The objective was to create a combat system for future projects so I don't have to start from scratch with every new game (like it happened with my previous games), making a space pirates game with it was a bonus.
I already have a pitch in my Steam page, it's not like I want to change the basic gameplay, it's just that it seems I need more time to make an attractive demo and experimenting with a different visual style might be worth my time.
And yes, getting attention is hard but I can't just pretend everything is right if I get none. Something must change.
Looking at the Steam page, my first impression is that you could go much further with the Space Pirates element. Right now, it's not near as much of a hook as it could be. Reading the page, right about the time I expected you to double down on the pirate stuff, instead, you hedge and say "hey if you don't want pirates you can play as these factions too". That gives me the impression that the pirate stuff isn't actually deeply integrated into the mechanics and/or makes me worry that things will be spread too thin.
I think Xcom but with Space Pirates is a pretty dang good hook, as someone who likes Xcom-style combat that is appealing, but I just want more Pirates doing pirate things, ya know? I want my imagination to run wild thinking about how different elements of being a pirate will be manifested in the game.
Sea Shanties are blowing up on Tiktok right now, people are into pirates in a big way because it combines the feeling of isolation of quarantine with a sense of exploration and social interaction that we are all missing out on. This is a great time for a dang pirate-ass pirate game!