Take the Dream IX
Red Haze Needs Alpha/Beta Testers (Please Read Before Applying)
However, Red Haze is a very complex project. It uses very unorthodox gameplay design decisions (as a small example, there are no Game Overs in Red Haze, only consequences and branching pathways), and the game is all about the details and execution of its ideas to create an immerse atmosphere and world. This is no easy task, and if Take the Dream IX's beta testing phase taught me anything, it's that a lot of small things you wouldn't of predicted can go right under your nose.
As such, I am starting Red Haze's testing phase very early to help squash things as they come. I want to work with some willing people both to make the game more technically and grammatically competent; but also to hopefully make it an enjoyable and oppressive game.
I'm opening the floor to Red Haze testing. you can start as early as now, and I'm not going to close off testers until I've run out of keys (and I ordered enough, hopefully). I'm grateful for anyone who is willing to take the time to test the game, but there are some things I should inform you of first:
-THE GAME IS NOT EVEN CLOSE TO BEING FINISHED AT THE TIME OF WRITING!! If you hop into this early, don't go into it expecting a full, fufilling gameplay experience. What I've spent most of my time doing in Red Haze up until now is scripting. I finally finished almost all the core scripting very recently, but I wanted to get all the core scripting and mechanics done early so then when I get into designing (as I'm now starting more fully) I'll be able to design with all of the game's core elements intact, and don't accidentally corrupt earlier areas or save files by making huge changes to the game's base code. While the game will probably expand pretty rapidly (I am a pretty fast designer when I'm into it), at the time of writing all that exists in the game is a few rooms with some interactive things. Voice Acting is mostly not done (Rockette will be fully voiced in cutscenes in the game, but isn't at this point in time), there are some placeholder elements, and there comes a point the game just stops and can't be continued not very far in. While you'll know when I've updated the game with more when it updates via Steam, please keep in mind what you're playing is a work in progress, and not anything close to a finished product.
-I want this to be long-term, not short-term. Development for this game will probably at least go on for a couple months, maybe a bit longer. I don't just want to hand you a beta key, you test it this one time, and then don't mess with it until the game is completed. I do need semi-regular feedback, and will probably message people who signed up for the beta to test a current build if they can and give some feedback on things at least once a week usually. If you're signing up for beta testing, don't expect this to be a one-and-done type of deal, I appreciate those willing to dive into the game multiple times in various states of completion to give feedback on things.
-You're free to do recordings, but don't try to pass it off as an LP of the finished game. Videos are helpful to me, and encouraged. as it lets me observe player behavior, reaction, and response to moments in the game. But do not mark these as the first part of/or a full let's play of the game, please mark the videos as being Alpha/Beta testing videos, and not some 'early' look or start to some Let's Play series. There's not nearly enough done in the game for that at this time of writing.
-While I won't come for your head if you slip out some big story detail in Red Haze you come across in beta testing, I ask you keep most alpha/beta discussion to the below Discussion Thread, and not talk about big story things outside of it.
DISCUSSION THREAD HERE: http://steamcommunity.com/app/428860/discussions/0/371918937280530773/
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TO APPLY FOR TESTING:
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01.) Make a post on this thread, introducing yourself and telling me that you're interested in Testing (MAKE SURE TO READ ALL OF THE ABOVE FIRST): http://steamcommunity.com/app/428860/discussions/0/371918937280530773/
02.) I will add you on Steam as a friend, but not message you.
03.) Message me back when you've accepted my Friend Request and tell me that you're interested in Red Haze Testing.
04.) I will give you a Steam key for Beta Access to Red Haze, which you can activate on the Steam client (Testing will work for Windows/Mac).
05.) Give any feedback, thoughts, comments, questions, or whatever in the above topic (MAKE SURE TO READ THIS WHOLE POST FIRST THOUGH), and be prepared to test it again in the near future when I release more updates via the Steam Client, and may message you at least once a week to ask for impressions/to test certain things in the current build.
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Thank you all very much for your time, and thank you to all who help through this process.
Now should be working with all Mac computers
Patch 1.02
-Made it so once you've beaten the game, you can start a new game to play it again (instead of being closed out of the game with the hidden message).
-Fixed up a couple grammar mistakes (probably more of these to come).
-Made the Truth & Lies Coffin Puzzle a bit easier.
-Fixed an issue some people would have where the game would crash right towards the end of the game.
-Fixed a glitch where Sloppy Joe would grace your computer screen for much longer than he was supposed too.
