OK everybody, that is it. My recreation has a launch date.
I am releasing Shardpunk into the wild on Thursday, April thirteenth. And I’ve by no means been extra excited in my entire recreation growth journey. With lower than three weeks remaining till the discharge, I’m finalizing all of the pre-launch stuff.
I have been enjoying Shardpunk loads and having a good time, regardless of the numerous hours spent on bug-fixing and fine-tuning. What I like most concerning the recreation are the tales that emerge throughout gameplay, the robust selections that must be made to avoid wasting fellow companions, and the exhilarating mad dashes to security – simply to call a couple of.
I am optimistic that others will share my enthusiasm for the sport. All will turn out to be clear within the upcoming weeks.
I am going to present an replace in my final pre-release devlog entry in two weeks. Take care!
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Busy engaged on xcom-like, steampunk/vermintide pixel artwork technique recreation known as “Shardpunk”.
And I do know that at this level one shouldn’t be making any main adjustments. So I have never. I imply I did, however they are not main.
One of many key mechanics in Shardpunk is the weapon reload course of, the place power cells overheat and gamers should cool them all the way down to preserve the weapon functioning. Beforehand, this motion was merely known as “reloading.”
After receiving some suggestions and consulting with my Discord neighborhood (do be part of the Discord channel, by the best way!), the motion has been renamed to “vent”:
This made the entire weapon overheating idea a bit extra readable. Additionally, some adjustments in character texts adopted:
Apart from that, I am conserving the construct secure and specializing in getting ready for the discharge. My psychological state could also be a bit shaky with all of the anticipation, however I am assured that Shardpunk Verminfall will probably be a recreation that you’ll take pleasure in!
Thanks in your help, and see you on launch day!
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Busy engaged on xcom-like, steampunk/vermintide pixel artwork technique recreation known as “Shardpunk”.
The second has lastly arrived – I am thrilled to announce that Shardpunk: Verminfall is formally launched! I am keen to listen to your ideas and suggestions. Whether or not you have got ideas for balancing or problem, requests for future updates, or simply wish to share your experiences enjoying the sport, I am all ears.
Additionally, please think about leaving a Steam overview – it’ll assist me tremendously.
I wish to take a second to specific my gratitude to all of the wonderful individuals who have helped me attain this level. Before everything, a giant thanks to my household and mates for his or her unwavering help all through this journey. I additionally owe a debt of gratitude to the gifted people I’ve had the pleasure of working with, in addition to the devoted writer group, playtesters, and the implausible Discord neighborhood.
With out each certainly one of you, I might not be the place I’m at the moment. Your encouragement, suggestions, and contributions have made a world of distinction in shaping my recreation and getting it so far.
Thanks once more in your help and enthusiasm all through this course of. I hope you take pleasure in enjoying Shardpunk: Verminfall as a lot as I loved creating it!
And a message to all fellow recreation builders: carry on grinding! These things is achievable!
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Busy engaged on xcom-like, steampunk/vermintide pixel artwork technique recreation known as “Shardpunk”.
Performed a bit and located it fairly partaking! A number of issues and QoL points: – We must always be capable of view the stats of enemy models extra simply. – Possibly some common trace of enemy reinforcement whereabouts can be helpful. – Both we must always have some form of capability vary preview when transferring (like Grenade and many others.), or we must always be capable of cancel a motion, Into the Breach type. – Further Pressure can’t be chosen when a personality has already exhausted their AP, which is sort of irritating.
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Chinese language localizer and influencer. Translated Useless Cells, Slay the Spire, The Depend Lucanor, Katana Zero, Dicey Dungeons, and concerned within the localization of Reigns, The Curious Expedition, Desktop Dungeons, and many others. If in case you have questions on Chinese language loc and publishing and many others., discover me at Twitter @SoM_lo
It is almost a month after the discharge, so it is time for a fast wrap-up of what’s going on thus far.
Typically, the discharge went very properly, the sport reached the 10 evaluations threshold fairly quick. Resulting from good momentum, it stayed within the “New and Trending” checklist on Steam for 7 days, with a excessive variety of constructive evaluations. The truth that ChristoperOdd came upon concerning the recreation and determined to do a let’s play certainly helped tremendously (similar with
).
