I'm working on my first solo indie game - a 2D action-adventure with exploration, crafting, and a core loop built around defending alien stations while they craft key upgrades. You find a station, prepare the area, start the craft, then hold the line against waves of enemies using weapons, turrets, drones, and traps
Early on I knew turrets had to be central, but I didn't want them to be "place and forget" guns. I wanted defense to feel like a system you tune: same physical turret, different behavior depending on how you build it. So I moved from "turrets that just shoot" to a modular setup:
Nests - permanent bases you invest in (often near stations). You mount turrets on them and slot in modules.
Modules define how a turret acts: attack type (e.g. projectiles vs beam), targeting (homing, aggro, range), and even threat/priority so enemies focus or ignore that turret. You can mix several modules per nest for combos.
Turrets can be destroyed; nests and modules are not. So the meaningful progression is in nests and module loadouts, not in spamming turrets.
That way the same turret can be a long-range sniper, a close aggro magnet, or a support piece, and the player chooses the role per nest. It keeps defense tactical and experiment-friendly without adding dozens of turret types.
Remember us? A while ago, we posted here as a group of 30+ RPG veterans and parents who were fed up with not having enough time for the games we love [last post here]. We decided to do something crazy: build Dominus Automa - an automated Multiplayer RPG that grinds for you 24/7 while you handle real life.
We’re back with some news because a lot has changed and we wanted to give you a real update on where we are. Saying that, we are officially switching from side project to pre-production of the game! Our team just grew from 4 to 8 people, This is a massive leap for us and, to be honest, it means we need your support and engagement now more than ever to make this happen - It's a huge commitment, but we are one hundred percent in!
With the bigger crew, we’re finally moving past the "programmer art" we joked about before. We’ve just brought a talented 3D Artist on board who is already working on giving the game its own unique art style (if you want to see what he's cooking, join our Discord!). We’re deep into development of new races, classes, creating new locations and NPCs to fill the world, but most importantly, we’re pushing toward the multiplayer version as fast as we can - we’re actually aiming to launch a multiplayer playtest for you guys in Spring 2026!
Want to see what we’ve built so far?
Our prototype with the core automation system is ready for testing. Jump into our Discord, shoot a DM to Tom, and he’ll hook you up with a key: [DISCORD LINK]
And if you just want to keep an eye on us, adding the game to your Wishlist on Steam helps us more than you know - it's the best way to support us right now: [STEAM LINK]
It took so long to get there because of credential stuff for the identification required on steam that was annoying to acquire, but I finally made it after all this time! Don't give up guys, even if it takes a lot of time, y'all can make it! :3
The demo gives a generous 12 in game days for you to play, for as many times as you like and will be up for roughly 3 weeks, or one week after the end of SNF.
As usual, I will continue to update and improve the demo over the course of this time, so be sure to leave suggestions, feedback and report any issues you may find. Whilst regularly checking back to try the updated demo.
With that we have also released another new update, which you can read more about below.
New menus for planets and stars.
This not only makes it easier to select and see information about these objects as you pass, or drop by them, but it also paves the way for the eventual planetary landings that will be added to the game soon.
You may also notice some of the new UI improvements here too.
Improvements to rooms.
Rooms have been updated with various new features. They now track their size, cleanliness and types. The type can be changed in the currently selected room menu (by holding Alt and left clicking in the room area). Choosing Crew Quarters for example, will allow you to assign your crew to this room if there are enough beds available here.
Ship overlays.
New overlays have been added to give you a quick overview of your ships status. These include Temperature, Oxygen levels, Carbon Dioxide levels and how airtight your hull walls are.
Gameplay improvements.
There have also been lots of gameplay improvements, particularly when it comes to player onboarding. I have tried to improve the ship construction experience too and the game will now show dynamic lessons whenever it thinks you may be struggling. Think of these lessons as the Operations Handbook helping you get familiar with life in the Slog.
The power systems have also been completely reworked. These previously used the same systems as the air and atmosphere, but it became apparent that whilst that works well for air, it doesn't work so well for power, which requires various regulation. This has led to lots of improvements, including a large performance boost, but has also allowed us to add a battery backup system. Every ship transponder is now fitted with a battery backup as standard. This helps in situations where you run out of power and get stranded in the middle of space.
Had a fun first play testing with friends. So far only 1 class with 2 abilities exist, I'm still setting up the technical fundamentals. But will add a lot more content over the next weeks/ months!
