Tramboi
Prophet
We should get the 35k$, and the digital feelies. Not so bad.
We're On Our Way! Campaign Complete!
Have you ever tried to write a Thank You letter to over a thousand people at the same time?
This is that letter.
My heartfelt thanks to you 1,053 backers who are making this game possible. I am delighted that we reached the CyberFeelies ™ stretch goal, and I haven’t given up on our other stretch goals either. I’d love to see this game get to “Play Anywhere” on mobile, and I’ll continue to try and find a way to make that happen.
In the meantime, here is what will happen next... Kickstarter will take “approximately 14 days” to complete their behind-the-scenes administrative tasks, after which I will start to get in touch with all the backers in the various tiers to collect the information I need to get you the rewards you have so richly earned.
My thanks again to everyone, and now I have a LOT of work to do!
Cheers,
--Bob
Porting to mobile shouldnt be too hard right? I was wondering why it is so high up in the stretch goal anyway.
It's Not Too Late, and Here's What's Next
Hi all!
Lots of people have written to me saying they missed out on the campaign, either because they didn’t notice it in time, or because they wanted to contribute via PayPal (which Kickstarter does not allow).
If you’d still like to support the game and help us reach our stretch goals, come on over to http://www.thaumistry.com, where we have set up a page that will accept both PayPal and credit cards.
In the meantime, here is what happens next:
The Kickstarter people have sent me the final list of backers. Soon I will send out a survey to collect the information I will need to send out your backer rewards when they are ready. Depending on which reward tier you signed up for, the survey will ask you for things like your email address, your name as you want it to appear in the credits, your “Shout Out” text, your snail-mail address (if you ordered a poster), etc. There’s nothing you need to do until you receive the survey.
For those of you who are naming a character after yourself or who are getting a personalized Easter Egg, I will be getting in touch with you individually.
Cheers,
--Bob
Backer Website and Questionnaire
Hi backers!
Yesterday, I sent an email to everyone who has backed the game. In it, I outlined how you can get me the information I need in order to send out the game when it is ready.
Please check your inbox, and if you did not receive the email, send me a message via Kickstarter.
Thanks again!
--Bob
Email Fail! Please Stand By!
Well THAT didn't work!
I've received lots of messages from people who didn't receive yesterday's email, so something has gone wrong with our system. If you didn't get the email yesterday, there's no need to notify me for now.
I'll post another update when things seem to be working again.
Best wishes,
--Bob
Reminder: Login to www.thaumistry.com. Also, shout-outs and Easter Eggs are due April 30th
Last week, I sent an email to everyone who has backed the game. In it, I outlined how you can get me the information I need in order to send out the game when it is ready.
We had problems with aggressive spam filters which we think we have fixed, but I suspect there are still some folks out there who did not get their login credentials.
Please check your inbox, and if you have not received your login credentials, send me a message via Kickstarter.
Thanks again!
--Bob
APRIL 30th DEADLINE! Final Reminder for Shout-Outs and Easter Eggs
If you backed the game at $50 or above, you are entitled to a Shout-Out from the convention center stage in the game. Please log in to www.thaumistry.com with the credentials we have sent you and enter your Shout-Out text into the the questionnaire.
If you backed the game at $100 or above, you are entitled to a custom-built Easter Egg that you and I can design together. Please send an email to me at bobbates-at-bobbatesllc.com so we can cook up something fun.
The deadline for both is this coming Sunday, April 30th.
And for all backers, if you have not received login credtials to www.thaumistry.com, please send an email to me at bobbates-at-bobbatesllc.com.
Thanks,
--Bob
Beta Testing Concluded!
Today marks the end of almost 3 weeks of beta testing. Almost 20 people have been playing the game, and now I'm combing through their transcripts, looking for inputs that should have worked, places where they got stuck, and opportunities for humor and other nefarious bits of fun.
I definitely have my work cut out for me, but what enjoyable work it is!
In the meantime, if you know anyone who you think would like this game, send 'em on over to www.thaumistry.com, where they can still get their name in the credits as a backer if they sign up before June 1.
Cheers,
--Bob
A Temporary Setback, plus a New Team Member
Hi all,
I broke my right hand.
To be specific, I fractured the shaft of the fifth metatarsal. I wish there were a great story behind the injury -- I'd like to say I had a mountain-climbing accident, or that I got into a bar fight -- but the truth is that I tripped and fell against a wall.
