The Secret Feature
/So I've begun work on my IndieCade / Dream Build Play build in earnest. I've found that the one thing major game magazines want when they contact you is a playable build: this will also be their build. Of course, I am nervous to show such an early version of it - there's one major mechanic in particular, a Secret Feature, if you will - that isn't implemented yet, but which is so . . . awesome? . . . that I'm afraid that without it, Axiom Verge could be received as "just another retro game".
I won't have the Secret Feature ready in three weeks. But I'm moving it forward in my schedule so that I can show it sooner than later. And at some point - before or after, I'm not sure - a Kickstarter page will appear.
Axiom Verge will be made with or without Kickstarter contributions, but with them, it could be made much faster.
So, the Plan:
- Submit a build to IndieCade and Dream Build Play, May 15th-ish.
- Submit the same playable build to journalists.
- Make a Kickstarter page and finish implementing the Secret Feature.
In other news, my bud Max and I just went on a good hike with my friend Mike Amerson and his dog, Zeus. We have the same dream of being able to create something that people will want because it's intrinsically good, and not because of trickery or dishonest manipulation. The end result? We can spend more time with our dogs. So here's a shout out to him, his dogs, and his own mobile indie games, My Virtual Girlfriend and My Virtual Boyfriend, which will not drain your wallet. And lucky guy that he is, his wife is also a game developer; she recently released Persian Recipies, featuring the titular delicious dishes of the middle east.
And now I'm back to work. This is a good thing!
-Tom