Posted October 19, 2014

toxicTom
Big Daddy
Registered: Feb 2009
From Germany

Sage103082
Kitten Tamer: 8
Registered: Mar 2014
From United States
Posted October 19, 2014
That is a great option. Support a game and developer by having the option to pay more for the game, but letting the user decide how much more.

toxicTom
Big Daddy
Registered: Feb 2009
From Germany
Posted October 19, 2014

Having played your game I see it more as a piece of "new literature" than a "game". (Not a bad thing, but may put off people with different expectations).


http://jefequeso.itch.io/the-moon-sliver
Pay 2.99 or more. That's what i did.
Problem is - I payed more to support jefequeso because I liked his enthusiasm (and I' a developer myself). But I stil "bought a pig in a poke", since there's no big "reliable" name there.
On the other hand, if people just paid less and than had the option to raise their pay aferwards - not many people would do this. For a newcomer it's very difficult to make money.
Post edited October 19, 2014 by toxicTom

Sage103082
Kitten Tamer: 8
Registered: Mar 2014
From United States
Posted October 19, 2014
Thank you. I am going over to read now.

Momo1991
FIX OUR FORUM!
Registered: Feb 2013
From United States
Posted October 19, 2014
First of all, take a deep, cleansing breath.
Secondly, Congratulations - you make a Momo proud! ;-)
Thirdly, remember this - you can make some of the people happy some of the time but you can never make all of the people happy all of the time - so throw away the idea that everyone will love your game, it just ain't gonna happen, right? Just keep on making art in a way that makes YOU happy because at the end of the day when you climb in bed to sleep at night and when you wake up in the morning fired up to make something new or work on a project, THIS is all that matters. "If you build it, they will come"....
On the subject of negative reviews; constructive criticism is a good thing while destructive criticism is not - learn to tell the difference and then take the constructive part as a way to make future projects better. None of us are perfect and the people who take the time to submit constructive criticism can truly help us be better at what we do - and mostly we don't even have to pay for that ;-p OTOH, commentary that isn't fruitful or helpful to making a better product in the future is just some guy jacking off, right? So yeah, ignore that crap ;-p
Finally, congrats again - I truly enjoy knowing gog members that are dedicated to making new games ;-D
Secondly, Congratulations - you make a Momo proud! ;-)
Thirdly, remember this - you can make some of the people happy some of the time but you can never make all of the people happy all of the time - so throw away the idea that everyone will love your game, it just ain't gonna happen, right? Just keep on making art in a way that makes YOU happy because at the end of the day when you climb in bed to sleep at night and when you wake up in the morning fired up to make something new or work on a project, THIS is all that matters. "If you build it, they will come"....
On the subject of negative reviews; constructive criticism is a good thing while destructive criticism is not - learn to tell the difference and then take the constructive part as a way to make future projects better. None of us are perfect and the people who take the time to submit constructive criticism can truly help us be better at what we do - and mostly we don't even have to pay for that ;-p OTOH, commentary that isn't fruitful or helpful to making a better product in the future is just some guy jacking off, right? So yeah, ignore that crap ;-p
Finally, congrats again - I truly enjoy knowing gog members that are dedicated to making new games ;-D
Post edited October 19, 2014 by Momo1991

RoloTony
Minis King Size?
Registered: Jul 2014
From United States
Posted October 19, 2014
Congrats on being Greenlit! I say go for it!

LiquidOxygen80
In the 36 Chmbrs
Registered: Sep 2010
From United States
Posted October 19, 2014

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=262796211
Which I should be overwhelmingly happy about! But I'm actually terrified! Completely terrified!
It suddenly hit me just how rough and indie my game is, and how it's probably going to be utterly crushed by negative reviews, given that it's only an hour long, it's nowhere near a graphical powerhouse, and it teeters on the edge of being an "anti-game," and the story is flowery and vague and not something everyone will like.
I guess a normal person would be really happy... but I'm just mentally preparing for all the negative reviews...
Is this the sort of opportunity I should just go for, or should I be thinking about whether or not releasing an experimental game that most people will probably hate onto the largest digital distribution platform in the world will hurt my reputation when it comes to getting future games Greenlit? Or, will it really make that much of a difference, given that nobody really knows who I am anyway?
Sorry, I just need to get this out right now, and there's nobody around to talk to.

