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So I exhibited Project Stormwatch, in its way-too-early pre-production state at GDLX 25, and had a blast! This was really the first time Project Stormwatch has been shown off!

What is GDLX?

GDLX stands for Game Dev Local Expo, which is an expo, hosted by (you guessed it) - Game Dev Local! Which is a community of indie developers in the UK.

I signed up to be an exhibitor this year, and was super unprepared. During this I was also part of an Indie Bootcamp, where I learnt some cool indie dev skills like how to pitch games and build decks. This really helped me in preparation for this event.

The Buggy Demo

The build I took to GDLX was super early and buggy, and I was working on things right up until about 4am the day of the event, I think the last thing I got in was last-minute controller support! I only managed to get about 2 hours sleep before the event!

The demo actually went down really well! (apart from some laptop issues!) People seemed to be really interested in the concept and idea and gameplay of the game!

Huggge thank youuu

I want to give some massive shoutouts to the people who helped me out with this event!

  • Olivia Mercik and Sharif Alali: Both volunteered to help run the booth with me, and did such an amazing job at talking about the project. Some of the posters which were on the booth showcased their beautiful art work - they are so so talented!
  • Adam Tingley: Helped print way too many posters and stickers for the event and being the biggest supporter ever! He is now also the reason why my PC and notebook is covered in Project Stormwatch stickers! There is also a few people out there who also have a huge handful of stickers too!

Connections

I met some amazing devs at this expo, including Noe, who is a narrative writer who worked on Heartsworn, a dating sim on Dorian. I’ve already played two chapters, and I’m in love with Noe’s writing style. I’m really hoping to get feedback and advise from Noe, as Project Stormwatch will have dating and relationship stories!

Art Style Voting

At the expo, I held a small poll to get feedback on potential art style approaches for the game, and this was the results:

  • Green stickers represent what people think fits the 3D art style the best
  • Star stickers represent what people’s personal favourite style is

The clear winner for the expo poll was Style #8, with #7 and #1 also having strong support. But the online poll is still open if you’re interested!

❓ Questions

  • I would love to hear specifically what you think about the art style voting, where you would put your green and star sticker and why?
  • I would also like to hear what you think about my expo booth and how you think I can improve it as I’m hoping to showcase at more expos.

Please comment below, I’d love to hear your thoughts!