Hello again fellow gamers and devs!
After sifting though loads of data and doing a lot of analysis I finally finished the full and abridged versions of the Post Mortem reviews of Probe. I analyzed everything from the original concept and prototype to what the game is today after updates. I even evaluated the global leaderboard and achievement data for the full game and the demo version as well. Typically Post Mortems are done 2 weeks after launch/release but since the game kept growing and changing with updates I waited until I felt the game was finished, which was with this last final update.
So was Probe a success? Or was it too difficult for most gamers? Well, you'll have to check out the Post Mortem(s) and make that decision for yourself based on the data. I think, for what I intended to make, it was a success in that sense but it's also not as simple as that.
The full detailed version is a pretty long read with some more in depth behind the scenes input (blog suggests it's a 35 minute read) but if you'd rather just see raw data and a general overview I recommend you check out the abridged version instead (15 minute read). Hopefully these documents can provide some great insight for my fellow devs or are at least be an interesting behind the scenes look at Probe for any players interested in learning about it's development and performance. Writing these definitely helped me realize what my strengths and weaknesses were in it's development and will definitely help me in the development and release of my next game. I can see why they are important to do from a development standpoint.
Now I can finally move on to writing the Game Design Documents and Story (hint hint) for my next game and get started on it's prototype. Unfortunately, it will be a while before I start releasing more information on what it will be. I'll drop some vague hints or updates on my progress as to how far off I am from the full reveal in my weekly posts. Also, since there won't really be any game updates for a while unless I do a game jam, I'm going to start naming the "Weekly Updates" "Weekly Posts" instead. I will still make posts every week on various different topics until I am ready to reveal my next game and start regular updates on it's progress. Topics will include things like games I've played recently/reviews, specific genres, game dev tips and tricks I've learned, my top 10 games/genres and maybe even a little peak here and there at my daily life outside of game dev. I'll try to keep the posts as interesting and/or as informative as possible. If you have any kind of topic for my weekly posts you would like me to discuss (doesn't even have to be development/game related) please feel free to leave it in a comment below or head over to the contact page and send me an email. Also don't forget to subscribe to my blog/newsletter at the bottom of the page for updates when new posts or announcements are made.
Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well and having a good holiday season so far and thanks again for everyone's support! I'll be back next week with a new topic and possibly even a little holiday treat for everyone.
Nathan Hicks Nate Bit Games
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