This has meant that for the past few weeks I haven't been able to type, which means I haven't been able to write code.
I was hoping that the injury would not delay the release of the game past the promised July delivery date -- I wanted to be that rare Kickstarter game that actually came out on time. But sadly that is not going to happen. The game will be delayed by the 4-6 weeks it is taking me to recover. (I have been able to make some progress by holding a pencil in my splinted hand and poking at the keyboard, but as you can imagine, this is somewhat less than speedy).
But at least there was one piece of good news amidst all the doctor visits -- acclaimed humor writer and German game publishing legend Falko Loeffler has teamed up with Michael Hengst and me to help create the Cyberfeelies(tm) for the game. Welcome, Falko!
In the meantime, I apologize to everyone for the delay, and I will let you know when I've got an actual ship date.
--Broken Bob
I Can Type! (Well, sort of).
Hi all,
The big splint has come off my hand and I can type again!
Unfortunately, a little splint does remain on one finger and will be there for the next 7 weeks. But nevertheless, I can type, albeit awkwardly, and so the game is now back on track for completion. I don’t have a firm ship date yet, but it’s looking like early September.
In the meantime, our team hasn’t been idle. Nick took advantage of the past few weeks to create an accessible version of the game so that it can be more easily played by people who are blind or otherwise visually impaired. In addition, he is completing work on an in-game map, a feature which has always been on the bubble, but now looks as if it will make it into the game.
I appreciate everyone’s patience as we have worked through this delay, and my thanks go out to everyone who wished me a speedy recovery.
Cheers,
--Healing Bob
RELEASE DATES!
As a big Thank You to all the Thaumistry supporters, I am delighted to announce that I will release the game to backers at the $15 level and above on Friday, September 29th, one week prior to its going on sale to the general public.
Between now and then, I will post details about how to get the free download, whether via Steam or via direct download from the game’s website.
My thanks again to everyone who has backed the game, and I very much hope that the wait will have been worth it!
Cheers,
--Bob
Thaum: (noun). A unit of magical energy
Eric Knight is a confused young man who was a famous child prodigy inventor, but who hasn’t seen much success since. Strange things always seem to happen around Eric—door knobs fall off in his hands, computer screens go blank when he touches them, alarms go off randomly as he walks by.
Today, he will find out why.
Thaumistry: In Charm's Way is a hilarious text adventure from award-winning Infocom and Legend Entertainment author Bob Bates.
Set in present-day New York City, the game is a joke-a-minute romp filled with offbeat characters, improbable spells, and well-crafted puzzles.
- Spoiler-free, context-sensitive hint system
- In-game map
- Fully customizable fonts and colors
- Screen reader-friendly option available for visually-impaired players
- Steam Cloud save games
- Advanced parser, for a modern update of Interactive Fiction
- Digital CyberFeelies™ to round out that classic text adventure experience
- Thaumistry is USDA approved,* gluten-free, and contains 0 grams of cholesterol
*No it’s not.
And we're LIVE!!!
Hi all,
Kickstarter backers can now go to www.thaumistry.com, click on the “Backers” tab, and use your login credentials to download the Windows and Mac versions of the game. (Linux users, please be patient—we should have your version ready within the next two days).
If you have forgotten your credentials, just click on “Forgotten” and they will be emailed to you..
The game will go on sale to the general public on October 6th.
Because the game is new, some anti-virus programs may flag it as a file you have to “trust.” (I’m looking at you, Norton 360). Mac Users may see the game flagged as from an “unidentified developer.” If that happens, click on the Question Mark (?) in that window and follow the instructions for granting an exception to the game.
The Steam version of the game will also be released at the end of next week. Backers who want to play the game on Steam can write me at info@bobbatesllc.com and I will send you a free Steam key.
Cheers,
--Bob
And thus the course of an election was changed forever...Because the game is new, some anti-virus programs may flag it as a file you have to “trust.” (I’m looking at you, Norton 360). Mac Users may see the game flagged as from an “unidentified developer.” If that happens, click on the Question Mark (?) in that window and follow the instructions for granting an exception to the game.
It's already out. bro.Fascinating, and I love the name! Best of luck on this Kickstarter, and release.
Fun game, adventure games where you cast spells are really some of the most cool ones.