THE PRESENT

G String is on Steam.

It took a while but there it is, as a retail game in the making. There is some more technical things to iron out and and also I want to polish up some things but it is technically "done" - playable from start to finish. Everyday I recompile the maps I work on with LDR/HDR cubemaps and nodegraph so that at the game always stays complete and releasable. I never leave anything half finished.

Now there is an internal release date set and it's not very far off but in order to lessen the pressure on me and to avoid possible date changes I'll keep it hidden for now. It will be made public very close to release when everything is ready to go, maybe a week or two before.

THE PAST

So Steam presence is now, but what about the last seven months while I stayed relatively quiet?

It wasn't easy, as you all know I was used to making monthly updates but after I posted that G String is going retail I felt that putting out a screenshot each month isn't much of a news anymore- everyone knows I keep mapping so why keep posting just about that?

Recently I had to go out even less than usual so I had more time to map, map, map, work, work, work. Mapping kept me sane and gave me focus/direction. While the paperwork was progressing slowly I buried myself in development. Making even small changes is very time consuming at this stage because recompiling times have increased considerably as maps grew more detailed and in some cases larger.

There are a few things that will not be included in the first release but everything is possible with updates. Relax though: all the crucial elements are in the game: the ending, all the major places such as the Air Refinery, the ITC Twin Towers, the Spaceport and all the stuff in orbit; every major character, location, vehicle, everything important has been included.

Just adding in the third act alone prolonged development with at least another year. But it was worth it because now I won't have to go episodic or make big additions later.

THE FUTURE

What about the future?

What happens after release depends mostly on the level of interest. I definitely want to put out a few smaller updates in the following months. These would contain subtitles, achievements and some bug fixes if they are needed (hopefully not!)

On the long term if there is demand there are a few more additions and improvements I can make. New weapons, a jet ski type vehicle section, maybe a couple of new mechanical enemies and many more smaller tweaks could be implemented.

But it depends. I am prepared to stick around and work on it more if it's well received but right now I will focus only on a strong initial release.

Also the full OST will be released at some point, probably you'll be able to buy the game and the soundtrack in a bundle to save some money. I am not sure yet if I will release the OST together with the game or a little bit later. We'll see.

Some also have asked me "what's next?" Well, it's too early to tell, let me get this game out first!

I do have a few other ideas but I don't want to go into detail about those yet. They are definitely not G String related- some are darker more abstract game concepts while others are kind of sandbox oriented and campy but nothing too concrete yet. Also: never say never but as of now I do not plan on making more G String related games.

As in the past so too moving forward I will stay open to any criticism and suggestions. Probably on Steam there will be a feedback section somewhere so I'll keep an eye on it and if I can I will fix/implement whatever comes up there.

THE CALL

And last but not least a "call to action"... I guess that's what they call it?

Since I am mostly alone and I can't afford to hire a marketing firm (which may or may not do a good job from what I hear) maybe you can help promote this thing a bit? Nothing aggressive of course! Just mention it to friends who might like it or if you go to scifi/cyberpunk related forums/boards, maybe bring it up. That sort of thing...

Obviously I'll do my part here on Moddb/YouTube/Discord/Twitter/Facebook. I'll post as much as I can and also I'll probably make another release trailer soon.

I also have to send out hundreds of press kits at some point. Maybe you could give me hints on what publications out there might be interested in this game so I'll email them later. Sadly I am not very familiar with the "scene". But all this takes days or weeks and, at least before release, I think it's better if I put most of my efforts into making a good game.

Also if anyone wants to donate...

Youtube.com

I know, I know this thing will probably generate some money soon but, believe it or not, even after 13 years I have not seen a penny from this project (except the donations of course which I am very grateful for!) Every penny counts now and it did pay for the Steam fee!

ALMOST THERE

In closing a few thanks to everyone at VALVe and Steam who helped me through the final stages, also a big thank you to LunchHouse Software for the help regarding the technical aspects and many more thanks to old-timers like Biohazard, Phillip, Leon, DAZ, Mr.Zip and more who have helped me over the years.

Also a huge thank you to all of you guys, the fans. Some of you have been sticking around for like a decade which just blows my mind... Without your constant input and encouragement I would have surely moved on shortly after the Beta in 2011.

STAY ON TARGET

So that's it, I hope the rest of 2020 will be kinder to us all and back to work! Go wishlist this sucker! Lol!

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Thanks and see ya!