Hey everyone! We are super excited to make this announcement! The Kickstarter update that we have all been waiting for is finally upon us. On September 16th, 2022 we are officially releasing the Windows DRM-free version of SpaceVenture to all of you $15 and up backers.
To start this off, we would like to give you a bit of an FAQ on things you might be wondering:
Q. What? I thought you said a few weeks ago that the save/load system was still not working?
A: As of a few weeks ago, we were already pretty close to getting it working. As mentioned in the previous update, we had a couple of developers (one of which is the senior developer Patrick Johnston) that got together and worked four long days in getting the system where it needs to be. And the meet up was a success!
Q. Will the game be coming out on Steam?
A: Yes! After we release the game to you backers, we’re planning to release it on Steam. And our goal is to get all $15 and up backers Steam keys as soon as possible.
Q. What about the other platforms promised in the Kickstarter?
A: Yes we plan to get the game released on all the promised platforms. When we did the Kickstarter our plan was to release all platforms at the same time. At this point, in order to do that, we would have to make everyone wait even longer. So we feel it’s a good idea to go ahead and release it on Windows. The plan is to follow that up with Macintosh, Linux and then iOS/iPAD and Android.
Q. How will we get access to the DRM-free version of SpaceVenture?
A: Everyone who is a $15 and up backer will receive a message from us on September 16,2022 before the end of the day (Pacific Time) containing download information.
Q. Since we have a DRM-free version of SpaceVenture, can we share it with everyone in the world?
A: We can’t stop you, but we would REALLY appreciate it if you didn’t 😉
Q. What about bugs?
A: Though there may be some bugs in the game, we have it in a state now to where we feel comfortable with releasing it to everyone.
Q. If we have problems/find bugs with SpaceVenture, how will we report those?
A: The download message you receive from us will contain that information. Please don’t report problems in the Kickstarter comments. We will not be looking there for bug reports.
Q. Will you be making updates that fix bugs in the future?
A: Absolutely. We plan to have a way to report bugs and post updates/patches.
Q. What is the deal with the physical rewards promised in the Kickstarter?
A: Please see the “Physical Backer Rewards” section in this Kickstarter Update below.
Q. Speaking of rewards, should we be giving you our mailing address?
A: Not at this time. We will request this from you when the time comes to ship everything out. We still have to get everything together before we will be ready to ship. Please see the physical backer rewards section of this update below for more details.
Q. Is there any way I can up my rewards tier so I can get some of the higher level physical rewards?
A: Not at this time. Though we have been purchasing a few extra (just in case of mailing issues) of each item and may make them available in the future.
Q. What about all the digital rewards for SpaceVenture?
A: Please see the “Digital Backer Rewards” section of this Kickstarter update below.
PHYSICAL BACKER REWARDS
For physical backer rewards we want to be clear on some things. After the Kickstarter was funded we went ahead and purchased a lot of the rewards that we needed. These rewards have been kept in a safe, clean, and dry storage area. There are some rewards we have not purchased yet but we are currently working on them as I type this up.
Here is a list of the physical items we still need to purchase:
- Materials for the Andromedon Nose to be created by Mark Crowe ($7500 and up backers)
- Hard copy concept art book ($500 and up backers)
- SpaceVenture movie posters ($150 and up backers)
- Guys From Andromeda Postcard ($150 and up backers)
- Game DVD sleeves to go into the game boxes ($100 and up backers)
- Game DVDs that will contain SpaceVenture ($100 and up backers)
- 8×10 photo containing an Easter Egg to be seen in game ($45 and up backers)
Here is a preview pic of the DVD sleeve/DVD
Another glimpse of the back of the actual game box
If you don’t see a physical reward listed in the above list, it is because it is most likely something we have already purchased. For example, Buckazoid Coins, T-shirts, Game Boxes, etc..
We hope you will all understand that though we do have enough money in the bank to purchase the rest of these rewards for everyone, unfortunately we don’t have enough money to cover all the shipping expenses right now. We will be shipping out items to around 2000 people. It has been a long 10 years and we hope you can understand that though a lot of money was brought into the Kickstarter, we (like you) could never have imagined it would take this long to finish it. Even though we kept our belts tight, the money has almost run out.
So here is our plan. Getting these rewards to you is very important to us. There are three strategies that we are planning to implement.
1: After purchasing the final rewards we need, any money left over from the Kickstarter will be used for reward shipping.
2: Once we put SpaceVenture on the market for sale, such as Steam, the money made from that will go to fulfilling the shipping of all of these rewards. We are not going to be taking any money from sales until we’ve shipped out rewards.
3: Some of you may decide you don’t want to wait any longer and would like to get your physical rewards sooner rather than later. We plan to make an option available where you can pay your own shipping to receive items faster. And yes we realize that you have all paid enough money as it is. This is just an option. Anyone who wants to wait for us to get the money for shipping will totally be able to wait. Either way, we plan to get the rewards out to you. And in time, you’ll all get the physical rewards in your hands.
As for getting us your information for shipping. Please don’t send us any updated shipping address information. We do realize a lot of you have moved. When the time comes, we’ll ask for your updated address information.
VERY IMPORTANT: We do ask that you update your Kickstarter profile/account settings to reflect your name/updated email address as you would like us to communicate with you. Please do this ASAP.
DIGITAL BACKER REWARDS
One of the things that the team is working on right now is putting the finishing touches to the cool digital backer rewards that are available in SpaceVenture, including:
- Name a star or have your name on a star in game ($5000 and up backers)
- Fan/Name Vanity Card hidden object in game ($500 and up backers)
- Backer names in the credits of SpaceVenture ($100 and up backers)
- 8×10 Easter Egg related reward ($45 and up backers)
If you don’t see a digital reward that you are looking for listed above, it’s probably because it is something we’ve already completed. For example, the Wall of Fame reward, etc.
VERY IMPORTANT: As mentioned above, please update your Kickstarter information ASAP. Backers at the $100 level: The name that is listed in Kickstarter will be the name that is listed in the credits. We are going to give everyone a few days to take care of this. Backers at the $500 and up level, please update your Kickstarter info as well. You will probably get a message from us regarding your information. Please be on the lookout for that and respond ASAP. It is very important that you respond to this message quickly. Ideally, we want to get everyone’s info correct the first time.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
So that is it everyone. We realize it has been a long road. No one knows that better than our team. We have worked hard through some difficult times to make the game right and not release it half baked. And we are so appreciative of all of you that have hung in there with us. We also realize that there is still some road to hoe, as we have to get the game out on the various platforms and rewards shipped-out, but we are extremely excited to finally be releasing this game to everyone. We hope it lives up to your expectations. We realize that nothing can replace the nostalgia you may all have of playing Space Quest when you were younger, but think that SpaceVenture will be a proper spiritual successor to the series. Thanks again everyone!
