The MGC Times

March 2011 Newsletter

Dear customers and fans,

First, I want to thank everyone who participated in last month's sale and purchased a copy of Fashion Cents Gents! Thanks to you, I sold enough games to break my record for the best February sales ever! February has always been one of my worst months for sales, so it was encouraging to watch the orders coming in.

Still, only about 15% of my Fashion Cents customers have purchased Gents so far. There's been some discussion on my blog about why this is, and I think the bottom line is that most girls that play dress-up are interested in dressing up girls not guys. Had we done a little research before making Gents, we would have learned some useful statistics like the fact that Barbie outsells Ken 10 to 1. So we might have chosen a different kind of doll for the game.

With that in mind, I've decided to present you with our idea for the third installment in our Fashion Cents line of games. I'm hoping for some feedback from you before we make the game. Obviously I depend on your sales in order to stay in business, and I don't want to spend time producing a game that you won't want. So I'd like you to be honest and tell me whether or not this would be a game you think you might buy for yourself or your children.

Thanks!

- Troy Hepfner

Our Proposal for Fashion Cents 3

So here is our idea.

The code name for the third dress-up game Victoria and I are planning is "Fashion Cents Babies". In this game, you would get to dress-up both baby girls and baby boys. The game background would be all-new this time, and would change between pink and blue, depending on whether you're dressing up girls or boys. There are tons of fun clothing possibilities for babies, and plenty of potential "accessories" in the form of stuffed animals, toys, and baby gear. We're also thinking about adding some fun sim elements to this one so that you can interact a bit with the babies you're dressing up. Caring for them and keeping them happy will help boost your score. I'd like to be able to tickle them with the mouse cursor, and watch their eyes follow the cursor as it goes by.

Do you think we'll hit a home run with this idea? Or would you prefer to see us work on some of our other game ideas? Please be honest!

Oh, and Dirk fans - don't worry. I won't be starting this or any other project until after Dirk Dashing 2 is finished!

Dirk Dashing 2 Production Update

I was sick for a week last month, so I really only had 3 weeks to work on Dirk 2. Still, I managed to accomplish a lot. I finished 2 new levels, one of which required all new background art. I also created 3 new fully-animated characters, and experimented with using the new lighting effects to create some interesting puzzles.

I've also started updating the artwork for a number of E.V.I.L. agents who will be returning for the sequel. Below you can see the new character art compared to the original art from the first Dirk Dashing game. I've added cell shading, some extra detail, and a shadow for each of the characters for their appearance in Dirk 2.

I don't know how many of the original E.V.I.L. agents will be back, but I can tell you that Bombshelle, Nick the Knife, and Tommy Gunn will be there. I'm doing some new animation for Tommy Gunn, to change a few small details that I wasn't entirely satisfied with from the original game. And if Nasty Knuckles returns, I'll probably do some new drawings for him too. I'd really like to give him 1 or 2 new abilities that take advantage of his strength and make him more formidable.

February's Top Sellers

Here are the most popular games from last month!

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