APRIL 2004

Check back for the latest information on DIGITAL DEADWOOD, including press coverage, launch dates, promotions and more.

30 April 2004: An excellent article by Mary Billard about Deadwood and the new HBO series appeared in today's New York Times. You can read the article for free online, although you'll have to register first.

29 April 2004: Check out the new HistoryLink section of the DIGITAL DEADWOOD website. Right now you can find data on Al Swearengen, Seth Bullock, Sol Star, Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok, although we'll continue to add information about Deadwood's other famous people, places and events.

28 April 2004: We're in the process of upgrading and expanding the website, so please explore some of our new features! New things to look for include a news archive, a HistoryLink section with photos and data from the real Deadwood's wild days, a partner page and a links page. Keep checking back!

26 April 2004: Thanks for coming out to see us Saturday with John Hawkes and Scott Stephens. We're working hard on finishing version 1.0; if things continue to go smoothly, we should have our final release online in about two weeks! Until then, keep playing at the Silverado and make your character a little Digital Deadwood Dough.

23 April 2004: Blackjack and slot machines are online and available in the Silverado Gaming Establishment! Just click on the doorway to bring up the HistoryLink window, click on enter, and have fun with the games! Don't hesitate to e-mail us if you experience any technical problems, and don't forget to come visit us tomorrow afternoon at the Bullock Hotel.

22 April 2004: Congratulations to our first confirmed partner, the Silverado Gaming Establishment! Within the next couple of weeks we'll have an interior room complete with slot machines, a blackjack table, attractive real-life offers and an equally attractive saloon girl!

21 April 2004: Plan to be in Deadwood this Saturday (April 24) and stop by the Bullock Hotel after 2:00 p.m. John Hawkes, who plays merchant Sol Star (Seth Bullock's business partner) on HBO's Deadwood, and Scott Stephens, one of the show's producers, will be at the hotel for autographs and photos. Plus, we'll have two computers set up in the lobby showcasing DIGITAL DEADWOOD. We may even have a new and improved walking engine in place by this weekend. Stay tuned!

20 April 2004: In addition to building interiors, we're working on creating art for 1876 Deadwood, which you'll be able to visit using time portals. We're currently creating Al Swearengen's Gem Saloon (they both actually existed), but other 1870s structures will follow. Screen shots will come soon!

19 April 2004: If you want to use customized avatars, you'll have to register a new account. Unfortunately, you can't re-register your existing account (use your old e-mail address a second time). We'll have a solution implemented within the next week or two. Until then, we suggest that you sign up for a free second e-mail address (if you don't already have one) with Hotmail or Yahoo! Remember - we are spam free! You won't receive anything from us (barring legal notices and the like) unless you've specifically requested it in your registration form.

16 April 2004: The blackjack and slot machine games are coming along fast! Check out the new screenshots on the Downloads page to see how these games look in the Silverado.

15 April 2004: Customized avatars are now available! Just register a new account to use this feature. We're currently testing building interiors and developing the blackjack and slot machine games, so very soon you'll have something to do other than chat and twiddle your thumbs. Check out the Downloads page for shots of the Silverado and Saloon #10 interiors in progress. Stay tuned!

14 April 2004: Bad news for you exhibitionists - we've figured out how to keep the clothes on the new avatars. The cross-dressers will be disappointed, too, since we've also fixed the clothing sets to be gender-specific... Anyway, with any luck we'll be getting the new registration page up today. Unfortunately, to use the new customization, you'll need to register a brand new account - at least for now. If you have any problems once it comes online, feel free to e-mail us.

12 April 2004: We've been getting reports that some DIGITAL DEADWOOD visitors are wary of creating an account for fear of spam. Others say that they can't figure out how to register an account in the first place. Is that true for you? If you have any suggestions, comments, complaints or problems on the Digital Deadwood site, please let us know!

9 April 2004: We've got a number of new features in the testing phase right now, including customized avatars and interior rooms. The interiors should be coming up soon, as should the new avatar customizations (we still can't get them to keep their clothes on - see below).

8 April 2004: Customized avatars are still a couple days away. We've experienced a few unexpected problems ("where'd my avatar's clothes go?!") on certain browsers that we'd like to remedy before we release it. In the meantime, watch for some of the new characters wandering the streets while we continue to test.

6 April 2004: The country music duo Big & Rich, who claim both Nashville and Deadwood as their home, were featured on the front page of the Life section in yesterday's USA Today (read one of the articles here). Big Kenny and John Rich have played in Deadwood several times over the past couple of years, and they're due back for a visit after their summer tour with Tim McGraw. Check out www.bigandrich.com for more info.

5 April 2004: Customized avatars are moving right along, but there are still a few kinks to work out. In order to make sure it all works properly, we're going to make Wednesday the target release date. Stay tuned!

2 April 2004: If all goes well, we'll have fully customizeable avatars by Monday! You may see some testing over the weekend, so keep on the watch for characters with different clothing, hair styles and skin tones.

1 April 2004: We've archived the March news page and have started anew with April. We'll put a link up top so you can access the archives, but until then you can go digging in March by clicking here. We're testing interior rooms and custom avatars right now, so expect both those features soon!