Jul 22, 2019

Coffee Talk Devlog #4: Brewing the Gameplay Mechanics and Latte Art Feature

Coffee Talk - shelicopter

What makes Coffee Talk different from other visual novels out there? The immersive coffee-making experience, of course.

In Coffee Talk, you will play the role of a barista, who run your own cafe that opens at night. There, you will meet people (mostly non-human) and serve them warm drinks — just like what you would expect in a coffee shop. As you help them soothe their souls with a cup of warm drink or two, stories will be unveiled.

•••

In Coffee Talk’s initial stage of development, there has been a continuous debate about how players should enjoy the game. Unlike other games from Toge Productions that are mechanics-heavy, Coffee Talk’s prototype was a straight-up visual novel with minimum gameplay. To make it become more of a “game”, the team then experimented more on the game mechanics.

Before, the branching and brewing mechanics were pretty straightforward with predetermined combinations, and players were not able to see whether they made the right drink or not before serving it. However, in the newer version, the game automatically generates the name, visuals, and stats of the beverages, which then became the key to the branching mechanism — it will be further covered in this log.

Read more about the history of Coffee Talk here: Devlog #1: How the game came to be - The seed, the anxiety, and the belief of design by subtraction

•••

Prototype Version vs. Newer Version

Even until today, the gameplay mechanics are still being improved. To understand more about that matter, we are going to need the experts in the field. For that reason, I invited Fredrik Lauwrensius and Jovan Anggara, the programmers of Coffee Talk as the special guests for this development log!

Both of them joined the team at a different time. While Jovan has been involved ever since the making of the prototype version — which was during the 2017 game jam, Fredrik came aboard about 1–2 weeks later, after some intense discussion about the game mechanism, direction, and so forth. There were many questions lingering for quite some time about Coffee Talk’s game mechanics when this log is still in draft form. Due to me being a complete noob on programming stuff, they are luckily kind enough to explain in a simple way.

Jovan told me that in the game jam version, players can freely add any ingredients for a drink. However, it resulted in a massive amount of beverages combinations that could be made, with most of it categorized as “failed” drinks. The team then decided that there should be no failed drink, and therefore tried to limit the possibility of combinations by determining certain ingredients to be used at certain times.

Other than that, players were also able to make cold drinks by adding ice before. The feature was eliminated and a brand new drink statistics was set up. Now the barista will only serve warm drinks containing these 4 statuses: warm/cool/sweet/bitter — because some drinks can tastes sweet and bitter at the same time, and the sensations of warmness and coolness can be experienced at just split seconds apart. The statistics, according to Fredrik and Jovan, affects the branching mechanics where it could cause not only changes in dialogue but also in the later parts of the game.

Sneak peek: the newest brewing UI that is currently under development

•••

Art in a Cup: Additional yet Significant Feature

What is it that could complement a nice, warm drink? We are thinking that latte art would be a nice touch. In Coffee Talk, in addition to serving drinks, players can also add their own latte art for milk-based beverages (or any beverages that use milk as an ingredient). The idea of the feature first came from our beloved CEO, Kris Antoni. It was not long after I joined Toge Productions that I saw the whole studio burst with enthusiasm toward this particular feature.

Frederik and Jovan said that it took them about a week to make that feature from scratch. Initially, they paid more attention to what the players can do in the development, such as pouring the milk and etching, until they studied the real latte art… from youtube videos. As time goes by, after many trials, they realized that they should also pay attention to fluid simulation — in short, the consistency and the flow of milk when it is poured.

“The biggest challenge would be to find the right configuration between the consistency of both the drink and the milk,” they said to me after thinking for quite some time. “Aside from it, we also need to think about optimization for this feature because it takes up loads of performance.”

The game mechanics and latte art feature have been revamped several times until today, even the programmers have lost count. You can give support to the developers by playing the demo and adding it to your wishlist here:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/914800/Coffee_Talk/

Also, don't forget to follow Coffee Talk’s twitter for more updates!

Thank you for reading! ☕

Apr 11, 2019

Coffee Talk Devlog #3: Creating Space With Music

Coffee Talk - shelicopter

When talking about a good cafe, I’m imagining a chill atmospheric place where I can comfortably sit while sipping my favorite warm drink. Is there anything more I could ask for?

There is, actually.

It’s music. We (or I) tend to take it for granted because we often thought that it’s just /supposed/ to be there. The same goes in Coffee Talk. As a game that simulated the calm feeling that is served in a cup of coffee, the music in it complements the experience.

https://steamcommunity.com/games/914800/announcements/detail/1694929321637602438

To appreciate the hard work of music composers, I decided to write this devlog so that you could understand the process of making music, especially for games. Now, allow me to introduce you all to Andrew Jeremy, or AJ, as we call him.

