Greetings, Explorers!
I am relieved you're here. If you have made it this far into the journal, congratulations! You're now about to start your own journey inside our pyramid. Now, let's get into the final journal entry.
There is a rule in software engineering called the ninety-ninety rule, which goes something like this:
“After finishing 90% of the game, there’s only 90% left”.
The Final Boss
That’s what finishing a video game feels like! Once you move from a prototype, to turning the features of the game into a completely playable version, there is the final boss: the polishing phase. It is, in my opinion, a strange phase: the game is done, it can be played and enjoyed from start to end, but you still have to continue working on it; battling with the devil hidden in every little detail, in order to provide the most enjoyable player experience. These details are sometimes so small, however, that one might wonder if anybody would notice.
The hardest part is triaging the details. Not all details are born equal and as time is a finite resource, one must make a decision on which detail to focus on, and how to tackle it. You'll realize too, that a small detail sometimes masks a much bigger problem that needs more time, making your to-do list longer rather than shorter. In a more pragmatic way, these details can range from altering the a sound or effect, adjusting musical arrangements, polishing the aspect of a small rock, or rearranging the papyrus ten times to have a more appealing layout, etc.
Sunrise Over The Pyramid
Despite this seemingly insurmountable amount of work however, this is also the time where the build really starts looking like a game! Playtesters enjoy test sessions without bugs, and as a developer, that’s honestly a big relief; in a sense, you finally crystallize the game’s full picture. Whereas before it was a work in progress with many lines of code, it's now software that stands on its own and can be enjoyed. And as a game developer, there’s a very peculiar feeling that happens when you see people playing your creation and enjoying it, and that for me, can only be labeled as relief. This idea born a few years back is now living and ready to be enjoyed, despite my fear around testing that the cards might be enjoyable, but the castle would not hold.
This is finally the time when you can start looking back at all the path traveled, because it’s now longer behind than in front. From the sketches to an actual 3D world, diving into the progress made is always a cherry on the cake after long hours of work; We were there and we are here, and now it’s better.
A Journey With A Destination
Now, after a few years of development filled with its twists and turns, The "Amulet of AmunRuuUUUN!" is finally ready to release in just 4 days time, this Wednesday April 27th! I can’t wait for you all to enjoy this amazing cooperative adventure, and to hear your feedback and joy whilst playing it.
Till then, make sure to wishlist the game on the Steam store and remember: if you pick up the game at launch, you’ll enjoy a 10% launch discount! Be sure to join our official Discord Server to talk with other explorers about the game too.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1393580/The_Amulet_of_AmunRun/
I wish you all a great day and can't wait to see you all play on launch day! April 27th!