Project Update: 11/26/14

[DF Greg]

Reposting from the backer forum for those who didn't back!

Wanted to shoot you all an update on the goings on of the Broken Age team before we head out for a few days and gorge ourselves on giant piles of turkey and mashed potatoes!

The team has been steadily growing in size over the past month and progress is being made really rapidly now. The key milestone being that just last week we hit Alpha on both Shay and Vella’s halves of Act 2, leaving just the big finale section until we can say the entirety of Act 2 is at Alpha!

This has unlocked the ability to playtest Act 2 from the start all the way up to the finale, allowing people to switch characters throughout. We kicked that off in full last week and it has been super informative. So far we’re seeing exactly what we were hoping! Playtimes of just Act 2 have ranged from 8-12 hours, the puzzles seem to be providing a good level of challenge, nothing is really standing out as needing to be heavily re-worked, and most importantly people are laughing a lot and seem really pleased with where the story goes. YAY!

In parallel to all this Alpha development, the animators at both Double Fine and SuperGenius, as well as the audio team, have been charging forward on Beta work for the scenes that have professional VO already recorded. This has put Shay’s half of Act 2 well on it’s way towards Beta! Next week Tim is headed down to LA for the final major recording session with Vella, and at that point we’ll have pro VO for all of the remaining cutscenes ready so that animators can start taking them to final!

The goal now is to get all the finale work done so we can hit Alpha on all of Act 2 by the end of the year. That means, as you may have guessed based on recent updates and documentary episodes, the Act 2 ship that will deliver the complete adventure is now looking like it will be early next year. The game is looking really good and the team is working super fast, but we just gotta give the game the time it needs to really deliver on everything we’re hoping it will be.

Now that we have all the writing and design finalized and VO recorded, the remainder of development is much easier to estimate, so the production team is currently working to nail down a new schedule for finaling the game that we can use as a goal for the team and also share with you all.

Oh and did you hear?! Broken Age was nominated for Best Indie Game at this year’s Video Game Awards! We’ll be heading out to Vegas next week to attend the show and honor all the amazing games that came out this year. Keep an eye peeled and maybe you’ll see us in the crowd!

But first, time for a nice Thanksgiving break for the team. And in the spirit of giving thanks, let us thank you all for supporting us throughout these past 3 years and for being so patient. I hope those who have been following along with the documentary are able to see just how much love and effort the team is pouring into every frame of this game. That just takes time, but it will all pay off in the end!

[AnAnemoneInAnonymity]

Thanks for the update, Greg. I'm holding off until release so I can enjoy the full impact of Act 2's awesomeness.

In the spirit of thanksgiving, I'd like to express also my thanks for Double Fine--not only for the work you all do, but for the heart you pour into your work and the care you show to the fans. You guys have long been, and continue to be, one of my all-time favorite studios, and I'm wishing you a great year. I'm looking forward to more DF goodness to be thankful for next thanksgiving.

Cheers to Tim, Greg, and the rest of the reds team! Enjoy your turkey!

[CrashFu]

Splendid news, glad to hear everything is going along schedule! If Act 2 winds up being as enjoyable and well-made as Act 1 was (and we know it will be) the complete game may very well be heralded as the greatest point-and-click adventure ever!

(Not to shame any of the competition or greats from the past, of course; if you love any point-and-click-adventures, ALL the good ones tend to find a place in your heart.)

[Jenni]

Nice to see that the game is progressing along nicely. I really enjoyed Act I, and I'm really looking forward to Act II. It'll be great to have a fun adventure to start the year off with, like how The Cave started off my 2013 with a bang when it released.

[Maikel Steneker]

I can't say I'm surprised. I'm glad you're still making progress! I can't wait to replay Act 1 and see how the story continues. Take your time and make it as awesome as possible

[Tubatic]

Do what you need to do I backed you so you could do it your way. Happy Thanksgiving!

[mrsix]

Out of curiosity for non-act2-related matters: Is the Android version expected before act 2 or after?

[KestrelPi]

Out of curiosity for non-act2-related matters: Is the Android version expected before act 2 or after?

I think the plan is 'at the same time' or shortly after. They want to release the whole game at once on android.

[chickenmonger]

This is nice, it'll give me time over holiday break to replay Act I. Hope you all get a big sales bump on release!