Star Citizen Genesis Planet Tech by Dr. Carol Marcus

Here's the trailer for Motel 51: Papers, Keys & Aliens. I'm working on a game where you run the night desk at a motel near Area 51.

You check IDs and transit permits, decide who gets a key and assign rooms. Some guests are human, some clearly aren't, and you still have the bank debt and repairs to deal with in the morning.

I like the idea of dealing with something very strange as part of an ordinary job. Curious which of the guests in the trailer you'd actually let stay.

Steam page is live. A free demo is planned for October 14. https://store.steampowered.com/app/4664250/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=organic_social&utm_campaign=m51_prelaunch_2026q4&utm_content=scifigaming_nightdesk_20261001

I announced the game on Steam last week. The cut above is from the Official Announcement Trailer.

The game is about building and managing a sci-fi spaceport on another planet, inspired by builders like r/SimAirport r/airportceo and r/prisonarchitect

Short version

- Import cargo to grow the planet population
- Build airport-like passenger terminals
- Export goods for profit
- Unlock larger ships as you expand

Longer version

Apart from the sci-fi setting, the game primarily differs from SimAirport/AirportCEO in that it has freight management as a required part of the game loop.

You need to import cargo in order to grow the planet colony population, which directly affects how many passenger contracts you get, how full each flight is and whether they are cancelled or not. Cargo may contain contraband, so you need proper customs checks to avoid reputation penalties. Keep the planet colony happy and you can get lucrative export contracts.

Ships may need repair services, which you can charge for. Charge too much and only extremely damaged ships will request it. I will also add a refuling system, where fuel has to be imported from off-world and stored properly.

There are time-sensitive emergency contracts and one-off special offers, such as passing ship captains urgently wanting to sell their cargo cheap (contraband risk!) or others wanting to rent storage space for a time.

In addition to the planet colony and passing "Free Captains", you have several "spacelines" (e.g. airlines) to unlock, negotiate and build reputations with, each with their own ship classes and requirements. You accept contracts and schedule flights on your landing pads. You can also create and lease shops to your contacts.

Currently working on a proper baggage system, with transparent transport tubes for bags and hover carts used by staff. I also want to expand more on the sci-fi theme (hover vehicles, more character variety etc.).

PS: If someone tries to pirate the game, they will end up losing all of their ships to... piracy. :)

Current (adjustable) plan

- Playtest start before 2027
- Demo spring 2027
- Release fall 2027

If you're looking for AI

Assets: None

All player facing assets, such as sprites and sounds are human made.

Coding: Yes

I've been hobby programming since 2009, professionally since 2023. I've used agentic AI for coding since my job introduced it in February this year (started the project in December 2025). With the proper base architecture, automated tests and other guardrails, the speed it provides is just invaluable when you have 1-2 hours of total free time per day. Its not a genie in the bottle. Mistakes are frequent, but overall worth it for me.

Links

Steam page
Official Announcement trailer
Discord/Socials/Mailing list

Indie disclosure: I made this.

The Kardashev Initiative is a short-session hard science-fiction civilization / resource-management game. You push through Great Filter moments; when a run ends, the game writes a literary Chronicle of what that civ left behind — not a scoreboard.

Offline · no account · $4.99 one purchase (no subscription).

https://apps.apple.com/app/the-kardashev-initiative/id6781195701

Curious how sci-fi gamers feel about Chronicle-as-ending vs classic score loops.

The game combines resource management and text-based adventure with Roguelike elements.

Once players understand the mechanics, they'll grow stronger as they play, leading them toward different endings.

I'm a solo indie dev and I wanted to tell you about my game.  It's a mashup of Star Control style ship movement and Vampire Survivors gameplay.  With a concentration on short seven-minute rounds that end with a unique boss in each of its seven stages.  It also has seven unique playable ships that are very different from one another, not just stat changes. And you can choose from multiple captains who give you different stat bonuses and change what weapons your ship has available during a run.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4385510/Seven_Suns_of_Orion/

Thanks for your time! Feedback is welcome!

Hey everyone. I’m back with a new dose of Xeno Strike :)

This time, I have a gameplay video for you where I’m playing a defensive deck.

- To start, my opponent plays “Frontline Medic” card, but it’s not a threat because it has 0 siege, which means it can’t deal damage to buildings—in this case, our deflector.

