Hello everyone, it's been a while.
NOW...
It's been a wild ride since the retail release. There is a growing fanbase now, a wonderful Discord community gathering (links below), and the positive Steam reviews also give me hope, so here I am still trucking along... I believe if this thing reaches its full potential, it will be something everyone involved can be truly proud of and happy with for the rest of our lives.
Whatever happens at least we'll have that: we'll be able to say we did the best we could and at the end of the day that's all any of us can do.
Recently, the interestingly named updates stopped; the daily progress updates became weekly, and then that ended too. Video production on my YouTube channel slowed almost to a crawl, and I went pretty quiet... Those who follow the project closely probably noticed.
Questions started popping up: what's going on? Is the game going to be updated still, or is it over? This is it? Can't be... Moving on to something else? A sequel maybe? Or giving up? What's going on!?
Luckily, this time we have a teaser trailer that sums up everything better than a lengthy article could, so I refer you to watch it first on the Eyaura or the Lunchhouse YouTube channels then come back.
(Reworked Bortz tower introductory shot from the Ultimate Edition).
Done watching? Cool.
THE FUTURE...
So pretty much I am back in the thick of it, working as if the retail release had never happened. It's a love-hate thing. Mostly love but anyone who has ever worked on very large projects knows what I mean.
It's loads and loads of work but I am really excited to finally see G String take shape and become what deep down I always felt it could and should be. A fun, hopefully interesting, retro futuristic ride harkening back to the sci-fi films and pop culture of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Wholesome dystopia.
Of course things will take a while because as far as mapping and producing the concepts/assets I am still pretty much solo but the underlying magic is all LunchHouse at this point, they've upgraded and continue to upgrade and improve the tools and the engine so I can go to town on the maps and put in as much detail as I want. Not many limits left, just my imagination.
So major thanks to them for sticking with me and helping me deliver this thing to the world. If I was all alone I could no longer push G String further for sure.
(Reworked space chase sequence from the Ultimate Edition).
GAMEPLAN:
All of 2023 summer I will be dedicated to producing assets then slowly focus will shift back to mapping and over the course of many months I will put everything together. Release date? This year? No. Next year? Maybe. We'll make no promises right now as to when we'll be completely done but there might be another major update towards the end of the year.
In the Ultimate Edition, the focus is on making sure the existing game is as good as possible, there will be no new maps. New weapons? Most likely. New or returning enemies? Possibly... but beyond that, the game will stay the same in terms of progression and scope. One thing I was always happy with was that the 2020 release did contain all the major concepts and parts I intended. There was nothing cut..
...And perhaps that was a problem, as we've spread ourselves too thin. We were all too excited to get this thing out, I think, and even if it was decent in many aspects, it was not as good as it could have been. Not at all. Hence we're trying to do it right this time. Whether I will make other games or not, whatever the future holds, I want to walk away from this project with a clear conscience, knowing that we've done the best we could.
(Overhauled Helium Cargo ship and Elon Bays from the Ultimate Edition).
THE FAR FUTURE...
If reception of the Ultimate Edition is positive, I might do an expansion pack. There is roughly two hours worth of material that can still be added to the game; it's not indispensable stuff, but it would add to the experience. I am referring to a few extra levels showcasing luxury apartments in the ITC, a water vehicle section before the KOBI shipyards, extending the KOBI shipyards themselves, and various other additions. This pack means at least another year or more of work, but if people still enjoy the game after the relaunch, then I might commit to doing it.
A sequel, however, means another 3-5 years of my life dedicated to this saga, and at this moment I am not ready to make that commitment. I hope everyone understands. I am not saying it will never happen. G String: Off World is an idea I work on and think about from time to time; it's definitely on the "back burner".
There will be a small price increase when the game is relaunched because of inflation and life. Nothing major, but it has to be done; however, both the Ultimate Edition and any future expansion packs will be free of charge to existing owners. Also, the Beauty Secrets lore PDF will be updated and extended, but it will remain free.
