Laura Bow 3 (was Laura Bow and the Mechanical Codex)

[Tawmis]

I'll shut up now...

Heh, they're the only ones I know of that did anything for April 1st. Normally I do a few on some of the websites I run... but this year, it seemed a bit much with all that was going on.

[BBP]

DeviantArt did, they always have some April Fool's gag where you can earn a badge and where they have a lot of artwork done for. They had made an announcement that they were blocking all entries with the character Hooves - a brown unicorn with pink manes, cyan human-like lips and horn, a moustache, H stamp on his thygh, human-like hands instead of front hooves and banana peels instead of rear hooves.
https://www.deviantart.com/team/journal ... -831656600

[Nowhere Girl]

My opinion:
not bad, but I regret that it's 3D. I just don't like 3D and vastly prefer classic hand-painted pixel graphics.
And Laura looks too flirty here. As an asexual woman I really miss female protagonists who just don't give a sh... about catering to the male gaze.

[Tawmis]

Why hello there super sleuths!

We are back with another monthly update for Laura Bow and the Mechanical Codex. "What!?" you ask. "But you just announced an amazing new infinite runner game last month which sounded like the bee's knees! I was really looking forward to it. [sadface]" Well, yes, we did say that. However, it was also April Fools Day. We hope that you didn't mind our little joke, or take it too seriously - and that it gave you a little chuckle or distraction during these challenging times for many people out there. Let us know if it put a smile on your face... or if you fell for it and stormed out of the room in your flapper dress, cursing our name. Either way is a success in our opinion.

Regarding the development of the project... our progress has slowed down a bit recently. So we might be extending our timeline just a tad for that playable demo which we have been talking about. Along with most of the world, things are a little uncertain these days, finances are being challenged, and there are generally bigger problems out there to deal with some days. Needless to say, we are still moving forward, and we plan to continue these monthly updates to keep you involved in the process!

And now, on with the good stuff...

Remember, to view any of the images in their full size, just click on them (Gmail) or right click and select Save Image As or Download Image to copy it to your computer. If you are on a mobile device, you can touch and hold to save the image to your device. And, as always, visit the website if you'd like to view some of our previously released images: www.ninezyme.com
Another Friend Face

That's right, it's time to reveal our last character for the Prologue chapter of the game. Many of you have been asking if some of the characters from previous games will be making an appearance. We have already shown you Sam Augustini (Laura's boss), and now we're happy to announce that someone else is making a comeback as well.

That's right, it's Crodfoller T. Rhubarb, otherwise known as Laura's co-worker, Rube! He will be helping you out during the first portion of the game to get Laura kicked off on her new adventure.

Were you hoping that we'd mention some of your other favorite characters? Don't worry, we -might- still have ya covered. There will be some dialog, images, and other information referencing some of the other characters who didn't make the cut for a full 3D rendition. Perhaps if this project works out for the long haul, we will bring some of those others into the fold for a future game - or maybe even an extended prologue if we find the time & money for it!
The Land Lost To Time

We also thought that this month it might be fun to show some of the old concept art which didn't quite make it into production. So, with that... here are a few rough draft sketches from our wonderful concept artist, Emilie Vaccarini. Most of them are alternate perspectives of locations which we are actually putting through the production pipeline, so these areas aren't entirely lost to the ether. We hope you enjoy seeing "the way things could have been".

Next month, we will dig into a bit more of our progress on the 3D environments...

[Tawmis]

Hello again, fellow adventure gamers...

We hope you all are safe and sound out there during these challenging times. If you would like someone new to chat with for a bit, or have an important/interesting story you'd like to share about what is happening in your area of the world, please reach out to us... we'd love to hear from you: info@ninezyme.com

Anywho... another month has flown by and most of us still find ourselves quarantined indoors more often than we would like. So, to follow along with that trend, we are keeping this month's newsletter focused on staying inside too! Today we will be showing off some of the progress we have made on turning a couple of our interior spaces, for Laura Bow and the Mechanical Codex, into full-fledged 3D environments.

Remember, to view any of the images in their full size, just click on them (Gmail) or right click and select Save Image As or Download Image to copy it to your computer. If you are on a mobile device, you can touch and hold to save the image to your device. And, as always, visit the website if you'd like to view some of our previously released images: www.ninezyme.com

A Place To Sit And Sleuth
Every reporter needs a place to research, write, and edit all of those hot press articles. Laura Bow is no exception! At the relocated offices of The New York Daily News Tribune, Laura is set up better than ever. She is also more established in her career than the previous game, and has "settled in" a bit more permanently - with a couple of knickknacks to adorn her workspace. All ready for any new reports that find their way to her desk... and a brand new story of mystery and intrigue!

