Hai there,

Just like last year, I am taking December off from working on Poor Thing. For almost whole year I have been tinkering with it daily and it is making my head spin a little. Furthermore, after nearly nobody bothered to play the Grey Nether I felt more than a little disheartened and making games has taken a backseat to other activities for now. I want to recharge my batteries a little, gain perspective and some new ideas. And I promise to get back to it come 2016, and really push things forward. And maybe by the end of next year I will have something wobbly and brittle to show off, a demo of sorts.

Bless you all and see you soon

Dear Glorious Trainfriends,

This time I do not have screenshots from Poor Thing to share with you. I have something better! A video presenting it in action! I think it starts to look good, but judge for yourselves. My video editing tool did something horrible with compression, but you can still see what the game is about. I tried to present the things I am most proud of: the Merry Berry minihotel, scrolling levels, floor tiles adjusting to scrolling, some shadows and 3d grass (only in the 1st level but will be implemented overall). I hope you like it! I work on it nearly every day and had a sleepless night sometime ago when I put a lot of things together so I have the backstory also more advanced. Ok, enough, enjoy, and tell me hwat you think!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDqoCDa60QE

Hi anybodies,

I have been working on Poor Thing almost every day for five months. Recently I had a bit of a breakdown and I cannot bringmyself to start working on it again, but I will, don't worry, small steps. It is just overwhelming. But I want to finish it. But it just gets bleaker and more depressing, the game I mean. So stepping away for a bit but instead I complete the backstory and work on the plot and these things are actually progressing. I've been working on my music more recently and I am also making a music video on KnP, I will post it when I'm done. There are many new levels added but it is all a secret and I cannot show you the secret levels.

Dear All,
Ever since my last update I have been working on the game almost every day, encouraged by your comments. I have added a ton of new levels (and also deleted some unnecessary to make room for more among the 255 available), details and so on... I have also been working on the backstory, which I am afraid to say is getting darker and darker. Graphically I have started lately making more interiors,as you can see attached. But it really wore me out, especially that I have to incorporate more and more "action" elements which mean programming, failing, reprogramming without an end... So I will be taking a short break now and probably restart next year. I need a pause with these endless obstacles and also the everso more depressing narrative. But worry not, I love the project like a 3rd baby and will complete it for sure! It is just more exhausting than I initially thought it to be. As always, lots of pixellated love for you dear crazy computer peoples and keep creating!

Hello everybody.

It has been half a year since my last information on my game in progress, "Poor Thing". Since then I have maintained a fairly steady pace in development and added a lot to the game, however there is a looot of work still in front of me. I have calculated that I still have more or less 100 levels to add. I have 178 levels in my game so far, but some of them are placeholders and some more can be cut out. If no other obstacles emerge, I should be able to fit my game within the planned maximum of 255 levels.

While still adding new levels, I alternate it with either fleshing out already existing locations or finally adding some action sequences. I worked out a way to make objects standing in the middle that can be either walked in front of or behind, which adds a lot of 3d feeling to the game.

At the same time I am working on the story and characters, because I really mean it to be a complete tale, with beginning, middle and an end. Things are constantly falling into place, or switched around if they do not work.

I think I am rambling, but I am really excited that I have kept at it so long and do not feel bored or intend to stop. I calculate it will take about a year to complete and add details to all the levels, then probably another year to interconnect everything, hunt bugs, beta test and add sound effects and probably some music. A long, long way... but almost every other day I keep developing it further.

I hope 6 months is an enough long pause not to be pushy with my project. Truly said, I often have to fight the urge to share every new detail that I am proud of, with you lot!

I go back to working on the game now. As always, lots of love to you lovely people, and keep creating!

Jan Strach

Hello everybody.

It has been a long time. As you may easily check, the last thing I submitted was three years ago. Through this time I have not been dead but had to redirect my priorities somewhat. I was busy, making music and minions.

However, already in 2010 I started working on a project, only this time I wanted to create something gigantic. I have been working on it since, in short bursts of creative passion. It is slowly taking shape. Due to the self-imposed scale of the project, it is going take a long time to complete. It is hard to tell if I am even halfway through.

I intend to use all available levels. Did you know there is a level limit of 255 in KNP? I checked.

There is going to be a backstory, a mystery, a mythology, a bestiary. There is going to be creepiness, solitude, heavy, brooding, melancholic atmosphere.

Since the beginning of this year I made a decision to work on the game at least every other day. The optimistic release date is within 1 year. The pessimistic/more realistic version is 2 years from now.

Although I did not have much time lately, I have been popping by from time to time. I love yous dearly. I hope I will finish the damn thing. It is big and complicated and frightens me sometimes.

Take care!