SLaVE: Another Update

It seems like only yesterday we reported on the pre-orderer's update on the status of Jay Townsend's SLaVE, the eagerly awaited Dreamcast first person shooter-cum-puzzler from Goat Store. Over the last weekend another update email was sent out to those who have already ordered their copy of this awesome-looking trip into retro-futuristic neon hell, and it details some new features that are being implemented, such as compatibility with rumble packs:

"Hey Dreamcast fans!

Jay Townsend's SLaVE is still moving! The team has been very hard at work eliminating bugs that have been found in the program and tweaking the code to get the best performance. The additional time for testing has also allowed the team to add some things to the code, such as rumble support to make the game even more polished.

At this point though, we sadly still do not have a final date for distribution of the game as we don't yet know when we will be comfortable that the bug test is done. However we intend to start putting final components of the game into production - such as the LLE coin - in the upcoming month!

Thanks so much for hanging with us and being a supporter of independent game development."
- Dan Loosen, Goat Store

This is great news and goes some way toward reassuring us that the game is still coming, however we can't help but be a little disappointed that there is still no release date for SLaVE even after all this time. Here's hoping that the final product is every bit as impressive as the game looks in video form.


Once again, SLaVE can still be pre-ordered from Goat Store here for just $20 + shipping.

5 comments:

DCGX said...

The disconcerting thing is that the LLE coin was supposed to go into production this past March, almost four months ago.

I don't think this is vaporware, and I do appreciate the additions the team has made while bug squashing. I'm anxious, and frankly getting near the end of my patience with how many DC games I've backed, and how they keep getting delayed. (I immediately preordered the LLE of SLaVE). That said, I'm still eagerly awaiting SLaVE.

Corbin said...

So sorry for the delay! Truth be told, we were encountering issues with KallistiOS, and not my engine - we spent an entire year on a wild goose chase, before we realized a bug existed in KOS and its GL library. We fixed KosGL and submitted the changes upstream, and now everything is working great. In the next two weeks, I will record a live video of the game running, and then a release date. So keep in touch, and feel free to blame my team, not GOAT! ;)

Tom Charnock said...

Thanks for replying and explaining the issues you've encountered, I didn't mean to sound like I don't appreciate how much work is being done on SLaVE. We totally understand that there have been difficulties to overcome and totally appreciate your hard work. Really looking forward to playing and reviewing SLaVE when it's ready :)

DCGX said...

Yeah I wasn't placing blame. I, like others, have a lot of money hanging out there, and it's the whole of the delays among upcoming DC projects/Kickstarters that become frustrating, not necessarily an individual game's development. I think everyone knows indie game development on the side is not a quick thing to finish.

Corbin said...

:-D

Number one reason why we will never do a Kickstarter - many promises, and delays for backers. Good thing about my games is that we self-finance, with donations, so people know where we stand and that we aren't messing around. Kickstarters are fine, but IMO not so much for DC development...at least my own projects :-)