Author Archives: Woodsy_Studio

Seeking Voice Actors for Alpha-Stage Crimson Spires!

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**UPDATE: AUDITIONS CLOSED**

Thanks so much to everyone who auditioned! Here is the selected cast:

August Flynn: Bradley Gareth
Julian Bataille: Davell Toles
Liam Bataille: Gabriel James
Bradley Jones: Jordan Harrelson

Charlotte Bataille: Amber Leigh
Madeleine Gray: Bern Aniceto
Stacy Grenier: Sara Secora

****

About Crimson Spires

Made in UE4, Crimson Spires blends horror with otome-style romance. First-person character control allows you to explore the stark town of Bataille, MO–a 3D environment inspired by PS2-era horror games–while experiencing an interactive story.

The small mining town of Bataille, Missouri has been cordoned off from the outside world for six months. The inhabitants have no idea why. All they know is that ever since the so-called “Contingency,” planes no longer fly overhead, strange creatures have been glimpsed beyond the perimeter, and large mechanical towers gun down anyone who tries to escape. As Sheriff Erika Wright searches for the truth, she must listen to the advice of a serial killer, mingle with extreme conspiracy theorists, and negotiate with vampires.

Expected Work and Payment

For now, we are simply gathering expression lines for each character. These are short, expressive lines of dialogue that occasionally play when a character speaks to punctuate their current emotion. Payment is $0.50 per expression line, including all takes. Each character will probably have between 30-100 expression lines.

*Important Note!*
Please be aware that this casting is considered preliminary. Due to the project’s early stage of development, our immediate plans are only to record approximately 30-100 expression lines for each character to have in place for demos, pitching to publishers, etc. Our hope is to eventually commission scene dialogue with the same cast, but that is not guaranteed, and will be renegotiated in the future according to budget and project needs.

Rating/Maturity

This game will contain adult language, violence, and sexual themes. We are not yet rated officially, but we expect to land in the Mature/R rating category. There will be F-bombs. Romance scenes might get a little racy, but not explicit. Please only audition if you are comfortable with that!

Audition Process

Please record the included audition lines for the roles that interest you and send them in either .wav or .mp3 format to jenny (at) woodsy-studio (dot) com. Please include your name and the character name in the files, such as “YourName_CharacterName.mp3”. Multiple takes and styles are highly encouraged so I have a good sense of your range. The last day to audition will be Saturday, Sept 29, 2018.

WHAT I LOOK FOR WHEN CASTING:
When I cast voice actors, what I care about most is your ability to act. This is more important to me than vocal range, accent, or other secondary details. Although I generally don’t judge your audition on a resume or past roles, I find that it’s beneficial for voice actors to have theater experience, so feel free to mention that.

As for demonstrating your ability to act, try to fully embody the character your voicing and let their personality shine through every line. Major bonus points if you can somehow help me see the character in a new way I never even thought of before. Err on the side of feeding an audition line too much emotion rather than too little; I always know I can ask you to tone it down, but I don’t always know whether you can kick it up a notch (and do it well).

SIDE NOTE ABOUT ACCENTS:
You will see a note that some characters have American/Slight Southern accent. Technically, those characters would have a Missouri accent, which is like a softer version of the typical Southern accent. I’m flexible on whether the final casting choice uses the accent, though; I’ll select based on acting ability and capturing the character more than the technicality of an accent. If you can, try a take each way!

 

CHARACTERS!

August Flynn

(Human, Male, Romance Interest) Before the towers rose, August Flynn was a philosophy professor accused of 7 murders, coined the “Heartbreaker” for removing the victims’ hearts. Erika doesn’t believe his claims of innocence, but she might need his expertise against darker forces.

