What happened to The Broken Hourglass??

[Durwyn]

Any of you angry cunts know what happened to the J.Compton game, The Broken Hourglass? Last news on it is from February 11, 2008. It looked like it might be a great game. Is it officialy vapourware ?

 

[aboyd]

Yes. I gave up on it in 2007 so now that it's 2009 any discussion of it just feels like total vaporware. It's like talking about Santa Claus. We all like the concept, but we all know it ain't real.

 

[Durwyn]

Damn it. I was really looking forward to it. Somehow i still have a nostalgia for Infinity Engine games.

 

[Edward_R_Murrow]

That sucks. It looked decent. Sure it was generic fantasy, the writing was a little hammy looking, and it reeked of Bioware morality and quest design, but I'd take a BG2-like right now with no hesitation. Kind of sad there never really was one. Both the Neverwinter Nights OCs were too linear, as was Icewind Dale, and nothing has really captured the interactivity of BG2's companions, even if they were kinda cheesy.

 

[asper]

Yeah, the few screens I've seen of this really looked promising (nice BG-like graphics at least).

Someone really has to ask them if he can take over their assets and continue the work.

Also agreed on the idea that a BG-clone would be a pretty nice thing nowadays.

 

[jcompton]

Hi. Still working.

Please insert usual small-time operator excuses here.

 

[LCJr.]

The classic "We're not dead" post.

 

[Qwinn]

It really isn't dead. I've personally implemented roughly 10 full quests (a couple of them huge) in the last 5 months or so. Currently working on a massive one.

Qwinn

 

[Worm King]

But what about the Planescape module for NWN 2? Last I heard they were going through bugs and promising a release in a few weeks.

 

[Starwars]

They were planning on releasing a playtest/beta thing in December, but the SoZ patch broke many playermade modules, including Purgatorio. Not sure if the current plan is to try fixing everything that broke or see if the next patch (the new beta partially fixed some issues I believe) fixes stuff.
The release won't be a final version though, just so you know. They need more people in order to implement everything and polish it up.

In the meantime you can listen to the excellent soundtrack which is up on NWVault. It's extremely good stuff.

And yes, hope to Broken Hourglass released someday as well.

 

[Naked Ninja]

Hi. Still working.

Please insert usual small-time operator excuses here.

Most excellent. BH sounded like it exceeded my quota for elf sub-races but I'm following this with interest none the less.

 

[Durwyn]

Hi. Still working.

Please insert usual small-time operator excuses here.

FUCK YEAH! I hope it's not just a tease from you man, becouse I really look forward to Broken Hourglass. If you are mocking us or If you ever abandon the project, I will send the Lithuanian hitman after you.

 

[Carlos' Bitch1]

Hi. Still working.

Please insert usual small-time operator excuses here.

FUCK YEAH! I hope it's not just a tease from you man, becouse I really look forward to Broken Hourglass. If you are mocking us or If you ever abandon the project, I will send the Lithuanian hitman after you.

Make that hitmen. I wouldn't mind playing this either when it is finished.

 

[M_I_C_K_E_Y_M_O_U_S_E]

I will hurt you if you are lying JC.

Gotta rely on the indies for RPG goodness until Obsidians next one whenever it is is ready.

 

[Annonchinil]

In general it seems like the PC mod scene (for full conversions etc.) is in decline as you need bigger, more skilled and better organized teams to achieve results.

 

[jcompton]

In general it seems like the PC mod scene (for full conversions etc.) is in decline as you need bigger, more skilled and better organized teams to achieve results.

That may be true but it isn't applicable here. TBH isn't a mod or full conversion, it uses a purpose-built engine.

 

[Durwyn]

So how is the progress? Why the website seems to be abandoned ? Why no updates since February 2008 ?

 

[M_I_C_K_E_Y_M_O_U_S_E]

Your fans outside the codex are losing hope Jason.

 

[jcompton]

So how is the progress? Why the website seems to be abandoned ? Why no updates since February 2008 ?

Well, that's what I was trying to address when I said "small-time operator excuses." It's the typical basket of problems that affects most projects of this type. Nothing novel that hasn't happened to others, not very interesting to read about. The important bit (I hope) is that we are indeed still plugging away.

 

[LCJr.]

So what have you been plugging away at in the last eleven or so months?

 

[Carlos' Bitch1]

I would throw in a mini two line update every month or two at the least. Tends to keep the panicking crowd in their seats.

Thanks for stopping by and I am looking forward to the game. Now get back to work.

 

[xantrius]

In would be nice indeed with updates a little more regularly.

Looking forward to see how the game ends up.

 

[jcompton]

So what have you been plugging away at in the last eleven or so months?

A lot of it has been further implementation of the critical path, rewriting or fixing bits which proved not as inspiring as we originally thought, etc.

Then there were a number of "we should really look at this again now that the rubber has met the road" issues with the rules and the engine, including an overhaul of multi-target spells, an easier interface to allocate different levels of mana to spells, lots and lots of combat trials, stuff like that. We also had to overhaul the weight/encumbrance system when we saw just how brutal the rules were to low-level characters. This set off a mini-cascade of new trials to see if armor needed to offer different benefits per unit of weight, and new stat costs (to make Carrying something other than the most mighty of all capabilities.)

Oh, and finding people both qualified and affordable enough to handle the above tasks. That takes some time and luck, too.

 

[LCJr.]

So you didn't consider any of this work to be newsworthy? A few simple posts would have done a lot to alleviate your fans fears that your project has died.

 

[Lonely Vazdru]

Nice to know this promising game is still in the works.

Kuddos to Durwyn for casting the first real necromancy spell I've witnessed on the net. Not by resurecting a long dead mere forum topic, as retards do, but by creating a brand new one that actually brought back a long time "thought dead" game developer, nothing less.

Hope it turns out better than the Cleve affair. And really hope the game doesn't become another "Grimoire".