-Fixed an issue where you could walk through the mounted guns in the final location in the game.
More patches to probably come out sprinkled throughout the week.
Patch 1.01
Got some feedback on a later section in the game involving an Artificial Sun, and that the segment was very hard. Have removed a lot of the Sloppy Joes, lava pits, and extended time by a minute. May rework the area more based on players response to the segment.
Probably be more small patches coming in the next few days based on feedback.
Take the Dream IX out now!
http://store.steampowered.com/app/428870/
Game will 100% be releasing on April 1st ; WARNING TO BETA TESTERS
However, a heads-up to all Beta Testers! I'm making a controversial design decision that may corrupt all save files outside of your first save file. If you don't want to start the game from the beginning, I heavily recommend you take your current build and save your desired save position in your first save slot. I won't release the update that will corrupt previous saves for another day or two, so before it releases, make sure to make wherever you'd like to resume from your first save slot file. Sorry for the inconvenience, but to make something work the game required a change in how saves are handled.
Hope you all enjoy when it hits, I think it'll be the roughest received title of mine still (though beta testers did all seem to enjoy it more than I expected), but nothing to do but to finish and release it.
Need some Beta Testers
Still, if you'd like to play now, I'm looking for some testers. The game is free, but I have some beta keys to hand off that'll give early access to the development build. Looking for feedback on the game itself, typos, general thoughts, and whatever comes to mind. The game will probably be my worst received game I'll release, and it's purposely a bit roughly designed and gets weirder as it goes on, but feedback is appreciated!
If interested, either add me on Steam and message me you're interested in the beta (I get friend invites fairly regularly, so messaging me to clarify you're interested in the beta helps), or post a comment to this news post, and I'll add you and hand one over. The codes only give early access as the game itself is free, and ends after a certain point in the game (about 90-150 minutes in).
Thanks for all those who take part! You can either send feedback as you play to me directly on Steam, to this news post, or to this discussion topic:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/428870/discussions/0/405694115219317442/
Some new Take the Dream IX Screens *SPOILERS*
Currently actively working on Take the Dream IX to get it released by next Friday. While this game I expect to be the worst reviewed game I'll release, it is probably experienced knowing as little as possible going in. Regardless, if you don't care, here's a few screens of areas and things recently developed.
"GYUH, THAT's MARVELOUSLY DANGEROUS, IS IT NOT?"
So, Take the Dream IX is a Fantasy/Horror/RPG/Sci-Fi/Comedy/Parody game. It greatly shifts tones a lot for a reason, there's all sorts of weird references in it, hidden dumb things, and a mixture between atmospheric scenes, puzzles, exploration, B-grade dialogue, jump scares, a growing narrative, and general silliness that gets progressively weirder. I've been trying to keep a lot of the details about it closed off, but since I'm more open with this project than my more serious second project at the time, Red Haze, I decided I am going to be less cryptic with this one and a bit more open. I expect this game to be a beautiful stain on my reputation as a game developer, and I'm excited for people to play it.
Anyway, here's some misc screens.
Working hard to release this game to all of you by next Friday, if not earlier, but I'll be morbidly curious to see what you all think of this game on its release, be it positive or negative.
This post will probably be deleted right before the game is released, but wanted to let you all know what's up with Take the Dream IX.
Final Release Date for Take the Dream IX & Red Haze ; Foreword
However, both Take the Dream IX & Red Haze now have official release dates! We'll be releasing Take the Dream IX on March 4th, and follow-up with Red Haze to release on April 1st.
The reason for the delays is the simple answer I've been keeping myself busy (mostly playing games) over the last few weeks, so I haven't been working on them as much as I should of. However, focusing to complete these in the following weeks, and release these two freeware games for you all to enjoy.
In case you're not aware of the other title, currently working on and releasing two games:
Take the Dream IX:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/428870/
Red Haze:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/428860/
Both titles are experimental games, and both were made in a limited time span (while there have been delays, that's more because I've been doing other things than working on the game, honestly). I expect Red Haze to review and be generally better received than Take the Dream IX, but I am also curious how Take the Dream IX will be received, as it's a weird one that gets odder the further in the game you go.
I hope when they release, you guys will give them a shot and leave some feedback; I do ask to give them a fair shake, both of them (but Take the Dream IX especially) don't really give the full experience of the game in the opening moments.
Both of these games may be patched later with additional content based on how they're received, but I'll try to make the updates well-known if they do happen. I hope you all are having some good times, and look forward to letting you all play through these odd little freeware games of mine.