OVERALL PERSONALITY: Playful, dangerous, can be charming, but slightly unhinged
AGE: Early 30s
ACCENT: American

***********Audition Lines************
Line 1:
(playful, charming) “Do my hands look like they belong to such a cold-blooded killer?”
Line 2:
(threatening) “Truly, Agent, I would not advise trying to shoot me in these circumstances.”
Line 3:
(haughty) “You’re trapped in a prison far worse than mine, Sheriff Wright. The prison of your own mind.”

Julian Bataille

(Vampire, Male, Romance Interest) Julian Bataille excels at acting calm, polite, and practical in most situations. He claims to maintain order in Bataille with his wealth and influence. He does like to maintain order and peace, but in the end, he cares most about accumulating power and control.

OVERALL PERSONALITY: Calm, collected, very charming, but can be dangerous/threatening when opposed
AGE: Late 20s/early 30s
ACCENT: American

***********Audition Lines************

Line 1:
(charming) “It’s a shame we don’t see you more often, Sheriff Wright. May… may I call you Erika?”
Line 2:
(cold, threatening) “I think the easiest thing for you to do right now would be to drop this whole issue and return to the police station.”
Line 3:
(angry) “Don’t be pathetic. Your decisions are your own. Don’t blame your poor life choices on your sister.”

Liam Bataille

(Vampire, Male, Romance Interest) Adopted by the Bataille family at a young age, Liam has always struggled to feel like he fits in with the family. He’s easily the nicest member of the Batailles with an optimistic attitude, and he regularly urges to Erika to relax and have fun. But his loyalty is frequently torn between his personal virtue and his desire to please Julian and Charlotte.

OVERALL PERSONALITY: Kind, optimistic, tries to be laid-back
AGE: Late 20s/early 30s
ACCENT: American

***********Audition Lines************

Line 1:
(sweet, charming)  “Oh, maybe I can show you around the mansion sometime! Beautiful building. Even has an indoor swimming pool!”
Line 2:
(reassuring) “Good point. I’m sure Charlotte will think of something. She always does.”
Line 3:
(upset/angry) “I will. I see now I never should have tried to help you at all. I thought I would win your respect. But you’ll never respect me, will you?”

Bradley Jones

(Human, Male, Deputy US Marshal) When you wake up in the morning and see the star of a 80’s action flick in the mirror, you tend to act like it. Jones is no different. Cocky and carefree until sparked to anger. Has risen quickly, in status if not rank, but not because of his careful police work.

OVERALL PERSONALITY: Works hard but knows how to play, kind, charming, a little cocky
AGE: Early 30s
ACCENT: American

***********Audition Lines************

Line 1:
(relieved) “Thanks for the help, Agent Wright. I’m… I’m so glad you’re here.”
Line 2:
(charming) “I guess until the cavalry arrives, it’s just the two of us.”
Line 3:
(angry) “I’m not going to sit here and wait for them. Not after what that monster did to Gant!”

Madeleine (“Maddy”) Gray

(Human, Female, Romance Interest) Growing up as a lesbian in a conservative, rural town often made Maddy feel like an outsider in her own home. The Batailles were the only people who fully accepted her, so she feels loyal to them. But as she learns the real truth of the Batailles, she’ll have to fight for the greater good.

OVERALL PERSONALITY: Cheerful, can-do attitude, passionate
AGE: Late 20s/early 30s
ACCENT: American/Slight Southern

***********Audition Lines************

Line 1:
(sweet, helpful) “You could use some help, don’t you think? You’ve been doing this alone for months and it has to get tiring.”
Line 2:
(cheerful, determined) “I’ve got your back, boss!”
Line 3:
(angry) “I can’t believe you’re letting a serial killer help you with this case over me!”

Charlotte Bataille

(Vampire, Female, Antagonist) The dangerous leader of the Bataille family, Charlotte may be the only one in town beginning to grasp what’s truly happening. She’s rather spoiled and used to getting her way, but she’s also smart and resourceful.

