- Permanent Price Drop Available + Sequel in Early Access Soon! - 18 February 2024
This is something I have been debating with myself for awhile. Therefore, I should just do it immediately instead of easing everyone in to it. Ripping off band-aids never backfires. Clash: Robot Detective has changed its base price to $5.99! Hopefully this will encourage even more people to buy in and join in on Clash's adventures. And to everyone who bought in at the original price, know that I appreciate you and am forever grateful that you took a chance on a weird robot detective. :-) https://store.steampowered.com/app/2222480/Clash_Robot_Detective__Complete_Edition/ In other news, Clash: Blue Mirage - the sequel to this game - is releasing to Early Access on March 8th! It contains the first four chapters of the game, with the rest of the chapters and branching paths getting added in as I work on them. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2323650/Clash_Blue_Mirage/ ok thats it, happy l…
- Nominate Clash for Story Rich in the Steam Awards! - 21 November 2023
Tis that time of the year, where people are ready to get past all this Fall nonsense and jump into Christmas. But never mind that, we are here to talk Steam Awards and Autumn Sales! I humbly ask that you consider nominating Clash: Robot Detective - Complete Edition for the Story Rich award. I'm just one lady so I can't really bribe you or anything about this, and heck I sincerely doubt I'll even get in considering I released the same year as South Scrimshaw (oh and all those big name games like BG3 I guess), but even just one person finding my little story grand enough to nominate it for an award would mean so much. And if you haven't had a chance to actually play the game and judge the story for yourself, it's on sale in the Autumn Sale this week for 50% off! Or at least it should be, as of posting this I don't think the change has actually taken place, but keep checking back and do co…
- Clash: Robot Detective is 50% Off in Visual Novel Fest! - 7 August 2023
I'm excited to announce Clash is on sale in Visual Novel Fest, AND at its lowest discount thus far! If you haven't grabbed a copy yet, this week would be an AMAZING time to do so! Clash: Robot Detective isn't the only VN of mine participating in the fest. The sequel, Clash: Blue Mirage, is in with its free demo! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2323650/Clash_Blue_Mirage/ It's exciting to be a part of this event, and I hope everyone has a grand ol' time! oh and if you buy a copy then you are helping me save up money to get an apartment so yes uhhhh thanks plz bui gaem
- Clash is in the Steam Summer Sale 2023! - 29 June 2023
Clash: Robot Detective - Complete Edition is 40% off in the Steam Summer Sale. Pick it up for $5.99 before its too late! And a quick moment to say thank you to everyone who has been following along with both this game and the sequel. Your support has helped me continue to work on this little side job, trying to improve my work to be the best it can be. I'm still working on Clash: Blue Mirage and fiddling around with a Robot Detective update. Still too early to say anything about release dates for either so stay tuned.
- Quick Announcement/Update about the eBook DLC... - 23 June 2023
So the first big piece of news: yes, I'm working on it. For the first draft, I'm just porting all the lines over into a Word document and then reformatting them into something more bookish. From there, its just going to be revising and making it read like PROPER LITERATURE. Okay, maybe not "proper" on the lines of Sherlock Holmes or something. But more proper than it currently is. But as I'm going through, I'm noticing a lot of lines that aren't as clear as when I first wrote the visual novel. Which is a normal process, I've learned. What reads great before doesn't read so well when you check on it months or years later. But the great thing about visual novels is that you can update them much easier than you can a published book. So while I am working on the novelization, I'm also revising the game. So eventually, this game is going to get not only an eBook for DLC but it will get what…
- Clash: Blue Mirage is in Steam Next Fest! - 19 June 2023
That's right, you can play the Clash: Blue Mirage demo RIGHT NOW as part of Next Fest 2023! This visual novel continues the adventures of the grumpy-but-charismatic robot detective, Clash, as he tries to unravel the mystery of a stolen girl, an AI-run haunted mansion attraction, and his own sentience. The demo covers the first chapter of the game, Winter Interruptions, as well as the introductory section that reviews the events Clash: Robot Detective (and allows players to pick how that story went a la Mass Effect's comic book prologue DLCs). Be sure to check out the demo and give it a wishlist and/or a follow if you like it! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2323650/Clash_Blue_Mirage/
- A quick update... - 31 March 2023
