itch.io

"Don't ask how long it takes," but why so strict? I think this is the most important question. Developers come to this site to share their games. I do not need exact time frames, who do you take me for? I am just a little newbie developer who made his first game, everything is new to me, everything is unclear, but I read and study everything carefully and listen to everything. But it is obvious that there are those who have already gone through this, and there are also those like me who are just starting out, and there is also an opportunity to share our experiences with each other. Our experience in this matter, our attitude towards this matter.

Perhaps that's why the rules of Questions & Support, that everyone ignores, say "don't ask how long it takes". Because it depends.

Is this a translation issue? Because that is not what the rules say.

The rules in questions and support say:

Before you create a topic asking why you can't find your game ... (do things)

A prudent thing to ask, as is common in any message board. Telling people to first search for the topic. The rule proceeds to direct people to the faq, where it states a time frame of days for indexing to occur. This is giving the impression that the game was somehow processed by staff - since it only takes a few business days - but deemed unfit to be indexed. If the developer would disagree, they are asked to make a plea to support.

Please correct me if I am understanding the meaning and intention and context of this rule segment wrong. English is not my native language and this is how I read that rule.

After waiting at least a day to make that plea and there is no answer after a few days and people go back to the rules that directed them to the faq in the first place, it says: 

Please do not create topics asking how long it will take for support to reply to you. Different questions may take different amount of time to respond, typically we will respond within a 1-3 days but it may take longer depending on the type of issue. 

Yeah, pestering support, as the faq tells people to do, is not exactly asking a question. It is actually two different waiting times. One for getting indexed - which should take a few days. And one for asking support to reconsider the decision to not index it - which should also only take a few days.

I am probably biased, as are you, from reading all those indexing problem threads. But how is all this seen from the perspective of a new developer trying to get it right? Do they see helpful "disclaimers" at the time of publishing, that they might not find their project for some weeks and should not worry and do their own promotion? I dare say: no. They might read the faq and see mention of days, so they might wait a week or even contact support, as they were told. Still no answer, no indexing and here we are, reading such an indexing thread every day.

To my understanding, this thread is not about individual waiting time. Neither for indexing, nor for support answers. Yes, it "depends", but the set up expected waiting time stated at the places people can go looking for these things, do talk about days. Having at least a realistic guess about waiting time would put some people at ease. But heeding the rules does not give this answer. You only can read that in threads about people complaining. After reading those, one realizies, that the time should realistically be read as weeks, where it says days in those rules and the faq.

Itch is indie, if it takes longer, it takes longer. So be it. But it might help to tell this to people, so they do not create unnecessary support requests or worry about having done something wrong.

There is such a postscript in the unofficial FAQ I keep sending people to.