Today is the first anniversary of Planetary Settlers, and it has been quite the journey so far, filled with some good moments, bad moments, and really funny moments. As a solo indie developer, I thought I would share the highlights of my experience. Here are the highlights over the last year of the good, the bad, and the funny!
The Good:
I had a lot of fun making the game so far, over the past 3 years.
Planetary Settlers was accepted and released for Early Access 1 year ago!
Received positive reviews so far
It feels great to get my first big time game out there after so much work on it (I have made many smaller games from childhood, but this is my first truly meant for prime time).
It feels great to put something out there that can really help people. It is a fun, family friendly game that has the added benefit of teaching about the solar system, based on the Standards of Learning objectives. I believe kids playing this will likely improve their science grades, and that adults will also get a lot of fun and enjoyment out of it. I look forward to adding the remaining levels, adding more features, and polishing it up for full release.
I am very thankful for the support of friends, family, go fund me donors, and everyone who bought the game!
The Bad:
Finances... I had hopes and expectations that I would make a lot of money off this, but I haven't even broken even yet (though I am getting close, not counting development time). I have been hoping Planetary Settlers would supplement our income to help me and my wife get out of debt. We nearly went bankrupt earlier, but have managed to halt our downward spiral, so it isn't all bad. I have hopes that my continued work on this, and full release of Planetary Settlers when it is done will give us that boost we need to get out of debt.
Bugs... Like nearly all software, Planetary Settlers hasn't been immune to bugs. The worst bugs so far were: once the initial dialogue for Mars got associated to the Sun level dialogue, and a save game from the Normal Mode slot would occasionally move over to the Free Exploration Mode slot. I implemented fixes for both of those though very quickly after discovery. I have also fixed many lesser bugs, and still have more lesser bugs to fix. That is part of the journey in software development.
I haven't had enough reviews to have a review score for Planetary Settlers. Thankfully the reviews received have been positive so far!
I haven't met the sales threshold to be able to release trading cards for Planetary Settlers. Enough of the bad, lets move to... the funny!
The Funny: I have had a few funny experiences as well:
Figured out you can grind up puzzle pieces on Pluto, which kind of hampers your progress. If encountered, you could fix it by restarting the level, but now you get an achievement for trying to do it (in addition to getting your piece back with some funny dialogue)! Puzzle Smoke, don't breathe this! This achievement is in honor of "Will it Blend" which is one of my favorite YouTube series!
The Exploding Bed Blooper: I imported a bed (public domain) from TurboSquid. I successfully imported it into the game, and then... I tried to make it physical, with the thinking that it would be neat to be able to pull the pillows off. I also had it really large so I could see the finer details of he bed. Here are the results of that "adventure":
Exploding Bed Blooper!
Found out that throwing things, particularly furniture, in low G has some rather entertaining results, as shown here:
Throwing chair off sky scraper!
Yes, there is a subtle "Uranus" joke in the game somewhere, can anyone find it?
The Future: For those that have read this far, here's a sneak peek of what I plan to add:
- New levels (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and possibly more!)
- New projectiles (paint balls, various sports balls)
- New crafting objectives (e.g. craft repair parts, craft projectile factories)
- Ability to repair the bases and make them habitable
- More achievements
- Improved look and feel
- Optimized performance
- Other languages
- Possibly more!
New Achievements!
I have added 7 new achievements, bringing the grand total to 30 achievements available so far! One is a tribute to one of my favorite YouTube series: Will It Blend! To trigger it, blend up a puzzle piece! Puzzle smoke, don't breathe this! The rest are new achievements related to Normal Mode and Open Exploration Mode! Can you get 100% completion in both? A big congratulations to anyone who can accomplish this feat!
Level-Up-Date
Save game slots - 10 save game slots have been added! If you have an existing save game, it will appear under slot 6. The date and percentage will update once you open / save the game. Slots 1-5 are Normal Mode, and Slots 6-10 are Open Exploration Mode!
Normal Mode - Here, your ability points count, and this is how Planetary Settlers was originally envisioned! As you complete challenges, you earn ability points that allow you to increase your skills, and shield against harsher environments / solar radiation. It is effectively a level-up system. Upgrade and reconfigure Blue 42 under the ability tab! Simply select a new save under the Normal Mode tab to begin!
