of course. The biggest problem right now is that it's too darn short (and considering I'm a terrible judge of chapter lengths, its saying something if I'm catching it this early on), so not only do I need to finish the chapter but I need to pad it out a little more. But, if all goes well, maybe late June/early July will see the release of Chapter 5. Then comes Chapters 6 and 7, and then the two epilogue chapters. Yes, there's two epilogues. I don't know why. Chapter 6 is going to have five branches based on how players have built up their stats throughout the game. And because I am a mean old lady, your top (maybe top two, if I can figure out how to do so) branch will be available to pick from at the end of Chapter 5. Rep…
- May Hype Update - 1 May 2024
SO. Uh. How is everyone? I do have good news. I am slowly but surely folding daily devwork back into my schedule. Of course, the bad news is that - as soon as I do that - MORE stuff gets packed in. Sometimes I wish I started writing visual novels when I was a college student and had way more free time. Alas, I took the "famous L4D2 youtuber" route instead (spoiler alert: it did not work out at all...additional spoiler alert: I have just aged myself...) But the point being, I've been working on Chapter 5. Still not quite to the level I'd like to be operating at, but getting there. And with this being May, that means that very soon I will be enjoying a peaceful summer. Which means my devwork side hustle becomes my devwork main job*! In even better news, I am very happy with Chapter 5 thus far. Its a nice breath of fresh, silly air from all the weirdness of Chapter 4. Hopefully that bit of…
- April Hype Update - 1 April 2024
Happy "lying to people is ok so long as it is done for memez and/or lulz" day! Yes, I have issues with today. Anyway. Clash: Blue Mirage has been launched into Early Access. It's been doing pretty solid so far, and I have you guys to thank for that. :-) If you gave it a play, don't forget to leave a review or a comment or a bug report or a whatever. Those will help me figure out what needs fixing and what ain't broke. Speaking of fixing, I began work on Chapter 5. I struggled with Chapter 5 and didn't get very far. I scrapped what little bit I had for Chapter 5 and started over. So I can see how this is going to go. :-/ So stay tuned while I figure out what in the world I am doing. I have been dabbling in some other projects trying to get back into the daily devwork routine and to get my inspiration kickstarted, so here's hoping it works. ...yes, we're back to boring monthly hype update…
- Clash: Blue Mirage is Now Available in Early Access! - 8 March 2024
It was actually set up to release this morning while I was at work, but then it didn't. Because lol, I guess? Still, its all good now; I have released it manually and it is NOW AVAILABLE! You can play up through Chapter 4 now! And with a 25% release discount, to boot! The rest of the game will be released throughout the year and maybe also throughout next year. Please feel free to mention any glitches you find or story beats you enjoy (or not) in the forums. I'll be checking them throughout the week and putting together a patch to fix anything I missed. Just keep in mind that this is an Early Access game; it's still a work in progress! Thank you all for hanging in there, and I hope you enjoy the first chunk of the game!
- March Hype Update - Early Access Release Edition!!! - 2 March 2024
HOLY CRAP A DEFINITIVE EARLY ACCESS RELEASE DATE!!!! We've finally gotten here. To this moment. Where I can say, without a doubt, that you will get to play this freakin game (the first four chapters, that is). Let me savor this moment for a bit. Okay, done. Clash: Blue Mirage is OFFICIALLY releasing in Early Access on March 8th! That is next freakin week!!!!! I ACTUALLY MADE ME DEADLINE!!!! So I hope you join me next Friday for the EA release, pick up a copy, get involved with the development, help me find bugs, enjoy more Clash, etc etc etc.
