With the latest version released to Google Play and the App Market, I wanted to write on how this particular visual novel has changed and progressed during the years. Between a face-lift and massive code overhauls, the whimsical adventure of Captain Rousseau remains the same. While the writing is outdated compared to my newer works, I hope you are still able to find it as an enjoyable interactive read.
Azorus IV was the first visual novel I’ve ever made. Originally called “The Dilemma at Azorus IV”, it was the final project for my Interactive Narrative course during my sophomore year back in 2009. I made it using Ren’Py, a terrific visual novel engine that has grown immensely popular. I found writing for it to be a complete pleasure, and it was a welcomed distraction from all my programming classes.
The timing was perfect—I had just been inducted into the weird world of visual novels with Tsukihime. To have characters on screen, looking at you and talking with you is such a captivating way to tell a story. It makes things so much more personal, making the character drama that much more compelling. I realized the appeal and was anxious to try my own hand at writing one.
During the summer about a year later I started my escapade into making apps for the Android Market. I decided to port Azorus over onto the mobile platform, and it wasn’t a simple undertaking. Unable to use Ren’py on mobile devices, I made my own text interpreter from scratch inside of LibGDX. It lacked most of the functionality and all the simplicity I had taken for granted using the python-based VN maker. It was however, my first exposure to this game development framework. I would later come back to it on future projects.
But in 2012 I had gotten deep into the android API and using its libraries. With the help of ActionBarSherlock, Azorus IV was again remade with a slick new interface and art overhaul. The problem was, without a true game loop that LibGDX provided, text display was clunky. And I was not able to account for the interface on all devices—tablets and higher resolution screens would place the arrow button at the top instead of the bottom bar, for example. Having to account for countless screen resolutions was an impossible task. For a long while the visual novel sat dormant.
I moved on to StockBreaker at that time, revisiting and relearning LibGDX. Having a “virtual” screen size set to 480×800 pixels allowed me to place buttons and images in code using coordinates that would display the same way on every screen. My text interpreter had grown, able to fade characters in and out, shake backgrounds and display dynamically-sized text.
After finishing my writing and editing for Fatehaven, iOS 8 had come out. It caused all my apps to crash upon startup, and jerked me out of writing and back into programming. After making the necessary updates, I looked back at Azorus IV. The code was crap, the text was at a fanfiction-writer’s level, and the art was rough around the edges. But it was still a fun adventure, and a personal one for me. So I remade it, made it free and put it back up.
And if it’s what brought you here, please enjoy your stay. I know the cliffhangers are a cruel tease, but I’ve been hanging off those cliffs for years!
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Hi there! I’ve recently gave Azorus IV a read and I must say I really liked it. The only complaints (or rather “issues”) I had were the feelings of shallowness within the deep characters. It felt like the story could’ve gone more in depth into the plot line and character background.
I do realize that this work is old and maybe I didn’t word this comment correctly…
I did really enjoy reading all endings but I’d like to know how would you write it if you were to revisit Azorus IV.
Hoping for a quick response, waiting for your next masterpiece and wishing you (albeit a little late) happy new year!
Thanks, hope you have a good 2017! As the article says, Azorus IV was originally a school project that later turned into a programming exercise for me as I ported it to several platforms. I took a jab at fanfiction writers which wasn’t exactly fair, because I’ve since read better at fanfiction.net.
In the original version for school, there were sound clips from one of the Gundam games—what’s hilarious to me is that the whole narrative was shaped to fit in a dozen or so voiced one-liners. That should give you an idea of its literary depth!
If I were to revisit this one, first I’d fix the spelling mistakes and then I’d write it over from the top. The actual flow and outline is fine: it’s fast-paced and action-oriented. The story is obviously incomplete and ended with a series of cliffhangers, which would be a challenge but not impossible to branch back instead of getting out of hand.
I do enjoy the directing involved in what characters are displayed and where on screen, what expressions they’re showing and what background music is playing. But traditional visual novels like Azorus IV have very limited appeal in the West. You need to have gameplay elements as well, such as Stockbreaker, Long Live the Queen, and VA-11 Hall-A.
Damn!! Talk about a quick response! Thanks!
Hope you’re doing well and writing hasn’t grinded to a halt!
I remember playing this on my IPod when I was looking for visual novels to play on my IPod looking back on it the story could use a lot of work, might I suggest that you make it into a interactive story like samurai of hyuga although you should do that after you finish the story of Hyuga, love your work.