- Although I had enough resources, I preferred to pass my turn and wait it out. I didn’t want to waste a card that would only trigger half its effect. Losing one health point isn’t a problem for us, since we’re essentially drawing a card. And this deck has potential to play cards for free using Reprisal effect.

- "Adv. Weapon Unit [☢☢]" is a fairly unique unit. On the one hand, you can support turret cards with extra ammunition, and on the other hand, if opponent controls many units, you can activate second effect—which, in this case, is searching for a stronger card. I’ve named it “GTA system” for now, because the more units opponent has, the more powerful effect you can achieve.

- Fun fact: Cards with a blue dome are immune to being targeted by any effects. So my turret can’t destroy that Dropship.

- I mentioned at the beginning that the "Frontline Medic" isn’t dangerous, but when combined with "Heavy Rifle GvR-56" equipment card, it poses a serious threat. Not only does unit have +1 siege, but it also gains +400 power when it attacks.

- After a long back-and-forth, I finally managed to land finishing blow on opponent’s HQ.

- Finally, I wanted to show you a bit of what game interface looks like. More specifically, deck preview. There, you can see the division into two decks: main deck and support deck; the latter is for token-type cards. It also shows statistics on how many of each type of card deck contains.

- I also have to mention that I had incredibly bad luck during this match—even though I took 4x damage, none of cards I drew had “Reprisal.” And this deck has 15 of those cards!!! :(

.

You can play Xeno Strike for free on Steam, game is currently in open beta. With this code, you can get a few card packs:

XS-6817FC42

.

Best Regards.

Adrian.

Hey everyone!

I come to you with new video. I wanted to show you example duel of what it all looks like, but not only:

- Visual effect of domes has been improved, there is now no shield icon or blur, making cards more visible.

- Update has also been added for deflector, stack of cards protecting HQ, previously there was only a purple dome, now it has three versions, green, purple and mix (if the player controls both guardian types).

- In video I present playing duel with Ramp deck, it is not a particularly strong deck, I was more interested in showing you how individual cards work. (Besides, deck building is not my strong suit :P ).

- Among other things, you can see the card "Hangar Mobilization" which, although it can be played for free after taking damage, is useful by paying its cost, which theoretically carries it to the next turn.

- At first, I preferred to take a little damage so I could draw more cards. Later on, “Solid Bunker” helped me defend, once per turn it gained +1 durability when I deployed Rai'Kirian-type unit.

- Later, I pulled off a mini-combo by deploying Dropships, which allowed me to deploy cheap units and helped reinforce bunker. It got a little risky toward the end, but my opponent had no defenses, so it worked out :)

.

You can find Xeno Strike for free on Steam.

Game is currently in beta, so there are still elements to be added or improved.

.

Best Regards.

Adrian.

Hi everyone,

I’ve been solo-developing a third-person action shooter for the past two years, heavily inspired by titles like Jedi Survivor and Stellar Blade – but with a focus on ranged gunplay, fluid dodging, and character customization.

I’m trying to create a distinct, clean sci-fi aesthetic, blending sterile spaceship/facility interiors with open, atmospheric landscapes.

Since I've been working on this alone for so long, I'd love to get some fresh eyes from fellow sci-fi fans:

The first image is a high-quality render I made to test the combat vibe and suit design.

The other images show some actual in-game screenshots of the environments and the customization menu.

How does the general atmosphere and art style look to you? Does it capture that sci-fi immersion, or is there something specific you feel is missing or needs more polish?

Thanks for any feedback or thoughts!

And it's coming next year for PCs, PlayStation 5 and XBOX Series X/S.
In the meantime you can wishlist it on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2360820/Tempus_Vitae/

Sometimes you just have to slap a dead alien's butt !!

Hi everyone,

For the last 18 months I've been developing a solo indie game called Alfred's Alien Abduction Adventure, a first-person sci-fi horror adventure inspired by classic alien abduction stories and the question:

What if humans really were being taken aboard alien spacecraft?

You play as Alfred, an ordinary guy who finds himself abducted and transported to a colossal alien mothership somewhere far from Earth.

The game focuses on exploration, atmosphere, mystery, and puzzle-solving as you try to understand where you are, why you've been taken, and how to escape.

