Hey,
I'll cut to the chase, I do not plan on finishing Iron Rain.
The reason is a mix of things:
I've been struggling to develop it further because I've not enjoyed the feel of the game, I can occasionally find the fun, but either through burnout or just over-exposure to its premise, I'm not enjoying working on it.
I've struggled to get traction on marketing and visibility, I expect, because I can not think of a way to market it.
The game lacks and identity which makes it stand out, as it is, I have made a Survivors'-Like with a racing gimmick, and I don't think that is enough.
I'm going back to the drawing board, salvaging what I can from Iron Rain and putting in a longer round of pre-production, to give the project which replaces it a better chance.
I'll be correcting my mistakes via:
Making a more visceral gameplay loop, that is, something which controls tighter, and provides feedback in a more styled and enjoyable way.
Making a game which allows for better expression of style, to draw out a better identity and more enjoyable moments even in the low intensity moments.
Making a regular Devlog with gameplay snippets, its the component of marketing an indie game I've missed on Iron Rain, its deprived me of feedback and the game of exposure
Spending more time on making short and impactful trailers, rather than drawn out snippets of gameplay
I have plans in motion for what comes next, it isn't a total start from scratch, but the project taking shape at the moment is quite a departure from Iron Rain.
If you're interested in following what comes next, I'll be posting about it on X, here: https://x.com/nosgamesltd
Cheers,
Scott