Hi Tycoons,
It is the third month of the year, so I thought that it is time to give you an update. Where should I start?
Whenever I write these posts I have a desire to write about things not directly connected to Computer Tycoon. It can come from my personality and/or from the fact that I have a very restricted number of people I'm talking with IRL. Whatever the reason is, forgive me, please.
Computer Tycoon was uploaded to Steam in 2017 October. It had a moderate start. In 2018 I decided to grow it into something much more than it was planned originally - mostly because of your feedback and interest. Then I had "trouble" with the thing called "LIFE" which kept me back working until the end of the year. During that, I made a few updates and here we are now in 2019.
I must say, that I'm not satisfied.
I'm not satisfied with the progress of the game, and so you either. The scope what I'm shooting for is just huge. If I had a single problem called A in CT what I had to solve with a game design decision, then now this is 10 problems now to solve at once.
I could have known this when I decided to embrace the wishes of the community? Right? Right! So what?
I just realized that other than having the obvious problem that I'm late with the "big update"... The year 2018 was already depressing because of my health and family issues, but now I'm depressed because of THIS even more. And whenever I get a message saying something like "so where it is?" or whenever I get a negative review saying that the game has potential, but it should be already done... I get more and more depressed. Please, give me time!
Simply put, I'm not used to failure in work and I'm not the guy who just gives it up. And I won't. I just never ever give up.
But at the same time, a thin voice tells me in my head that "You are losing money by working on that thing! Man, a cashier earns 2-3 times more than you by doing this. Man, that's the road to poverty."
Do you know what I say to this voice in my head? "Get the #?&! out of here!" I was always poor, I can manage this, it is not the most important thing.
Then what makes me even more depressed is that visibility on Steam lately is just CRAZY LOW (not only to me but to all indies out there with non-top seller games). I'm trying to compensate it with ads, but I'm still not sure if it works accordingly or not. (yeah Steam, don't allow us using Facebook pixel... we love putting money into advertising your site, without even knowing if it works or not).
Experts say that this summer lots of indies will go bankrupt. Yeah, making games is not a good business for small parties.
But most importantly I'm afraid that my financial sacrifice will be pointless because it will be pointless if the game will be unseen by people who could enjoy it. I thought that it is some kind of investment in my future. That slowly by having more games later on it will be fine. Now I seriously doubt that.
Okay, okay. So what?
Let's call everything that I wrote until this point as "whining".
I can blame Steam or Life or anything, but if I have to write an honest list of the problems in my life, I know that I have to start with myself and only after that can I start "whining".
I am so worried about the future, I'm so worried about not having the chance of continuing what I love, that actually I've just forgotten how much excitement and love was taken into this game when I started. I have to get back to the roots.
Oh, are you still here, reading that? Cool! Now, let me share with you something:
You will have the beta this October.
You know, that "big update". And nothing can stop me in that. It is a MUST. Because I love it. There is no other way around. I have to finish this, I have to put more work into it. I have to get back to that level of workload what made me sick last year if necessary, I just have to.
So... just to answer some questions I will probably get after this statement.
But how will you do that?
Well, as I did with the very first version. I will glue myself to my desk "until its done".
Couldn't you hire some programmers? Or may I help myself?
Nope guys, it would mean just much more work and expense to me, unfortunately. It could just slow down things. Trust me, in the business sector I was an architect who led projects for long long years. This couldn't work here if you are not Cliffski working for free.
What will be in that beta?
Basically everything from the Roadmap, except localizations and some tiny things.
Where is the Roadmap?
Find the link at the end of this post.
Ummm. so localizations... When do they come?
Before the full release. Find the list of planned languages on the Roadmap. Probably until 2019.02 or 03. which is an estimated full release. (I'm not promising the full release, because it depends on a lot of things, what I'm dedicated for is the beta in October).
Will you update the game in the meanwhile?
Of course, I will upload beta branches, because I will need your help with the balance.
I don't have the time to read that Roadmap... Could you summarize, please?
It is hard. Basically, it is Computer Tycoon 2. Ability to sell hardware separately, tech tree, third parties, different customer behavior and marketing, new map modes (including historical), advanced ai, managers, a few rpg elements.
But I really would like to help! What can I do?
Just give feedback, and leave a review, please.
So is this going to be really cool?
It is going to be as cool as having a Stargate in your garden or having a Yacht. I'm not joking! I could have just written this single sentence instead of this whole post. Because that's the most important thing I have to focus on: It has to be so cool that no YouTubers can avoid covering it!
But man, take care of yourself!
That's what I'm doing. Depression is dangerous. If I cannot make a difference, even tho I try as crazy as I can, I will accept it and move on later on. If I don't do everything that I can do for my dreams... I will face levels of despair which I'm not prepared for. I will work out 3 times a week and I will also schedule some mandatory "life stuff". I will try to be smarter than last time of course. I promise I won't be awake for 3 days without a single hour of sleep again. I'm planning to Deliver, not planning to die.
Your Discord?
Here it is: https://discord.gg/BVB8cje
If you ask more questions, I will answer them here!
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Pictures from the coming, still unreleased stuff:
http://steamcommunity.com/games/686680/announcements/detail/1673520100901557536