Friday the 13th Game Progress Update! we decided to hit the game pretty hard back in January. We hadn't really worked on it substantially in about a year, maybe more. James and I talked about it, and decided to just crank through it and get the thing done. A few weeks later, I was relishing the thought of how nice it would be to have another programmer on the team, and I couldn't believe it - the very next day I got a message from Matt, one of our old programmers, wanting to help out. Working on the game again feels right, and we're making amazing progress:

The game is being created in Unity3d, using the recently released Unity 5 (which looks amazing, btw).
We've created a new structure for puzzles that streamlines development, and makes things function in the same way. To the player, it won't make much difference, but it makes programming puzzles way easier.

James is working hard on 3d models. They're all very nearly finished, but most have some minor artifacts that need correction. Here's where we sit:
Of 26 planned puzzles:
8 are complete
3 are in progress
a handful were done prior to the new format, and will need redone, but won't be too big a challenge.
All of the rooms are 95% complete, and James is sorting through minor issues with them.
5 rooms are totally complete, and in the game with puzzles being integrated.
We have an end date in mind, but aren't going to spill that just yet. It's ambitious, but we're on target to meet it. smile emoticon We appreciate all of the support you guys have given us. Please keep it up smile emoticon

Kickstarter in our future?!?!?
So, we have news! We've just signed a deal that would allow us to sell The 13th Doll as a retail game! We'll be able to sell the game for PC, Mac, etc, and potentially on platforms like Steam, GOG, console, etc.

Additionally, it allows us to cast Robert Hirschboeck as Stauf in the game! (Don't get TOO excited about that yet tho, as we have yet to contact him and put that part together. It's still great to have options.)

As always, this game remains a game that is built BY fans and FOR fans, and the licensing deal does not change that. This is by no means an official 7th Guest game, or a sequel of any kind - it's still a fangame, the way it should be smile emoticon
So, this deal is contingent on us finding funding to finish the game - we're seeking to raise enough for us to focus on the game full time, and to raise the bar on some things we'd planned, but scrapped for technical or logistic reasons.

So, in the coming weeks, we'll be planning crowdfunding - probably a kickstarter. We need everyone to help us spread the word! We have 600 members here, and we hope to add many more to make the ks successful!

For the record, we owe a lot of gratitude to the team at Trilobyte! Without them, this deal would not have been possible. They have been very courteous to The 13th Doll over the years, and never has it been more apparent than now! That said, I know some of the people in this group have been a bit.... cynical towards them. At this time tho, our group can't be happier, and I ask that you not speak negatively about them.
This is a time to celebrate! This is a time for hope! This is a time for new possibilities, and a time that allows us to make the game that we want to make, something that's never been possible until now! The journey here has been long, strange, and difficult, and we're very grateful that you're still with us. As always, I sincerely thank you for hanging in with us.