Menu Experiments

There haven’t been too many sharable updates for Linda & Joan recently. I’ve been expanding the narrative engine to support parallel story flows — so the three playable characters can interact with objects while they’re in conversation; text on a phone while verbally talking; and any choices that the player makes can immediately affect what is happening elsewhere — plus building out the first act’s storyline in its entirely, but without final artwork, just a lot of colored boxes. Neither of these things produce pretty videos to share on the internet — it’s a lot of coding and script writing. (Although, I hope to find time to write up how the parallel story flows work — I think it’s a truly exciting development.)

But, this weekend, I decided to take a break from the laborious stuff and experiment with the menu system. Working on visuals helps give the more abstract work an identity and personality — something that I find vital when working alone on a large project. It’s still a work-in-progress, like everything else, but here’s the work-in-progress so far:

Original score by Jeremy Warmsley.

Zine #2

Issue #2 is out now! It includes:

  • 16-page zine with cardstock cover

  • 24-page reprinting of To Nanny, A Bird Book (1985)

  • Four full-color photographs in a slip envelope

  • Double-sized puzzle piece (1 of 9)

  • Protective poly sleeve

Member’s copies are already in the mail.

If you’d like to join Zine Club , you can choose to have back issues mailed together or — to maximize the joy of your new subscription — have them mailed one week apart until you’re caught up.

You can also purchase Issue #2 individually.

Zine Club!

Join Zine Club! A companion project for Linda & Joan.

  • Receive ten hand-crafted zines — each with bonus items — in the mail over the next year or so

  • Learn backstory about the real family that inspired the game Linda & Joan

  • Form a deeper understanding of the characters, situations, and objects you’ll discover in the final game

  • Use the zines to solve in-game puzzles and play scenes only accessible to Zine Club members

  • Support independent art and the development of Linda & Joan

>> LEARN MORE <<

Zine Club — All 10 issues!
Sale Price:$80.00 Original Price:$120.00

Joan and Ray

Today is the third anniversary of my grandmother’s death. January 14th is the 29th anniversary of my grandfather’s death. They died 26 years minus two days apart.

My dad died suddenly a few months before I was born, leaving my mum, Linda, aged 24, to raise me alone. My nan, Joan, and grandad, Ray, did a lot for us in those difficult early years.

My grandad was the only male role model in my life at that time. He introduced me to football (soccer) and Hereford United; to art through his amateur oil paintings; and opened up to me about his stutter, which I inherited and struggled to deal with. I was 13 when he died.

My nan was like my second parent. We wrote to each other weekly all through my teenage years, sharing news and tidbits. As death eventually took all my immediate family, she always stood strong. She was there, aged 89, at my mum’s funeral and we supported each other. Her other daughter, my mum’s sister, had died a few years earlier too. My nan was heartbroken. Sadly she died just a few weeks later.

Joan Doris Bevis 1928–2018
Raymond Henry Bevis 1922–1992

Ray.jpg
RayJoan.jpg

Nice Day for a Walk

Jeremy Warmsley, who created the soundtrack for “Four Months Earlier,” has released an expanded version of the prologue’s end song as a single.

Nice Day for a Walk is available on Bandcamp, Apple Music, Spotify, etc.

Support Jeremy by listening on Bandcamp — which is the least exploitative place for musicians — and while you’re there, grab his £7 album, which includes Nice Day for a Walk and nine other songs.

Finally, Jeremy is available for your soundtracking needs too — be it video games, film, or TV! Reach him here: www.jeremywarmsley.com

Jeremy Warmsley is a songwriter & composer from London. In the 2000s, he recorded two solo albums for Transgressive Records. In 2009 he started the band Summer Camp with Elizabeth Sankey.

He also composes film, TV and game soundtracks, notably for Simon Amstell’s Carnage, Minskworks’ Jalopy, and several of Charlie Lyne’s films, including Beyond Clueless and the award-winning Fish Story.