I mentioned back near the end of April that something great was going to happen with this project and have kept the news under wraps until now. Out Of Hell will be released as a published, standalone game! This is the dream, one of the best things that could ever happen to a hobby modder!
How did this happen? A few years ago when I met Justin Lassen, he selflessly offered to help produce a custom soundtrack for Out Of Hell. As we worked together, our friendship grew and he eventually introduced me to one of his close friends, “Dave”. What I didn’t know at the time, was that “Dave” was none other than “Dave Taylor”, one of the biggest and most well-known names in the gaming industry. If you told me back when I was still playing every single Doom available, that I would one day meet one of the people responsible for it, I would have called you crazy.
Because of these two, I have received opportunities that regularly would not have been available. Because of these two, Out Of Hell has broken the mod barrier. To both Justin and Dave, my debt is boundless.
So who will be publishing this? When will it be available? How much will it cost? We are looking at several options at the moment so I can’t give a concrete answer right now. We are, however, hoping to make it available sometime between August and October.
For those of you who have followed this project from the beginning, who have stuck with me through the missed release dates, the constant delays, and yet still somehow managed to smile and support me, I have not forgotten about you. Out Of Hell will be released in two versions, the standalone and mod version. This was the best that I could push for, so that those who have stuck with me and have kept their copies of Unreal Tournament 2004 on hand will still get this for free! For the newcomers or those that don’t own UT2004, you will still be able to play this game! Exposure is no longer limited.
So thanks for your continued support and patience guys! Check back here often for developments on the matter.
I read through some of the old interviews as I was reposting them and man, has this come a long way! I mentioned I was 24 in one of them and now I’m 30. Time really flies doesn’t it? I’m just so focused on the future that I lose sight of how far I’ve actually walked sometimes.
I remember when Out Of Hell was nothing more than a spark of motivation after playing Silent Hill. I thought to myself 6 years ago that hey, wouldn’t it be cool to make some sort of videogame? I wonder if it’s possible? Nah, probably not, but it would be cool!
Now it’s 2009 and I look back, back at that naive little guy whose excitement and enthusiasm overshadowed what little ability he thought he had. Did I really know what I was getting into? Sometimes you just look back, smile and shake your head.
What a roller-coaster ride it’s been. I’ve experienced so many things because of this project over the years. The highs and adrenaline rushes after implementing a new feature or fixing a bug, the depression phases and dry spells where the motivation just wasn’t there no matter how hard I tried.
At times, I would look up at the mountain that I was climbing, become invigorated and keep on climbing. Sometimes I would look up at it again and really fall into despair…the despair of knowing that you have an impossibly long fucking way to go and it’s just way too late to turn back. Those are brutal and dangerous times for creative-minded individuals.
It became even tougher when people started coming out of the woodwork. Some came into my life abruptly and left the same way, some treaded water with me until eventually they too let go. Some came under the guise of noble intentions but wanted nothing more than to snake what they could for their own ego-boosting purposes.
It surprises me to this day how quickly people show you their true selves when certain factors are involved. So many times I was down because of these issues and though the thought of giving up never crossed my mind, it was impossible for me to stay focused.
Man, just thinking and remembering those highs and lows…sometimes you just look back, smile and shake your head.
January 22/2008
Just a bit of news! The gallery has finally been updated with some screens so be sure to check those out! On a seperate note, I will be unavailable for the next two weeks, so if you post in the forums, I may not be able to answer until then! I was also going to upload a gameplay video of the first area to photobucket but I didn’t realize that the limit was 100 mb (the video is about 275 mb). I’ll find another place to upload it when I get back and post the link then!
LONG NGUYEN | Digital Artist & Game Designer 