Greenhearth Necromancer News

[p][/p][hr][/hr][p]In addition to being Silverstring Media’s lead writer, Lindsay is an accomplished graphic novelist and works in brand licensing for Among Us. They co-wrote the game I Was A Teenage Exocolonist, and their first graphic novel, Motherlover, debuted this year. They bring this gamut of experience to bringing the world of Greenhearth Necromancer to life: a bustling co-op of disparate neighbours coming together to form a community.[/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][p]Welcome to the fourth monthly developer log for Greenhearth Necromancer![/p][p][/p][p]Our monthly devlogs will highlight different aspects of Greenhearth and will share insights into its development. As a semi-idle magical gardening sim, there will be much to share as development continues! This month’s entry is a Q&A with our narrative designer, Lindsay Ishihiro.[/p][p][/p][p]As you step into the shoes of Echo, our non-binary necromancer who has inherited their Grandmother’s old co-op apartment, there is more to take care of than just the plants that take up residence on your balcony. The Greenhearth Co-Op is a community filled with quirky characters and regular neighbours who you’ll bump into and get to know. There is a community market to barter for goods, and some neighbours will come to you for help, as they did with Rose, your grandmother.
[/p][p]In a world like our own, but with the twist of magic, many things will seem familiar. Your role as a necromancer goes beyond just some simple spells & potions, and it will be up to you to decide how that role fits you.[/p][p][/p][h2]A community does not grow overnight, so let’s learn more about Greenhearth Necromancer’s narrative…[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]What is “narrative” design? What does crafting a story for a game look like?[/h3][p][/p][p]It’s easy to understand what writing is: coming up with the characters, the world, the plot. It’s harder to explain what narrative design is because it exists in conversation with the other disciplines of game development. Narrative design is the unseen waiter that explains the menu, lays out the cutlery, and brings the feast to the table. It controls the way the story is experienced in the context of the entire game — what systems encourage and reward the player for engaging with the story, and how the story supports other systems like level design, art, sound direction, and gameplay.
[/p][p]Writing a story for a game, too, is a different experience than writing in a linear, traditional format. It’s delivered in small pieces of story: cutscenes, conversations with townspeople, even the flavour text on weapons. It’s reactive to the player, and care has to be taken to ensure that it’s experienced in the right order and at the right speed. You can’t lay out a story and tell the player to read it like a novel from beginning to end — they are going to live in the world, and the story is everything they experience when they do. As a craft, it’s more similar to being a DM than an author; you may have an overarching story, but you have to be prepared for the player to spend an hour trying to find a door, or to fall in love with an NPC you intended to only use once.
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Who does the player embody in Greenhearth Necromancer, and why did you choose them?[/h3][p][/p][p]The player character — Echo, by default — is a recently graduated necromancer who has taken over their late grandmother’s apartment. Their grandmother was a powerful greenwitch and a pillar of the local community, a role you struggle to fill as a socially-anxious weirdo who spent the last few years learning how to raise the dead.[/p][p][/p][p]Echo is a fun persona to embody because they speak to a lot of relatable themes: feeling directionless after graduation, being an outsider to a new community, and struggling to find motivation when the good fortune and opportunities enjoyed by previous generations have dried up. A lot of the story is about overcoming those feelings and finding meaning in your life.[/p][p][/p][h3]How is a story told in an idle game? How does the genre shape the narrative?[/h3][p][/p][p]By necessity, the story of Greenhearth Necromancer has to be told in bite-sized pieces, experienced over the length of the player’s time with the game. The original idea was that the narrative would fit on the back of a single card, with only one round of choices — thankfully, during development, we allowed ourselves a little more room, but not much; the hope is that the player enjoys the narrative parallel to the idle gameplay, not overwhelming it.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][h3]Why is a story of a necromancer set during modern times?[/h3][p][/p][p]Why are there grains of sand on a beach? If magic exists, then let it be in a setting that we can use as a lens to look at our own. I think it’s interesting to wonder how the addition of magic would illuminate some things in our world, letting them be seen and talked about more fully.[/p][p][/p][h3]How does magic work in this world? How common are magic users?[/h3][p][/p][p]How magic works is one of the discoveries you’ll make during the game, so I’ll leave that to be explored by players. But, as for the role of magic as you know it, low magic is commonplace. There are no magical powers that would make someone a superhero or, more importantly, a supervillain — just like in our world, that’s what billionaires are for. The spectrum of ability is similar to musical ability: many people have no magical ability, just as many people have a hobbyist appreciation for doing magic, and very rare people (like you and your grandmother) have masterful control of an extremely specialized magical talent.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Who is your favourite character in the game, and what is one of your favourite scenes that they have?[/h3][p][/p][p]There are five (human) characters that you can befriend, and I do like all of them for different reasons, but one of my favourites is probably Demeter. Demeter is a bubbly influencer who focuses on homesteading content like foraging, cooking, and sewing as a way to find peace in a chaotic, cold world. I simply love every scene they’re in, even the ones where they’re crawling in the bushes looking for mushrooms. Because they’re nonmagical, I think the player will see in them a lot of similarities with how we’ve been alienated from the labour of our own lives, and enjoy going on that journey with them.[/p][p][/p][h3]Does the story “end” in Greenhearth Necromancer at some point? What does narrative progression look like?[/h3][p][/p][p]The main arc of the story does end, because everything must — as much as I’d like to keep going, they do turn the lights off in the writers' room eventually. But you can continue to play the game as long as it’s useful to you. Neighbours will still visit, plants will still grow, and the world will be there for as long as you need it to be.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][h3]What inspirations did you draw from for the characters, world, and lore of Greenhearth Necromancer?[/h3][p][/p][p]For the characters, we took inspiration from our own neighbours and the people we see on a daily basis whose lives we barely touch. ‘The guy you always see walking his dog’ became Gulshan, a firefighter near retirement who dotes on his superstar diva magical familiar and secretly wishes he could shine as bright as she does.
[/p][p]The world, too, is very much inspired by our own, just with magic brought to the forefront. I don’t tend to rely on specific works for inspiration, but the relationship between life and death magic will feel familiar to anyone who reads magical fantasy about ‘good and bad magic’ and has ever thought, ‘surely, it’s more complex than that.’[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]If you could write another story set in the game’s world at any time or place, what would you want to explore?[/h3][p][/p][p]Necromancy has fallen out of favour in our world, suppressed by those who’d rather see infinite growth and not dwell on its eventual decline. The era where that suppression was happening is one that’s really ripe for the picking — a proper fantasy story with heroes, intrigue, and miraculous feats of magic. During Greenhearth Necromancer, Echo is discovering what was lost when necromancers were forced underground, so it’d be really interesting to explore what really happened and not what Echo partially understands.[/p][p][/p][h3]What does your writing process look like? Do you have any advice for someone who wants to get into games?[/h3][p][/p][p]Writing for games involves a significant amount of planning, checking, testing, re-checking, approvals from other stakeholders... so the tasty part of writing, the time where you’re actually putting words into a document that will be read by human eyes, is only part of the work. I prefer to do all of my planning up-front, to be able to communicate to everyone the scope of what I’ll be working on, so that when it’s time to simply write, I can do so in a space that’s been clearly defined. I’m a bit of a process wonk; I love a good spreadsheet or Notion database.
[/p][p]As for advice for someone who wants to get into games, and into writing specifically... well, it’s a rough time to be entering the industry. It’s always difficult to find work as a writer, and in games, that’s especially true. Rarely will someone hire an unknown, untested writer, so the best strategy is to make yourself known and tested. Make games with your friends, during game jams, or even on your own. Teach yourself the basics of making a game, like learning Twine or Ink. And when you have something, put it somewhere people can play. The more you look and act like you’ve done this before, the more likely it is that someone will take a chance on you.
[/p][p]Most importantly, make friends with other people in the same boat. Unionize, if you can. If enough of us spit hard enough at this broken industry, the water will rise.[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][p]Thanks for reading all about the game design of Greenhearth Necromancer! If you don’t want to miss updates about the game, subscribe to our newsletter and wishlist the game on Steam![/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p] Welcome to our very first community update for Greenhearth Necromancer! In this inaugural post, we announce our publisher, share details about our first public event demo for the game, and highlight some additional fun community & social activities in one place. Let's dive in! 🎉
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A new partnership blooms! 🌼[/h3][p]
[/p][p]We’re thrilled to share some big news — Greenhearth Necromancer is officially partnering with indie.io! This collaboration will help us bring our cozy necromantic gardening sim to more players while we keep our focus on making the game the best it can be.

