State of the game - May 2022

Here we are a few months since I've started to release alpha and now beta versions of Project Gaia. Looking back there are so many things I didn't expect for my first dive into game development. Only about two months in, and nearly 20k views, 3700 downloads, a positive response all around.

The free version on itchio is currently v0.5.1
The main early access version for supporters is v0.6.2

And this weekend I have just posted a latest with some minor bug fixes for the highest tier of supporters, v0.6.3. I feel like I'm in a very comfortable pace now, and wanted to take the time to clarify what that looks like.

This new patch version falls right into my new development pace of about 3-4 weeks. It's nice having this patch version objective, because it lets me focus on bugs and minor issues immediately, and then the next 2-3 weeks I can focus on more feature content. I feel more focused. In the case of this version, I felt like I had some time for some research spikes and to learn more about the many plugins I have available, and to learn more about the engine.

This helps to reinforce to my promise to all supporters that the minor versions will be more feature rich and for all supporters. The first week after that allows me to focus on bugs found across the last several versions. If the bugs are done, then I can get some pure research time in to improve the game in general.

Then the next 2-3 weeks allow the supporter minor version to have better direction, some new skills and tools to drive that feature development faster, and have higher quality with fewer bugs.

v0.7 is still on track for about another 2 weeks. 3 if I get clear messages from my artists and they communicate that is what they need to get the next milestone worth of art in. If so, I'll relay that to my supporters. I'm most eager to unlock new stories and gameplay the most. At the very least, I can work on dialog and story to actually finish Act III.

Then for all free players, v0.6 will drop on itchio once supporters get their hands on the latest.