Greetings! Welcome to another monthly report! For those that want the video version, click below! Regular readers can see the text report under the VLOG.
The summer sale is long gone but the drive to exit Early Access is still going strong! The month of July was expected to be our final month of Early Access before we go to full release. As we started, we remained on track. There was one added art piece that we wanted to get in before full launch and it was tracking well during the month (small teaser below).
Which is usually when the ground falls out from under your feet, isn't it? We knew going into July that we'd have Georgy in the middle of a move out of Russia. To which we're very happy for him. However, we didn't quite expect Europe erupting as it has. With everything boiling over, he was able to get a basic color in of his piece but, there was no way he could get the final in.
At Broken Hammer, we try to be understanding of our team members. We know other studios can be very tyrannical. Which isn't what our company culture is. That would turn us into hammers instead of hammer breakers!
Given Tyrano was going to finish their beta in early August, we knew we might delay our exit from Early Access just in case there was any major changes that would require another rebuild.
However, we were still pushing with a goal of getting the final segments of the Cathedral Arc out in July until we got hit with a little storm of real life which ended the month with Winks in the hospital. Thankfully, she's okay and we wish and pray for her speedy recovery. So as you can imagine, all things considered, we'll be pushing back more into August. Such is the indie developer life!
Thankfully, we're pretty much ready to go on the final patch. The amount of content is minimal and we were able to test and set it all up rather quickly in early July. As soon as the final assets get completed, we'll put the patch live.
That said, we've been discussing a lot internally regarding our communication channels. What has happened this last year has had us looking for alternatives to Twitter and Facebook. However, what really put things in perspective the most has been what has been happening in Europe and now Cuba. Broken Hammer has tried to remain neutral but, when made aware of what has been happening, we don't feel we can be silent and ignore it. Especially since it's affecting team members and their nations.
While we may be a tiny voice, the outlandish censorship has gone too far. So effective immediately, this is our last blog post that will be shared to Twitter. Facebook, we're evaluating an appropriate alternative but do plan to exit the platform as soon as we find one. Will we return? Maybe. We won't say no. We just want to see a change of leadership at these platforms that would make them once again free and open.
Youtube, is another that we are considering. We may switch over to Rumble or another video host but, we really haven't used it much other than for hosting our vlogs and some various vids that we post.
That said, we're on a holding pattern right now for the month of August. A lot of decisions need to be made in the coming months post release. Most of this is to get a plan in place for the story arcs. Then we also have to address project 2 and how that will be continuing to help Dust and Air development. We have some great ideas already and we're looking forward to having our first major company meeting in many months to discuss them.
Finally, in closing, a little fun glance at how the old decals are doing and who so far is the fan favorites according to sales.
#1 - Gwynevere
She's just never lost the lead since the start. Go Gwyn go!
#2 - Nakiri
This has been a slight surprise since we've so little materials on her. Not even a final character model. But, we have been getting her some screen time with her concepts often enough. Good to see her rising from the shadows!
#3 - Calle
Calle has surged a bit. Suspect thanks to her inclusion in the story finally getting live. Either way, we're glad to see her getting some long overdue attention!
Sofia is hanging in there on the middle ground and sadly, Aoli and Abigail seem like they've fallen asleep right after the race started. Granted, the decals are up for sale for anyone and some may buy without a clue what they are from but, it is an interesting look at how the future story arcs will shape up.
Alright, that's it for this month! Lots of hope on the horizon! Till next time, see you in the skies!
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