07/24/2009
Microsoft has changed the name of the user-created games service where Light's End resides. The old name was Xbox Live Community Games, and the new name is Xbox Live Indie Games. I've updated the website to reflect this change.
Although the name change will be confusing for a while, it's intended to appeal more to consumers. Hopefully this change will improve the exposure of independent developers' Xbox games to the public!
-Thor
06/27/2009
Light's End was given a positive review on IGN.com! You can check it out here.
IGN.com's Communal Shower feature is a regular article that reviews most of the games that come out for Xbox Live Community Games, and then assigns them to one of two categories: "hot pies" or "cold soup." Most games are put in the "cold soup" section, meaning that according to IGN, they are not worth buying.
However, Light's End is reviewed in their "hot pies" section, meaning they recommend it! They had some criticism about the art, but otherwise they seemed impressed by the care that went into making the game!
-Thor
06/18/2009
Light's End is live on Xbox Live Marketplace! It is now available for everyone to play. We are really excited! What are you waiting for? Go try it out!
To go along with the launch of the game, we have added a bunch of new content to this website!
We have made a trailer video for the game so you can see it in action from the comfort of your browser.
We also put up a story page so folks can get a taste of the elaborate story in the game.
If you want to buy the game or try out the free trial on your Xbox, do it now! We added a page showing you how to do just that!
Finally, we added a donation page, a more personal touch that explains why we have begun asking for donations on the site to help keep Thorware going.
We finally made it! So stop reading and go play! =D
-Thor
06/11/2009
Light's End is finished and currently undergoing peer review at the XNA Creators Club website!
It was actually posted last Friday, which was nearly a week ago. I didn't post news about it because I wanted to wait until the game was available on Xbox Live and make that announcement. However, the process is taking much longer than I thought it would. Currently, the peer review progress is up to 66%. Nobody is quite sure how many creators need to peer review a game to get it onto Live, but 12 is the best educated geuss. At this rate, I'm hoping the game will be available on Live by the end of this next weekend, but we will have to wait and see.
Thanks for your patience! If all goes well, the game should be available to everyone very soon!
-Thor
06/02/2009
Forums are up and ready to go! Check out the forums at www.thorware.org/forum!
This is a great place to have discussions with fans of the game, and also to chat with us, the creators! Hope to see you there.
-Thor
06/01/2009
The game is almost done! It should be ready to put up on Xbox Live Community Games within a few days!
We have finished all the final pass artwork and are now simply putting on the finishing touches. Once everything is in place, the only thing left to do is to make a video of the game so it presents well on Xbox Live marketplace.
Once the game is submitted, we will have to wait for peer review. This sometimes takes only a few days, but other times can take several weeks. It mostly depends on how buggy your game is. Ours is as bug free as we could make it, and we've spent several weeks in playtest, so we have high hopes for a quick release.
We're looking forward to everyone enjoying our game! We've gotten some great feedback from the XNA Creators Club playtesting, and we're hoping everyone will enjoy the game as much as they did.
Keep your eyes peeled!
-Thor
05/07/2009
We've finished the alpha version of our game! That means all the game areas are complete with first pass artwork in place. All of the game's features are complete. Bugs are well under control.
We posted the game to the XNA Creator's Club website in the playtest section. If you're in the Creator's Club, go check it out and tell us what you think!
Now we are moving into more of a playtest and refinement phase. We are getting as many friends and family to play the game as possible so they can help make Light's End the best it can possibly be.
Refined artwork will be trickling in for various areas of the game, and I may revamp one of the later levels, but it's basically a done, complete game! It's very exciting to see all our hard work finally come to life and watch people actually play and enjoy it! Oh yeah, I need to write a couple more songs too: One for the menu, and one for the ending of the game.
We're in the home stretch now. Keep your eyes peeled, because the game is planned to be released in June as soon as possible!
-Thor
04/27/2009
The Sanctuary section of the game is now complete. We've added a couple screenshots from this place so have a look!
We are working on the final area of the game. This area is very near to completion, and I must say, a bit epic. We're also working hard on getting the first scene just right so we can make the best impression on those who download the trial game.
Once these locations are complete, we will be putting the game up for playtest on the XNA website. If you're in the XNA Creator's Club, watch for it! Hopefully we can get some good feedback there before we submit the final version in early June.
-Thor
04/20/2009
I've posted five sample songs from the early parts of the game. Check out the new music section to indulge your aural cravings!
I'm really happy with how the music has turned out. It really brings the game areas to life and makes it so much more fun to play! There's plenty of great music in the later parts of the game as well. I'll have to post some more songs later on.
In other news, we are working on the final areas of the game, getting all the art assets worked out. After these are done, we'll revisit the first scene which has undergone some major changes since we last worked on it.
Enjoy the tunes!
-Thor
04/16/2009
We've finished the Red Grove section of the game. That's where the bandits live! Check the screenshots section for a peek.
We completed the next area as well, but I'm not going to post it because it's too much of a spoiler. You'll just have to see it for yourself when it comes out!
Only three areas left to make pretty and then the game will be ready to show! I'm excited!
I've also been working on the soundtrack. Did you know the soundtrack for Light's End is 20 songs deep? All songs are composed and produced by me using Cubase and a Yamaha P-200 keyboard. I'll have to post some samples here soon. Right now we have 17/20 songs done, and I have to say they've turned out very nicely. Maybe I'll make a soundtrack CD!
-Thor
04/13/2009
Screenshots are now posted. Get a taste of the look and feel of the game!
These are first pass images. We are working hard to finish the first pass of all images in the game so we can begin showing off a playable game to friends and the XNA community!
The game programming and content are essentially done with only artwork left to do. I have verified everything on the "Best Practices" and "Evil Checklist" documents on the XNA forums and everything is solid and stable.
There are 5 areas of the game left without artwork. Keep watching for screenshots from these places as they become available!
-Thor
04/08/2009
Where does one man end and another begin?
Become any character you meet in Light's End, a unique story-driven RPG/adventure game coming soon to Xbox Live Community Games!
Light's End is inspired by the engrossing stories of classics like Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger. It's coming to Xbox Live Community Games in Early June! Get ready!
The game has already been in full-time development for five months and features original artwork, music and gameplay.
The trial game will be available for FREE directly from Xbox 360 Live Marketplace, featuring the entire first chapter! The rest of the game will only cost 200 Microsoft Points ($2.50 USD), so skip a cup of coffee and get six hours of high quality, high content gameplay instead!
Stay tuned for screenshots, videos, and development updates!
-Thor