You can see the first fruits of this new partnership by heading to the newly revised Steam store page! We've got new screenshots! New gameplay GIFs! New headers and store text! It's a lot to take in, but why not give us a wishlist while you're there?

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We're at Vancouver Game Garden! 🌱[/h3][p][/p][p][/p][p]The very first public demo of Greenhearth Necromancer will be at the Vancouver Game Garden this coming weekend! [/p][p]
We are proud to be a part of the event alongside some incredible other artists and developers. If you're in the area, come say hello! We'll also be there with stickers and bookmarks, so come say hi and see if you've got a green thumb. 💚👍

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Which (living) plant are you? 🌻[/h3][p][/p][p]
We've got many plant species & types in our game, and this isn't even all of them! But, some plants just have a... vibe around them, and we tried to capture that above. Let us know what plant(s) you connect with below!

Keep an eye out soon for an undead version as well... 💀

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Did you know we have streams every week? 📺[/h3][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]Every week, we (usually) host three streams: a Civilization VII roleplay, a co-working stream with music jamming, and an indie game stream! You can find our schedule over on our Twitch channel.|

We are now up to Episode 12 (Chapter 8 in-game) of the critically acclaimed 1000xRESIST, and our latest episode is above! The full playlist is available here.

We'll have some exciting streams to watch out for in the very near future! We'll be bringing in some special guests from sunset visitor for our final 1000xRESIST streams, and we'll be streaming Greenhearth Necromancer very soon as well!

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That does it for our first community update! Thanks for giving it a ponder, and we hope to see you around here again soon.
Sincerely,
Colin \[Community Manager]

