A substantial amount of work has been done since the last update. Currently, I have a demo lasting about 1 - 1.5 hours (that’s if you skip many of the interactions). I call it a demo but it's a large chunk of the game (about ⅓ of Act 1), and it needs more play testing / stress testing. It skips the prologue which I hope to bring back for the final release and jumps right into the game's intro. It’s also lacking a couple interactive bits pivotal to the story. They are not included as that will ruin the bigger picture for you folks.
Anyway, I’d love to get it into the hands of some of the original backers / fans for some play testing! Email info@iragame and I’ll add you to the list and you will get a steam key in the near future! I have some old emails from back in the day, but who knows what’s still good or not in that list. Please shoot me an email if it’s been awhile! Also, I’d love to get people playing while they are recording themselves using OBS. Being able to see reactions to actual gameplay in real time is extremely beneficial! I’ll provide links in the demo email of how to set things up.
State Of The Game
So much work has been done in the first ⅓ to 1/2 of the game. It’s been well developed! In fact I’m looking into the possibility of doing scene releases for Act 1. That way I can get it out in the near future, and then work on a new release about every 4-6 months. Act 1 is already segmented into 3 self contained scenes / parts, so it would be possible to handle Act 1 in that fashion. Ideally, I’d want to do all of Act one at once. I feel like that would be the best way for someone to experience the game. It all depends on what happens with round 2 of MegaGrant funding.
MegaGrant
I’ve created a round 2 Epic MegaGrant to submit to the MegaGrant’s program, and it’s ready for submission! Epic is open to doing another round of funding for past recipients. In my proposal I’ve had to showcase the progress that the original grant has helped me make. I’ve put together an in depth document with videos, images, etc showcasing just how fair things have come with assistance from the MegaGrant program, and where a second grant would help me take things. I will make the submission at the end of the month when the application system opens back up (the program is on a summer break).
This second round of funding would allow me to bring on another person leading up to the launch of Ira Act 1: Pilgrimage. They would work alongside me using the Ira action component system to script interactions and make sure the full vision of the game is realized. It would also free up my time to refine and work on a number of other game related tasks that need to be completed / addressed. From press kits, to support for various platforms. Creating a game at the quality level that I’m aiming for is not easy for a team, and it’s exceptionally challenging for a single developer like myself. I’m hoping that the MegaGrant team will be impressed with the progress made and will happily provide an infusion to finish things in the best way possible, and get Ira across the finish line. Wish me luck! I should know in 90 days or less from the date of submission.
Steam
Currently figuring out what I should include in the new press kit, and how I want to do the final trailer! That being said, I’m excited to put the newest trailer together because there’s a lot of great content to work with. I’m currently laying the groundwork for the final iteration. It’s going to be interesting folks!
Sponsorships
MegaGrant based sponsors continue to be extremely helpful. Intel has provided me with an Arch A770 GPU which will replace one of my oldest cards. I’m very appreciative of the support and it’s been put to good use. Thank you Intel! I also randomly won another AMD processor so I can do a CPU upgrade. I'm having really good luck in this department!
Personal Stuff
I broke my spine falling off a zipline which was a scary experience. The line I was on, pulled out of one of its anchor points and I fell directly onto my upper back. Thus jamming one vertebrae into the other causing a dent / smushed area in the bone. Compression fractures are pretty painful if I’m being honest, but I’m exceedingly fortunate. The damage was minor albeit painful, and has been able to heal on its own with little intervention. It was just one of those things that takes time to heal. Right now I have minimal to no discomfort as it’s been healing for a number of months, and I’ve been fully mobile for a while now. Sitting, running, working out, and doing general spider monkey like activities are going well once again. I never want to relive that initial first 2 weeks of pain ever again…Not fun.
Once again, please reach out if you are interested in playtesting the latest demo!
Day In Day Out is a fascinating game that immerses you in the world of Mr. Lüneberg. The diverse collection of mini-games, inspired by everyday life events, offers a unique gaming experience.
Experience the beauty and challenges of daily life in a completely new way with Day In Day Out.
Role Rework - Coroner • Altered Coroner autopsy message to make it clear autopsy results are a list that is appended to • Coroner autopsy message will now clearly state the role of the killer they can now check for • Coroners night ability will now indicate the role of the killer they checked against, making the ability more useful when having a large list of autopsy results • Coroners night ability is not affected by enchantment anymore • Updated autopsy and examine key words to remove the lines saying enchanter affects the coroner.
New Feature - Jail • The Jailor now interrogates his target in the Jail. They walk around the jail as his silhouette at night, while their target appears as their character skin.
