FROM: Rear Admiral Tolwyn, CINCWEAPONSDIVISION
DATE: 2011.28.07
I wanted to take a little bit of time today and talk about our current progress. Those of you who have been following us closely on Facebook/Twitter have probably heard that we are just a few weeks away from being content complete. During the next few days we will be working on missing assets as we get ready to lock down. Right now our big focus is on balance tweaks, bug fixing and the little details that make the game feel more "real". The exciting thing is that we're actually wrapping this thing up.
This weekend we will also release next beta version to our testers. Things are moving really well for us and it is unbelievable watching everything coming together. There's a lot more polish since the very first beta, all the Prologue placeholder assets are gone, and the gameplay is much much tighter.
One issue that we had to crack, was the dialogue length. Most gamers don't want to listen to characters drone on in endless conversations, they want to play the game and to explore the story. So, on the one hand, we have to convey the message in the fewest possible syllables, and on the other, it has to be more than "Sandman, break and attack!". These opposing requirements make for some very interesting writing challenges. We want each character to be an actual character, meaning that all of them speak in their own manner.
The next couple of weeks will be very hectic. Best of all, we're making steady progress, but we are still remaining incredibly flexible. Honestly, that's one of the things I'm excited about: using beta feedback to adjust the game. We want to make the game you all want to play - after all, we're making it for you.
-Tolwyn