AJ has been working as a sound engineer and composer for almost all of the games that are developed by Toge Productions. Currently, AJ acts as the product manager and composer of Coffee Talk project. Playing dual roles doesn’t hinder him from producing delightful music. Although, according to him, sometimes it can be challenging when he’s stuck with no inspiration to make music. But that’s all.

Despite being the only music composer in the studio, he has actually never thought about being one. He graduated from an academy in computer/IT program, with a dream to make innovation in technology. However, music has been his passion for a very long time, and ever since he joined Toge Productions, he just goes with the flow. Now he is aiming to become an audio programmer and to make innovative music application.

https://steamcommunity.com/games/914800/announcements/detail/1727596629128652213

Okay, I think we already know enough about AJ by this time. Let’s have a talk with him about his work, shall we?

1. What was your inspiration for the music direction in Coffee Talk?

Hmm, of course when I see games like Coffee Talk, I came across any chill-hop channels (as the game director wants to use this kind of music), and I also thought about instrumental music that is played inside most cafes. Listening to many types of jazz music is also the key to get that feeling and to understand how the music works to give the cafe-relaxing experience.

2. Is the music in Coffee Talk all mechanic, or did you also use real instruments?

All music is composed using our Ableton Live DAW and its high-quality virtual instrument and samples. We invest heavily on these special tools. So, it's all mechanic.

3. Please tell us about the music-making process for Coffee Talk.

I make the Coffee Talk music soundtracks like other music I made for our games. Of course, the first thing to think of is to create jazzy chords and melodies for the composition. I use virtual instruments and samples like piano, guitar, electric key/piano, and other stuff like that. Then I created hip hop drum beats for the chill-hop style rhythm. I also search for any free or short samples to use and arrange them in a way that it produces great melodies and harmonization. If all the components are well-arranged, done, and ready, I will then go into a particular method of lofi chill-hop mixing processes. I add compressions, low fidelity EQ, even vinyl crackles (though not all OSTs), and other things necessary for making lofi jazz hop music.

Particularly for this game, we will have 3 different albums and each album have soundtracks that are arranged and mixed differently but still stay to the main core of jazz chill-hop style music.

4. Which track is your favorite and why?

I would say, one is "Lonely Space". Having a nice touch of reverbs around the instruments of the track gives me so much relaxing experience (the rain sound makes it even more peaceful). But also, another uniqueness to this track is that the instrument I use gives actual distinct/different chord progression from what I really intended (it actually has an almost similar composition to the other song called "Start It Over", so I keep both). Another favorite track is called "Cup Of Sweetness". I like it because of the chord progression and the melody that fit pretty well together. I really love listening to it. The last one is, maybe, the one called "Tenderhearted", maybe not just because it is a superbly good piece of music to me, but also because it is the first song that people like the most (it's actually one of the music from the first phase of the music production).

https://youtu.be/_UgIUz2APOw

https://youtu.be/oudBv0amrz0

5. Is there any track that is challenging to make?

Honestly, all the tracks underwent the same challenging process. Every track has its own kind of challenge to make.

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Has any of you ever dream about becoming a game music composer? Well, you can be one if you really want to! AJ himself never went to formal music education, yet he still follows his passion for music and can become a composer himself – which you can enjoy his creation from the playlist before.

Don’t forget to wishlist the game here if you haven’t. You can try the demo as well and find all those fine lofi music tracks, only in Coffee Talk!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/914800/Coffee_Talk/

Feb 6, 2019

Coffee Talk Devlog #2: Bringing Doodles to Life

Coffee Talk - shelicopter

Hello everyone! I’m Sheli, your go-to PR person and Community Manager of Toge Productions. If you have anything to say or discuss about our games, just hit me up. I’ll be happy to answer!

Now before we get into the topic, I want to share a little bit of nostalgia here. Before I joined Toge Productions, I have had the chance to try the demo of Coffee Talk in an event. At that time, I remember that I can’t wait to see more of the game; to hear the stories of all the characters. That is why I would like to dig deeper into the aspect that has got me intrigued since the first time I encountered this game, until today that I have the opportunity to be involved during the last part of development: Coffee Talk’s character design & development.

https://steamcommunity.com/games/914800/announcements/detail/1694929321637602438

For the case of story-driven games, it is fair to say that the characters play a vital role because they brought life to the game itself. The same goes to Coffee Talk. As the game relies heavily on narrative, the characters exist to play out the story. Through them, the players could immerse themselves into the story and chill vibe that is in the game.

To talk about character design in Coffee Talk, we’re going to need to call the expert: the game’s lead artist & character designer: Dio Mahesa!

