Animation & Merch Updates

The following post does not contain any major spoilers.

Progress Update

Hi Patrons! Here is a quick update on the new animation. I spent a couple hours doing some number crunching and updated the production schedule. Chorus II is about 40% through the animation phase, which is moving along faster than I expected. 

As a part of the new scheduling, I uncovered that there may be a lot more work for the team in the final scenes of the battle, pushing the overall progress estimate back a bit. The animation as a whole is about 55% done now. I'll keep you guys updated as the percentage changes.

Debris FX

Something that has been getting a lot of attention is the special "Debris" and "Dust" FX of the animation. There is going to be major clashes of force (if Andre's hammer didn't tip you off), and we're animating a lot of flying rubble as a result.

Dust and debris can be a great way to mix up the visuals of a battle. If there is too much person vs person choreography, it can feel like a muddy flurry of swings. Throwing in some environmental FX reminds us of the setting and surroundings - it can be very grounding.

Bloody Scenes

In the past two weeks, we had Soapy tackle some bloody frames. You can check them out (not too spoilery) in the attachments to the post.

Trading Card Designs

We got an update from Kero about the trading card designs which are gradually being sketched out in Photoshop. We're taking care to show the characters in poses that demonstrate their personalities!

I'm aiming to have these designed, rendered, and printed before the Story 7 premiere. No promises though, since the Spring time can be busy for the print manufacturers. 

Printing/Shipping 3D Models

As a side/backup plan, I'm still playing around with 3D printing. I've been learning a ton about the process: Experimenting with the different filaments and machine settings sometimes produces spaghetti plastic, but I can feel my models coming out nicer and nicer over time!

Hopefully I'll figure out the logistics behind shipping these things out to you guys - it's a little more complicated and costly than sending out stickers and keychains, so it depends on your interest. Please let me know what you think!

All For Now

I wish I could share more about the animation without giving away the story. Things are entering heavier and heavier spoiler territory, but I still plan on streaming the whole process on Twitch. It just means that these update posts will be "content-light" for the next couple months of production.

I also want to send a special thank you to you guys for supporting this animation! I'm aiming to really delight your eyeballs and hearts with the choreography and set pieces. Your patience during the art-process is always appreciated!

Thanks!