Well, I took a few days off away from the game and the internet. I had my friend Matt help out with any support issues while I am gone, so thanks Matt!
As a solo part time developer, getting away for a few days can be a bit stressful, but I am glad I got a chance to recharge the batteries. I didn’t go to PAX in case you are curious, it does sound like fun, and while I was tempted to get some booth space and show off Crashtastic…. I just couldn’t justify the budget to do the show this year. If you are curious, the guys over at Bit Flip Games have a breakdown on the costs to showcase a game at the show here. It basically breaks down to over $10,000, which is pretty tough to justify right now. Maybe next year!!!
While I was away, I got to spend some time thinking about the game, where it is, and the plans moving forward. I tell you, I love the organic development process the game has taken since the alpha launched. I’m amazed and humbled by the outpour of support, and the passion so many of you exhibit in offering up ideas and suggestions for the game, and I’m going to ask you to use this passion in the coming weeks. As many of you probably know, the amazing people over at Valve launched a new community last week, called Steam Greenlight. In a nutshell Steam Greenlight is a way for small games (such as Crashtastic…. wink wink) to better their chances on being released on Steam. Why is Steam important?
54 Million Active Accounts
That’s 54 million PC game playing potential customers!!! Steam can be the difference between a developer surviving to make more games or not.
Here is where you come in! I am working on creating a new trailer for the game which will be used in conjunction with Crashtastic’s entry into the Greenlight process. Once the site goes live, I am going to need your help to get the game “Greenlit”. I’ll send out more details soon about the process and how you can help in a few days when the trailer is ready…. so stay tuned! I need you. I can’t do this without your support!
Also, I’ve decided I will enter Independent Games Festival again this year. The IGF is the biggest Independent Games Showcase in world. I entered last year and got some good coverage on the game, so I figure I will roll the dice again. The deadline is October 17th, so I will be doing a bit of a polish pass on the game over the next few weeks. As part of this, I am hiring a talented composer to write the Crashtastic Theme song! I’ll share more details about him in the future.
I’ve still got a ton of work to do on Crashtastic, but I’ve got some cool stuff in the works, and something I know many of you have been waiting for 😉 but…. I am just not ready to share yet!!!
Also, I ran into a few kinks with the demo, which I still hope to have available soon.
Mark
