The current state of development on AI War (Updated 9/30/2009).

[x4000]

I've updated the OP with the revised dates.  We're running around a week behind, because I was overly aggressive with my original estimates -- I accounted for programming time, but forgot about all the marketing materials, training materials, etc, that I need to complete for 2.0.  Also, a new self-updater is something that I've decided really needs to be a part of 2.0, because the current one really stinks in a lot of ways, and doesn't support prereleases, etc.

[x4000]

Wow, lots of good things are happening -- but holy crap, it's all happening at one time.  So much to do, and almost no time to do it in!

[AcidWeb]

Wow, lots of good things are happening -- but holy crap, it's all happening at one time.  So much to do, and almost no time to do it in!

Just give up sleeping. Quite addictive habit 

[x4000]

Yeah, no kidding!

[x4000]

As of today, the contract with Steam is finalized, and I can now actually talk about it.  They'll be carrying AI War 2.0, when that comes out in a few weeks!  This is a major development for Arcen, and will hopefully go a long way toward securing our financial future to the point that we can actually do this fulltime.  Time will tell!

[Kjara]

Very cool!

From the hints you were dropping, it seemed likely it was steam(mainly due to the fact they are the big distributor that tracks achievements through their client that I know of), but one can never be sure .

[x4000]

Yep, I was trying to talk about what I was doing without giving away anything definite.  But a lot of people pegged it, I think.  It's certainly exciting, anyway!

[tals]

Very sweet - do you know if we will be able to add CD keys into steam to add the game or is it totally seperate?

Tals

p.s well done - absolutely amazing (trying to not have the word achievement in my sentance )

[x4000]

Very sweet - do you know if we will be able to add CD keys into steam to add the game or is it totally seperate?

You know, I'm really not sure.  I hope that the CD keys will be cross-compatible, but I'm not to the point yet where I know for sure.  I'm still working on the final stuff for achievements, etc, offline, before I get to all the Steamworks integration, though I've had the SDK for a while now.

p.s well done - absolutely amazing (trying to not have the word achievement in my sentance )

Thanks!  They actually turned us down back near the end of July, after I'd been bugging them for a few months.  But I managed to get them interested in seeing 2.0 when it came out, and then near the end of August they contacted me out of the blue and were interested for sure in 2.0.  Persistence on my part paid off, but I think that it must have also had to do with how we kept topping the charts at Impulse off and on, and all the good press we've been getting elsewhere.  There aren't too many indie games on Steam that aren't "darlings," so this is a really huge deal for Arcen.  Nice to be able to finally share it with you all!

[Haagenti II]

This is a major development for Arcen, and will hopefully go a long way toward securing our financial future to the point that we can actually do this fulltime.  Time will tell!

Are you telling me you also have a day job? Besides all this?

And congrats with the Steam deal.

[x4000]

This is a major development for Arcen, and will hopefully go a long way toward securing our financial future to the point that we can actually do this fulltime.  Time will tell!

Are you telling me you also have a day job? Besides all this?

Oh yeah.  Fortunately it's a flexible sort of thing at the moment, but that's a situation I would really like to get out of, it's pretty exhausting.

And congrats with the Steam deal.

Thanks!

[Tankor Smash]

Yeah, congratulations on the Steam contract! Just don't do anything you wouldn't be proud of haha. =D

[x4000]

Yeah, congratulations on the Steam contract!

Thanks!

Just don't do anything you wouldn't be proud of haha. =D

As a general rule...

[keith.lamothe]

Wow, that's a big deal, congrats   If this goes well, you presumably will have an easier time getting them to carry future titles, which is a tremendous boon at Arcen's current stage of development.

Godspeed!

[x4000]

Wow, that's a big deal, congrats   If this goes well, you presumably will have an easier time getting them to carry future titles, which is a tremendous boon at Arcen's current stage of development.

Godspeed!

Thanks!  And yes, getting existing partners to carry future titles is very straightforward by comparison to getting them to carry a first title.  Steam, Impulse, and GamersGate have all expressed interest (or even non-exclusive contracted already in one case) future Arcen titles.  So in the future, hopefully we will see new Arcen titles with advance publicity, and with simultaneous release on all of the major platforms.  We'll be doing the early preorders from our own site only, at least with The Zenith Remnant, but they'll still be arriving with our other partners and promoted all at one time, rather than spread out across a 5 month period as has happened so far with the base AI War game.