u/404Survivor

I started doing marketing for this game about half a month ago.

Since I have no marketing budget and I also didn’t work with a publisher, I was quite lost at the beginning: there are so many platforms and so many communities, I didn’t really know where to start or what to do. After continuous learning and trial and error, I slowly figured out a few very basic insights that I want to share here.

The main platforms I’ve been using are Twitter, Reddit, TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Among them, Reddit and Twitter have worked best so far.

On Reddit, if a post gets traction, it can usually bring in dozens of wishlists fairly directly.On Twitter, organic reach for new accounts is quite limited at the beginning. One thing that helps is following other indie game developers — indie devs often like, retweet, and help spread each other’s posts.

For YouTube, I try to focus on Shorts. Because of how the algorithm works, long-form videos from new accounts basically get no reach, while Shorts get more exposure. As for TikTok and Instagram, I haven’t really figured them out yet — I still don’t get much traffic there, and I’m still learning.

Feel free to ask anything in the comments, although I don’t know that much myself.

As for what I’m working on — this is my first game, 404 Survivor. If you’re interested, feel free to take a look: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4038790/404/

Three years ago, I started with a simple dream — to create my own indie game one day.

I had no real experience in game development, just a strong passion for survival games.

Together with three friends, we started building 404 Survivor from scratch — a sandbox zombie survival game focused on base building, survival, and controlling infected.

We learned everything step by step along the way, trying to turn an idea into something real.

As for some of the unique gameplay features in our game, the main one is that you can control zombies. Players can capture zombies and make them work for you—having them carry items, do tasks, and even go into dangerous areas with you.

This system is still being improved, and we plan to keep expanding it in future updates.

Players need to find a balance between survival, building, developing a “zombie factory”, and defending against zombie hordes, or choose to focus on one part to speed up the progress of the others. This also introduces a layer of resource management elements.

Three years later, we’ve finally completed the DEMO of this game.

We’re excited to share it with you.

This is the game I’ve been working on: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4038790/404/

Hi everyone, we’re a small indie team of 4 people working on a zombie survival game.

I recently went back and looked at our project files from 6 months ago, and it honestly surprised me how much the game has changed.

First, on the art side—we’ve significantly improved the overall visual quality. While many environment assets are purchased from asset stores (since we’re not very experienced in 3D modeling), some key assets are still made by ourselves. We also reworked several purchased assets to keep the visual style consistent.

One of the main challenges right now is that the art direction still doesn’t fully match the survival tone we’re aiming for, so that will be a major focus in future updates.

On the programming side, since most of our coding knowledge is self-taught, we ended up refactoring a lot of early systems. We’ve also implemented new core features such as zombie automation (controlling infected), building systems, farming, character status systems, combat and stance mechanics, cooking, and more.

And then there are all the other parts—animations, effects, UI, and so on.

As for some of the unique gameplay features in our game, the special thing about it is that you can control zombies. Players can capture zombies and make them work for you—having them carry items, do tasks, and even go into dangerous areas with you.

At the moment this part is still being improved, and in future updates we will keep expanding this system.

Players need to find a balance between survival, building, developing a “zombie factory”, and defending against zombie hordes, or choose to focus on one part to speed up the progress of the others, which may also include some resource management elements.

Looking back over these six months, it feels both fast and slow at the same time. Fast, because it’s hard to believe so much time has already passed. The long process comes from the fact that we actually managed to build all of this while learning everything step by step.

The game is still far from finished, but we’re proud of how far it has come, and we’ll keep working to polish it into the best version we can.

Wishing all fellow indie developers the best with their projects, and hope everyone can build something they’re proud of!

If anyone is interested, this is the game we’re working on — 404 Survivors:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4038790/404/

Over the past year, the game slowly reached ~600 wishlists.

Then during Steam Next Fest, it gained 1,200+ in just 7 days.

Seeing that difference was honestly surprising.

It’s now approaching 2,000 total wishlists, which still feels a bit unreal.

Just wanted to share a small milestone and thank everyone who played the demo and shared feedback Back to work — there’s still a lot to build.

This is the game I’ve been working on：
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4038790/404/

https://404-survivor-studio.itch.io/404-survivor

Hi everyone :D

I really enjoy survival and base-building games, so a few years ago I decided to try making one myself.

After a long time of development, my project 404 Survivor has slowly started to take shape — something I’m genuinely proud of.

It’s a post-apocalyptic survival base-building game where you start from nothing and gradually turn a simple shelter into a zombie-powered factory, all while surviving relentless waves of zombie hordes.

Core ideas behind the game:

- Day/Night survival loop: expand during the day, defend at night

- Base building and horde defense under constant pressure

- Control zombies instead of simply killing them

- Use zombies to support resource gathering and long-term survival

- Dispatch zombies to explore dangerous infected zones and recover resources\

Steam store page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4038790/404/

Hope you enjoy it! Thanks for checking it out 🥰

Hi everyone,

I’ve been a long-time player of Project Zomboid, and it was a huge inspiration for me when I started working on my own zombie survival game.

