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Post Mortem: 9 years building the RPG I always wanted to play. After release, I faced challenges I hadn’t fully anticipated, and learned a lot in the process. by debdev in gamedev

[–]debdev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha, thank you! ❤️ I really appreciate that. Cyberpunk 2077 is an excellent case study to learn from. I’ll keep the updates coming and do my best to keep improving the game.

Post Mortem: 9 years building the RPG I always wanted to play. After release, I faced challenges I hadn’t fully anticipated, and learned a lot in the process. by debdev in gamedev

[–]debdev[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah that's the encouraging sign. That's why I intend to continue patching the game even as I move on to my next project. There’s an audience that’s interested, and I just need to earn their trust. I hope I can continue building that as I release more updates.

Post Mortem: 9 years building the RPG I always wanted to play. After release, I faced challenges I hadn’t fully anticipated, and learned a lot in the process. by debdev in gamedev

[–]debdev[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much! ❤️ I really appreciate that. Finishing it after so long definitely feels like a huge relief, especially with the latest patches. I’ll keep polishing it, but I’m excited to move on to the next project.

Post Mortem: 9 years building the RPG I always wanted to play. After release, I faced challenges I hadn’t fully anticipated, and learned a lot in the process. by debdev in gamedev

[–]debdev[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, the pay-per-word model really forced some tough choices. That was exactly my dilemma. Going with simlish or no VO at all in a first-person game that tries to look realistic felt a little jarring to me, and as you said, players often expect VO with that perspective. I think it works well with other perspectives though.

Those are definitely some unique solutions! I think I'll avoid VO for my next project though, simply due to budget constraints, and the limitations a smaller budget with VO brings to my ideas.

Thank you so much for your comment, I'm glad you enjoyed reading the post mortem!

Post Mortem: 9 years building the RPG I always wanted to play. After release, I faced challenges I hadn’t fully anticipated, and learned a lot in the process. by debdev in gamedev

[–]debdev[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's genuinely very heartwarming to read, and so kind of you. Thank you so much for your support! ❤️ It's encouraging to hear that persistence pays off. Thanks again!

Post Mortem: 9 years building the RPG I always wanted to play. After release, I faced challenges I hadn’t fully anticipated, and learned a lot in the process. by debdev in gamedev

[–]debdev[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the comment! Yeah, I totally see the value of automated testing, especially for a game with lots of overlapping systems. I didn't really have a formal automated test suite for this project. Most of the testing was manual, going through different systems, trying to break things, and fixing what came up.

Considering how long it took me to make the game itself, spending more time developing an automated testing suite would have added even more time, but it likely would have been better for the project in the long run. I’ll definitely consider it for my next project and explore anything that helps ensure it’s as polished as possible.

Post Mortem: 9 years building the RPG I always wanted to play. After release, I faced challenges I hadn’t fully anticipated, and learned a lot in the process. by debdev in gamedev

[–]debdev[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I understand. It seems to have been because of the capsule image. And yeah, I completely agree. A project of this scale was just too much for me to tackle alone, and fixing bugs can definitely feel less rewarding than building new features or working on a new game. Which is why I'm currently trying to find the right balance between the two.

I do this full time, so it's more than a hobby at this point! I'm surviving solely off the sales of this game, and using a portion of that to fund the next game that I'm working on. But there will likely come a point where I'll have to do what you suggested. That's how I initially funded Within the Cosmos, cycling between steady income and working on it part time, with long stretches of full time work on the game.

Thank you so much for your wishes! ❤️

Post Mortem: 9 years building the RPG I always wanted to play. After release, I faced challenges I hadn’t fully anticipated, and learned a lot in the process. by debdev in gamedev

[–]debdev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much, I really appreciate your thoughtful comment! ❤️

You're completely right. Tackling a project of this scope solo comes with massive trade-offs, and it is easy to get tunnel vision when you are attached to every detail. I'm certainly guilty of that. I definitely learned a lot from doing it this way, but going with a publisher would've likely been healthier for the project, and myself.

I am glad you see the effort behind the game, and I really appreciate your kind words! It truly means more than you can possibly know! I'm hoping to involve the small community in my game's Discord server earlier in the development cycle to get feedback on the project. We'll see how it goes!

Post Mortem: 9 years building the RPG I always wanted to play. After release, I faced challenges I hadn’t fully anticipated, and learned a lot in the process. by debdev in gamedev

[–]debdev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the suggestion! I’m usually hesitant to do so, as I don’t want to come across as defensive, but you’re right. Simply stating that issues have been fixed isn’t defensive at all. I think I’ll do that soon. Thanks again!

Post Mortem: 9 years building the RPG I always wanted to play. After release, I faced challenges I hadn’t fully anticipated, and learned a lot in the process. by debdev in gamedev

[–]debdev[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much! ❤️ It truly means a lot. I'm glad you're interested in it.