OVERALL PERSONALITY: Scheming, haughty, maniacal
AGE: Late 20s/early 30s
ACCENT: American

***********Audition Lines************

Line 1:
(tickled, laughing) “Oh, that man is a riot! Why on earth do you leave a brain like that to rot in a cell, Erika?”
Line 2:
(haughty) “You’re going to set him free, Erika. And you’ll do it now.”
Line 3:
(annoyed, dangerous) “I am growing rather tired of this exchange. Do I need to repeat myself? Or should we settle this… a different way?”

Stacy Grenier

(Human, Female) Growing up, Stacy never thought she’d be able to leave Bataille. Now she’s trapped permanently, but at least Bataille is interesting now. An optimistic foil for Erika, Stacy is also vulnerable to those in the town with quick fixes and semi-plausible answers

OVERALL PERSONALITY: Sweet, kind, helpful, gullible
AGE: Early 20s
ACCENT: American/Slight Southern

***********Audition Lines************

Line 1:
(happy) “Oh, welcome home, Erika! I hope you’re hungry, because I just finished cooking!”
Line 2:
(concerned) “I reckon you had an awful day. I heard about Jessica and Gary. People at the Dollar Store wouldn’t stop talking about it!”
Line 3:
(nervous) “Then again, folks have seen some strange things since the Contingency. Silhouettes of monsters roaming beyond the towers.”

Instructions (Refrain)

Once again, please record the included audition lines for the role that interests you and send them in either .wav or .mp3 format to jenny (at) woodsy-studio (dot) com. Multiple takes and styles are highly encouraged so I have a good sense of your range. The last day to audition will be Saturday, Sept 29, 2018.

Thanks to everyone who auditions!!

Also posted in the following sites:
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/members/WoodsyStudio/casting-call/Crimson-Spires/
http://voiceacting.boards.net/thread/2757/crimson-spires-visual-romance-horror

Support us on Patreon!

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As we forge ahead with our next project, Crimson Spires, we’re looking for new ways to fund development, so we’ve started a Patreon! Any funds we collect will not only help to feed and house us as we work, but will also support costly features like voice acting.

As a patron, you’ll get to see screenshots and artwork from our next game before they’re publicly released. You’ll also get weekly posts about our behind-the-scenes development process. And finally, we’ll create custom content such as bonus CGs and short stories every month for patrons! Below is a sneak peak at our first bonus content, an image of Michael and Lucifer doing… I wonder what exactly? 😉

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The Last Sacrament Releases July 10

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The road to release Echoes of the Fey: The Last Sacrament has been a long and winding one, but at last the end is in sight. We’re almost ready to give you a story packed with more romance, mystery, and action than anything we’ve released yet. We release for PC on July 10, 2018!

Add it to your Steam wishlist

At Woodsy Studio, we’re tired of seeing most games (even AAA titles) treat story and writing as an afterthought. Our primary goal is to deliver a good story with rich, complex characters in a world you can fully immerse yourself. With Echoes of the Fey: The Last Sacrament, we’ve taken what players enjoyed about Echoes the Fey: The Fox’s Trail and developed it even further.

More Mystery

In The Last Sacrament, you actually have TWO mysteries to solve. A desperate politician named Nikolai Melinkov blackmails Sofya into a dangerous job: stealing the Sacrament of Tears from the Krovakyn Church. But in the meantime, Sofya’s childhood love, Katerina Lapidus, needs her protection from a dangerous assassin. Can you steal the Sacrament and hunt down Katerina’s enemy in time to prevent disaster?

 

More Romance

Despite her hardships, Sofya gets many chances to find love amidst her adventures. This episode offers the first opportunity to romance Sofya’s partner, Heremon ir-Caldy. She can also forge a romantic bond with Nikolai, Katerina, or Arkady as she tries to escape the dangers of her predicament.

 

 

More Action

Large segments of The Last Sacrament will play as a point and click adventure game with dialogue in the traditional style of a visual novel. But unlike our previous games, The Last Sacrament also features an in-world tabletop RPG called RiftRealms. Inspired by story-focused pen and paper games, Sofya will play RiftRealms games with various supporting characters as dungeon master. Players will both build a character in RiftRealms to fight increasingly more powerful foes, and learn about the key players in Sofya’s life through how they choose to tell a RiftRealms story.

