The Million Dollar Question

Question: I don't like that you're spending time writing progress reports/posting things on Facebook. Why don't you just focus on getting Chapter 4 done?

Answer: I'm glad you ask! We like to communicate with people and make sure everyone knows where we're at. During production of Chapter 3, we mainly focused on getting the chapter done, which ended up with us not communicating with those people who were eagerly waiting. It's a mistake we hope not to repeat.

As strange as it sounds, writing these types of updates also save us time. We receive quite a lot of mails various types of reports, and instead of answering individual emails – even though we do that as well – this general approach is a lot more efficient.

We also regard the blog/Twitter/Facebook as ways of chronicling whatever's going on with the game, so we try to update it as often as we can. Hopefully we'll add a lot more to it in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned!

Cheers,

 – a

Developing Chapter 4

Chapter 3 seems to have reached a pretty solid state by now. We're still receiving the odd bug report once in a while, but overall we're pretty happy with where we're at. If you find something you think seems strange, don't hesitate sending a line or two at this address:

tdmfeedback at-sign cockroach.se

Development on Chapter 4 is under way, and has so far produced some stunning looking sets. Chapter 4 will be the longest of all the chapters, but it's also a chapter where we revisit some familiar locations, so hopefully that'll keep production manageable.

Right now, Erik is working on some of the new sets, while I'm doing some much needed engine tweaks. Hopefully these tweaks will allow us to produce and implement content faster than before. I'm not a programmer, but so far I'm pretty chuffed.

We know we're straining your patience with our slightly spaced out release schedule, but judging by what we've seen so far, we think they'll be worth the wait.

We love you.

Cheers,

 – a

Chapter 3 updated!

We just uploaded a massive new update to Chapter 3. More than 200 interaction possibilities were added.

Cheers,

 - a

Chapter 3 has launched!

This just keeps getting weirder and weirder...

Something's approaching on the horizon...

Something is brewing in the kitchen...

A New Trailer Appears!

We're pushing towards the finish line on Chapter 3, but just to whet your appetite a bit more here's a new trailer we decided to cut!

The stellar music is made by Ale Speranza, and if you enjoyed it you'll be happy to hear that he's the main contributor to the music in Chapter 3. Check out his other works here.

Watch the trailer here!

Feel free to share the link! We hope you enjoy it!

Cheers,

 – a

Twitter

After much press ganging we've finally decided to join Twitter! So if you're wondering why Chapter 3 is taking so long, it's because we're busy tweeting up a storm.

No not really. But if you feel like staying abreast with the latest developments, we suggest you follow us there as well!

Tweet, tweet!

@theDreamGame

Server Maintenance

Just a quick heads-up: There'll be some server maintenance between 03.00 and 05.00 CET 14th of April 2011. It's just for two hours, but we're sorry if it causes any inconvenience for you!

Chapter 3 is progressing well, but still needs a bit more time. It's still a bit early to set a date for its release, but you'll be the first to know once we do.

Cheers,

 – a

Sorry about the lack of communication

We're sorry to say it, but our estimated release date for Chapter 3 has been pushed back a bit. It's a bit a more ambitious in scope and will require more time to complete. We will announce a new date once we feel confident that we can stick to it.

We're working hard on Chapter 3 right now. Sorry about not communicating more. We hope you understand.

Cheers,

– a

Spreading the love

Every once in a while people question our choice of genre. Adventure games are dead, they say. The genre died in its sleep back in '98 supposedly, and we'd be well advised to stop beating the dead horse.

Obviously we disagree with this notion. Sure, it might not be the commercial power house it was back in the golden days, but it's far from dead. It's not even particularly niche either, since it's one of the best selling genres of the Nintendo DS.

You don't have to take our word for it. Recently the supreme chaps over at Ars Technica and IGN decided to revisit the "ailing" genre and found that it's doing quite well, thank you for asking. Fact of the matter is that it's feeling better than it has in a long time. Both articles make for nice reading together over a cup of coffee and some pastry, and can be found here and here.

Feel free to send us links to similar articles, if you know of any. We can't get enough of reading about this!

Cheers,

 - a

IGF's Audience Award

Regardless of who wins, we're honoured and delighted to be rubbing shoulders with this stellar line-up. Aside from the jury picked awards, there's also an audience award that you can vote for here:

2011 IGF: Main Competition Audience Award

Go forth and make your voice heard!

Cheers,

 - a

Why is the game only playable online?

During the time since launch some people have expressed concerns over the fact that the game is only playable online, with no downloadable version being offered. We'd like to take the moment to address these concerns and outline some of the reasons why we've chosen this model.

As gamers, we think the pros of this model outweigh the cons:

Play on any OS (Mac, PC, Linux). Play from any computer (home or work) with cloud saved inventory, settings and progress. No install required: play instantly, without the game taking up any of your precious hard drive space. Patching is automatic. We can continuously add things like language support down the line.


We also consider this game to be a continuously supported service, not a static product that we're done with and then just send out into the world never to hear from again. Distributing it online allows us to check statistics for how people play and adjust the game accordingly. If enough people try to solve a puzzle in a way we didn't think of, or can't solve it at all, we can actually see that and act accordingly. This helps us make the game better.

Another factor is Piracy. We're only two people making this game and we don't have the financial backing of a publisher. We looked a lot at what had happened to Machinarium. They released the game as a single downloadable file and unfortunately got heavily pirated because of that. According to their estimation about 85-95% of the played copies where pirated versions, and though we're quite liberal about piracy, those numbers sound frankly depressing. That's was a situation we wanted to avoid. We hope you understand.

We don't limit how many computers you can play the game on or how many times you can install the game, which to us differentiates us from intrusive DRM-models.

The game requires an Internet connection because of the cloud save system and because the assets (things like background music and the rooms) are discreetly streamed in the background to minimize loading times. Without a connection they would simply fail to load. That raises the accessibility bar a bit, but players without Internet access are getting fewer and fewer every day.

These are some of the main reasons we went with online distribution. Is it too intrusive? Do you fear you might lose your game?

Feel free to voice your opinion in the comments.

Cheers,

 - a

Independent Games Festival

We just heard word that The Dream Machine is a 2011 IGF Main Competition Finalists! So it looks like we'll be going to San Francisco in the end of February! If you plan on going to GDC, don't hesitate in stopping by our little demo station!

This was the second time we entered the game into the competition. Last year we didn't get nominated for anything, but the judges provided solid constructive feedback, which really helped us hone in on the games week spots. A year later we submitted a much more polished, much better game and this with much better results.

We've been quietly chipping away at this game for two years now. A crazy undertaking, some might say, but reading the kind words of players, and getting this kind of news, strengthens our belief that it's all been worth it.

Speaking for myself, this has been the hardest, most challenging thing I've ever undertaken – but also the most gratifying. A big sloppy Thank You hug to everyone who's egged us on along the way!

Cheers,

 - a

PayPal

Right now we're looking into offering alternatives to PayPal to those of you who – like us – don't happen to agree with their handling of the WikiLeaks case.

It will be while until we have an alternative payment system up and running, though, so for now I guess PayPal will have to suffice.

If you have already bought the game through PayPal, don't worry, changing or adding another payment method won't affect your purchase.

Cheers,

 - a

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