Halcyon Cafe
"The dream is already fading, and although you can no longer see the sign, you know the name of this cafe. Its name forming in your mind's eye. [...] A word for days that are happy and peaceful and idyllic. Its name is... the Halcyon Cafe."
Halcyon Cafe is a podcast about visual novel development.
It includes...
- Guest interviews with different visual novel developers
- Visual novel highlights
- Tool tips to help you create game assets
- Info on creating your own visual novels
- And a radio drama about a mysterious cafe that seemingly appears and disappears at whim
Created by Katy133, a visual novel developer who has made several VNs, including Dear Devere, Eight Sweets, [redacted] Life, The Heart of Tales, and Three Guys That Paint.
You can support the ongoing project that is Halcyon Cafe through Patreon and Ko-fi. There are reward tiers for people who support the podcast, including early access to episodes.
Additional Links (Click to expand)
Listen to the Episodes
Episode 1: The Ransacked Room
Today, we'll be talking about environmental storytelling, and how important background art is for visual novels. I'll also be interviewing environmental artist Jake Bowkett. (Air date: 19 June 2020)
Episode 2: The Bagged Milk Problem
Today, we talk about the old "Write What You Know" adage. We talk about research, people watching, and asking questions to collect ideas for your story. I'll also be chatting with Ing and AKA on writing historic fiction. (Air date: 8 Dec 2020)
Episode 3: The Garden of Forking Paths
Today, we talk about time travel and alternate timelines, and how visual novels have and can explore these concepts. I'll also be chatting with developer Els on creating time travel VNs.
Download Transcripts
Download the episodes' transcripts as a stylish zine (digital magazine) below.
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- Embedded Player!Mar 30, 2022
- Episode 3: The Garden of Forking PathsJan 20, 2022
- Episode 2 Transcript UpAug 17, 2021
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
As a longtime podcaster myself, I really appreciate the effort you’ve put into this; the sound quality is excellent, the format solid, and the content engaging. Is there any chance you could try uploading it to one of the standard podcasting platforms (Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or even Youtube)? I’d love to be able to subscribe through the same channels I use for other podcasts, and also to use the standard features I’ve come to depend on for podcasts - especially the speed controls.
Thank you very much. At the moment, I currently don't have a clear plan on making (besides through my Patreon, which gives patrons access to an RSS feed for listening on platforms), as these platforms require monthly/yearly subscriptions for episodes to stay up. YouTube also causes issues, as the platform sometimes auto-blocks uploads due to audio clips used (I learnt this while making YouTube video essays back in 2018 and found the process of editing, re-rendering, and re-uploading essays very frustrating). Looking at the media player on both Patreon and Scritch Editor, you're right, neither have a control to change the speed for audio. I apologise for this missing feature. I'll keep my eye on both Patreon and Scritch--hopefully, one or both of them will add a speed control in the future.
I didn’t realize Apple had started charging storage fees. The podcast I co-host has been running for more than a decade, so we may be getting a different deal from newer shows. Youtube is indeed annoying, and probably only worthwhile if you have a video component. In any case, your show sounds great, and the lack of speed controls is just a minor quibble.
(Reposting comments after switching from Community Threads to Comments.)