Well, as you may well of noticed. The BETA release date of 17th September 2010 has come, and gone, with no sign of the beta being in sight.
The reasoning behind this was pretty simple overall. We didn't want to release a beta that just simply wasn't ready. You may be wondering why the beta wasn't ready? Well..
We were plagued by quite a few show stopping development problems. The dedicated server code was one of the biggest problems. Both on Linux and Windows, the dedicated server software simply did not want to run the Trinity maps, and wasn't actually displaying any useful debug messages. This pushed us past the 17th September.
As we'd already passed the beta deadline, we decided that rather than release a late beta with things still to be done, we'd rather release an even later beta with less to be done.
The main reasoning behind this is basically that we don't want to release a beta version that simply won't grab you by the scruff of the neck, and throw you into some fast paced action! If we were to release a beta that played, for lack of a better word, Shit!, we just wouldn't forgive ourselves. First impressions and all that ;)
What added to all of this is, the summer. This is a wonderful time of year, where the beer flows late into the night, and maybe through to the next morning. Light nights, warm sunshine, ladies in bikini's.. You can't tie a developer to their desks during that time! No way!
So summer came and went also, and development was still pretty damn scarse. The dev team had lost contact, and with me getting a new job, I was spending less and less time on the project. You guys must know how real life goes! It gets in the way of everything. BUT, just as things were looking grim, I decided to give the project a well deserved kick up the ass, and restart development! We've made some excellent progress in the past few weeks.
Firstly, the pesky dedicated server problem is now gone! In fact, we've brought in a bit of a testing team, and we've organised and played a few matches! Albeit with the Nexuiz player models. -
Secondly, the maps are nearing completion. We're looking at having at least 4 Deathmatch and 4 CTF maps ready before the beta.
Thirdly, we've worked out our music scores, and we have studio time booked for that in the next few weeks. We're hoping you'll be completely blown away by the sound track. We've drafted in a professional music producer (Chris Stewart), and even an orchestra!
Now, I keep mentioning the beta.. When is it going to be released? - I'm going to take a leaf out of the DNF book here and simply say "When it's done". pssst. it won't be long ;)
Keep an eye out for some updates in the next coming weeks, and hey.. Head on over to the Trinity website at Trinity.gtxstudios.com and get signed up.. That way, you'll get all the updates right away!
Cheers,
Dave
GTX Studios
Looking forward to it guys.