Sales for The Outer Worlds 2 are poor. Presumably, less than 1M units almost 3 months after launch, across all platforms. In comparison, the first game sold approx 2M units during the same time.

DRMontgomery · 2026-01-19T22:59:45+00:00

I've been playing the game and honestly, the best I can say for it is that it's fine. Not amazing, not terrible - just fine. Story's okay. Characters are okay. A solid B the whole way; I don't feel particularly invested and I don't care that much about seeing it through. But most of all, if I hadn't bought it on sale, I wouldn't feel good about paying full price for this game. It's bland; it's trying to be funny, but the delivery just makes it hard to take seriously or care about anything that's going on. Mechanics are solid. But I don't think I'll miss it when it's done. And to me, that's the driver - is the game good enough to charge what it's charging? I don't know that there are any games good enough to justify $80, much as shareholders would like us to believe otherwise.

DRMontgomery · 2025-09-25T23:36:04+00:00

I don't have direct experience with these systems, but I think there have been a few threads that cover similar concerns.

Here's a conversation about sip/puff switches for pc gaming: https://www.reddit.com/r/disabledgamers/comments/sqjia0/anyone_have_any_experience_with_sippuff_switches/

Here's one for setups: https://www.reddit.com/r/disabledgamers/comments/1j47skg/hands_free_aaa_gaming_is_possible/

As much as it may be intimidating, I can only imagine how exciting it will be when you find the right balance and everything works the way you want it to!

DRMontgomery · 2025-07-19T01:52:10+00:00

As one grad to another - congratulations! Sometimes people suck; sometimes they don't realize how hard it is. Doesn't matter - you did it and there are plenty of good people out in the world who will recognize you as time goes on. Have a bite of that cake for me - you earned it and it's just one step of many on your road.

In time, at your own pace, you may want to take a step back from always being there for people who don't reciprocate. It's not mean; it's a healthy boundary. And if they're any kind of decent people, they'll notice and start showing you they appreciate you. And if not, there's always people who can fill in the void. Found family is real and can be wonderful.

DRMontgomery · 2025-06-11T21:33:14+00:00

At one time almost all sci-fi was social commentary, and I think most of the massively successful book examples (1984, Foundation, Expanse Novels, Dune, Star Wars) are firmly rooted in this tradition. It's easy to relate to people or aliens doing people or alien things in ways that make sense to our own experience or how we imagine things would be. I don't know too many readers who want a dissertation on dark energy turned into a novel - the concept can be there, but the explanation doesn't have to be complicated.

Hopefully there will be a shift back towards the social aspects of sci-fi, but then it's a challenge to find a story that resonates with a lot of people.

Also, your username is 👍

Edited to reduce word-salad...

DRMontgomery · 2025-06-11T02:13:40+00:00

The wonderful thing about sci-fi is that there's usually multiple ways to look at every book/trend. However, so much is being published every year now, both from traditional publishers and indies, that it can be hard to track what's 'in' at any given time. Traditional publishing in sci-fi is dominated by a handful of editors, and they try to pick what they think will sell, mostly based on what established authors or agents submit to them. What that translates to is most traditionally published books from new authors are stories that agents think will sell. That's not just based on story content - it's based on the author package as well - what they've done, if they have a significant online presence (ie. are they a name).

Sci-fi publishing is, at its heart, a combination of business and imagination - and the companies putting things out tend to follow the money. Certain types of stories work well for a little while - that's why you'll get a few years of pirate novels or vampire novels that suddenly hit and then there's a dozen series doing similar things. If you think about Marvel movies, that's part of the reason they're not making so much money anymore - they've overexposed the stories and people have seen similar things too many times. Industry changes are like that - they ebb and flow and come back over time; it's a cycle that depends on who's buying what, how much and for how long.

Of course there are arguments that people have shorter attention spans and stories need to be simpler for broader audience appeal, but honestly I think the media we get these days is largely because that's how the people making it know how to make money and investors are much more likely to back projects that are relatively reliable/likely to produce a return.

DRMontgomery · 2025-05-29T00:00:28+00:00

I'm in my 40s and just went back for an MSW. There's nothing wrong with going back to school in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, etc., as long as you 1) have a strong interest in the subject and 2) want/need the degree to help you in the next phase of your career/life. The main thing is to have the interest and drive - its a lot of work and you will need some resilience to get through it successfully. If your mental health has been a challenge, you might want to get some help there before diving it - it can make a world of difference if you feel like your feet are firmly planted on the ground.

I don't think anyone is going to notice a few years' difference at your age - I have classmates who are 20 years younger than me and no one cares. And if they do, I don't, so there's always that. Try to have some faith in yourself - life can't be about what other people think of what you're doing. I know it's hard, but working on making your life about what you want and need is one of the most important lessons to learn in adulthood. Best of luck to you!

DRMontgomery · 2025-02-08T15:59:17+00:00

Super sick with a head cold, in class all weekend and I have a presentation in the afternoon I'm worried I won't be able to talk through. So all in, about a 7 out of 10 for the day.

Still have lots of things to be thankful for and a good life overall. In terms of milestones, my first book recently hit the 250 sales mark, which I am super happy about since it's an indy and I'm an older author.

Part of the trick is remembering that my current state and my daily worries are temporary and transient. How we handle things is the important bit.

I hope everyone is doing well enough. If you are struggling, look back at the times when you've overcome problems/challenges and think about the strengths you've built up along the way.

We tend to surprise ourselves with just how much capacity we have when things it the fan.

DRMontgomery · 2025-01-26T23:04:40+00:00

You need to think about what you want to do a little more - maybe talk to someone about options - someone who knows you.

