05 Nov 2017Developer postOriginal post (opens in a new tab)

2017.11.04 Boss 101 Released and Reviewed, pt1

Hello and welcome to the first week of Boss 101’s release!

Boss 101 Info Roundup
Release Date: November 2nd, 2017
Price: [s]$9.99[/s] $8.99 (Promo Price for ONE week at Launch)
Boss 101 Steam Store Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/380920
Please check out the Steam Store if you would be so kind!

We wanted to thank you for all your support and take a moment to reflect on the moment. First though – let’s look at some videos and updates from around the web.

First off a quick blurb on the upcoming Release from Joel Couture of Silicon Era
http://www.siliconera.com/2017/11/02/shmup-boss-101-gives-players-hand-creating-bosses-fight/

SodaJunkie took a look at the game too!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPGLrPu64VU

Retromation did a look too! We hope he does more!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI3g4rTVvXw

Then we have what was one of the NICEST things to happen for us during launch. Our good friend Matt “ToborPrime” Fitzgerald did a live stream countdown to the game’s release. In it he played the game for a marathon right up till we hit the publish button. Check out a few of the videos below and see how AWESOME his voices for the various Boss 101 characters are!

Boss 101-a-thon, Part 1
https://youtu.be/_VI8hkio-Pw

Boss 101-a-thon, Part 2
https://youtu.be/bH0AqWFQR70

Really hilarious stuff and we can’t thank him enough!

Very Thankful and Humbled

Now I (Tim) wanted to take a moment to share something with you today. I posted earlier on my Facebook page about this but it bears repeating here in this post. I am extremely proud and happy of the work Manon, Joshua and I did on Boss 101. The response from people has been great and I even got a message from a friend I hadn’t spoke with in over 30 years telling me he and his son were playing the game and having a blast. That was awesome and meant so much!

We still have work to do to get the word out but I think it’s time to take a moment to celebrate the achievement. Below is my post on the shipping of Boss 101 (with minor edits).

Please enjoy!

I wanted to drop an update about the latest and greatest news I have! Please forgive the public nature of this note but I had to share the moment with you. A few of you might know this already so consider it a refresher.

I embarked on a journey years ago to work at a pace I could control and on subjects I found personally interesting. Thankfully I was able to team up with two incredibly talented people and together we started on a game project.

Here we are three and a half years later. A lot of time for sure and it caps one of my most satisfying and fun experiences in games. Let’s be clear – I’ve had the privilege of working with many talented people over my career. I learned my craft from far smarter folk who saw fit to give me a break when I needed one. I wouldn’t be here or anywhere unless I stood on the shoulders of giants who took pity on me when I needed it most. From those people and my sainted parents, I stand before you now.

Still, I have to talk about the great fortune and amazing project I’ve been on over these last years. The game is called Boss 101 and I am telling you right this instant you CAN live your dreams. Anything is possible if you are willing to put in the effort. That’s not mumbo jumbo claptrap, that’s the TRUTH.

Boss 101 is a project of pure creation. Myself along with my friends Manon and Joshua managed to make something I personally never thought I’d see. A game without any apologies or compromise. The game we released is basically the game we wanted. That release was based on nothing except two questions we asked ourselves over and over. “Is it fun?” and “Is it done?”

That’s it. That got this game finished. When we started, the project was small and the scale was limited. The framework went up quickly and we started asking “Is this fun?” If the answer was no then we worked to add things to make it fun. Adding features we felt had value. From there we iterated and played the game. At every step the same question was asked “Is this fun?” This was coming out of our own time and effort. No publisher. No Kickstarter.

At one point the game pretty well hit all the story beats and we felt the value was there for anyone who would buy it. So, we released it.

And you know what? When I hit “Publish” on Steam this past Thursday I felt something strange. I felt no urge to apologize for the game. No sense of “Well, if we only had a few more months” or “You know, you should have seen the ideas we LEFT OUT! OH BOY you would not believe how awesome they were!” It was strange as we got past the first few hours of release and early buyers were playing and commenting on the game. Most all were getting the vibe and liking what they saw.

Really though, really, and I mean this - the game was already a huge success before I hit that publish button. It was a success because it proved something I long imagined possible. You can live your dreams. It’s doable. You can even do it with other people. Heck it’s BETTER when you journey with other people. Friends. Family. People you trust and can laugh with. Makes the whole shebang a lot easier.

In fact, you might learn something important about yourself while you’re on this journey. I pretty much guarantee it. I can’t tell you what that lesson is since it varies from person to person but I can tell you one thing. If you live your dreams, one day - at the end of your grand life, as you lay there thinking to yourself during your final moments on this magnificent planet – you won’t wonder “Well, if I only had a few more months” or “You should have seen the things I WANTED to do! OH BOY you would not believe how awesome they were!” No ma’am. No sir. You’re going to feel right cause you didn’t compromise.

Be true to yourself everyone. . . and live your dreams.

-Tim

All right – go out and get Boss 101 if you haven’t already! It’s on sale this WHOLE WEEK!

Thank you!!!