Full Release Information

Hours invested: 1205. 

Compiling hours: 150.

UPDATED: 9/2

Work hours remaining: 97. (This number is speculative! There is a possibility the enemy phase will take an additional 100 hours, I'm trying to trim it down)

Patch hours remaining: 5

Test hours remaining: 400 (Split between ALL Testers)

Phases complete: Arc Phase.

Phases in development: World Phase, completion 90%,

Enemy Phase, completion 25%.

I have reached the projects final phase. To be perfectly honest with everyone I never thought I would actually make it here. As with any large project, there is the project you create, then there is the project you want to create. Seldom the twain shall meet.

When I was in the early foundation of development, I found I was most likely not going to finish this in any form. The time required was already more than I could handle. Instead of giving in at the start, I decided something radically different. Instead of working as long as I could on the project I would create because I find a compromise between what I want and what I do;

I decided to work on the project I wanted to create, simply because I would never finish anyway. The workload required between the two would have been 350hours v 1100hours. Why not press for 1100+ hours when I won't reach 350 anyway? This was my line of thinking.

I didn't anticipate the community getting excited. I didn't anticipate joining a massive community of people dedicated to keeping the early 2013 DD:DA community going. I also REALLY didn't anticipate all of you. 

I scoffed at the idea when it was first presented to me, asking for funding because of my work hours. No one will want to pay for this, I thought. It's just water down in the pipes. The entire community has been building this mod since 2012 from GamFaq's forums to steam 4 years later. Many posts starting with, I wish I could make DD like -this-(idea). Most of them calling on the lack of a (Non gimmicked) hard mode. Or recalling how boring the world gets after X-LVL.

People wanting everything from enemies that were a challenge at level 200 with all the fancy gear we pick up from BBI, to BBI enemies being in the world and before BBI existed; the Everfall enemies. The biggest gripe everyone had was the combat in Dragon's Dogma was second to nothing, and 100km ahead of second place. However there was hardly anything to really show it off after you earned all your fancy gear.

Fast forward to 2016. DD:DA is released. Begin internet goes into a FRENZY about what will be possible with a new release on PC. Tech savvy gamers prime their pocket protectors ready to break open the game code to see where modding can take it. 

However, nothing awaited but salt and frustration. Modding this quickly fell out of fashion. It's far too complicated to mod in any meaningful way for the massive portion of the community. The mod everyone had been building in their mind since the first launch, the dream DD just wasn't going to be possible. I really thought, no one would want to fund such a project simply because people were burnt away from playing it anymore. 

I was on those boards, those were my dreams too. I really wanted Dragon's Dogma to be the ideal and not the reality. I really felt I was the only one (remaining), and since I was technically capable and sound enough I wanted to make as much of it as I could.

Then there came you all. When the first 10 dollar showed up; that was it for me. If even one person was going to give of themselves because they wanted to see this come to fruition; I wasn't giving in on it. I kept refining what I have already built. One breakthrough after another, more of you showed up to support with a kind word or financial support for my best friend; Now here I am.

Looking down at the valley that lay behind the mountain I thought I'd never climb. All I can say now to everyone who reads this is:

Well, I'll be damned.

Much love, 

Corrinne (Lefein) Noël