All that I did was update a background that had some name brands in it that someone helpfully pointed out, so now there should be no risk of me getting in trouble. :-)
- Clash is in the Spring Sale! - 16 March 2023
Yep, Clash is participating in the Spring Steam sale. This is the first big yearly sale that Clash has been in (unless we count themed events as big yearly sales; I consider them two separate categories personally), so that's an exciting milestone. Be sure to pick up the game for 30% off if you haven't already! Or if you know someone who would like this sort of visual novel, go bug them to buy it! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2222480/Clash_Robot_Detective__Complete_Edition/ And in case you're wondering about the other Clash projects: Blue Mirage is coming along; I am working on Chapter Two as we speak! The Novelization is coming along as well but at a slower pace than Blue Mirage due to my approach towards writing books
- Clash in Steam Mystery Fest! - 23 February 2023
Well, the Steam Mystery Fest is underway. There's about three days left in this great celebration of all things mysterious, noir, and sus. Yes, I am in my 30's and say 'sus.' I probably should have mentioned this at the BEGINNING of the Fest but I didn't. So I might as well mention it now at the halfway point. Clash was selected to participate in the Fest! Have I mentioned how good the event's promo art is? Because its pretty darn good. It's pretty exciting to already be a part of one of Steam's events. It feels like I'm showing off a prized heifer at the county fair. Which is an interesting vibe. Anyway, Clash is 30% off with the Steam Mystery Fest! Now is a great time to pick it up! And if you do, pick up Noir Chronicles: City of Crime too, I bought it myself during this Fest and boy howdy was that game a trip, I loved it. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2222480/Clash_Robot_Detecti…
- Novelization DLC Coming Soonish! - 11 February 2023
I will let you in on a secret: when I was younger, I liked to write novelizations. No idea why. But I liked writing them for my favorite movies and tv show episodes and would share them with my friends and family (cute or cringe? You decide!). As I got older I stopped, but there was still a tiny part of me that missed writing them. So now that I am an adult and can make my own life choices, I have decided to novelize Clash. And it will be released as DLC, right here on Steam*! *also on itch.io, but we're not here to talk about itch.io, we're here to talk about Steam. The book is going to follow the plot of the game, but with some specific choices (like perpetrator, dealing with Jasper, and the name/gender of the player character). If they aren't the choices you made, that is okay; this novelization isn't necessarily THE route. It will have both the main game and the bonus story, as well…
- Version 2.1 Available Today! - 27 January 2023
I learned something after two years of writing visual novels: how to install a spell-checker on my chosen coding program. Because of that, version 2.1 of Clash: Robot Detective - Complete Edition is now available! Persuasive achievement should now unlock A whole slew of spelling errors have been corrected Like, an embarrassing about of spelling errors have been corrected Behind-the-scenes trivia updated to be a bit more accurate to current events (since I was digging around in that script anyway) Thank you all for your support and patience! (Also, Clash: Blue Mirage demo coming in February. Probably. Most likely.)
- Thank You!!! - 9 January 2023
Its about a week since the game went live on Steam, and boy what a week its been! Not counting that little hiccup with the Steam achievements (which was caught and fixed so quickly only because you guys were so helpful and patient with me!), this launch week has gone smoothly. The only basis of comparison I have for 'success' is the last time I tried a Steam release; looking at the stats, that game got in half a year (in views, clicks, and purchases) what Clash got in one week. So there's definitely been improvement. xD In all seriousness, coming back to Steam was a nervewracking decision. If I falied again, it would suck. But because of the support of you - the player! - it has been a success. So a hundred and a thousand times: thank you!!! So, what next? Well...I still need to go back and get all the achievements, since I deleted them all whenever I tested them. Speaking of achievemen…
- Clash: Robot Detective - Complete Edition is Now Available on Steam! - 2 January 2023
Clash: Robot Detective - Complete Edition is NOW ON STEAM!!! You can get it at a nifty 30% off release discount! I am really freaking out right now so hopefully this doesn't crash and burn too hard. To everyone who has been supporting me in this journey, thank you so much!!! If you catch any glitches or bugs that I missed (especially any related to achievements not unlocking because that's what I am most worried about right now) please let me know so that I can get them fixed kthnxbai I hope you all enjoy playing this visual novel as much as I have enjoyed making it!