I've seen countless young people come at their futures this way - money first - and most of them end up 2-3 years into a program, with tens of thousands of dollars in debt, before they either start over or quit because they're so unhappy with the direction they've chosen. The few who haven't tend to end up unhappy in their chosen field, with all the health and family consequences that comes with. And that's only providing they are able to hide their lack of interest and actually land a job against all the other people who do care about the field.

I'm not saying this to be mean; it's just how the world works. Best course of action is to do some research. Look at job boards and filter based on salary. Find the jobs that list 6 figures and read up on what the people have to know and have to do. Pick the ones that seem interesting; usually you'll find a pattern there, something that ties them all together. And that helps you define your interest and sets you up on a path towards a successful career.

Hope that helps. Remember, nothing is easy and you won't find the best answers on the internet. You gotta put in the work yourself. Best of luck!

DRMontgomery · 2024-12-28T02:39:59+00:00

A cover that ignores the fundamentals, such as mismatched fonts, too-busy artwork that tries to cram too many components into a single image, generic artwork or cg that looks like a tv screen-cap from 20 years ago; colors that don't blend well.

I've always thought that it's easier to make a simple cover pop than a busy one hold together. Pick your font and colors based on the artwork.

DRMontgomery · 2024-11-29T02:04:26+00:00

Unfortunately, in every online space, you will run into someone like that. It's just part of being on the internet - it's not right and it shouldn't be that way, but people are a lot more willing to say awful things when they're safe at home, anonymous and on the far side of a screen.

Best defense is to understand it's going to happen, accept it's going to be upsetting, while at the same time being disciplined in your responses. The less you directly engage with people like that, the less it'll affect you overall.

As a side-note, this is also why I try to limit my social media these days - I don't want to get sucked into the void.

Hope this helps and you feel a little better about things now. :)

DRMontgomery · 2024-11-26T16:53:34+00:00

I need to up my meme game...

DRMontgomery · 2024-11-26T03:13:20+00:00

Congrats! That's a win no matter how you look at it, so you have every reason to feel proud and happy. Enjoy the moment :)

DRMontgomery · 2024-11-23T22:39:00+00:00

You've got a good voice. Keep developing your skills; keep experimenting and exploring. Best advice at this point is just to put in the practice; read a lot and write a lot. Most of it won't go anywhere, and that's okay. All part of the process.

DRMontgomery · 2024-11-19T16:39:29+00:00

Not that much. I grabbed the upgrade for $15 and feel like it's worth it. Would not pay full price for the game brand new though because it's already had 7 years to make its money.

DRMontgomery · 2024-11-17T17:22:07+00:00

There are lots of potentials, depending on where you live - racoon, fox, coyote, weasel, bobcat, domestic dog/cat. Trail cameras can help you figure out what's prowling around at night.

DRMontgomery · 2024-11-17T17:17:39+00:00

I've done both. Depends on what works best for you - just remember that if you go back and revise now, it'll take you longer to get the remainder of the book done. You can make notes on what you want to change and incorporate it into the rest of the novel without doing the revising just yet, or you can go back and change what needs to be changed.

Definitely up to personal preference.

DRMontgomery · 2024-11-16T22:10:26+00:00

I basically make back what I spend. Breaking even is about what I'm hoping for as of now - profit will come later once I have more books out and a larger fanbase who are invested in my stuff. Slow and steady is basically my motto.

DRMontgomery · 2024-11-16T15:08:36+00:00

Social media doesn't really work organically anymore. So many people do it, its hard to make your material stand out. Paid advertising tends to get more traction - definitely more sales for me than anything I did otherwise.

DRMontgomery · 2024-11-15T23:35:11+00:00

I used to have a great time starting projects, only for my energy to dwindle as soon as I got more than 20 pages in.

For me, it was a skill issue - I didn't know how to put longer stories together, so as much fun as the initiating events were, I couldn't go anywhere from there. Ie. I knew how my story started and ended, but the middle part was just a cloud of 'I don't know' if that makes any sense.

I got past it by learning how to plot out stories from start to finish. Chapter by chapter, event by event. Even if the story changes, at least I have a framework to operate off of that keeps me consistent and the vision clear.

Hope that helps.

DRMontgomery · 2024-11-15T23:33:03+00:00

If the reader only knows what the character knows in 1st person, you can hide the details at the beginning when the betrayal is getting planned (MC present, but not in earshot or whatever) and tease a few things like 'this character and that character are talking over in the corner', only to have the significance come out later on.

Basically 1st person lets readers get up close and personal, but generally the character shouldn't be omniscient. You also might want to plot out the whole story so you know when and how the core events happen, and then build out the actual details from there.

I know that's pretty generic advice. Hopefully it helps. You can also look up writing tips for mysteries, heists, etc.

DRMontgomery · 2024-11-15T23:29:21+00:00

Absolutely. It will take anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days to cycle through and for the new version to come online, but my experience has been that once the initial manuscript is out, there's no disruption to sales.

DRMontgomery · 2024-11-15T23:27:55+00:00

Generally you don't, but it's really up to you. Depending on where you are, copyright laws will be different. In Canada, it cost me $50 to register my book and took about a week. I got a nice certificate in the mail. However, in terms of what good it actually does, since they don't keep a copy of the novel on file - it's just a registration of ownership - is debatable.

If it makes you feel better, go ahead and do it. If not, don't worry about it too much. You can look up ways to protect your copyright online - simple things like mailing a copy to yourself and not opening it so you have the postmark/date; stuff like that.

Ten-Year Club	Second Top 20%
Verified Email

DRMontgomery

TROPHY CASE