This is pretty much why we've been quiet for a little while.
We're now very excited to be able to talk about this in public. This is a major step forward for Blade Symphony and for all of us at Puny Human. If we make our funding target, this means we'll be able to afford an engine license, and we'll be able to turn Blade Symphony into a commercial release.
And I say turn - because we're in no way under the impression that Blade Symphony as it is now, as you've seen it in the closed beta, is anywhere near the finished product. It's not. What we have in mind for Blade Symphony's actual release is much bigger than what you saw. We're planning on completely revamping the movement system (with added jumping!), giving each character their own unique stance, adding more characters, and more.
We realise that this is a pretty monumental change of direction for a Source mod, so here are a few of the questions you might have (with answers, otherwise this post wouldn't be of much use to you).
Is Blade Symphony going to be a paid-for, commercial release, now?
Yes. The Kickstarter money will go towards buying an actual Source license, which will let us sell Blade Symphony commercially.
The plan isn't to sell the mod as it is now, though. With that money, we're also going to add a ton more content to the game - new characters, new stances, new sword models, etc. We want each character to have their own unique stance, too. We're still working on what gameplay changes are going to be made, but rest assured that we will be adding a lot more content.
How about the beta, then?
We won't be handing out any new beta keys, as the current beta is not representative of what the commercial release will be like. For those of you who have pledged $20 via Kickstarter: the release candidate testing and the current beta are not the same thing - the RC testing will happen a couple of months before release, whenever that is.
We're not retiring the beta installer/authentication system, so those of you in it already will still be able to play. We probably won't be able to release any more beta updates, and we most likely won't be issuing new keys - not because we want to stop supporting the beta, but because our focus will be on putting as much time and effort as humanly possible into Blade Symphony so we can deliver the best possible game for your money.
I donated under the PHAN programme; does this mean my donation is wasted?
No, of course not. Any donation you made via the PHAN programme will still go towards paying our costs, so your money will still be put to good use. Anyone who has donated in the past still has our undying gratitude, and it's only thanks to them that we've managed to make it this far.
Unfortunately, we can't offer the same kind of incentives for PHAN donations as we can for Kickstarter donations, so it does mean that we can't transfer PHAN donations to Kickstarter pledges. Really, we would if we could - and any PHAN donation you've made will also have contributed to our continued existence (we would not have been able to survive for upwards of six years otherwise) - but we can't.
If you want to donate to us, we would encourage you to do so via Kickstarter. There are two reasons for this:
- 1. You get a reward for pledging your money via Kickstarter.
- 2. Every cent you give to our Kickstarter is a cent that makes it closer to its funding goal. If we don't reach the $15,000 funding goal, all money pledged via Kickstarter will be refunded. In other words, money you donate via Kickstarter makes it more likely we'll actually get those $15,000 and also protects your money if we can't reach our target.
These are all good questions! Fortunately, all of them have answers listed on that very same page! Also fortunately, this is where you would go to donate. Hint, hint.
You can also read a little bit more about our exact plans on the page, so I would heartily recommend you head on over.
If you've got any questions afterwards, please don't hesitate to leave a comment - we'll do as much as we can to answer every new question that gets asked.
, this ll be an huge relief when the project will be fund
