Finally! Back again! Except not really!

Alright, for my first post in FOREVER, I have some bad news, some bad news, some more bad news, and some objectively non-qualifiable news.

Bad news is, NLP has been inactive in the past year and 3 months. (Bet none of you saw THAT coming.) More bad news is, NLP has quietly dissolved into the aether from whence it came in the year and 3 months it was inactive. (I know, shocking stuff.) More bad news is, I've decided to completely throw out all the work done thus far on both PB and PttA and start from scratch. In other words, this is a brand new beginning for Deus Ex (formerly NLP): both the website and forum are now down, all the previous work have now been discarded (including preliminary sketches and what little writing had been finished), and so far, the team includes me, me, and me (everyone else disappeared). The not bad news is that while attending university in Toronto, I had met fellow hikkikomori/writer Eternal (writer of Sepia Tears), and while he is too busy attending to his own work to help with mine, I hope that I will be able to eventually nab him as a full-time member of Deus Ex. After all, a man can always dream.

Long Belated Updates

All right, so some of you faithful readers out there (who I'm hoping exist) might have noticed the slight lack of updates since my last post four months ago. The answer is very simple. NLP has undergone major changes in its plans.

Well, the first (and admittedly foremost) reason why this blog remained abandoned for four months is simply because I forgot about it. After setting up the forum, I have concentrated most of my efforts over there, and therefore completely forgot about the existence of both this blog and the actual site. Hence the lack of updates on either.

The second reason? Real life kicked in. Hard. Need I say more?

As my previous posts have mentioned, we are indeed working on Prelude before moving on to PB. After much fiery debate over characters, setting, plot, etc. we have yet to come to a beta sketch from which we may work to create the bigger picture... but all the ideas are there, and I just need some time to pull it all together, after which I will hopefully have the time and presence of mind to inform all of you readers (who I'm hoping exist) about them.

Oh, have I mentioned that we have a forum now? Yeah, we have a forum now. Yay!! *cheering and celebrating galore*

Well, actually we've had it since about the third week of NLP. I just never remembered to post the draft that I wrote up informing all of you about it. I'm sorry.

But anyways, the point comes down to the fact that the forum is where we, the members of NLP (well actually, only abscess, lone_wolf, and I lurk around regularly) most frequently congregate, which makes it the perfect place to actually find us. Make an account (or not; replying to posts doesn't need an account) and feel free to ask, suggest, or simply chat. Got ideas? Fire away. Got questions? Fire away. Got problems? We probably can't help you out much, but fire away!

... And I think that that's all I have to say tonight. It's good to be posting again.

EDIT: And PttA is beginning to see signs of progress. Dare I take it as a good omen?

Staff Update

Today, I welcome our newest member, lone_wolf, to NLP as our executive programmer and part-time writer! *cheering and applause*

With that having been said, I also wish to announce that instead of using Kirikiri2 as our engine, we have decided to use the easier-to-implement Ren'Py, due to better access to its documentations.

Please look forward to our next update!

A Prelude

After some degree of reflection, we have come to a startling re-realization(?): none of us have ever attempted a project of this type before. As such, attempting a multi-route, full-length OEVLN might not be the best thing to try to begin with. So...

*drumroll*

We've decided to make a series of short stories as a prequel of sorts to Project Break.

The name? "Prelude to the Aftermath". (Just like Project Break, the name is subject to change.)

We will make a set of three short stories, one from each of us writers, and place them together in a collection as our first project.

Why are we doing this, you may ask? Well, there are many reasons. Firstly, Prelude will allow us to hone our skills as writers, and Itsura's skills as an artist, before we attempt the big one. As Aura of Four Leaf Studios put it, "first learn how to walk, then run the marathon". Prelude will also offer the general public a better idea of the background story behind PB, since I realize that the information given on the website is sketchy and uninformative at best, and positively confusing at worst. At the same time, Prelude will hopefully garner more interest and support for the project, and more support would mean a more successful Project Break (hopefully).

Please lend us your undying support as we tackle NLP's first official work.

The Amazing Site Overhaul that Didn't Happen

Well, after days of dealing with recruitment issues, I'm glad to hear that Itsura has finished the banner on which she has been working hard this past half-week.

I'm not so glad to not hear anything from fuzzyferrets since she said she'll get in touch with Itsura.

But, as lacking of a grand new design as it is, there is now a brand new banner on the site. I didn't say it, but clicking on the banner automatically returns you to the home page. That's just my way of saving space on the menu bar.

So, go check out the new site, comment on it, and feel free to give advice about what we should do to make it look prettier.

-Palladium

Warm Welcomes

Hey! I'm not reporting this after the fact for once! *wild applause and cheering galore*

NLP would like to welcome their newest member, Masterori, as their executive idea consultant! *more wild applause and cheering galore*

But please remember, we are desperately (and perpetually) in need of help. If you think you have something to contribute to Project Break, write to us. Even if it's a position that's already filled, still write to us. Many of us will be unable to work on PB full-time, so the more people, the better.

Website is Up!

I have exciting news today.

Although once again slightly belated, the Northern Light Productions website is now up and running! Please visit our site here.

It may look ugly because it is in the beta phase right now, but I am confident in fuzzyferret's ability to improve the look of the website with her stunning design (on which she is still working currently). And don't worry - the black box isn't a problem with the site, it's just a placeholder for the banner (which Itsura has been ceaselessly working on).

And on a completely unrelated note, I welcome KatayanagiZ and Scarlett as our official costume designers! We hope they enjoy being a part of NLP, and that they will offer us their support until the end.