- February Hype Update - 2 February 2024
I am in the playtesting phase of Blue Mirage's first EA release version. That's pretty good news. I'm also super packed this month with only one weekend completely free for said playtesting (and even THAT is looking iffy). That's pretty not-so-good news. BUT...I do think I can safely set an idea for when I want to get this game out on EA. It does mean I've already messed up my own roadmap but still. If all goes well, Clash: Blue Mirage will release into Early Access on March 8th, 2024! And in case you're wondering why THAT day in particular, its because I get the whole week following that Friday off to fix whatever is broken that I did not catch in playtesting. SPRING BREAK! I hope you're as excited as I am to finally get SOMETHING on the market. :-)
- January Hype Update - New Year, New Plans! - 1 January 2024
wait, is that a NEW PICTURE being used for the announcement headers??? I ACTUALLY MADE SOME PROGRESS on the VISUALS??? I'm currently putting final touches on Chapter 4. Then I'm going to test what all I have and make sure it fits together. Then there's four more chapters planned - and these four chapters are where the branching occurs, so writing-and-development wise its more like ten or twelve more chapters I got to get made. And as you all know, my day job does not allow me to focus full-time on devwork (unless its weekends and certain holidays or breaks). Which means this one-year project is looking to be way longer. And I feel really bad that y'all have to wait on me. So here is the deal. Once Chapter 4 is wrapped up and the game is relatively bug-free, I am releasing Chapters 1-4 into Early Access! You'll get to enjoy the story up through the advertised "Clash gets hacked" part, I'…
- December Hype Update - 1 December 2023
So here's the cool thing: over the course of November (specifically, during Thanksgiving break; hooray for weeks off from work!), I finished writing Chapter 4! FINALLY. Now that I've finally got that done, I'm going to go back and touch up everything I have thus far. I will also add visuals/music/sound to Chapters 3 and 4, because I didn't do that yet. :-/ Point being, I want to make sure what I have is cohesive and good before I start on the second half of the game. I will be using all of December for revision purposes. Then, with the new year, I will start writing Chapter 5. We are just moving right along! In fact, I might actually have new screenshots ready for the January hype update! Wow!
- November Hype Update - 1 November 2023
I told you guys last update that I wasn't going to get much done this month. I was right. Essentially all time I would have normally used for devwork went to studying. Paid off, though; finally have a bachelor's degree and I passed my first certification content exam. And things are lining out and freeing up some weekend time PLUS I get a week off, so I will be able to make up all the dev time I missed. Plan is still to finish Chapter 4 and then focus on revisions and touch-ups before moving to the second half of the game. Plan is also still to release some time in 2024 but I cannot make any guarantees. Anyway, thank you all for sticking around. I know its frustrating, all these delays. So I really am grateful for those of you who haven't given up on me. I'm trying my best, which is all anyone can do. I will say this though; I was able to use my work on both Clash games in my day job. I…
- October Hype Update - 1 October 2023
The going was slow at the beginning of September. At the end of September (and going in to October), it is stopped. Temporarily. Don't panic. I mentioned in the last monthly hype update that I was going to be busy with IRL things to the point of switching to weekend-only work. I did not realize HOW busy I was going to get. I have had to cut out a lot of extracurricular activities just to keep up. And it STILL feels like a struggle some days. But the good news is, this will soon ease up! My last college class ends mid to late October. That is what is eating away at most of my time right now. Once that is done...well, frankly, I'll still be busy, but its a level of busy that I can handle. So now we know that I'm not doing any more devwork until later this month. The question on your minds I'm sure is "So DID you get anything done?" Either that or "I wonder what I should eat for breakfast?…
- September Hype Update - 1 September 2023
August has come and gone, the wee tots are back in school. And so am I. This is where the busy-ness has truly settled in. But possibly the most important busy-ness I have ever found myself in. Working as a full-time residency teacher, finishing up my bachelor's degree, and starting my certification in special education: this is a huge step in my life that I am excited to take. There, now you know EXACTLY why Clash: Blue Mirage is back to weekend-only work. Well, except for the week I had COVID. I got devwork done all week there. But I refuse to talk about my quarantine week because I am still seething that it happened at all. So what all has gotten done? I'd say about 40% of Chapter 4! I've started implementing the "exploring a haunted house looking for clues" angle. For this, I'm harping on one of my very first games to create an explorable house and gatherable clues (to be more specif…
