May Update
almost 6 years ago
– Thu, May 17, 2018 at 12:03:20 AM
Hey Guys,
I received an update on the minis. Ludo Asia had to make some minor adjustments to some of the files (see some examples below). I’ve gone through the modifications they had to make and none compromised the integrity of the original design. WOW. The minis are looking incredible. All minis had to be increased in size which I’m sure everyone is ok with. Below are the actual files that are going to be used to make the masters. As soon as I receive any more updates I will post them immediately.
Thanks again for your patience.
Dez.
April Update
about 6 years ago
– Mon, Apr 23, 2018 at 08:14:30 PM
Hello all,
I apologize for the late update we had a death in the family and I needed some time to deal with that.
The project has continued to move smoothly. All requested info was submitted to our manufacturer April 5th. There was further clarification needed so the docs were updated and re-submitted the week of April 9th and we had a Skype call on April 13th to go over everything. They are going to need some time for planning, scheduling, etc., then they are going to get back to me with next steps. Our day-to-day person at Ludo went very ill for what I understand was around 8 weeks but Frank stepped in and took care of us.
There was only one suggestion from Ludo after all components and packaging specs were submitted. The Rule book ended up near 100 pages, they have never seen a 100 page rule book before. When I listened to Franks reasoning behind getting it down in page count I agreed on every point. If you look at the rule book you can see we used page real estate liberally so I knew right away I could probably cut the page count down substantially. Plus if I completed it ASAP it would not impact the schedule. I did not remove any content, just moved content so there’s more per page.
I believe the next steps for me will be to populate the punch board and packaging die lines plus prepare the print docs based on Ludo’s print specifications and then I am done, but I will confirm that after I get the next steps from Ludo.
The miniature files are all with Ludo Asia. Shipping will be addressed once we have the actual physical packages for approval from Ludo.
Once I have the next steps confirmed I will send out another update.
Thank you yet again for your continued patience it is greatly appreciated.
Dez.
March Update
about 6 years ago
– Thu, Mar 01, 2018 at 11:58:51 PM
Hey Guys and Gals,
I just sent Frank from Ludo Fact the final list of component specs and packaging specs for the entire project. I also went through all files one more time with a fine tooth comb. I found a few minor issues but nothing major. The issues were some rules needed further detail. I’ve asked Frank to go through everything and let me know if anything is missing, we want start production as soon as possible.
All mini files have been uploaded and all paper and card board files are being uploaded for mass production. Some files like box, add-on scenarios and punch boards die lines require us to add the artwork but the designs are complete we just have to transfer them into the die lines. It has taken awhile to get here but I am happy to say we are finally out of the way and DS can finally roll into manufacturing. Right now we have an estimated completion schedule for all base games and now Frank has the finalized Kickstarter Exclusives and add-ons so I’m hoping we can run those parallel but I’ll wait to see what Frank says. After we get a final completion schedule for the Kickstarter Exclusives and all add-ons we can contact Ship Naked and get a very solid shipping date as opposed to an estimate which was we have now. Any updates to game delivery estimates will be sent via KS update as soon as I get them. The good news Chinese New Year is behind us.
The shipping invite will be sent out after you guys see some production minis. This will be live for 2 weeks. We will do another 2 week run closer to the actual shipping date.
I had a Skype call with Ship Naked and although we have a lot of add-ons which make picking orders quite complicated they are certain it won’t be a problem. This was not the case when we launched the campaign, not with Ship Naked specifically, but a lot of research revealed it was a problem in general. Shipping order errors have been a big concern from day one as that type of logistical nightmare can really hurt a small first time publisher. So I'm happy to hear they are overly confident they can handle our orders. As soon as we have tight dimensions and weights for the add-ons I can enter the shipping rates into the Pledge Manager and have them send out the shipping invite after we post production minis.
One of the most requested explanations is how the player cards work. I have included some graphic descriptions below.
Another request is card counts so I’ve supplied those below the Player Card examples.
It took longer than anyone wanted to get to this phase but it is a big step for us and obviously you the backers. We learned quite a bit obviously and I apologize for the delay this has caused. Thanks for your patience thus far. Our learning curve is finally out of the way and I’m sure you will see a big improvement in productivity from Ludo Fact.
Darkness Sabotage is looking amazing. All the art Hakim did is just outstanding. He really put everything he had into these glorious pieces of art. He is on board for another one of our games starting after Darkness Sabotage ships. What can say about Alex, he put so much time into the minis I’m sure it’s unprecedented. He poured his heart into the minis and I’m sure that will be reflected in the finals. If you haven’t seen his original sculpts he is selling as resins I highly recommend you check them out. Henning is by far the most professional artist I have worked with. A pro through and through. He really knocked the tile art out of the park. He is also on board to create board art for our next game. I’m sure when Darkness Sabotage is on your table you will notice how well everything came together.
