UNDERTALE 2nd Anniversary and ALARM CLOCK Development

Well, it has been two years now.

I would like to announce that we have started working on the UNDERTALE ALARM CLOCK APP FOR IPHONE/ANDROID. Me and my friend Chess are working on it in our spare time.

Basically, it's a barely-functioning Alarm Clock app, where a few of the characters from UNDERTALE will set your alarm for you.  (Actually, I highly discourage using it as an Alarm Clock, and take no responsibility for what happens if you do.)

However... it's not only an Alarm Clock! You can interact with these characters in some simple ways and read a little bit of dialogue from them. This dialogue is pretty similar to the Q&A in terms of tone: Not very important, but pretty fun.

Since it's just a minor project, development is really slow. There's no specific release date. I'd say "hopefully 2018," but if it ends up taking way longer, it wouldn't be too shocking. No idea on pricing either...

Because there's no Q&A this year, I'll leave you with some snippets of character dialogue from the project behind the cut. Hopefully you can figure out which character is which...!

If you want to know why I work with Fangamer, please watch the Little Buddies commercial they made.

Retrospective on UNDERTALE’s Popularity

Though it was released almost a year ago, I have the same opinion of it.

It's about an 8/10, niche RPG game.

If you like the characters and the humor, you'll probably like it, and forgive it for its flaws.

If you don't, you'll probably hate it.

Surprisingly, there are many people who like this type of game. Though I did work hard, there's definitely a lot of luck involved in having a game become this popular. So, it wouldn't surprise me if I never made a game as successful again. That's fine with me though.

Not only did I not expect this level of popularity, but initially, I was afraid of it. I didn't want UNDERTALE to become tiring for people, or become spoiled before anyone even got a chance to play it. Early on (this was probably excessive) I even tried to contact certain Let's Players to tell them not to make any content about it.

But, the game became very popular. Unavoidable, even. At the height of its popularity, "not liking the game" felt like a cardinal sin to many fans online. In reaction to these circumstances, others began actively hate the game, creating an endless whirlwind of discourse...

Like a thunderclap to a small dog, all of this attention stressed me out. And every time it seemed to die down, something revived it, such as the GameFAQs contest, the award shows, bizarre theory videos, and so on. At times, I wished I had a way to quell the attention. I felt a strange powerlessness. (And guilt, for feeling stressed when the success of the game SHOULD be something I'm nothing but ecstatic about.)

At the same time, countless wonderful things were happening. People told me the game helped them through a difficult part of their life. Others told me that the game had made them laugh, or cry, or say "I want to be kinder." Many young kids told me they wanted to create games or music because of it. And, on a personal level, because of its popularity, I have been able to help myself and many people in my life. (And, hopefully, in the future, I can help many other people because of it, too.)

So, ultimately, it's a good thing that the game reached so many people, and I'm very, very, very, very, very, very, thankful to everyone that supported it, and everyone that helped me make it.

Thank you.

And thank you to anyone who has created fanworks for this game over the past year. I've been in fandoms my whole life. I drew Cave Story characters in the margins of my 7th grade history class notes. So it's amazing to see something I created incite a similar passion in other people.

Someday, UNDERTALE will fade from people's minds. But, I'm sure in 10 years, some kid who played UNDERTALE will create a game that surpasses it...

I look forward to playing that.

Tomorrow, on UNDERTALE's anniversary, let's have a fun time. I am thinking I will open the askbox, and...

Bark.

Before the song “UNDERTALE” was completed, it went through a completely different iteration. This version sounds a bit more sad, which I think would have been less effective. It wasn’t until I heard a certain song that I was inspired to completely change the chords and guitar accompaniment. This new guitar accompaniment then served as the basis for “Memory,” so we have a lot to thank that inspiring song for. That’s all of the unused songs. See you tomorrow for a brief retrospective on my past year.

Originally I was going to make it if you beat the game fast enough, you’d be able to see the annoying dog in a bikini.

Dog Hole

I think this is the most finished-sounding of all the unused tracks. I made this before I really knew Undyne’s personality, so while the arrangement is good, I felt like it didn’t sound enough like being heroically punched in the face.

Because the anniversary is two days away, I’ll post the music that was unused in the game. (Somehow, it wasn’t very much.) This is an early unfinished version of Alphys’ lab. It sounded too similar to a certain lab song from another game, so I scrapped it. While I think the new one fits Alphys more, the last part of this one is actually pretty cool.

Doujinshi

Japanese UNDERTALE fandom has appeared... If you live in Japan or some country with doujinshi stores (like Mandarake), it's OK if you sell doujinshi to them.

Small online doujin sales are OK too.

Similarly, if you live in the West, and want to sell a run of a fanzine online, go for it. Since I've seen fanzines online recently.

Still can't do Kickstarters, etc.

Also, I don't care about the sale of handmade items by individuals, even online. Like those perler bead thingies. Or if someone makes a hand-knit scarf or something. No shirts/apparel (beyond literally handmade objects).

I really don't want to stop fans from having fun or expressing themselves. So, apologies for not saying something about the rules sooner. My worry is really if somebody (such as a company) tries to mass-produce or publish UT items for profit.

Hey, in case you missed the Steam Sale, UNDERTALE is once again 30% off on STEAM until Monday! Now’s a good chance to buy it for your friends or something.

Changing Policy on Fan Merch

There were a few reasons I instated this policy. However, after talking to a lawyer, it seems like allowing certain things won't really hurt Temmie or Fangamer (my friends). So things will become more lenient.

Now, I won't stop individual fans from selling the following items at cons:

- Prints, charms, buttons, keychains, stickers, etc. - Most handmade items - Undertale zines/fanbooks/doujinshi

Regarding Music:

-You can sell your cover songs on iTunes and other stores but please license them. - You can license UNDERTALE cover songs through Loudr, or distribute it via companies that license it for you (like Soundrop, Distrokid, or CD Baby) - Please don't use any sound effects from the game or samples from the original songs. - You can make your own sheet music for free, or sell sheet music through SMP Press: https://smppress.sheetmusicplus.com/ - Yes, you can perform UNDERTALE music at conventions/at a concert/at your school. Please inform us if you’re an orchestra or something though. For any questions about licensing/performing music, please contact Materia Collective (publishing@materiacollective.com)

However, restrictions exist:

- You cannot use the UNDERTALE logo or put the name UNDERTALE on it, as it is trademarked. (Weird, right!?) - No t-shirts, apparel/clothing,* or machine-made figures or machine-made plushes. - Do not sell merch via Redbubble, zazzle, or other large online store. - No, you still can't do Kickstarters or crowdfunding campaigns for UT-related things. - If you're a company (like Sharkrobot or Hot Topic or something) you cannot sell UNDERTALE merch of ANY kind. - Do not compete with official merch & acknowledge my copyright. If necessary, I can halt any unofficial item's sale. (Really don't want to ^^;;) - If this change turns out to be actually bad, I can reverse the decision. - If you sell, please have played the game.

* Exception: if someone hand-made a few scarves, hats, cosplay, or accessories, it'd probably be OK. But if mass-produced, it could become a problem.

When in doubt, if hand-made and few, it's OK. If mass-produced and machine/factory made, it's not OK.

PS - One-off art commissions of UT characters are still OK, online or offline.

PPS - If engaging in UNDERTALE activities at a con (selling, cosplaying, etc.), try to be respectful and give a good impression. Overall, UNDERTALE's had a positive effect on people who have played it. It'd be nice if it could have a positive effect on the rest of the world, too.

UNDERTALE’s 20% off on Steam again for the Lunar sale! Check it out =)