catpower1980
Hello World
Registered: May 2009
From Canada
Posted October 19, 2014
You're scared? :)
OK, let's take the cognitive therapy approach where I'll play one of the many Steam users....
This is a piece of shit! This is outrageous that Steam allows this kind of garbage!!!! You're just another random indie fag who can just do pretentious walking simulator, you don't have any skills! You're a disgrace to the pc masterrace! Fuck you, it doesn't work on my computer, you mischievous thief! you're the cancer of videogames!!!!
If you didn't flinch reading this then you have nothing to worry about, you're prepared for the usual troll and whiners ;)
On forum management : don't delete the insulting threads immediately, delete them a few weeks later when the troll posters have forgotten your game (coz they're already insulting another game) so they can't play as victims and it shows that you accept "criticism" (*coughing*). Reply to people who have bugs or troubles running the game even if you don't know the answer ("I will look into fixing your problem ASAP and try releasing a patch to solve this issue. sorry for the inconvenience.")
BTW, it would be a good idea to put a sticky in the forum "Get the Moon Sliver OST on Bandcamp" by linking not directly to the OST but linking to your general bandcamp page (so you can also sell your other albums indirectly)
PS: today is my gaming day, I had The novelist in mind (3 hours long normally) but I'll do also a run of The Moon Sliver if you say it's only one hour, I hope I won't get stuck ;)
OK, let's take the cognitive therapy approach where I'll play one of the many Steam users....
This is a piece of shit! This is outrageous that Steam allows this kind of garbage!!!! You're just another random indie fag who can just do pretentious walking simulator, you don't have any skills! You're a disgrace to the pc masterrace! Fuck you, it doesn't work on my computer, you mischievous thief! you're the cancer of videogames!!!!
If you didn't flinch reading this then you have nothing to worry about, you're prepared for the usual troll and whiners ;)
On forum management : don't delete the insulting threads immediately, delete them a few weeks later when the troll posters have forgotten your game (coz they're already insulting another game) so they can't play as victims and it shows that you accept "criticism" (*coughing*). Reply to people who have bugs or troubles running the game even if you don't know the answer ("I will look into fixing your problem ASAP and try releasing a patch to solve this issue. sorry for the inconvenience.")
BTW, it would be a good idea to put a sticky in the forum "Get the Moon Sliver OST on Bandcamp" by linking not directly to the OST but linking to your general bandcamp page (so you can also sell your other albums indirectly)
PS: today is my gaming day, I had The novelist in mind (3 hours long normally) but I'll do also a run of The Moon Sliver if you say it's only one hour, I hope I won't get stuck ;)

NoNewTaleToTell
Deathrocker
Registered: May 2009
From United States

xxxIndyxxx
Jedi-Jones
Registered: Jul 2009
From Netherlands
Posted October 19, 2014
also try to get it out as fast as possible (maybe too late now) so you can benefit from the Christmas sale.... As far as I know people buy everything then if it has a small discount and is below 3€ ;D

catpower1980
Hello World
Registered: May 2009
From Canada
Posted October 19, 2014
OK, game just finished (what a way to start a sunday morning ^o^)
So far, I liked the game. Unlike Neverending Nightmares wihch I felt was too long and had some draggy moments (and it only lasts only 2-3 hours), the length of Moon Sliver is just fine as it plays like a short novel. I really enjoyed the falling night and the changes of weather, that was some good design idea to increase the atmosphere. The art in general is coder's art obviously (but hey, I can even recognize the Unity type of terrain in Wasteland 2 ^o^) but as the player is more focused on the story and the atmosphere that's fine, that's not the main point and at least, the minimalistic aspect serves the story good.
Now, some suggestions for a patch:
- the hatch code : I missed the hidden paper note and lost a lot of time searching it :) But that's not bothersome, the trouble is that the code is maybe too easy to crack before the player gets the note (like the poster above), so maybe you could change or add some type of device trick which will make the hatch unlockable only after getting the clue. Also, when the code is correctly put, a sound effect (like a creaking metal door) would be good to tell the player it's unlocked.
- the maze ^o^ : as all the walls share the same texture, it can be difficult to navigate, obviously that's the intent but it could irritate some impatient player who aren't good at orientation :) So for example, at some intersections you could put some signs on the wall like "control room"/"stock of wood" with an arrow. Technically, make a small vertical transparent plane, place it just against the wall (the wall coordinate being x=0.0 and the plane being x=0.001 for example so it doesn't obstruct player's movement) and put the texture of the sign on it. That would make this part of the game a little bit smoother.
- The very end : when "the end" text screen is reached, I tought I would be brought to the menu but that didn't happen. I like the saying "people are not dumb but do as they would be". So after 2-3 seconds, maybe you could trigger a pop-up on the screen "Thank you for playing this game. Hit [esc] to get back to the menu" so they don't quit doing alt-f4 or enrage because they long forgot there was ever a menu :)
**** SPOILERS *****
I'm not sure but are we supposed to see something/someone when we turnback after reaching the book at the end? I blinked at this moment and poof, it was already the credits ^o^
**** END OF SPOILERS ****
So far, I liked the game. Unlike Neverending Nightmares wihch I felt was too long and had some draggy moments (and it only lasts only 2-3 hours), the length of Moon Sliver is just fine as it plays like a short novel. I really enjoyed the falling night and the changes of weather, that was some good design idea to increase the atmosphere. The art in general is coder's art obviously (but hey, I can even recognize the Unity type of terrain in Wasteland 2 ^o^) but as the player is more focused on the story and the atmosphere that's fine, that's not the main point and at least, the minimalistic aspect serves the story good.
Now, some suggestions for a patch:
- the hatch code : I missed the hidden paper note and lost a lot of time searching it :) But that's not bothersome, the trouble is that the code is maybe too easy to crack before the player gets the note (like the poster above), so maybe you could change or add some type of device trick which will make the hatch unlockable only after getting the clue. Also, when the code is correctly put, a sound effect (like a creaking metal door) would be good to tell the player it's unlocked.
- the maze ^o^ : as all the walls share the same texture, it can be difficult to navigate, obviously that's the intent but it could irritate some impatient player who aren't good at orientation :) So for example, at some intersections you could put some signs on the wall like "control room"/"stock of wood" with an arrow. Technically, make a small vertical transparent plane, place it just against the wall (the wall coordinate being x=0.0 and the plane being x=0.001 for example so it doesn't obstruct player's movement) and put the texture of the sign on it. That would make this part of the game a little bit smoother.
- The very end : when "the end" text screen is reached, I tought I would be brought to the menu but that didn't happen. I like the saying "people are not dumb but do as they would be". So after 2-3 seconds, maybe you could trigger a pop-up on the screen "Thank you for playing this game. Hit [esc] to get back to the menu" so they don't quit doing alt-f4 or enrage because they long forgot there was ever a menu :)
**** SPOILERS *****
I'm not sure but are we supposed to see something/someone when we turnback after reaching the book at the end? I blinked at this moment and poof, it was already the credits ^o^
**** END OF SPOILERS ****