I will be copying and pasting Franks updates into our updates and sending them to you as I get them.
Again, thank you for your continued patience and support. I should have much more time to spend in the comment section of our KS campaign now so stop by if you can.
Dez.
February Update
about 6 years ago
– Mon, Feb 05, 2018 at 11:41:34 PM
Hey All!
I wasn’t expecting the holidays to slow things down as much as they did but we worked hard when everyone was back online and we're caught up now. I was hoping to get the shipping invite out before the New Year but obviously that didn’t happen. The new Shipping invite schedule is below under "Shipping". The estimated shipping date is July 2018. This is a “safe” estimate of course we are going to try and ship in Q2 2018.
MINIS
Our manufacturer (Ludo Fact) made some suggested edits for a few of the minis, based on that feedback Alex made a final round of edits to all of the mini files. Alex has poured his heart into these minis and we could never thank him enough. He has made over 10 rounds of edits trying to make sure they work right the first time. The mini files have been approved and if any edits need to be made for mold making we have been assured they will be small and can be made by Ludo Asia. Below are the actual final mini files for all characters as well as two images that demonstrate the scale of each mini (colors are used to visually group the minis).
We will be creating masters of each mini for mass production and we will post them as they are done. Goros will be first and his master will be posted this week via KS update. We will post actual production minis as soon as we get them. You have seen all the print/paper art, it is all locked down and none of the art has changed.
SHIPPING
We will be sending out a shipping invite from the PM in February and it will be open for two weeks. This invite will have a question about Orion please only respond if you pledged for him. We will send another shipping invite for any remaining backers in early May for two weeks as well. We have a complete weight for the base game of 12Lbs. We have tried a number of options for the add-on packaging and we have finalized those decisions (Add-On packaging below). Now we just need the weights and we can populate the PM and send out the shipping invite. CrowdOx has to send the invite, I have to work with them to get it out. I’m not sure how that process will go but they have been very organized, proficient and responsive to date.
RULE BOOK/GUIDE BOOK
We asked one backer to look through the Rule Book and Campaign Guide and he had some very good insights. None of them were big game changers so we are completing those suggestions now, we should be done by mid February.
BASE GAME BOX
Just a heads up, the red glow in the skull eyes on the base game box may have to be removed if we can’t get it to print right. I have removed it to see what the skull looks like and some would argue that it looks better. It certainly doesn’t break the box design.
MANUFACTURING UPDATES
When Ludo Fact starts sending updates I will copy paste those into updates. I will clearly mark the Ludo Fact portions of the updates. Based on our communications with Ludo you can expect thorough and regular updates.
GAME PLAY
When we receive the approval box from Ludo we will eagerly produce game play, post it on Youtube and send out links via KS updates.
At this point we are trying to get out of Ludo’s way so they can do their thing and you will see a big surge in productivity. We obviously wanted to make Darkness Sabotage the best it can be and right now we believe we are there. Thank you for your continued patience.
Dez.
Early December Update
over 6 years ago
– Tue, Dec 05, 2017 at 10:01:33 PM
Hi all we are in the final round of edits for the Battle Canons and Guidebook then we are done!
We are going to prepare all remaining files for Ludo by December 15th, 2017 and hope to take some time off with our families till January 4rth 2018. If we do not manage to submit everything by December 15th, 2017 we will continue to work right up until Christmas if needed.
We will post any updates as soon as we get them from Ludo. We cannot guarantee these will be every 2 weeks.
Below are some answers to FAQ’s we have received recently.
Demon Mode
Many have asked to add it to their pledge but Demon Mode comes included with your base pledge.
Security
We only respond to questions/concerns from KS messages directly from backers or emails that are attached to the Kickstarter Pledge or Late Pledge through the PM. If we receive a communication from any other source we do not respond. The reason for this is to maintain the highest level security for your pledge.
Shipping Charges
You will receive an email from the Pledge Manager in December re-inviting you back to cover shipping fee’s.
Shipping Date
We will send an update specifically about the final shipping date as soon as we get it from Ludo.
Components/Minis
We will post any component/mini photos we receive from Ludo as soon as we receive them.
Approval Box
When we receive the approval box from Ludo we will create game play videos and get some reviews done.
Adding To Your Pledge
The absolute longest we can facilitate the ability to add to your pledge is until December 15th, 2017.
Retail
We do not know at this point if Darkness Sabotage will be widely available at the retail level.
Orion
The Orion survey will be sent out in December 2017.
Thank you again for your past and continued patience. The amount of support has been invigorating to say the least and we can’t thank you enough for that. We learned a lot through this experience and when DS hits your table it will be well worth the wait.
Happy Holidays from the Dethrone Games Team.
