Well, it's been a busy year. We've finally released the fully playable demo (after all these years), discovered that it's not what most people wanted and that it's exactly what 545 people wanted, and then tweaked it a few times. While the game is not a dream come true, it's not half bad and that's something.
The last release was very well received, so it does look like we're on the right track and we'd like to thank everyone for helping and supporting us - from people who spent so much time testing the demo to people who were open-minded enough to download the demo and give it a try, and, of course to those who pre-ordered the game to show their support. Thanks, guys.
Other than tweaking the game systems, we did a lot of work on the rest of the game as well, improving it, evolving it, and applying what we learned from the demo release, so the game is shaping up to be better and better. I know that these words can sound hollow, but it's true nonetheless. I wish I could explain what we changed, how, and why, but I can't do it without spoiling the rest of the game significantly.
The Abyss was the last Maadoran area to be tweaked. Those who played the demo know what it was supposed to be originally - a destroyed area of the city. Its original purpose was merely to illustrate the nature of magic (i.e. THIS is what it does when applied liberally) and to give the player a chance to gain a few artefacts, provided he/she has the skills. Then I had an idea... Now, sometimes good ideas come right away and sometimes they don't, coming only after months or even years of staring at something thinking that it can be more, but the trick is that it has to fit everything else, almost like the last piece of the puzzle, so it takes a while to find the perfect fit. After all, what the hell can you find at the bottom of a crater? But then it hit me and it was beautiful (in a fucked up way) and I wrote ten pages worth of text, showed it to Gareth who loved it and had a strong opinion that there should be a lot more and was kind enough to offer his help.
So, can't tell you more than that, but take my word for it, it's quite something. So, that's about it. We tinker with the game one day at a time and so far it looks like it will be released next year. We have several good announcements to make and I'm sure that many people (well, 545 at least) will be pleasantly surprised, but we do appreciate the patronage and would surely like to show our appreciation with more than mere words.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
PS. Almost forgot - some screens. Mind you, I forgot to remove the portrait tag from some nodes and I don't have time to fix it, so it looks like you're always talking to Miltiades, even when you aren't. Sorry, but I'm already late for the party.
545 Club 
