Tiritto here, your freshly appointed Game Designer and Community Manager for “Evil's Den: Forsaken Dungeon”, and I welcome you to our first Dev Log! First off, massive shoutout to each one of you reading this in the first place. Whether you already own the game or you’re someone new stumbling into the den. Your interest and support mean the world to us.
Now, let's dive into the real talk.
What’s the current state of the game?
Okay, no sugar-coating – the game's current state is a mess, and I'm not here to pretend otherwise. It was pulled off Steam for a reason, and that reason is staring us in the face. The game needs some serious fixing. Combat is boring, locations are monotonous, mechanics are uninteresting and graphic design resembles an asset flip. At this point, all our negative reviews are more than deserved.
But Why?
So, why the hiccup? What happened? Life happened. Budgets got tighter than skinny jeans, and the team had to shuffle priorities, effectively putting Evil’s Den on hiatus. Let's be real, we can't work on a game if we all go broke. It was a necessary move.
Why the silence?
I wasn't yet involved in this particular project at the time, and looking back, I think the team should've been more open and honest about the situation. I understand why they didn't, especially given that none of them had any experience with communities before.
There's a prevailing fear that admitting errors could erode player confidence in the product, prompting developers to choose silence as an alternative. Paradoxically, the reality is quite different; players often interpret the silent disappearance of developers as a sign of true untrustworthiness.
That's precisely why they brought me into the fold — to bring transparency, open communication, and a fresh perspective to the team. Moving forward, you can expect a more straightforward and open dialogue about the project's progress. As part of this commitment, I intend to provide bi-weekly dev logs to keep our community in the loop about our development efforts.
And what now?
We're currently working on an update to align with the game's return to Steam. Yet, I'd like to set the stage from the beginning — don't expect significant gameplay changes with this upcoming update. To understand why, let me delve into the purpose behind this particular update.
Early on in development, we made some rookie mistakes deeply embedded in our game code. The initial intention was to streamline the development process by leveraging 3rd party plugins for implementing game mechanics that we wanted in our game, so we wouldn’t have to “reinvent the wheel”. As the project expanded, compatibility issues, dependency conflicts, and unsupported features in these third-party plugins became persistent challenges. What was meant to expedite our progress became a substantial hindrance, leading us to a crucial realization — we had to acknowledge the mistake and address it head-on. The only solution? Tear it all apart and implement it properly from scratch.
Enter the “empty” update. While it won't bring immediate fixes to the game, it signifies a pivotal moment in our development journey. We're discarding one of our most difficult obstacles, paving the way to achieve our ultimate goal — fixing the game and crafting an experience that's genuinely enjoyable to play.
So, nothing changes?
Short answer, yes. Long answer, not exactly. Although the upcoming update won't usher in noticeable gameplay changes, our commitment to development will reignite, and there'll be no more neglect of our community, no matter how small it might be.
As a testament to this shift, upon the game's return to Steam, which will happen before the end of this year, we'll unveil a short-term roadmap spanning the next few months. This not only gives you something to anticipate, but also provides a tangible accountability measure for us. If we ever falter in regaining your trust, it'll be plain for all to see this time around.
Furthermore, we're intensifying our engagement across community platforms like Steam Forums and our Discord Server. There, you can freely share your ideas, report bugs, or simply connect with our developers. As a community manager, I'm committed to addressing every question or concern you may have and responding to it personally. However, if your messages are in a language other than English or Polish, I may need to utilize translation tools. In such instances, I appreciate your patience with me.
What comes next?
Let's get real; the path forward isn't a leisurely stroll. It's an adventurous ride with bumps along the way. But here's the lowdown – we're committed for the long haul, and we'd love to have you join us on this expedition.
We are fully aware of our past mistakes and have proactively initiated steps to rectify each issue systematically. We aim to transform the product into an enjoyable and satisfying experience for all, ensuring that your investment, both in terms of money and time, is worthwhile.
The upcoming update marks the beginning of an extensive restoration process, commencing with a complete rewrite of the code governing our character controller (not to be confused with a game controller device). It's not merely a work in progress; it's already completed as of now. This overhaul is pivotal, setting the stage for upcoming improvements in combat flow and gameplay dynamics, which will be our next focus and fundamentally change and improve how the game feels, for the better.
This isn't your typical devlog. Consider this your exclusive pass to become a part of our journey. Buckle up because we're preparing to steer this ship in a new direction. Connect with us on our Discord, drop by our Steam forums. Let's have a conversation, let's brainstorm, and together, let's mold “Evil's Den” into the game we all yearn for.
I'm here, you're here — let's make magic happen.
See you in the Den,
— Tiritto