And here is the entire new office converted into a full shiny 3D environment for Laura to explore and do her best work. We are still in the process of populating it with more news worthy goodness, but it's nearly complete - and overall we think it's turning out quite nice. Let us know what you think, and if you're excited to point-and-click your way around this space!

Like A Boss
Laura isn't the only character who has a new space for sleuthing. Her boss, Sam Augustini, has some new digs as well. From here he can oversee the main office and make sure there's no funny business going on (the news is serious work, after all). Unfortunately for the staff, he seems to always be in there... keeping a close eye on all the happenings around the office!

[Rath Darkblade]

Looking good! Let's hope there are plenty of things to click on and funny messages (instead of just John Rhys-Davies saying "It doesn't budge" or Leslie Wilson saying "That is not a good idea").

[Tawmis]

Oh hi again, Laura Bow fans!

Summer is already upon us... and, admittedly, July really just popped up out of nowhere! And with that, we're going to keep this month's newsletter short and sweet. Our environment artist has been doing some great things, converting our concepts into full 3D, so we'd like to show you some beautiful new images from that effort.

However, if you'd like to have a more in-depth conversation with us this month (or just have some questions for us), then give us a shout! We love making time to talk to the fans: info@ninezyme.com

Remember, to view any of the images in their full size, just click on them (Gmail) or right click and select Save Image As or Download Image to copy it to your computer. If you are on a mobile device, you can touch and hold to save the image to your device. And, as always, visit the website if you'd like to view some of our previously released images: www.ninezyme.com

The New Offices of The News
Last month we showed you some of the interior of the new offices of The Daily Register News Tribune. This month, you get to see how the outside is coming along! Here are a few things you'll find as you take a little stroll outdoors.

[Tawmis]

Welcome back to another monthly update, Super Sleuths! We hope you all are healthy and happy out there...

This time we wanted to reveal a bit about the kinds of things you'll be interacting with in the world of Laura Bow 3... so we will be talking mostly about your inventory and the types of objects you will need to use as you meander your way around the 1920s. Also, in the later portion of the newsletter we will be giving a bit of a schedule update on where we're at in the development process.

Remember, to view any of the images in their full size, just click on them (Gmail) or right click and select Save Image As or Download Image to copy it to your computer. If you are on a mobile device, you can touch and hold to save the image to your device. And, as always, visit the website if you'd like to view some of our previously released images: www.ninezyme.com

Put It In Your Pocket
In true form of classic adventure games, you will be able to pick up many objects throughout Laura Bow and the Mechanical Codex, and well... put them in your pocket. "Does Laura even have pockets?", you ask. "What about in her other outfits?" Well, ok, probably not. But hey, we are sticking with the grand old hand-wavy paradigm of carrying around a plethora of items without any real basis of where they go. Just don't concern yourself too much about it and the world will be a happier place.

And with that, we have chosen a selection of items from the prologue chapter to show you up close this month. The selection was a bit limited since we are trying not to spoil too much of the game. But just imagine using these incredible objects to solve all the world's problems! Incredible!

For managing and using your inventory, we have opted for a nice clean look of a simple scrolling item bar at the bottom of the screen which will open/close on demand (sometimes automatically). You will be able to drag and drop items into the world to use them or show them to other characters. There will also be an opportunity to inspect items up close by just clicking on them (or pressing the appropriate gamepad button).

We will show off the interface in a future newsletter. The only screenshots we have at the moment contain some minor spoilers - so we didn't want to use those this time.
Development Progress Update
As many of you are probably aware, game development is a crazy endeavor only embarked upon by insane people, and things rarely go entirely as planned - life happens, ideas change, budgets run thin, schedules stretch... and yet, development goes on. We are not immune to those circumstances either, unfortunately. Heck, we are actually more susceptible since we are such a small team.

That being said, it has become quite clear that we aren't going to have the Prologue Chapter ready for you to play as soon as we had hoped. Originally we wanted to release it this summer, but things have gone a bit slower than anticipated for a multitude of reasons (see the aforementioned "life" and "budget" situations).

We could have chosen to cut some things, simplify the content, or dumb down the game a little... just to get something out there. But instead, we are opting to continue on developing the original vision and see it through - at the cost of extra time. Realistically, we probably won't release this chapter until Q1 of next year. If everything went swimmingly smoothly, there is still the possibility we could have it ready to play over the holiday season. But it's an extremely slim chance, most likely. Fingers crossed, though!

Anyway, that's how the Tribune tumbles - sorry for the unfortunate news (it seems never-ending in 2020, amiright?). We hope you're still as excited as you were before to get back into the world of Laura Bow, and see what kind of trouble she finds herself in with this new adventure! Thanks for sticking with us... and please reach out if you'd like to chat.

