From the category archives:

Arvale

Merry Xmas, Seasonal Changes, and What the Heck is Going On

by Jason Surguine on December 25, 2010

Merry Christmas to all! Above is my Xmas tree for the season. It’s all I could afford, seriously. I’ve finally completely exhausted all of my money…

Which brings me to the Good News, Bad News, and what the heck is going on with me (and Arvale, of course).

Good news first: I got a job. Which essentially means I will be getting more money to pour into my interests, such more as Arvale and Music. Oh, and I can afford to eat lunch again. So good in the end for everyone.

What kind of job? Unfortunately, according to my contract, I’m not allowed to specifically say what I do or where I do it (because my blog is completely public and I don’t hide behind anonymity). But I can show some details with no harm:

It requires me wearing lots of suits, ties, belts and other assorted clothing which makes me look a lot better than I actually am.

And requires me travel on lots of trains. To really distant places.

Across the vast countrysides of Japan. Which look something like that.

The job also means I had to move to another corner of Japan. Outside of Tokyo. I can’t tell the exact location, but I can say it’s in 茨城県 which narrows it down for those with a burning curiosity.

But! One more good thing the job comes with one of these:

Blurry enough to have zero meaning to many of you. But basically, it’s a 3 year Visa for Japan. Which means I get to hang out here for three more years without worrying too much about being kicked out any time soon, as long as I keep working :)

The Bad News (depending on your perspective) is that Arvale (and a few other side projects) have obviously been delayed a bit. With the moving to yet another new apartment, in another city, and getting adjusted to a new job and workplace, it’s taken up quite a bit of my time and resources recently. But I promise that once the job settles down a bit, I can get back into my development groove and Arvale will be back on the menu, big time.

I really wanted to have Arvale out around Christmas time, but it looks like it will take a bit more time. I sincerely apologize for that.

However, this also means I get to spend more time polishing it and making it everything I want it to be without rushing it out the door. So… More Wheelbarrows shall be added, of course! ;)

In any case, it’s Xmas everyone! Go celebrate, spend time with your family and/or loved ones, or veg out and play video games all day, as that’s what the season is about, right? Right!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and it is much less lonely than this Christmas Illumination display I attended ;)

See you soon!

More Arvale IV Pics Inside

by Jason Surguine on December 5, 2010

Without giving too much away, here are some shots from somewhere in the game :)

More to come!

Thanksgiving Leftovers, Arvale Updates

by Jason Surguine on November 26, 2010

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving whether you celebrate it or not.

I’m not a big eater, so Thanksgiving dinner isn’t my main goal (spending time with friends and family is), but I love the leftovers; which essentially means free food for approximately the next week.

Personal Stuff (boring!): My overall health seems a bit better. I’ve been pretending to relax pretty well. I’m slowly gearing up for the 能力試験 (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) N1 which is on December 5th. I finally started reading 新世紀エヴァンゲリオン. New Harry Potter was awesome. I went to the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix and geeked out (Yay! Phoenix actually has a respectable museum worth visiting!) which I’ll post about at another time.

Japanese Stuff (really boring!): While I am still SRSing every day, I’ve been in a slump where I have a backorder of 800 sentence cards due in Anki, and I really haven’t had the time to beat them all out yet. Out of the 7300 cards though, there’s really no rush. Heisig is about the same with 400 cards due (out of 2600 or so, I haven’t checked), but I’m less worried as I know most of those are over a year old (stuff like 一 and 食 and when I get them right, I won’t see them for 3 years).

Arvale Stuff (finally!): As far as Arvale IV, which is just around the corner, here are some shots of some upcoming levels:

Anyone who has played Arvale II: Ocean of Time may be familiar with the name of this island :)

It was one of the little gems from that game, with a small village of natives who spoke a strange language and tried to pawn off authentic glowing skull necklaces  to tourists.

…Not that you need to have played Arvale II: Ocean of Time to enjoy Arvale: Treasure of Memories, but… if you have want to tide yourself over until ATM IV comes out, well, it’s on the Free Games page for Free. And you can’t beat Free.

And some shots from the continent of Sytae, which has been hinted at and spoken about since Episode I…

… Which is just as dark, creepy and desolate as its been described by Duncan so far. I’ll go ahead and added mysterious to the list of adjectives now too.

That’s it for now, expect more stuff to materialize soon.

Now go eat a Turkey Sandwich.

Updates Are for Winners

by Jason Surguine on November 7, 2010

I’m heading back to Phoenix next week for Thanksgiving and a bit of rest, I think. I’m really bad at resting, but I’ll give it my best shot.

During that time I will continue working on the next Arvale, which is slowly making progress in the general direction of being finished.

I’ll also continue studying for the 能力試験 N1 (昔の一級）JLPT test which is in the beginning of December.

I’ll also continue applying for a slew of jobs in Japan, if I’ve learned anything from fishing… you gotta do it a lot, for a long time, before you get any bites. and even then, you may not catch the fish ;)

Arvale Episode IV, Stygia Screens

by Jason Surguine on October 23, 2010

Arvale Ep. 4 is still coming along, and I just thought I’d post a few screenshots of one of my favorite continents. Ever. That would be Stygia.

It’s always difficult recreating an old continent. Keeping true to how it looked and felt in any of the previous Arvale titles. But it’s a fun challenge, and Stygia is still one of my favorite areas. So I just thought I’d post some shots on how it’s progressing.You know, give a quick tour of the continent :)

Near Klumet, one of my favorite towns (which you’ll also see soon).

And the Ferryman, who is a staple of the series, second to possibly the Narrator and the Wheelbarrows.

Pike, the mining town was one of my favorite maps (and random quests) from the original Arvale: Journey of Illusion. You may also notice the new ‘Enter Town’ icon. I think it’s quite neat :)

A picture capturing the town of Idraces, the old Sorcynth Factory and the one of the dragon caves all at the same time. Man this is such a cool continent. Perhaps it’s just me.

You may have also noticed that Duncan is in none of these pictures. I could explain why, but that would totally ruin the story, so I’ll let you speculate for now.

More to come soon!

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