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[p][/p][hr][/hr][p]Though Devin is Silverstring Media’s Audio Director, today he’s here in his capacity as a game designer! He’s been keenly involved in all sorts of game design tasks throughout Greenhearth Necromancer’s development, helping to flesh out and test aspects of the game’s plant care mechanics, and to create lots of engaging content, be they plants, spells, potions, or icky bugs.[/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][p]Welcome to the third monthly developer log for Greenhearth Necromancer![/p][p]Our monthly devlogs will highlight different aspects of Greenhearth and will share insights into its development. As a semi-idle magical gardening sim, there will be much to share as development continues! This month’s entry is a Q&A with our game designer, Devin Vibert.[/p][p][/p][p]Designing a game that lets you grow plants, cast spells, meet your neighbours, and have it all work even while you tend to other tasks is no easy feat. What is a semi-idle magical gardening simulator? How does it work, and what does semi-idle even mean?[/p][p][/p][p]This month’s devlog will answer those questions and much more, as we dive into the design behind the mechanics of Greenhearth Necromancer.[/p][p][/p][h2]From roots to stem, learn about Greenhearth Necromancer’s gameplay…[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]How did the development of Greenhearth Necromancer start? What inspired it?[/h3][p][/p][p]Greenhearth Necromancer started as a humble game jam! We’ve tried to maintain a tradition of hosting no-strings-attached game jams every now and then as a team-building exercise and to generate new ideas and have a little fun. For this fateful jam, we had envisioned a balcony garden where, if you accidentally killed your plants, you could just … bring them back from the dead. No sweat. Just try again![/p][p][/p][p]As we mused over the implications of a world where this was possible, it became clear that there were some deeper themes related to humankind’s relationship with grief, community, and labour we were eager to explore. We felt empowered to work toward something with many of the hallmarks of an idle game without the more predatory, time-monopolizing aspects; we wanted a game that met players where they were and didn’t demand any more of them than they were willing to give.[/p][p][/p][h3]What is a paper prototype, and how did it help Greenhearth Necromancer?[/h3][p][/p][p]Paper prototyping can be a great way to test game systems through actual play to make sure they work as expected, without having to write a single line of code. Even though we knew we were headed in an idle game direction, we wanted to ensure there was enough strategic depth to the actual act of plant care that players would feel their decisions had a meaningful impact on their plant’s welfare, and this was the way to do it.[/p][p][/p][p]Now, I’m a pretty big plant nerd. Suffice it to say, the prospect of inventing new magical plants for Greenhearth spurred me to excitedly throw together an overnight pitch for a system where each location on the balcony had different growing conditions, and you’d need to reconcile those with the needs of each plant species to find an optimal growing location. Claris and Audrey graciously allowed me some time and freedom to cook on this.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]To test the concept, I put together an entire tabletop plant simulation game on Miro, complete with cards, tokens, dice rolls, spells, and an action point economy based entirely on plant care. I ran multiple games with most of the Silverstring team, effectively serving as everyone’s Plant Care Game Master for several weeks as everyone tried to achieve their balcony gardening goals. It was a lot of fun and provided a ton of beneficial information for the next stage of the design process.[/p][p][/p][h3]What is the core gameplay “loop” of the game?[/h3][p][/p][p]Check on your plants to ensure they have everything they need to thrive – water, fertilizer, and a good pruning regimen, to start. Thriving plants produce resources you can take to market or use in more complex potionmaking and spellcasting, which in turn spurs your plants to even greater, happier heights. Of course, this all takes time, and you’re likely going to have to step away to give your plants time to, well, grow. Don’t forget to check on your neighbours too![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Helping your plants (or neighbours) isn’t always a simple task, but on a macro level, this is the whole game! We want players to get into a rhythm of checking on their garden, knocking off a few gardening tasks, and then returning to the rest of their life to do whatever else they want to do. Run the game in the system tray or as a screensaver! Take a break to go outside and enjoy the sunshine. Get yourself some bubble tea![/p][p][/p][h3]What makes Greenhearth Necromancer a “semi-idle” game?[/h3][p][/p][p]Greenhearth provides opportunities for players at multiple levels of engagement, allowing you to play the game on your terms, in your style — sometimes more passively (“idle”) and sometimes more actively (“semi-”). Used to clickers? Want to click a bunch of times really quickly to get a bunch of stuff? We’ve got you. Water and fertilize all your plants, then prune them to level them up and get a bunch of resources. It’s clicks all the way down, baby.[/p][p][/p][p]Or, maybe you’d prefer to set up a beautifully curated engine in your garden, where all the plants in one corner of your balcony work together in seamless harmony to make Number Go Up So Unbelievably Fast? That is also a thing in Greenhearth. Set up your perfect arrangement, cast some spells, step away for a few hours, and return to collect all of the herbs and blooms you could ever want (though a little bit of furious clicking is unavoidable).