Hello, lovelies!
I hope you like reading long articles about game production because my next one is proving to be a doozy! Coming in at well over 2500 words, Iām going to teach you everything I know about managing projects and tasks in Notion next week. In the meantime, why not check out my previous article? That oneās about getting more done by applying deep work to your schedule.
But of course, what youāre really here for is games about love, sex, and romance! Not to worry, I have plenty of that good stuff for you this week. But before we begin, have you considered subscribing?
Subscribers receive the newsletter in their inbox every week and are entitled to one (1) free hug, to be collected after the pandemic is over.
Now letās get into it!
Localization is good of thinking š
The week started off well, with an absolutely disastrous localization update from indie darling Tabletop Simulator:
The developers decided to run the game through Google Translate and ship the resulting mess as ātranslations for all 29 languages supported by Steamā. Native speakers and professional translators were quick to point out that, no, actually, it doesnāt work that way:
Although the result is objectively hilarious, this is still a painful reminder that translators are underpaid and undervalued in the games industry. Good translations can help you make your game accessible to new markets, making the long tail of your game sales just a little bit longer. And it should be worth paying for that expertise!
The sad thing is that none of these problems with machine translation are new and have been known for years. Someone actually wrote a book about using the technique on an old video game.
Have you considered localizing your games? If so, what kind of services did you use? Let me know in the comments!
Rance is back to conquer more land and women!
One game that was properly localized from the original Japanese is Rance Quest Magnum, the latest installment in AliceSoftās long-running series of games. And Iām not kidding about that: the first installment came out in 1989, same as yours truly!
In Rance Quest Magnum, the womanizing conqueror Rance has returned to the mainland after his last adventures but is afflicted by a curse that keeps him from having sex. With his Hyper Weapon disarmed, can Rance still assemble a party of pretty women and undo the curse?
Rance has been an integral part of my journey to become a lewd games developer, so Iām happy to see that the series is still going strong!
Rance Quest Magnum is being released on February the 25th, you can pre-order the game now on MangaGamer.
Descend into Lust from Beyond
The Polish developers behind Lust from Beyond have released a new developer diary, showcasing their lustful philosophy behind the game.
Iāve played the demo and I found the game very intriguing myself. Itās a Lovecraftian horror story that weaves in eroticism but makes it an integral part of the world. I canāt wait to see how the full game will turn out!
Lust from Beyond is releasing on Steam on February 25th, so make sure to add it to your wishlist!
Writing to the dearly departed
The lovely Kawaski has finally announced the name of their next game! āØ
Dear Mom: My Letter To You is a visual novel about a high-schooler named Ayame who is returning to high school after a year-long absence following her motherās suicide. She blames herself for what happened and is trying to find her place in life again. Ayame has decided to share her journey through life with her mom via her journal.
Check out the alpha build, available now on Itch!
Writing Wrap-Up š
CD Projekt RED is asking players to please stop modding Cyberpunk 2077 to have sex with Keanu Reeves:
Whatās interesting, though, is CDPRās argument against it, which digs into the discomfort inherent in having created a pretty good virtual model of popular movie star Keanu Reeves, and then shipped it out, with modding tools, to millions of people
Winter Wolves Games talks about releasing Hazel, their first game on Kickstarter:
Before I never did it for two simple reasons: until 2 years ago (I think?) it wasnāt available at all in Italy. So that was already a major issue. And second, because I was scared to not met the goal or fall in the trap of overpromising stuff.
Velvet Cupcake Games answered some questions about education in their world:
Avalon doesnāt have a university system. It does have a few scholariums in the capitol of Londonne, but those are generally populated by older members of the nobility.
BL Games World looks at games that were crowdfunded in 2016 and where they are now:
At the same period, the emergence of Kickstarter and IndieGogo as a crowdfunding platform and successful campaigns of LGBT-themed games like Coming Out on Top, ambitious creators launch their own campaign to an audience that is quite literally craving for more of those BL game.
ShagMag made a statement against Instagram censorship by changing the Hollywood sign to read āHollyboobā:
In the middle of the afternoon on Monday, six people climbed to the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles. They threw a big letter B over the W, and added a white strip to the middle of the D, and for a short time, the hill declared: "HOLLYBOOB."Ā
XBIZ reports that PornHub announces new safety and security policies:
In a press release, Pornhub said these comprehensive measures for verification, moderation and detection will ensure Pornhub is "the safest platform online, and at the forefront of combating and eradicating illegal content."
Japan is looking to clarify the rules on cosplay:
The government is planning to review copyright rules to prevent possible legal violations by cosplayers as the number of people dressing up as animation and game characters continue to grow.
Cheeky chuckle š¤
Artist spotlight š”
Thanks for reading this far!
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Until next time!
-Mr. Hands