23.12.31
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 12.31
Hi travelers! Tonight at midnight 2023 ends, and Sasuga Studios turns thirteen. It's pretty crazy how long we've been at this, huh? But every week ends with the goal closer than it was the week before so eventually we'll reach that point. Let's talk about background art...
23.01.01
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 01.01
Greetings travelers, and welcome to 2023! I apologize for no full status posts since finishing the script last March, but production on HERO has continued forward at a steady pace all this time. I have put the majority of development time into background art...
22.03.27
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 03.27
Welcome travelers! We did it! The script for HERO has been fully written! It took a long time to get to this point, fifty-five months in fact. I had estimated that it would be about a month per chapter and the reality was just a little bit longer...
22.01.09
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 01.09
Hey there travelers! It's 2022 and Sasuga Studios is now eleven years old. My, how time has flown. I hoped to have finished the script by the close of 2021 but I'm not quite there yet. I'm working on the penultimate chapter, which is...
21.07.04
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 07.04
Greetings travelers! We're halfway through 2021 and much has been completed in the past six months. There are only six chapters left to write, six! Out of forty-nine total. The home stretch is coming within sight. The original goal was to have...
21.01.03
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 01.03
Hi travelers! It's 2021. Sasuga Studios has now just turned ten years old. The time really has flown by. I mark January first, 2011 as the start of both Sasuga Studios and HERO. It's been a decade and I'm still working on it. That's a long time...
20.08.30
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 08.30
Hello travelers! Summer is on its way out, but the days are still hot. The progress I've made on HERO's script is also hot. Just a few days ago I finished writing Act 2. It's a long one to be sure, 4,200,000 words long. Add that to Act 1 and...
19.12.29
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 12.29
Hey travelers! How are you doing? Once again it's the end of the year. Sasuga Studios turns nine on January first. One more year, and we'll have been doing this thing for a decade. Wild, eh? It's been quite the journey, reaching this point...
19.02.24
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 02.24
Guess what, travelers? The script for Act 1 of HERO is finished! Hooray! It took eighteen months to write 1,700,000 words, but since it splits into seven routes halfway through the Act, each playthrough will result in players reading about...
18.12.30
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 12.30
Greetings travelers! We're at the end of the year, the end of Sasuga Studios' eighth year of life. That's right, we turn eight on January first! Hooray! HERO's Act 1 is almost complete. I know I've been saying that for a while. There's only...
18.09.02
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 09.02
Welcome travelers, old and new! September first marks the one year anniversery of when I started writing HERO's script. In those three-hundred and sixty-five days, I've written 1,065,000 words! That averages to nearly three thousand words...
18.07.15
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 07.15
Aloha travelers, one and all! It's progress report time, yet again! As we approach the one year anniversery of the start of writing HERO's script, we also approach the completion of Act 1. As nice as it would be for those...
18.04.01
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 04.01
Greetings travelers! It's time for a progress report! The top half of Act 1, chapters 01-09, are written. The bottom half of Act 1, chapters 10-17, are in progress. This is the point where HERO splits into seven routes, and even...
17.12.31
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 12.31
Hi travelers! Happy New Year and welcome to 2018! January 1st is Sasuga Studio's seventh birthday! Our new year's resolution and birthday wish is to continue working as hard on HERO in the year to come as in years past. The top half of Act 1, chapters 01-09, are...
17.12.03
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 12.03
Hello travelers one and all! I've got a short update for you today. I've been writing HERO's script every day since the first of September. It's coming along swimmingly, thanks to all the time I invested in creating the materials up to this point. The outline and storyboard...
17.09.03
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 09.03
Greetings travelers! It's been some time since our last update, but work has continued furiously all the same. At the end of August I finished the storyboard, bringing to 100% completion that and the outline, the two documents critical to writing...
17.06.04
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 06.04
Hi travelers! I've got a short update for you today. I've been working hard these past few months on storyboarding, finishing the first round then returning to the start for round two to fill in the blanks. Act 1 is 100% complete. Act 2 is about 90% complete, with...
