Happy 2012...The Year of Lifeless Planet!

As we approach the new year, I want to wish everyone a very happy 2012. Thanks again for making this last year great...I hope to return the favor in the year ahead!

A Big Month

Hard to believe it's been over a month since my last update--but what a month it has been! We were contacted by several publishers during the Kickstarter campaign and we recently flew to London to meet with one of them (Alaska to England was quite a trip). We're currently trying to negotiate a deal to distribute the game, though we don't have anything to announce...yet.

Being an indie developer comes with its share of challenges. I'm learning one of those is simply all of the roles that must be filled by one or two people: programmer, artist, designer, animator, marketing manager, producer, writer, etc. Not a surprise of course and I'm not complaining--it's been a fun ride, but very...educational!

Game Progress

Before I left for London I was able to prepare a rough demo level (once it's farther along I will eventually be sharing it with my beta-testing backers!). It's currently about 50% of what I want the finished game quality to be. I'm including lots of gameplay elements in the demo level that will be in the full game so I (and my beta testers) can test design ideas and discover what works and what doesn't. There are some fun moments already, and I knew I was on to something one night when I got spooked by my own game. You'd think I would've known the scare was coming...

I've not made as much tangible progress in the last few weeks thanks to travel and the holidays. However, in planes, trains, and automobiles I've been sketching level designs, tweaking gameplay concepts, and fleshing out game story. That's something else I've learned: an enormous amount of work goes in on the front end of the game just nailing down every last detail of how the game will look, feel, and play.

I'm not officially moving the January (beta) and July (ship) estimates yet, though I may have to adjust those soon. Just will depend on how much headway I can make in the next few weeks. I promise to post more often...and hopefully will have more cool stuff to share soon. Believe me, I've been working like mad!

Rewards Update

I'm finally making progress with the remaining backer rewards (well, besides the game itself). You should see your poster within the next week or two. Figurines should go out shortly too. I feel badly I didn't get them out before now. If they'd come back right the first time you'd have them, but I apologize all the same. Everybody has been very patient, so again thank you!

More Publicity

You might have noticed a Lifeless Planet mention in the Holiday issue of the UK PC Gamer. They ran a story about Kickstarter Projects including a brief discussion of Lifeless Planet on page 25.

Get in the Game!

How would you like to get your photo in Lifeless Planet? Well...maybe you can! I'm working on a contest idea where the winning prize is a snapshot of your face somewhere in the game. Sound cool? Oh and this would not be a money thing--just something fun for my fans...stay tuned!

Kickstarter Success!

I'm happy to announce that our Kickstarter Project for Lifeless Planet has succeeded! We raised 202% of our funding goal for a total of over $17,000! It's going to take even more money (which is coming from other investors and our own pockets) and a ton of time and energy to complete the game, but we've now got the momentum to make it happen! THANK YOU so much to everyone who contributed!

Stay tuned here and on the Kickstarter page for progress updates as we move ahead...

Pre-Order Lifeless Planet Now!

I'm happy to announce that the Kickstarter fundraising campaign has begun. With a pledge of just $10 you will get a copy of the game when it ships! There are lots of other great rewards too, like a sweet t-shirt, posters, and even a 6 inch tall figurine of Aelita, the mysterious young woman from Lifeless Planet! When you pledge, you'll not only earn great rewards...you'll help this game become a reality!

Thank you for considering supporting Lifeless Planet!

Visit the Kickstarter Page >>
  
9/27 UPDATE: We've Passed Our Kickstarter Goal! 

Last week was an incredible week for Lifeless Planet. On Wednesday, we got picked up by several major gaming news websites including PC Gamer, Joystiq.com, Rock Paper Shotgun, Destructoid and many others. By the end of the day the project had passed its funding goal! As I write this, pledges are up over $12,000 and still coming in. A huge THANK YOU goes out to everybody who's pledged so far as well as all those who have helped to spread the word about Lifeless Planet.

I don't want to get ahead of things here...While we've met the goal, there's no upper-limit to how many pledges we can accept. More funding will simply enable me to purchase the resources and talent I need to make this game better, and finish it sooner. In addition, more pledge support means we can port the game to more platforms...so please continue to spread the word!

I need your support!

OK, so hopefully you've seen the new game trailer for Lifeless Planet and you can't wait to do some extrasolar planet exploration!

Lifeless Planet is a totally independent game project by a very small team: in fact, all of the production so far has been by one guy (me!). The goal is to make the best possible 3D action-adventure game on a small budget using free and low-cost tools. In the past some truly great games have been created by lone developers with a passion for their work. What's amazing is all the new tech that now allows independent studios to create incredible 3D games.

To pull this off, I will need your help. Even with great new tools out there like Blender and Unity, it takes a massive amount of effort to produce a quality game. I've spent years (decades, I'm afraid to say) learning 3D modeling and animation, texture painting, and game programming. I've got a "real" job, but interactive applications (i.e. gaming) are my passion. I'm pouring my heart and soul into this project.

All of this takes time, and yes, time is money. So very soon I hope to launch a Kickstarter project to allow fans of Lifeless Planet to contribute to the cause.

In the meantime, the only thing I ask of you is to sign up for the free newsletter! I will keep you updated on project milestones, new trailers, betas, etc. And when the Kickstarter project launches, I'll let you know so—if you like—you can support the project and get great perks like pre-orders of the game and cool Lifeless Planet swag!

Lifeless Planet First Game Trailer is Live!

Check out the game trailer for Lifeless Planet at the top of this page, or on Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/27842764

Please let me know what you think of the trailer and watch this site for more info. soon...including pre-order details!

Welcome to LifelessPlanet.com!

Hello world! Soon I'll be posting screenshots, videos and other goodies about my new action-adventure game called Lifeless Planet. And this is the place where you can get it all...and get involved with this exciting project!