Posted by Corey Cole
Lori and I cannot express how much we appreciate both the initial support and continuing patience (or at least acceptance) from all of our dedicated Hero-U backers. Making this game is proving harder than anything else we’ve done, but you’ve also given us the opportunity to create something new and we hope wonderful.
So we wish a Happy Valentine’s Day with love to all of you.
New team members
I put out a call for Unity programmers in December, and we were delighted with the results. Ten people applied, and if I had the budget I would have hired all ten of them. Currently I’ve added three additional developers to the team. Each brings extensive Unity and game development experience to the team.
Thanks to everyone who applied. Lori and I were impressed with your level of talent and dedication.
Planned Beta and Release dates
The current plan calls for “Code Complete” – all features implemented and ready for outside Beta testing – in 2-3 months. Figure on April 30 for the start of Beta. We plan to distribute digital copies of the game through a download on BackerKit for backers, and through Steam, GoG, and Humble for new orders.
The Beta phase will also last 2-3 months, so we’re targeting late June to mid-July for game release. We are following the tradition of similar Kickstarter projects in releasing the digital version of the game first. After we’ve fixed most of the problems reported by players, we’ll manufacture the boxed games and send them out to the backers at higher contribution levels.
We might still slip, but it won’t be by much. Lori and I have strong financial and creative incentives to get the game out the door and into your hands.
It’s a Trap
Here’s a sneak peek at the trap disarming puzzle. As Shawn practices disarming traps and improves in skill, some of the incorrect letters will be removed from the dial of Shawn’s Trap Tapper. https://youtu.be/RW3JjZI5YKM
Remember, Rogues, it takes more than a disarming smile to bypass a diabolical trap!
Project upgraded to Unity 5.5
We looked into porting Hero-U to Unity 5 a couple of years ago, but decided we did not have the expertise to make it work. Now with the help of our new team members, we’re up and running on version 5.5. This brings the game some big improvements in lighting, performance, and stability.
Bob Bates Thaumistry game
Bob Bates is an adventure game hero going all the way back to the days of Infocom text adventures. Bob also co-founded Legend Entertainment and published our Shannara adventure RPG. Now he has returned to his text adventure roots with Thaumistry, a comical fantasy interactive fiction game on Kickstarter. The project is fully funded, but additional backers will help Bob reach stretch goals including audio.
Please support Thaumistry and help keep the text adventure market alive. The project is on Kickstarter at https://www.kickstarter.com/
Seriously, You’re the Best
Thank you for supporting our incredible journey into making a Sierra-quality video game in the new indie era. We wouldn’t be here without our generous backers, and we think you’re going to love Hero-U as much as we love making it.