17.03.19
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 03.19
Aloha travelers! I've got another couple months of updates to share with you, though visuals are sparse. I finished the outline for all three Acts at the end of February and moved into storyboarding at the beginning of March. Act 1 is about 80%, The first...
17.01.29
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 01.29
Hi travelers! Updates have been scant these past few months but progress has not. The outline is close to being finished. Act 1 is complete, Act 2 is about 85% complete, and Act 3 is about 40% complete. I've been able...
16.10.16
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 10.16
Greetings travelers! I've got a status update on our progress for you today. From the point the modeling was complete I've been outlining furiously. It's harder to show progress because there aren't straightforward images to post but much has been accomplished in...
16.08.14
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 08.14
Great news travelers! I'm happy to report that 3D modeling the exterior of Takeizumi is complete!* The interiors are still in development but nonetheless this achievment marks a major milestone. HERO now moves into the next phase of development. With the world...
16.06.26
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 06.26
Hello travelers! Another month has passed and with it a boatload of small details have been added to the city across the board. I've been finalizing locations so once they're done, they're done for good. Exteriors are completely finished for...
16.05.15
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 05.15
Hello travelers! It's been another month of model detailing. Exteriors are nearly complete everywhere, and then there's lots of interiors to complete. I should be moving back to working on the residences before too long. Whenever the environments are complete...
16.04.10
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 04.10
Hi everybody! It's been a couple months since the previous update so I'll catch you up on recent developments. I hit a bit of a design wall on the Akimori Residence so I switched over to adding details elsewhere in the meantime...
16.02.07
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 02.07
I'm just about finished with the Kuroto Residence. The roof and glazing are done. All that's left to do, as far as this phase is concerned, is properly join the building to the environment. That involves the front porch and the wall...
16.01.03
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 01.03
Welcome to 2016! Sasuga Studios turned five years old on January 1st. As we enter our sixth year, not much has changed, really. We'll be pushing forward one step at a time as always. Before the holidays, work began on modeling the Kuroto...
15.12.13
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 12.13
It's been about two months since the last blog post. Let me get you caught up as to what's been accomplished in that interim. First matter of business, I participated in National Novel Writing Month in November and finished a prototype of a novel...
15.10.11
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 10.11
I finished the current phase of the Fukumatsu Residence. The last step involved adding siding to the exterior walls and shingles to the roof. The siding has two colors; one for the main walls and one for the towers and dormers. Right now those are olive and cobalt...
15.09.27
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 09.27
The Fukumatsu Residence is almost finished for this phase of development. Doors and ceilings have been installed in all the rooms. As I stated before, detailing the rooms will happen when I know what specifics they need. In counter to the potential...
15.08.16
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 08.16
Hi everyone! It's been a slow month, but we've been pushing ahead as usual. The interior of the Fukumatsu Residence has acquired quite a bit of detailing. The floors are all finished with stone tile covered by expansive, luxurious rugs. The tiles themselves...
15.07.19
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 07.19
We're still plowing ahead, slowly but surely. The Grand Staircase is pretty much done. It's got a carpeted runner, a nice, smooth handrail, and ornate decorative cast-iron infill. With the first floor ground surfaces complete, we've moved...
15.06.28
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 06.28
The most visible additions to the Fukumatsu Residence would be the floor textures on the ground level. Most of the floor is finished with high quality stone tile in a variety of designs. The majority of the floor is a octogon+square tile pattern...
15.06.14
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 06.14
We're still working on the Fukumatsu Residence. The roof has been finished as well as some exterior detailing. We've also started on getting to work on the important interior spaces. A good chunk of the grand staircase...
15.05.31
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 05.31
The week's work on the Fukumatsu Residence can be split into two categories: windows and roof. I finished the majority of windows that the building will have, barring minor changes. I filled in the windows at the foyer above the entrance doors...
15.05.24
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 05.24
In order to get the feel I want for the Fukumatsu Residence, I've priortized certain architectural elements higher than they would be in an ordinary building. The experior facade is highly important, especially the windows and roofline. The detailing...
15.05.10
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 05.10
I've spent a lot of this past week with initial development of the Fukumatsu Residence. It's a large mansion on private property halfway out into the peninsula. Fukumatsu Eiji is the founder of Fenian Robotics, Japan's leading HERO manufacturer...
