Unfortunately, I have to announce a hiatus in development for no signal. Due to political events happening both at the national and state level, I no longer feel safe where I live and I need to move somewhere where I can find more security.
What this means is that I probably won't be able to finish no signal nor will I be able to continue doing regular streams, for now. What I want to do with this blog post is share some of the reasons for why I no longer feel safe in Texas where I grew up, share some of the recent progress made with no signal, and talk about what is left to do for the game.
transphobic legislation
Although it can be argued that the transphobic legislation currently being considered at the state level will not be implemented successfully or even pass at all, the fact that such measures are even considered are a source of stress for me. Even setting aside bills that may or may not pass, it is clear to me that the environment is becoming less safe for me.
At the state level:
- HB 3399 would, if passed, ban gender-affirming care for all transgender and gender non-conforming people.
- HB 3817 would, if passed, make it a felony fraud for me to identify as my gender at work or when interact with any government worker.
- A transgender bathroom bounty has been implemented in Odessa, TX allowing citizens to call the cops on anyone suspected of being trans who is in the "wrong" restroom.
- Attorney General Paxton declared all court-ordered gender changes void and demanded that all such gender marker changes on driver licenses and birth certificates that have been made as a result of them should be reverted immediately.
At the federal level:
- Other countries have issued LGBTQ travel advisories for travelling to the United States because of the executive order issued by the U.S. president on January 20th requiring all travelers to use their birth sex as their gender.
- The Department of Homeland Security removed privacy provisions that protect people from surveillance based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
- Almost all references to transgender people were removed from government websites.
- Renewing passports could be difficult due to executive orders demanding that the birth sex is used on passports without providing guidelines for how this will be enforced, leaving the possibility open that passports of transgender people might be confiscated when crossing the border or when trying to get them renewed.
Due to these changes at the state and federal level, I don't feel like I can leave and return to the United States freely. I also feel like I will find it very difficult to immigrate to another country if I need to, because many visa applications require apostilled state documents.
These changes have made me feel less safe and has generally increased the amount of stress that I experience. I would rather proactively move somewhere where I can feel more safe, before I find myself in a situation where it's too late to take the time to move properly.
no signal progress
Meanwhile, no signal is very close to completion.
Controller support was added, including a radial menu to access things that would otherwise require a mouse:
More level polish has been done, including these general relativity notes from David Moore used with permission:
The game is now playable from beginning to end, as of 2025-03-03 and I recently exhibited it at the 4th Annual ATX Game Makers Showcase at Valhalla in downtown Austin during SXSW.
what's next
The game is missing:
- Level design polish
- One unique puzzle (involving a MIDI keyboard)
- One interactable (a Rubix cube)
- Better controller support for Steam Deck
- Steam integration
After that, the game needs to be play tested and QA tested. I don't think this work will take that long to do. In fact, I feel like if I were able to comfortably continue development like I originally planned, I could be finished with development by the end of April.
Unfortunately, it's very difficult for me to say when the game will be completed. My first priority will be to create a more stable, safe environment for myself. I need to move and find a new job and those things will consume most of my time and energy. I might be able to work on the game and stream on Twitch from time to time, but it's going to take a backseat and I won't be able to do it regularly as I have over the last year or so.
The fact that I'm pausing so close to the finish line is really stressful and frustrating for me. However, for now, things will have to wait. I can't compromise on my security in order to finish this game. Hopefully it won't take too long for me to figure things out.
I am really sad that I'll be leaving behind my friends and the game development community here in Austin, Texas that I've grown close to. I will really miss all of the people and organizations I've connected with and the many events that happen here, including the ATX Beer Nights, Games Y'all (formerly Juegos Rancheros), and the Electronic Game Developers Society (EGaDS) at UT Austin. Since I feel like I cannot return to Texas under the current political climate, the fact that I might never be able to connect in-person anymore hurts a lot. And even though the food scene in Austin is admittedly mediocre, I'll also miss my favorite restaurants too.
Tomorrow, I will be having my last stream before the hiatus, where I plan on doing something fun so I can leave on a good note. You can join me at 11:00 AM Central Time at twitch.tv/exodrifter_. Thank you for reading. If you have been supporting me, thank you so much once again. It means a lot to me. I will return as soon as I can.