Where I've been:
I accrued a repetitive back strain from work
Steam Next Fest didn't make my game shine as brightly as I expected
MecCha Chameleon outshined every game, and took me with it
I fell in love with a real living person (not AI, not clickbait)
Where we're going:
2DOM will be released this year, was aiming for September, but this last month has been a surprise
There's only 2 systems left to complete: Themes and Campaign
There is a bug that prevents demo levels being loaded - it is being investigated
Post launch: Additional content will depend on demand, but I'm already looking towards the next project
The next project: a game for me and my friends
My Injury
Over the last year, I've been doing a rather repetitive job. It allowed me to work on games in my free time, and my goal was to turn games into a career. However, after several attempts to mitigate a back injury on my own, I had to stop work and see a doctor. Dealing with the government and the company I work for trying to deny my claim, it was draining. I eventually got the claim approved, and am in physical therapy and resting. I have recently started to do more physical activities, but I still have to manage my activity and not overdo it. At a certain point, I was thinking "Hooray, more free time for game dev!" but that never really came to fruition. It's hard to focus when you're actively hurting, stressing about bills, and dealing with bureaucracy. Fortunately, I was able to pull a build together in time for Steam Next Fest
Steam Next Fest
I had high hopes that Next Fest would get eyes on my game. But with almost 2000 other games there, I didnt have a shot. I did have about 35 plays and wishlists, but a bug surfaced that prevented 5 out of 7 demo levels from being played. Fuck me, right? It worked fine for me, but not for others. I usually catch that sort of bug when I build the game, but in hindsight, testing it on a fresh machine would have caught it, probably.
MecCha Chameleon
Also, right about this time, MecCha Chameleon came out, and spread like wildfire. They really hit the nail with this game, and my game would never compete. But, it did shed light on what makes a good game better, and that even a buggy game can still be enjoyed and sell millions. I've played this game almost every day since it came out, and that is part of why I haven't made progress on my own.
My Partner
The time off from my work injury has allowed me more time to socialize. I ended up getting closer with one friend, developing a crush on them that had been slowly materializing since I met them. They followed up with a crush of their own on me, and we are now together. Having a relationship has taken my full attention. I've never been this close with someone before. It's like I found the person they tell you about when you're a kid, a "soul-mate" if you will. I love the person they are, that nobody else sees. It might be the honeymoon phase, but this feels like my life partner. Only time will tell.
2DOM!
The game is still on track to release this year. I plan to fix the demo levels being loaded first, then have 2 more major updates containing themes, and the campaign. Depending on interest in the game, I will follow through with post-release updates, adding multiple platforms, content updates, and anything else that players want. But the current trajectory is to release and move on.
The Next Project
I would have loved for 2DOM! to be my break, but it's more realistically a stepping stone. I could keep adding and adding, but I want to work on something that's more for me and my friends, not a global audience. If people catch onto it, then I can start to share it, but 2DOM! was more for others, and more of a portfolio piece, than a personal interest.
Since the start of my injury recovery, I've started to stop conforming and decided to just be comfortable. I faced the possibility of being permanently disabled, and it gave me a new perspective. I want to share my personal life with my community, or any part of the internet, as long as I'm in it. I'll still keep the bullet points, but I'm going to be perfectly honest in my patch notes from now on. I'm going to be unapologetically me. Fuck trying to be perfect, or present myself like a private business, because I'm not. I'm just someone who likes making games sometimes. I'd love to make it a job, but not at the expense of losing my personality. In the meantime, I'm gonna go relax, then look into fixing the bug that broke the demo, and made me look bad :p
'Til next time.