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DarkTimmy
Hey all! Tim here and maker of this game. If you like Boss 101 (and thank you so much if you do) - then we have released our NEW version on Steam. Basically, everything cranked up to eleven!

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2015.11.22 Boss 101, Release Date News!

Posted by DarkTimmy - November 22nd, 2015


Welcome back to the weekly Boss 101 Update! Thank you for stopping by - we appreciate it!

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Boss 101 Release Date!
The time has come to talk about the Boss 101 release date. The short story is we now expect to be done the first half of 2016 – for the exact date read on!

Summer/Fall 2015
Originally we planned for Boss 101 to come out before the end of 2015 – perhaps late summer or fall. That was under the specific assumption we were essentially upgrading the graphics from the web game and added a few small niceties to the game to make it beefier. As we progressed through 2015 it became apparent the game was ‘telling’ us it needed more time. There were parts that were designed, executed and functional but they seemed a little thin or lackluster. An example is something like the Start Screen load panel. As you can see above when you hit ‘start’ a small panel with gophers pops up, animations play and you proceed to the game. Originally though, we had a plain panel and a very simple selection process. 

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Making it Count!
The problem with many things plain or which ‘just got by’ was EXACTLY THAT, they just ‘got by’ and weren’t special or cool. They were only functional and got the job done. Don’t get me wrong, there is place for straight functionality. Many times there is a need for good execution over flash and fizz. That said, if you have the underlying structure in place and an opportunity to spice something up with a nod to the game’s theme you might consider it. For us, we feel it’s important to make the game have character and personality since that is what makes Boss 101 stand out. 

It’s for that reason we looked at everything in the game and asked “are we just getting by or are we making this special?” Every time we felt we were just getting by with the base minimum we would look at the reasons and see if there was a way to elevate the product. We did that again and again and here we are now. 

All the main systems are in with a first or second pass (UI, sound, VFX, animation, gameplay, saving, loading, etc). We now begin the long march toward cleaning up all the pieces and making certain they play nice. The cinematics and storytelling are in. We’re playing the game daily and still loving it. We want you to love it too since YOU are the one who will be putting your money down. 

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So, when exactly!?!
I would love to lay out an exact date but I can’t at the moment. Our team is small, we are focused and we want this game done to the best of our abilities.  We are not looking to putter around on Boss 101 forever but we aren’t looking to slam something out and expect massive success. The road to something great means you step back once in a while and really look at what you are doing. As a person who has shipped many games, one of the worst feelings is letting something inferior in the product and instantly regretting it the moment you ship.  

There was a reason we didn’t go the Kickstarter route or go with a publisher when we started – though we had the opportunity to do both. We wanted to make sure Boss 101 could find its own voice. Had we Kickstarted this and slipped past our expected Summer 2015, then Winter 2015 dates we would be at the mercy of people who understandably paid money for a promise that was not being kept. 

For us though – we want to EARN your trust with plain ole’ HARD WORK. That’s it folks! We bust our humps every single day to make Boss 101 something you feel good about spending your hard earned cash on. We’re not begging, tricking or pleading. We just want a quality product you can have a blast with. 

There you are. We will keep you posted as we go. The road to completion has started and the team is putting its efforts into polish, gameplay and unification of all systems. Again, we’re a small team but if you want to see our progress please feel free to check out the year plus of weekly updates we have been doing. I think you can tell we are a serious bunch.

Thank you again and remember to LIVE YOUR DREAMS!

-Tim

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Comments

nice nice :D

@WiLD11 - Thank you! Appreciate the comment and the kind words!

-Tim

Quite reassuring that you are all working hard in the interests of making a wonderful game.
It's also good that you never went the route of Kickstarter. I've seen a few games smash funding and be a disappointment to either the backers or the developers.

@absoluteDETH - Thanks so much. Yah, Kickstarter can work well for certain situations but for Boss 101 it didn't seem like the thing to do. We knew when we started it would be a pretty organic process. Going the Kickstarter/Funded route that early would have locked us into early expectations. By avoiding that we were able to allow the game to breathe. It really did give us room to adjust the development and make a MUCH better game in the process.

Thanks for hanging in there with us!

-Tim

ever looking forward to the steam release! Its always better to delay the release of a game and make sure its good than to release it earlier and have it not be as good

@Lionelion - Totally agree. We considered as many alternatives as possible but the best choice was to hold the game and make it awesome. Our saying is "we don't benefit from rushing". On such a small team a little extra bit of polish can mean all the difference!

Thanks for following and more to come!

-Tim

Been lurking and watching you guys since the beginning. It's all coming together REALLY well, I hope you guys are super successful!

@BoMToons - Thanks Nick! We've been hammering away for a long but there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Means a lot to hear you've been watching and thanks for that! We're doing our best man - you're certainly one of our inspirations.

Thank you!

-Tim