Semblature has a store page
I submitted Semblature's store page to Valve today! It goes into review now, which takes a few days, and after that there will be a public page on Steam with a wishlist button on it.
What's on it
The page says what the game is: a single-player deduction game where a collection of units all look identical, and you work out which are broken, which are hosting a Shade, and what order they belong in. I expect the gameplay for the main story to be about five hours, and the cost will be $4.99. It will certainly have more replay value for some people though.
A key feature of this game is fairness, where you are never required to guess, and hints are free and unlimited and never held against you. I love challenging games, but sometimes I want to chill after a long day of work, but still solve some puzzles.
The screenshots are real captures from a development build. It will have two different modes: schematic and fantasy. The current screenshots will be closer to the schematic visual mode, which is better suited for those who want to minimize distractions. The fantasy visual mode will be more stylized and show more details of the work bench and the magi-tech semblatures.
I also include an itemised account of where AI tools are and aren't used in making it, which lives at semblature.com/ai.html and gets updated as things ship rather than at the end. Working a full time software job, these tools have helped me take on all the ideas I've had for games, and I'll enjoy contributing to the gaming community.
The calendar
Steam Next Fest, October 19–26. This is Valve's recurring event, but each game only gets to do it once, and it potentially allows a larger audience to discover the game. Registration closes August 31, so getting the store page submitted and approved is a required step.
A demo, in October. This will go live ahead of the fest, as I want to make sure the demo has any wrinkles ironed out before the fest starts.
Launch, December. That is the target for a 1.0 release with a story and ending. As a solo dev, nothing is forcing me to release on that time frame, but I will only delay it if it's not ready yet. I'm not going to release an unfinished or unpolished game.