Nearing Beta

Lots of improvements in production in recent weeks, most related to automation, lifecycle and scalability. Not the kind of scalability changes needed to support massive levels of traffic, of course, because that would be unrealistic early on, but the kinds of changes needed to support small Beta traffic and hopefully a little beyond that as well.

Also the featured launch game has seen tweaks to improve gameplay.

My operating plan has been to start a private invite-only Beta phase sometime between now and Dec 13. The clock is running out, not sure if I'll be able to do it or not. But regardless, it's making progress.

During the first Beta period, the private invite-only one, I hope to test with at least a few people and more ideally dozens. Then depending on how that goes begin a public small-splash Beta in Jan/Feb. Make incremental improvements to the site, and also make incremental increases to advertising and promotion, slowly ramping up the number of eyeballs and potential visitors, and basically just see what happens.

I have a list of people in mind I will be contacting about participating in the private Beta. If you read this and would like to check it out, let me know. All I ask of a Beta tester is feedback on their experience with the site and the game, anything is good, but the more and more detailed the better. You basically get a free subscription to the site and the ability to play the game(s) for the duration of the Beta, and who knows, possibly beyond that as well. And I will offer name credits as well, to those who want it (or would not mind it, anyway.)

As far as after Beta, although I'm not at the stage yet where I can really focus on this sort of thing, I do plan on looking for people interested in contributing content, code, hacks, tools, small bits of amateur fiction, and possibly art. (By contribute I assume under some mutually agreeable arrangement. I would offer a default arrangement, then we negotiate, as desired.) I haven't figured out the details of how that can be made to work, but I'm working on it. It is likely that I would look for people interested in creating locations, people, items, plots, maps, and/or event/mechanical code written against a Python API that I provide you. Bonus points for those who love horror, sci-fi or comedy, esp. in movies and books. I'm talking Lovecraft. Ghostbusters. Romero. HG Wells. Stephen King. Buckaroo Banzai. Poe. Monty Python. The Twilight Zone. These are just some examples of things with the sort of elements, atmosphere or style that I am looking for. Write amateur cheesy fiction somewhat along those lines? Great. Just a fan, and would appreciate or be able to give feedback on something made in that spirit? Also good. All of the above and you can submit code written against a Python API? We should definately talk!

I should be revealing the nature of the launch game soon. Verrry soon... Your eyes are getting sleepy. So sleepy... No but seriously. I hope you will find it to be something that is a mix of "and now for something completely different" and "something almost but not quite entirely unlike tea" meets "something wicked this way comes."

Hey I like it anyway. We'll see if anybody else does!

Mike, of Z--er, I mean, Groglogic. yeah.