itch.io

When you've been programming for a long time, it can become difficult to come up with creative ideas, right?
I've experienced that myself.

What I recommend is using the following tools:

• Mandala Chart
• KJ Method
• Mind Map

These are tools I often use when I can't come up with any ideas, even by force.

The Mandala Chart is useful for collecting necessary ideas. You start by thinking of 8 elements that you believe are essential for a game, and then break each of those 8 elements down into 8 more sub-elements.

If you have fragmented ideas, the KJ Method works well. You write down the thoughts that come to mind on small blank papers or sticky notes, and then later group them together.
Once your ideas start to take shape, it’s time to use a Mind Map. Mind Maps can get complicated, so I recommend using a dedicated tool. Basically, you just branch out your ideas in a tree-like structure. Before you know it, you’ll start to understand what you need to do next.

A good way to come up with ideas is to think of "something impossible", or "it would be fun if this existed", or "this is something I like".
This kind of thinking can generate various ideas, and by using the tools above to dig deeper, you’ll be able to shape those ideas into something real

Give it a try!

The issue is likely caused by the browser's same-origin policy in combination with iframe sandbox restrictions.
While it may appear to be a cross-origin issue, the actual culprit is often the sandbox attribute.

The HTML iframe tag can have a sandbox attribute for security purposes.
It's possible that itch.io embeds uploaded content in a sandboxed iframe hosted on their own servers.
When the sandbox attribute is present, it restricts JavaScript interactions between parent and child frames, form submissions, popups, and same-origin access.
If allow-same-origin is not specified, the iframe content is treated as coming from a completely different origin.
As a result, once an iframe is sandboxed, it is treated as cross-origin, and this leads to a “Permission Denied” error.

Therefore, I recommend reviewing how you're handling iframes or considering alternatives that don't rely on using iframes.

The main reason I use weather effects is to enhance realism.

In the horror game I recently released, I’ve approached weather in a few specific ways:

• The weather changes randomly, which helps convey the idea that “this game world continues day after day.”
• To make the weather-related sounds feel more authentic, I used ambient audio recorded in real environments.
• I use weather and its associated sounds to influence the player's sense of unease.

I think weather can be a powerful tool—like a well-used spice—when applied effectively.
But without a clear purpose or intention behind it, it can easily become distracting noise.
The key is to think about how you want to use weather as part of your overall atmosphere and storytelling.

That answer depends on the game.

If it's a game where I genuinely want to "save," "help," or "nurture" a character, then I’d want that character to understand the meaning of what I said and be able to move forward with it as part of their growth.

As long as it's not about "forcing" an ideology, but rather "acknowledging that both those who support and those who oppose it exist as part of diversity, and being open to all differing opinions," then I have no problem with it.

I'm interested in how much freedom there is when it comes to creating bots.
In my Discord server, I have a custom utility bot running,
so I’d be happy if I could port it over just as it is.

What kind of game do you want to make?

Let’s start by documenting that first!
Choosing a game engine can come afterward.
Even in the actual game industry, everything begins with a proposal document.

I have the same concerns as you.
However, I have my own tentative hypothesis for an optimal solution, and I’m currently working hard toward that goal.

That is, to 'catch people's attention.'
Ultimately, for someone to like my game, they go through the following steps:

1. Someone discovers my game.
2. Someone tries my game.
3. Someone plays my game.
4. Someone comes to like my game.

So, if step 1 doesn’t happen, step 2 obviously won’t either.
And the same goes for the rest.

That’s why I use the principle of 'first, make sure people who might like my game find it' as my guiding action.

Conversely, I believe that approaching people who are unlikely to have any interest is almost a complete waste of time and effort.

You knock.

You wait.

No one answers.

So… what now?

---

Hey, anybody there?

This is a very short Japanese horror game.  
Originally released in 2013 under the title “ごめんください” (Gomenkudasai),  
this game quietly spread across Japan — whispered about on forums,  
played by major YouTubers, and remembered by those who didn’t sleep well afterward.

Now, for the first time, it’s available in English —  
fully localized, browser-playable, and just as quietly disturbing.

No jumpscares.  
No chase scenes.  
Just an early morning, a neighbor’s door,  
and the kind of horror that doesn’t need to scream.

---

🛠️ Built in RPG Maker MV  
🖥️ Playable in-browser (recommended: PC)  
🕒 Playtime: ~10 minutes  
🔁 12 endings, including 2 hidden ones  
🎧 Use headphones. Listen closely.

https://had2apps.itch.io/hey-anybody-there

https://itch.io/embed/3648563

It was a bit of a rush job, but I tried making subtitles and text logs appear in the browser’s developer console.

https://had2apps.itch.io/hey-anybody-there/devlog/969003/quick-feature-view-subt...

Congratulations!

You managed to stay alive without knowing a thing!

This game I recently released contains none of those typical jump scares like a close-up face suddenly appearing with a loud noise.

Instead, it’s designed with a gloomy atmosphere that evokes fear through mood alone, while keeping the gameplay itself extremely simple.

