Akash: Path of the Five 
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Steam Trading Cards are Now Available!Nov 2, 2020 - Community AnnouncementsWe’re happy to announce that Steam trading cards as well as other community content, such as badges, profiles, and emoticons will now be dropping for players of Akash: Path of the Five! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/812b24fd1beef1c2cc33a98a2a766eacdcf7431c.png Trading cards will include beautiful artwork along with tiny bits of lore to further flesh out the events of the game. Based in the response, we look forward to doing more series in the future! As always, thank you for your time and your support! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/b69a434b98c97812b231d28eabb0e60bcbb643f4.jpgAkash: Path of the Five Special Epilogues Now AvailableApr 8, 2020 - Community AnnouncementsHello all, We're please to announce that a new "Special Epilogue" section has been added to the "Extras" sub-menu in the main menu of the game(Now "Extras and Unlockables"). These are five specially-produced narrative vignettes, presented as individual chapters, that provide additional details to Akash's story. They are unlocked as you complete each boy's route (and if you have already done so, they will be available from the Extras menu automatically). Featuring new artwork by Carina Strauss, the talented artist behind the Akash Omake / meme artwork and minigame sprites, each epilogue contains images that are both lighthearted and dramatic. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/9fe7e521f273c6902a9626acc4d9c2b5c958623a.png {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/169fc3f1b6b784651f39afde09304b419484d528.png Additionally, a new piece of music, featuring flourishes taken from Akash's main score, has been composed especially for this add-on by Fat Bard. We have also included a sixth section marked "Appendix," which provides additional details to the background lore presented in Akash's main story, as well as many details which were excluded, for those curious about the Al'Wani world. Lastly, if you navigate to the "Extras" folder in your Akash game folder (right click on the Steam Icon and select "browse local files" to find it!), we have also included concept artwork for the additional characters / family members introduced in this update! All of this is now available, for free, as a special thanks for your continued support of this game. As we have mentioned previously, Akash was designed as a labor of love for the Otome genre, and we hope that this small addition helps to enhance the experience of everyone playing! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/02978c45c194b3059b418a760de01b5edf273698.png Official Discord ServerJan 25, 2020 - Community AnnouncementsHi All, We wanted to announce public availability of our Discord server! Click HERE to join. The server has actually been around since well before the game was released, as a place to share work-in-progress media and updates during the game's development. We're happy to open it up further for folks to interact with other players (and the creators of the game), ask questions, share your artwork / writing, and more. As always, thank you for playing Akash, and we hope to see you soon! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/c83bfd4eab30776c8065336219a0b4afc582e35d.pngLunar New-Year SaleJan 25, 2020 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/837f657c24ec3ebc96963ef346f790f88d8d8d2f.png Hi all! Just chiming in to announce that Akash: Path of the Five is on sale! Grab it for 23% off (why did we pick such a weird number) and go date some bois! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/c83bfd4eab30776c8065336219a0b4afc582e35d.pngAkash: Path of the Five is on Sale!Dec 19, 2019 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/488e4884aa13a2d8d6320db2aed7ae3cc3f5722e.png We're happy to announce Akash: Path of the Five is on sale as part of the Steam Winter Sale 2019! Just a quick reminder: Try the free demo and plunge right in (don't worry, your save file will carry over if you decide to grab the full game!) {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/c83bfd4eab30776c8065336219a0b4afc582e35d.pngAkash : Path of the Five and GenderDec 18, 2019 - Community AnnouncementsAkash: Path of the Five contains an author's note which, in summation, makes it clear that while the game relies heavily on the gender binary for its main story arc (as it is centered around childbirth) the scope of this story is not an accurate reflection of the greater world, nor indeed the world of Akash. There are nonbinary elementals, transgender elementals, and diverse genders in their world just as in ours. This has raised some questions from interested readers who wish to know a bit more about how gender works in the world of Akash. While much of this information was established in the building of the game world, Akash: Path of the Five remains fairly light on exposition in order to streamline its storytelling, thus these concepts were not addressed in the text given the scope of Aurora's tale. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/12ff823f6de32cd26b18897ebbc32514b3076fac.jpg Al'wan are biologically agendered at birth (a state known has 'hadi,' or 'pure') until about ten years of age, at which point a unique form of puberty occurs which they refer to only as 'tanwie' or 'the change'. During this period, a proportion of the children differentiate into male or female. An equal proportion mature without further secondary sexual differentiation, and they are known as "safa" (literally translated as 'serene' or 'unclouded'). Safa hold a relatively unique place in elemental society as, like young elemental females, they retain access to all forms of magic. The depth of their power, ultimately, remains less potent than their Al'wani brothers and sisters. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/812b24fd1beef1c2cc33a98a2a766eacdcf7431c.png Though they lack the absolute mastery of a single, focused elemental force, possessing even limited access to all forms of magic does have its benefits (as reflected in Akash's main story). They generally hold a revered place in nearly all Al'wani societies: Safa fire elementals, for example, may take on the role of a healer in their village because of their access to light magic. Safa water elementals, in turn, can help their village's crops grow during times of famine. Lastly, though they retain access to all forms of magic, Safa have occasionally chosen to focus their abilities on one, should they feel that is what suits them best. It is important to note here that, just like humans, elemental's physiology does not necessarily dictate their gender: Indeed, though Al'wan may be male, female, or safa, their gender may run the gamut. Just like male or female Al'wani, safa elementals might be he, she, or they, gender fluid or gender ambivalent. Similarly, this has no absolute bearing on an elemental's sexual preference either; they might prefer males, females, safa, be ambivalent, any combination of the three, bisexual or asexual. Though it has occurred to a far lesser degree than human societies, Al'wani history has been fraught with occasional hardships and injustices; much in the way Aurora finds herself being burdened with expecta...December Update, and a Bit on the Subject of Children ...Dec 4, 2019 - Community AnnouncementsFirstly, we're happy to announce the addition of a significant accessibility improvement - the mouse may now be used to click on the UI buttons for "Fast Forward" and "Hide UI", negating the need to use the keyboard for players who wish only to use the mouse when they play. To further facilitate this, the pause menu can now be activated by clicking the pause graphic below the main dialogue UI: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/d621af1750649a8c6323b37f3287bd983fdda850.jpg We've also fixed an issue with dialogue review where it was defaulting to the oldest line in the queue - it will now highlight the last line read. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/7dcf9317f1b628f78a2a3c2bff034bdea6168b40.jpg Our appreciation to the user(s) that brought this to our attention in the discussion forums: as always, if it is within our power to do so, we will happily endeavor to make changes that can improve your experience! Updates out of the way, we wanted to speak briefly about the subject of children in the story. One storytelling element that probably makes Akash: Path of the Five unique among Otome is the thread dealing with Aurora and the pressure upon her to have children. More specifically, (to paraphrase Elder Glen,) to select a 'suitable mate' and start having 'as many children as possible as soon as possible.' The absurdity of such a burden being placed upon the shoulders of a young woman just coming to grips with a unique and potentially unwanted role in a troubled society notwithstanding, this thread was woven into Akash's story for reasons both obvious and subtle. First and foremost, the issue of deciding whether or not to pursue having children is presented as a means to allow players to shape their romance to their liking: as mentioned in the author's note, this is a deeply personal decision with no 'right' or 'wrong' answer. We undertook Akash with the understanding that while many Otome simply choose to forgo addressing this issue, having the choice could provide just that extra iota of depth to the tale for some players. It is also a conceit which helps to drive along the plot, and is one that may not be unfamiliar to some of those who play the game. In another way, the choice to confront the expectations being placed upon Aurora was also a cathartic one: During the early writing and production of Akash, the author herself dealt with unanticipated and occasionally devastating struggles with fertility while trying to have a child; this was made even more emotionally wrought by the constant (and often unconscious or unintentional) pressures and expectations placed upon her by acquaintances, family and friends - indeed, some of these pressures are mirrored and magnified to a satirical degree within the text of the story, but are no less harrowing to the person experiencing them. It was ultimately decided that since this was