MoP
Comfortably Gray
Registered: Dec 2009
From Poland
Posted October 19, 2014
Well, I got nothin' apart from a heartfelt "congrats!" and a few pairs of fingers I'll be keeping crossed.
Good luck, have fun, watch the booze!
Good luck, have fun, watch the booze!

bansama
bansama.com
Registered: Oct 2008
From Japan
Posted October 19, 2014

liquidsnakehpks
sons of liberty
Registered: Dec 2009
From India
Posted October 19, 2014
congrats jefequeso , as a long time steam user these are the following advise i can give you on making your game sit well with steam customers.
1) Do not bother about reviews and stuff just complete your game good with no game killing bugs make sure that the game runs fine with what requirement you specified , people on steam are more happy to buy a game that works and is complete. But do listen to what people say on your steam game forum rather than outside and see if its possible to apply them.
2) Since your game is on steam you will want to try and implement as many steamworks feature as possible for your game . Many customers will look at what steamworks features your game has and will purely buy at sales etc based on it.
For a single player game these all are looked at
- achievements
- steam cloud for saves
- steam trading cards
if you are able to support the other os like mac or linux that's a bonus as well
3) Do not fire back at hard remarks and any provocations over the game . This is the first game the peace and harmony you establish will determine the fate of the game in the future or the series.
4) Do not ever engage in drm battles or show preference openly to other platforms right for the first game. Your game is on steam, work with it there now.
I personally look forward to purchasing a game made by a fellow gog when possible
All the best mate.
1) Do not bother about reviews and stuff just complete your game good with no game killing bugs make sure that the game runs fine with what requirement you specified , people on steam are more happy to buy a game that works and is complete. But do listen to what people say on your steam game forum rather than outside and see if its possible to apply them.
2) Since your game is on steam you will want to try and implement as many steamworks feature as possible for your game . Many customers will look at what steamworks features your game has and will purely buy at sales etc based on it.
For a single player game these all are looked at
- achievements
- steam cloud for saves
- steam trading cards
if you are able to support the other os like mac or linux that's a bonus as well
3) Do not fire back at hard remarks and any provocations over the game . This is the first game the peace and harmony you establish will determine the fate of the game in the future or the series.
4) Do not ever engage in drm battles or show preference openly to other platforms right for the first game. Your game is on steam, work with it there now.
I personally look forward to purchasing a game made by a fellow gog when possible
All the best mate.

Fenixp
nnpab
Registered: Sep 2008
From Czech Republic
Posted October 19, 2014

My biggest gripe was how notes were handled at the time I played the game. I would like a small overlay GUI where I can freely scroll trough a note and close it at my leisure, as well as a notebook where all of the notes would get stored. Other than that, I still remember the game - I remember it more than Dear Esther and I have played the latter more recently. Soo I say it's a success!