If you're interested, I’d love for you to try it out. Though, I do think it’s a game that people will either really enjoy or not—it depends on personal taste.

https://had2apps.itch.io/hey-anybody-there

https://itch.io/embed/3648563?link_color=930000

Speaking from my perspective as someone who specializes in games centered around Japanese horror, I believe that horror games are all about the 'ma'—the use of silence and timing.

To create fear without relying on jump scares, it’s essential to reconsider how 'ma' is used and to make the player feel a sense of unease.

For example, imagine you’re working late at night in an environment where you can hear the sound of an air conditioner. Suddenly, the air conditioner stops, and complete silence takes over. Now, the sounds you make yourself are much sharper, and even the slightest noise becomes more noticeable than before. That subtle sense of discomfort and unease—and the time it takes to recognize it—creates tension.

In my opinion, the kind of fear that makes your spine tingle doesn’t come from loud jump scares, but rather from the sheer silence where nothing can be heard.

Thanks for the comment.

Actually, while this game may look like it was made with RM2k, it's actually a work created with RMMV!
Since RMMV allowed for greater expressive possibilities, this game—originally made in RM2k—has been ported to RMMV.

That said, I can give you a hint.

Try looking up 'EasyRPG Player.'
It's a runtime that lets you run RM2k and 2k3 games on the web, and you should be able to find it available somewhere.

One more thing I’d like to add is this:
There are a couple of things I really hope streamers will keep in mind.

• Not just following the game’s terms and rules, but also trying to understand why the creator put those rules in place. (Creators often write these terms with great care, trusting that streamers will respect them—even if they’re not sure anyone will actually read them. At least, that’s true for the creators I know.)
• Instead of just dropping a video link, also include a proper written comment or review. (Personally, I appreciate a thoughtful comment—even a short one—more than just a bare video link.)

That kind of respect really goes a long way.

You clearly have a lot of thoughts on this topic, and it's interesting to see how deeply you've considered it.

I appreciate seeing perspectives like yours — they definitely add variety to how people think about tools, ethics, and creativity in game development.

Personally, I lean more toward seeing what people manage to create and why, regardless of the methods they used. In the end, everyone’s creative journey is shaped by different priorities and limitations.

Looking forward to seeing what kind of passion goes into your next project — I imagine it’ll be something that reflects your strong beliefs.

Thanks again for the discussion. Let’s see where the future takes all of us.

In that case, how about making it visually clear whether someone has purchased the game—for paid products only?

That way, help clarify whether someone is leaving criticism after supporting the creator financially, or just freely complaining without contributing anything.

You're absolutely right. AI is just a tool.
And like any tool, it can be used ethically or unethically, creatively or lazily.

But when I talked about “passion,” I wasn’t referring to what the tool contains.
I was referring to what gets projected through it.

Take a camera, for example. It's a useful tool.
It doesn’t have feelings—but if the person behind the lens has something they genuinely want to express, it can capture something deeply moving.

I’m not blindly advocating for AI.
What I really want to ask—whether someone uses AI or not—is this:

What is it that you truly want to express through your game?

I totally support this idea!

Right now, when sharing revenue, I have to manually split the earnings and send them to each team member myself.
If itch.io could handle that part automatically, it would make things so much easier.

This might be a bit niche, but in Japan, there used to be a platform called RPG Atsumaru that had exactly this kind of feature—it was called the “Collaborator Function.”
Sadly, the site no longer exists, but the feature worked just like what you’re proposing.
Personally, I wouldn’t mind if a small handling fee was taken from the split.

I really hope this gets implemented!

Here’s my personal method for creating solid game lore using AI:

1. First, explain your general worldbuilding concept to the AI and make sure it understands the kind of setting you want.
2. Then, tell the AI all your wild, chaotic, and possibly deranged ideas. (Unless you’re using a super strict AI, it won’t judge you—trust me.)
3. Ask the AI to write a long piece of flavor text. If it doesn’t feel right, revise your prompt and tweak it again and again until it clicks. (I’ve gone through up to 20 iterations, but if the AI “gets it,” sometimes it only takes a few tries.)
4. Once you’re satisfied with the flavor text, start a new chat session.
5. Paste the flavor text into the new session, and using a custom template you’ve prepared, ask the AI to write based on that—be sure to emphasize that atmosphere is the top priority.
6. If any part of the result doesn't sit right with you, repeat the revision process just like in step 3—revise the prompt, tweak the instructions, and try again.

With this method, you can get pretty decent results from AI.
I personally recommend using Claude 4 Sonnet.

One important thing to keep in mind:
You shouldn’t rely on AI to create your lore from scratch.

By design, AI tends to generate “average” or generic ideas.
If you let it handle everything, your world will end up feeling flat and uninspired.
That’s why it’s up to you to inject the madness, the weirdness, the uniqueness.

Always remember—AI is just a tool.

I tried thinking about this seriously, but... what’s the actual point of it?

Is the idea that, when your content only has one like,
you’d rather feel like “well, at least I liked it myself”
than “nobody has liked this yet”?

