However, the bigger news is that we’ve decided to try releasing an online-playable version of the demo. We think our fans will really enjoy being able to jump right into the game without the hassle of installation. This online version will also be available next week, and will remain online for as long as our in-page advertising revenues keep pace with our hosting expenses (fingers crossed that it pays for itself – otherwise we’ll need to pull it).

For our fans who are excited to play the demo, we highly recommend that you take the extra step and download the AIR app. You’ll avoid load times, and you’ll enjoy the experience with full quality graphics and sound. Either way–we’re looking forward to sharing the demo, and we hope you’re looking forward to playing it!

Until next week…

Some things to look forward to:

• Spend some quality time with old “Tick” friends.
• Enjoy a warm welcome to Ravenhollow harbor.
• Test your Houdini skills by staging a daring escape with nothing but a fish!
• Get involved in local politics (better here than in real life, right?)
• Wreak havoc upon the fish in the sea!
• See what’s in store for the full version of… “What Makes You Tick: A Stitch in Time”.

In the meantime, I’ve posted a couple more screenshots in the media section. You’ll now see the game inventory and the port authority office.

Well, Matt and I are winding down for the year right now – Matt is heading home for the holidays, and I’m heading out for some holiday travel (give me a shout if you’re in Peru in early January!). It’s been a long year with a TON of work on Stitch, so Matt and I are both looking forward to the break. However, 2010 will kick off with a renewed push to wrap up the project.

So, let’s talk about the coming year… I know the big question right now is “when will the game will be released?”. Unfortunately, that’s the one thing we can’t say at this point because –in the end– it will be our testers who tell us when the game is ready. However, looking ahead at the more immediate future, we have lots of good news! The project is moving right along, there is a huge portion of the game built, and what isn’t yet built is at least entirely drawn and animated (thanks to Matt’s herculean effort on art production – seriously, he’s been on fire). However, the best news for fans is that there is a demo, and it will be releasing… soon (…as in late January/early February after I’m back from travel and Matt and I get a chance to wrap up a few last details).

In the meantime, have a great holiday, enjoy New Years festivities, and stay warm if you’re in a snowy portion of the world… Matt and I both are (brrrrrrrr).

As I fought off trans-Atlantic jetlag on my first night in Leipzig, I stayed awake to hear out Matt’s game concept that built upon the themes of Franz Kafka’s “The Castle”. His concept had nothing to do with WMYT – or at least, it didn’t until the random idea emerged to throw in some WMYT character cameos. Suddenly the concept took a turn: what if this Kafka story WAS a What Makes You Tick? sequel, but took a sideways approach at joining into the first game?

Those familiar with Tick would probably understand why we thought an immediate resolve to the original story would feel a bit anti-climatic. Therefore, the idea of a new story with a new hero on a new mission really appealed to us. It gave us the opportunity to kick off a new game that walked circles around WMYT until finally joining up with the original story at an “opportune” moment.

So, our hiking trip proceeded with many ideas brewing. I hammered out a feature list for the next generation of the Lassie engine (which would be specifically engineered to power this game), and we visited some fantastic locations that ultimately inspired the world of Ravenhollow (Füssen, Germany and Jungfrau in Switzerland have made very direct appearances within the final world). At the end of the trip, we hammered out the last of the major story arc over pints of beer in an Interlaken tavern after coming off the trail.

However, like all good ideas – Stitch went on the back burner once we returned to our normal lives. And it stayed there – for almost a full year. Finally in fall of 2008, after lots of talk and no real action, Matt and I met back up in Prague, Check Republic (more great world inspiration, and ironically the home of Franz Kafka) to hammer out a hard plan and production schedule. Finally, in late October 2008 the first real production began.

It’s been a long, hard haul over the past year, but the game is looking great. We’re looking forward to wrapping up major development in 2009, then going into testing and debugging in 2010. So, that should bring readers up to speed on where we’ve come from; and we’ll keep you posted on where we’re going…