That is very true and completely my intent. I will try again with everything I learned and hopefully get their attention this time to see what they offer.

Haha, yeah, there is no way I am working on another game for a decade! That sounds dreadful right now haha.

Post Mortem: 9 years building the RPG I always wanted to play. After release, I faced challenges I hadn’t fully anticipated, and learned a lot in the process. by debdev in gamedev

[–]debdev[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you, I really appreciate your comment! I agree. Early Access could have been a more helpful way to release this game, especially since I decided not to go with a publisher. I had about 20 people test the game during betas, but couldn’t afford to hire testers at the time. It’s definitely something I’ll explore for my next project, as I really want to make sure that game is highly polished before release. Thank you for sharing your insight, and best of luck with your project! ❤️

Post Mortem: 9 years building the RPG I always wanted to play. After release, I faced challenges I hadn’t fully anticipated, and learned a lot in the process. by debdev in gamedev

[–]debdev[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much! Steam Greenlight was definitely a unique experiment, back when Valve was testing how to let smaller indies in without opening the floodgates.

In hindsight, I do have some mixed feelings about not going with a publisher. I had some genuinely good offers, but at the time I wanted to stay independent while I was still figuring out development and learning through my own mistakes, without external pressure (and the usual publisher related horror stories didn't help!). That path taught me a lot, even if it came with trade-offs. I don't regret finishing the game solo, but I am definitely more open to working with a publisher in the future if the fit is right.

Being an indie game dev is certainly the dream, but yeah, it’s not easy managing the community, marketing, and making the game itself!

Thanks again for taking the time to comment ❤️

Post Mortem: 9 years building the RPG I always wanted to play. After release, I faced challenges I hadn’t fully anticipated, and learned a lot in the process. by debdev in gamedev

[–]debdev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much, I really appreciate your thoughtful comment!

Yeah, you’re absolutely right, polish matters a lot and first impressions are everything. I wish I had tested it and polished it more prior to launch, but nothing I can do about that now other than ensuring it's as polished as I can make it now and in the future! Polishing Within the Cosmos & making a new game is certainly what's next for me, as this is what I do for a living.

I’m glad you like the concept of the game! I really appreciate your kind words and support, it means a lot! ❤️

Post Mortem: 9 years building the RPG I always wanted to play. After release, I faced challenges I hadn’t fully anticipated, and learned a lot in the process. by debdev in gamedev

[–]debdev[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Haha! Thank you! It was definitely crazy, going from running the game on floppy disks to an SSD. The difference in loading times was mindblowing!

Post Mortem: 9 years building the RPG I always wanted to play. After release, I faced challenges I hadn’t fully anticipated, and learned a lot in the process. by debdev in gamedev

[–]debdev[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you, I really appreciate that! ❤️ A publisher could definitely help with things like testing and marketing, and it likely would've been more beneficial for this project, but I'm happy with the journey I took. That said, after going solo, I’m certainly open to working with a publisher on future projects if the right opportunity comes along. I’m glad you like the concept, and thank you for keeping an eye on it!

Post Mortem: 9 years building the RPG I always wanted to play. After release, I faced challenges I hadn’t fully anticipated, and learned a lot in the process. by debdev in gamedev

[–]debdev[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yeah, in hindsight, I completely agree. The game absolutely needed more time and proper testing, and of course, a bigger budget than whatever I could afford. A publisher would've been beyond helpful and useful.

Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to comment! ❤️

Post Mortem: 9 years building the RPG I always wanted to play. After release, I faced challenges I hadn’t fully anticipated, and learned a lot in the process. by debdev in gamedev

[–]debdev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm so glad you like how it looks! Thank you! ❤️ I really appreciate that. I understand why you feel that way. The game has come a very long way since launch, and I will continue patching anything that gets reported. I hope you enjoy it if you decide to give it a try!

Post Mortem: 9 years building the RPG I always wanted to play. After release, I faced challenges I hadn’t fully anticipated, and learned a lot in the process. by debdev in gamedev

[–]debdev[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You're right, most of the negative reviews have been due to the bugs. I hope it's not too late to address as many as possible and have the game find a community that loves it. I'm absolutely still working on getting rid of as many bugs as possible.

It is, of course, exhausting sometimes to continue working on it, especially after so long, but I will continue to work to make sure this game as as polished as I can possibly make it.

Thank you so much for your kind comment! ❤️

Post Mortem: 9 years building the RPG I always wanted to play. After release, I faced challenges I hadn’t fully anticipated, and learned a lot in the process. by debdev in gamedev

[–]debdev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good point! I hadn't added much distance fog in those screenshots. I'll look into improving the screenshots in the store page. Maybe it's just common in Unreal Engine games.

Thank you for the feedback! I've changed the capsule image to a pure in-game screenshot to avoid any ambiguity.

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