I usually compose the music for my games myself.
That said, with the rise of AI music tools recently, it's become a lot easier to get something that "sounds right" with minimal effort.

The reason I still choose to compose on my own is because I often work with niche genres (For example, something like this), and also because I like being able to use melodies that come to me during development without compromise.

A friend of mine often uses pre-made music assets. They don't have a strong attachment to BGM and just want something that fits the mood—and that works perfectly fine for them.

In the end, every creator has a different relationship with music in their games.
So I think it's best to go with whatever method feels right to you.

I believe there’s no definitive answer to this question.

So I’m neither for nor against it.
In the end, time and public opinion will decide.

Personally, I don't think using AI is inherently a bad thing.
The reason is simple: AI cannot have passion.
Whether you use AI or not, you are the one who has to pour passion into your work.

That’s why I feel the question of "Should we use AI or not?" doesn’t really lead anywhere.
Instead, I think the better question is:
"What are you so passionate about that you feel no need to rely on AI?"

You're probably not looking for an answer like "it has to be in first-person," right?

Well then, in my opinion, the must-have features in an FPS are:

• A way to tell how much health you have
• A way to know what weapon you're currently using
• A way to check your remaining ammo

The key phrase here is "a way to know." Sure, it's easy to just slap everything on a HUD, but honestly, I don't think it has to be a HUD—as long as the information is conveyed clearly in some form.

For example, in the classic DOOM, there's a face at the bottom of the screen. Even without numerical health indicators, if there are enough expressions tied to different health levels, you can get a rough idea of how bad things are just by looking at the character's face.

So as long as players can roughly tell their health, weapon, and ammo count, a HUD might not be necessary at all.
If those elements are well-designed, I think that’s enough to make a first-person shooter work.

And if I had to add one more thing, it would be a sense of playfulness.

Since you're working on a sci-fi game, I think it's essential to include little Easter eggs or references that only true sci-fi fans would catch.
For example, maybe the tutorial AI is called "SPRING 9000" (a twist on HAL 9000, with "HAL" being read as "Haru" in Japanese, which means "spring.")
Or maybe the aliens greet each other with a pose that’s unmistakably the "live long and prosper" sign.
Maybe sharks rain down from space.
Or in a world full of futuristic tech, the clock is weirdly analog.

Details like that absolutely belong in a sci-fi FPS, in my opinion.

That's about it from me!

Hello,
I hope you're still checking this thread...

What I’d like to share isn’t actually a game, but rather a set of music assets I recently released.
This demo features tracks inspired by six different gang organizations in a cyberpunk world.
You can get a feel for the atmosphere through the demo video.

If you're interested, please give it a listen—maybe it could help spark some ideas for your game!

https://had2apps.itch.io/cyberpunk-combat-bgm-psycho

Thank you for playing!

Sorry I haven't been able to comment for such a long time!

I just wrote about that above, so please take a look!

— A decayed city. The stench of blood and oil. The noise that fries your neural synapses.  And then *they* appear.

This is a fictional gang battle BGM pack set in a cyberpunk dystopia.  

Packed with combat-ready, rhythm-heavy tracks, this collection leans hard into that "2077 energy"—loud, intense, and unforgettable.  

All tracks are loopable and ready for use in games or cinematic works.

Each track in this pack imagines a different faction or territory in a futuristic dystopian city. From blood-drenched back alleys to industrial strongholds, this is music made for chaos, tension, and survival. Think of it as the sound of a world where order has collapsed, and only the ruthless rule the streets.

Recommended for creators who’ve ever said:

• “Cyberpunk should be more PUNK.”  
• “I don’t want Blade Runner, I want 2077!”  
• “These other sci-fi BGMs just aren’t crazy enough. Gimme something INSANE!”  
• “I need something more... SPLATTER!”

Now on sale for $17.35 in today's currency value!
Be sure to check out the demo first!

https://had2apps.itch.io/cyberpunk-combat-bgm-psycho

https://itch.io/embed/3640435?bg_color=ff0&link_color=f00

Demo:

Hi!

Sorry for being out of touch for such a long time.

I had completely forgotten about this site until just recently (partly because I wasn't confident I could do a proper translation).

But now there are convenient AIs available, so I can talk like this!

Regarding the translated version you requested, it's pretty much hopeless right now since I don't have much time.

However, if it's okay to release it as a paid patch, there might be some hope.

Also, though I can't say when (I've been saying this for years and still haven't done it), I do want to make a remake someday, and when I do, I might release a translated version.

I’d like to share an experience that might serve as food for thought.

Someone once posted a video titled “The Worst Game in the World” in the comment section of my game. (The video itself is gone now, but the comment log remains.) When a spoiler-filled video that openly belittles your work appears, is there anyone who can honestly respond with a heartfelt “Thanks!”? I found out I couldn’t. I was bedridden for weeks.

Of course, if there are creators who genuinely enjoy having Let’s-Play videos linked in their comments, I have no intention of denying their feelings. In the end, isn’t the crucial point simply how the creator feels when they see that situation?

Thanks for your comment! I think so, too!