Over the past 3 years, I’ve been developing a small indie project called 404 Survivor. It’s a survival base-building game where you spend the day gathering resources and expanding your base, then try to survive increasingly difficult zombie attacks at night.

A few core ideas I’ve been experimenting with include:

Base building and defense under constant pressure

Simple automation systems to reduce repetitive survival tasks

Interaction with infected in ways beyond just fighting them

I finally reached a point where I have a playable demo on Steam, and I’d really appreciate feedback from people who enjoy this genre — especially from Project Zomboid players, since that game heavily influenced my thinking.

I’d love to hear what you think about the direction, and if anything feels interesting or missing from your perspective.

Steam demo: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4038790/404/

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

https://reddit.com/link/1udb440/video/bd5492e9pz8h1/player

Three months ago, I released the first demo of 404 Survivors on Steam.

At that time, the game was rough, unfinished, and far from what I wanted it to become. I wasn't even confident enough to showcase it during Steam Next Fest.

That was when I realized I couldn't keep developing the game in isolation.

So I started sharing it with more people, listening to feedback, and improving the game step by step.

When you're working on something every day, it's easy to feel like you're not making enough progress.

But sometimes, you just need to look back.

Still a long way to go, but seeing the difference reminds me why I started.

Thanks to everyone who has played the demo, shared feedback, or followed the development journey.

Steam page

https://reddit.com/link/1ucqc40/video/85phulwv2v8h1/player

I’ve listened to feedback from the community over the past few days and fixed the tree-cutting bug. I’ve also improved the resource-gathering UI so players can now more clearly see what they gain from chopping trees.

That said, I still feel the feedback for chopping trees is a bit too simple right now. In upcoming updates, I plan to add proper chopping sound effects, as well as a falling animation when trees are cut down. Later, with the introduction of a status system, tree cutting will also be tied into it—for example affecting stamina, and even causing arm fatigue that impacts combat.

Hey everyone,

I’ve been working on my survival game 404 Survivor, and recently I’ve been thinking a lot about something:

What actually makes a survival game feel distinctive?

I feel like if you just keep stacking new gameplay systems on top of each other, the game can quickly become bloated and overly complex, without necessarily becoming more fun.

So instead, I’ve been leaning more toward extending and evolving existing systems rather than constantly adding new standalone ones.

For example, I’ve added a zombie control system where players can take control of zombies to help with basic labor and resource production. In future updates, I’m also considering letting controlled zombies assist in combat, or even go into dangerous infected areas to gather loot.

The idea is to blend this into base building and survival systems so they actually interact with each other, instead of existing as separate, isolated mechanics. Ideally, everything feeds into each other and creates trade-offs and consequences, rather than just adding more layers.

I’d really like to hear your thoughts on this kind of design approach. What do you think actually makes a survival game feel unique or memorable?

Hi everyone,

I’m currently developing a survival sandbox base-building game, and during our demo testing phase I’ve received a lot of player feedback.

One recurring issue really caught my attention:

Even when the core mechanics are relatively simple, players still often feel confused or unsure about what is happening in the game.

For example, some players mentioned that during basic gathering actions (such as chopping trees), it is sometimes unclear whether the action was actually successful.

They also pointed out that even simple systems like crafting and building can often feel unintuitive or disconnected if there isn’t enough in-game guidance or clear system-level communication.

As a developer, this made me realize an important factor I had previously underestimated:

Survival gameplay is not just about having systems — it’s about how clearly those systems communicate their state to the player in real time.

So I wanted to ask everyone here:

In your personal opinion, what are the key elements that make a survival game feel clear, understandable, and easy to pick up?

Is it mainly:

A well-structured tutorial/onboarding experience?

Effective interaction feedback (audio/UI/animation cues)?

Or better system design that allows players to naturally understand how mechanics connect with each other?

For context, the game I’m working on is a survival indie title called 404Survivor, which focuses on base-building and combat defense systems. We will be participating in the upcoming Steam Next Fest, and we are making adjustments based on player feedback to improve the overall player experience.

Thank you very much for any insights or experiences you’re willing to share — it really helps us improve the player experience.

I've been developing 404 Survivor, a top-down zombie survival sandbox focused on base building, automation, and defending against ever-growing zombie hordes.

The core gameplay loop is simple: scavenge by day, survive by night.

During the day, you'll explore dangerous areas, gather resources, craft equipment, and expand your base.

At night, waves of infected attack your settlement. As the days pass, they become larger, stronger, and more aggressive, forcing you to constantly improve your defenses and production systems.

One feature I'm especially interested in getting feedback on is the combination of automation and horde defense. The goal is to let players gradually transform a small shelter into a self-sustaining fortress capable of surviving massive zombie attacks.

Players can build walls, traps, turrets, and production facilities. They can also capture and enslave zombies, putting them to work transporting resources and supporting the settlement.

I'd love to hear from survival game fans: what do you enjoy most when it comes to base defense, automation, and long-term progression?

Steam page:https://store.steampowered.com/app/4038790/404/