As you may have noticed, I always preferred Guilded over Discord for chat server. I even mentioned something about reviewing Guilded in one of my previous blog posts related to Makendo Central to explain why I feel Guilded is a better platform. Unfortunately, that’s about to change since Roblox, as the owner of Guilded, decided to make it required to use a Roblox account for Guilded. I’m not going to go deep into explaining that part of the situation and instead just link to this page where the whole issue is explained and how users are not ok with this change. But what this means is important changes to how the chat servers of my projects are managed. The short version of the story is that all the Guilded servers I manage will be shutting down. Specific details on each situation is listed below.
N Masters
On N Masters, the idea I had was to make Guilded the main chat server while Discord would be like a backup. The Guilded server had more options and used more the advantages of Guilded while also bridging the regular text channels between both sides.
With the Guilded situation that’s going on, the Guilded server will be shut down completely and all activity will be moving back to Discord. A Matrix space will also be made that will be bridged with the Discord server. This time, both bridged locations will be treated equally and neither side will be the main one. Both sides will be backup of each other.
Currently, I’m working on making sure most of the Guilded channels are available on Discord. Some features, unfortunately, won’t be able to make it since an equivalent does not exist on Discord. For example, the calendar channels.
You can already access the Discord server through the link available on the community page. The Matrix space link will also be available there as soon as it’s ready.
NovaFan Games
The servers for NovaFan Games, my indie game developer stuff, were planned to be completely bridged and mirrored. Neither the Guilded or Discord server was the main chat server. Because of this, neither side used unique service features either, or at least for the most part.
Due to the Guilded situation, though, the Guilded server will be completely shut down. In fact, I have already disabled the bridge that existed between the Guilded and Discord servers and alerted everyone who was on the Guilded side to move to the Discord side or a new Matrix space.
Similar to N Masters, the Matrix space will be bridged with the Discord server. The server was pretty small overall still so that’s all about it for now. It is already ready and available here for Discord or here for Matrix.
Makendo Central
Makendo Central was the one that is getting hit the most with the Roblox/Guilded situation. With Makendo Central, only the Guilded server was planned to exist. That server was designed to have and host a lot of things, making the most out of Guilded. There was no Discord side at all.
But with the Guilded situation, the plans have been completely changed. The Guilded server will be shut down and the text channels will be moved to a new Discord server that I’m already working on. The forum channel is very likely moving to being on the site itself as a selfhosted forum. And the gallery channel will be a forum channel inside Discord. A link to the Discord server will be available here as soon as I make sure everything within the server is set up and ready.
A while ago, before the first Phantasy Star House Party stream, VixyNyan asked in her Discord server if anyone could help her fill up one remaining area in her Creative Space in PSO2 New Genesis. Since I enjoy building and designing creative stuff like this, I decided to take the chance and told her I would think of something and build it soon so her Creative Space was ready before the stream happened. This had to be done quick since her CS would be featured in the stream.
Well, it’s been a while. Apologies for that. 😅 But things have been a bit busy on several fronts that I haven’t gotten a chance to properly sit down and write things. The usual stuff on N Masters YouTube channel keeps going on, for example. But anyway, I’m gonna focus on the the topic of 2024 and the hopes and plans for this year related with my projects. Also, if you’re wondering about the stream for January 22, please check the Makendo Central section.
N Masters
I’ve talked quite about this before but gonna state it again just in case. First of all, a huge thanks to everyone who has subscribed to our YouTube channel. It has already gotten more than 1,000 subscriptions. Yes, I did notice it happened and something is still being planned to celebrate it. Sorry that it has been taking so long. I have it logged happening on September of last year. Specifically, it happened first on September 9th but YouTube verified it and notified me on September 12th. That’s probably when the number of subscribers stabilized. So one of the plans is to finally announce this celebration stream and it having everything I want it to involve. You’ll see it announced when it happens. Apologies for the huge delay on this, though. Like I’ve explained before, I’ve been busy with several things.
Besides that, more YouTube videos are planned to keep being added including more playthroughs and guides. I do have a few recorded already but haven’t been able to edit them. Also, please remember that the N Masters channel is also available on Odysee as an alternative to YouTube.
More guides will also be added to the website, specifically PSO2 ones since those seem to be pretty useful to the community. And of course, more reviews or preview articles are planned and are currently being worked on already.