[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Whether you’re feeling like taking a very active or passive role in garden management, and even if that changes for you from moment to moment, Greenhearth will bring something to the table for you. But no matter what, plants take time to grow — so you’ll always be asked to step away, take a break, enjoy your garden vibing away in the background, before stepping back to care for it again.[/p][p][/p][h3]How deep does the “sim” aspect of the gardening go? How did it change over time?[/h3][p][/p][p]It’s important to me that there’s some level of verisimilitude in the various plant care tasks. The Greenhearth world is not a high-magic world; gardening problems are still mostly mundane — bugs, diseases, forgetting to water — there just happen to be some more interesting magical solutions to them. And just as importantly, I wanted to ensure that the emotional arc of solving a plant care problem in-game roughly mirrored the real-world one, albeit with significantly less anxiety. As development has continued, we’ve added some extra whimsy to ensure that even when we’re contending with real plant problems in our fake plant game, the stakes are never too high. The considerations always feel a little magical and fun.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]The “sim” aspect of the balcony gardening is pretty robust. Every plant species has specific light, humidity, watering, and fertilizing needs, as well as different rates of maturation and flowering, varying pest and disease susceptibilities, and so on. Plants respond to their environment as well: a plant situated in a location that’s too sunny or dry consumes water more quickly; a plant that you accidentally overwater is more susceptible to diseases until it dries out, and a plant in perfect conditions will be happier, grow faster, and bloom more frequently. However, you can engage with all those specifics only as much as you want: you can create the absolute perfect conditions for your plant by delving into all the numbers, or simply keep an eye on how happy it is and what its immediate needs are.[/p][p][/p][h3]What makes Greenhearth Necromancer different from other idle games?[/h3][p][/p][p]Like any idle game, Greenhearth has a fair amount of pointing-and-clicking. However, the layers of both realism and magical whimsy in the plant care system necessitate some careful thought on the player’s part, beyond what an idle game might typically expect of them — you have to think at least a little bit before you click everything.[/p][p][/p][p]Plants can be overwatered, so mindlessly watering every plant can have drawbacks. Pests could attack your prized plant, forcing you to adjust your garden plans on the fly (pun intended). Plants themselves can develop personality quirks that fundamentally change how they interact with other plants. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Your garden is a community unto itself, with all sorts of messy contradictions and asymmetries and big personalities. That said, we never want these complications to feel unnecessarily punishing, so there’s always a way to come back if things really go sideways with one particular plant.[/p][p][/p][h3]How does necromancy feature in the game, and how does it fit with the “cozy” aesthetic?[/h3][p][/p][p]It’s easy to imagine necromantic magic and ‘cozy vibes’ as opposing forces, but I just don’t think it’s true because that assumes you’re using necromancy for Bad Things! [/p][p][/p][p]In Greenhearth, you use necromancy to care for your plants, and from there, the cozy only grows stronger. Undead plants will gradually develop their own personality traits. Referred to as Quirks, these can distinguish a plant even from others of the same species, giving your hard-won mature plants an attitude all their own. You can also name your plant: it’s way more personal if you’re trying to save Bob the Fern Queen from an unfortunate Zombie Slug infestation.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]
Lastly, necromancy is how the stakes stay low, a key aspect of many cozy games. Obviously, it’s not ideal when a plant dies, but you’re always one quick necromantic spell from getting it back in the game.[/p][p][/p][h3]What aspect of the game design are you most proud of?[/h3][p][/p][p]It might sound silly, but I’m very proud of how much enthusiasm I put into fleshing out each of the plant species on offer in Greenhearth. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to put a bunch of my random pop science and gardening knowledge to work in a game development setting, but then also, there’s magic! [/p][p][/p][p]We have a taxonomic system for Greenhearth plants that informs how new species might grow and behave, as well as how they are named. Every plant has a “proper” scientific name and one or several common names that are based on the folklore surrounding the plant or its historical uses. Their native habitats inform their preferred levels of light, water, and fertilizer. As an example, Feywood Trees generally grow near riverbeds; this gives them high light needs and higher water and fertilizing needs as they’re accustomed to the open sky and nutritional bounty a nearby river provides. They also attract faeries, who prefer their strong limbs for hanging lanterns and other party decorations. You may have to shoo said faeries away if they start causing trouble![/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Are there any tabletop or other alternative games that helped shape the game’s mechanics?[/h3][p][/p][p]Greenhearth has some engine-building in it, and while I don’t think we took any direct inspiration from a particular tabletop game, a few of us are big fans of several engine-building games like Power Grid, Caverna, or Settlers of Catan. I took inspiration from some of the character abilities in Sentinels of the Multiverse that let you set up cute little synergies, turning one element type to another or allowing for healing where you usually take damage, when I was thinking about Quirks, or how we envisioned spells and potions interacting with plant care systems.

