Demo

A substantial amount of work has been done since the last update. Currently, I have a demo lasting about 1 - 1.5 hours (thats if you skip many of the interactions). I call it a demo but it's a large chunk of the game (about of Act 1), and it needs more play testing / stress testing. It skips the prologue which I hope to bring back for the final release and jumps right into the game's intro. Its also lacking a couple interactive bits pivotal to the story. They are not included as that will ruin the bigger picture for you folks. Anyway, Id love to get it into the hands of some of the original backers / fans for some play testing! Email info@iragame and Ill add you to the list and you will get a steam key in the near future! I have some old emails from back in the day, but who knows whats still good or not in that list. Please shoot me an email if its been awhile! Also, Id love to get people playing while they are recording themselves using OBS. Being able to see reactions to actual gameplay in real time is extremely beneficial! Ill provide links in the demo email of how to set things up.

State Of The Game

So much work has been done in the first to 1/2 of the game. Its been well developed! In fact Im looking into the possibility of doing scene releases for Act 1. That way I can get it out in the near future, and then work on a new release about every 4-6 months. Act 1 is already segmented into 3 self contained scenes / parts, so it would be possible to handle Act 1 in that fashion. Ideally, Id want to do all of Act one at once. I feel like that would be the best way for someone to experience the game. It all depends on what happens with round 2 of MegaGrant funding.

MegaGrant

Ive created a round 2 Epic MegaGrant to submit to the MegaGrants program, and its ready for submission! Epic is open to doing another round of funding for past recipients. In my proposal Ive had to showcase the progress that the original grant has helped me make. Ive put together an in depth document with videos, images, etc showcasing just how fair things have come with assistance from the MegaGrant program, and where a second grant would help me take things. I will make the submission at the end of the month when the application system opens back up (the program is on a summer break). This second round of funding would allow me to bring on another person leading up to the launch of Ira Act 1: Pilgrimage. They would work alongside me using the Ira action component system to script interactions and make sure the full vision of the game is realized. It would also free up my time to refine and work on a number of other game related tasks that need to be completed / addressed. From press kits, to support for various platforms. Creating a game at the quality level that Im aiming for is not easy for a team, and its exceptionally challenging for a single developer like myself. Im hoping that the MegaGrant team will be impressed with the progress made and will happily provide an infusion to finish things in the best way possible, and get Ira across the finish line. Wish me luck! I should know in 90 days or less from the date of submission.

Steam

Currently figuring out what I should include in the new press kit, and how I want to do the final trailer! That being said, Im excited to put the newest trailer together because theres a lot of great content to work with. Im currently laying the groundwork for the final iteration. Its going to be interesting folks!

Sponsorships

MegaGrant based sponsors continue to be extremely helpful. Intel has provided me with an Arch A770 GPU which will replace one of my oldest cards. Im very appreciative of the support and its been put to good use. Thank you Intel! I also randomly won another AMD processor so I can do a CPU upgrade. I'm having really good luck in this department!

Personal Stuff

I broke my spine falling off a zipline which was a scary experience. The line I was on, pulled out of one of its anchor points and I fell directly onto my upper back. Thus jamming one vertebrae into the other causing a dent / smushed area in the bone. Compression fractures are pretty painful if Im being honest, but Im exceedingly fortunate. The damage was minor albeit painful, and has been able to heal on its own with little intervention. It was just one of those things that takes time to heal. Right now I have minimal to no discomfort as its been healing for a number of months, and Ive been fully mobile for a while now. Sitting, running, working out, and doing general spider monkey like activities are going well once again. I never want to relive that initial first 2 weeks of pain ever againNot fun. Once again, please reach out if you are interested in playtesting the latest demo! Until next time folks!

[ 2023-07-05 20:37:58 CET ] [ Original post ]