Happy new year from the Cossack Crew! Thank you for your continued patience and support of our mod! It means a lot to all of us that you've expressed your excitement in playing. This post will hopefully answer some of the questions we've heard in the past and give you an in-depth update of where we stand, and when you might expect a first release.
Let's say hello to one of our new stages first!
Q: Wow! So the second stage is done, right?A: Almost! We're just getting into the final stages on this one, but there's still a few things we've got to work out. Some of the enemies still need touch-ups, and I haven't quite finished the mid-stage effect I'm hoping for here. But it's fully playable with a boss to fight at the end, so it's functional!
Q: What else needs to get done before I can play this?A: Well, quite a bit. While Napalm's stage is nearly complete like Wood Man's, there's a couple of systems that we've run into problems with (namely the weapon get screen and the weapon-giving function). We still need a lot of work on the weapons themselves, too. I am gonna be pushing for a release this year with three playable stages to improve its shelf-life a bit, if all goes according to plan. We'll keep you updated on when that might be. Once that's through, we'll work on bugfixes for the first wave and then finish it off with the 4th stage of the first 4, then get to work on the next 4! After that, we'd be jumping into Wily stage territory. The ultimate goal is still to provide a full-game experience; we'll see if we're able to deliver on that and how we feel once we get everything finished.
Q: What DOES need doing, then?A: We need to code super attacks for the bosses, finish 13 more weapons, fix some of Napalm's enemies (mainly Mizziles and Power Musclers), code a few more of Yamato's enemies and Yamato's boss fight, finalize his layout, update the hub so the weapon-giving and weapon-get screens work, finish the weapon display room, test all of it offline, and make sure none of it breaks online.
Simple!
In reality, if we find the time to really grind away at some of this stuff, we should be able to get through it relatively quickly. Time is just a limited resource for many of us, so please just stay patient with us! We're working hard when we can to get this out and we're thrilled to bring it to you.
It's really scary to think that this project is already a year and a half old... It's easily one of the most fun projects I've been able to be a part of, and I'm thrilled that you'll be able to enjoy it soon. Thanks for your continued interest! We'll see you next time!
- Cossack Labs