I’m also a huge fan of area control tabletop games like El Grande, Pandemic, or Vye. Greenhearth obviously isn’t that kind of game. Still, I’m pretty sure my desire for crunchy and interesting placement decisions, as well as the enduring idea that elements (in this case, plants) sharing a space should influence one another, can be traced to those kinds of games. There’s definitely a bit of that in Greenhearth.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][h3]What does “game balance” look like in a game like Greenhearth Necromancer, and how do you achieve it?[/h3][p][/p][p]I’d argue that game balance in Greenhearth is chiefly about striking an equilibrium in how different levels of player engagement are rewarded. Ensuring that the numbers are all the correct numbers is very important, too. Still, a casual player should be able to enjoy the game roughly as much as a player highly motivated toward optimization. They might get different things out of the experience, but there’s got to be something good there for both of them! [/p][p][/p][p]How do we achieve that? It’s hard. We’ve strived to ensure there are multiple ways to tackle any problem in the garden. Some are inherently more efficient. That’s ok. You can spend time meticulously researching every last bit of information about a plant to produce the happiest plant in the world. You can also just slap the thing down in any ‘ol pot and figure it out through trial and error. Both are viable. We don’t judge, and neither will the plants; if they die, you can just bring ‘em back! So yeah, you’ll be able to optimize if you want, but if you don’t? You won't be penalized; things may just take a little longer. That’s a balancing act I’m constantly thinking about.[/p][p][/p][h3]Bonus question: What games are you playing now, and is there one you’d recommend to folks who can’t wait to play Greenhearth?[/h3][p][/p][p]Aside from wrapping up my billionth playthrough of Baldur’s Gate III (exaggeration) and my weekly Civilization 7 shenanigans with Lucas, the last few weeks I’ve been getting back into Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator. It’s a management game with very satisfying physical interactions and sandboxy crafting system where the careful act of correctly brewing a potion is abstracted as movement across a map, with various destinations representing a successful brewing and movement governed by which ingredients you add and in what order. It’s a kind of wild way to reimagine crafting, and I love brewing quirky little potions for my weird little medieval customers![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Thanks for reading all about the game design of Greenhearth Necromancer! If you don’t want to miss updates about the game, subscribe to our newsletter and wishlist the game on Steam![/p]

[p][/p][hr][/hr][p]Silverstring Media’s Audio Director is gifted with interplanar powers that allow him to find (and live in) the space between genres. Devin is a composer keen to find and explore the places where music, art, and nature intersect. Whether he's applying colour theory to a melody or string theory to a rhythm, Devin creates for the simple joy of creation.[/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][p]Welcome to the second monthly developer log for Greenhearth Necromancer![/p][p]Our monthly devlogs will highlight different aspects of Greenhearth and will share insights into its development. As a semi-idle magical gardening sim, there will be much to share as development continues! This month’s entry is a Q&A with our composer & audio director, Devin Vibert.[/p][p]As the evening sun sets on the concrete balconies of a brutalist apartment building, the plants that call this place home blow gently in a breeze. The vibe is set, but something is missing… the sound. This scene requires the call of distant birds, the crackle and hum of a radio, and the soft bleeps and bloops of plants levelling up.[/p][p]Greenhearth Necromancer’s vibes come together thanks to the sonic tapestry that our audio director, Devin, weaves. We stopped him out in the field while he was recording to ask him these questions…[/p][p][/p][p]How long have you worked at Silverstring, and what led you to work with sound and music?[/p][p]I’ve been with Silverstring since the very beginning! Lucas and I've known each other since grade school, and we’ve always been eager to embark on creative initiatives together. Just as I finished my studies in 2012, Lucas approached me with an idea for a serialized fiction project that needed a bit of music – Azrael’s Stop – and I’d say that was when our casual collaborations became official! It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long, and that’s probably a good thing?

