Hi folks.
Booze, with a slight twist (about which more in a moment), is another game that, after years of messing around, we can finally release. Well, what is delayed is not lost.
The story of the origin of the title is hardly dramatic
We will probably come up with some interesting anecdotes one day, but the truth is as dry as dust. I've written about this before with both Priest Simulator and Mercyful Flames. The delay is because we are testing our game. And it turns out that the game doesn't entertain us the way we intended. So we improve it and test it again...and we'll keep doing that until we die. With every game, always. If we release some shit, it's because #weenjoyitnow, not because we don't want to work anymore. There are a billion games out there that are worth playing, and if we're going to compete with them for your time, we're going to have to do a little bit of work, mate.
So what have we screwed up this time?
If you played the demo, you'll know that Booze is a bit too much like a simulator. Not a serious one like Goat or Flight, but one where you walk around and click on models from the asset store, and the game happens by itself. Not that gameplay-sterile simulators are some kind of entertainment scrapheap, because I don't think so at all, as the tribute list on our developer page shows. The problem is that we are the LAST studio in the world that should be working on simulators because we are simply not competent. We've done a lot of research, and seriously, we know what's going on in the production of various beverages, but we're not interested in faithfully reproducing the turning of the taps and the dosing of yeast.
The lie has no legs
At a certain stage of production, we managed to convince ourselves that a casual crossover game makes us happy, but... the lie has no legs. As players, we can appreciate simulators, but as developers, we feel unsatisfied. Of course, we need to be stimulated by fantastic ideas, so the right way for us is to stuff hundreds of grotesque plot situations and mechanical solutions that distort realism into the game.
Booze Master had an imbalance when it came to its simulator/economy ratio. There was too much routine woven through the processes of growing crops and making moonshine, and not enough fun resulting from challenges, exploration, and absurd quirks. Weirdness that, in the end, may alienate the purists, but which, in our opinion, makes the game simply fun: addictive, and enjoyable. Our mission is for Booze to deliver backend entertainment, which includes standard gamification for good measure. More challenges, more missions, more rewards, more finds, more twists of fate, less screwing. Getting these proportions right is not particularly difficult. It is, however, time-consuming. Someone has to do the job, and it is us.
What is the advantage? Booze will entertain.
What is the disadvantage? Booze will not teach.
