A Vampyre Story

WELCOME TO VS FAN-SITE

Hello all !

I'm v4MP1r3, a leader of fan site dedicated to A Vampyre Story, the new adventure 2D Point - And - Click adventure game by Autumn Moon Entertainment.

The only purpose of the site is to inform all the fans about the news related with this game. You can read all the "hot news" on THIS link.

Lets have fun and enjoy with "old school" adventures.

*cheers*
_v4MP1r3

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Map of the page:

AME BLOG => UPDATED 29th September 2007

NEWS => UPDATED 29th September 2007

SOMETHING ABOUT 'AME'

A STORY...

IN GAME SCREENSHOOTS => UPDATED 16th July 2007

CONCEPT ART => UPDATED 16th July 2007

HAND DRAWN IMAGES => UPDATED 16th July 2007

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WATCH TRAILER NOW !

_{September 21, 2007}

You can watch the new a Vampyre Story trailer right NOW !
Enjoy people / monsters !

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SITE ONLINE !!

_{August 21, 2007}

http://www.vampyrestory-game.com/

Enjoy people ^_<

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A VAMPYRE STORY 2 ?!

_{June 14th, 2007}

Bill Tiller said in hes blog entry:

Second, we are starting to plan for hitting the ground running on AVS2 as soon as we are done with AVS1, because the whole A Vampyre Story plot spans multiple games. At least three but I envision four, and then after that possibly A Vampyre Story episodic games. Mona’s journey is an odyssey that, like Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, needs more than one chapter to tell the whole story. So -knock on wood- we hope to be making AVS games for the next two years. I’m crossing my fingers and I hope you like AVS1.

W00t !

But how long we will wait for the second sequel if we are still waiting for the first ?!
Hope not so long as this one, because they found the publisher long time ago.

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HOT NEWS !

_{June, 2007}

Bill Tiller "dropped" a sign that the game should get out at the end of year 2007. The words sounded like 'Nobody wonts to make the game in 2008'
So thats it, the game 'should' be in stores by the end of December this year.

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An Interview

_{June 15th, 2007}

Read an interview with Bill Tiller about A Vampyre Story and other interesting AME plans by Will Freeman (Pro-G).
Read Article »

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Crimson Cow and Autumn Moon Entertainment sign worldwide publishing deal

_{Press Releases}

ame & cc

The Hamburg-based publisher Crimson Cow today announced that a publishing agreement has been signed between Autumn Moon Entertainment and Crimson Cow. Through the agreement, Crimson Cow has secured the worldwide rights to the adventure "A Vampyre Story" which is currently under development by Autumn Moon Entertainment. Both companies are pleased to be able to pool their many years of experience in the creation and publication of excellent adventures.

"A Vampyre Story" has been written by Bill Tiller, the founder of Autumn Moon Entertainment. A former employee of Lucas Arts, Tiller won himself a place in the hearts of adventure fans through his work on titles such as Steven Spielberg's The Dig, the legendary The Curse of Monkey Island, and Indiana Jones. A Vampyre Story combines modern 3D animations with the qualities of classic 2D adventures and exceptional style.

The point-and-click adventure "A Vampyre Story" tells the story of the beautiful, gifted opera singer Mona De Lafitte, whose life is brought to an abrupt end by a vampire baron named Shrowdy von Kiefer. Henceforth, she is doomed to a miserable existence as the unwilling companion of the vampire in his gloomy castle. Fate smiles on her briefly when her undead captor is destroyed. Seizing the opportunity, Mona runs away from Baron von Kiefer and tries to fulfill her dream of singing at the Paris Opera. Accompanied by her mischievous bat Froderick, Mona must face a number of challenges in her odyssey and learn not only to accept her vampire nature, but also to use the abilities she has acquired to her advantage.

Karsten Otto, managing director of Crimson Cow GmbH, is looking forward to the release next year: "We are convinced that an outstanding interactive story and excellent art design are at the heart of every exceptional game. A Vampyre Story embodies both, and we are proud to be able to contribute to the worldwide revival of the unique, exciting experience of the adventure genre in 2007."

Bill Tiller, CEO and Creative Director of Autumn Moon Entertainment, is also pleased about the deal: "My long-standing experience in this industry has taught me above all: Key to the success of any production is a team that believes in the project from day one, and that can focus all of its know-how and passion. Only then does a great idea become a great game! In Crimson Cow we have found just the right partner, and together we will publish an absolutely top product.“

For more information on Crimson Cow, please visit their web site at: http://www.crimsoncowgames.com/

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Welcome to the crypt!

