Post by redonihunter in Can my game page only link to the Playdate Catalog?

Viewing post in Can my game page only link to the Playdate Catalog?

Well, I frown upon it ;-)

It is as hechelion describe. It's just using Itch as a cheap hoster for promotion page. A parasitic activity. No benefit for Itch users, if they have to go elsewhere to play the game at all.

And I visisted the play.date site. Sideloading is even promoted by them. So I do not see the issue of having an offline version of an online leaderboard game. Peolple that want the leaderboard can go to the official site. People that just want to play the game, can play offline version.

If a game's merit is onyl the leaderboad, that does not sound like a fun game.

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void_viridian7 days ago

The leaderboard API is only accessible for games that are officially on the catalog. People that want the leaderboard will not be able to “just go to the official site”. They’ll have to buy the online version.

So that would means 2 versions for the same game, where if a player bought the offline version, they wouldn’t be able to send their score.

Sideloading won’t mean having an offline version. For the merit of a game that use a leaderboard, it’s based upon the score and being competitive: You get to see your ranking.

As any player may, you can ignore that, and that’ll be your opinion, but it’s not the subject of this thread.

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redonihunter7 days ago

The subject of the thread is, if it's ok to only have the page link to another store.

No, it's not ok. Reasons why you can't put the game on Itch actually do not matter. If you only offer the game on another platform and just use Itch for promotion.

Imagine developers posting a project page that is only available on the Playstation store. Or the Nintendo store. Would you think those pages should exist on Itch? It's bait and switch, that's what it is. Show a shiny game to people, but if they want it, they have to go elsewhere.

Even all those demo only projects are borderline. You can't claim, that a game "is on Itch", if all you ever give people, is the demo version.

What do you think would happen in the reverse? Having a game on a store system, but not actually have the game on that store, but only an advertisement page or a demo version. Have you ever seen such a thing? And I am not talking about premium versions. I am talking about a storefront where a catalog item was not the thing, but only advertisement of the thing and you would have to buy it elsewhere. Is there any store that allows this? I am curious.

If you want a promtion version here, maybe you can export a web version of the game or something like that.

And if you want to ask, if it is allowed, instead of if it is ok: it is not ouright forbidden for every scenario. But it violates quality guidlines and can result in non indexation. If you do not have any files on the project that probably is automatic. And if you have fake files to cheat on indexing, well, that's sounds very problematic.

Make a blog posting for your followers, if you want. But do not make a project page, that is just a blog posting in disguise.

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void_viridian7 days ago

So you do consider demos to be fake files to cheat on indexing.

I tried to explain how I wouldn’t have a fragmentation of players for this game, but it seems in vain.

I wouldn’t give access to a demo on a blog post, so your point is dull.

Anyway, you took some time to answer, but feel free to abstain.

Seeing as other’s answers are helpful, even if not agreeing with me, is better.

I don’t want to debate.

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redonihunter7 days ago (1 edit)

A project is a promise to be the thing. Not an advertisement of the thing. You list the project in the game category, after all.

That's why I think demos are borderline. At least Itch users can download and play something. Also, the full game might be released to Itch at some point.

But merely uploading a project to have a project page that links to another store? Seriously? That is a blog post in disguise. You can make actual blog posts here. Consider doing this, if you cannot even upload a demo version of your game.

In case you missed it, if your project will not have any files, it almost certainly will not be listed at all in the index. And rightly so. Why list a non game in the game category. And if your project does not have any files, it is not a game, it is an advertising page. Itch is not a catalogue of games like for example https://www.mobygames.com/ .

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void_viridian7 days ago

If itch.io had a demo category, I’ll happily put it there.

Also, you don’t know at all if the full game “might” be released to itch at some point: That’s something I would know, not you.

But you keep misrepresenting my intent and answering to that. I get that you have your opinion, but I’m no longer interested in it.

I don’t want to engage with you anymore. I don’t want to debate, it’s tiresome.

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