Post by kkicho in Need your opinion comments

Viewing post in Need your opinion comments

Hello, Cat
First of all, my condolences that the algorithms weren't kind to you. Many developers of truly great H-games have been struggling with this problem, especially since a certain, obvious events...

What I can say that definitely works on itchio is cross-promotion reviews. I often see the creator of one bigger game recommend another game that's a stupid AI-slope, and suddenly the slop achieve some insane results just because they were cross-promoting with a bigger fish. - definitely a topic worth exploring.

Secondly, as a commenter below pointed out, the way your game is visible on the Feed; Reporting your work more frequently will make your game's posts more visible - sometimes it's that simple! :D
Oh, and I think when Mr. Zakarnes spoke about images, he meant the images in the update posts and banners (Things that are visible first look), not the images on the game's store page itself. -Of course, if you post something spicy, people will be more willing to look at it :> Dry wall of text ain't sexy!

If possible, be everywhere AND BE ACTIVE THERE! SubscribeStar, ReamStories, Patreon, Boosty, Discord, Twitter, BlueSky, Steam (I know, it's not that simple), GOG! Examples like Souper Game show that even being on pirate sites (F95) can help a lot.
You can also try a market that's particularly receptive to H-games - Japan! Sites like Ci-en and Fantia can generate quite a hefty numbers.
-Every new platform means new potential audiences as long as you have something to show them.

I'm really fascinated by your game and have been following it anonymously for as long as I can remember. You're doing a fantastic job and deserve a success; Keep up the good work. I wish you the best of luck, mate!

CATINMASK1 day ago(+3)(-1)

Hey! Thanks for your feedback!

"cross-promotion reviews" - I'm not sure I would be doing something like this and the main reason is nobody would be promoting such small fish as me.

I got your idea, I think to start adding sneak peek devlogs that would containt demonstrations of the content from upcoming builds. For example some new/updated scenes with Yotra and Vlada. I can make it either as gifs or vids (but don't know where to upload vids...)

"be everywhere" - I'm thinking to maybe post some videos on twitter/x. But I'm not sure if that's a good for promotion. I tried it before but it did not give me much views... plus I don't like this new 18+ policy and not sure if I would be able to upload such vids.

"H-games - Japan" - upload the game that does not have Japanese language? Are you sure?

EZ_Ryder1 day ago(+1)(-1)

I've played your game for a few years, and what kkicho suggests is a good idea. Your game is somewhat similar to other NSFW survival crafting games, and there are content creators (YouTubers) that would play it add visibility. I've found most of the games I play via cross-promotions or seeing something random in my YouTube searches. :)

Having a presence on Steam (even if the game isn't for sale there yet) is a good way to get visibility. I've searched Steam for games I've seen on YouTube, Patreon and Subscribestar and found them for sale, even though they weren't in any of my discovery queues.

On the topic of subscriptions, Boosty doesn't accept PayPal which was why I wasn't able to continue my support of your development. :(

Hope you keep working on this project and find someone to help with promotion! :)

CATINMASK1 day ago(+1)(-1)

Hey! Thanks for your feedback!

"there are content creators (YouTubers) that would play it" - I guess the fact that my game contains adult content is a red flag for most Youtubers (even if the game has fully working censorship). So for all these years I never got any big YT channel who would give my game a try. And I actually tried to ask some by leaving a comments about my game. But usually they just delete or ignore it. So if you know any - let me know.

Steam is an option but I don't want to upload my game there for a multiple reasons. Plus I know a lot of devs who has pretty big playerbase w/o steam.

I have some users who had the same problem but it can be actually fixed pretty easy by installing "Cash app". But no problem, I understand everything so need to worry. In such difficult times, it's better to keep the money for yourself and spend it on something more important.

I stopped hoping I just got used to it.

kkicho1 day ago (2 edits)

-Oh, you know,- Japanese people often showcase their games on Western websites using MTL :P It's a very imperfect solution, especially for such a different language, but maybe it's worth a try?

A better option would be to find a translator and give them "a few bucks". In my region, freelancers charge $0.02-$0.05 per word, depending on their experience, so it's not a fortune, and a market like Japan could really appreciate this type of game and reimburse the costs.

As for "I'm a small fish." - It doesn't really matter. I've seen big players sharing cross-reviews with projects that didn't generate almost any views themselves. Itchio's promotion algorithms for H's simply does not exist now, so few studios are picky about such an opportunity. Besides, there's nothing stopping you from trying with other "small fish" first :P I honestly hate having my feed flooded with reviews of sloppies, but I understand that it's necessary in this environment.

(Greetings to the frustrated person from the first comment who comes here to downvote all comments <3)

itch.io

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