While the characters of Echoes of the Fey play RiftRealms with Sofya, they reveal their own prejudices and beliefs through their strategies. They serve as “dungeon masters” who try to create a gaming experience for Sofya (and thus the player) that is both entertaining and challenging. Kind and compassionate characters like Heremon might slip up by making the game too easy, while ruthless characters like Arkady transform the game into a harrowing experience.

To get a reminder on the day it releases, go to Steam now and add us to your wishlist! Doing this also helps out indie developers like us by informing the Steam store algorithms that there is real community interest in the game. We can’t wait to share the final result with you!

Add it to your Steam wishlist

Big miraclr Update Coming on Valentine’s Day!

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We’re excited to announce that a big update to miraclr – Divine Dating Sim is coming to Google Play, the App Store for iPhone and iPad, and the Amazon AppStore for Android on Valentine’s Day 2018!

It will also release for desktop computers on Steam and itch.io!

New Avatar Options

An important new feature coming with the Valentine’s update includes new avatar options for the player. Currently, there are only 3 base options for male, female, and non-binary. We’ll be adding at least 3 new options for each gender, so 9 new options overall.

Valentine's miraclr Avatar OptionsGallery Addition

The update will also enable a Gallery system browse-able from the Main Menu screen. From here, you can view all the images you’ve unlocked so far while playing the game.

New CGs

Keep a look out for new CGs appearing in the Valentine’s update, as well!

Raphael Uriel new CG

     Raphael helps Uriel exercise (or so he claims)

Reply Improvements and Halo System

Whenever you reply punctually to a message in the game, you’ll receive Halos. You can use Halos to reply to missed messages or unlock special images.

Secret Story Branch

We’re also added a whole new secret story branch to the game of about 20,000 words. But it wouldn’t be secret if I told you more than that!

How to Make a Visual Novel in Unreal Engine 4

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A little over a year ago, I set out to complete a strange task: I wanted to build a visual novel in Unreal Engine 4. To some people this seemed like using a rifle to shoot a fly. I was even prepared to admit they were right. But once I got deeper into the UE4 engine, I didn’t regret a single thing.

Why UE4?

The short answer to why I love using Unreal Engine 4 is this: the engine can accomplish just about anything I imagine, and it can do so quickly. It’s a wonderful engine to work with and it’s capable of so much.

That said, Ren’Py is still a wonderful tool to create traditional visual novels. If you don’t plan on adding 3D elements or complex mini-games to your narrative, then there’s probably no reason for you to switch to UE4. BUT if you want to expand the boundaries of a traditional visual novel and set yourself apart from the other VNs out there, I can assure you that UE4 might be a great tool to accomplish that.

Screenshot from our UE4 visual novel, Echoes of the Fey: The Last Sacrament

How to Get Started?

When I started my first VN project in UE4, I struggled to find helpful resources. Not many people had tried to create a traditional VN system within UE4. I found a VN marketplace plugin, but it only functioned for very small-scale projects, and was completely unwieldy in terms of handling a large script or rewrites. So after a lot of searching and banging my head against the computer screen, I set about building my own system from scratch.

Now, one game and many months later, I want to share what I’ve learned with the game dev community at large. I’ve started a video tutorial series that will help you build the foundation of a VN system within UE4. This system is designed to handle large-scale projects and gameplay elements beyond just dialogue. You can begin by writing your script in a typical Open Office or Word document, then convert it into a spreadsheet and import it into UE4.

