Post by Ivory in The House of Noctus comments

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A Crown of Velvet Thorns, The Last Divine, The House of Noctus, Eirington on the Moor...

I'm going to be honest, this many games suggests you haven't decided what you want to make yet and you're just throwing games at the wall of see what sticks. Either that or you can't focus or remain interested on one thing for long (which doesn't bode well for long-term projects like these).

Good games take time and effort to make. You haven't even finished one and you're already trying to juggle several of them at once... A bit of advice; don't stretch yourself too thin or you're going to burn yourself before you ever finish anything. Quality is more important than quantity.

I think your games have potential, but a newbie dev trying too much is usually a bad sign. Take care.

altereddeath5 days ago(+10)(-4)

tf, did the author ask for your advice? no, they didn't.

Ivory5 days ago (19 edits) (+3)(-11)

And did they ask you to speak in their stead? You ain't the dev so whether my comment is worth anything is not for you to decide. The author has a section dedicated to beta-readers where they thank their players for testing their game and providing advice, so yeah, they care.

Also, they don't have to ask for it. This is a gaming website; where people are allowed (and expected) to write their opinions and criticism. This game is still a WIP and game development is contingent on honest feedback, even the kind we sometimes don't want to hear.

...

I've seen several games come and go to know some of the traps many newbie devs fall into; one game is difficult enough, managing several of them at once, as a solo dev, that's just asking for trouble. Let's see how these games fare 3-5 years from now; I will be happy to be proven wrong.

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Banditcake4 days ago(+4)(-2)

I agree with your statement. I fully look forward to the projects the dev has created and put in this space for us, but four at once is A LOT and they're all VERY different from each other and getting into a creative headspace for each one takes a toll on people. Especially when only ONE person is doing it all!

This is not meant to persuade you to stop brainstorming and worldbuilding and whatever else. These can remain demos while the dev focus on which ever one they enjoy the most. In the end you want to create because YOU (the dev) like it and want to share it.

These stories are really good concepts and I'm a huge fan of "a crown of velvet thorns" myself but I've seen many people create IFs and then abandon it due to burnout or/and the anger/sadness that has built up due to pressure from the audiences side or the author themselves.

I wish you luck in your writing journey wherever that takes you and if you continue updating your stories I will happily read them.

QuiII1 day ago(+1)(-1)

imagine complaining about free reads, also this isnt criticism because you're complaining about something that hasn't happened yet. And even if you were "critiquing" the game (there's a rating section for that btw), you still need to be polite about it.

Ivory1 day ago (20 edits) (-3)

I'm simply warning the author that it's a bad idea to commit to so many games at once. Over-ambition and poor management almost always ends in frustration and abandonment. I like these games and I want them to succeed, but I refuse to get emotionally invested into a game that is being sabotaged by poor decision-making. Been burned too times over this.

Free products aren't exempt of opinions and criticism. Criticism can help you grow and learn as a developer, and if you intend on publishing your game down the line you need to strike a balance between your creative vision and something people are interested in playing / buying.

The "polite" culture has become a trap. It has made people afraid of being honest because they don't want to hurt others' feelings, or because they don't deal with the backlash that comes with writing any form of criticism. Imagine putting all your effort into something and failing... because no one told you your product was bad, broken, uninteresting, or going down a bad path, out of fear it would hurt your feelings.

I hate the mentality that only praise is allowed, or that any form of negativity has to be extremely gentle because the dev is "fragile".

Not everyone is going to be well-spoken or polite when they write their feedback, but just because they weren't "eloquent" enough for your taste doesn't mean you should automatically dismiss them. Focus on the meaning of the message, not how it was conveyed.

Silk Fox1 day ago (5 edits) (+4)

Hey everyone,

I haven't responded to comments in a while ( I'm very backlogged😅) but I just wanted to chime in here. Thanks for taking the time to play my games and leave feedback.

I want my games to be about the story, the characters, the world, and the romance, and I hope they’re a positive experience for everyone who plays them. As the creator, I want to maintain that space, so I hope this helps give a bit of context about how I work.

Just to touch on a couple things for anyone curious:

1. Writing and game dev are hobbies for me, so I create when I enjoy it, and I share because I hope others will enjoy it too <3 Right now, I'm not trying to make this a career or monetize any of my work. If that ever changes, I’ll naturally need to narrow my focus. For now, I'm just having fun creating things I love and sharing them online.

2. Yes, I have ADHD, which means my creative process comes in bursts. Even so, I've completed several long-term projects. Sometimes I won’t touch a project for months, and other times I’ll write multiple chapters in a few days. This rhythm allows me to complete long-term projects at my own pace. This is why I bounce between projects, and also why I don’t monetize my work. I don’t run a Patreon, Ko-fi, etc. because I know my work flow tends to be inconsistent and come in bursts.

I understand the concern about scope and burnout, it’s good advice for someone trying to monetize or make this a profession. I know that my approach isn’t for everyone, and that’s okay. That's just part of the process of sharing something you create with others. Thanks again for checking out my work and sharing your perspective.

Ivory1 day ago (2 edits) (-2)

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my concerns. I appreciate the honesty and transparency. I wish you the best and hope it works out for you.

itch.io

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