My musical career arguably began when I dropped out of university halfway through a history/political science undergraduate program to study music production instead. I’d realized that while I was passionate about history, politics, and philosophy, nothing came close to music. The bigger realization came a few years later, when it occurred to me that not only was video game music a thing that people did, it was also a thing that I had already been doing for years without realizing it.[/p][p]I sunk many hours of my childhood into RPG Maker 2000, writing my own pieces to then import into the video game I was making. At the time, I remember feeling embarrassed – I thought my friends at school would make fun of me for creating video game music for a game that no one would ever see. Thankfully, a few friends – including Lucas – convinced me at the time that this was actually cool, and so I never quite abandoned it.[/p][p][/p][p]How do you first approach making music for a game like Greenhearth Necromancer?  [/p][p]Greenhearth is a game meant to run in the background while you do other things, including actual work. This reality immediately crystallized a key concept for me: the music, like the game itself, needs to be careful how much it asks of the player. I grew up obsessing over the highly melodic looping music of games like Chrono Trigger, and that’s kind of my default setting. In Greenhearth, though, the music can’t be the focal point in the same way; we’re not aiming for high fantasy drama, we need some chill vibes.[/p][p]The second acknowledgment I’ve made during the writing process for Greenhearth is that there are various ways people work, and the music needs to be open to that. This is why you’ll be able to swap between multiple radio stations during gameplay – some people prefer the stereotypical ‘Lofi Beats’ music while studying or working, but that’s not everyone’s first choice. We also have some ambient, spa-type music, lo-fi jazz, and even fast-paced drum-and-bass-inspired music for those who prefer that style. Obviously, we can’t cater to every niche, but it’s important that the music nods to some of those different experiences.[/p][p][/p][p]This isn’t the first time you’ve had to make a large body of music for a game. What were your goals for the Glitchhikers soundtrack?[/p][p]I’ll be 2-for-2 writing music that almost exclusively comes out of a radio! That does naturally lead me to write short, self-contained songs. Generally, I think my goals with Greenhearth are similar to those I had with Glitchhikers – we’re not dealing with motifs but with vibes, and the overall feeling a song conveys is more important than what’s happening at any particular moment. That makes it a bit easier to write a larger body of music, I think, because I’m not always getting down into the weeds. I can look at a recently-completed song from a 1,000-foot perspective, say “the vibe is good”, and move on with my life![/p][p][/p][p]How does the music on Greenhearth compare and contrast with your prior work on Glitchhikers?[/p][p]Sonically, Greenhearth’s music is warm, familiar and present, while Glitchhikers’ music is generally cold, indistinct, and distant. The main difference with Glitchhikers, I think, is that I was pushing for unexpected and unsettling sounds; I wanted weird and haunting things present in the music. With Greenhearth, conversely, I’ve adopted more of a ‘No Surprises’ doctrine. The music should be interesting, but it shouldn’t creep you out. You’re raising a cozy balcony garden, not staring at the stars above, contemplating the mysteries of life and death.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]Since you're producing a wide variety of music for Greenhearth, is there a genre, instrument, or production method you're excited to explore?[/p][p]Yes! My first instrument is the piano, but I love drumming. One of the radio stations you can listen to in Greenhearth is inspired by early 2000s drum ‘n bass/jungle music; not only have I used this as an excuse to get back into drumming, I’ve also been (slowly and clumsily) learning how to play and process breakbeats, and just generally drum and do fun rhythm stuff across unfamiliar genres.[/p][p][/p][p]How does the music tie into the themes of Greenheath Necromancer?[/p][p]Greenhearth is all about providing the player with the space to do things their way. The game, of course, touches on heavier themes of grief and community, but the lived experience of a player is a series of routines. The music is ever-present but unassuming; it’s meant to be there as a companion to you while you fulfil these routines and ponder these questions and care for your garden to your liking; it’s explicitly not there to do anything else. So in a certain sense, it reinforces the themes of the game by staying the heck out of the way![/p][p][/p][p]What are your steps for creating a song for Greenhearth?[/p][p]Unlike with most other projects I’ve worked on, Greenhearth songs start with a hook! I’ll spend time fiddling with various software synth presets until I find a little melody, timbre, or rhythm that speaks to me, and then everything comes naturally from that. Many times, I’m not even sure which of the radio stations I’m actually writing for until I start fleshing out the music a bit further; then I see the overall shape it’s taking and decide “this is definitely headed in a lo-fi jazz direction.” As per my ‘No Surprises’ doctrine, a lot of the music ends up being 2-3 minutes of interesting variations on one simple musical idea.[/p][p][/p][p]While music is an integral part of Greenhearth Necromancer, the sound design has its place too. How do you design sound for an idle game?[/p][p]An idle game always wants you to come back to it. Greenhearth is no different, but our game is a companion, not an adversary! We want the player to come back when they’re good and ready, and no sooner. We’ve endeavoured to avoid any situation where the game exerts undue pressure on the player to check in, and that effort extends to sound design. We’re working on a way to allow players to specify which sounds “push through” even when the game window is inactive. That way, players who want to know the instant their favourite plant is thirsty can have a little audio cue, while players who’d rather focus on writing their term paper can suppress it. I think that sort of thing really empowers a player to engage with the game on their terms, not the game’s terms.[/p][p][/p][p]What’s your method for creating sound effects that are diegetic vs non-diegetic?[/p][p]In my mind, diegetic sounds are more straightforward to create because there’s always some element of literality to it. You look at or picture an object, and ask yourself, “How does that object sound when I manipulate it?” Sometimes getting the right sound is complicated, but you at least know the question you’re trying to answer, and a lot of the fun comes in trying to cobble something together that makes sense. [/p][p]Non-diegetic sounds can be trickier because there’s some inherent metaphorical quality to them. Yeah, you’re clicking a UI element that looks vaguely wooden or whatever, but it doesn’t actually occupy any physical space. “What does it sound like” becomes more of a question of themes and aesthetics rather than a natural consequence of the object’s properties or function. Don’t get me wrong, I like both, they’re just different challenges![/p][p][/p][p]Are there any game (or other) soundtracks that are inspiring your work on Greenhearth?[/p][p]The soundtrack to Unreal Tournament (1999) has been on rotation, especially as I work on the faster-paced DnB/jungle-inspired music you’ll find on one radio station in the game.[/p][p]For the more lo-fi, chill-hop side of things, the entire Coffee Talk OST (2020) is impeccable. I cannot recommend the game or soundtrack enough for those rainy-day-in-cascadia coffeehouse vibes.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]What’s on your current playlist?[/p][p]Well, you asked! I have one megaplaylist with all the songs I’ve been listening to during the current calendar year. My music taste is, in a word, eclectic. I have rolled 7 on a d10, and that is how many recently played songs I will pick from it ^_^[/p]