Watch the Video Tutorials Online

Part 1: https://youtu.be/qj_6dfzqaO0

  1. Create your text scene in a spreadsheet (4:05 )
  2. Create a structure in UE4 (8:45 )
  3. Import your first scene as a datatable (13:02 )

Part 2: https://youtu.be/KuHardkG37M

  1. Create a Scene Template Blueprint (1:09)
  2. Create an NPC character actor to launch the scene (2:56)
  3. Enabe click events (6:30)
  4. Spawn Scene Template when NPC is clicked (9:15)
  5. Feed the datatable rows into the Scene Template (13:57)

Part 3: https://youtu.be/ljaf1PHGq1Y

  1. Track the scene array with a Row variable (1:36)
  2. Create a widget to display the dialogue (4:08)
  3. Set text variables within the widget (9:18)
  4. Create widget from Scene Template and track as variable (11:14)
  5. Set widget variables from the Scene Template Blueprint (13:18)

Part 4: https://youtu.be/w7LxY8fZzdc

  1. Add dialogue widget to viewport (0:44)
  2. Track whether the row is finished displaying (2:11)
  3. Add an input to advance the text (4:26)
  4. Increase row number for next line (5:23)
  5. Enable input on the Scene Template (7:00)
  6. End scene and destroy actors when scene is finished (7:58)

In the tutorial series created so far, I don’t yet get to branching dialogue or character sprites. But if people find this first series useful, I may go on to create tutorials about that later. You can also find my posts about the VN system on the UE4 Forums.

Meanwhile, we’re running a Kickstarter for our current visual novel project, Echoes of the Fey – Fantasy Visual Novel Series! If you enjoy my work or find my resources helpful, please support us!

Kickstarter Campaign for Echoes of the Fey!

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Woodsy Studio has launched its first Kickstarter campaign!

Support us on Kickstarter!

You can read all about the campaign via the link, but here are some highlights.

Our mission

Malcolm and I (Jenny) began our careers as devoted storytellers, which is why we both went to college for screenwriting, and have each published several novels. Whenever we make a game, our goal is to create a unique, compelling narrative experience. With Echoes of the Fey, we set out to create a high fantasy setting with a dash of steampunk flavor and a full dose of detective noir.

The Last Sacrament will be bigger in scope than anything we’ve made yet. We’re building the game using Unreal Engine 4. This might seem like an unusual choice for a visual novel. But UE4 allows us to create complex 3D environments and multiple camera angles for each scene, resulting in a more cinematic experience.

We’re also adding a unique gameplay element in the form of a mini-game called RiftRealms. This is a tabletop game that exists in the world of Echoes of the Fey, and as Sofya you can play with other characters. We thought this would be an interesting way to showcase each character’s personality based on how they treat you as a Dungeon master. It also explores the question: what do people fantasize about in a fantasy world?

Story

Meanwhile, Sofya has a lot of work to do as a private investigator. Sofya’s childhood love and the Emperor’s daughter, Katerina, seeks her protection from threats near the border. Katerina’s rival, Nikolai, needs a dangerous drug stolen from the powerful Krovakyn Church and uses blackmails to force Sofya’s assistance.

Nikolai wants a dose of the Sacrament, a mysterious substance from the Krovakyn Church that can cure illnesses and extend lifespans. But repeated use of the Sacrament causes strange side effects, such as hallucinations and physical deformities. Nikolai wants to give the Sacrament to his grandmother, who has already received the maximum dosage allowed.

It’s up to you, the player, to solve each case and determine its outcome. Can you track down Katerina’s enemy? And if you manage to steal the Sacrament, what will you choose to do with it?

You also have several romance options in The Last Sacrament. If you proceed carefully, you can develop a romantic relationship with Katerina, Arkady, Nikolai, or Heremon.

We’re really excited to share this story with you. But we need your help to make it happen. About 75% of the game has already been developed, but your support will enable us to push to the finish line and add all the features we envision.

Our heartfelt thanks goes to anyone who chooses to support us in this endeavor. Let’s make our dreams for The Last Sacrament come true!

 
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Making a Miracle with “miraclr”

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Jenny Gibbons here, gearing up to tell you an honest and not-so-glamorous tale about the world of indie game development.