Now something I’ve been considering for a while and I want to announce already. I’m seriously considering taking down both forums. Unfortunately, I don’t see anyone really using them. Definitely at least I will be taking down the old forums as it’s a hassle to keep managing both. Of course, a back up will be made before I take it down. And at the moment, I’m thinking of giving the new forums at least one month to see if people are interested in it. If not, they will definitely be taken down on February. It’ll be a shame but it just seems people aren’t interested in this type of web platforms anymore. People just prefer chat servers instead, and that’s already covered by the bridged Guilded/Discord servers.
NovaFan Games
NovaFan Games, my game development part. Being honest, I really want to get some work done here already and I will make sure it really happens this year.
The whole site still needs to be fixed up a bit although I already touched it up a bit. There is actually already a Guilded and Discord server that are fully bridged. This is slightly different to the way I’m handling it on N Masters.
On N Masters, Guilded server is considered the main server and Discord server is a mirror or backup. They are bridged but Guilded server still offers a few more channels because they use features Discord does not offer. But for NovaFan Games, my plan is to make them as equal as possible. Both will be considered main servers and backups of each other. So this unfortunately also means that neither side will take advantage of all the features available but there’ll be parity with most channels and content. There’s still things the bridge can’t do so some content will still be unique but I’ll try to keep those things to the minimum. The invites for the NovaFan Games servers will be published soon, although, don’t expect much in them yet since the games are still in development. And I would still recommend joining the N Masters server for generic gaming topics.
Now for the actual games, first let’s bring up this post I did years ago. Some of these things are things I’ve already mentioned in the NovaFan Games group I did on the N Masters Guilded server. But let’s make them a bit more public this time and officialize them overall.
Exit Door full version is pretty much cancelled. I have no interest on working on this idea anymore, basically. Those ideas were overall rushed and it was mostly to have something done for Ludum Dare. Besides, everything would need to be coded from scratch.
Castle Climber’s official name is Tower Climber. It will still be a Game&Watch styled game but it will be done on GameMaker. This is currently under development and I hope it gets released sometime before March. It’ll be free and downloadable. Initial platform will be Windows but I’ll see about making it available for Linux and Mac as well. Web version of the game is unlikely, though. At least not currently in the plans. And even more unlikely there’ll be some sort of mobile version as I want to start focusing on my next game 0nce this one feels complete. As for the plot of the game, you won’t have to wait long before it’s known. Although, don’t expect much considering it’s a simple LCD styled game.
Last but not least, there’s project codenamed “Never Stop Dreaming”. Not much of this has changed compared to what I wrote on that old blog post. The biggest difference is that it’ll now be done in GameMaker instead of Unity3D. More info about this game will start to show up only after Tower Climber is done.
Additionally, if you want to see exclusive early previews related to my games, you can get them through my Ko-fi page or through special Supporter channels on the NovaFan Games chat server.
Yeah, I guess this blog post ended up being published on the exact day of Makeruna Makendo’s birthday. As for the plans for Makendo Central, it’s similar to stuff I’ve said in recent posts. But let’s go over it again.
The site is still under construction and the plan is to hopefully get it up and running soon. The basic social networks are all done and ready with a new logo and banners. The chat server will only be available on Guilded as it’s intended to use the full features of the software. The community forums will also be available inside the Guilded server, for example. I’m still thinking and deciding a bit related to where to sort or place the gallery. It could still be on the web or inside Guilded too. Or maybe having both options in some way. Anyway, still undecided on that as you can see.
Related to today, the anniversary, the plan is to stream Makeruna! Makendo today on N Masters Twitch channel. I know Makendo Central has its own channel but like I said a while ago, I’m not really sure when that will be properly used or for what overall. If I do Makendo Central exclusive streams, I’m even leaning towards YouTube instead of Twitch.
Finally, one extra thing about Makendo Central is that I hope to also make a wiki for the franchise hosted on the site as well. But of course, the site needs to be done first and the plan for it is have basic coverage of all the games and the OVA and that it should be easy to be navigated.
This Blog
Well, might as well include a bit about the ideas for this blog for 2024, right? 😅 It’s not much and I think I’ve already mentioned some of the stuff before but, basically, here’s the plans.
If I feel like it and write them, guides related to technology or software would end up going here. Things like helping people understand how to Fediverse, for example.
That About page is definitely getting some content this year. It’s been too long now.
Some other ideas I have is making a page with software I recommend. Maybe having a post with a quick review of each at one point too.
And finally, maybe just blog posts about stuff behind the scenes of my projects or stuff I’ve worked on like my drawings. That actually reminded me something I want to share about related to a Creative Space I worked on in PSO2 New Genesis. That’s definitely getting a post here sometime soon.
Alright, let’s get straight to the point and talk about the things that have been going on.