• [p]Borislav Slavov - I Want To Live (instrumental)[/p]
• [p]Chappell Roan - Kaleidoscope[/p]
• [p]Glass Beams - One Raga to a Disco Beat (cover)[/p]
• [p]Louis Cole ft. Metropole Orkest - Things Will Fall Apart[/p]
• [p]Meute - You and Me (cover)[/p]
• [p]Mutemath - Achilles Heel[/p]
• [p]Radiohead - Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box[/p]

[p][/p][p]Do you have a favourite sound and/or song you want to share with the community?[/p][p]Here’s a fun sound! This is several variations on the sound you hear in-game when you send a dead plant to the composter. Who’s that little critter you hear gurgling at the end? Is it a plant? Is it a monster? Is it an unseemly neighbour? You’ll have to play to find out.[/p][p]I’ll follow that up with Pollen Motes, one of our lo-fi jazz pieces. This is a perfect example of a song that started with a riff – in this case, the bass melody! I hope you enjoy it.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][hr][/hr][p]Thanks to our Audio Director for this great look at the early progress of Greenhearth Necromancer! If you don’t want to miss updates about the game, subscribe to our newsletter and wishlist the game on Steam![/p]

Welcome to the first monthly developer log for Greenhearth Necromancer!

Our monthly devlogs will highlight different aspects of Greenhearth and will share insights into its development. As a semi-idle magical gardening sim, there will be much to share as development continues! This month’s entry is a Q&A with our art director, A.K. Gill.

