What's cooking?
As some of you may know, I embarked on this journey nearly three years ago, in September 2020. Back then, I was an enthusiast and dreamer who had little knowledge about game development and the industry. Now, after three years of experience, if I could send a message to my younger self (like Lord Raiden), it would go something like this:
This seems impossible, you shouldn't pursue it.
Don't give up if you've already taken this path.
In essence, I have already followed the second piece of advice. Over the past three years, we've had various artists come and go, but the programming team has undergone significant changes. We had to start from scratch at one point and have revised the code for most systems multiple times. This was mainly due to the fact that, like me, my programmer friend is not very experienced.
Currently, the team consists of one programmer, a couple of freelance artists, and myself, the designer and owner of the project. Fortunately, the individuals who have remained dedicated to the project have shown remarkable mental prowess, particularly our programmer/engineer/codemaster. Despite the challenges, difficulties, and setbacks we've faced, we have finally reached a point where we can at least envision a clear path toward the future.
What's coming?
Long story short, despite having learned not to provide specific timelines for release, I am pleased to announce that we will be launching a playable demo (alpha version of the game) before the end of summer. Our main objective is to enter Early Access in the winter and generate some revenue because, well, I have to take care of my basic needs too. I have already made significant personal sacrifices to bear the financial burden of this project, and I cannot endure it for another year. While I have doubts about investors and am not particularly inclined towards Kickstarter (as it requires a considerable amount of work for modest returns), I have willingly subjected myself to this financial hardship. However, I genuinely believe that all this struggle will fade away in the not-too-distant future, only to be replaced by the greater challenges of release stress, player feedback, and numerous bugs...
More technical...
As I mentioned before, we have extensively overhauled most systems and their codes, which required a significant amount of work to get things in order. Recently, we have nearly completed the Quest System, which was the only untouched system remaining in the game. Now, after the initial coding phase, we will need to go back and refine everything from the beginning. Currently, most systems are interconnected and successfully communicating with each other. However, the main challenge lies in the abundance of intricate details in the game, which further complicates our code. Therefore, we anticipate needing at least a month or two to polish everything.
Additionally, I estimate that I will personally require 2-4 weeks for playtesting. Once we are confident in the state of the game, we will release a demo, hoping to engage many players who can thoroughly test the game and provide valuable feedback. This feedback will guide our continued work on the project. We will demonstrate most systems in the game in demo, but a few systems like Camping will be left out for Early Access.
Last word
I have a small request to make. Currently, we have a limited number of wishlists on Steam and followers on Twitter. While I don't want to excessively promote the game before we have a solid demo, I kindly ask that if you have friends who enjoy old school turn-based RPGs, please help us spread the word.
Best regards
Semih