_{August 20, 2007}
In the middle of the sparsely populated Draxsylvanian countryside stands the Castle Warg, the formerly majestic structure now consumed and corrupted by the forces of evil. On the balcony of the highest tower, a beautiful young woman stands staring sadly out into the distance. Kidnapped and imprisoned by the owner of the castle, her dream of becoming the world’s greatest opera singer having been extinguished in a single night …as was her life itself. Her name is Mona de Lafitte…and she is a vampyre!

Hello everybody! The team at Autumn Moon entertainment would like to welcome you to the official A Vampyre Story blog. We’re really excited about our partnership with Crimson Cow because they’re helping us to realize the dream of bringing A Vampyre Story to life. Production on the game is coming to a close – a lot of background art has been completed, all of the models have been….um….modeled, and the dialogue is almost complete (I just have to figure out what the horse says in a few sequences……I’m thinking “neigh” although maybe I should go with the more dramatic “NEIGH!”)

A Vampyre Story will be the first major release from Autumn Moon Entertainment, a company comprised of a group of game company veterans with just the right infusion of youthful energy and talent. A Vampyre Story will chronicle the adventures of the aforementioned Mona de Lafitte and her trusty sidekick Froderick the bat. Together the two of them will go forth and conquer evil…..or at the very least, take the first step towards a long and wondrous adventure which will bring them into contact with an amazing cast of characters. Some alive, some dead, and at least one that’s…well, hard to qualify. You’ll know him when you see him – he certainly has a thing for Mona!

It’s been amazing to watch the fan reaction to the game. Ever since it was first announced the Autumn Moon office has received messages from people around the world, asking questions or just voicing their support. Apparently, like the team working on A Vampyre Story, you believe there is a market for fun, light-hearted adventure games. What you won’t find in A Vampyre Story are running gunfights, carjackings, or unbridled violence. Although, I have to warn you that you may hear the occasional borderline inappropriate comment from Froderick, we’re trying to keep him in check – no promises though. That bat has a mind of his own…and a mouth to match.

The team at AME would like to use this blog to give you updates about the game and keep you informed about the shenanigans taking place around the AME office (which reminds me, it’s time for Bill Tiller to take his medication). Oh, and about that quote at the beginning? Don’t worry about Mona – her life is about the change for the better. She’s going to get an opportunity to escape that castle, but she can’t do it alone - she’s going to need your help. Are you up to the challenge? Keep your stakes sharpened, and your crosses crossed,

Dave Harris
Lead Writer – A Vampyre Story

Secrets Revealed, Sorta

_{June 14, 2007}

Hi All,

Bill Tiller here. Sorry I don’t write a blog everyday (or every season for that matter) but I am not only the director of the project, I am also the game designer, art director, the story board artist, FMV editor, special effects animator, business manager , texture painter, 3d lighting artist, and main background artist. So my plate is pretty full.

But I figure it was time to write something! So I will quickly take this opportunity to clear up some questions about the game. First we are shooting for a 2007 Q4 release of the game, but we can’t promise that in all markets. One should Contact Crimson Cow about that at CrimsonCowGames. They have the world wide rights to the game and control when and where it will be released.

Second, we are starting to plan for hitting the ground running on AVS2 as soon as we are done with AVS1, because the whole A Vampyre Story plot spans multiple games. At least three but I envision four, and then after that possibly A Vampyre Story episodic games. Mona’s journey is an odyssey that, like Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, needs more than one chapter to tell the whole story. So -knock on wood- we hope to be making AVS games for the next two years. I’m crossing my fingers and I hope you like AVS1.

Next I want to answer a question I get asked a lot; Did Tim Burton influence the art style for A Vampyre Story? The simple answer is no, but realistically, a little. I just wanted to clear up who my main artistic influences were: Tim and Greg Hildebrandt, NC Wyeth, Chuck Jones, and Edward Gorey. I loved the Hildebrandt’s (http://brothershildebrandt.com) when I was teenager and copied them a lot. They I started studying the illustrations of N. C. Wyeth (Wiki). His sense of light was very inspiring to me.

Like all kids I loved Warner Bros. cartoons, especially the ones by Chuck Jones, and what I really liked was the wacky backgrounds with their impossible angles, distorted shapes, and asymmetrical designs. But as kid I never studies, but as an adult at Cal Arts when I was studying to be an animator, I really got into the so called carton style. One of my mentors, Jules Engles was even one of the inventors of the modern cartoon look while he was working at UPA studios on Gerald McBoing Boing and Mr. Magoo (http://www.upapix.com).

