#snackodev

when did we go fulltime?

about a year after working on the project purely for fun

we were going to release it as a tiny game for any amount of money just to say we released something

well that didn't happen, obviously lol

when we realized people were legitimately interested in it and got publisher meetings, we decided to scale it up

but then found out it's way too difficult (mentally) to work on a game while working full-time

we had some money saved up, and i just finished college. what better time to absolutely ruin our lives give fulltime dev a try?

our plan was: if our savings dip below about 70% of the total saved, we quit

luckily, we never had to worry about hitting that point because we finalized with a publisher soon after (but we no longer have any savings now so ? lol)

if you don't think you'll need outside help it will be easier on your wallet, but remember that means more time on your end taken away to do things you will be less comfortable with

how much of the game was done at that point?

not a lot. it had basic features: farming, walking, talking to people, placing objects, fishing, etc.

this is what the game looked like around that time (2019 summer/fall)

the problem? they were all not that great or they didn't scale well. since then, the game has evolved and changed a lot that it's almost unrecognizable from a systems standpoint

best examples is schedule system to handle NPC actions, dialogue trees, and cutscenes

i would say only maybe 10% code/asset-wise, but 90% of the concepts and plans were already in place

this is what the game looks like now!

how have we been supporting ourselves?

barely hahahaha.

we got a set amount from our publisher each month. this can vary depending on your contract or if you decide to forgo a publisher

most of it goes towards paying for contract work (vfx, sfx, music, additional programming, etc.)

another portion gets sucked into admin (yearly accountant, lawyer, business operating expenses like licenses)

the rest goes into our living expenses. mortgage, bills, etc.

patreon was anywhere from $300-$600 at our peak, but some of that went back into merch for the higher tiers, so we can just say $400 avg

we got a $10k USD grant from epic games (megagrant, free to apply) in october 2019

our kickstarter was around $40k USD. most of it went to paying composer! (it's worth it trust me)

now that our publisher funding has ended (it's been...5 years wow), we have some personal debt as i made the choice to keep some business cash on hand just in case

All packed up and ready to go

Explore the island and its four distinct biomes

Customize your journey by combining different gems for different tool effects - each tool and gem has a unique combination, allowing you to tailor your upgrades to your playstyle

Easily manage your goodies and stamina by utilizing an array of tools and features, from auto-deposit to the Lunchbox for auto stamina restore

Never worry about the size of your rucksack when you're out! Craft from storage and the Overflow Storage lets you keep just the essentials on you

Explore the island and its four distinct biomes

Customize your journey by combining different gems for different tool effects - each tool and gem has a unique combination, allowing you to tailor your upgrades to your playstyle

Easily manage your goodies and stamina by utilizing an array of tools and features, from auto-deposit to the Lunchbox for auto stamina restore

Never worry about the size of your rucksack when you're out! Craft from storage and the Overflow Storage lets you keep just the essentials on you

Meet someone new

Invite shopkeepers and villagers based on personality, or work hard and build housing for everyone! With 26 characters of varying personalities (and species) to get to know, you're bound to find someone who clicks with you

Experience romance with 21 characters with no restrictions

Learn more about each character through quests, dialogue, and cutscenes

Get comfortable with these quality-of-life features

Running out of time? After a long day out, simply use the Go Home button or camp outside with a Sleeping Box

You can purchase items from shops when the shopkeeper is off duty - they trust you!

Pick between built in World Themes such as low contrast or dark mode, complete with a dark mode UI and a slider to change the strength

Build up your dream life

A flexible build mode means you get to decorate how you like

Snap to grid, free rotate, undo and redo, float items, dye objects, no building restrictions, and a search box in your catalog for over 300 items to place

Utilize Screenshot Mode and undo/redo to record your own build timelapses

Nudging objects while in Lock mode gives you finer control for decorating your surfaces with clutter... Or get creative and combine objects together