Finally I have found ’my flow’ and I am now pumping out content like crazy. This makes it so I can finally share some thoughts on an possible upcoming release of this game so you guys & gals can also play this fun game.

And there is this new Find the Gome gameplay video. Its shows a few interesting new things that I want to add context to.

So, buckle up and enjoy the ride!

Video

There is a lot of new stuff in here. The 3rd level, the smooth gameplay (everything is coming together), the collectibles concept, the new UI concept and the new level selection (map) concept.

My release plan

Its finished when its finished. That should be the foundation under every (game) project. However, I seem to work a lot better under pressure.

I don’t know how this happened to me, but I got myself together. I seems to be able now to pump out stuff at a good quality level and good speed at the same time.

I reflected on why this happened. And these are the things I could think of that contributed to this:

• I did set myself a target to go for -> The delayed Steam Deck release date.
• Upgraded my structure to support a good mix of quality and speed -> ’official’ sprints of 3 weeks + 2 predefined epics each sprint + epics that match ’the grand plan’ + my ’old’ system of structuring work during the sprint by having types of tickets/issues to work on with predefined points to check off / think about.
• Surrounded myself by very good and inspiring artists -> I bring in 50%, they bring in the other 50%.
• Accept good things cost money -> Paying others to do things I am not good at.
• Keep momentum going -> I make tough decisions and set attainable goals, both for myself as for the team.
• Have realistic expectations -> Accept that ’good enough is good enough’, with my own work or work provided by my payed artists.
• Confidence boost -> On my ’main job’ I got a major acknowledgement for my performance lately.

My main thing I take away from this is that its very important to clarify things. I previously refrained from control but that made things very unclear. With getting things clear I mainly try to keep it human and focus on people, while at the same time the technical side must be clear at all times. This specific mix feels very natural to me and I really enjoy working with my team.

And another recurring theme is: offloading work. My work structure helps with keeping mental load low, it provides a plan to know where to head to so I don’t have to think about that anymore. And I delegate much more, I get other people to work on stuff I am not good at or don’t have time for. The ‘not good at’ or ‘dont have time for’ is something that makes me very self aware if I am doing that kind of work myself and this gives a lot of mental anguish. So delegating that type of work is a double win for me.

So… you might think by now… ‘ok, but… you said you had a plan to release this game… what is your release plan?’

Week 6 or 7 in 2022 I expect something to be on Steam:

I also have concluded that I can’t release this game as a replacement for ‘Find the Gnome’. It will be a separate game (and store page). People that did buy ‘Find the Gnome’ in the expectation it will once be replaced by something better can claim a free code for the new version by reaching out to me.

I have a few reasons to release it on a new page. But mainly its because its confusing, both for me and for existing and new customers. The game is totally different from the previous one now, only hidden object and gnomes are similarities. And yeah I think its a better homage to the amount of work put in by my artists (and me) to give this game a nice new and cozy place to land.

And one last thing on the Steam deck support: I aim on getting my game officially certified. A big part of this is having support for a good controller/touch control scheme. It might be too hard to pull this off before the said deadline, so it might be an after-release fix, but FtG is going to be available on Steam deck for sure.

So… that’s it for this week!
Leave a reaction on this blog, on the youtube video, or get over to the GameFeeling discord.