a central part of the story's conceit, and because it could serve, in some way, as an constructive outlet for players sharing said frustratio...Akash Winter Update and Sale!Dec 1, 2019 - Community AnnouncementsWe're happy to encourage those of you who haven't picked up Akash yet to consider grabbing it for 25% off while the Steam Autumn Sale is still going on! Additionally, to ring in the first wisps of Winter, we'd like to present another previously unused piece of conceptual / promotional artwork, by the wonderful Vanna Le! Featuring the one and only Sirocco . . . {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/dbdf3edbd40a94485bc9da24d59d4ceb618e8a40.jpg This image is presented as a 4K wallpaper (3840x2160). To download, simply right-click and "Save as..." Images like this (and more) are available as part of the deluxe edition DLC content, which features a 44-page artbook that chronicles the development of Akash: Path of the Five. As always, thank you for your time, and for playing our game! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/c83bfd4eab30776c8065336219a0b4afc582e35d.pngAkash Autumn UpdateNov 11, 2019 - Community AnnouncementsWe're happy to report a few minor bug fixes in the chapter select feature revolving around Daniel's route with this latest update. Additionally, we're proud to share another previously unused bit of promotional artwork, featuring Ignatius, as brought to life by the incredible Vanna Le! (What better way to celebrate the fiery colors of Autumn!) {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/f716d935458a4aada99e2279b9581f2dbcd9a811.jpg This image is presented as a 4K wallpaper (3840x2160). To download, simply right-click and "Save as..." Images like this (and more) are available as part of the deluxe edition DLC content, which features a 44-page artbook that chronicles the development of Akash: Path of the Five. As always, thank you for your time, and for playing our game! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/c83bfd4eab30776c8065336219a0b4afc582e35d.pngFrom Concept to Execution: How We Got Here ...Oct 21, 2019 - Community AnnouncementsWe have come into the habit of calling Akash: Path of the Five a "labor of love" and a "love letter" to the otome genre. Flowery words, to be sure, but what do we actually mean? Akash was birthed out of a desire to contribute to a much beloved niche of gaming, one that has been around for a long time but only more recently has started seeing prominence in the west. We wanted to add our own small voice to the chorus, so to speak, of the growing number of otome-style English visual novels. To that end, we decided quite early on that Akash would be fully funded, developed, and published independently and internally. We did not have the benefit of an outside publisher, and we did not crowdfund (no Kickstarter, no Patreon, etc). Akash was, from concept to execution, completely our own. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/3d96eda775554eb52808b24d3ce562e9dcb57edf.png It was also created because we wanted to present an otome that speaks to our own point of view. The Japanese otome that introduced the genre to us are created with a different audience in mind, one that carries its own set of expectations for the protagonist and love interests. With Akash we hoped to offer something with the western audience's expectations in mind. Part of this mindset included giving Aurora (the player character / MC) her own voice and agency within the game, rather than positioning her as a faceless proxy; She has her own opinion about the course of events in Akash as they unfold, and her own internal and external responses to each of her potential suitor's advances. Since 100% maximizing your potential lover's affection is not necessary to achieve the highest levels of romance with each of her beaus, players are fit to disagree and let Aurora speak her mind; she has a sharp wit, and we want players to feel free to use it should they choose. We also wanted to give players other means to shape their romance as they saw fit: elements like children and marriage are presented not as "right" or "wrong" choices, because these represent incredibly personal decisions that differ from player to player. While many otome consider a "marriage" ending to be the "true" ending, for example, we wanted to present it as simply another choice for the player to use to create their own personal romantic narrative. Because Akash was created on a small budget, we elected to focus on multiple different perspectives of a single narrative surrounding a pivotal series of events in the player’s life. Because each potential romance option represents a different point of view, it is in experiencing the same plot from different viewpoints that allows the player to see how events effect each boy differently. Since no particular order is required when determining which route to take, and each play through this includes the full narrative course, a skip feature was included to let players bypass areas they’d already experienced. