April 20th, 9:00 AM. Chris's bedroom, the air thick with anticipation (and the faint scent of stale instant noodles), was the site of a new conquest: itch.io.
"Operation: Conquer the Internet begins!" Chris declared, striking a pose that was more awkward than heroic. "First step: itch.io. We need an account, a page, and a way to make this game look amazing."
Max, already navigating the itch.io website, was creating a developer account. "Project Nebula…sounds official, right?"
Tyrone, armed with his sketchbook and a graphics tablet, was designing the game page. He envisioned a bold banner image, eye-catching screenshots, and a compelling description that would lure players in.
They spent the morning setting up the account. They chose a username ("NebulaNauts," a suggestion from Tyrone), wrote a brief bio about their "studio" (a highly embellished account of their three-person operation), and uploaded a profile picture (a hastily taken photo of the three of them, looking sleep-deprived but determined).
The afternoon was dedicated to crafting the game page. Tyrone created a stunning banner image featuring the spaceship battling a swarm of enemies against a backdrop of swirling nebulae. He also captured a series of screenshots showcasing the gameplay, the power-ups, and the boss battles.
Chris wrote the game description, carefully balancing hype and honesty. He emphasized the game's features: the multi-level campaign, the variety of enemies and power-ups, the challenging difficulty settings, and the (mostly) bug-free experience.
Max researched itch.io's page customization options, learning how to add sections, embed images, and format the text.
By 9:00 PM, The Nebula Gauntlet had a home on itch.io. It was a virtual storefront, ready to showcase their creation to the world.
"It's…it's like we're real game developers," Chris said, staring at the page with a mixture of awe and disbelief. He felt a sense of achievement.
Max was already planning the next step. "Now, we need to make the game playable on itch.io. That means…exporting for web." He is ready to learn.
Tyrone, ever the artist, was tweaking the banner image. "Needs more…sparkle!" He will polish more.
April 21st. Exporting for web. Max's turn to shine. "HTML5, here we come," he announced, diving into the Godot documentation.
He learned about the different export options, the required settings, and the potential pitfalls. He discovered that Godot had built-in support for HTML5 export, making the process (relatively) straightforward.
Chris helped him test the exported game, trying it on different browsers and devices.
The first attempt…didn't work. The game ran, but the performance was choppy, the sound was distorted, and the controls were unresponsive.
"What's going on?" Chris frowned, inspecting the console.
Max realized the problem. "We need to optimize the game for web. It's different from running it locally."
He spent hours tweaking the export settings, optimizing the assets, and simplifying the code. He learned about texture compression, audio compression, and other techniques to improve performance.
By 9:00 PM, they had a web version of The Nebula Gauntlet that ran smoothly on most browsers. It was a significant technical achievement, making the game accessible to anyone with an internet connection.
"We're on the web!" Max exclaimed, triumphant. He felt like a pro.
Chris was impressed. "Now anyone can play our game, anywhere." He can't wait to tell everyone.
Tyrone, ever the visual thinker, was already designing a "Play Now" button for the itch.io page. "Needs to be…click-worthy!" And look beautiful.
April 22nd - April 23rd. Bug hunt, round two. "Time to exterminate," Chris declared, his voice taking on a mock-serious tone. "We need to find every remaining bug, no matter how small."
They played the game relentlessly, on different platforms (web, PC), on different difficulty settings, trying every possible combination of actions. They found a few new, subtle bugs:
A rare instance where a power-up would spawn outside the playable area.
A slight visual flicker with the enemy explosion animation on certain browsers.
An inconsistency in the save data when switching between web and PC versions.
A minor bug in the game that make sound not working.
Max meticulously documented each bug, and they spent hours tracking down the causes and implementing fixes.
By the end of April 23rd, The Nebula Gauntlet was (as far as they could tell) truly bug-free. It was a polished, stable, and ready-for-release product.
"We have a bug free game!" Max shouts.
Tyrone and Chris cheer together.
"We're ready," Chris said, a sense of finality in his voice. "Ready to unleash this thing on the world." He is getting closer.
Max was already planning the mobile export. "Next step: conquering the world of smartphones!" He is getting ready.
Tyrone was designing social media posts to announce the game's release. "Time to make some noise!" He's really eager to share their game to everyone.
They were exhausted, but their excitement was at an all-time high. They were on the verge of achieving their dream: releasing their own game.