A Quick "Behind-the-Scenes" Update
almost 2 years ago – Sat, Jul 16, 2022 at 12:32:29 AM

Hello! It's been a few weeks since my last update! Today, I'm just dropping in to give you some information on what's been going on during these past few weeks. Heads up, this will be more of a personal update, with some logistics/development info sprinkled in.

Unfortunately, I've had to take a small hiatus from Spirit Duels and work in general. On July 3rd, our newborn baby was admitted to the hospital with COVID and RSV. She was having problems breathing and was coughing uncontrollably. She stayed at the hospital for a few days on oxygen, and eventually, we were sent home. She's doing great now. Both viruses have run their course. Shortly after we returned home, however, our two-year-old daughter ended up catching RSV, and now our four-year-old son has it. What a mess! Thankfully, RSV isn't as serious for toddlers, but they are still having a rough time.

I started back to work on Spirit Duels this week. Development is going smooth and the Pledge Manager is nearly ready for late pledges and backer surveys to go out. Douglas, the illustrator responsible for the Move, Item, and Trait illustrations has been sick for the past week as well. He's doing good now and is back illustrating the world of Spirit Duels.

Here's a look at his most recently completed illustration:

And here's an awesome 3D model he built for a Spirit that hasn't been officially revealed yet.

That's all for today's update! I'll see you in the next one!

- Daniel

Open Beta Begins June 24... Tomorrow!
almost 2 years ago – Fri, Jun 24, 2022 at 01:24:41 AM

Hope you are having a great week! I've got just a small, but important update today! Let's get into it!

Open Beta Starts Tomorrow!

As promised, the Open Beta for Spirit Duels begins tomorrow! This Open Beta will be run entirely through Tabletop Simulator (TTS) and our Discord Server. Anyone who is interested in playing and testing the game during this time will need to purchase TTS through Steam and then hop into our Discord Server. There,  you will be able to find other players to schedule matches with. After each match, you'll be asked to fill out a Play Test Report Form - this is your opportunity to provide direct feedback to us as we fine-tune Spirit Duels.  I am personally very excited to begin this phase of development and can't wait to test the game with you!

Weekly Art Update

As always, I have a few beautiful illustrations to show off from Douglas!

Robert has also been hard at work finishing off the concept art for the last few remaining Spirit Lines. In fact, we only have a single Spirit Line remaining for concept art.  After concept art comes rendering, where Robert goes in and adds all the shades, highlights, and extra details. Now, that I've shown off the concept art for the three Design-a-Spirit lines in previous updates, I'll be taking a step away from revealing more Spirits until they are rendered. At which point I'll reveal them in a more official way on social media!

That's all for this week! I hope to see you tomorrow for the launch of the Open Beta!

- Daniel

Final Design-a-Spirit Revealed | Phase IV Results
almost 2 years ago – Fri, Jun 17, 2022 at 09:14:00 PM

As always, I've got a lot of fun stuff to report this week! New art, Spirit designs, and more! 

Open Beta Starts Soon!

As I've mentioned before, a big part of the final development phase will be our Open Beta - where you can play test the game on Tabletop Simulator and provide direct feedback. I'm happy to announce that we'll be beginning Open Beta play testing next week! I don't have a firm date for you - so if you are interested, the best way to stay in the loop is by joining our discord server.

Pledge Manager Follows!

As soon as the Open Beta is underway, my focus will shift completely to finalizing the pledge manager with BackerKit. I've been ironing out details with them about delaying shipping charges until next year. Now that I've got that sorted out, I can finish everything else. Hooray!

Weekly Art Update

As always, I have new art to show off! Not as many pieces to show off this week, though.

And here's a sketch for a Special Card of a Spirit Line we haven't revealed yet.

Final Design-a-Spirit Revealed

I'm also very excited to show off the third and final Spirit Line from the Design-a-Spirit pledges.

This backer chose the Electric/Ice Spirit Line and went with an electric penguin!

Like always, Robert knocked these out of the park. The first stage is probably among the cutest Spirits in all of Avasol, while the second and third stages really sport the sleek and quick look of Electric Class Spirits.

Phase IV Voting Results

Finally, I have the results for Phase IV of the Community Designed Spirit Line! I truly loved all of the names that were submitted, but in the end, Spirits only have one name! You voted, and it quickly became obvious which names were favored by the community! Without further ado, I'm proud to present Snarkle,  Cosmollusk, and Galaxapod!

And that official wraps up the Community Designed Spirit Line! Thank you for voting and being involved! I wasn't sure what to expect at first, but these three Spirits are easily among my favorites!

I'll have more opportunities in the future to be involved in art and design choices - so be sure to check out future updates!

See you in the next update!

- Daniel

New Spirit Revealed | Phase IV Voting Begins
almost 2 years ago – Thu, Jun 09, 2022 at 10:39:52 PM

Hope your week is going great! I've got some exciting stuff to go over in this week's update! Be sure to check out the full update and place your vote for Phase IV in the comments below.