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/09509dd4a7b504f111eaf2620dc652e375dff1f3.png We realize t...Bug fixes and a New Achievement!Oct 20, 2019 - Community AnnouncementsRecently it was brought to our attention that certain achievements were not being awarded after completing certain tasks within the game. We've gone back and made sure that these achievements should now be available to all users. It may require repeating certain tasks to reactivate the unlock through steam, which can be done using the chapter select in the "Extras" menu. In addition, we've added another achievement that was not initially part of the steam listing! It's a hidden achievement, however, so we can't reveal too much about it here. Instead, here's a treatise on "shit talking," presented by our very own Caspian: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/e77e30838fa83ac39e2b5838dc601eb565989641.png (Artwork by the always wonderful Carina Strauch)GDEX 2019 ExpoOct 10, 2019 - Community AnnouncementsHi everyone! As we’ve alluded to in previous posts, we’re a small indie developer comprised of a core group of 3 people. Akash was entirely self funded, developed, and published quite literally in a small studio above a garage. We are part of a small but dedicated community of game developers in the Midwest, and this weekend one of the largest expos in our neck of the woods is about to drop! Find us wandering around the expo floor or in one of the many events at GDEX 2019, and we will give you a free Akash: Path of the Five beanie! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/5f04161a473ce110c28f5dc4a14f52bb80a813a2.jpg This are high quality and have fully embroidered logo, and perfect for the fall and coming winter. We originally produced these to give away at AX 2019 and PAX, but we still have a few left! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/4c543575e50ea640b6646cd632dccb7e3627cd4f.jpg You can find our more info about GDEX at http://www.thegdex.com , and of course please feel free to reach out to us on Twitter too! As always, thank you again for your time, and for playing our game! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/02978c45c194b3059b418a760de01b5edf273698.pngA Special Gift for Everyone Playing Akash: Path of the FiveOct 8, 2019 - Community AnnouncementsIt has been a little over a week since Akash: Path of the Five launched on Steam. It was an extremely hectic time for us, both in the weeks leading up to and during the release of the game (not just on Steam, but also on Nintendo Switch, which was a first for our tiny little company). There were highs, lows, and a fair amount of sleep lost, but we got it done! Whereas most developers might (and should) take a breather and let their publisher's marketing department handle the work of carrying the game over the finish line, we don't really have that luxury because we don't have a publishing or marketing department to speak of :p Indie dev, for us, is about engagement: beyond interacting with users on social media to help clear up bugs or answer questions, we appreciate hearing about your experiences in our games. No matter how big or small the title, we want you to know it is the product of a core group of only 3 people working as hard as we can, essentially wearing multiple hats in order to get our best work into your hands. To that end, we have decided to share a very special piece of commissioned artwork, produced by the incredible Kholouz featuring Akash's main character Aurora visiting her birth city of Aquaba, rendered in stunning clarity: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/b271cc379df907f8c2bb4091ae51192eff3515d3.png We were particularly impressed with kholouz's color, value, and attention to detail, as demonstrated here in this small snippet of the full image at its native size: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/6bb71c67ea9fc1bf52676c9790779b7425ec546b.png We have created a new folder within the Akash: Path of the Five game data path called "Extras". In this folder, you will find a copy of this images at 1080p and native 3000+ pixel resolution, compatible with HD and UHD displays. As of this announcement, this image is available, for free, for everyone who owns (and will own) the game. In order to access the "Extras" folder: Navigate to Akash in your steam library. Right click on the title of the game and select "properties" click on the "Local Files" tab click on the "Brows local files..." button An explorer window will open, revealing the Akash install. The Extras folder is visible here. Be sure to keep an eye out for more free goodies in the future! Also, please let us know if you enjoy additional content like this, and we'll be sure to throw something special in there from time to time! Even though the initial launch discount has ended, we will work hard to add to the value for those of you who decided to take the plunge on our very first visual novel. As always, thank you to all of you for taking the time to play our game and tell us what you think. