oelvn project Unhack 2

[InvertMouse]

 

Four years after the Motherworm’s death, a masked AI known as Program X is threatening to throw cyberspace back into chaos. 

With virus numbers back on the rise, the unhacker decides to open Smash Security once more. This time, a new AI named Neonya is there to battle by his side. Victory should be guaranteed with a superior AI like Neonya, but with signs of malfunction showing, the risk of her going rogue is ever present. She merely wishes to be accepted as her company’s official AI, yet the unhacker finds himself unable to crown her. After all, doing so will mean dethroning his former companions, the ones he still thinks about to this day. 

But there is one thing that terrifies the unhacker above all else—why do Program X and her minions look so much like friends from a distant past?

Hello people! I still remember sharing Unhack 1 with everyone here back when Fuwanovel was new. Some of the folks from back then are now my closest mates on social media. You know who you are. Thank you for always supporting me through the years.

A few months after I closed off Unhack 1, the idea for this second game had in fact already crossed my mind. I held off on production to avoid sequelitis, and to tell the truth, I wanted to keep people waiting for a bit as well. I feel like now is a good time to at last unveil this project.

Unhack 2 will have no gameplay like the first title did. I tried so many times to blend story with gameplay, and despite my best effort, the results were only average. Some of you who are kindly following me already know I am moving away from gameplay in general. With that said, Unhack 2 will feature password puzzles that will at times require players to break out of the 4th wall. For instance, there might be a passcode hidden on Unhack 2's webpage. These puzzles can be skipped for those who prefer to focus on the narrative.

Here is the game's website:

http://unhack2.invertmouse.com

There is a demo build available, so please feel free to have a look:

And as always, I could use your support on Steam Greenlight:

Thank you so much everyone!
 

[fun2novel]

It looks awesome. I'm impressed.

It is also a great idea to have a choice to ignore the gameplay element for those you just want to enjoy the story.

Good luck and looking forward to play this myself.

[Omega_93]

Ahh Rosuuri's art is so good  VN looks really nice overall, too

[Dark_blade64]

1 hour ago, InvertMouse said:

 

Four years after the Motherworm’s death, a masked AI known as Program X is threatening to throw cyberspace back into chaos. 

With virus numbers back on the rise, the unhacker decides to open Smash Security once more. This time, a new AI named Neonya is there to battle by his side. Victory should be guaranteed with a superior AI like Neonya, but with signs of malfunction showing, the risk of her going rogue is ever present. She merely wishes to be accepted as her company’s official AI, yet the unhacker finds himself unable to crown her. After all, doing so will mean dethroning his former companions, the ones he still thinks about to this day. 

But there is one thing that terrifies the unhacker above all else—why do Program X and her minions look so much like friends from a distant past?

Hello people! I still remember sharing Unhack 1 with everyone here back when Fuwanovel was new. Some of the folks from back then are now my closest mates on social media. You know who you are. Thank you for always supporting me through the years.

A few months after I closed off Unhack 1, the idea for this second game had in fact already crossed my mind. I held off on production to avoid sequelitis, and to tell the truth, I wanted to keep people waiting for a bit as well. I feel like now is a good time to at last unveil this project.

Unhack 2 will have no gameplay like the first title did. I tried so many times to blend story with gameplay, and despite my best effort, the results were only average. Some of you who are kindly following me already know I am moving away from gameplay in general. With that said, Unhack 2 will feature password puzzles that will at times require players to break out of the 4th wall. For instance, there might be a passcode hidden on Unhack 2's webpage. These puzzles can be skipped for those who prefer to focus on the narrative.

Here is the game's website:

http://unhack2.invertmouse.com

There is a demo build available, so please feel free to have a look:

And as always, I could use your support on Steam Greenlight:

Thank you so much everyone!
 

To be honest one of my favorite things about the first game was it gameplay. The only biggest issue I had with the first one is that it lacked more levels.

[Flutterz]

Looking forward to it

[Diamon]

The trailer looks awesome!
Giving it my vote!

[firecat]

so why cant the full game be released now?

why make a good game stay in greenlight because of some rule?

[solidbatman]

Costume mods this time mousey? Really looking forward to this! Great work!

[Forgetful Frank]

Wow, this looks amazing! I haven't heard of the first one, so before I look into this one I'll definitely check out that. I'll gladly help out with the Steam Greenlight!

[InvertMouse]

Thank you so much for your support and thoughts everyone! I really appreciate it . Everyone has been really kind to this project so far, and the biggest feedback up to this point is the lack of aracdey gameplay in this sequel. I did a quick write up on it explaining my thoughts in the link below. If you are cool with giving it a quick read, that would be really awesome:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/updates/602187066

Thank you everyone!

[solidbatman]

1 hour ago, InvertMouse said:

Thank you so much for your support and thoughts everyone! I really appreciate it . Everyone has been really kind to this project so far, and the biggest feedback up to this point is the lack of aracdey gameplay in this sequel. I did a quick write up on it explaining my thoughts in the link below. If you are cool with giving it a quick read, that would be really awesome:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/updates/602187066

Thank you everyone!

A good write up, and I'm glad you're gaining confidence as a story teller. You certainly keep improving, and Cursed Sight was fantastic. Really excited for this project. 

[XReaper]

good luck as always mouse-tan, may your effords be not in vain - much appreciated.

edit: hope you realize that those works of yours are pretty much the sole reason there´s still some hope for oelvns in general...

