Things are really starting to kick off! Anyone who is vaguely familiar with the typical cycle of an indie game developer in 2015 will know that this was inevitable.
That’s right: On the 2nd of September I will be launching the House of Many Doors Kickstarter campaign.
(I will also be launching the House of Many Doors Steam Greenlight campaign! Hopefully the two will feed into each other.)
So why am I doing this? Well, Greenlight is obvious – I want the game on Steam, for reasons which are probably apparent – but the Kickstarter is worth explaining in more detail.
It’s the right time to launch this campaign, I feel. I’ve spent seven months in development now, for the first six of which I was juggling development with a full-time job and staying up until 3 am more often than not. What this means in real terms is that I’ve done enough of the game to:
- Show it off;
- Prove that this is something I can do;
- Know realistically how much I can do and how long it will take me to do it.
And I’ve built a very solid foundation for this House – 90% of the code is done now, including all the most important work on combat. I have a schedule of what’s left to be done, over a dozen thick notepads of lore and quest design that I can work from, and a solid idea of when the game will be released.
There is a lot of work that needs to be done to launch a Kickstarter, though! Before the 2nd I’m going to have to put together a proper trailer, some other promotional material, start drafting emails, write the pitch, figure out the reward tiers, and raise as much awareness as I possibly can in a world full of kind but busy people.
So… Wish me luck, basically.
And thanks for reading. Have a look at the latest iteration of the City of Keys. This is the city which the player starts out at, and which they will keep coming back to throughout the game:
