Did not get in touch for a long time

Hello everyone after a very protracted pause – we return from the lull.

Introduction

Who has already read one of our posts earlier – perhaps in more than half a year they had forgotten about us. And for others we meet for the first time. So I will imagine:

We are the Cat in Hat team, talents and professionals united by a common goal to make interesting, distinguished games. And I am its founder, Yaroslav.

We are the Cat in Hat team, talents and professionals united by a common goal to make interesting, distinguished games.

And I am its founder, Yaroslav.

A year ago (November 26) We officially gathered, and began the development of a plot bitemap on a PC and a console, which was told in previous posts.

In theory, now we could have been tested, or even the launch of early access is being prepared. But, as you can see, everything is somewhat different. Actually, about everything that was during this period and what the status of our projects at the moment will tell this post.

Tears by Sharp everything?

Actually, I’ll start with an elephant in the room. At the moment, our game called Tears by Sharp is frozen. In connection with many factors, I decided to temporarily stop the development of this game, but we only temporarily clean it on a shelf, so that we are already returning to it again, after a small break.

Development stopped at the early alpha. We did not do a bit to a full -fledged vertical cut, quite a lot of functionality was made, including the logic of the behavior of opponents and the first boss.

Huge work was done with the content of the game: audio for several acts, boss files; environment for 3 eight plot acts. The script, the plot for a good half of the game are also registered; The significant layer of the project of the project is completed.

Moreover, a gameplay video was almost prepared to warm up the overall interest in the game and development.

What happened?

In fact, there were several main problems.

Before I continue, I will remind those who know and do not know. From the very beginning, our team worked purely on enthusiasm. That is, from the first days we had neither financing nor compensation for labor hours. There are both certain pros and significant disadvantages (which, I think, many people immediately guess).

Naturally, the plans of commercialization Gamblingsitesnotongamstop.co.uk of activities in various formats in our strategy and in direct actions were and continued. However, each of us is busy with the main work/activity, and this imposes the features of development.

Time, deadlines, choice, burnout

A total of 1340 hours of teamwork was invested on this game – from the very beginning, we were taking into account the time in directions and tasks, tracking progress.

In March, we still did a new functionality. In April June, ECS was mastered and a project on the new architecture. In July-August, they tried to continue the development. Tried different options for the approach – the result was deplorable.

In fact, the development was interrupted in April. Then a specialist with high experience connected to our team, and according to the idea, he was supposed to close the role of the DEV-Lid, and most importantly, give the basis and build the correct architecture of the project in the future.Still, the game is not small, and we want to have in the future the opportunity to support it without tears, sweat and blood, develop.

Unfortunately, we entrusted a person with such an important role, with whom in a few months we could not work. And if before his arrival, each progress of the team found 10-20 hours to implement features, creativity, active work, then by the end of the summer even the most active and significant developer completely burned out, refusing to continue to work on this game in this format.

This is not a claim to a specialist. Moreover, he gave some vectors, shocks for developers.However, in fact, the guys remained on their own, studying the new Framwork ECS (and mastered, by the way), but with any even minor mistake they came across a very harsh criticism.

Lid-developer we needed the team almost from the very beginning. It was assumed that we would find the right specialist back in January-February, but it shifted to April. And in the end, we chose the wrong person.

In general, I consider this to be my personal mistake, which influenced the loss of 6 months of development, exiting plans and deadlines, and as a result of a forced project freezing.

Money … And where without them?

In fact, this is more clickbeit 8) money that was more interested in short distances – these are work, part -time jobs, which are regularly distracted, each of us.

Since I switched completely to a third -party project, in general from another sphere. I will not say that everything gets up without me, but in the compartment with burnout and inhibition of any progress in development – I did not want to demotivate the team even more.

But also a monetary issue of financing, searching for an investor, we have stood for a long time for a long time. You won’t go far for a long time on pure enthusiasm, especially making more demanding on the development of the game.

In April, we began negotiations with several investors, 1.5 months of active meetings, negotiations, conditions.We even received an offer, with good money. But we refused, since the conditions were too biting, and, most importantly, they demanded that we shift the focus of attention to another format of work, projects – which is going against our views, goals.

Boosty’s filming story also did not give a result. Very small funds were collected, but even not through the platform.

At the same time, I really hoped to close the issue with the team’s budget before the summer. Then we would have a chance to catch up, and by the end of the year to show something worthwhile.And yes, I also burned out, faced with these “failures”, which could not but affect the team and its activity.

And the team still exists?

Yes, how else! And we are not sitting idle.

Recently hired a new DEV-Lida. We establish work, return the usual pace and creative approach. This time we approached the choice more thoroughly, many specialists responded and almost everyone was able to personally consider.

Regarding games, first of all, we switched to another new game, shorter and more simple in implementation. This game will be on mobile devices. Until we make any announcements and statements – I will only say that the game is responsible for all the rules, the views of our team. We are at the stages of prototyping, we are looking for the best format of interaction between the planned mechanic with the player through different types of control.

The development approach to the team:
• verified complex feed
• Time games (games for all times)
• creative, creative and free environment
• be different and always make new ones (we are not fixed on one genre)

We will return to Tears by Sharp immediately after this mobile phone. A lot of work is ahead, and at best we can get out into early access By the end of 2025, and through a short period – into the release. However, we do not guess, first we will spend from and to the current gaming project. Now it is important for us to restore moral forces and provide ourselves with financial stability in order to go headlong into the development of a large, important game.

Actively pitched studio, projects, we are negotiating with potential partners, investors. We are not just looking for conditions where we will retain creative freedom, but the people with whom we want to move on are a little of the kind of idealization, but these are extremely important aspects that we pay attention to, and I first of all

And among other things, they updated the logo, added to official resources and many other steps on trifles.

As already wrote at the beginning, on November 26, officially the year with the appearance of our team.

Although a lot went out of plans, ideas, and there is nothing objectively boasting at the moment. But personally, I am glad of what the team we have, I appreciate all the huge work done, and I am sure that soon we will achieve the intended goals and one of you will say: “Oh, and I followed these guys from the very beginning, they went their way“.

Although the team is scattered around the globe, but we will celebrate the first year inside the team. And soon we will note the results.

Thank you to read/she to the end. So far we remain in the status of an unknown indie command without issued projects. But this is our path, and if possible, we try to be open to you in it, revealing the inner kitchen, sharing both good and bad.