Initial commit — Station 0 vertical slice in progress

Includes full design documentation (ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN_NOTES, CONTENT_SPEC, PRODUCTION_NOTES) and active Godot 4 / GDScript codebase. Core systems built: player, floor generation, room system, enemy base, body part upgrades, run manager, save system, HUD, EventBus.
2026-03-04 12:33:05 -05:00
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+# Production Notes — Backing, Team & Funding
+
+---
+
+## Solo Dev Reality
+
+Possible, but 5–8 years to do it properly. The game has four disciplines that each need to be excellent:
+
+- Systems programming (roguelike, card rules engine, networking)
+- Art (2D sprites, isometric assets, 3D assets, UI, animations)
+- Writing (NPC dialogue, lore tapes, card flavor text)
+- Audio (music, SFX)
+
+The NPC dialogue and lore delivery are the core differentiator — weak writing will kill the game regardless of how good the systems are.
+
+---
+
+## Minimum Viable Team
+
+**3–4 people | 2–3 years | ~$150k–$300k**
+
+| Role | Priority | Why |
+|---|---|---|
+| Artist | Critical | Visual identity makes or breaks the Steam page |
+| Writer | Critical | NPC dialogue and lore are the soul of this game |
+| Second programmer | High | Card AI, networking, and roguelike systems in parallel is a lot |
+| Composer/audio | Medium | Can be contracted per-milestone rather than full-time |
+
+This gets to Phases 1–10 (full roguelike + card game with AI + lore + NPCs) without online PvP.
+
+---
+
+## Comfortable Team
+
+**5–6 people | 2 years | ~$400k–$700k**
+
+Adds dedicated QA and a proper audio lead. QA matters more than it sounds for a game this interconnected — a card game with AI opponents, online play, and a complex NPC state machine will generate serious edge-case bugs.
+
+---
+
+## Funding Paths
+
+### Grants (No Equity — Best First Step)
+- **Epic MegaGrants** — up to $500k, no strings attached
+- **National/regional funds** — UK Games Fund, Canada Media Fund, Screen Australia, etc. (depending on location)
+- Apply for these before approaching publishers. The architecture doc is unusually well-structured for a grant application.
+
+### Publisher (Marketing + Porting Support)
+Good fits for this game's tone and scope:
+
+| Publisher | Why |
+|---|---|
+| Raw Fury | Narrative-heavy indie, strong aesthetic fit |
+| Fellow Traveller | Story-driven games specifically |
+| Devolver Digital | If the tone goes darker or weirder |
+| Humble Games | Mid-tier indie, less creative interference |
+
+Publishers typically fund $200k–$800k against a revenue share (usually 70/30 or 80/20 after recoup). You give up some control but gain QA, marketing, and often a console port — which can double lifetime revenue.
+
+### Avoid
+Equity/investment funding unless building toward a live service model. A premium indie doesn't need that pressure.
+
+---
+
+## Online PvP — Separate Budget Item
+
+Online card PvP is **not a one-time development cost**. It requires:
+- Server hosting (ongoing monthly)
+- Anti-cheat
+- Balance patches and moderation
+- Customer support for trade disputes
+
+This is a live service commitment. Treat it as a separate business decision, not just a phase on the build list.
+
+---
+
+## Priority Order
+
+1. **Find an artist.** Without a strong visual identity you can't pitch, can't get funding, can't build an audience.
+2. **Apply for grants** — the concept and architecture are already in good shape for an application.
+3. **Build to Phase 6** (full run loop) before approaching publishers. A playable vertical slice is worth 10x more than a document.
+4. **Decide on online PvP scope** before any publisher conversation — it changes the funding ask significantly.