Wish you all have a happy and safe winter holidays ~ And here's (a) Snowdome
over 3 years ago – Tue, Dec 22, 2020 at 05:01:11 PM

Christmas is nearly here and I'm sure we're all looking forward to leaving this year behind for a brighter new year!

So you might be thinking since Caffeine is done, what have we been working on besides Bistro Days?  Well, the answer is, a lot has been going on. While I'm taking my time, writing a new story (that'd probably take 2-3 years to complete), I've also been doing some translation work on the side, and that's why I want to introduce our latest published game:

Snowdome is a genre-roulette kinetic novel developed by Lunatic Works and translated by Kikai Digital. The game features a high amount of special effects, a 6-hour story and will take you from plot twist to plot twist.

Short Synopsis

For Tan Yan, there is little hope his life will change. It's like his whole life is trapped inside a snowdome, unable to escape. But, what if, one day, he's given the chance to make a change?

Anyway, due to the story's nature, I can't let out more than this short synopsis in case I give the plot away.

Snowdome is now 20% off ($3.20) for the Steam Winter Sale. After the discount period, the price will be raised to US$6.99. So yeah, it's really cheap now and I definitely think it's a steal. If you are considering buying for the Steam Winter Sale, why not add it into your cart as well?

Physical Goods Update
over 3 years ago – Thu, Nov 12, 2020 at 12:23:52 AM

Hi everyone,

I'd like to give you an update on the physical goods delivery status.

All backers from the physical reward tiers would've received a message from us, asking to confirm once again your address on backerkit is the most up-to-date. 

Those who've already replied should've received a Tracking Code for your shipment. I also know that some of you in the US have already received the package.

So two things:

1. Those who haven't replied to my message about your address confirmation, please do so. I wouldn't be sending out any packages until I'm sure the address is up-to-date.

2. There are certain countries to which I'm unable to deliver physical goods:

• Canada
• Malaysia
• Japan

For backers who reside in these countries, due to COVID, air delivery with tracking is unavailable, which leaves us with only the risky option of surface mail, or the expensive option of speedmail. 

I won't be considering surface mail as the goods we are sending out won't be able to survive such a trip. As for Speedmail, we didn't collect enough shipping fees at the beginning as we never considered the need for this option. Normal airmail with tracking will cost us about US$10-$15, while Speedmail will set us back by about $25-$35, maybe more expensive for the physical book as it weighs more than 500g.

That leaves us with two options, either:

1. If you really want to receive the goods sooner, we can arrange for speed mail for an additional fee.

2. Just wait for a few more months until airmail is available again.

Please feel free to message me with more details, will be happy to hear from you on what you think.

Bistro Days - 48 Hours to go!

Bistro Days has about 48 hours to go, and we're approaching full funding. A major backer canceled on us so we're a bit behind on our first milestone, so anyone who's still interested in this project, feel free to back us!

Even if you're not interested in this project, we are currently offering a 3-in-1 Game Pack as an add-on, which features some visual novels that are already published, or soon to be published. This game pack is available on the above Kickstarter campaign, and will also be available on backerkit later when the campaign ends, which will go to our milestone count.

Have a great day!

Physical Artbook Is Out! Once we deliver the rewards, we can conclude this project
over 3 years ago – Mon, Oct 19, 2020 at 06:57:54 PM

The Physical Artbook is out!

After a long wait, we have finally received our physical artbook. They are ready to be shipped out.

The artbook is a testament to the sweat and tears that our artists have put into the project. That is why we spared no resources to make the artbook not only look good but being able to stand the test of the time.

This 48-page art book has a laminated surface, and its color carefully calibrated to be consistent with what's seen in-game.

For the binding, we used sewn-bindings which allows the book to open more gracefully and pages will rest to the side instead of falling back, allowing you to rest the book on a flat surface for appreciation.

Because of the limited printed, the book is so costly we are making no money out of this, not to mention the difficulty of finding a printing press that would accept such a project. But I'm still glad we are able to deliver on this reward.

As for postcards...

So for now, we still have 22 backers that have the postcard rewards. After obtaining quotes from various suppliers and looking at their quality, I've decided it is not worth the effort to manufacture these postcards, as most suppliers won't accept such a small, limited amount, and even if they do, the quality just doesn't live up to the Caffeine artwork.

Instead, I'll add an additional keychain for every backer to replace the postcards. If, however, you prefer an AUD$5 refund than an additional keychain, then please PM me your details and we'll process the refunds for you.

I know some of you might be disappointed, but consider we are already making a loss with the game and the physical toll at getting the other physical goods done, we think this is the best way to go. This will probably be the last project we offer art books and printed postcards as rewards moving forward. Instead, in the future, we will look at keychains, stickers and physical CDs that are more popular and which suppliers are more willing to produce in limited amounts.

Bistro Days - 75% Funded

And finally, if you have done so, please consider supporting our next project, Bistro Days! We are now nearly funded after only 4 days. For those that have already pledged, we thank you for your support.

Bistro Days Kickstarter Pre-Launch Page Live!
over 3 years ago – Fri, Oct 09, 2020 at 07:23:04 PM

I'm happy to announce that the Bistro Days Kickstarter Pre-launch Page is now live and the campaign will commence on the 15th of October. We are seeking funding of AUD$10,000 (US$7,000). 

You can now follow the project by clicking here.

If you want to look at the rewards and tiers, you can access the preview page here. 

The rewards are not final and might be subject to change. Feel free to leave us feedback on the page.

And finally...

 Join Bistro Day's Livestream. It will be streaming throughout the day.

Our Next Kickstarter Project - Bistro Days
over 3 years ago – Sun, Sep 27, 2020 at 08:07:00 PM

Next Project Announcement

Some of you might have known that we are acting as Publishers for a new Visual Novel - Bistro Days. 

Bistro Days is a fun, over-the-top romantic story with choice-driven plots and multiple endings. The Caffeine Team is mainly providing expertise and experience in making this game a success. 

We are planning to hold a Kickstarter Mid-October and would like to see how many are interested. It would be greatly appreciated if you can fill out this survey.

Note: If you have seen this survey somewhere before, please don't fill it out again. 

Physical Artbook Update

The Physical Artbook has been sent to the printers! 

Previously we were worried that due to the thinness of the book, we weren't able to do a hardcover, but that issue has been solved. The Physical Artbook will:

• Have 48 Pages
• Will have a Hardcover
• It is so expensive to print, and very limited (Only 20 copies). Those of you who bought it are in luck. You can brag that you're one of the 20 people in the world to have this very limited Artbook. We are NEVER going to print this again. NEVER! 

Due to the sheer cost of this artbook, I'm going to send this with tracking. And I am going to confirm with every single one of you to make sure your addresses are accurate. Losing one is game over, as I didn't print any spares!