Open Exploration Mode - Lets you explore the solar system without most of the restrictions, and is the way Planetary Settlers has existed so far. Any already existing save game is located in Slot 6.
Updated look and feel - Replaced the cartoony looking rocket, and redesigning Blue 42's look to not be cartoony. I realize that while the cartoon look appeals to kids, it does not appeal to adults. I plan to make Planetary Settlers look more realistic, appealing to both kids and adults! If you like the rocket, it is still preserved as a toy / decoration!
Updated music - I added music to the title screen, as well as replacing the music of Venus (I got feedback that the old Venus music was not very good, but I think the new song is much better).
Bug fixes / improvements - I also made a number of bug fixes and other minor improvements!
Check out the new menu with save games below:
A Big Update
I have been working on a big update! Expect it later this month! Among other things, it will include a new “normal” gameplay mode, which will be more like a traditional leveling up style, as well as free exploration mode, where you are free to go anywhere and set your power levels to whatever you like! There will be additional game saves as well!
Blue 42 Look Poll
Curious what your thoughts are on this proposed build for the main character Blue 42? Do you like it, or think it needs improvement somehow? Feel free to suggest improvements! I plan on using a small version of this when Blue 42 is talking:
New Labyrinth and Graphics
I have added a number of new items in this update!
Added a new hidden labyrinth to explore on Pluto! Locate the hidden entrance near the castle, then explore a maze of copper, silver, and gold!
Now you keep your best medal on a challenge, instead of just the most recent.
Updated the targets to a better look
Added the rocket that appears in the Planetary Settlers logo. This is planned to be used to get to another area to build a colony in the future! You can see the first rocket on Pluto.
Pick-Up-Date
This new pickup update features new pickups! Most of the levels now have items you can pick up and refine into their elements!
I have added 3 new achievements! Two are for picking up hard to find pick ups, and "Explorer" is somewhat secret, check the achievement description for a clue!
I have also added some nice touch-ups, to include an updated cell tower on Earth, beds in some of the buildings, and more!
Collectibles and Elements!
Collectibles and elements have arrived! I have added various collectibles throughout Planetary Settlers! These will be instrumental in crafting, which I plan to add in a future update, so start collecting! Whatever you collect is teleported to the Pluto Element Factory (via a portal mounted on Blue 42) and converted to its basic elements. Check the pause menu - resources tab to see how much of each element you have collected. Collectibles currently include:
Ingots - copper, silver, and one hidden gold ingot
Diamond rings
Air canisters
Iron Ore
As an added bonus, you will likely become familiar with the periodic table and learn some basic chemistry principles as you play! These are the real elements as we know them.
In future updates, I plan to add many more collectibles. I also plan to make it so you can craft upgrades for your robot, craft miner robots, and ultimately create buildings, water, air, and objects to support colonies throughout the solar system!
New Secret and Upgraded Menu
Can you get 100% game completion? My latest update features the following improvements:
Pluto Secret - Now you can get the Secret Scrap medal on Pluto if you find the secret area!
Progress Tracker in the pause screen menu - This tracks game completion percentage, as well as progress percentage for the current level.
Restart Level Button - This button lets you restart the level in case anything goes wrong (e.g. you try to grind up your puzzle blocks) or you just want to restart the level.
New Achievements and Missions
I have added new achievements and missions! Can you beat me at my own game on the new Venus Pyramid Parkour mission with your jet pack turned off? This will earn you the Lava Leaping achievement! Try beating me at a different parkour mission with your jet pack turned off for another achievement! I will leave that for you to find. Can you be among the first to get these new challenging achievements?
I have implemented the beginnings of a crafting system, as shown above, where you can currently craft a table. This system is planned to play a crucial part in future plans for colony building! There is also an achievement tied to this as well, but I will leave that for you to discover!
I have added 7 new achievements, bringing the grand total to 30 achievements available so far! One is a tribute to one of my favorite YouTube series: Will It Blend! To trigger it, blend up a puzzle piece! Puzzle smoke, don't breathe this! The rest are new achievements related to Normal Mode and Open Exploration Mode! Can you get 100% completion in both? A big congratulations to anyone who can accomplish this feat!
