Magnate: Taryn & Caitlyn Final Art

Hi all!

The last post for August comes in the form of beautiful art by Henry Lidstone. This is Taryn and Caitlyn's final design.

This weekend's update will include some more details on one of the many features in Magnate laid out in the FAQ and "About Magnate" pages. Please tune in then as well :)

Magnate: Nav Bar and more!

Hi all,

This weekly update has a lot of content to get through.

First off, you'll notice that a Navigation Bar has been added to the left side. Included in this little gizmo is a little blurb "About Us", which contains the first post with all the team members and a little description of Dominion Arts Studio. The bio's are still considered placeholder and will have portraits and the like added as we get them.

Also in this pretty bar is a write-up of Magnate in the "About Magnate" section. Here you'll be able to learn a little more about what we are trying to accomplish with this title and what you can expect to do and experience when  you play the game!

And finally, there is a FAQ up that should answer any questions you may have which concerns Magnate. If it doesn't answer your questions, please feel free to email me at timothy.kiem at gmail.com :)

And I leave you today with a little art gift. This is a Press Start screen mock-up with David Kuo's wonderful art.

So pretty!

And that is the update for this week. I hope you enjoyed your visit and do come back and spread the word! And from the DAS team, your support means the world to us! :)

Magnate: Main Supporting Cast Part 1

Hello again to our weekly update!

This week, we welcome Taryn Wrenlin and Caitlyn with a brief biography as well as some emotional shots and colour tests. Let's get right to it!

Taryn Shocked!

Name:  Taryn Wrenlin

Age:  35

Rank:  Former Captain

Class:  Ninja

Taryn Thinking

Taryn Wrenlin arrived abruptly on the mercenary scene with a pair of toddlers on her hip and a sword in her hand.  Leading a band of incredibly skilled men who seemed almost fanatically devoted to her, she proved to the skeptical public that a mother of two can – and will – be a perfectly capable mercenary and leader.  She is known to be very picky about what jobs she will take and will often research them thoroughly before agreeing to any contract. 

Not much is known about Taryn’s early life; she and her followers are incredibly closed-mouthed about it.  What is known is that she had twins at the age of nineteen and seemingly decided to take up the life of a mercenary in the same year.  

Taryn Angry

At the age of thirty-five, Taryn announced that she would be stepping down from the position of Captain in favor of her son, Aiden.  She has plans to settle within a territory granted to her by the King of Procella on the far eastern coast.

Taryn Colour Test

Caitlyn Shocked!

Name:  Caitlyn

Age:  19

Rank:  General

Class:  Rogue

Caitlyn Thinking

Caitlyn doesn't know much of her early childhood days, only images and vague emotions fill that part of her life. Not the type to dwell on the past, she has spent the last 15 years in the Wrenlin family. Taryn is not only her captain but also her mentor on all things mother to daughter. She treats Aiden like the little brother she never had and though she's older than Kira, in her little world, Kira's the nagging older sibling she never wanted.

At a very young age, Taryn took her under her wing to follow in the family business of the shadows when neither of her siblings showed aptitude or interest in the cloak and daggers. As though she was born with the tradition etched in her bones, she soaked up all that Taryn had to teach with ease and quickly raised in mercenary ranks to become a respected general.

Caitlyn Angry

When she's not out scouting the path ahead, she's teasing Aiden or stealthily trying to avoid Kira with little success. On a good day, she's by Taryn's side like a shadow absorbing all her wisdom, enjoying her gentle warmth.

Caitlyn Colour Test

Two of the main supporting actors in this large cast, Taryn and Caitlyn both play vital roles in the story and also have side quests dedicated to exploring their history and character.

Next week, we continue to reveal more supporting casts to be determined Saturday evening >.<

Please feel free to leave facebook comments or email them to me directly at timothy.kiem at gmail.com with suggestions on what you'd like to see in an update. If the request is reasonable, I'll do my utmost to make it come to pass :)

Thanks for reading!

Magnate: Aiden & Kira Final Art

A little midweek special!

I present to you Aiden and Kira with their final colours by the wonderful Henry.

Next update will come Sunday, August 21st with Taryn and Caitlyn. Again, I'll include a small biography with colour tests and some emotions we'll be using during the game's dialogue sequences.

I hope you join us then as well! :)

Magnate: Main Character Introduction

Hello again!

As promised, today's post will introduce you to the two main characters of Magnate as well as some art sneak peeks. I'll show you some of the emotion shots we'll be using for our dialogue conversations and a colour test for each of them. I'll also include a short biography to boot!

So without further delay, I proudly present: 

Aiden Shocked!

Name:  Aiden Wrenlin

Age:  16

Rank:  Captain

Class:  Scholar 

Aiden Thinking

The eldest twin born to Taryn (by a matter of minutes, a fact that he never lets his twin forget), Aiden has spent nearly his entire life on the road with his mother’s mercenary company, Ventus.  He has been across the length and breadth of Adura. He spent his early life raised alongside his sister and kept mostly out of the way until they were old enough to safely handle camp chores.  At the age of 9 they finally began formal training. 

