Dum-Dum exiting Early Access!
Dum-Dum is exiting Early Access!
This has been a long road for me. The game was originally released in Steam's Early Access two years ago. Since then I've added a lot of new content: obvious things like stories and puzzles, and less obvious things like quality of life fixes and updates. Developing this game has been a great experience. But there have also been hurdles.
About a year ago I discovered a major problem: the game's graphics were completely corrupt on certain new laptops. It only seemed to be an issue on a small percentage of computers, but that was enough to bring my creative development to a halt. It was very disheartening. I didn't feel comfortable releasing the final game knowing that it wouldn't work on some people's systems.
The good news is that, while it took awhile to address the core problem, it should now be completely fixed! I uploaded a test fix to the beta channel several months ago, and it has run perfectly on all test computers including the two problem laptops. In addition, during the process of fixing the graphics issue, I discovered a related issue where some users weren't being notified of getting Steam achievements while playing the game. That has now been addressed as well.
In addition to the technical fixes, I've also added a bonus feature:
At this point I think this version can be called complete and officially exit Early Access. But I do hope that I can add new story and puzzle content in the future. Thank you to everyone who has played the game, and especially for all of the kind comments and support! I set out to make the type of game that I would have enjoyed playing myself. I'm glad that it was discovered by other people who have felt similarly. :)
This has been a long road for me. The game was originally released in Steam's Early Access two years ago. Since then I've added a lot of new content: obvious things like stories and puzzles, and less obvious things like quality of life fixes and updates. Developing this game has been a great experience. But there have also been hurdles.
About a year ago I discovered a major problem: the game's graphics were completely corrupt on certain new laptops. It only seemed to be an issue on a small percentage of computers, but that was enough to bring my creative development to a halt. It was very disheartening. I didn't feel comfortable releasing the final game knowing that it wouldn't work on some people's systems.
The good news is that, while it took awhile to address the core problem, it should now be completely fixed! I uploaded a test fix to the beta channel several months ago, and it has run perfectly on all test computers including the two problem laptops. In addition, during the process of fixing the graphics issue, I discovered a related issue where some users weren't being notified of getting Steam achievements while playing the game. That has now been addressed as well.
In addition to the technical fixes, I've also added a bonus feature:
- After completing the main quest, players now have the opportunity to upgrade the operating system to Hogo OS 1985.1 Edition. This is mainly a "creative" update over 1985.0, allowing for desktop customization like designing and/or coloring unique program icons. There may also be one or two small fun discoveries. Search the in-game Hogo/BBS page to start the upgrade path.
At this point I think this version can be called complete and officially exit Early Access. But I do hope that I can add new story and puzzle content in the future. Thank you to everyone who has played the game, and especially for all of the kind comments and support! I set out to make the type of game that I would have enjoyed playing myself. I'm glad that it was discovered by other people who have felt similarly. :)