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dragonslumber
dragonslumber @ Arelite Core

Thank you very much!

Good karma+1 vote
dragonslumber
dragonslumber @ RETSNOM - Dev log, new screenshots and updated demo build(0.73)

Hey there,

Interesting game you have there, the animated gif really sold me on the concept. I downloaded the game and tried it out. Here was my experience.

Controls: I wasn't a fan of the weight of it it felt a bit less responsive than I'd like, but I don't think it was problematically so. I just felt like the pre-jump wait didn't really add anything. Also, my XBox controller was supported, but jump and Y and there wasn't any flip as far as I've gathered.

Obstacles: I didn't like the monsters, because I came into this game for the puzzle aspect and it didn't feel like it integrated well. Likewise, I really didn't like the timer, I don't understand what's added to the game by timing it. It's entirely possible that I had the "demo mentality" where I didn't really want to get into the theme of it. That being said, I was able to get into The Switcher, so Im dunno.

Flipping: Loved the concept, it's definitely a game that will live and die on the level design, but from the little I played I definitely saw the potential.

Info boxes: I would remove the "press to get an info box" and integrate it as a pass in front. It feel like a game where I don't want the flow to be slowed down, like Braid or other similar puzzle games.

Checkpoints: I felt there weren't enough. I stopped after falling in a hole on level 3 and having to redo everthing. It completely killed the game for me because I felt like I had wasted my time and died, where again that wasn't really the kind of obstacle I was looking for.

Flips: I might add a limit to the number of flips. If there is a cap, maybe it's too high in early portions. You can probably create more interesting level designs with these kinds of contraints.

Music: Sounds nice, but I wish there was more variety. After a while I felt I had heard it and was ready to move on. It wasn't subtle enough for me to be ambiant and forgettable (in a good way).

I'm highly critical I know, but I actually enjoyed what I played. However, since it's a fairly minimalist game, I do think it might need a bit of refinement on controls. I also think that since it's so minimalist in presentation, not everyone will be able to get into the theme of it, which is fine but you might want to account for those players who just want to flip around.

That's about it, good luck on your game!

Good karma+2 votes
dragonslumber
dragonslumber @ Steam Greenlight, four months later, an early premortem

Hey Ronix,

Yeah, being one means more control, but it definitely can become a bit overwhelming at times.

That's a good example you presented, I'll definitely look into improving that page. I definitely tend to be more verbose than I should, and less visual. I crack myself up at how non user friendly my game engine is when designing maps and events.

Thank you for all of your advice, I definitely appreciate it.

Good karma+1 vote
dragonslumber
dragonslumber @ Steam Greenlight, four months later, an early premortem

Hey Ronix, thank you for your response

I've tried doing a bit of press outreach, but clearly not nearly enough as warranted. I think they say you need to reach 100 people to get 2 or 3 answers and I didn't manage to do that much. At the end of the day, because I'm balancing so many jobs, that does become a problem and I'm starting to consider to bring a marketing person onboard to manage social networks, forums, press liaison and so on. It's just too much work to be done well by a single guy in my position.

I'm not sure I understand about the Steam Greenlight images, is it a section on IndieDB I'm unaware of? Because my actual Steam Greenlight page does have screenshots and what not. Unless you mean in the body of the page?

The game has definitely suffered from being a one man project, especially when it comes to visuals since that is my weakness. You'd be surprised how many artists I've cycled through over 2 years just to get this level of quality. A lot of this is second iteration stuff, if not third. I think the battles look great, so that's where my marketing push will go on the short term. That being said, I really hope to find a good stable artist for my next project, something I can partner up with and share the management load.

For now though, I'm already in debt and I'm still tens of thousands away from just finishing the game like this. I'm looking into doing a Kickstarter but after KS fees and rewards costs, I don't expect to make more than a handful of thousands.

But you know, Rome wasn't built in a day. Or for cheap. Or by a single man, but whatever :P

Kevin

Good karma+1 vote
dragonslumber
dragonslumber @ Crowdfunding - Mission Failed! A Post Mortem

It doesn't look like my kind of game, but Shallow Space definitely looks like a quality title. I'm sorry that your crowd funder didn't work. I noticed though that the lowest tier was 35$, which seems really high compared to the 15$ you're asking for preorders. Did you change your pricing scheme or was that a marketing decision?

Good karma+1 vote
dragonslumber
dragonslumber @ Arelite Core

Thank you very much ^_^

Good karma+1 vote
dragonslumber
dragonslumber @ How Ossuary Got Greenlit

I've mentioned it elsewhere, but congratulations! Here's hoping the game sells well!

Good karma+1 vote
dragonslumber
dragonslumber @ Arelite Core's first public showing at a con

Thanks! I do prefer to learn from other people's failures than my own, but in the ends it's all good :)

Good karma+1 vote
dragonslumber
dragonslumber @ One Year in Steam Greenlight

Also, I jsut saw your post about being greenlit. Congratulations! It just goes to show that patience and determination can pay off.

Good karma+1 vote
dragonslumber
dragonslumber @ One Year in Steam Greenlight

My Yes average is currently at 41%, with the current Average at top 50 being 30%. I'm also 60% of the way to top 100 after 109 days. It's a case of too many jRPGs, I think mine is better, deeper and more polished than most of the others (it's not an RPG Maker game), but the perception is still difficult to fight. That's what I need to market against.

Thank you for pointing to those blog posts, they are really insightful, especially the 10$ one. Pricing the game is definitely a difficult endeavor, I'll probably be pricing mine at 15$ (my financial investment will be in the mid 5 digits when I'm done, and I don't earn a salary on it).

It's not easy to make a game, not easy to make a good game, and then it's not easy to even sell a good game :P

Good karma+2 votes
dragonslumber
dragonslumber @ One Year in Steam Greenlight

Hey there,

I posted my game Arelite Core to Steam Greenlight in early January and am basically heading in the same direction as you guys. I keep 2 websites active, a Facebook and sporadically post articles here, and created one trailer thus far but keeping interest in the game has been difficult.

Something struck me as I was reading your post though, which is that you have a 29% yes rating among votes. That seems kind of low to me. I get that ultimately just the number of yes should matter since those are theoretical sales, but at the same time it feels like potential sales are lowered by that number which may have hindered your acceptance. I'd be curious to hear your sales through the other venues like Desura.

Lastly, if you believe that your game deserves more than it has, have you considered porting it to other platforms, like mobile and tablets? I don't know what your game looks like, but I know that it's one of the things I'm considering for Arelite Core, as well as free DLC to extend the life of the game.

Good karma+1 vote
dragonslumber
dragonslumber @ Arelite Core

Thank you very much! It's a lot of work, but hopefully it'll pay off!

Good karma+1 vote