Final(?) Dev Update

Hi there! Sorry about keeping you all in the dark for so long.

I've been thinking a lot about DracoFighter, and I've been put into a tough spot. In my last post, I had a rather optimistic view about being able to implement online play in 6-12 months, but after doing all the research, I can say with certainty that it is absolutely impossible to implement rollback netcode into DracoFighter without essentially remaking it from scratch. That's not really something I can afford to do just to remake the same game, especially when I've become so busy.  So, during all this time I've been contemplating what to do with this game, which has a small fraction of any FG competitor's cast and no online play. 

Ideally, I'm still going with my original plan of releasing the game on Steam and PC/Mac/Android releases, but that will take a lot of work due to the marketing materials like cover art, a video trailer, etc., on top of making a Steam Partnership account. To be frank, the reason why DracoFighter hasn't been released yet is because marketing isn't my expertise, and there's a lot that's needed to prepare for it. The game is finished, minus some tweaks that could be made.

I also plan to make the demo version updated to have the new systems, all 4 main characters, etc., but still be toned down in content. This will still be playable in browser for free. I believe this is the best call to make DracoFighter as accessible as possible. The full version will still be paid (for a lower cost) and include combo trials / story mode / etc. as exclusive content. 

That all being said? I wanted to say thank you all so much for the support on the game! I wasn't sure when the best time would be to make a dev update, but after seeing the analytics on the game again... I'm still honestly shocked. For a game that hasn't had an update in months, for a game that isn't even released, for a game that I may have been losing faith in... the fact that multiple people are looking at the game every day, the fact that the demo's still getting played every day, and the fact that so many people have put their money and faith into this game really means a lot to me.

Whether or not the game makes it on Steam, I'm releasing DracoFighter. I don't know how long it'll take, but I'll make sure everyone knows when it happens.

And even if DracoFighter is finishing without online play, I promise you that there'll be a DracoFighter game with rollback netcode, no matter how long it takes. I actually have a lot planned out for this... but I'll talk about it when it feels right.

Thank you all again!