GALAXIA [DEV LOG #01] - IN THE BEGINNING, THERE WAS THE SEA (Patreon)

My home city of Naples is in the south of Italy. Sea and mountains have both been part of my life since I was born -the earliest pictures ever taken of me depict little Simone as an infant on the beaches of Ischia island-, but I only came to really appreciate the former once I became an adult. As I got interested in history as a subject, with a particular appreciation for the Mediterranean and what this great sea has meant for civilization.

Eventually, I decided that if I ever wanted to make a story about something, it would be a story of exploration and mystery, set in a proxy of the Mediterranean Sea. A group of peculiar characters would take to the waves, on a long-term mission which would put them on a collision course with forgotten civilizations, hostile nations, uncharted wonders and hidden horrors.

That was in 2017, one year after I started making JPDE – Sonata of Fire. It feels like a lifetime ago and, alas, neither me nor my idea were mature enough. I only had a general basis for a plot. I knew what I wanted the story to feel like, but I had nothing about the world itself, its backstory, the races living in it, how they interact with each other. I was nowhere near as experienced in writing characters as I am now, after seven years of writing for JPDE.

As my life changed and my skills as a developer grew -and I made long-lasting connections with incredibly talented artists and collaborators-, the idea in my mind went through many iterations. First a group of navy graduates exploring a newfound land, dealing with rival nations and pirates. Then a debate-based affair, inspired by the Ace Attorneyseries. Following that, it became a horror mystery affair ala Danganronpa, and then the idea of a detective based affair where the main character would investigate murders… Over six years, I would learn through the evolution of this concept the calvary that is pre-production.

It wasn't all for nothing, though. Through all these iterations, some things were becoming solidified. There's two characters who have been present since the sea-faring beginnings, a third one who got added in the debate based version. The themes of exploration and mystery remained, but they were joined by those of talking and diplomacy. And as I honed my craft, my life also changed.

I got a new job in a completely different sector than the one I was in before, broadening my worldview. I honed my craft and zeroed in on what I like and dislike when it comes to storytelling and game design. I met the love of my life and she, too, exposed me to so many new things, some of which I've been always meaning to get into but eventually always pushed it forward…

All these elements, all these converging paths eventually veered this concept, born in my head staring at the sea off the coast of Campania in 2017, towards its final form: GALAXIA. And when I say final form, I mean it.

GALAXIA is going to be a story told in an episodic format, like a TV Show. Each episode will have its own self-contained story but with the same characters and an over-arching long term narrative arc. And the first installment of this saga is complete. The first episode of GALAXIA is fully playable from start to finish and pending some non-development related issues, it will be released before the end of this year.

All that's left to do dev-wise is adding in a few more bells and whistles and substitute all the place-holder art with its final form.

It's been a long road but we're almost there. The journey took me from the Inner Sea to a Sea of Stars, and I can't wait to share this new universe with you all, starting with these periodical dev logs

- Simone (aka Meinos Kaen)