Hi everybody!
First off here's a new gameplay trailer:
Hope everyone is doing great! Let's get right into it!
THE PAST
Whew, it's been about six months since the last news. I guess while the game is under heavy development a couple of articles a year are in order... Because it was an eventful half a year for the game, for me, and, yeah, the world in general. Madness everywhere!
I game devved through a pandemic, and I've lost count of how many wars and catastrophes by now. What's going on with the world? Who knows. It is what it is; we just truck along and thank God we're still alive. Also had some health issues to deal with, but I am fine now.
Since things got reorganized last year, we got more done in the past 6-8 months than in the previous 3 years, so that's good. If things didn't slow down so much from 2023 till mid-2025, I would be much closer to the finish line. I doubt I'd be done even then, but I'd be much closer for sure. As it is, I am done with about 40% of the maps. Recently I have finished another chapter (For Your Safety). I only have one map left in it.
THE PRESENT
In other news, thanks to some brilliant, supportive friends, now I am using faster and better compiler tools and a better Hammer. This is good for me now, and also hopefully it will streamline things for the G-String Workshop.I will only have to apologize for the weird file names, but otherwise it won't be too complicated to map for the game.
To be fair, I am now trying to give reasonable names to the newer assets just in case... I also plan to ship some of the prefab maps to help potential modders out there. They're still a bit chaotic, but they can help a lot in finding resources quicker.
So right now the name of the game is grinding. Really, I am getting into a groove and routine with overhauling these maps. So far I am happy with how things are turning out. I wish I could go faster, of course, but other than that, we're on target.
Since things are taking so long and got so complicated, the update won't be free. This is because, well, it's no longer an update. It started out as such, but it ballooned into something much more. It's a complete overhaul with new features, NPCs, weapons, paths, and so on. If it were just an update, I wouldn't bat an eyelash at releasing it free. I did that during the first year or so after the 2020 launch.
But this is more than that; it's a relaunch. It's a fresh start, hopefully, an attempt to finally put out something I am truly happy with. The 2020 release was a bit rushed and had many issues. Luckily those who still cared about making games patched it up over the years before they left. So now at least it's stable enough, but, as the weekly update pics and the trailers hopefully show, it is far from what I have in mind.
Anyway, I hope it's not a biggie for half a decade of work, I hope. It's been nearly that long, and by the time of the relaunch it will be even longer since I have been working on this overhaul. More productive devs can put out a couple of smaller games in this time while I am still stuck doing this, haha.
The main game won't be much more expensive either after the relaunch. This depends entirely on how happy I am with the outcome, so no estimates yet. Overall I think this is the best arrangement for everyone as opposed to relaunching the Ultimate as a separate title where everyone has to buy it again.
Also, the OST will probably be augmented. I am not sure if there will be a price change for it, though. Again, it depends on how everything turns out. Also don't forget the many discounts and the bundle with Peripeteia! So hopefully long-term everyone will be happy with all this, and I get to also not live in a dumpster. Win/win.
THE FUTURE
Right now the plan is to do the Money is Dead chapter. That's also a big one, so it will take all summer most likely. After that, things will speed up more and more as the later chapters are shorter and the maps in the second half of the game are more streamlined. As it is, things are speeding up (It takes me on average 2 weeks to overhaul a map in For Your Safety as opposed to 2 months in Bot Camp!).
This is why I am hopeful. Based on experience, with each upgrade, usually things do tend to speed up considerably towards the finish line. But even if I finish Money is Dead and maybe a few more smaller chapters this year, that is still only about 70% of the maps, so no release this year.
Next year?
A big maybe.
I still don't want to make promises, as even after I am done mapping, we need a big chunk of time to finalize everything. Some vehicles and NPC models still need love. Also, the weapons, HUD, and viewmodels need to be completely finished. And many other smaller things. There are also new features in the works and a lot of technical stuff that will improve the performance, stability, and visuals in general. So this post-mapping period is easily another 2-4 months.
Then making sure it is as bug-free as possible for early testers... I have to run through it several times, catch every issue I can... So yes. While I think the game will technically be done halfway through next year, I am not 100% confident it will be release-ready. I will try my best as always.
The far future plans didn't change. If the relaunch is well received, I will do the DLC: about 2-3 hours of extra gameplay—amongst other things, the water vehicle section before the KOBI shipyards, more apartments in the Dragon Girl chapter, and visiting a destroyed T-Leg in the Smog Storm chapter. Later come trading cards, achievements, and workshop support.
The big thing here is achievements. I know everyone wants those. Feel free to join the Discord (links below) and leave your suggestions for achievements. And last but not least Beauty Secrets! That will be a bigger PDF for sure after the Ultimate.
Massive thanks to everyone who joined my Patreon or donated via PayPal. It means a lot.
Massive thanks to everyone still helping me out with technical issues and coding. Incredible job, everyone!
And massive thanks to everyone who wishlists, buys, or helps promote the game in any way, shape, or form. Thank you all for the positive feedback on Steam and everywhere else. More than anything, this is what kept the engine going all these years, this and the random messages I get from people who say the game impacted them deeply and means a lot to them. At the end of the day this is what it's all about. Hopefully you will enjoy the Ultimate and it will be worth the wait.
So that's it. Have a great summer! Go on a vacation; don't be like me. See you in 6 months, God willing!
Also, it's worth mentioning that only links on my social media and Steam are safe. I am not affiliated with any organizations, so be careful out there. As for the pirate links, I understand... but please, if you do that, at least place a link to the Steam store.
Thank you.
Eyaura