Here in Indonesia, we have a famous proverb: “you can’t love what you don’t know” (or in this case, who you don’t know). So, here are some little trivia about our artist, to help you know him better: Dio started doing his job professionally in 2010 by taking freelance works. He was an IT student back then, but drawing has been his hobby for a long time. He then started doing pixel art since 2012 as he joined Toge Productions. You can check out his pixel artworks on his Instagram.

Well then, without further ado, let’s start our interview with Dio!

1. Who is the first character you worked on as Coffee Talk's character designer?

The very first character I made was definitely Freya, and the story behind Freya is quite unique. At the beginning of the development, besides creating environments and UIs and all other stuff, I'm also in charge of creating characters. What I did was doodling several random faces of female characters in various races, and Freya came up as my favorite character, and Fahmi (the Game Director) liked it too. After several discussions, we decided to continue developing that character based on the doodle. The development itself has been changed many times, so the first Freya looked entirely different from her current appearance, especially on her outfit and her hair color.

Concept sketch

Freya’s initial design

2. Is there any character that you're really fond of?

Jorji might be the one I like the most. I personally write the characteristics of Jorji (while others are written by Fahmi), where I wanted a character that pretty tired, worn-out policeman, which knows a lot of stuff and actually is a funny person. I imagined him being your go-to guy when it comes to the gossip around the corner.

Jorji the policeman

3. How long does it take to design a character in Coffee Talk, and what are the steps?

The first step was to look at the description written by Fahmi. Usually, I require descriptions as clear as possible, starting from the personalities, the costume, and overall appearance. After that, I started to create sketches. I usually throw the sketches on our closed group, waiting for feedback from the team. When everyone's cool with the design, I start to "render" the pixel art. It can take a day or two to turn the design into pixel art assets completely, depends on how complex the character's design and animation is. Then I will put them into Spine to create the animations, usually taking another day. So… It’ll take like 3-4 days a character?

Lua’s character progression

4. Which character has undergone many changes from their initial design?

Pretty simple answer, it would be Baileys. The Baileys we show in our build on itch.io is completely different compared to the current one. The former Baileys wasn't looked as douche as he should be back then, but the character development was being rushed due to our target to publish a vertical slice build, so the design itself wasn't designed well. After we finally published the vertical slice build, I revisit the design and he looked completely different now.

Baileys’ then

Baileys’ now

5. What inspires you to finally decide on the current art direction for the characters?

To be honest, it came from the team, not only from me. We all like 90s anime, thus we are trying to give the 90s vibe by referring Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell, and Neon Genesis Evangelion. We make Coffee Talk's color scheme brown-ish, with low saturation tone. The design of the characters then follows the game’s vibe, including their color palette so that they could come together nicely.

Some part of the game, such as the intro cutscenes, also took some cues from PC-98 games art direction. Hence why some of the cutscenes in the game were showcased in a small frame with black background, giving some kind of nostalgia of how classic games show story cutscenes. But we tried to combine those direction with the color palette mentioned above and some technical art features that definitely were not available during the era of PC-98 games.

Ghost in the Shell’s environment & Coffee Talk’s (drawn by Hendry Roesly)

PC-98’s environment & Coffee Talk’s (also drawn by Hendry Roesly)

That concludes our interview with Dio!

Now we can say that character design is not just a walk in a park. Each character has its own complexity, and each can underwent different development. Until today, the design for all Coffee Talk characters is already complete. There are many more characters with exciting stories waiting for you there, so make sure to play the game; coming soon in 2019.

In the meantime, you can wishlist the game, and don’t forget to try the demo as well if you haven’t.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/914800/Coffee_Talk/

Thank you for your visit. Please come again!

Aug 10, 2018

Devlog #1: How the game came to be - The seed, the anxiety, and the belief of design by subtraction

Coffee Talk - fahmitsu

It was a cold rainy night. I was working on a press release while browsing in front of the computer in my room. Just like any other night, I made a cup of something warm to drink to calm my senses and relax my body. That night it was a cup of green tea latte. During one of my short breaks to take a sip and stare out the window, I thought, “this is such a nice calm experience, I wish there were a game that simulated this feeling.” Then the thought came. If I couldn’t find a game like that, I could make one. And thus was born the idea of a game known simply as “Coffee Talk.”

The game jam that started it all

Before we go further, let me tell you a bit about us. My name is Mohammad Fahmi and I’m part of Toge Productions, an indie game developer and publisher based in Indonesia. We were founded in 2009 by two game-loving people (and have since grown to 14), and are mostly known for our hit title, Infectonator. I am the writer and designer of Coffee Talk, but my primary job at Toge is to handle the marketing and PR, and because we are also a publisher with a total of ten games we’re working on, the task is steep.