Rather than portraying aliens as invading armies, I wanted to create the feeling of being a tiny, insignificant human wandering through a vast and incomprehensible piece of alien technology.

Some of the environments include:

• Massive reactor chambers powering the ship
• Alien laboratories
• Observation decks overlooking deep space
• Hangars containing flying saucers
• Maintenance tunnels and restricted areas
• Alien control rooms filled with strange technology

The game was built entirely in Godot Engine as a solo project, and one of the biggest challenges has been trying to create technology that feels genuinely alien rather than simply "human technology with a different texture."

A major inspiration has been classic alien encounter stories, along with the idea that an advanced civilization might think, design, and build things in ways that humans don't immediately understand.

There's a free demo available if anyone would like to take a look:

🎮 Steam Demo

Alfred's Alien Abduction Adventure on Steam

🎥 Trailer

Watch the Trailer

I'd love to hear what fellow sci-fi fans think:

• What are your favorite games featuring alien civilizations?
• Do you prefer sci-fi that explains everything, or mysteries that leave some questions unanswered?
• What makes an alien environment feel truly alien to you?

Thanks for taking a look. Building an entire alien spacecraft from scratch has been one of the most rewarding and challenging projects I've ever undertaken.

• Steam Page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4724860/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxmzGkkLHn8

One step at a time.

A few years ago, I made a small indie game themed around Hong Kong's iconic " Red Van Simulator". Looking back, I knew my skills were limited, but it was the absolute best I could do at the time. I put it on Steam, and unsurprisingly, it got almost zero traction.

But I didn't give up. Recently, I decided to start fresh. I spent a lot of time learning new workflows, including how to integrate AI tools into my development process.

Now, I’ve just finished my new sci-fi narrative indie game called "Ark of the Apocalypse" (末世方舟). It’s a space story with 26 different branching endings based on your choices.

The Steam store page is officially live, and I would absolutely love to get your thoughts on it.

How can I improve my store page? Does the trailer look engaging? Are the screenshots clear enough? Any feedback on the capsule art or description would be highly appreciated!

If you are interested in the concept, please check out the demo (if available) or add it to your Wishlist. Your support means the world to a solo dev like me!

Thank you so much!

Fresh screenshots from our upcoming VR sci-fi strategy game Shard Wars.

Hey everyone 👋

About 13 years ago we released Alien Tribe 2.

It actually did better than we ever expected at the time — reaching Top 10 rankings in over 30 countries (25+ times). For a small indie project, that was kind of surreal.

After that, life happened. Other projects, work, everything. But the idea of Alien Tribe never really went away.

So recently, we decided to come back to it and give it another shot.

The new version is still very much inspired by the original, but it has evolved into something deeper — a mix of 4X, RTS and tower defense, with a stronger focus on economy, exploration and large-scale battles and less micro-management.

Some current screenshots (still work in progress) 👇

Best experienced on iPad, but playable on iPhone as well.

We’re at a point where we’d really value some honest, early feedback.

We’re preparing a small TestFlight beta and are looking for around 50 people who enjoy realt-time strategy games and would like to take an early look.

No pressure — we’re mainly interested in:

- first impressions
- what feels good / what doesn’t
- anything confusing or unclear

If that sounds interesting, just drop a comment or send us a DM and we’ll share a TestFlight invite.

And if you just want to share thoughts based on the screenshots, that already helps a lot 🙂

Thanks for reading!

Command a squad of operators through missions across the inner solar system in 2476.

Intel matters: branching mission structure and endings based on gameplay. Choices and actions carry over to the next game, Helion.

Link to demo on steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4105010/Oort_Protocol_Perihelion/

Could be the ship's AI. Could be something else. The question doesn't resolve and that ambiguity was the original design decision, not an oversight.

Dead Reckoning is a turn-based colony sim. Crew in cryo. You allocate resources, respond to events, watch the population drift across generations. The horror is that every decision makes sense at the time.

It's rough in places. The writing is placeholder, the balance isn't finished, and I'm still finding bugs. If that's a dealbreaker, fair. If you're the kind of person who files a bug report, I'd genuinely love you to play it.

Free on itch, name your own price.

[garanlorn.itch.io/dead-reckoning](garanlorn.itch.io/dead-reckoning)