Hi everybody,
Development for IC has been stalled for a few weeks now and I need to take a step back to think about what the game needs most and how best to get there.
Unfortunately, my non-IC obligations are also picking up and are showing no signs of slowing down.
To maintain my sanity, I’m going to be stepping away for awhile to recharge. I’ve been very reluctant to do this, but it’s best for the longevity of the game and community if I know when to remove myself.
We’ve been through this before, so it’s nothing to be alarmed over. It was helpful before and it will be helpful this time as well.
Anyway, a few things I want to address before I disappear for awhile:
Milky Way 71 will go on as planned
Milky Way 71 will go on as planned
MW71 will open for registration soon and start later this week. Your patience is appreciated.
It's all good here!
It’s all good here!
Nothing is happening here that is pushing me out. It’s other responsibilities, including my day job, pbbg.com, and a handful of other projects I have my hands in. I’m just overextended, is all.
You guys have actually been a joy because when something else is causing me anxiety, for the most part I’m thinking “Hey, at least IC is good.” So thank you all for being cool.
Dev Progress
Dev Progress
The Tick Speed
Before things got crazy busy for me recently, I was in the middle of work to Speed up the Tick. I plan to keep working on this, and stepping away will actually help me focus on just the programming for awhile.
Infinitum
I’m very well aware that Infinitum needs shaking up. I am working as fast as I can.
To those who think it launched prematurely, I do want to reiterate that:
- We’ve been talking about Infinitum since 2017
- We tested it privately across 3 months before officially launching it
Your criticism is valid, but please consider the wider context.
As usual, it’s not that I don’t see the problems that need fixing, it’s that I don’t have enough time to work on the fixes.
The API
The work to Launch the API Server is our most pressing technical need to move forward.
This will be the #1 priority after I optimize the tick. The only exception will be emergencies that break the game or take the website down.
The Podcast
The Podcast
The Imperial Conflict Podcast went silent about a month and a half ago, and I still owe everybody the @Airwing and @Jets episodes.
I also owe completed transcriptions on our earlier episodes. Thank you those who helped to transcribe: I haven’t forgotten about this work in the least.
I still plan to get that all sorted, but for the time being it’s going to have to wait a bit longer. It’s kind of a bummer, because it’s been so fun, but that’s how it goes. 
I do encourage others to play around with podcasting about IC. Feel free to share here if you do. 
Other Community Stuff
Other Community Stuff
A lot of great things are happening lately:
- A new player-created galaxy recently drove new features to be developed.
- One of our long-time players is producing a series of Imperial Conflict video guides.
- One of our oldest players has started an important conversation on fostering more community contributions.
- Our tech-savvy players are writing code to help build Open sourced IC tools to improve the game for everybody.
I could go on. You guys are awesome.
I can’t overstate how helpful this kind of stuff really is, not just for me personally to take the pressure off, but for every single one of us here.
Thank you to those taking the initiative on these kinds of things, and if you’re interested in doing the same: please do. If you’re not sure how or where to start, just ask here in the forums and you will be helped.
Help Wanted: Intergalactic Liaison
I am NOT looking for a “Moderator”.
You all have proven that you’re able to moderate yourselves via the flagging system and I’m happy to say that although some of us get into verbal spats, for the most part we all act like adults and don’t require babysitting.
What I am looking for, is somebody who can help keep me abreast of things so that I can stay aware of what the community needs without having to be as active in forums and chat all the time. This will help me better focus on development.
This is not a request for anybody to design and enforce rules, either within the community or the game itself. This is a request for help to facilitate communication.
If you’re interested in helping in this capacity, please send me a message on Discord.
Donations
I very much want to thank you for our existing Patreon subs for their continued support. It really does make things more manageable.
You all know by now that I hate asking for money, but the blunt reality is that a large part of my stress is the financial undertaking of managing an indie game. I’m a single person trying to stay on top of the hustle, so any help is greatly appreciated.
You can subscribe to Patreon here, and IC also accepts 1-time donations via Paypal here.
Contact
I’m soon going to temporarily remove myself from all forms of direct contact on Imperial Conflict. It’s no longer sustainable for me to help people over PM, either on Discord or here in the forums.
All support needs can go through http://discourse.imperialconflict.com/w/help.
It sucks to go radio silent, even if only temporary, but right now I need to step back for some perspective so I can come back with renewed focus.
Thank you all for understanding.
