Res Judicata: Vale of Myth
Vale of Myth Demo Released!
Cheers!
Demo Status
Demo Launch This Friday!
Our full release will be out at the end of the next week or two. Any delays will be pending on review statuses, but for now, I will be informing reviewers of a mid-September release.
If you know anyone you feel would be interested in doing a review or Let's Play of the full game, please let me know. I'd love to get word out there!
Demo build submitted to Steam
In other news, our Demo build has been submitted to Steam - we should be receiving approval/feedback in the next few days. From there, I'll be adding in a scene to the end of the demo to properly close the demo experience and continue to put together map images for the free DLC.
v1.0.1 and Critic Submissions Sent
As of this evening, emails were sent out to eight critics containing product keys for review. Our current aim is to release the game once three critics have responded, so that when Vale of Myth goes live, you will have the most consumer-friendly set of criteria we can provide. Ideally, this release date will be end of August, with a cut-off date at end of September (release with or without reviews at that time).
We are also examining the option of releasing a *free* DLC package of all maps in the game (images). Naturally, this would contain some spoilers, hence why we're considering releasing it separately. Opening the floor to you, do you feel this is the best way to handle the map images and release date? Would you prefer we take a different route, and if so, what would that route be?
Update to Version 1.00.0 and Critic Submission
There's been a few changes I wanted to make sure everyone was aware of:
-Deja Vu: I made an earlier announcement regarding that we would be releasing to critics; our critic release was delayed by a number of fringe-case bugs discovered shortly before critic submission.
-Our PEGI rating is uncertain, when we first intended to release, we established ourselves as a download-only title, and believed our title would fall within PEGI's Casual rate pricing ~$350 CAD. In discussions since, it has been clarified that the Casual price bracket requires the game be 450 MB or less after installation. Our title is roughly 380 MB before installation, and roughly 530 MB after installation. This pushes us into the next price bracket ~$1,750 CAD, which is something I currently can't afford. Attempts are being made to negotiate a more favorable price, but if this doesn't happen, PEGI rating may be delayed until after release or canceled outright.
-Quick-retry system was cut. The store page is updated to reflect that it is no longer a feature AND that it was recently cut. While the quick-retry system worked fine in isolation, it proved incompatible with our other systems, and given the placing of auto-saves (and campsites), it was deemed best to remove the retry system from the title.
-The speed-running achievements have been replaced by bestiary entry achievements. I will be contacting our artist about making new art for the changed achievements. I do still want to support speed-runners, but I need to work out viable total gameplay times for speed-running first.
Any questions, clarifications, feedback and complaints about the changes are welcome.
ESRB Rating and Short Launch Delay
As for the short launch delay, unfortunately, our rating applications have been delayed by fixing some difficult to replicate bugs. Said bugs are now corrected, and while our ESRB application is complete, we must also apply for and receive a rating from PEGI prior to our game's release. PEGI requires a few weeks in order to complete their rating process. Sorry, I know you must be excited for release - and it is assuredly close - but the paperwork has simply been taking longer than originally anticipated.
Forums Up and Update to v1.5.6
Sadly, we were not able to submit our final build to PEGI today. Thanks to the efforts of our testers, we were able to uncover a number of fringe-case bugs that are currently being fixed. This delay should take a couple days to resolve, but that means a stronger experience for players. At the end of the day, that's the top priority.
v1.5.1 and Review Copies
On a personal level, this deadline is an emotional cocktail. I am confident in the game I've made, proud in how far this project has come, and yet I am also a little nervous. Games, like art, invite viewers to interact with them, and in doing so, have a subjective experience. Will they too have fun with this game, laugh where others have laughed, and feel the impact of VOM's more tragic moments?
Chrono Trigger, in my eyes, is one of the greatest games ever made, yet not everyone likes it. Vale of Myth is not Chrono Trigger, but likewise, there will be those who dislike my game - and that's okay. I'll still do my best to try and give them a positive player experience. My hope is that players will have fun, laugh, and reflect on themselves and the world. I hope that it will stir in players a desire for travel and the world's mysteries, as Illusion of Gaia once did for me.
Progress Update
Res Judicata is currently in late beta - we're testing not only the core path, but all side-quests and checking for side-quest sequence breaks. Once testing on RJ finishes, we'll parse out the first few areas of the game (just like it used to be with Shareware) into a demo, and both the game and demo will be posted on our expected release date of Aug. 14th. Saves from the demo will carry over (along with achievements unlocked) to the full version of the game.
So, if anyone gets any messages about the demo not being up yet - we know. It'll be coming soon. And for those who have already joined the RJ Community, thank you very much!