(Redesigned NATO TERRA Destroyer bridge. Admiral Scoble talking to George, Ultimate Edition).
In other news I also reorganized my media on YouTube. Have a look. (Links below).
I am putting together two albums: "T.B.D." and "Pineapple Bubble Butt". In a strange way, these tracks document the past two years—my ups and downs since post-release. There is actually a lot of media on YouTube that does just that, indirectly archives my experiences as a game maker. Developers will surely see behind the curtains and get where it all comes from.
I plan on releasing my music and game-related merchandise at some point, but that will happen post-Ultimate Edition. I simply don't have the time now to oversee the production of 3D-printed spaceships, cups, T-shirts, and so on. All this will happen only if there is interest of course, it depends on you guys. I am here because you are. If you enjoy my work, I'll keep at it. :)
So that's it for now. Thanks for your patience and support. Please help us spread the word, everything counts. Back to work!
Relevant links:
- G STRING - STEAM: Store.steampowered.com
- G STRING - DISCORD - OFFICIAL: Discord.gg
- G STRING - DISCORD - MISC: Discord.gg
- G STRING - DISCORD - MISC 2: Discord.gg
- G STRING - OFFICIAL WEBSITE: Gstring.lunchhouse.software
- G STRING - BETA AND DAY ONE - MODDB: Moddb.com
- G STRING - OFFICIAL - FACEBOOK: Facebook.com
- G STRING - FANPAGE - FACEBOOK: Facebook.com
- G STRING - OST - STEAM: Store.steampowered.com
- EYAURA - OFFICIAL - TWITTER: Twitter.com
- EYAURA - OFFICIAL - YOUTUBE: Youtube.com
- EYAURA - OFFICIAL - PATREON: Patreon.com
- EYAURA - OFFICIAL - DONATE - Paypal.com
I wish you all the best and for the future of this wonderful mod turned game! ^.^
Perhaps the longest running Source Project next to Black Mesa and Tripmine Studio's current projects for their Opposing Force and Blueshift remakes!
It's basically night and day compared to it's initial launch, so I can't wait to see what the Ultimate Edition looks like!
Great to hear the project is being worked on still. Keep up the great work. (*.*)
Good luck. This is an incredible mod and also a huge inspiration for me as a modder. Also I'm definitely up to this expansion pack you mentioned!
Been a big fan since the beginning of this on ModDB. Glad you are structuring and bringing your vision together.
Didn't play it I forgot it sincerly, but I will one day when I will have more time :)
Wish you all the best on your work!
Time to go Ultimate!
Is it going to be like a separate game from the OG on Steam?And I'm hoping that one won't be removed.
Thank you.
I still have VERY FOND (no, this is NOT sarcasm as I genuinely enjoyed it back then as well) memories of the so-called "Beta version", in fact I still love it dearly to this day and wish it could be restored so that others would enjoy it, since I VERY much love the NAU Gunship (or "Hover Drone" as the voice mentions) design it had back then ( I.imgur.com pic was taken WAAAAY back when G-String "Beta" didn't have valve update-related issues, just to clarify), honestly, it was REALLY badass imho, seriously...! ^-^
EDIT: Oh wow, I didn't realize you fixed the issue I had with the Original version of G-String, it used to crash whenever I used Myo's Pyro ability back then, i'm SO glad you fixed it, really. ^-^
I also hope that we can kill that bastard Murdoch like one does in the original so-called "Beta" variation, irked me that I couldn't kill that greedy asshat in the redone version of G-String, really... DX
I also hope that you restore the "slow-mo" power that was available in the original "beta" version of G-String since I REALLY LOVED using that badass power after all, dead serious here... <3 <3
Cool mod but you gotta lay off the anime.
Don't be dissin' the anime bits, I freakin' LOVE those parts, dead serious here. ^-^