Going full-time indie

About nine months ago, my full-time job told me that I had to choose between keeping my job or “ceasing activity” with Woodsy Studio, my own company. It was an impossible decision. I had already poured years of my heart and soul into my work at Woodsy Studio, and furthermore, my husband–Malcolm Pierce–had recently joined me as a creative partner. All our dreams lay with Woodsy Studio. I could not give that up. But the studio was not yet making enough money to sustain itself, either.

Malcolm and I were lucky in that we had a decent amount of savings stored up from previous years of caution and frugality. We tried to look at the misfortune of my lay-off as an opportunity to focus all our energy into Woodsy Studio and make it our bread and butter. Although Woodsy Studio was not yet self-sustainable, at least we had three commercially published games occasionally bringing in money.

Illustration from Serafina's Crown

Illustration from Serafina’s Crown

Floundering in a sea of games

Alas, as any other game developer knows, the gaming market is brutal. Try as we might, we were unable to make a big marketing splash with any of our titles, whether old releases or new ones. Even now, I struggle to figure out where we went wrong. By a large percentage, people who play our games enjoy them and offer high praise: both critics and customers. The challenge lies in getting anyone to play our games at all. And of course, I know I’m not alone in this. The sea of released games continues to grow and flood stores every day. Only so many can survive by floating on the surface. We were drowning, but we refused to give up.

By July, we had been pure indie game devs for seven months. We were living the dream–but we were also broke.

Our seven months of focusing on Woodsy Studio confirmed for us that this is what we both wanted to do. We wanted to keep making games together, and we knew we had the potential to succeed. We just needed to create something that could excite people more than anything we’d yet produced.

Drastic times = drastic measures

In a moment of desperation, we put our heads together and tried to think of something we could do to save our studio in the little time our dwindling savings still provided. It all happened in about ten minutes. Malcolm blurted something about romancing angels, I suggested making it unfold in real time on phones, and everything clicked. We knew we had a fun idea that we could produce relatively fast and use to branch out to a new audience: the mobile market.

The two months since that moment have been a non-stop storm of writing, programming, and drawing so that “miraclr” could become a reality. Malcolm and I are both extremely creative people and very prolific writers. But we pushed ourselves harder than we’ve ever pushed ourselves before to make this project happen. We reached the point we normally would have called “burn out”–and we kept going, knowing that it was dangerous, but also convinced it was crucial to our long-term survival.

I programmed a complex story system based on real-time to handle channels, direct messages, and plot branches. Together, Malcolm and I wrote over 76,000 words of story content (but Malcolm wrote most of it). I drew 19 CG illustrations, a dozen character icons, and five visual novel portraits with multiple expressions. Malcolm figured out how to incorporate ads and notifications into both Android and iOS ports. All in two months.

Gabriel from miraclr

Burnt out, but proud

We’re exhausted. We’re burnt out. But we also know that we did everything in our power to create a fun, unique game that might be the key to saving our studio. Whatever happens next, I can say with full confidence that we took our best shot.

We sincerely hope that you enjoy “miraclr,” and that it enables us to keep providing quality interactive stories in the future!

miraclr Main Page

Seeking Voice Actors for “The Last Sacrament”

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****AUDITIONS NOW CLOSED****
Thanks to everyone who auditioned! Here is the resulting cast:
Nikolai – Christopher Vitemb
Katerina – Sara Secora
******************************************

About the Echoes of the Fey

Echoes of the Fey is an English-language visual novel series that combines the magic of high fantasy with the mystery of the classic detective novel. You play as Sofya Rykov, a private investigator operating in a town on the contentious border between the Humans and Leshin (Elves). While her job is to uncover secrets, Sofya has a dangerous secret of her own: unlike other Humans, she can use magic. It’s a handy trick for solving cases – in the rare instances she can control it.