Improvements • Pirate will now leave town before the discussion phase if his second plunder target manages to survive the ordeal. • Ghost Games button text re-centered • The Maximize buttons for Graveyard and Role List in-game are now slightly smaller • Added "Pick names" to the day/night timer in the HUD during pick names phase • Removed highlighting from whispers to you as it was difficult to read the text against the highlight. • Clarified that the poison ability from the Poisoner doesn't kill a player, it deals a basic attack. • Clarified that silenced players can not vote during discussion, but can vote during the trial. • Trickster now has unlimited Tricks
Bug Fixes • Fixed Last Will during Who Died and How to use the selected font settings from Settings popup Chat tab. • Hangman and Execution results header will now show the Town Traitor's faction correctly (as evil) when they are hanged. • Fixed bug that was preventing Necromancer and Retributionist from actually visiting corpses and not allowing Tracker to see them visiting. • Popups for interactables now display the user-set hotkey for interaction • Report Player popup now shows over most game UIs, like last wills and death notes etc.
Over the last two weeks we’ve been continuing with detailing and lighting, as well as new soundpasses, as we make our way through Episode 3. We’ve also been adding more interface graphics. Today we’ll share with you screenshots from E3M3, The Rending Chambers, as well as the recent loading screen made for E2M4, Twilight Altars.
Lighting The Rending Chambers
An industrial facility corrupted by the enemy, E3M3 is a grim mix of tortured flesh and corroded metal. It has been receiving its final detail and lighting passes, and we have some screenshots here to show you the resultant oppressive atmosphere.
Loading Screens
Once again, we have a completed loading screen to show you. This one gives a glimpse of E2M4 - Twilight Altars, a solid and stony, yet technologically advanced, temple complex from the lost civilization of WRATH’s world.
In other news…
Aside from map detailing, lighting, loading screens, and other fixes, tweaks, and polish, here is a look at some of the things we’ve worked on the last two weeks:
LEVELS
E3M2 - The Blood Pits - is receiving its soundpass
E3M4 - Crucible of Souls - adding lighting and gameplay to the Blue Door area
HUB3 - first pass on the terrain mesh
BOSS2 - more detail and lighting is being added, with playtesting underway
BOSS3 - final detailing, texturing, and lighting, with entity changes for gameplay
PROPS & TEXTURES
More flesh and bone models for Episode 3
Rune etching textures for Episode 3
That’s it for today’s update! We hope you enjoyed these progress images, and we’ll see you in two weeks!
I've added an Armor Set and Armor Weight popup to the Store and the Stash. To view the popup, click on a piece of armor and then on it's Set or Weight in the description. This is only available in the Store and Stash.
The percentage are not 100% accurate as they are usually not additive, but multiplicative. The real total will be determined by what you equip. See my explanation in Steam Discussions titled "Ability Bonuses: additive vs multiplicative".
Ava's 4K Wallpaper Pack Is Now Included in the DLC!
If you already own the DLC, then all you need to do is let your game update, and browse the install location to find them!
There are a total of 10 image pairs in this pack with one set of photos being NSFW, and the twin to that photo where Ava is a little more covered up, but still sexy as hell!
I have labelled the folders NSFW and SFW, but it is our professional opinion and reccomendation that you shouldn't include the SFW images in your company emails.
Let us know what you think and again, thank you all for your ongoing support! :)
Did you miss out on our Dev Livestreams during the Steam Next Fest? We've got you covered! Step into the Holodeck as we take a moment to recap the Exclusive Intel and Fun Facts shared by our Devs, Trasgo, the Lead Game Designer, and Joaquin, the Lead Programmer! ːimcoolrangerː
To start off, here's a fascinating detail you might not be aware of: the enemy faction, Crimson Vultures, didn't start with that name. Trasgo revealed that initially, they were called The Crimson Raiders, but a change was necessary to avoid confusion with another faction in the game Borderlands. (Oops! Almost had a crossover there!) ːimrangerangryː
Did you know you can hear one of our devs BARK in the game? In the vast galaxy, you can come across several easter eggs, including the Soviet dog cosmonaut Laika, adorably floating in space. When you interact with her, she surprises you by barking and moving around.
Trasgo confessed during the stream that he personally recorded himself barking to create this unique sound effect.(How pawsitively charming!) 🐶 ːimloverangerː
And finally, a little trivia: Can you guess how many cutscenes await you in the game? Joaquin revealed that Iron Marines Invasion features an impressive 22 minutes of meticulously crafted cutscenes, surpassing the amount seen in any previous Ironhide Game! ːimchannelerpeaceː
To tune into the full stream, you can catch the recordings on our YouTube Channel. And if you haven't had a chance to play the demo yet, it's still available for free, and you can access it here!
