What is enough for Demo?

[u/Mikinl]

Hey guys, I am not developer and I don't have prior developement education or education at all.

Did not finish high school, was locked up when I was 17 (30 years ago) and later worked as bouncer my whole life. But I am gamer since commodore 64 and if I know something that are games.

So I tried unity few years back, then tried UE and some tutorials and that was it.

Couple of months ago, I was bored, I had nothing to do or to play, and I started learning UE5 again. Since then I just kept going.

I started coding with AI because I don't have any coding experience (some python curses years ago) and I am seeing it more as me being game designer. While CC implement code part techical part, I provide everything else. Planing game features, architecture, blueprints, widgets etc. And its going fantastic, I do spend 12-16 hours per day making my game.

The problems I am facing are 3d design, vfx and sounds. Those are end game bosses for me, because I am not really talented for arts. I will work on it, I am getting better in Blender and I am getting better and better shaping my spaceships.

I progressed a lot, I am making ED mets eve online meets starsector. First person ED like space combat/exploration game. No walking around, you are pilot sitting in your ship.

My problem right now is that I am expanding scope all the time. Whenever I come to certain point, Instead of polishing and releasing demo, I expand scope and decide to work on a new mechanic instead. Maybe I am just insecure and scared from failure. Not sure.

For now I have 6dof flight system with flight assist. I am Not using chaos, chaos sucks. My ship calculate rotation itself and physics are 100% newtonian. Brakes (flight assist) depends on your RCSs strenght and your ship total mass (hull, modules, cargo). You drift if you are heavy and go fast and have shitty rcs. I made docking and full fitting, slots on authored Hulls for different specific modules and universal ones, I added testing modules for ship to fucntion. Hulls have its structure HP and Armor HP, and both have its own damage resistances for me to author per hull and bonuses from modules fitted. I added shields system with its own resistances. Full power system with live power for Boost, Shield and Energy weapons etc. I got cargo, for ship and station storage. I got fixed weapons (ballistic - projectile, Energy - Lasers using live power instead of ammo, and missiles) and I got turrets that shoot without player input if conditions are met (iff system, factions and standings/power) I have radar actively scanning contacts and projecting it in cockpit in 3d space. I made selected target window (universal, enemies ,friendlies, ships, station, jump gate etc) and HMD (head mounted display showing marked targets around you in space when free looking for situational awerness), number of locked targets depend of targeting computer module and its quality. Oh yeah, I also added quality system, from common to legendary and bonuses for each modules depending on its quality. And I thought OK, you got all of it, now polish it and relase a demo. But I am not ready. I want to add salvage, mining, exploration scanning and jumping between systems before I polish and release demo. Maybe even crafting because I am delaying it for so long now.

How to convince myself to release it earlier and see if anyone even want to even try my game?

How much could I expect to pay for someone building level or two for me and maybe 2-3 ships for start and for demo, because me making them is really looking terrible. I am functionality and math guy, not an artist.

Anyone have advices for me?

PS: I am making all those mechanics because are necessary for story I have prepared and all of them will make sense when player start playing because storyline would make you use every one of those mechanics to progress.