The MGC Times

July 2011 Newsletter

Dear customers and fans,

Ok. You talked me into it. I'm going to make Dirk Dashing 2 available for pre-order later this summer!

I want to thank everyone who wrote me to voice their support. Your e-mails were very encouraging, and that's extremely important to me - especially when I'm working on a big game project that takes a long time to finish. It's easy for me to get discouraged over time, wondering if anyone will even buy the game when it's finally done. So I appreciate your support and enthusiasm!

I haven't finalized the details yet, but here's what I can tell you. The pre-order will probably be at the full price of $19.99. I'm not going to mark it down as a way to entice people to pre-order; however, you will get a free copy of the strategy guide when the game is done, containing level maps, hints, tricks, concept art, etc. Everyone who chooses to pre-order will be allowed access to a beta version of the game. The game isn't done yet, of course, but you'll get to play all of the completed levels. As I finish each stage, I'll issue an updated beta with the new levels, new features, bug fixes, etc. So in many respects, it will be like playing an episodic game - with each new update, more of the story will unfold. And, of course, since the game isn't finished yet, you'll also have the opportunity to give feedback, make suggestions, etc, and possibly influence the remaining development of the game.

Before I can make the game available for pre-order, there are some things that have to happen:

• First, I need the game audio. Jesse should provide me with the draft copy of the music in the next few days, and hopefully the sound effects I need won't be too far behind. After that, there may be a few revisions once I get it in the game and we see how well it all works together.

• Second, there are some bugs that need fixing and some partially finished features that need, well, finishing.

• Third, my testers have already identified some issues with the game balance in the early levels. I need to go back and make some tweaks, adding more ammo here and there, an extra health kit or two in some places, and so on.

If all goes well, the game may be available for pre-order as early as August. (Yikes, that's next month!)

So, to whet your appetites, I've put together the first teaser trailer for Dirk Dashing 2. Just click here and enjoy your first glimpse of Dirk's new mission! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vewBcenMKE

- Troy Hepfner

Dirk Dashing 2 Production Update

I'm very close to completing Part 2 of the 5-part story. It took a lot longer than I expected to finish up the new E.V.I.L. agent for the boss battle at the end. As you may have guessed from the teaser trailer or the picture below, I'm talking about the Ninja. He has abilities that no other character has had in the game so far, including the ability to jump on platforms and over obstacles, the ability to duck to avoid your weapons, two different attacks, and more. It took a lot of fidgeting with the new AI to get the Ninja to react and move well, but hopefully the result will be worth it. Except for Bombshelle, I think the Ninja is probably the most challenging opponent in the game!

Fortunately, the Ninja is one of the last new major characters for the game. So with the bulk of the artwork done and most of the new characters completed, I should be able to crank out new levels much quicker from here on out.

Once I finish the last level in Part 2, I'm going to take a short break from level construction to get the game ready for pre-ordering. Then I'll start building levels for Part 3. Stay tuned!

Click here to sign up for our monthly newsletter!