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/02978c45c194b3059b418a760de01b5edf273698.pngGame update: Bug Fixes and Performance ImprovementsOct 8, 2019 - Community AnnouncementsHi everyone! We’ve been hard at work since Akash launched, tracking down and fixing a couple of annoying bugs that slipped through our tired fingers. We don’t have a single update being released, rather it has been a series of small updates (600 kB to 15 mb) which include a number of small fixes: Fixed an issue where certain spoken lines were not spoken (some things are NOT better left unsaid). Fixed an issue where the relationship select menu would not appear when using chapter select (we promise this wasn't some sort of attempt at a clever mini game.) Additionally, we have made sure to improve certain performance metrics at lower quality settings. If you’re running a lower end system beneath the minimum recommended specifications, running the game at low or very low will disable V-sync, and should allow the game to run better on these systems (V-Sync is used to prevent screen tear, however it can be resource intensive for lower end systems). Frame rate is still capped at 60 fps for high, very high, and ultimate settings, as V-Sync is enabled. Next: we’ve clarified how Akash uses system resources. Our foliage engine, which makes the trees and grass sway dynamically in the background is probably the biggest draw on system resources, along with ambient occlusion, paint filtering, and depth-of-field blur. We’ve made sure to disable shadowing at the lowest levels to decrease system load. Changing the graphics options will also affect the depth of the paint filter applied to the background visuals (the lower the depth, the less the overhead). This is most apparent when looking at the grass in the main menu. Remember, you need to confirm your settings with the button at the bottom of the graphics menu before your changes will be visible. This will apply all your changes at once. The following is an example of the game running on the highest available settings on a Surface Book 2 with both an integrated GPU and a mobile 1060 processor, set to an internal resolution of 1080p. Average frame rate is a v-synced 60 fps. GPU utilization remains fairly consistent across different scenes, dipping lower during indoor and peaking during outdoor areas. GPU load peaks at during outdoor scenes at 79% on this system (which, fun fact, has over 100 hours of play and editing time accumulated for Akash alone), and this is while running other processes (including capture and image editing tools) which add additional GPU overhead: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/9ddc1121451e7ed37b15f8b2135f649664854ea8.png {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/a4b617e10c056ea83e96cec5e6f0c00f91962e32.png {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/0b54e5893f0d8332c6d109230eefdd4fbc122777.png {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/f1e4a24d257efdf0a7ce992662cf2ad7e7ab61b8.png If you’d like additional graphical options, please, let us know in our discussion groups. Feedback will help us grow the game because it helps us determine the need to commit resources to making additions, as we are a very small group (only 3 people) so we ge...Are We The ... Baddies?Oct 7, 2019 - Community AnnouncementsAs promised, we now present further explorations of Akash: Path of the Five’s backstory. As previously mentioned, this is not essential reading: the story of Akash is designed to be enjoyed on its own. However, we are happy to provide this look into the lore for those with questions about the narrative. **Spoilers ahead!** {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/493ebe5357ac89a7dc8b885aeb9263384235989c.png The Al'wani often invoke the Goddess throughout the course of the game. The inference to be drawn from this is that they were, at their inception, a matriarchal society. This notion should seem paradoxical at first, however, as Akash is ruled by a village of male elders, who have risen to power in part due to the ever dwindling numbers of elemental women in the last days of the Great Decline. And it was in their desperation that an agreement was drafted with their human neighbors of Haven, to essentially exploit them in order to sustain their people. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/9f2574f3a2007f5a89735946633112935815b094.png At various points in the story, it is the male elders who constantly try to reinforce the status quo, at times nearly coming to blows with one-another over how to address the coming crisis, yet failing to address the fact that the often-invoked and long-held 'treaty of nonaggression' has failed to prevent the progressive stagnation of elemental society. What is to be gathered from all this? In short, They are a matriarchy that has long since lost its matriarchs. As female voices have dwindled in their culture, they have lost integral connection their spirituality. The Goddess statue outside the village is symbolic of this, as it lies untended and in disrepair. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/5859f962d351ce3e4a79d7402e3cdeebb55887ce.png As result, as a people, they have lost their way, and in their desperation to prevent their race from dying out, they have made the troubling choice to exploit the human women of the neighboring village of Haven. (If this situation seems disquieting or untenable, that is because it is intended to be, from a literary perspective). {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/6f07fd57770f25c34b663efcbd7381edebd123d7.png Indeed, whereas the Al'wani elders often position their human neighbors as the aggressors throughout the story, it is the actually the elementals themselves who are, in fact, the villains in this tale. And it is only upon this realization that Aurora is able confront the elders, end their injustice, and render a meaningful change for her people. Further aspects of the each path are designed to allude to this: Humans are often referred to negatively by characters in the story. For example, they are vilified by Caspian and the elders, who appear to have a more prejudiced view early on in the game. This is but one extreme, however, as each boy's perspective provides a slightly different albeit skewed impression about their human neighbors; some are decidedly more positive and optimistic (Lux), some are intrigued (Row...A Brief Bit of Al'wani Lore ...Oct 6, 2019 - Community AnnouncementsOver the course of Akash: Path of the Five, players are exposed to tidbits of lore hinting at the mystery behind events plaguing the Al'wan (elemental) people. By design, this was not explored in depth, in part because we wished to keep the focus of the story on the characters and romance, but also because we feared that too much world-building and exposition would be considered distracting to some players. It has quickly become clear, however, that there is indeed interest in some of the events which have led the elementals to the precarious position they now face. So, with little fanfare, here is a very brief history lesson. Please note this is not essential reading: the story is designed to be enjoyed on its own. However, we are happy to provide this look into the lore for those with lingering questions about the narrative. **Spoilers Ahead!** {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/714c97eb262dd0a94aec3a3bfc600108799bf040.png The Al'wani people live in a world governed by 5 elements: Fire, Wind, Light, Water, and Earth. Their creation myth holds that the Goddess forged them from the very elements themselves, and split them into tribes scattered across the realm. These tribes are individually represented in each of Aurora's classmates, as well as various other characters she meets over the course of the game. It is important to note that the village of Akash is unique among elemental settlements because it is the only elemental society where multiple races of Al'wan live side by side. This is not out of any animus, however, but rather because Al'wan tend to prefer environments that best suit their particular element. Akash is dominated by male elementals because, as noted in the beginning of the story, the numbers of their women have long since dwindled; this is something quietly referred to as Khifad, or "the great decline." Though Aurora is not the only girl in the village, she is the first young woman to come of age in Akash in over 200 years and, thus, is sought after. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/fbf698c23f092379334dc39bb08cfc50a1cc250e.png Events take a turn when, in the latter half of the game, Aurora comes into possession of a mysterious jewel that is initially used by Shaman Lee of the human village of Haven to negate the elementals' natural magic abilities during their raid. It soon becomes clear, however, that the jewel is far more than a nullifier of Al'wani magic: it has the ability to enhance their powers and amplify the wearer’s power of persuasion. More importantly, it has some connection to the Goddess - the very nature of this connection is up to Aurora to explore. During Elder Borasco's lecture, reference is made to Lucerna of Munawar, a 'notable elemental female' who died protecting her people. Should the player choose to listen to the lecture, they will learn that Lucerna was known to be the last of her line, and died during a great battle. What is NOT stated by Borasco, however, is that the event of her death marked the beginning of t...Behind the Scenes: How the Background Visuals Were CreatedOct 4, 2019 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/050bf035db472dd3b7dab7d505c30310d9e0582a.jpg Hi everyone! Some astute players have already noticed that Akash has higher than usual minimum specifications for the average otome / visual novel! Well, we thought it best to do a quick breakdown to explain how and why. We set minimum specifications to include discrete graphics cards because Akash is not your usual visual novel, at least in terms of computer spec—rather than utilize the usual 2D tools / gamebuilders, we opted to use Unity game engine to create 3D Vistas and composite the visuals with a custom oil-paint filter to allow the background to blend better with the digitally painted sprites. The game also uses a separate database system to drive dialogue and story (essentially running a second game-engine in the background). A quick visual breakdown of a scene later in the game might help illustrate this a bit: A look at the wireframe gives a sense of the visual density, since we use a dynamic camera, ALL elements must be laid out in 3D. