Instruments of Destruction is still heading towards release in early 2022, but how early is still undetermined. Today I'll start recording footage of the game for the release date trailer. There are 8 islands sufficiently polished and ready for recording, though they aren't quite ready for release, and could still undergo minor changes.
I'll cover the numerous visual upgrades in more detail in a future update, but I'm finally done making changes to the visuals in the gameplay portion of the game. A few build-mode elements still need updating, and the UI may receive some tweaks, but none of the changes will be difficult.
In fact, I'd say nothing that remains to be done is nearly as difficult as the work from the past 3 months. There's still a decent amount of work to be done, and there's some work I'm considering doing before the first EA release that would save time long-term, but delay the game short-term.
Release Date Uncertainty
That uncertain-timeframe work is creating the in-game structure and island editors. There are a couple reasons why I might delay the game to get them in sooner rather than later:
- I can stop using the current scene view editors (aka built on top of Unity's editor framework) and use the in-game editors to finish/polish the current islands and create the final 2 islands for the EA release. The current scene view editors are ok, but the interface for them is pretty hacky, and each one has multiple usability issues that would be solved (or much easier to solve) with an in-game editor. Eventually I'm going to do the work anyway, and it'd save a bit of time long-term because I'll be able to edit islands and structures faster, and I wouldn't have to worry about converting to a slightly different level format after release (which could be a pain). Below you can see what one of those editors look like currently in Unity.
- Devastator, an intense arcade twin-stick shooter I worked on early last year, is nearing release, and it's current planned release window (early February) is very close to when I wanted to release Instruments of Destruction in Early Access. Devastator is being published by 2Awesome Studios on Steam and consoles, and it takes a lot more work/planning to do a multi-platform release than a Steam-only one. I previously had two big titles release on the same day (Speed Demons on Apple Arcade and Inferno 2 on XB1/PS4/Switch), and though it was a cool thing in a way, I don't think it's a benefit to either game to launch close together.
There are some other minor reasons to delay Instruments, and doing so will have very little effect on its long-term success. A delay could even be a benefit due to the feedback-heavy factors involved in game sales and awareness. More wishlists at launch could lead to moderately more sales, while more polish and features could contribute to better reviews, which also leads to moderately more sales, and more sales lead to better featuring on Steam, leading to more sales. That's all theoretical though, and there's no guarantee some other unknown doesn't hurt the launch sales (and a major update helps sales). And really, launch sales don't matter that much with an Early Access game that will be constantly updated and improved for at least a year.
Either way, Devastator's launch window will likely be the deciding factor on when Instruments will launch in Early Access. If Instruments will launch in February, the in-game editors will be the first major update. If Devastator launches in February or Instruments' launch gets pushed back for other reasons, Instruments will very likely launch in April with in-game editors already in.
I'll continue to post development updates every 2 weeks until the game launches in Early Access.