About Episode 2: The Last Sacrament

The Last Sacrament will be the next installment of the ongoing series. Sofya’s loyalty grows divided when politics clash over the town’s water system. Her childhood love, who also happens to be the Emperor’s daughter, seeks Sofya’s protection from mysterious threats. But a ruthless politician seeks a fourth drop of Eszther’s Sacrament — the consumption of which is the greatest heresy against the Krovakyn Church — and he will go to any lengths to ensure that Sofya delivers it to him.

Released episodes:

Episode 0: The Immolation
Episode 1: The Fox’s Trail

Expected Work

The amount of recording needed is not yet set in stone. Shortly after choosing the cast, we will request a recording of expression lines (30-60 short lines of expressive dialogue). After that, we will request some scene dialogue over the next few months as our budget allows.

Rating/Maturity

This game will contain some adult language and sexual themes. However, we expect to remain in the Teen / PG-13 rating category.

Audition Process

Please record the included audition lines for the role that interests you and send them in either .wav or .mp3 format to jenny (at) woodsy-studio (dot) com. Multiple takes and styles are highly encouraged so I have a good sense of your range. Auditions will remain open until March 12, 2017.

Katerina Konstantinova Lapidus

  • Female
  • American accent
  • Appears both as an adult (20s) and teenager (about 13 years)

Katerina has a kind and empathetic nature, but she also grew up as the daughter of the Emperor during a time of warfare. Her kind nature is frequently in conflict with her need to firmly represent her father’s interests and crush her opponents. She rejoices in any opportunity she finds to kick back and behave like an ordinary young woman. She hates being called “princess” or any other unnecessary flattery. This is why she enjoys Sofya’s company so much. Sofya has never cared for politics, and always knows how to forget about all problems and have fun.

Katerina will mostly appear as an adult in the story, but there will also be flashbacks to her as a young teenager meeting Sofya for the first time. Therefore there are audition lines for both adult and teenaged Katerina (around 13 years old).

Please send lines for both adult and teenage Katerina, as she will appear as both in different parts of the story. Teenage Katerina should sound younger/higher-pitched.

Adult Katerina Audition Lines
KATERINA (angry): All of this was about a photograph?
SOFYA: I don’t know. But, Kat, take a deep breath. You’re okay.
KATERINA: I’m sorry, Sofyuska. I just… I had no idea that this might actually happen. When I hired you… I didn’t really think…
SOFYA: You didn’t think you were really in danger?
KATERINA: Not real danger! Not like this! I thought they’d throw vegetables at me or tag my carriage.

Teenage Katerina Audition Lines
SOFYA: Thank you, Kater– Uh, Lady Lapidus.
YOUNG KATERINA: PLEASE don’t call me that. I’m so sick of everyone sucking up to me.
YOUNG KATERINA: Just call me Kat.
SOFYA: Okay… Kat.
YOUNG KATERINA: Now, if you’re going to be stuck in the castle for the winter, maybe we can at least have some fun.

 

Nikolai Fyodorovich Melinkov

  • Male
  • American Accent
  • Late 20s/early 30s

Nikolai Fyodorovich Melinkov is the eldest heir of House Melinkov. House Melinkov is one of the wealthiest families of the west and one of the staunchest opponents to Imperial control of the borderlands. They are led by Nikolai’s grandmother, Alma Melinkov. Nikolai is the heir because his father (Alma’s son) died during the war and Alma’s daughter is a church matriarch.

Nikolai never wanted the responsibility of leadership. He is a man who enjoys fine dining and classy entertainment. If he had his way, he would run a theater or prestigious tavern rather than control his family’s domain. He also believes that his dying grandmother, Alma Melinkov, is much better suited to protect the family than he is. For this reason, he will use whatever tools he possesses to extend Alma’s life and protect the family’s interests in the meantime–even if that means breaking the most sacred law of the Krovakyn Church and blackmailing Sofya to help him.

