Howdy!
Since we first launched Dust & Courage: Jake Bolton’s Journey, one question has echoed louder than any other: “When will controller support arrive?”
We wish we could have delivered it from the start, but when we first began development, we designed the entire game around keyboard and mouse. Implementing full controller support now means ripping out the existing input system and rebuilding it from scratch and that would push our 1.0 release back at least two months. For a tiny indie team like ours, a two-month delay could be a death knell.
Every time someone asked about controller support, we’d clash in the dev chat, our programmer even blocked me on Discord for a while in frustration! We have just one programmer in our team, and between polishing the Early Access map “Hope Town” and gearing up for full launch, our days and nights blur together.
Then we got a message that changed everything:
Same my daughter. She keeps watching the video lol and says, "Mama...I love this game already, and havent even played it." She has nerve damage in her right arm and hand from a birth defect. So she needs gamepad support and auto aim and auto attack in games. So please Mr. Developer 2....tell Mr. Developer 1.....guy with coffee..... its for a few people who love this game already and are disabled. Maybe he will feel more empathetic if he hears the truth behind why we ask and why its so important to us. Offer him a hug maybe too...he needs a friend to encourage him and tell him how great he is. Have him hop on here and I will tell him myself.
Her daughter’s story broke our hearts and she wasn’t alone. Dozens of players reached out asking for more accessible controls.
Suddenly, this wasn’t about deadlines or obstacles. It was about responsibility. A little girl was locked out of our world, and the only barrier was us. That had to change.
So we dropped everything else, rolled up our sleeves, and pulled multiple all-nighters. It was brutal, but we never gave up. And now —drumroll, please— Dust & Courage: Jake Bolton’s Journey offers full controller support with auto-attack! 🎉
We:
- Rebuilt our input system from the ground up to recognize every major controller.
- Recrafted menus and HUD so you can navigate with thumbsticks and d-pads.
- Added auto-aim and auto-attack toggles so players of all abilities can enjoy combat.
We set out to share our story with everyone, and we believe no one should be left behind.
Thank you for your patience and welcome to the adventure!
With love,
The Storyforge Team