Game design often begins in documents, spreadsheets and Miro boards - but it comes alive with concept art. The heart and soul of a game in early development is its visual design, the work that brings the mechanics and ideas to life. With Greenhearth Necromancer, we had to ensure it felt grounded but different, a sort of magical realism that feels familiar and fantastical.

As it is a semi-idle gardening simulator, Greenhearth also sticks to a single PoV for most of its gameplay to help ground players who hop between IRL tasks and gameplay. With this single perspective comes depth and variety, but also challenges to make the world feel bigger than just this single balcony.

We asked A.K. Gill some questions to find out more about this process:

[h3]What inspiration do you pull from to create that combination of magic and mundane found in Greenhearth Necromancer?[/h3]

We knew very early on that we wanted the game to take place in a concrete, Brutalist apartment, to serve as a contrast to the lush garden and cozy homey vibes that the main character creates from themself on their balcony. We have a studio Miro board where the team likes to collect inspirational images, but I also love to go on Pinterest. I certainly looked at movies and animated series for inspo, but I try not to limit myself to just those types of mediums. For this project, I’ve been very inspired by antiques, cute witchy accessories and fashion, and basically the whole Whimisgoth aesthetic!



[h3]With the game mostly locked to a fixed perspective, how do you draw the player’s eye to important details or unique features?[/h3]

We have worked hard to make the balcony space feel cluttered, but in a good way. There is room for plants, but there are also furniture elements and décor scattered all around. We want the interactable space to feel visually interesting, but also have some nice elements beyond the balcony, with buildings in the distance and with the lighting as the time of day changes.



[h3]Do you ever get stuck with your art, and how do you break through those blocks when they happen?[/h3]

Not being afraid to take breaks, going outside, and looking through my sketchbooks often helps to re-energize the creative side of my brain. I can also often count on Pinterest (minus the AI slop which seems to be seeping in like weeds) to help me out when I’m feeling stuck!

[h3]Video games are almost exclusively digital mediums, but do you have a favourite medium you like to work in?[/h3]

I think I’ll always prefer the feeling of drawing with pencil and paper over anything, especially when I’m just trying to sketch out ideas. I also really love watercolour painting!

[h3]Games often become timeless because of their strong art direction; are there any games that have stuck with you because of their art design?
[/h3]
I, like many other game artists, really liked the art style of Journey. It was such a captivating style. I also loved Cuphead’s art design, especially the hand-drawn elements and charming details. I’m really looking forward to the Samurai Pizza Cats game for similar reasons!



[h3]The balcony in the game is home to the various plants and bits and bobs that decorate the space. Do you have any favourite knick-knacks that you have in your own spaces?[/h3]

I have accumulated an eclectic collection of mini toys, which includes blind box collectables as well as vintage figurines from my childhood.

[h3]Art directors often wear many hats on dev teams and have to juggle a variety of responsibilities. What does a typical day look like for an indie game art director?[/h3]

Our team is quite small, and we all help out wherever we can, so I’m sure my typical day might not be similar to other art directors. I work closely with our Creative Director at the beginning of each week to talk about visual direction. In regards to Greenhearth, that might include firing up the Miro board to chat about the aesthetics of the balcony, and the scenery beyond, and coming up with ideas to flesh out the space. I also meet with the tech art team, which consists of the Technical Director, Tech Artist, and myself. Here, we take those earlier ideas and see what can be accomplished within the parameters of the project. I also help out with some UI art development as well, so creating sprites, etc.

I also manage a freelance 3d artist who has been expertly making the various items that appear on the balcony, based on the art direction that I have set. I create design briefs, which are sketches with notes attached for her to work from.



[h3]How does genre affect visual design? As Greenhearth Necromancer is a semi-idle simulation, are there considerations for visual design that you have to make that are unique to this genre?[/h3]

We thought carefully about the overall vibes we want to evoke with this game, especially since it is more slow-paced. We want the balcony to feel cozy, yet customizable with the different kinds of plants that the player can choose to populate the space with. We settled on a stylized version of cel-shading, with brush stroke elements to give things a hand-drawn feel. I moved away from realism in order to make the world seem more whimsical and cute, but a little weird as well.



[h3]Death and rebirth are at the core of Greenhearth Necromancer. How do you visualize these concepts in-game and make them feel distinct from one another?[/h3]

The plants are the star of the game, and the team has been exploring unique ways to indicate a healthy, living plant vs one that is thriving while being undead. We did this by focusing on bright colour palettes, special effects, and interesting leaf shapes for all the different variations.



Thanks to our Art Director for this great look at the early progress of Greenhearth Necromancer! If you don’t want to miss updates about the game, subscribe to our newsletter and wishlist the game on Steam!