Heya friendos! I had a week of rest, so it’ll be a short one today. We’ll just take a look at Rumorweaver‘s planning and call it a day. Let’s dive in!
How Am I Doing?
I’m running out of ways to say I’m good, but I’m good! I had a low-energy week after those weeks of working my ass off. When I’m concentrating and in my routine, I sometimes forget that I still need breaks, despite riding that wave of productivity. It also happened to be sunny this week, so I went outside to catch some much-needed rays.
It also goes to show that you shouldn’t plan your work so tightly. If you have a week where you need a break or are sick, your entire planning snowballs out of proportion. When working for a boss, I tend to give myself a lot of extra space in planning, but this time around I planned Rumorweaver‘s deadline quite tight. Perhaps I was blinded by wanting to get done with it ASAP.
What Am I Doing?
As it stands, after updating the planning to be more forgiving, Rumorweaver’s first real draft won’t be finished until April. After that, I still need to do all the necessary legwork for launch: steam page copy and artwork, promotion, pricing research, and all that jazz. There’s a Steam Next Fest coming up in June which could be a great moment to get a demo out in the wild. So realistically, I should aim for launch in the back half of the year.
That being said, I’m supposed to start a new project with a collaborator somewhere in March. I’d love to say I can juggle both games at the same time, but that’s wishful thinking. So, we’ll see how it pans out! Maybe I’ll put Rumorweaver on hold during that time, or leave the demo up indefinitely.
In the meantime, we’ve got that demo to finish! Right now, I’m chipping away at a version of the game that doesn’t include the third act. I’m interested in seeing if people play it through until that point, and even if some folks are engaged enough to try a different route already. Hopefully, in next week’s newsletter, I’ll link to that build. Keep an eye out for that!
Why Am I Doing? (this)
In last week’s newsletter, I said how easy it was to “flip the switch” into “getting things done mode”. I was surprised by my own motivation and energy to finish this game. I envisioned a year of hustling. Completely focus on work and getting products out there. While my mind is still there, I can’t rely solely on that workhorse attitude.
I still need time to unwind and separate myself from work. We’re running a marathon, not a sprint.