Audition Line 1:
NIKOLAI (firm, threatening): You will do as I say, Lady Rykov. My sister has ten copies of this photograph. If I do not wire back to Volgrad with other instructions within the hour, she will send it to Patriarch Arkady here in Vodotsk. However, if you deliver the Sacrament to me, I will destroy every single copy of the picture and the glass impression.
Audition Line 2:
NIKOLAI (determined): We are GOING to build a dam, and we’ll make the Leshin pay for it!

Audition Part 3:  Please include a singing clip!

I’ve also posted auditions to the following sites:
Newgrounds
Casting Call
Voice Acting Club

Send all audition clips and any questions you might have to jenny (at) woodsy-studio (dot) com. Thank you and good luck!

Echoes of the Fey: The Fox’s Trail Out NOW On Steam

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The day is here, friends! You can now get Echoes of the Fey: The Fox’s Trail on everyone’s favorite PC gaming platform, the launcher we all know and love, Steam.

We’ve got achievements! We’ve got trading cards! At some point in the near future, we’ll have a demo and soundtrack DLC! Go check it out!

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Echoes of the Fey – Episode 1: The Fox’s Trail

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Get game on Steam

Coming to PS4 July 11

For the first time in almost thirty years, the land of Oraz is at peace. For three decades, the Humans and Leshin of Oraz waged a brutal war over the right of Humans to power their cities and machines with magic. But the Leshin people have overthrown their theocratic leaders who pushed to extend the war and ushered in a new era of reconciliation and reconstruction.

This peace, however, is fragile and strained under the shared history of the two peoples. This is true nowhere more than the city of Vodotsk, a historically Human city that was occupied and ruled by the Leshin for years. Old grudges among the Humans have re-emerged. Leshin who lived there for years as rulers must decide whether to return beyond the Great Forest or stay as second-class citizens. And the wounds of the war threaten to re-open whenever the two peoples come into contact.

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Echoes of the Fey is a series of detective stories set in the high fantasy world of Oraz starring Sofya Rykov, a Human private investigator with a dangerous secret: following a near-death experience in the war, she spontaneously developed the ability to use magic. She is joined by her Leshin partner, Heremon ir-Caldy, a doctor fascinated by Sofya’s magic but fearful it will soon come at the cost of her life. Together, Sofya and Heremon navigate the mysteries and tensions of Vodotsk, the city they intend to make both their hiding place and their home.

Get Echoes of the Fey on itch.io

gameplay“The Fox’s Trail” is an English-language visual novel with multiple story variations. Will you uncover the truth behind the mystery on your own? And once you do, what will you do with that information? Your investigation will change the future of the city and its people. Over 100 individual choice points exist throughout “The Fox’s Trail.” Some will improve your relationship with the characters. Others will provide you critical information. And some will change the fate of the people you will come to know. Explore Vodotsk in side-scrolling segments and assist other characters in minor side-quests to uncover more about the history and lore of the realm.

You can find a full, detailed walk-through in the Steam community (may contain spoilers!)

Credits

Written by Malcolm Pierce and Jenny Gibbons
Art by Jenny Gibbons and Wendy Gram
Music by Jenny Gibbons
Programming by Jenny Gibbons with use of VN Edge Engine by ThinkBoxly
Sound design by Jenny Gibbons
Sound effects by: Drew Becker, Adobe Audition Library, Free SFX

“The Fox’s Trail” also features voice acting–fully performed critical scenes and expression lines throughout–by the following awesome voice actors:

SOFYA RYKOV – Amber Leigh

HEREMON IR-CALDY – David Dixon

ARKADY VANZIN – CJ Aulenbach

EDUARD GALKIN – Dillon Taylor

EMILIA OSBORN – Michelle Michaels

LUKA TETERIV – J.P. Daman

TIATHA IR-ADECH – Kristyn Mass

ANYA SAITOV – Helen Edgeworth

VIOLA ARISTOV – Olivia Steele

SIMION IR-SHEAF – Jacob Anderson

PRISONER: Isaac Lawson

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