Posted March 19, 2021 by Synthnostate
Big-picture update on Synthnostate: Crusaders of the Tinfoil Hat - basically the yearly “we’re not dead” post. I wanted this to be the WIP release announcement, but alas, I can only say we’re getting there.
2020 was not a productive year. When we said IT’S COMING IN 2020 we meant the game, but we got the ITZ. I was already on the verge of burnout and this clown world insanity was the last straw. But I got it together again, found the title I was looking for (the hardest part of gamedev), rendered the new cover art, made a rough prototype for a sequel, finally finished SS:CTH v0.4, and did some private alpha testing on Windows and Linux.
Lateness has brought clarity. All major retooling, overhauls, and stretch goals are canceled. We’re sticking to the original plan and cutting corners as needed to make do with bad design choices. The only priority now is DO SOMETHING, ANYTHING. Playtest heavily, stub out the bare minimum levels+quests for a complete speedrun playthrough, and keep filling in gaps in gameplay. When it’s fun enough I’ll start uploading WIP releases.
Business plans: I expect this to remain a solo/family business and make 2 or 3 serious games in total, about one every 5 years, quality over quantity. If games don’t bring in enough money, that’s fine; we’ll spend more time on other work. If we can do bigger things through collaboration, great; wokeness has been an obstacle in recent years but I’m in some sizable unwoke gamedev circles now. We’ll just play it by ear.