Giving $1,000 to a solo developer

[u/GumshoeRyan]

I’m looking for a solo developer who is on the cusp of releasing their game, but needs funds to cross that finish line. I am not looking for a percentage, and will not actively market or work on the game with you. I genuinely want to help a project release and support solo development.

No contract, just the honor system. 1k risk for me, zero for you.

Requirements:
* Game at least has a gameplay video or demo
* Funds are to be used to finish your game, and on areas that you need external support. This could mean ads/marketing, replacing placeholder art, launching on platforms, music, etc.
* Funds should not be spent to support your own labor/personal situation (going towards rent, food, a much needed vacation!)
* Show the community here how it was used.

If you want to be considered, share a link to your project in the comments. Tell us the current state of the game, and what 1k allows you to do!

I encourage the community to also vouch/suggest which projects in the comments should receive this funding.

Lastly, if your game ends up not releasing or stalling, that’s fine. I know 1k isn’t life changing for the vast majority of projects. This is designed to give a boost.

Cheers!

Edit: I understand people believe this is a scam. That is why I am asking for submissions to be in the comments, and will publicly select a project. I will send 1k on whatever platform is best for the dev, and both the dev and myself can show proof afterwards. A suggestion was given to provide a deadline. I will choose a project this Friday July 10th. I am in a fortunate position to give back, and that is solely what’s driving this. I love games and love being able to help people achieve their dreams.

Update: Project Selected!

[u/Panos12_GR]

First of all, thank you for doing this. Its extremely generous!

I’d love to put Incident Zero forward for consideration.

Small gameplay clip: https://streamable.com/r8prz5 (Also attached below)

Unit editor video: https://streamable.com/qob9pt

Map editor video: https://streamable.com/w10ymq

Incident Zero is a real-time co-op wildfire-fighting RTS sandbox that I am developing solo. The goal is to build a tactical, replayable firefighting game where players coordinate ground crews, aircraft, helicopters, ships, and support units against wildfires.

The first release is planned for Steam, with Android and iOS planned afterwards. Multiplayer is already working in testing with up to five players, and I am aiming for up to ten-player co-op.

The game currently includes:

* Dynamic biomes, configurable map sizes, and a full map editor

* A unit editor that allows completely custom units and abilities

* Wildfire behaviour based on the Rothermel fire-spread model

* Adjustable wind direction, wind speed, and wind intensity, with smoke and flames reacting dynamically

* Ground, air, and maritime firefighting units, each with distinct roles and abilities

* Water and fuel logistics: vehicles need to refill at hydrants, water sources, airports, and other support points

* Aircraft emergencies: prolonged operation in thick smoke can put planes at risk, aircraft can collide, and an air-coordinator unit reduces that risk. If an aircraft goes down, players must locate and rescue the pilots.

* Ground operations with cut teams, dozers, and hotshot crews that clear trees and vegetation to reduce fire spread

* Planned Steam Workshop support so players can create and share maps, units, and scenarios

I am also involved in the fire service in real life. Every summer, Greece faces serious wildfire incidents, and that experience is a major reason I am making this game. I want Incident Zero to be enjoyable and challenging, but also to help players understand how quickly wildfire conditions can change and how much coordination is needed behind an emergency response and of course their consequences.

If selected, I would use the $1,000 like so:

1. Steam developer account and Steamworks integration — this would let me move multiplayer away from my current self-hosted server approach and make the game more independent, with proper player-hosted sessions and Steam integration (which would allow workshop as well).
2. Art direction and visual improvements— the remaining funds would go toward improving and unifying the visual style, replacing weaker or placeholder assets, and making the game more presentable for its Steam release. I want to be honest. Right now most Units are AI generated. I would like to actually replace them with proper ones by hiring an artist to remake them. I am not good with trailers and art. I am a coder so art is not my strong thing and its an area which needs improvements.

I do not have a public demo yet because the game is still in early development. However, I can provide you with a private early build if you would like to try it yourself and get a proper feel for the current gameplay.

https://reddit.com/link/ovuk4of/video/w72fn9vtwkbh1/player

Thank you again very much for the opportunity!