Additionally, the sport’s first-ever unfavorable overview certainly helped with selling the sport as properly
Gross sales-wise, I’m busy proper now doing projections to see how the potential long-term gross sales will go, however all appears to be wanting good thus far.
Proper after the discharge Steam boards had been flooded with numerous messages and I’ve spent most of my time going by means of the suggestions. I’ve taken a number of notes and there is a bunch of latest concepts which were urged by the neighborhood that I wish to implement.
One factor is for positive: after you launch a recreation, it is longer *your* recreation. The gamers personal it (properly, even actually, as they’ve paid for it) and also you hope that their imaginative and prescient/expertise with the sport is aligned with yours. Fortunately for Shardpunk, it appears that evidently my and the participant’s visions are aligned: it is a roguelike tackle XCOM/Darkest Dungeon recreation, having unforgivable moments, however being honest on the whole.
Stability-wise, the sport didn’t have any game-breaking points at launch – besides a difficulty that solely occurred for PCs working Home windows with the Turkish language 0_o. Apparently, there is a Turkish ‘I’ subject that’s haunting a few of the unfortunate builders. A fast repair was… ensuring that I don’t use a capital “I” in any file paths positioned in configuration information that I load manually within the recreation’s code 😐
There have been a couple of points with a few of the gamers not in a position to load a recreation or proceed to the following mission. I used to be not in a position to reproduce any of them, however I did contact a couple of of the gamers who reported them and hopefully they’re fastened.
After the preliminary post-release mud has settled, I’ve arrange an preliminary “highway map” – or extra of an inventory of priorities – that I’m planning to stay to, which incorporates placing extra emphasis on the stuff that the gamers like. One of many issues that want adjusting is the problem stage. Some gamers report that the sport is just too simple, others – that it is too onerous. There are problem ranges within the recreation, however this doesn’t assist. I wish to introduce extra customization to the sport’s problem.
Anyway, that is how issues are going thus far. It has been an superior (but nerve-wracking typically) trip thus far. And it appears it is just the start.
Take care, everybody! Good luck in your recreation dev journeys! If I managed to do it, you’ll too!
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Busy engaged on xcom-like, steampunk/vermintide pixel artwork technique recreation known as “Shardpunk”.
OK, it has been greater than seven months because the launch, so it is about time that I submit some form of abstract right here.
Shardpunk did very properly on its first days – it was current on the “New and Trending” checklist on Steam for seven days – and as getting good publicity is extraordinarily vital in promoting a recreation, this translated to some good preliminary gross sales.
I spent the following few months including additional content material to the sport and balancing it. The suggestions from the neighborhood was nice.
The sale numbers clearly dropped dramatically after the primary weeks, and there have been a couple of peaks alongside the best way once we launched some reductions (associated to a fest, sale, or a day by day deal that we managed to get from Steam).
Does all of it make Shardpunk a pleasant supply of passive revenue for (hopefully) the few subsequent years? Sure.
Does it imply that I can concentrate on engaged on one other recreation? Not likely.
Shardpunk did break even lately. Nevertheless, I assume the amount of cash that I will probably be getting from it will not be sufficient for me to start out engaged on one other recreation full-time – so it’s time to begin over. I will probably be slowly engaged on the following recreation in my free time whereas having a gentle supply of revenue from a day job. Possibly sooner or later, I can discover a writer/investor who will probably be prepared to work with me on my second recreation – or I’ll launch it myself, even when it takes a very long time.
A tip for indie devs that depend on exterior funding when creating your recreation: keep in mind that it’s going to most likely take months till the sport prices get recouped and you will note some cash, and construct your plans with that in thoughts. Certainly, it could be that you’ll hit the jackpot and your recreation will earn you a number of $$$ within the first month, however that doesn’t occur fairly often.
If I may do one factor in a different way, I might think about going again to a day job/discovering one other supply of revenue sooner than I did – even when the event time of the post-launch content material would take longer. A person has a household to feed and a mortgage to pay, so yeah; don’t hope that you’ll strike the following publishing deal instantly after you launch your recreation.
All that being mentioned, engaged on Shardpunk was a blast. I can see that I can create a recreation that the gamers take pleasure in, and I do wish to preserve doing it.
Take care everybody! Good luck in your gamedev journey!
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Busy engaged on xcom-like, steampunk/vermintide pixel artwork technique recreation known as “Shardpunk”.