15.05.03
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 05.03
This past fortnight has been light on development as I've had other necessary duties to attend to. Nevertheless, I did complete a few additions. First, as mentioned previously, I added an electrical substation. It sits on a triangular...
15.04.19
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 04.19
Pretty much all buildings are complete from the outside, excluding character houses. I finished up the library and museum, as well as detailing some other building exteriors that hadn't been touched yet. I also erected some small...
15.04.05
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 04.05
We've gotten bunches of new designs rolled into the backgrounds these past couple weeks. Most noticeably are the colors applied to the exteriors of the skyscrapers, which begin to hint at the character each building brings to the city center. This extends to the transit...
15.03.22
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 03.22
Over the past couple weeks I've continued the trajectory started earlier. I've been jumping all around the model adding details here and there. Down by the coast I've finished up the little shops and added to the warehouses that encircle...
15.03.08
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 03.08
As mentioned last week, much of what I've been working on involves the footpaths. I offset many of them from the roads to allow for a curb to separate them. The ones downtown, where there are lots of street crossings, got those textured plates...
15.03.01
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 03.01
I finished designing the three tunnels early in the week. Each has a unique design. One is like a tunnel you might see while driving on a highway in the mountains, a solid section cut into the earth. The second is a straight shot with curved...
15.02.22
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 02.22
All the exteriors of the buildings in the shopping district have been designed. Nearly all of them have been branded with signs too. There are a couple that still need signs more complex than the standard types I've been using. After finishing the buildings...
15.02.15
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 02.15
We're getting closer to finishing the exteriors of the buildings in the shopping district. There are half a dozen facades to design and a number of signs as well. The buildings most recently completed are in the entertainment...
15.02.08
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 02.08
I've spent the past two weeks continuing to design exteriors and signage for the shopping district. About a dozen more buildings need exteriors and about fifty need signage. I like to experiment with different types of exterior...
15.01.25
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 01.25
Work this week has been almost all in the 3D model. The area south of the shotengai has had its buildings updated with materials, glazing, and other details. Most of them have been branded but the signage hasn't been designed yet. These buildings...
15.01.18
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 01.18
This past week I finished updating the 2D map to properly represent what is depicted in the 3D model. There are still some major things that need to be added to the model that can be seen at the scale of the map, so I'm not quite...
15.01.11
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 01.11
Easing back into a project after taking an extended break is always difficult. Part of this week has been getting my mind back into the world of HERO by revising and reviewing my design documentation. I've made some minor tweaks to the premise and added...
15.01.04
Status Report
2014 out! 2015 in!
Sasuga Studios welcomes you to 2015! January 1st was our fourth birthday. Much has happened in the past year and much more will be happening in the coming year so let's break it down one step at a time, shall we?
14.08.24
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 08.24
Having finished the exteriors of the shotengai shops, we're now working on the interiors of those that need them. First up is the sento (public bath). This facility has three parts: a lobby, changing rooms, and the baths, the latter two...
14.08.17
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 08.17
We've now finished with the facades of the buildings in the shotengai, with the exception of the public bath. That facility has a specific vernacular that requires more time and attention to detail. That will be the next...
14.08.10
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 08.10
The shops in the shotengai are now two-thirds done with their exterior facades. We will be finishing these up then moving on to the rest of the buildings in the shopping district. The district is broken down into four...
14.08.03
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 08.03
As with last week, we're continuing to design the exterior facades of the buildings in the shopping district, starting with the covered shotengai. This is a two part process: the building itself and the branding of the shop...
14.07.27
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 07.27
We've moved our work off campus and on to the shopping district. Most of the buildings need exterior treatments but only a handful require interiors. The shopping district is divided into four parts and we're starting with Maiwashi Shotengai...
14.07.20
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 07.20
The dormitory contains 200 rooms which can house 400 students at full capacity. As it has only been open for a few years it is not yet at one hundred percent occupancy so most students currently have their rooms to themselves. Each room...
14.07.13
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 07.13
Having finished the current phase of Nagareboshi HS we've moved on to furnishing the dormitory. The dorm is divided into two towers: Solar Eclipse (nisshoku) for girls and Lunar Eclipse (gesshoku) for boys with a shared...