[InvertMouse]

On January 23, 2016 at 8:31 AM, XReaper said:

good luck as always mouse-tan, may your effords be not in vain - much appreciated.

edit: hope you realize that those works of yours are pretty much the sole reason there´s still some hope for oelvns in general...

Thank you! But I think there are plenty of great English titles like An Octave Higher, which to me is criminally underrated.

[InvertMouse]

Hi everyone. Unhack 2 has been approved by Valve for publication on Steam, so thank you for your support . Matt Hamm (Brainfed), the composer for this game, showed off his studio in a short video here:

Hope you like it! I want to make more development diary videos just this, but it is hard to schedule them in when we have such a small team. If you are interested in seeing more, please let me know .

[InvertMouse]

Hello everyone! Hope you are doing well .

Unhack 2’s script has gone through several rounds of revisions, and after receiving player feedback, I have decided the story needs further editing. I have passed the stage where I desperately try to please everyone, but in this case, almost everyone has raised the same issues, so I have to address them. 

Previous games like Cursed Sight and Without Within are ultimately about the relationships between people. I am used to handling that. The link between human and AI, however, provides a new challenge. Unhack 2 is longer and more complex than the first game, which means more opportunities for mistakes as well, and I have definitely made plenty. 

I will allocate an extra month or so to revisit the story several more times. Nobody likes delays, especially not the person who has been staring at this script for the past six months, but I am already thinking of solutions to the problems raised by readers, and the potential excites me. 

Rather than bragging about how awesome this game is going to be, once in a while, I want to share my struggles and failures with you. Not for long, though. I am heading back to work, so please look forward to the result. 

Thank you!

[InvertMouse]

Hi everyone! I recently finished putting together the Unhack 2 digital artbook, so I wanted to show it off today. Hope that's cool .

Unhack 1, Cursed Sight, Without Within—just about all of my titles come with a digital artbook available as an add-on. Unhack 2 will be no different, so let’s take a sneak peek at what we can expect to see.

First, the artbook will include your standard set of character sprites, CGs and backgrounds. Each image will come coupled with a brief commentary on the thought processes that took place during development.

The Unhack 2 artbook will also feature a power chart that shows how capable each programmer and AI is in combat. A² always says she is the strongest AI, well, we will see about that, because characters from Unhack 1 are also included in this book.

Players have mentioned they wished these artbooks would include early sketches used during development. I want to honor that request, so Unhack 2’s artbook will feature behind the scene sketches shared between Rosuuri and me.

Thank you everyone !

[InvertMouse]

Hi everyone! I want to let you know that Unhack 2 is finally out:

http://store.steampowered.com/app/444170

Unhack 2 turned out to be the most challenging project I have ever produced. I ran into production issues that caused delay after delay. Several of them were my fault, but I learned a lot from them and will carry these lessons forward. The game has mixed reviews so far, so we will see if it turns out to be well or poorly received.

Thank you !

[InvertMouse]

Hi everyone . I want to let you know I have revised Unhack 2's website:

http://unhack2.invertmouse.com

Here are the features I have listed:

A more mature story:

Unhack 1 was created in 2012, so as a student of the craft, I like to think my skills have improved since then. I am, of course, also a bit older now. While Unhack 2’s characters are still an energetic bunch, I believe the cast goes through more of a mature journey this time around.

Exploring the human VS AI dilemma:

AI will play a bigger role as the years go on, so this is a good time to explore some of the questions involved. What does it mean to be human, anyway? Is it possible for AI to understand how it feels to be us? I fell in love with the topic during my research for this sequel, to an extent where I would like to explore these issues again in the future. To avoid being preachy, Unhack 2 is still very much entertainment first.

 

Puzzle gameplay:

While story takes the lead this time, puzzle gameplay does make a return in Unhack 2. In the original game, players had to constantly pause between slots to read the dialogue, which in retrospect was not the best mix of narrative and gameplay. This is why the elements are separated in Unhack 2. I want to explore other methods in future games, so I hope we can go through this journey together.

Though the puzzles are smaller in scale this time, they are in some ways more complex. Let’s see if unhackers are ready for the challenge. Please note the puzzles can be skipped for those who wish to focus on the narrative.

More art featuring Rosuuri:

My budget and experience were limited back in Unhack 1, so I was unable to feature the number of artworks I really wanted. In this sequel, I am able to showcase more illustrations (most of which contain spoilers, which is why they are not shown on this page). Our artist this time is Rosuuri. Her works are well-known in the community, and since she is one of the best around, there is a good reason for that.

3D-rendered backgrounds:

Due to budget constraints in Unhack 1, I was unable to include proper background illustrations. Helen “Tayola” Schwieger is our 3D background artist in Unhack 2, and she has put together a collection of renders for us to enjoy throughout the game. These 3D backdrops fit our digital theme nicely.

Brainfed returns as the composer:

(Unhack 1 album art by Hybridmink)

Brainfed (Matt Hamm) provided a fitting soundtrack for us in Unhack 1. He has graciously given his time again for Unhack 2, and thanks to him, this sequel contains another soundtrack that belongs in the Unhack universe. Several tracks may even include nostalgic references to the original title.

* * *

Unhack 2 can be purchased on Steam here:

http://store.steampowered.com/app/444170/Unhack_2/

And, of course, the original game: 

http://store.steampowered.com/app/340800/Unhack/

Thank you so much everyone!

[Mr Poltroon]

Hilarious as it is to look at it, I sincerely recommend you have a look at your post in another Fuwanovel Theme, because all text is white, the same colour as the background, making it so there's no text at all unless I highlight it or change themes.
You can change themes on the bottom left of the forum.