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/fbf43801ae4c9732e62e9ecc549943e2f6fc1e34.png The texture / material pass, which includes pixel light shaders and particle systems to drive things like fire, smoke, billowing leaves and fog. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/7b409c85ddab4719072ba058d6fd249112f61803.png The final pass, which includes a custom paint shader, designed to give the game a watercolor look, while allowing for better compositing of the digitally painted sprites. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/4ac9873b830a9e5ca4d2761d60e1bc2b7141ec4b.jpg Ultimately, we decided on this approach because we wanted Akash's presentation to be dynamic and dramatic, with sweeping cameras, animated trees and grass, animated background characters to create spaces which come alive. Additionally, Akash uses UHD content (4K sprites), so that the game can continue to look great on higher definition displays as technology improves. Because of this implementation, Akash has higher demands upon hardware than your average visual novel / otome. We've been careful to position the game as a modern title with demanding specs, and we certainly don’t want you to take the plunge if you’re uncertain your system will be up to the task. We wanted akash to stand out, and the 3D visuals gave us one opportunity to buck the usual expectations of the genre. If you like, you can improve performance on lower end systems by decreasing the resolution and the quality settings—this won’t affect character sprites significantly, however, just the fidelity of the backdrops. As always, thank you for reading, and for your interest in our game! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/02978c45c194b3059b418a760de01b5edf273698.pngAkash: Path of the Five is Live on Steam!Oct 1, 2019 - Community AnnouncementsWe've been waiting in breathless anticipation, for SO long, and now finally the cat's out of the bag! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/a041f77582b748825f01b86c3b8b5e537b0851e5.png We truly hope you'll enjoy your time with the game! Please @ us on Twitter @Akash_game and @truantpixel to share your choices, your experiences, and most importantly, to tell us what you think about our humble take on the otome genre! We've got a special 10% launch discount in place until 10/8! Additionally, the Digital Deluxe DLC content is also available as part of a bundle, which is also discounted down to $31 USD for the whole package. And, as always, thank you for taking the time to play our game! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/02978c45c194b3059b418a760de01b5edf273698.pngONE WEEK TO GO!Sep 23, 2019 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/31b8f5b70b4f38a488aed456990d2937f6411771.png Hello everyone! We're excited to announce that Akash: Path of the Five is coming to steam in just 7 days! We thought now would be a good time to go into detail about how much the game will cost, and what kind of bundle options are available. The base game (which includes the entire interactive otome experience) will retail for $29.99 USD, however during the launch window, those purchasing the game will receive a 10% discount, dropping the price to $27 USD! But wait, there's more: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/ee0c96d497bee2094a3057f496f5c1dcdd25c4af.jpg In addition, we have created a separate "Digital Deluxe Edition DLC" which will retail alone for $9.99, however if purchased with the game will net a 15% launch discount, dropping the total bundle price to $34 USD! This DLC includes: A 25-track OST, featuring a sweeping score composed by Fat Bard and produced by Truant Pixel 40 Meme stickers for use in social media featuring Aurora, Lux, Ignatious, Caspian, Rowan, and Rocco in various hilarious poses. A 4K Wallpaper featuring the MC and her 5 potential suitors. A very special edition CG / Wallpaper featuring the mysterious 6th suitor. A 44-page digital artbook featuring unseen and unused content, a behind-the-scenes look into the creative process, hilarious comics, and more! As always, thank you for being a part of this community, and for taking the time to experience our game! It's almost time!Sep 22, 2019 - Community Announcements{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35639313/9c0da1d360511b3d09f91fc07e65d16fad2d2e45.jpg It's almost time! Launch day is 10/1/2019 worldwide! If you're browsing the community hub in anticipation of playing Akash, be forewarned that many of our earlier reviewers / curators are posting screenshots of their experience, and while they've taken the time to hide end-game content, there are still many CGs / reveals which will count as spoiler content for some users! As such, if you're sensitive to spoilers, we'd recommend avoiding the community hub for now, until you've had the chance to experience the game for yourself. And if you're enjoying Akash before everyone else, please feel free to share your experience, but be sure to mark any spoiler content as is appropriate.
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