iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Side note, gotta love any explanation being categorized as "defensive". I guess the only acceptable response is "I'll get right on that?" 🙃

070

Little Rocket Lab is not an unlimited factory builder. It's a life sim where you happen to build a factory instead of farm. If the feedback is you hate that approach, that's okay. We're going to get it wrong sometimes. But we need room to have strong design opinions to get cool new things.

180

And that's just, not this game? It's a very different design direction. And yeah, I can see how it frustrates some players. But even if it could be a setting (which it really can't here, so much of LRL's design is tied to the day night system), doesn't mean it should.

150

The most debated design choice of Little Rocket Lab is the day system. Shops close, you have to go to bed, and npc schedules change. I'll admit it's got some issues in how it played out. Some players want to push the game more towards Factorio; unlimited building, can always turn in research, etc.

150

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

It's cool that games as a medium allow customization, but can we please stop responding to every design decision we don't like with "it should be a setting"? You can not like it, that's fine! I'd rather game designers put forward a strong vision for their game rather than punt that to the player.

A steam discussion board post with the following text:

"The developers have been pretty closed off to this sort of feedback since before the game officially released.

Guess they have their vision and they're sticking to it. That isn't always respectable.

I personally haven't bought it (and dont plan to) because I know I'd find it annoying and I don't like their attitude towards it. They've jammed a square peg into a round hole and get defensive when people tell them it doesn't fit. The fact they won't even include it as a toggle should tell you something."

5101

Make sure it's isometric graph paper for good measure.

000

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

I'd much rather lose my wallet or my laptop than my notebooks. That's really rough.

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Not everything players don't like is a "quality of life feature".

000

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

Whenever I look at a small indie studio's website and see multiple people with titles like "Director" or "Producer" and who aren't actually working on the game itself, I die a little inside.

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

I have a confession to make. I do not get Angine de Poitrine. I'm glad they exist, but my brain does not understand their music.

140

Reposted by Kyle Schmitz

Donovan [Megahammer Studios] @megahammerstudios.com · 27/04/2026

One of my all-time favourite ambiences to create was the coast zone in Little Rocket Lab. Using only one cleverly mapped distance parameter, we were able to transition from a windy upper region to roaring waves to gentle water lapping on the beach. And just listen to those 16-bit seagulls🌊!🍟🦤🌊

0113

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

Glad you're enjoying it! Hopefully you didn't lose too much in the silo!

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

I love that I unknowingly hit two of the three narrative types.

130

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 14/03/2026

GDC 2026 is done! Had a very different GDC this year, running from hotel lobby to hotel lobby pitching my next title. Was a great time though catching up with friends and making new ones. Next stop, Gamescom!

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

Can we please stop using motorcycles as shop decor? This is a crime. 😭

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

This is the kind of thing you pick up as an audio log in a post apocalyptic video game.

041

Reposted by Kyle Schmitz

ellie nash🏳️‍⚧️ @elizabethnash.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

IT TOOK ME FOREVER BUT LOOK AT THIS BEAUTIFUL LITTLE SYSTEM‼️‼️ as far as I can tell, I think I am the first person to achieve maximum throughput in noor's house factory which is pretty neat.

271

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

Whoa, this is impressive! I don't think I've ever actually seen anyone achieve this before. Well done!

020

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

And I'm glad you're enjoying it! I hope you have a speedy recovery!

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

It's possible to hit the target throughout (60 items per minute), but as far as I know not the literal max (90 per minute). If you're having trouble hitting 60, make sure to remove the chair in front of her desk!

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

We really need to replace the word "generated" with "regurgitated" when it comes to AI.

080

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

I hope you're enjoying it! It was important to me that the game featured strong female leads, so it looks like it found its way into the right hands!

100

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

I feel like the first point of staying small isn't said enough. It's shocking how fast the math no longer works when hiring more people.

000

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

Everything in this blog post is gold top to bottom. Definitely give it a read.

020

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

AI is already taking away our ability to make art, but have you considered also having AI take away our ability to enjoy it as well?

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 20/12/2025

I really stressed about putting it in there too, given that some people have taken cozy or wholesome to mean stress free. But I think we need more cozy games with strong story arcs. I really think a game can be cozy but still have real emotions and setbacks.

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

It's a bit silly, I've always thought of games with over 1000 reviews as the "big hitters". The giants in the indie space. Pretty incredible to see Little Rocket Lab hit that milestone. I think we might be on to something here.

8804

Reposted by Kyle Schmitz

Haley MacLean @haleyfax.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

I think about Swen Vincke's speech from the Game Awards 2024 often. How mind-numbingly simple his postulations are and how crazy it is that they still need to be said, and how it feels like a breath of fresh air when they are. The edit in 2034 with all the GOTYs with this audio is gonna go so hard

416827

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

I hate to say this, but it is genuinely the worst part of the job. That being said, a lot of people are extremely tired of this nonsense, and have come out in support of the game. Don't let stuff like this keep you from making what you love.

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

Auntie is having none of that under her roof.

000

Reposted by Kyle Schmitz

castpixel ⚧️⚢ @castpixel.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

whenever I'm like "hey if there's no game jobs, then there's no game jobs, I'll just quit already", I'll get a message like this, and it makes me realize. We're indies, we share knowledge and skills, and help each other out. That's what this industry is about, for me.

944395

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

So I learned recently that you're the pixel artist that did the assets for Unity's isometric 2D tutorial. Little Rocket Lab actually started from that exact tutorial and was build into what it is today. So thank you for helping me get my start on the game! unity.com/blog/engine-...

unity.com

Isometric 2D environments with Tilemap

Unity's Isometric Tilemap system allows game creators to customize and iterate detailed 2D-level designs with hexagonal grid layouts, brush tools, and more!

11129

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

She just has a hijab. That's it. There isn't any mention of any specific religion in the game. Even the church was made nondenominational.

130

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

As a kid growing up playing SNES games, I never thought that one day I'd get to release a game on a Nintendo console. This is honestly an incredible moment. So happy to have Little Rocket Lab on Switch.

0173

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

The real irony is we get comments on these reviews saying the us dev are unprofessional and out of line. Like we're supposed to just eat shit with a smile.

Mike Rose @mikerose.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

Reposted by Kyle Schmitz

We had an Overwhelmingly Positive score on Steam, then these two reviews rolled in Why does Valve allow this?

1473199546

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

Apparently even Chapters now is stocking physical copies of obvious AI generated garbage. Pretty disappointing and getting harder to avoid.

Kyle Schmitz @kyleschmitz.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

The real reason for the day cycle in the game is for daily prayers.