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The
MGC Times
September
2012 Newsletter
Dear
customers and fans,
Although
it has been a busy month, there's not too much to report outside of my
current work on Dirk Dashing: Secret Agent! Special Edition, which you can
read about below.
Some
Dirk Dashing customers have been asking if they'll have to pay for the
Special Edition version when it comes out. The answer is no. Everyone who
has already purchased Dirk Dashing: Secret Agent! will be entitled to a
free upgrade. I'm not doing a Special Edition so I can take more of your
money; I'm doing it mostly for my own satisfaction (because I'm embarrassed
by how it looks compared to Dirk Dashing 2). And I'm hoping that the
improvements will make it more appealing to new customers.
If
you haven't purchased Dirk
Dashing: Secret Agent! yet, and are waiting for the Special Edition,
let me encourage you to think about purchasing now. With all of the
improvements that are going into the Special Edition, plus the fact that
there will be 8 new levels, I'm seriously thinking about raising the
game's price when it is released. So if you buy it now at $9.99, you'll
save a little money.
- Troy Hepfner
Status
of the Dirk
Dashing 2 Strategy Guide
As
I mentioned last time, I've
outsourced the strategy guide to a woman that writes such things for a
living. I haven't been able to get a current status report on it, so I'm
not really sure how far along it is. I wish I had more news to share, but
rest assured I'm doing everything I can from my end to try to hurry it
along.
Production
Update on Dirk Dashing: Secret Agent! Special Edition
I'm
making good progress on Dirk Dashing: Secret Agent! Special Edition. In
the last month, over half of the original levels have been ported to the new
Dirk 2 engine, and 1 of the 8 new levels has been built. Here's a
screenshot to whet your appetite, from the diamond mine in Chapter 3-3:
For
comparison, here's what this scene originally looked like:
As
I go along, I've
been blogging about many of the changes I've been making to the
game. You can read about all those changes and see more screenshots by
clicking on these links to my blog (I'm not going to duplicate the
material here):
So
far, I think the game plays much better in the new Dirk 2 engine. The
levels flow more smoothly with the changes I've made in item placement.
The revised grenade launcher is much more fun, and the new inventory
system lets you use it and other gadgets more frequently. The old enemies
have been retrofitted with the new AI, so they're a bit smarter and a bit
more challenging. The music is tied more closely to the action and the
story, fading in and out at appropriate times, so it doesn't sound so
repetitive. And of course, the new lighting effects, shadows, and cel
shading make the game more visually appealing. I think players are going
to be very happy with all the improvements!
In
other news, Jesse has delivered most of the new audio for the Special
Edition, including new ambient loops, ice footsteps, and a new music track
based on Jordan's earlier work. I still need the snow footsteps and one
additional ambient loop, and then the audio will be done.
I
expect to have the rest of the levels ported to the Dirk 2 engine by the
end of the month, and then I can start building the new levels and
rebalancing everything. Right now, it's looking like the Special Edition
will be ready to ship sometime in November. Stay tuned!
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