adorable rockets

Lego Digital Designer where have you been all my life?!

In honor of Battlestar’s climax, I’ve designed some Lego minis!

Some value and other point updates to the last two cards after the break…

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I guess I never got over the end of Strike Witches…

Cuteness has a quality all it’s own.

Compassionate lolis always have a hard time with the finishing blow…

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Of course I’d heard rumors of Hitler’s death before. If the army is a giant organism and the soldiers it’s cells, then rumors seemed to be their life blood. The invasion of France had been repulsed, Germany had surrendered, the President was sick and had signed a treaty with Hitler – the crazier the rumor, somehow the more plausible it seemed. Even we in the OSS, who should understand the strategic value of rumors, we were not immune. I suppose we all need to have some small measure of foresight and control in our lives. But of course, rumors only gave that illusion. Our destinies were decided by men in chambers far from the lines, and tomorrow’s orders were as impossible to divine as the bullet that would take your life.

“They say Hitler’s dead!”

I’d only met Mike two days ago and already the fast talking Jersey kid had gotten on my nerves.

“Is that so?”

“Blown up by his own men! They said it was bomb disguised as a giant roast pig, you know the kind with the apple in it’s mouth?”

Officially we were advisors, making sure that Soviet troops were trained in the guns and vehicles we gave them through the Lend-Lease program. When I got the assignment half the shipments didn’t even have manuals. Surprisingly it wasn’t so hard to play my ignorance naturally when I tried to demonstrate the American Bazooka and ended up having it explained to me. I suppose the Russians assumed you had to be a real incompetent to get this assignment.

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Best. Present. Ever.

Kawaii~!

Wow! The response to Starlight has been phenomenal! I’ve received a lot of attention directly on this blog and not just on the Ren’Py forums, which was completely unexpected! I apologize for not responding sooner (holidays don’cha’know) but I’ve asked the stars of Starlight to help me respond to the comments now that we are all back and ready to work in the new year!

Hmmm… now that I check my mail bag it seems the majority are bug reports… orz

Actually, I am very grateful! They are super helpful and they will all be addressed in the imminent (and hopefully final) 1.1 release. That said, onto the letters!

Author
The strangest thing for me is how all the characters look off-camera. This is the first ren-ai game I ever played, and so I cannot know if this is an aestetic and visual language of the genre, or a creative trick to let them talk to each other and the player without turning, or something else entirely. But it definitely stands out.

I’ll answer that! Author, you’re quite right. Visual Novels in general use a limited number of poses so you want each graphic to be as flexible as possible. That means usually they either always look at the camera and never at each other, or sometimes look at the camera when speaking directly at the player, and just somewhere off into space if they’re speaking to each other.
“Off into space?”

Ah, ha, ha! Um… Moving right along… why don’t you answer this next one?

Author
When played full-screen (which is the default), the picture is stretched to fit the widescreen dislplay. It should have been letterboxed off the sides at the minimum. Although it may be better to produce the whole thing 16:9, it’s 2007 after all.

Duh! Widescreen would be much cooler for our debut! If only Rocket wasn’t so lazy! Maybe for our next mission…
Right then… thanks for that… um… interesting reply. Rose, quick the next letter!

Ellume
Very well done! Heck, I would buy a game like this with a full story. I look forward to seeing more.

Oh! Thank you! We hope to bring you the first real episode of Starlight by this spring, but it will take lots of work so we look forward to getting some help!

sixten
Good stuff. I played through to “Good Ending 2/3″ and I was surprised how seriously I took the choices. I used to read Star Wars and Star Trek novels a lot in the past, but quit when my tastes turned to the moe side of the force. Not only does your game bring back memories, it also indulges my desire for cuteness. It’s like an amateur Galaxy Angel. You, sir, pierce the freaking heavens. … By comparing our work, it’s clear that we share the same moe obsession and technical drawing skills, so I’m guessing we think alike. And if that “Honi!” at the end of your credits is a Potemayo reference, not only do we think alike, we are kindred spirits.

Wow! Thanks! I think this letter deserves a special response, right Violet?
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Violet!
Ah… “I’ve always dreamed of having a “bosom” friend…a true kindred spirit!”
Please help us Onee-chan! You’re our only hope!

Get it now! (^_^)

Starlight Mac 1.01

Starlight Linux 1.01

Starlight Windows 1.01

Note: Small bug was found with version 1.0, please be sure to get 1.01!

Transform and roll out!

Cupholders are an optional accessory.

NECCO headgear (Networked Environment Command and Control Operations)

Just a little something I've been musing on. Starting to gather steam, but first there is something called Starlight I need to finish!

The castle juts out of the point at the edge of a small bay, its grey and battered ramparts insignificant against the brilliant azure of the Mediterranean and the shocking burnt sienna of the coast’s cliffs. Once imposing and commanding, then picturesque in it’s decrepitude, it is now largely irrelevant to the small village nestled in the bay. The tourists come for the resort with its 4 star chef from the city, its therapeutic baths, or the Roman ruins further down the coast. If they come at all that is. For the most part this little fishing village now simply supports the summer and weekend homes of the local well to do, and a few city folks roughing it out at the very edges of the vacation strips hours to the south. The village youth loiter in the square when they’re not playing X-Box, and leave for the city as soon as they can. Nobody has time for the village anymore, certainly not for the mouldering ruin cluttering up the edge of the bay.
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