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The
MGC Times
June
2011 Newsletter
Dear
customers and fans,
I've been taking a much-needed vacation this past week.
For 5 months straight I've been working full-time on Dirk 2 and
part-time at another company to help pay the bills, so this was a
welcome break. We chose to stay home for our week of vacation. It's
been nice to be able to sleep in, and not have to go anywhere. I've
been able to read some books I've been wanting to read for awhile,
enjoy some time outdoors, and spend some extra time with Victoria.
Before
I left for vacation, I updated Word Play to support Windows Vista/7,
and I implemented a new e-mail template for my newsletters and weekly
e-mails. Unless you read text-only e-mails, you've probably noticed
the new look of the newsletter. I hope you like it!
I've
also started sending weekly "What's New" e-mails for PC and
Mac gamers, so you can stay up-to-date with the latest family-friendly
games I've added to my site. Linux gamers will receive an e-mail
whenever I add a new Linux game to the site, since Linux releases are
fewer and farther between. Since I'm on vacation, there won't be a
weekly e-mail this week.
- Troy Hepfner
Dirk
Dashing 2 Production Update
Last
month, I painted the background scenery for the last major set. This
means that all of the background art for the game is now done. There
may still be a new piece of furniture here and there that is needed
for a specific level, but overall the backgrounds are finished. So
level construction should go much faster from here on out.
Here's
a quick screenshot of one of the recent levels I built. This one shows
the new E.V.I.L. logo that Ryan Sumo drew for me last year. I think it
looks pretty good in the game.
I
put together the initial build for my inner circle of volunteer
testers, so I could get feedback on the some of the new gameplay
elements, like Dirk's new moves, the new inventory system, the new
health system, the new graphics and lighting effects, etc. They've
already discovered a number of bugs that I've now found and fixed, and
they've provided some great feedback for me. Since they are the first
ones to play the new game, I thought you might like to hear what they
think about Dirk 2, so here are some of their comments:
"We
really like the look of the new game!"
"I
love the new robots and the new security force guys are cool looking
too. I find myself using the dart gun more than anything else so as
usual more 'ammo' is always a good thing! Trying to get Dirk to jump
when he is hanging from a pipe is a challenge too and a little nerve
racking. Oh yeah, I almost forgot... I love the spiders!!! I found
out that I can put them to sleep too! Very cool! You're doing a
great job!"
"Some
of the early levels are very challenging for me. Even though Dirk
can take a few hits before he dies, I'm still having trouble getting
past certain obstacles. I don't know how many times I tried jumping
from ladder to ladder over the slime before I finally made it!
Still, the new game looks amazing and is a lot of fun!"
"I'm
so excited to finally be able to play the new version. It's every
bit as good as I hoped it would be. I can't wait to play through the
rest of the game when you finish it!"
When
I get back from my vacation next week, I'm going to try to finish up
Part 2 of the game. I still have 2 levels to build and a new E.V.I.L.
agent to animate for the big boss battle at the end. But I'm hoping to
move on to Part 3 by the end of the month. The original story has 5
parts, so I still have a long way to go before I'm finished.
Fortunately, I already have designs for many of the upcoming levels,
so now that I've had a chance to rest up, I should be able to start
cranking them out.
A
few people have asked about the possibility of pre-ordering Dirk
Dashing 2 and being able to play through a beta version. I haven't
decided yet whether I will do this. If I do, it won't be for a couple
of months yet. I want to finish the new music first, and have all of
the levels through Part 3 done. If you would be interested in
pre-ordering the game, please let me know. If there's enough demand, I
may decide to do it. Otherwise, you'll have to wait until the game is
done.
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