I am hoping the author will add more content or revisions as well. But even if not, the original is not lacking in valuable advice and insights, tailored to Indie game developers.
Hi, I purchased your book recently after viewing a portion of the sample chapters in the free (partial content) edition. It looks great! I look forward to reading through its entirety. Were you planning to update the book with additional more recent content? I hope so; this appears to be a gem of a marketing book. Thank you.
* My biggest single challenge/obstacle in marketing is establishing initial awareness of product(s) in a seemingly saturated market. * The Indie games market is so saturated, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. I don't need to capture 100% of the multi-billion dollar market; all I need is a drastically smaller fragment of the market in order to be financially viable. I am convinced that there are hundreds and even thousands, if not literally millions, of viable potential buyers for my future products. However, the burning question is: How do I find them, and ideally how do I subsequently retain them? * It just seems as though there is so much "white noise" / static that it seems impossible to pierce through it all and find the customer profile I am targeting. But if I actually believed that this were impossible, I would not continue to pursue Indie games development. * As you had stated in your book, marketing takes time. That is a good observance and a key ingredient. However, my challenge is to discover the other key ingredients for successful and effective marketing. I have multiple theories on what these key ingredients are, but I need to begin to test out these theories in multiple settings or applications. * I look forward to any future updated content in your marketing book that you may publish. Thank you!
I am finding that marketing is consuming more of my work hours than actually creating games is, even though I am only doing preliminary marketing at this stage. Marketing is "a different animal" altogether from Indie game development. There are just so many hats/roles a person must wear/fulfill to become successful at Indie games sales, both marketing and project management being two of the major additional ones. Even so, it is a fascinating challenge to work as an Indie game developer, and the multiple and varied challenges in doing so certainly augment one's abilities and skills! I just hope I can stitch these all together within a single lifetime!
Thanks for sharing those valuable book resources. A few of my favorites also that you might be interested in are:
"Getting Things Done" 9780143126560
"What Rich People Know & Desperately Want to Keep Secret" 9780732909932
"Organizing From The Inside Out" 9780805075892
"Start Late, Finish Rich" 9780767919470
In the past I've read the 4 Hour Workweek, that's a good book too, emphasizing automation systems as I recollect. In the WRPK&DWTKS book above one of its chapters highlights the importance of automation systems, if I remember correctly (it's been years since I read either of those books). Thanks again!
That's genius! I thought all the pages would be cut individually and then bound together using either staples or glue, but this method shows how to keep the 8.5 x 11 sheet intact without the need for either. That's a really clever method!
Thanks, I downloaded the new file and I can decompress it and then navigate in its directory structure, but unfortunately it still won't launch. I tried to launch "linuxbuild.x86_64" by right-clicking it and then selecting "Open With Run Software" in the context menu. Do you have any additional suggestions? Possibly, can you test the Linux build on one of your own computers to see if it will launch? Thanks again.
No need to apologize! It seems to run in the browser now, that's great. I tried it and I can enter into the house from the larger world map, but I can't seem to progress eastward to the right as the in-game text suggests to do. The walking man will go off the screen, but no scrolling or screen swap occurs. Also, I can walk on the river and over its bank, but the right side/edge of the river acts as a barrier. Even with these glitches, the game looks quite good and I look forward to trying it out again sometime if I can navigate. Good job making this, and thanks for making it accessible in the browser as well.
Thanks! I have been making progress recently in both its design and implementation. I hope to upload a new version fairly soon that features significantly more progress than what had been made during the gamejam due date window. Unlike the initial upload, the future upload should be a completely playable game and hopefully it will be fun to play!
Thank you - I have been making some offline updates and revisions, and I hope to upload a new more complete version that will be more playable and hopefully more fun too as well!
Thanks for the encouragement - I have been working on it more today and making lots of progress. After I upload the revisions, it will be more playable and hopefully more fun!
I am not overly proficient in Linux. I downloaded the file and tried to open it, but nothing seems to happen. I opened it with the Linux App called "Run Software". Do you have any suggestions? I am running an Ubuntu based distro of Linux. Thanks for any guidance.
Wow, I noticed it is a very lean 14 kilobytes in size compared to the Windows larger 34 megabytes in size. Is that difference by chance related to the game engine?
