ionAXXIA - classic top down design-your-own-ship space shooter. [Steam, Android, XBox, Win 10]

[Shifty Geezer]

ionAXXIA leaving Early Access December 3rd. New trailer:

At the moment I'm focussing on a PC release, then worrying about ports. So it's kinda cheeky I'm posting this here in the console forum. Really need to see how well it does or not to justify work on console versions. The update on Steam describes the content fully and I'm gonna spam it in the PC forum too.

https://forum.beyond3d.com/threads/...t-arcade-shooter-ionaxxia.61617/#post-2230518

 

[iroboto]

ionAXXIA leaving Early Access December 3rd. New trailer:

At the moment I'm focussing on a PC release, then worrying about ports. So it's kinda cheeky I'm posting this here in the console forum. Really need to see how well it does or not to justify work on console versions. The update on Steam describes the content fully and I'm gonna spam it in the PC forum too.

https://forum.beyond3d.com/threads/...t-arcade-shooter-ionaxxia.61617/#post-2230518

Man; you did a great job. Feel like I’m looking at a spiritual successor to starcon2.
Wondering if it makes sense to merge the two threads ?

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Thanks! It really was a five year passion project to do just that (although more Starcon 1 than 2!). I'm aware the WIP Early Access versions were a bit crap. I think I fumbled EA completely as I kept hitting Unity limits and having to redo stuff with long breaks in meaningful progress. And I dare say it's a genre that won't have widespread appeal. But it really does play well. Even after thousands of hours of testing, I still enjoy the ship-to-ship combat, especially when things aren't going to plan in a fight and you have a find a way to make the best of a bad outcome. It's a shame I know all the tech and tricks and can't experience it as a user, unlocking new toys and tinkering with builds.

At the moment, because there are separate PC and Console gaming forums, I see it as two audiences who may not cross over. Same issue we have with any cross-plat title. I mean, it also needs a thread in mobile gaming too, a forum that's becoming increasingly fused with just Gaming. There's a stronger argument than ever that there should just be a forum for Games without regard for platform. But for now, Steam users can play ionAXXIA where it's still in a prototype state on XB and Android and not even considered for other platforms.

 

[milk]

I don't remember if you talked about this before, but how are the art assets being done? Do you have partners creating those or is it all you?

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Mostly everything's me, solo creation, zero budget. Ships and component renders are me using Realsoft 3D*. I had a friend game artist create the rock and planet art some years ago. Audio is from a Unity asset - audio's a real bugger! Needs a lot of work to make something good and coherent. It mostly works but it's not gonna win any awards. Music is me. Marketing materials are also me which is another huge pain. Lots of work needed to create different sizes and shapes of store art and whatnot. Producing the update details for the Release Candidate took a notable time as I had to come up with spiel and then art to coincide and create banners and whatnot. I think it's three custom artworks for Steam.

Honestly, game dev is a lot of work! And I completely failed at the active communication and community building. I can't see how one can create code and game and Tweet and reddit and whatnot without at least having an income from investors or somesuch to let you do it full time. In some ways, the 'bedroom coder' has it easier than ever before, but in other ways it's also much harder and perhaps more of a gamble.

* Edit: I should say that I was using an older version that wasn't properly Windows 10 compliant. I saw RS had out-of-the-blue been updated for Win 10, contacted the devs about availability and they remembered me from my time creating tutorials etc when the RS community was a thing, and they gave me a free license for the latest version! Raytracing on the new version was 10x faster than the old and really helped with the rendered components.

 

[eastmen]

I purchased it. Going to try it out on my go 2 and pro 6. This could be a great steam deck game

 

[goonergaz]

I purchased it. Going to try it out on my go 2 and pro 6. This could be a great steam deck game

Yeah, that's what I figured too...glad to see you finally get over the line @Shifty Geezer

 

[iroboto]

bought; grats for making it over the finish line.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Thanks so much! Please let me know if balance is off in the beginning. I can quickly iterate Steam patches to get it just right. I have one player who ran out of cash very early on so we added deficit spending. Before too long, he was rolling in cash. Yet another player much earlier on was a Star Con fan I reached out too. He was complaining it was too easy!

More than anything, I think those first minutes have to be fun and rewarding, just long enough that a game is not immediately rejected in favour of trying one of a million other options.

 

[goonergaz]

You mean we don’t get endless cash and other perks for being forum members!?

 

[Shifty Geezer]

AlStrong/Nets got his own ship on request.