HTHI - One year anniversary since release

Good morning / Good evening! It's been already a year since the game has been released in Early Access on 18th September 2023. We have come a long way since the release, but a lot more is to be done to make this game what I want it to be. Here's some small summary of the journey:

• There were 64 updates to the game since the game was released ːsteamthisː It's been a wild ride, many of the updates were done in the night - between 23-2 UTC time.

• Many bugs have been fixed, but some still exist in current version of the game. I don't know how many of you remember what a mess it was at the beginning - and I hope to improve it much more.

• I think big updates worth mentioning were: improving the autocompletion mechanics allowing many different autocompletions based on the context (paths, usernames, passwords, and more); complete change to the in-game web pages; Stock Market introduction; Missions app; Tor improvements; Themes introduction; ability to redirect command output to the file;

• One important feedback I received many times is that the game is (too) difficult, and the tutorial is not helpful. I'm addressing this issue also as a part of 0.3 version. For now, if you encounter an issue, you can always ask on Steams Forum or Discord, or check out my YouTube channel which can contain some answers and useful tips that may not be self-explained in the game.

• So far there is more than 100 players that played more than 10 hours - that is awesome ːsteamthumbsupː! But I would really love to hear more feedback from all of you, what you enjoyed and what not, what you expect from the future, what kept you playing the game. I would really love to see you add steam reviews - it helps me and other players to understand the state of the game.

Given how many changes happened since the release, I am certain that many more improvements are possible. This year has not been easy on me privately - there's some problems I had to resolve and it played a big role in slower updates for the game this year. I've been also working on my real life security knowledge, including the preparation and exam for certificates, which also took some of my focus outside of the game. The communication of the current progress of 0.3 version is probably also not sufficient. I am sorry for all that - I am optimistic as for the future, but last months were not great in terms of game progress.

And yes, when it comes to 0.3 version, it is still in -slow- progress, and at this point I am certain it will not be ready for September. I really wished I have it for today - it would be perfect timing for such a big overall overhaul of the game for one year anniversary, but I missed the target. When it comes eventually, I believe it's a pivotal point for the future of the game as the game is basically being rewritten.

Given history of the last months, I am really reluctant to give yet another timelines for the 0.3 update. There's a lot of moving parts that make it so difficult for me to estimate it properly. I will think about how to give more details to you in the next weeks. The one thing remains though - the game is still in active development.

Thank you and happy hacking :)