Aiden Angry

Aiden is, at heart, still a very young man, and he doesn’t often seem to take life very seriously.  He faces danger with quips and is always willing to lend a helping hand, often leaping in before he has a chance to think about it.  Recently, his mother handed him control of Ventus, and the responsibility involved in the Captaincy still hasn’t really sunk in yet.

Aiden Colour Test

 

Name:  Kira Wrenlin

Kira Shocked!

Age:  16

Rank:  Vice-Captain

Class:  Regular

Kira Thinking

From a young age, Kira has always been the more responsible of the twins.  She has always protected her brother to the best of her abilities, be it from an outside influence or from his own sense of adventure.  To that end, she took up the sword and caged lessons from anyone willing to teach her.  After years of study she began to put together her own style modeled after that of the Procellan Knights.  She named it ‘Eagle-style’ after Ventus’ heraldic device.

Kira Angry

Many have mentioned that Kira, perhaps, would make a better Captain than her brother, but she will always be the first to shoot that notion down.  Aiden, she maintains, has always had the heart of a Captain within him; he just needs support to bring it out.

Kira Colour Test

And there you have it! The two main characters of our story. We'll continue to reveal more characters from our epic cast. Next up, the strong woman who raised these two and Aiden's best friend!

Dan and I will also be working on something special for everyone. We're still nailing the details before we feel comfortable sharing, but once we get there, you'll be the first to know!

And as always, feel free to comment or email me with your feedback at timothy.kiem at gmail.com :)

The Beginning and The Team

I'm still trying to warp my head around this website and make it work with me instead of against me, but I said I'd start to chronicle the journey that this team is taking in order to keep a record for us to look back on and others to hopefully learn from.

A quick thank you to David Kuo for the amazing background art you see here! I'll link to his site when its done. ;)

The team is filled with talent and I'll be creating a page for each of them so everyone who cares can learn a little more about them! Once I figure out how >.> But for now let me introduce you all to the wonderful people who are daring to chase the dream of creating entertainment for a living!

Joe
Programmer
The man who is going to make this little game work! A long time friend of mine through various games and forums, we've been dreaming together for so long, this almost feels like the final stretch of years of planning.

Henry

Character Artist
I've only known Henry for a short time, but I can already tell he's a true Canadian! Polite and charming most of the time, but sharp and quick witted to those he calls friend. He is in charge of designing all the main characters for Magnate. I'll be posting his work in the next couple of weeks to give everyone a taste of the art direction we're taking.

De-Von

General Artist
The chill Canadian who goes with the flow and draws whatever I want him to! mua ha ha! >.> De-Von is the multi-talented artist who will be drawing the world map, the buildings and game pieces in Magnate! I've known De-Von for so long, its nice to finally work on something serious together.

Jynx

Combat/Animator/UI Artist
After seeing her art, I just had to have her on the team. Jynx will be doing the combat art and animation as well as environment work. She is also creating pretty icons and the UI for Magnate! Oh and she likes to cosplay as zombie nurses. I'd choose my words wisely if I were you.

Lisa

Main Plot Writer
Lisa and I go as far back as 2002 when I was hitting on her best friend and she was sneering at me for doing so. Now, Lisa is in charge of molding the main plot for the game and ensuring that anyone who contributes to the lore of the world stay true to her vision. She is the bookkeeper, the lore master, the librarian with glasses?

Greig

Main Side Story Writer
Coming to us from Glasgow, Scotland, Greig will be creating stories and characters as deep as the main plot line. This will give players the opportunity to see the world outside of the main plot, glance through the veil to discover new characters and experience stories that enriches the gaming experience.

Daniel

Game Designer
In charge of designing the combat mechanics of Magnate. Dan brings a wealth of opinions onto the table about what he likes and doesn't like about games! I kid! Kinda. He will also be assisting me with itemization, general game mechanics and telling me when I'm crazy. Oh and he's learning stuff in some building for some piece of paper. *nod*

Mark
Audio Engineer
This man will make the game have audio! I've worked with Mark before and we get along just fine, as long as he's not trying to make me watch horror movies. Mark will be designing the SFX for Magnate and implementing the music.

Dio

Composer
The man with the music in his head. He is in charge of writing the scores and songs for Magnate, ensuring that the game sounds epic when it needs, happy when it must and sad when I feel like it!

Tim

Producer/Game Designer
And finally, there's me! I am the man with the vision of the game and how it will play out. I'm the deal maker, schedule tracker, the work thumbs upper. Putting this team together has been a great experience and I've learned a lot and hopefully this rat pack doesn't  hate me too much by the end of this journey. >.<

And that's the team of Dominion Arts! Again, once I figure out how to create pages and such, I'll make one for each of them and hopefully they'll take the time to fill it out and link it!

My next post will feature some of Henry's character art for your enjoyment!