Thanks for the comment and advice! I would like to create an input layer for the keyboard, both WASD and arrow keys, the mouse, touchscreen and joypad. Using AGK (AppGameKit) I should be able to do so without too much trouble or effort. I also want to animate the ants using cel frames, because I have additional photos to make them appear more crawly. It is so easy for classic "feature creep" to permeate a project, even a relatively simple game! But, if I do things one step at a time in iterations it should be attainable. Thanks for your encouraging message; I think that with the several comments different users have given encouraging me to finish the game I started, I feel inspired and motivated to do so! In fact, I think I'll even work on it some this evening, and when I have something more playable I'd like to inform those who have commented here in case they'd like to give it a 2nd go in its more advanced state. Thanks again!
I am running Linux and downloaded the Python file, and opened it in a browser but it opens as a text file. Is there a way to run this on Linux that you know of? Thanks! Judging by the screenshots this looks like a neat game to try!
That's a neat idea to incorporate a futuristic theme. There's some overlap of the Wild West into science fiction in movies. Like in StarWars Mandalorian for example, there are cowboy-themed characters and other classical western overtones.
Is the RPG Maker development software available for download in this gamejam? Where can it be downloaded legally without copyright infringement? Thanks
I like the rotating effect on the various objects that are falling down to collect. Also the retro style bitmap font is a nice feature. The graphical transition between level progressions is a nice added touch. Sometimes these "nice little extras" go a long way in boosting a game's appeal and longevity.
A minor tweak to the user interface on the "Level Complete" screen would be to allow the user to select the options using the keyboard, as this would eliminate the need to let go of the keyboard and select via the mouse. It would be neat if the ship flashed red whenever it was hit, as an extra and more pronounced visual indicator that a hit has occurred.
The sprite collision detection seems very accurate. The accuracy causes me to wonder what game engine or SDK (if any) was used to create this game. On levels 3 onward, I was psyched out as the asteroids unexpectedly veered in an different direction!
Overall this is a good quality game complemented with a nice catchy soundtrack. The repeating music loop is pleasant to listen to and does not become irksome or agitating. The combination of the game and its music has an almost mesmerizing soothing effect. This would be a great game to play while you chill and sit back relaxing in an easy chair after a hard day's work!
Thanks for the followup comment! Not sure what all the factors might be. Maybe I will try leaving it open in a browser tab and it might eventually load after 15 or 20 minutes. Or maybe my computer is just notoriously slow by today's standards!
I love the concept of this game and its unique graphics style, but I had difficulty controlling the character and especially with adjusting the 3D view. I tried clicking, but the game's window concealed the mouse pointer so I couldn't click anywhere. If it were not for these obstacles in the user interface, I would have continued playing more. It looks like quite an intriguing game!
The music and graphics fit together nicely, along with the game's premise. Maybe I'm not very skilled at playing these types of games, but I found it difficult to know if I was actually harvesting the plants or not by pressing 'E'. Might be neat for user feedback if harvested plants would slide off to the side in a grid of empty cells, or into a storage bin, and then the user would know how many plants of each type remain as a requirement to progress through the level successfully. Also, maybe watering the plants could prevent them from dehydration instead of making them grow faster than otherwise. In any case, it is an enjoyable game with nice music and sound effects, good job making this!
Nice concise game! The jumper and its controls seemed a bit shaky side to side, not sure if that is the intended effect or not. Also, the jumper would jump off the top edge of the viewport for long-ish periods of time and it was hard to know where it might reappear (again, not sure whether or not this was deliberately part of the game's design). But still a fun little game! Good job creating this game!
For some unknown reason, the initial instructions text would not disappear and so I could not play the game. Pity, it looks like a fun little game to try out. It seems like it froze or got locked up somehow. Tried clicking with the mouse and pressing various keyboard keys, and nothing seemed to work.
I forgot to mention: You can fly through the wall unintentionally, and it goes into the vast open space of the 3D world. I assume this was not by design! Thanks
Really good concept. I tried using the mouse, keyboard and a gamepad for input controls with mixed results. Probably the keyboard worked best of the three. There are some problems with the controls, and sometimes the game would hide the mouse pointer and I had difficultly getting it back. The music fits in really well with the gameplay and the visual assets. The concept of the game fits in perfectly with the gamejam's theme of "tiny world". Even with its "bugs" (ha ha), this game is enjoyable. It would be even more fun though if the input was more robust or refined, as it is hard to control the fly with either the mouse or the gamepad. Good job!
Nice game! Simple, ready to play, and needs no explanation. I used a gamepad as the input device and it works well with the game. I love the way the ladybug flies from one leaf to another. Fits in really well with the gamejam's theme of "tiny world".