One of the best things about working at Toge is our annual game jam. At the end of the year, we hold a two week long internal game jam where anyone can make anything. A programmer wants to try making a GDD and concept art for a game? Please do! An artist wishes to take a break from using their drawing tablet and create a board game with traditional watercolor art? No one will stop you! A marketing and PR person wants to make a game about serving green tea latte or coffee to a freelance illustrator elf in the middle of the night? Just do it!

And that’s what happened during the game jam in the second week of December 2017. I pitched the idea that had been brewing in my mind for months prior. A game about serving warm drinks in a cafe that only opens at night, located in a metropolitan city where creatures like orcs become programmers, succubi become business development managers for trading companies, and humans…well, humans do the things we know they always do.

The main selling points of the game would be its story, its pixel art with 90s anime-inspired graphics, and its lo-fi chill-hop tunes that became so popular suddenly on YouTube that year. There was no title for the game yet, so we called it Project Green Tea Latte. During the two week game jam, prototypes were made, art was drawn, teams were changed, and in the end we had four prototypes. You can check out all of them here. After the game jam, the studio decided to work on two games at once, and one of them is Project Green Tea Latte.

Intermezzo: Before going with Coffee Talk, we came up with a lot of titles, and one that stood out the most was “Things We Talk About at Night.” We loved it, but the title was too long, and localizing it to other languages would be required to release in non-English speaking countries like China or Japan. A shorter title was needed. Thus “Coffee Talk” was born.

The anxiety of not-a-game

One of the things that worried us most through the first half of the development was gameplay. Toge has been making games for almost a decade, but all of them have been mechanics heavy. None of them play like Coffee Talk, which is primarily narrative based and text-driven.

Debates regarding how players should enjoy the game were frequent and plentiful. As the writer and designer of the game, I believed that story and vibe are the core experience that we needed to focus on.

But we also had our doubts. Can we call Coffee Talk a game when there’s no consequences or skills required to experience it? Categorizing the game as a visual novel was the most natural solution we could think of, but this proved problematic because our fans largely follow us due to the “gameplay” in our games.

We decided to change the game’s branching narrative and brewing mechanics to better quench these worries. The game jam version has very straightforward brewing and branching mechanics, where all the combinations are predetermined. The new version’s mechanics, however, will work differently. While every concoction will result in some kind of drink, the game will automatically generate the name, visuals, and stats of most beverages, which will be the key to the branching mechanism.

Each drink will have four stats: sweetness, bitterness, warmness, and coolness. You might think that it would be better to have only two stats, in which the value determines whether the drink is sweet or bitter, warm or cold - we thought of this, too - but as weird as it sounds, some drinks can give you that feeling of sweetness and bitterness at the same time, or the sensations of warmness and coolness split seconds apart.

Design by Subtraction

Even with the changes mentioned above, we were still plagued with concerns. This changed when we went to BitSummit to showcase our other games and met the fine folks of Sukeban Games, the developer of VA-11 HALL-A.

During a party on a river bank in Kyoto, we talked about how Sukeban achieved what they have from VA-11 HALL-A. One thing they told me to keep in mind was not to add features just because you can or because you don’t think the gameplay is deep enough to be called a game. If it has achieved the messages you want to convey, then stop there. Focus on things that matter and don’t force in things that, in the end, will only reduce the quality of the experience you want to deliver.

Our interaction hit me hard. I never mentioned our anxiety about the lack of gameplay in Coffee Talk and yet here they were, telling me that the first thing I needed to make sure of was something we’d been thinking a lot about for the past few months. We didn’t even showcase Coffee Talk at BitSummit, but I have to say that amongst all of our games, it was one of the few that made the trip so worthwhile.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmSBIyT0ih0
The discussion also triggered my memory of one of the best videos by Mark Brown, the six minute and fifty seconds essay about Ico and the “Design by Subtraction” philosophy coined by Fumito Ueda. In the video, Brown talks about how sometimes you don’t need to add more things to make your game feel more wholesome, taking examples not only from Ico itself, but also from how Ico inspired other popular games such as Fez, Journey, and even The Last of Us. So, while it may sound strange, it’s safe to say that Ico heavily inspired games like Coffee Talk.

Because it’s easy to add features that you think are cool or will increase the game length or give you another bullet point in your Steam description. Or is it just diluting the core message of your game, and hurting your ability to have your game be about something, to say something, to resonate.
- Mark Brown

What’s next?

We’ve been working on Coffee Talk for a few months now, and the warm and kind responses from the people who have played the demo have definitely boosted our motivation to finish the game and present you all with a full experience.

For now, we’re going to continue working on the game while giving you updates in the form of social media posts on our Twitter and devlog. In the meantime, take a sip of coffee and tell us what you like or don’t like about the demo.