Edward Gorey (http://www.goreyography.com/west/west.htm) is big influence on me and Tim Burton. I loved Edward Gorey’s art in The House with a Clock in its Walls by John Beliars, and for the PBS TV show Mystery. So I think his influence, plus the similar subject matter that Tim Burton and I enjoy, and they fact we were both animators at Cal Arts, may have a lot to do with why some think Tim Burton is such an influence of mine. Tim Burton. Nightmare before Christmas was an influence on the style we came up with for Curse of Monkey Island, and that style influence A Vampyre Story’s style, so in a round about way he is an influence, but not directly.

Edward Gorey’s subject matter and writing were a huge influence on the feel and plot of A Vampyre Story, The Gilded Bat (http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~klhorowi/goreybbow.html) especially. I even originally wanted to do the game in Edward Gorey pen and ink style, but everyone I talked to about really wanted to see my color art, and I realized black and white would be great for a two hour movie, but for fifteen hour game color would be needed to keep people’s interest and keep the game from feeling too gloomy.

I, like Tim Burton, loved watching hours and hours of Creature feature monster movies on TV as kid. Tim Burton is nine years older than me, so we had similar suburban childhood. So a lot the stuff he liked as a kid, I liked as kid too, such as Batman, Planet of the Apes, Disney’s Sleepy Hollow, Hammer Films, Charlie and the Chocolate factory, the Rankin/Bass stop motion TV specials. Tim likes Halloween and Christmas a lot, and so do I. Heck I was born the day after Halloween, - Halloween is like Christmas in October for me.

The biggest difference between us artistically is I like color more than Tim Burton. He loves black- Oh! God, does he ever! But you won’t find a pixel of pure black in A Vampyre Story (navy blue maybe, but not black). I like color, bright saturated, complementary color. That comes from my love of N. C Wyeth and the Hildebrandt brothers. So if someone wanted to sum up A Vampyre Story’s style in one sentence, they could accurately say it is Edward Gorey meets the Brothers Hildebrandt. Don’t get me wrong, I love black and white a lot, but color is really my thing.

And since I am on the subject of influences on A Vampyre Story I of course have to cite the Universal Horror films of the 1930’s and 1940’s, as well as the horror films made by Hammer Studios in the 1950’s and 1960’s as tow major inspirations. In fact the hammer film Brides of Dracula and Dracula’s Daughter are probably the two biggest influences on the creation of Mona de Lafitte, our main character. I recommend anyone who likes stylistic and romantic vampire movies to rent both of these.

Thanks,
Bill Tiller

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Something about AME

AME (Autumn Moon Entertainment) -

Bill Tiller, the founder of the AME - games can best describe this company, as he said in interview for Adventure Advocate:

Well I founded Autumn Moon myself, even though I wanted to found it with other Lucas Arts and former Lucas Arts artists and programmers. But for some reason or another people couldn’t do it either because they already had good jobs, didn’t want to take a risk, or didn’t want to make adventure games anymore. I don’t blame them. Starting up a company is risky, especially if you have a house to pay for and have children, like I do. But I did it anyway because it is makes the most sense to me to do it.

So I quit my good job at Stromfront Studios as Art Director on EA’s The Two Towers, cashed out my 401k retirement money I’d been saving for ten years and started on the A Vampyre Story 2d prototype. The images of Mona in 2d are from that prototype.

Some people said to me “What are you doing? Are you crazy? You are risking your home and security! Go get a safe, REAL job.” I appreciate their advice, but they just don’t understand. I HAVE to do this! Why? Because it just seems like the natural next step in my life. I love illustration. I love animation. I love computer games, and I love story telling. Well, adventure games combine all the things I love into one!

So naturally this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. It only took me 38 years to figure it out.
The timing seems to be right too. Lucas Arts has abruptly decided to do Star Wars and action games only for console and pc. Though I think a new Monkey Island game would do well especially with the Monkey island Movie coming out (Ron Gilbert is right. The Pirates of the Caribbean movie is really a Monkey Island movie).

So the type of game Lucas used to make only two companies, in the USA anyway, are doing it. Tell Tale and Autumn Moon. It is interesting to note that even though we are both doing adventure games, they have followed the path of getting existing licenses such as CSI, Sam N Max and Bone. Where as Autumn Moon is going the route of making original stories and licenses, though I’m sure Tell Tale will get around to doing an original game, and we would love to do games based on certain licenses. Lucas Arts did both back in the day, but now two spin offs are filling the gap.

A Story...

The game follows the opera starlett, Mona De Lafitte, a woman kidnapped by Baron Shrowdy Von Kiefer. After coming under the vampire's spell she becomes a creature of the night. As she seeks to venture away from his gothic island-set castle, she'll have to learn to control her vampyric powers of turning into a bat, hypnotizing people, turning into vapor, and drinking blood from humans. Her friendly bat acquaintance, Froderick, will join her on her quest.