[img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/3953379/d22c6190fa99b2cd8ae19219b629b3dfce2e52f9.png[/img] There's something to be said for 2D pixel paintings, isn't there? You put a pixel in its proper place, dial in its proper HSB, and so long as your color palettes are in reasonable order, then the pixel will stay just how you left it. Then, when someone views the image -- or plays the videogame that takes place atop it -- the visual communication can be remarkably accurate and clean. Less to fuss about. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/3953379/6dacda9d2cd952f31a99677c13618ff3e6e922a6.png[/img] As you may imagine, there's something appealing to me about the thought of someday returning to the relative simplicity of this form of visual communication, working within interesting constraints, particularly after a good long while spent wrangling polygons in deep 3D space. Speaking of polygons in deep 3D space - JETT's out! There has been plenty going on lately as we round out JETT: Given Time's launch week. Come dive into what's going on in JETTs-ville: [list] [*] JETT's out and we're feeling great! Why not pick up a controller, fire up JETT on your fanciest screen with your most comfortable headphones, arise into Given time and come spark some wisps with us - it's a JETT jubilee! [*] We're accumulating player reviews (thank you, fine folks!) and other good words. Of course, the algorithm must be fed, so: if *you* feel so compelled, leaving JETT a quick review would be warmly appreciated, particularly in these next few weeks. [*] If you haven't already, why not check out our latest JETT news post, with a post launch news round-up of Given Time reviews and press, a detour into Looking Glass lore, updates on our Thursday evening livestreams, AND a hefty JETT dev chat on this week's Noclip podcast. [/list] https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1761600/view/3648514058671083277 [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/3953379/b7af1c6c56e8b120320533676457409796e020a2.jpg[/img] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/3953379/a67943ac07c5a24d5cd86ffee571445b4eb72015.png[/img] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/3953379/0f028a3678adb477a657bd41b0e1517c00404de8.jpg[/img] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42915673/eb3a57b98234617d1b79b2c4bcba736a04f57811.jpg[/img] [b]JETT's out![/b] Ahhh.... that feels *so* great to say. With last week's debut of [b]JETT on Steam[/b] and with the release of [b]Given Time[/b], we're feeling well satisfied. Our 1000 year interstellar dev trip has run its course, and now a distinct and newly-complete videogame vision is widely available, forevermore. To those of you who have embarked, deployed, adapted, persevered and/or arisen with us - thanks so much. This is an odd, ambitious, multi-faceted project. It has been a labor of love for all involved, and so it's very heartening to hear from those of you for whom this thing resonates. It's a thrill to think that people will be discovering JETT for years to come, now that it's out in the wyld. It's our fond hope that it might someday earn cult classic status. On that topic, hey:[b] if you're enjoying your time in the world of JETT, [/b]and if you are so moved, please do [b]lend us hand with a positive Steam review [/b]and/or [b]leave a good word someplace[/b], and thanks if you do. As of this writing we're a week out from January 31st, and here's a round-up of some post-launch news and press, including [b]JETT folks on the Noclip podcast[/b], some [b]positive Given Time coverage on Rock Paper Shotgun[/b] and an [b]8/10 review in Edge Magazine[/b], as well as recent article featuring [b]Looking Glass alum and JETT Squad 1.0 lynchpin Randy Smith[/b], plus some details about [b]JETT Squad Thursday evening livestreams in February[/b], and [b]QA housekeeping [/b]including an update on the turbulence some of you may have experienced this weekend, and even a [b]SHODAN[/b] cameo (!). Phew, that's quite the bundle! Let's dig in, shall we? [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/3953379/7f6d59b7d2806f7df027b66a5a36f8434c1ecb6b.png[/img] [b]JETT DEV X NOCLIP PODCAST[/b] We've been [url=https://steamcommunity.com/linkfilter/?url=https://noclippodcast.libsyn.com/the-decade-long-creative-development-of-jett]chatting with Noclip[/url] lately, and a recent JETT dev conversation has been published as a podcast. 🔊 Listen: https://noclippodcast.libsyn.com/the-decade-long-creative-development-of-jett 📺 WATCH: https://youtube.com/watch?v=5U4YhmsRezA [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42915673/d0854dcd4bad76c2a438c0208ac08e173f35fec3.png[/img] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42915673/5c5c60632d1410ae6dda373fb2abb2733545c758.jpg[/img] [b]ROCK PAPER SHOTGUN x JETT: GIVEN TIME[/b] Some good words about Given Time from this direction, worth a read! "[b][url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/a-new-expansion-sees-jett-become-the-soaring-sci-fi-open-world-it-was-meant-to-be]A new expansion sees Jett become the soaring sci-fi open world it was meant to be. Given Time has made The Far Shore blossom beautifully into its final form.[/url][/b]" Thanks to [url=https://twitter.com/jeremy_peel]Jeremy Peel[/url] and Rock Paper Shotgun for shedding some light on JETT and Given Time! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42915673/58d6fd4fee340acb25495605ddf453882b6906f7.png[/img] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42915673/a4d74008f21cb673c7e41b61d2a8145616cd5f7f.png[/img] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42915673/a3fb2e25bd87f9cf4176b94642817d8bc4033791.png[/img] [b]ROCK PAPER SHOTGUN x RANDY SMITH - A JETT SQUAD ALL-STAR[/b] Also on Rock Paper Shotgun, and also from Jeremy Peel, comes this recent profile of [url=https://twitter.com/wavesallday_]Randy Smith[/url]. [url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/thief-developer-randy-smith-says-immersion-is-totally-incompatible-with-ego][b]Thief developer Randy Smith says "immersion is totally incompatible with ego"[/b][/url] Jeremy's article covers Randy's career from Thief, back in the Looking Glass days, with some discussion about immersive sims, and the article includes a mention of Tiger Style's Waking Mars, and Randy's contributions to JETT. Randy came into JETT's orbit initially as a design contributor from mid-2017, helping us here and there, before plugging in full-time in mid-2019, bringing a wealth of production experience and design chops, and becoming a JETT Squad lynchpin through some fairly complex stages of production, up until The Far Shore deployed in late 2021. I think Randy's design contributions to the project really come through in Given Time, where ecosystem-puzzling and free-roaming gameplay come into focus, and where players are given time to soak in a world that reveals JETT's immersive sim aspirations. As The Far Shore deployed, Randy passed the torch design-wise to his understudy, dev powerhouse [url=https://twitter.com/tankooni]Zack Wheeler[/url], whose name you will encounter again at bottom of this post. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42915673/4d06cc0ce171ebd7702719235ace32545aa99a70.png[/img] ^ Randy Smith is [url=https://twitter.com/wavesallday_]@wavesallday_[/url] on Twitter, and he's presently cooking up a fresh new videogame. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42915673/3317d5ed6ae464626f8518bed8493b30e1388bd9.png[/img] It's thanks to Randy that fellow Looking Glass alum Terri Brosius climbed aboard JETT Squad in 2020, plugging into [url=http://www.ghoulnoise.com]Priscilla Snow[/url]'s work on JETT's choral and spoken language ([url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1761600/view/5310340507211946263]detailed in a recent squad profile[/url]), and adding capacity to the dialogue-shaping and story-editing efforts, alongside myself, Randy and [url=https://nicksuttner.com/]Nick Suttner[/url]. Terri, who voiced SHODAN in the System Shock series, also voices Misha in JETT. Misha, as some of you may know, is the level-headed and determined commander of Mei and Isao's scout unit. She is tasked by Space Program Overseer Jao to direct the investigation of Tor's solemn cone -- the source of the hymnwave -- from her perch on the command deck of Ground Control, atop Scout's Prospect. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42915673/36cdfa3ced86aa51d5ec8b42b8ba7d70127d2e73.png[/img] [b]JETT: GIVEN TIME IS AN EDGE 8/10[/b] It was a delight to see JETT: Given Time get a warm welcome from [url=https://www.gamesradar.com/edge/]Edge magazine[/url]'s Chris Schilling in the March 2023 issue's 8/10 review. “...this generous and welcoming expansion is deserving of any time given over to it." The snippets above go a long way towards describing the new campaign. For the full review, and a whole lot more besides, with great coverage on the world of videogames, all beautifully laid out, [url=https://www.gamesradar.com/edge/]seek out Edge magazine[/url] in print and digitally. Fun fact: Both JETT: The Far Shore's 2021 release and Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP's 2012 PC release scored 8/10 with Edge magazine. That's a pretty decent run, particularly given how unorthodox these designs have been. Feels pretty good! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/3953379/5788fdff64cb435b7317e38645875940fcc13d4b.jpg[/img] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42915673/5a3a225a2c052940b127e523b7b4346ba2567bc3.png[/img] [b]SPARK WISPS WITH JETT DEVS THIS THURSDAY[/b] On January 31st [url=https://twitter.com/jettxyz/status/1620469833979793408]we kicked off JETT's jubilee[/url], getting together for a launch livestream with a range of JETT Squad folks playing The Far Shore and cracking into Given Time. This is now archived [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6II6R--JDfw]here[/url]. As JETT's February 2023 [b]'Jubilee!'[/b] enters its second week, there's more in store. On [b]Thursday February 9th from 830pm to 1030pm[/b], join Given Time design contributor Richard Flanagan aka [url=https://twitter.com/phosfiend]@phosfiend[/url] and Given Time design/dev/QA powerhouse Zack Wheeler aka [url=https://twitter.com/tankooni]@tankooni[/url] for the next instalment in their [b]Given Time Debut Playthrough[/b]. Subsequent Given Time streams are scheduled for Thursday February 16 and Thursday February 23rd, kicking off 8:30pm. Come along and spark some wisps, shoot the breeze, see what JETT: Given Time has on offer, and surface any Qs in the chat. Oh, and you're playing along, take note: on February 9th they'll be starting in the free-roaming mid-section of Given Time, poking at puzzles, getting in and out of JETT dev rabbit holes. There's a (very) low risk of narrative spoilers, so not to worry, you can join in even if you haven't cracked into The Far Shore. They'll be streaming right here on JETT's Steam page. It should be a fun laidback time. A few other JETT Squad folks will be around, and may stop by the stream. Until then - stay sharp, scouts, and go gather them wisps! c [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/3953379/ebeb7555f0b33dc791aa187570e8c16ecdb3af83.png[/img] [url=https://twitter.com/craigdadams]@craigdadams[/url] [url=https://twitter.com/superbrothershq]@superbrothersHQ[/url] [url=https://twitter.com/jettxyz]@jettxyz[/url] [url=https://www.jett.fyi/]JETT.fyi[/url] << hop on the Superbrothers A/V - Enthusiasts newsletter [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42915673/deace20006458fa45d0aee26bbd95dd0e79bc065.jpg[/img] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42915673/c90f68c8aea3a7f3c5c33ea787d05dc2d9931fe4.jpg[/img] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/42915673/89846f2a3dc151f35ca1fa32762d3e4d87467d5f.jpg[/img] https://youtu.be/1a12KAlwnJ8 https://youtu.be/ilZo8W8cHFA