2018-03-24 20:07:29

It has been three months since we realized a dream years in the making by releasing A Hero's Call. The ensuing weeks have been overwhelming, full of incredible encouragement, tremendous challenges, and a lot of reflecting on the past and looking to the future. Here is an update on some recent developments that are going to have a profound impact on the road ahead for Out of Sight Games, and for all of the gamers who have so faithfully supported us.

First, and most significantly: it is with a heavy heart that I report that Ian Reed, engine developer for A Hero's Call, has stepped down from his position as part of Out of Sight Games. It was Ian who first sought to form the creative partnership which eventually grew into Out of Sight Games and resulted in the development of A Hero's Call. We are permanently indebted to his technical skill in developing the game engine from scratch and adapting to the many changes it underwent as a result of the ever-evolving vision for the project. Personally, working with Ian has been one of the greatest privileges of my life, and his initial invitation to partner with him was a dream come true, and a doorway to opportunities I never could have imagined. Ian's reasons for stepping down are his own, but we at Out of Sight Games fully support his decision and his reasons and are excited to see the amazing things which we can expect from him in the future.

So, what does this mean for Out of Sight Games, and more importantly, for A Hero's Call? Ian will continue to consult with Out of Sight Games and to provide basic support for the game engine. Without Ian's expertise and familiarity with the code base, however, changes to the A Hero's Call game engine will be less frequent, and likely less ambitious, than they might otherwise have been. This has also opened up a number of other discussions within Out of Sight Games about our development plans going forward, and the best way to work in the AHC engine for future updates.

The most significant question, where A Hero's Call is concerned, is that of the implementation of graphics. We remain committed to our promise to release a full-graphics version of A Hero's Call, however this process has been delayed as we take stock of our situation and investigate a number of options. We want to ensure that our development team, as it now stands, is adequately equipped to make the final release of AHC everything it ought to be; however, that may require taking a few steps backward before we can press forward. We will continue to keep you updated as significant developments occur on this front.

Obviously, any delays in the full-graphics version of AHC also involve delays in the delivery of several Kickstarter incentives, including the tactile cover art and the physical collector's edition. While we remain committed to delivering these incentives when the final version of AHC is ready, we also understand that some backers may be tired of delays. If you are unsatisfied with the amount of time you have been waiting and want to discuss a refund for the portion of your donation corresponding to the delayed incentives, please reach out via email and we will be happy to discuss this.

Finally, and on a much happier note, we are in ongoing discussion about our next project. While nothing can be announced officially, we're excited about what we have cooking, and look forward to sharing more with you as things develop.

As always, if you have any questions, please reach out. We're so grateful for the continued support, patience, encouragement, and input from the community, and especially from the backers who have been with us through so much of this journey. We have to be honest, and let you know that we aren't quite sure what the future holds for Out of Sight Games—but with your continued backing, we hope that it will be something worthy of the love and support we have received.

With true gratitude,

Joseph W. Bein
President, Creative Lead
Out of Sight Games

2018-03-24 22:17:07

Any word on the ingame backer items? I wish I could have gotten the physical release, but I just couldn't afford it at the time.

Take care, it's a desert out there.

2018-03-24 22:59:02 (edited by defender 2018-03-24 23:58:42)

Well shit... that sucks. Sorry to hear it...
But thanks for the update and continued commitment to the project, despite that major blow.
I'm glad to hear that Ian will still be available for consultation though, it would probably be allot worse otherwise.
Do you have any plans yet about looking for someone to help take the wait off of you Joseph? It's allot for one coder... And I'm worried about your stress levels and the impact on your personal life more than I am about any delays.


Kinda surprised that your already starting a new project though, we've still got the graphics and those enragingly elusive audio problems in AHC to deal with.
That said however, I can't blame you for wanting a diversion, after all if you get burned out on bugfixing than we won't get it anyway so...
Either way, it's great to hear that OOS may have another title under their belt at some point.

2018-03-26 07:48:13

Hi Joseph.
Thanks for the update. It's sad to hear about Ian's decision, but it's of course his choice which I respect. Such project won't last long if people aren't fully motivated.
I'm so glad that you'll keep working on the game, and I'm surprised as well that you are already discussing new titles when thinking about the bad news.
I'm interested to hear if you have found someone to help you when Ian has left. I'm glad he'll still help with support for the game engine.
Keep up the fantastic job. It's difficult to describe how much it means to us...

Best regards SLJ.
Feel free to contact me privately if you have something in mind. If you do so, then please send me a mail instead of using the private message on the forum, since I don't check those very often.
Facebook: https://facebook.com/sorenjensen1988
Twitter: https://twitter.com/soerenjensen

2018-03-26 13:36:56

I think it may be a little shortsighted to characterize Ian as "not fully motivated". As Joseph has said, his reasons are his own, and there may very well be personal troubles in his life which simply preclude him being able to devote as much time to AHC as it would merit. Without knowing the details, we are simply in no position to judge, one way or the other.

Joseph, I'm sorry to hear about the slowdown of expected goals and whatnot, but I also have a ton of respect both for your transparency and for the fact that you got here in the first place. The good part is that AHC seems relatively stable now, at least, and even if graphics aren't forthcoming in the immediate future, I think most will agree that AHC, as a game, is awfully good despite that as-yet-unrealized objective. I look forward to seeing what you folks over at OutOfSight pull together up the road somewhere.

Check out my Manamon text walkthrough at the following link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z8ls3rc3f4mkb … n.txt?dl=1

2018-05-12 02:12:05

This is unfortunate, but it sounds, at least if anything can be inferred from the wording of the original post, as though the split was amicable. One would assume so if Ian's still going to be around for consultation even if not actual programming.

But wait, what's that? A transport! Saved am I! Hark, over here! Hey nonny non, please help!

2018-05-12 03:17:47

I hate to keep bringing this up, but have we figured out delivery method for getting our backer rewards?

Take care, it's a desert out there.

2018-05-12 03:32:23

I hope that can be sorted out. I couldn't back the project despite wanting to, but I'm curious what those items might be.

But wait, what's that? A transport! Saved am I! Hark, over here! Hey nonny non, please help!

2018-05-13 17:05:36

Hi,
I'd also love to have an answer to this question, as I don't believe that any of us have received our backer items. Again, I can appreciate the situation that outofsightgames find themselves in going through some changes at the moment, but it would be nice to know.
Cheers,

Daniel

2018-05-14 03:00:20

Agreed. Some sort of update would be nice.

But wait, what's that? A transport! Saved am I! Hark, over here! Hey nonny non, please help!