~THG May 2022 Update~ (Patreon)

Hello THG fans and Patrons! You are currently reading our first Patreon Update, our newest way to keep you all in the loop. Every month you can expect us to post a short check-in, and for the first 15 days, it will only be visible to our Patrons! After that period, the update will be available for all to see. Now let's get to the update!

FROM THE TEAM - As you may have noticed, there hasn't been much progress on the Alpha as of late. This is actually on purpose. We didn't expect much fanfare when we released Demo 401 on Christmas of 2021. In fact, we thought we'd be back to developing the Alpha by the New Year. However, two unexpected things happened. First, our fans and Patrons fell in love with the demo. We loved 401 as much as anybody, but we had worked with it so much over the years that we forgot what it was like to explore these spaces for the first time. Second, once we started working on Demo 401, we realized how much potential there was under the hood. The spaces looked nicer than ever, and the demo was growing bigger. Suddenly, we had something really special on our hands, and we just couldn't put it down.

All that being said, we have decided to briefly put all our efforts into Demo 401, make it the best experience we possibly can and release it on Steam as TITANIC: PROJECT 401. It will include some features not currently in the Demo version, and Kyle is working on some new crew spaces to make the demo the largest release of our Titanic thus far.

Once we release PROJECT 401, all hands will be on deck for the Alpha. Though keep in mind that work will continue on both projects over the next few months and as always, the work being done on PROJECT 401 will benefit the Alpha in numerous ways.

We wouldn't be doing this if we didn't think our fans and Patrons wanted it, and based on your feedback, there is no doubt that TITANIC: PROJECT 401 deserves a life of its own. We can't wait for you to see more!

FROM MATT - Thanks to everyone who joined Kyle and me for the anniversary stream last month. Having so many of you with us during that time means so much.

I've been trying to model again lately and dipping my toes into many places. Before Kyle can get into the Alpha blockout, some locations don't rely on the exterior hull that I can flesh out with more final details. These are rooms away from the hull and exterior and deep below - refrigerated cargo spaces, some galley areas, and linen rooms. A little boring but needed refreshing.

Luckily, we have two new volunteer modelers on the team. One of them, Jason Chester, has finally given us excellent modeled and game-ready versions of particular cabin fittings after years of the blocky Matt-versions in demos. I'm super excited about slick-looking cabin hooks, which are (and I am not exaggerating) something in almost every room. So you'll see these all over the ship - gym, bridge, cabins, baths - all over. I've handed him a list of what to do next, and our researchers are helping him along the way.

In misc THG stuff: I am working on writing up a TU video for the end of the month. It will specifically be about debunking some of the current trending videos about Titanic facts (please don't believe what you read on the internet these days!) And there will be an update to the THG Plan for the end of the month for Titanic's birthday. A few additional elements were added to the digital plan, and some typos were corrected. 

FROM KYLE - I've been working on finalizing the model content for the 1.5 or Crew Update of 401, but as some of you may have heard, I recently experienced a hard drive crash. The data is probably fine and will be sent for recovery, but it did throw up an obstacle or two. Luckily everything important I need to finish the 401 update wasn't on that drive, so I can finish that work. As soon as that's done, I will finally begin working on the Alpha Blockout, which is a basic model of the ship's hull shape, superstructure, and steelwork necessary to build the ship's interiors and exterior.

FROM JAMES - Greetings from the Atlantic Ocean! As you may know, I am currently working on a cruise ship, and I'm happy to report, that I was born to be a sailor. But don't worry, I am working on THG and PROJECT 401 in my free time (which I have a LOT of). This mostly consists of researching and writing some voice-over dialogue that may appear in both projects.   In other cruise ship news, we recently completed our transatlantic voyage, including stops in Halifax, Cobh, Belfast, Liverpool, and Southampton, and I ended up filming a lot of it. So lookout for a short series on YouTube where I take you along for the voyage.

OTHER TEAM UPDATES - Gio Castro has been working with Titanic historian Dan Klistorner on the Empire suites. They have both been researching and Gio modeling/rendering different color schemes to try and decipher between Titanic/Olympic and Britannic. Chris Daley has been modeling Titanic's loud-speaking telephones. With the assistance of the research team, he's narrowing down which phone types were on Titanic's bridge, crows nest, and around her decks.