A Thanksgiving Message From the Developer

N.O.R.Ms

I will be pushing update 1.1 in the next few days. It will include several bug fixes, new mechanics and some new content with more details to come. One of the new features will be a code based loot system in the Birthing Bay. The details will be in the update notes, but I just want to give you context for the references to different loot codes below.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I think it’s important to pause and give thanks, and right now I have a lot to be grateful for.

A little over a year and a half ago, I started No Time For Pants as a hobby project. Six months in, I lost my job and had some difficult choices to make. I’m a little older, and developing a game and bringing it to market has always been a dream of mine. I could just barely see the vision for this game, and it really felt like a “now or never” moment. So I committed. I set the scope, dialed in, and got to work.

This was my first project like this and I didn't really know what to expect. Any solo developer will tell you the same story - late nights, doubt and frustration, tiny breakthroughs, big breakthroughs that turn into major setbacks, and generally being completely consumed by the project. It’s a cliché only because it’s true. As a gamer, I’ll never look at an indie game the same way again. And despite the challenges, it’s been incredibly rewarding, and I’m thankful I had the chance to accomplish what I have.

As launch got closer, I had to shift my focus to marketing - something I had no budget for and no real knack for. It felt like pissing in the wind. I had about 500 wishlists from Next Fest, and Splattercat - bless him - not only opened my email, but actually played my game. His community was very generous and their feedback and support gave me hope. So if Splat ever sees this, and to his community, thank you.Steam post imageusing code "splattercat" will unlock Splattercat skin with an animated backpack (you'll have to find the gun in the wild)

Eventually, my deadline arrived. I had three play testers, no publisher leads, no real social media presence, and the choice was either walk away or launch. So I full-sent it. The past month has been full of ups and downs. I know gamers - especially the ones who support weird little niche indie games - will forgive all kinds of bugs as long as they feel like their time isn’t being wasted. The persistence bugs after launch were a real problem, and I lost a lot of sleep trying to navigate them. I earned every review calling the game buggy - that’s on me.

Steam post imageuse code "pixelpushinc" for Bradley's tool belt for fixin stuff.

But there were also players who found the fun anyway. To Tomato, who streamed my game right after launch, thank you so much.

Steam post imageusing code "tomato" will get you this dripping Tomato skin (gun not included)

And to the handful of you that showed up in Discord, left thoughtful reviews, and shared the problems you ran into and are giving me the chance to fix them, I’m truly thankful.

So, I just wanted to give some context for where the game is right now, reaffirm my commitment to getting it where I want it - and where I think a lot of you enjoying the game want it to be too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

o7 Bradley