Recently, a reader asked about the possibility of a Without Within 1 and 2 remaster. Makes sense, since I would do a far better job now compared to 3-4 years ago.
That is, assuming I have the required budget, and unfortunately, in this saturated market (one that is niche to start with), I lack the sales numbers to justify such an endeavor :vintydread:.
First, I want to say thank you to everyone who sends me these messages. I still get emails telling me Without Within, especially the first one, has inspired people to pursue their dreams. If money were a non-issue, that would be enough fuel for me to continue.
And now, back to the topic at hand. If Vinty's adventures were to continue, some major changes must be in order. Here are a few ideas:
Light novels:
Before Steam Greenlight became a thing, I had spent 10-12 years writing away, hoping to one day complete a novel of publishable standard. If I continued the WOWI series in novel, or at least novella format, that could allow me to fulfil that dream. Light novels, after all, would be far cheaper to produce.
Format shifts:
Alternately, WOWI could remain in visual novel form. It will, however, need to go through drastic format changes. Have you played Narcissu? It would be more along those lines. Less images, and the text takes center stage. To many players, this will be seen as a downgrade.
Translations:
Here comes another hurdle—translation costs. Without Within 1 and 2 featured Chinese translations, but not the third instalment. As a script expands, translation costs also balloon. Visual novels contain more text than traditional games, which restricts localization possibilities.
Full circle:
The first game I published on Steam was Unhack, which attempted to combine storytelling and gameplay. By the way, did you know I program for my day job? In fact, I have loved to code since around 8-9 years old.
With that said, I would like to come full circle and once again put those skills to use. And so, for the foreseeable future, I am going back to traditional games.
Clea:
I would like to introduce you to Clea, a horror title I have been working on:
There is currently a prototype available, with a limited time to submit feedback and have your name listed under special thanks:
https://steamcommunity.com/games/981020/announcements/detail/1708449632692798961
Official webpage (with prototype links):
http://clea.invertmouse.com
Closing thoughts:
In summary, the Without Within series cannot continue in its current format. Still, I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas. I hope you can share them with me in the comments below.
Thank you so much! Vinty and I thank you :vintysmile:.