Have any questions, comments, or concerns?
Want to suggest a topic for the next tribune newsletter?
Can you help with our Activision and/or financing negotiations?

Email us at: info@ninezyme.com

[Tawmis]

O hai again, super fans!

Another month down, and we continue to plug away at our continuation of the Laura Bow series! It's slow and steady, for sure... but we are still making some really good strides. For a more thorough development progress report, take a look back at our previous newsletter.

Our topic this month is all about bringing our characters to life via voiceovers! Yes, that's right... if you didn't know already, we are including full professional voice acting from the get go - even for the free prologue chapter that we will be releasing next year. So let's get on with it and introduce you to our cast!

Remember, to view any of the images in their full size, just click on them (Gmail) or right click and select Save Image As or Download Image to copy it to your computer. If you are on a mobile device, you can touch and hold to save the image to your device. And, as always, visit the website if you'd like to view some of our previously released images: www.ninezyme.com

Eh? What's That I Hear?
We have recently completed our voiceover casting for the prologue chapter of Laura Bow and the Mechanical Codex! We even decided to extend our script a bit further than we intended because we were so inspired by some of the auditions that we received while casting the primary roles! It has really been great to hear some of the characters played out just as we imagined.

The role which everyone is probably most interested in knowing about is Laura Bow herself, and we think we've found the perfect actor to play her. Maya Tuttle is one of the hardest working women in voiceovers, and she has offered to take on this momentous task! We worked with Maya last year to do some preliminary lines for testing and animation samples, and we enjoyed it so much that we decided to continue on with her as our lead heroine.

Our other familiar faces will be Frank Guida as Sam Augustini and Zane Schacht as Crodfoller T Rhubarb (aka. Rube). Then we have one of our mysterious new characters, Nasir Al-Rahim, who will be played by Vince Melamed. They will be joined by some other amazing voices by Tricia Brioux, Tim Giebel, Marcus Anderson, Amanda Willett, Graham Vick, and Travis Carey. We are very excited to be working with these super talented actors, and we hope to include some of them in more roles later down the road - within future chapters of the game.

Get Out Of My Head!
One of the things we decided to change from the previous titles in the Laura Bow series is to no longer have a separate narrator in the game. In The Dagger of Amon Ra, for instance... when you interacted or examined something, a mysterious disembodied voice would ring out from the heavens and tell you what you are doing or looking at.

One of our goals with The Mechanical Codex is to make Laura a more relatable character and give a deeper insight into her thoughts and personality. So we decided to have Laura provide her own commentary on the situations she is in, and the things around her - via an inner monologue style dialog. So as you are interacting with the world, you will hear Maya Tuttle's rendition of Laura's own thoughts, instead of an unknown 3rd person voice.

In many other classic adventure games, this inner monologue is actually more of an outer monologue that is just conveniently ignored by other characters most of the time - except in rare moments when it turns into a back and forth dialog. While we actually enjoy this mechanic in some of those other games, we don't feel it's right for the Laura Bow series, which is based more around history and a real-world setting. So we intend to have a clear distinction between what Laura says out loud (ie. what other characters can hear) and what she thinks to herself within her own head. We believe this fits better into the world and story we are creating.

Agree? Disagree? Let us know what you think... we'd love to hear from you!

[Semi-Happy Partygoer]

The location renderings all look beautiful, so I give them huge props for that. The characters are certainly well done, but I’m still not digging the overly cartoony aesthetic. It just doesn’t gel with the very dignified portrait art the first two games had.

Nonetheless, it’s still exciting to see Laura making a comeback. Hopefully Craptavision won’t spoil the whole thing.

[Tawmis]

The cartoony style doesn't bother me too much. It's not too over exaggerated.

[Semi-Happy Partygoer]

The cartoony style doesn't bother me too much. It's not too over exaggerated.

True. At least it’s not in bobblehead Maniac Mansion territory.

[Rath Darkblade]

Er ... what is "bobblehead Maniac Mansion"? *curious* I've played Maniac Mansion (and its sequel, Day of the Tentacle) many times, but I can't remember any bobbleheads there!

[Semi-Happy Partygoer]

Er ... what is "bobblehead Maniac Mansion"? *curious* I've played Maniac Mansion (and its sequel, Day of the Tentacle) many times, but I can't remember any bobbleheads there!

I just meant that the Manic Mansion characters all had exaggeratedly large heads, not dissimilar to bobblehead figures.

[Tawmis]

Er ... what is "bobblehead Maniac Mansion"? *curious* I've played Maniac Mansion (and its sequel, Day of the Tentacle) many times, but I can't remember any bobbleheads there!

I just meant that the Manic Mansion characters all had exaggeratedly large heads, not dissimilar to bobblehead figures.

For sure.