On N Masters, a few more videos were published before I decided to properly focus on writing a new article. The new article is now published and can be seen here. It’s a new guide for Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis, which is what I had talked about in my previous log. Additionally, two reviews are being worked on atm and will be hopefully published soon. As for videos in the channel, I may simply resume the Splatoon 3 playthrough. I don’t know when another stream will happen due to the current weather and situation currently going on at my place which I will explain in a bit later.
The other thing that I’m pushing on at the moment is actually NovaFan Games or my indie game dev stuff. Yep, I will soon be announcing the first small game I’ll be working on. The site has been slightly updated to fix some things like the social networks links but bigger changes will come later. A new logo too, most likely.
I also made a small section for NovaFan Games in my N Masters server at Guilded in which I post really quick and small updates about the game development stuff I’m doing at the moment. Kind of like a micro-blog, but even more chill and frequent than if I was posting on Twitter/Misskey. You can also ask questions about my games too. I made that since I feel it would be too much if I made a whole community server only for NovaFan Games. At least at the moment since it’s been a while since I posted or talked about one of my games or released something. But if you want to hear about what specific thing I’m working on at the moment or ask some questions, feel free to join the server and then the group itself. I’ve already talked about and shared a few extra details about two of my characters, Yixa and Tina. Those who are verified supporters, either through Ko-fi or another accepted method, also get access to a special Early Access section.
Development of Makendo Central is currently on pause after I did the work on the videos and presentation of the social network accounts. Like I said earlier, at the moment, the plan is to focus more on more N Masters content and revealing more about game development stuff, NovaFan Games. But if you want to submit or share me stuff about Makeruna Makendo, feel welcome to and I’ll read it. Maybe GungHo will finally remember they have the rights to a fun franchise if they see that activity.
Like usual, if possible, please consider supporting me through my Kofi page. It would be super helpful and it would be a way you can support the development of N Masters, my games, and Makendo Central. And like I said earlier, it would give you the right to access Early Access content on my Guilded server or in my Kofi page itself. Right now, summer weather has started and the room where I work from does not have AC. So you can imagine how rough the days have become in the last few weeks. That’s without counting on the fact that I still need to finish paying for my new PC. So yeah, I would really appreciate it if anyone could support me and I guarantee you would see your tip being well used.
Yeah, it’s been a while since I post another project log in here. But if you’ve been following me outside of the blog, like at the N Masters social channels or Makendo Central, you must have noticed lots of activity that has been going on recently. So here’s a quick summary of all of that.
On N Masters, the YouTube channel has been quite active overall. There’s been new videos, posts, and shorts. I finally got around covering the whole Booster Course Pass DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, since I had been delaying that since last year, I admit. Of course, there’s still more content being prepared such as resuming Story Mode in Splatoon 3, some more PSO2 stuff, and more from other games. (And yes, that Noroshi video was more of a joke video that I wanted to make since that’s really all the scenes where Noroshi appears at the moment and it’s been a joke in the community)
What’s been lacking and what I really want to start focusing more on N Masters is written articles. The site’s actual content hasn’t been updated in a while and I do really want to fix that. Like I said in the last post, the plan at the moment would be doing more PSO2 guides since people frequently look for those.
On Makendo Central, it took me a while but I finally published the old videos that were available in the YouTube channel. If you’re wondering why it took a bit of time to just simply make them public, it’s because I was struggling finding a design for the thumbnails, one that satisfied me and looked different than N Masters style. At the end, what you see there is what I came up with. It’s different enough but still shares the same ideas. Additionally, I did get a bit more ready for the anniversaries of Makeruna! Makendo 2 and Makeruna! Makendo Z and published completely new videos related to each on the specific dates.
Next to do for Makendo Central would be resuming the work on the site and hopefully make it go live. But that’s currently on hold as I want to focus on finishing material for N Masters first.
Besides this, there’s NovaFan Games still under work. This is the game development side and it’ll be part of what I do at the same time as working with both N Masters and Makendo Central. Not much to say about the main project at the moment but 1 or 2 small projects may show up before.
A quick reminder, I would really super appreciate it if you could support me as I’m still working on paying my computer. My Ko-fi page is linked on the sidebar or by clicking here. And again, super thanks. It would really help me a lot to be able to keep focusing on this work without worrying on money issues.
PS. One of these days I’ll do the About section of this blog, I promise. 😅
Let’s talk about plans for 2023… Also, happy 30th Anniversay, Makeruna Makendo!
First of all, happy anniversary, Makeruna Makendo! Yep, today is the 30th anniversary of Makeruna! Makendo. I admit, I didn’t check this data until yesterday. So a big apology to anyone who was hoping I would do something special for the franchise’s birthday. But hopefully I’ll get Makendo Central up and running soon. Since I’m already touching the topic of Makendo Central, though, let’s focus on that first.