14.07.06
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 07.06
Nagareboshi High School is pretty much done being furnished. Not every room has stuff in it, just the ones that will be used. There are still a few things that need to be added later. We've got a basic science classroom now. There is also...
14.06.29
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 06.29
Most of this week's work was on The Residuals, but we did get a number of additional rooms furnished within Nagareboshi HS. Music and art classrooms have been furnished, each loaded up with their tools of the trade...
14.06.22
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 06.22
Another week, another slew of furnished rooms within Nagareboshi High School. Continuing with the theme from last week we worked on supporting rooms. The natatorium and gymnasium now have functioning locker rooms. Each contains...
14.06.15
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 06.15
We've got five rooms to show you this week, all administrative in nature. The first is the finished infirmary. It can take care of eight sick or injured students at a time, using the newest in medical technology, though sometimes...
14.06.08
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 06.08
We continued to furnish rooms of the school building with fixtures. The rooms that received attention were ones that serve more specialized uses: cooking, art, music, infirmary, etc. Some of these rooms are pretty much done, others are...
14.06.01
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 06.01
Now that we've returned to Nagareboshi High School, a number of rooms have been furnished with major fixtures. Let's take a look at the classrooms first. As HERO takes place in 2048, technology has changed the way learning occurs. Each student has...
14.05.25
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 05.25
We finished the Hirayama Residence before breaking for a convention. This included adding a gated wall at the front entrance and the construction of an kura storehouse. Because traditional houses were made of wood and paper...
14.05.11
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 05.11
Ceilings and roofs have been added to the Hirayama Residence. Aside from a handful of details the building is pretty much done. The Japanese were likely one of the first to create drop-in ceilings that are independent from the roof structure. Each ceiling...
14.05.04
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 05.04
What a week it has been. Lots of progress has been made. After finishing the shrine last week I moved on to modeling the Hirayama house. It is a traditional Japanese style house just around the corner from the shrine where the caretakers...
14.04.27
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 04.27
Most of the work on Shizen Shrine has been finished. Detailing will be added in post. The model is used to get linework with proper proportions and perspective, along with basic colors and shadows. Texturing and small details will be...
14.04.20
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 04.20
This week has been another week working on the design of the Shizen Shrine. Most of the time has been creating the main shrine buildings, the haiden (worship hall) and the honden (sanctuary). As I mentioned last week...
14.04.13
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 04.13
Shizen Shrine is a shinto shrine out on the tip of the Takeizumi Peninsula. The kami worshipped here is Hantougami, the goddess of the peninsula itself. It was first established in 796CE and has been rebuilt on a number of occasions...
14.04.06
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 04.06
I've been quite productive this week, managing to design most of the rest of the elements that will populate the landscape. They haven't all been implemented yet, but we're in a pretty good place now. After I roll out these elements I'll be...
14.03.30
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 03.30
I started this week's work by adding an additional staircase that connects two residential neighborhoods together separated by a steep drop. The city now has three of these stairs. There are a couple locations that could...
14.03.23
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 03.23
This week's work continued implementing infrastructure that adds detail and character to the environment. More utility poles were added and a couple roads were revised, but the bulk of the work focused on various signs...
14.03.16
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 03.16
I continued to work on the model for making background images this past week. There was a lot of minutiae added and revised and updated. More streetlights have been rolled out to major intersections and minor intersections have...
14.03.09
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 03.09
This week's work on HERO has continued in developing the downtown shopping district. Storefront glazing has been fleshed out and the streetside lined with barrier fences. These fences appear in areas where...
14.03.02
Status Report
Status Report - HERO: Week of 03.02
Work on HERO this week has focused on developing the downtown shopping district. It has been framed out for a while and now it is starting to get fleshed in with more details. The shopping district has four zones. The northeast block is...
14.02.23
Status Report
flowchart media v3.0 Launched!
Welcome to the brand-spanking new flowchart media version 3.0! Our website has been updated to reflect our changing priorities and to commemmorate reaching our third birthday. The site both looks and functions better and...