Weekly Art Update

We've had a few stunning illustrations completed this week by Douglas. Check them out below:

Like last week, here's a look at an illustration still in progress:

Speaking of illustrations in progress, I thought it would be interesting to give you a look into Douglas' process of bringing these illustrations to life. Let's take a look at what went into creating the illustration for Armor Up, a Pawnite Special Card.

Before sketching out a concept, he first creates a 3D model of the Spirit(s) that will be in the illustration.

He uses these models to create dynamic poses that are consistent with the anatomy of the Spirit. Next, he creates a couple of concepts for the illustration. These are normally quick sketches that showcase different poses or actions to choose from.

After choosing a single option to move forward with, we then enter a revision phase where Douglas may make a few changes or revisions based on feedback from us.

Finally, linework and colors are completed, giving us the final illustration:

Design-a-Spirit Second Reveal

As you can tell, Douglas has been very busy illustrating the art for the cards. Robert Schilling, our Lead Illustrator, has also been working very hard at bringing more Spirits to life. 

I'm excited to reveal the second Design-a-Spirit Line! This backer chose the Fire/Water Spirit Line. Their idea was inspired by the Mantis Shrimp: a carnivorous, crustacean brawler found in shallow ocean waters. 

As always, I loved what Robert came up with. They round out the Fire Class perfectly alongside the Tychomp Line and the Flarakeet Line. I can't wait to reveal more about these three Spirits!

Phase IV Voting Begins!

Finally, we have the next Phase in the Community Designed Spirit Line! We loved the name submissions given to us by the community. After much consideration, we've chosen our top three favorite names for each Spirit. Now, it's time for you to vote on which of those names will become final.

Each Stage has three options to choose from. When voting, you’ll pick a single option for each stage. The option with the most votes per stage will be the final name for that stage!

The options are: (they are also pictured above)

Stage 1:

• Snarkle
• Sneeby
• Stardler

Stage 2:

• Cosmollusk
• Snullock
• Snaveno

Stage 3:

• Mollustar
• Galaxapod
• Gastrolock

To vote, simply comment below your favorite option for each stage. You can use this format or something similar:

Stage 1: [insert your vote]
Stage 2: [insert your vote]
Stage 3: [insert your vote]

Voting closes on Wednesday, June 15 at 12:00 pm EST!

That's all for this week! See you in the next update!

- Daniel

Phase III is Underway! The Snails Need Names!
almost 2 years ago – Wed, Jun 08, 2022 at 07:50:45 AM

I'm happy to be writing a new update today! I must admit, it feels strange not writing updates multiple times a week! Now that the campaign is over, I'll be dropping a weekly update that will contain a progress report on the state of development as well as any other exciting or important news. In today's update, we'll cover a few general updates, reveal the first concepts for one of the Design-a-Spirit Pledges, and go over the launch of Phase III of the Community Designed Spirit Line. Let's get right to it!

Progress Report

Pledge Manager opening soon!

The Pledge Manager should be opening up in the next couple of weeks. Again, this is my first KS campaign, so I am learning some things as I go. I'm working with BackerKit as we speak to get everything up and running! Once the Pledge Manager is live, you'll be able to adjust your pledge and add on any Add-Ons that you didn't include in your original pledge. Don't expect a shipping charge anytime soon. I want to wait until we are closer to the actual time of shipping, in hopes that the state of global shipping and freight will stabilize and costs will become more reasonable.

Making progress with art!

Our artists are working at full speed and making great progress! Here are a few illustrations Douglas has completed since the campaign ended:

And here's a look at a sketch of an illustration still in progress:

Design-a-Spirit First Reveal 

If you aren't familiar, our highest pledge level was the "Design-a-Spirit" level. Backing at this level allowed you to help design a full Spirit Line by giving us your ideas for what the Spirits would look like, then our artist would bring your ideas to life!

The first backer chose the Wind/Water Spirit Line. Their idea was a cloud dragon with a "yin and yang" theme. The first stage is only a Wind Class Spirit, but as it evolves it gains the Water Class and its cloud-like body darkens as it holds moisture. Here they are:

I personally loved this idea when it was submitted to me and after seeing our lead artist, Robert Schilling, bring them to life, they instantly became some of my favorite Spirits!

Phase III has begun!

Last but not least, I am excited to announce that Phase III of the Community Designed Spirit Line is live!

In case you missed the news, the Snail designs have claimed their spot as the Toxic/Arcane Spirit Line in the final game! Now, they need names! 🐌

During Phase III of our Community Designed Spirit Line, we will be accepting Name Submissions from the community. If you have an idea for a name for any or all of these Spirits, make your submission!

After submissions are closed, we will enter Phase IV, where we will choose our favorite submissions and then backers will vote to decide which of those will become final!
 

To make a submission simply comment on this update, using this format or similar:

Stage 1: [insert name]
Stage 2: [insert name]
Stage 3: [insert name]

There is no limit to the number of submissions you may make!

Submissions close on Monday, June 6th at 12:00 pm EST!

I can't wait to see what names you come up with! See you in next week's update!

- Daniel