I’m proud to announce that I’ve launched the Steam store page for Null Band Games’ first commercial release. [Wishlist The Patchwork Ship today] (https://store.steampowered.com/app/4466060/The_Patchwork_Ship/#game_area_purchase)!

The Patchwork Ship is a spacecraft roguelike deckbuilder. As a brain-in-a-box probe, you must evolve, grow, and collaborate with others to escape a dying star.

I’m honored by the wishlists that I’ve received so far. Thank you so much, I will do my best to deliver!

As I’ve been preparing for the Lake George Game Expo over the past few weeks, I’ve made progress on:

  • Flexible ship generation for the player, NPCs and backgrounds
  • Game art and removing placeholders
  • Iterating across multiple trailers and store art
  • Improving controls
  • Steam Deck Testing

I wanted to have a demo ready for the expo, but that wasn’t practical. Instead, I’m bringing the current alpha build, which does have demo language in it. It’s completely playable with a mouse, and sort of playable with a controller.

The expo is tomorrow, and I did a dry run. Banner, stickers, and business cards are printed and in hand, two Steam Decks have the alpha and are in offline mode, I’ve got all the accessories and everything packed away and ready for a 4-hour drive.

A folding table with two Steam Decks and the alpha version of The Patchwork Ship

I’ll be taking notes and validating ideas from 10am until 5pm tomorrow. It’ll be wonderful to see people’s reactions. I need to be careful to be open, not defensive, and make people feel heard. It doesn’t mean I have to compromise my vision, but I should listen and adjust.

I’ve held off on working on content, instead getting the core game loop down. I know things are unbalanced, there’s a low amount of playable content, and a number of mechanics aren’t implemented yet. I’m not going for perfection or completion at this stage.

My goals are:

  • Promote the game and my brand
  • Generate wishlists
  • Get feedback on the game
  • Network with regional industry professionals

It’s terrifying and exciting, and I look forward to meeting a few hundred folks tomorrow!