- Hype Update #4: General New Years Well-Wishing - 31 December 2022
A quick update to wish you a very happy New Year's! May your 2023 be interesting but also safe. This quick update is also a reminder that Clash: Robot Detective - Complete Edition releases on Steam on January 2nd, 2023! Oh goodness, that is just around the corner! I hope you're all as excited as I am about this big step in Clash's journey. Speaking of Clash's journey, Clash: Blue Mirage (the sequel) is currently in development. A demo will be making its way on Steam in a month or so and the rest of the game will arrive when its ready. Also making a space adventure that has nothing to do with Clash, but don't worry too much about that. ...that's all I got today. There will be an announcement when the game releases (as well as Steam's automatic notifications if you have the game wishlisted so if you haven't wishlisted yet then please do so!), with another announcement on the 14th to wrap…
- Clash: Robot Detective - Odds & Ends - 24 December 2022
The third Hype Update is here on a fantastically chilly Christmas Eve. So a merry happy to all of you out there, I hope you are staying warm! Here's a picture from the sequel of Clash wearing a scarf to encourage your warmness. (btw, consider this the official Steam announcement that Clash 2 is coming soon, but let's focus on the Clash 1 port for now). Two updates ago, I talked about the main campaign and what makes it special. Last update, I talked about the bonus episode / trivia scene and what makes it special. This update, let's talk nitty gritty. The sprite editing process was very obnoxious. I believe I mentioned this before, but it bears repeating: I cannot draw. My art style stalled out at first grade. I could develop a style, but that would take time and/or money for art classes; I don't have either. Also can't afford artists. So I had to find a way around my inability to draw;…
- Clash's Steam Release Date Pushed Up! - 19 December 2022
In planning when to release Clash on Steam, I wanted to avoid any big or hyped-up dates. And believe me, my research showed that there was a LOT of them. 1/6 was originally picked because there was nothing. Then Splatfest weekend was announced, and guess. which. weekend. it. was. When the dev herself is planning on skimping on release maintenance to go play another game, she knows she's gotta change it. Gave it some thought and decided on a weekday launch instead of a weekend. Mostly because the weekday in question is my last day off before I have to go back to my day job. So thats a good amount of time to stoke the hype fires. So Clash's new Steam release date is January 2nd, 2023! Only issue there is that it is the same release date as Jellyfish Parade's Belle Automata, which is also a robot visual novel. One that I'm excited for, so I'd love to share a release date with it. So when y…
- Clash: Robot Detective - Baristas and Bonuses - 10 December 2022
Welcome back to the biweekly hype updates for Clash: Robot Detective - Complete Edition's Steam release! Last week, I talked a bit about the main game: where it came from, why I like it, etc. Today, I want to look at the extra bits that were added specifically for the Complete Edition: the behind-the-scenes trivia and the post-main-story chapter, Steel Barista. Yes, behind-the-scenes trivia is awfully self-indulgent. But I hadn't planned on it. I was trying to figure out how to code the "Play Bonus Story" menu button to show up only after the Main Story was completed. That code consistently crashed the game. So, biting back the frustration, I tried a different approach. What if the button was available, but just gave the player a reminder to finish the Main Story if they hadn't? That worked great: click Bonus Story, a black screen would pop up saying "You can't play this yet" and then b…
- Clash: Robot Detective - A Quick Rundown - 26 November 2022
Hello, all you prospective detective assistants! My name is Sci and I am the weird lady behind Drone Garden Studios. I've been writing visual novels (and RPGs and narrative adventures, but mostly visual novels) for a couple of years now. I started as a way to keep myself busy/working during certain lockdown periods and just...sort of...didn't stop. It's a very fun side hustle. Clash: Robot Detective was first released in September 2021. It's a mystery/sci-fi visual novel about a robot detective who hires an unwary human (that's you, the player!) to help him solve a mystery onboard a high-tech cruise ship. If it sounds like a strange premise, that is because it was inspired by a couple of different dreams I had that same year that would not leave my head. The game was a success on itch.io! Or at least, a success by my margin. Good reviews from users, nice rankings in game jams, things li…
