It’s Time to Explain. (Ante Mortem & Beyond)

First of all, I owe you some explanations about what the Ante Mortem project was and the issues some of you encountered (especially crashes and the lack of updates). This game was created when I was in high school, with the goal of releasing my first game on Steam. At the time, I was learning game development, and this project helped me gain experience and even meet a few people.

However, after an update (1.1), I started running out of time and, more importantly, completely lost my motivation. For almost two years, I didn’t do much in terms of games or projects—just a few prototypes, but nothing more. Then, after spending a year in a job I didn’t enjoy, I decided to go back to school. I found a work-study position in a simulator and serious games studio as a developer. This experience motivated me to start creating again, and I worked on several projects, more or less successful, all completely free (you can find them on my Itch page).

From that point on, I decided to start a project that is very important to me, as well as to my best and oldest friend: creating our own “Cube World,” a game that inspired us a lot when we were younger. To build a solid foundation, I chose to develop my own voxel engine using MonoGame/XNA in C# (yes, it’s ambitious and a bit crazy—I’m aware of that). I’ve been working on it for about a year now, and the project is progressing at its own pace. It will still take another 3 to 4 years of development, but it’s really starting to take shape.

Ah! I almost forgot to tell you the name: the project is called Venturia. Visually, it will be closer to Cube World, but in terms of gameplay, it will be different—blending elements from Kenshi, Minecraft, and Cube World, with a more chill approach.

Here are a few videos from about a month ago:

I’ll be posting new videos soon with major progress updates. Development is still ongoing, but my available time is limited (between 20 and 40 hours per week) due to my job and personal life.

This announcement is also to let you know that the game will soon have its own Steam page, with dedicated updates (within 1 to 3 months depending on progress).

Finally, I want to let you know that Ante Mortem will officially become free. There will probably be even more negative reviews, but above all, I will feel much less guilty and indebted to everyone who purchased this project, which meant a lot to me, especially because its story and details are very personal.

(I don't have a specific date for when Ante Mortem will become free-to-play yet, I'm waiting for a response from Steam. Also, if people who bought Ante Mortem would like to get Venturia for free as compensation when it comes out, then it's a big yes (though I don't know if there's a secure way to do that through Steam))

Have a great day, and once again, I’m sorry to those who were disappointed. I’ll make sure not to disappoint you with what’s coming next.

Colonel