Obviously, like previously stated, one of my plans for this year will be finally getting Makendo Central up. As you saw in the previous update log, a lot of work has been done for this. All the social network stuff is pretty much ready and only a few final touches are left to do. So hopefully the site is ready soon, at least within the next 2 weeks.
On N Masters, the plan is to have more written content more frequently. This definitely includes reviews and guides. Guides may be grouped together with videos. Also, considering PSO2 guides have been frequently sought for, that’s something I may focus on for the next weeks.
As you may have noticed, the N Masters Twitch streams have moved to its own channel. They will no longer be hosted on my personal channel. Instead, they are now on NMasters_ch. I did this move so viewers aren’t forced to watch ads anymore. It also lets me do multistreams on Twitch and YouTube, or just immediately publish videos from Twitch on other services since this new channel is not an affiliate.
Finally, let’s talk about the other big project. The part about game development. NovaFan Games’s website will a lot of updating first of all. It’s pretty old and I’ve just done basic maintenance on it in the whole last year. But I really want to start doing more art and game development in the next days. I want to start talking more about Project Never Stop Dreaming, actually reveal its proper title, present characters and basic story, and more. Share art about it too, for example. So yeah, now that I have a proper computer, it is something that I really want to start working on more. It is something I am really looking forward to share with everyone.
As for this blog, the plans for it remain the same. Maybe also finishing up some sections, like that About area that I’ve never touched since launch. 😅
By the way, I still need help to finish paying the new computer I’m using before I can comfortably use donations to further improve any of the sites or projects. My Ko-fi page is still available by clicking on this link or clicking on the button on the side bar if you would like to support me.
The progress with Makendo Central continues. After a few days of working behind the scenes, you can now see part of the results in two areas.
First of all, Makendo Central now has a new logo. You can see it in the shiny new banner that all social network accounts for Makendo Central received.
YouTube channel with the new banner and logo.
And now for the big announcement of this post: Makendo Central community server for discussions is now open! Hosted on the Guilded platform, the Makendo Central lets Makeruna! Makendo fans from around the world join together in chat conversations, focused discussions, streams, voice chat, and even submit your own fan art.
Some people will be wondering: “Why Guilded instead of the old Discord?” Well, I pretty much said some of the advantages Guilded offers over Discord and all for free. But my detailed answer about it will be shared in a later blog post. For now, I will just say that I highly recommend it over Discord and you won’t regret it.
Anyway, as you can see there’s been quite a lot of work behind the scenes with Makendo Central. And of course it’s not over yet as the main website is still being worked on. But right now, feel free and I welcome you to join the community server by clicking on the button below.
During the last few days, updates to N Masters or my streams on Twitch have slowed down a bit. That’s because I’ve been working on Makendo Central stuff and want to get it launched soon.
First of all, the YouTube channel and Facebook page have been updated. Most people didn’t know about the YouTube channel but you can find it here. Facebook page was the only one that was really public so if you were following it, you may have noticed it’s been touched up a bit including a new avatar.
Additionally, new Twitter and Twitch accounts have been made. The Twitter will be used to share updates similar to the Facebook page. I don’t know when or how the Twitch channel may be used but it’s also available and you can follow it.
There’s other things that I am working on that I can’t share yet since they are more tied directly with the site’s relaunch. For now, you can still visit the current Makendo Central by clicking here which still includes all the previous content and now also includes a link to all the places where you can keep up to date on updates and that I just shared in this post.
And I’m back online now. Well, with an actual computer to work with, I mean.
What happened was that someone offered to use his credit card to get me a new computer as soon as possible. At the same time, it means I agreed to make the monthly payments to pay for it. So this means I’m now back on a computer and able to work even better than before. But it also means I really would appreciate and need any kind of tips or donation to be able to pay off the computer as soon as possible. The overall final goal is the same one stated on my Ko-fi page. At least, I need around 125 USD per month. If it’s more, I would also be very helpful as I also need help with other kind of things like bills or food.
To sum it up, N Masters, Makendo Central, and game development stuff are coming back and even better than before. More info available on N Master’s Guilded server.
Posting this from my phone. Just a quick update related to what’s been going on. Unfortunately, my laptop does not work anymore. Fan and monitor have stopped working now, fan being the problem that didn’t even let me use it for more than 5 minutes. Much less record or stream something.
What this means is that there’ll be no updates to N Masters, Makendo Central, and game development updates for now. At most I may stream from Xbox.
