Why Undead Darlings Soldiers On

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If you've followed us since our game's initial announcement, you've heard from us time and again what we learned from our Kickstarter and how we're going to proceed with the game's development. All of what we said is true, but we neglected to mention why we chose to continue on–after all, to the regular consumer, a failed Kickstarter must mean there's no interest for the game concept, right? Wrong, because as developers and admins across different sites, we get to see some really motivating data that, today, we'd like to share with you. This is our way of saying and showing that this game is happening in large part because of you, the fans. Or soon-to-be fans, or fan hopefuls. Whatever you want to consider yourself, it's because of you that we're making this game a reality. Please read on!

 

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What you are looking at in the above image is the lifetime stats of our game's page on Steam Greenlight (left) compared to the average lifetime stats of the Top 50 Greenlight games (right). Based on this data and evaluating it against our Kickstarter's final tally, we came to the conclusion that fans want this game, and they want it more than most other offerings on Greenlight. This is how we came to the conclusion that the game concept, art, and ideas presented are all of interest to both visual novel and JRPG-style gamers alike, but the visual presentation lacked enough polish for gamers to pry open their velcro wallets and support the game via crowdfunding. Votes are free, after all. That's why we've reevaluated the visual style of the dungeons, and why we haven't given up. We know you want it, and we know we want it.

Some stats need some clarification, though. Our total vote count is under the Top 50 average, and that can be attributed to our game only requiring seven days' worth of votes to be Greenlit. It was a huge (positive) shock to us. Some games take months to get Greenlit, so their vote count may far exceed ours because over time, more votes can be cast. The total unique visitor count is also a bit skewed, since the Top 50 numbers are variable (re-run daily since the top 50 games still waiting to be Greenlit may shift places) and ours, having been Greenlit, are constant.

Now, to rant.

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In this day and age of online marketing, we've seen all the cloaks and daggers, smoke and mirrors, lies of omission and half-truths that seem to ride the coattails of video game development. We want to do everything we can to ensure people that we are unlike the others. We aren't going to vanish; we aren't going to drastically change the game's content or target market; and if we someday again ask for funding and succeed in securing it, we will give as detailed a breakdown as humanly (and humanely) possible as to where the money goes. What we are is a team of "do it because passion!!" people. We do what must be done outside of Mr. Tired so that we can afford to survive. It's been a long road, and this development cycle has taken longer than anticipated because of that choice, but it's the only choice that affords us the luxury of being pure. Of being honest. We aren't tied to other companies who want to restrict or control the flow of information, and if we do partner up with another company in the future, this is the one condition we will never bend on. Nothing can be kept secret in the Internet Age, and trying to only makes you look that much more shady.

Phew. That said, your suggestions and comments are more than welcome. Questions excite us. Shit, the more challenging the question, the better. It just means that you've been paying enough attention to want to know more, and that's both endearing and humbling. Not to mention invigorating, motivating, et cetera.

Undead Darlings is our baby, but you–the fans–are also its parents. Let's raise it right together!

12 thoughts on “Why Undead Darlings Soldiers On”

  1. I chipped in for the kickstarter, and cried when it failed (Only a little away from the truth.)

    That being said, there are two things that would make this THE best game; Enemies who have at least minor animation (Demon Gaze is killing me with this.) The other being able to see things from right behind the shoulder of the cast, both in combat and when Dungeon Crawling. I know that’s a bit farther than what you were aiming for, but that’s just my 2 cents. And I’d chip in a little more if one could get it on PS anything. Just make sure it’s PS TV compatible 😉

    • It’s pretty funny that you mention some light enemy animation! While I don’t have it working to an acceptable degree yet, we are using some of Unity’s animation features to get some motion on our baddies. It’s not a crazy amount, but it’s a little more customized by enemy design than the simple expanding/contracting seen in Demon Gaze.

      If I get a few looking nice by next week, it could make for a fun update video, perhaps?

        • And rather than edit that last post, Would an over the shoulder in combat be too hard? Like in the old Phantasy Star games (2 & 3, I think.)

          • We can go into all the “cans” and “can’ts” in another update, but right now we do have battles being engaged from an over-the-shoulder view (see attached battle screen…dev still in progress!!). Players, as Reggie, have to “stand behind” the girls in battle so they can protect him from getting attacked/infected; the girls’ backs are visible like ye olde Phantasy Stars 2&4.
            What we can’t match Phantasy Star with at this time (who knows, maybe we’ll win the lottery and make this possible) is having the girls involved in battle animations. As in, Rika using DblClaw on an enemy had her appear in front of the enemy and do her animation. That’s a tad expensive for us, and a ton of HD sprite work.
            I always say “don’t play all your cards in one hand”… Meaning, there are so many things we want to be able to do, but we know what we have to set aside in case this game is received well and it merits a sequel. 😀

  2. Excited for this game. I will 100% buy it when it comes out, regardless of the platform. Good luck Mr. Tired~

  3. Have you considered creating a Prefundia page and collecting feedback on what people want or are looking for in a project like this? Assuming that your going to go for another round of crowdfunding that is!

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