itch.io

Itch's staff doesn't respond to this forum (the administrator sometimes replies to a post or two, but very rarely), and this isn't a way to contact them or get an official response. If you need an official response, you'll have to contact support.

Regarding your question, I think you're referring to the fact that Itch has two ways of handling payments. One is where Itch is the seller, Itch charges the player, and then you request a withdrawal from Itch. In that case, Itch manages the VAT and provides limited information to the developer, which doesn't include any addresses (at least in my case, it has never provided me with any addresses of the buyers of my game).

The other way, which is "direct to you," allows the seller to collect payment directly from the player. Even though it's on Itch, you pay the developer directly, and they are responsible for the VAT. I've never used it, but from what I understand, in this case, that information goes directly to the buyer, since they act as the entity that collects the payment.

Is there an issue with how the game is packaged that is causing the system to incorrectly detect it as being password-protected? Thanks.

From what I've seen, that's a generic message and doesn't necessarily mean it's the reason for your game being quarantined.

The staff very rarely explains why a game is quarantined (possibly to prevent malicious actors from learning how to circumvent security measures). It's possible your file was detected as a false positive, or that for some reason it couldn't be scanned, which is why that warning message is displayed to any user who tries to download it.

It's the same thing.

The staff has to review your case, and the time it takes varies greatly, so there's no way to give you a specific answer.

Some cases are resolved in a few hours, others take weeks, and in some cases, if it's determined that you've violated a rule, they simply don't lift the ban.

For additional information to give you some context: Itch doesn't usually review or approve posts (that's why there's no waiting period). By default, you can post.

If an algorithm that Itch uses determines that your posts are suspicious, it blocks your posts until they are manually approved.

Moderators can't index or change your game's status, and the staff responsible for that doesn't inform them of any changes.

Yelling at him won't get you anywhere, because it's not up to him.

Itch is not accepting paid games with content deemed NSFW for indexing. The games that are listed are errors, and once the staff notices these errors, they deindex them.

I know that a tag and a sensitive content check are two different things. Personally, I think there's a bug in Itch's code, but in the words of the administrator on Discord, those games are mislabeled; they should already have a tag indicating adult content.

Itch doesn't have a staff capable of reviewing every game before it's published.

Most games are published and indexed, trusting that the developers are honest.

Itch has a "bot" that, through a secret algorithm, can deindex a game and place it on a manual review list. This means that the game must wait to be reviewed by a human staff member, but this only affects some games, and many others are indexed immediately without any prior review.

When you find a game with adult content (especially pornographic) when you shouldn't, it's almost certain that the game wasn't properly tagged by the author (sometimes it's an honest mistake, other times the developers try to circumvent the system).

In those cases, as already mentioned, the best thing to do is use the report button at the bottom of the game to bring it to the staff's attention.

For example, the game "TAffy Tales," judging by the images, is clearly NSFW, but if you check its tags, you'll see that the author didn't include any adult content tags:

2D, Characters, Pixel Art, Singleplayer, Story Rich, uberpie

It's possible the author is trying to get their game indexed (despite selling it), hoping to slip under the staff's radar.

Interesante propuesta, buen uso del concepto de infinito y de loop. y bastante trabajados los gráficos. Me parece una excelente entrega.

I'm not sure I fully understood your question.

But in Ren'Py, you normally have a folder called "game" next to the Ren'Py executable.

All your game content should be contained within that "game" folder, and it's what's usually referred to as the "game base."

I see your game is indexed.

If you have any doubts, search by your username. If the game appears, it's because it's indexed.

read this:

https://itch.io/docs/creators/html5#zip-file-requirements

pleas read this:
https://itch.io/t/4120453/unofficial-search-and-indexing-faq

Some games require manual review by staff before being indexed, and this appears to be the case with your game.

This review can take anywhere from a few hours to several weeks, depending on staff workload. Staff members typically don't respond, as in most cases, the game simply needs to wait its turn for review.

Two more things: this forum is community-driven and not the best place to try to contact staff. If you need the moderator to notify staff about your issue, you should have included your support ticket number (pleas read the previous link)

Regardless of what we say, the best thing is to report it to the staff so they can determine whether or not it's correct for them to be indexed. I'm inclined to think it's a mistake, since it would be difficult to determine the criteria without playing and knowing each game in depth.

Paid games that are marked as nsfw are not categorically restricted from being indexed

https://itch.io/t/5149036/reindexing-adult-nsfw-content

From what I understand from that post and what's been said on Discord, it seems to imply that paid games with NSFW content are not eligible for indexing.

If this isn't actually the case, then I've misinterpreted that information. Could you please point me to where the staff specifies which games with NSFW content are eligible for indexing?

From what I understand of the rules, those games shouldn't be indexed, and it seems to be an error on Itch's part.

Use the button at the bottom of those games to report them so the staff can review them.

Is there any rule against creating another account in this situation, or could it lead to additional penalties?

It's not allowed, the rules simply say not to do it, but there are several posts from the admin where it says that doing so could result in a ban.

Don’t try to circumvent any indexing restrictions

https://itch.io/docs/creators/getting-indexed

and:

Keep in mind creating a new account to circumvent any restrictions or ban evade will result in permanent suspension from our platform.

https://itch.io/post/8804909

The moderator is not an employee of yours or Itch; he is a volunteer moderator for the community. The most he can do is inform the administrator about your ticket. And for your information, the administrator does not provide feedback to the moderator, so they have no way of knowing the status of your ticket or why your jam not appearing on the calendar.

If you want to contact the staff, the only official way is to contact support. Threatening the moderator with a barrage of emails is completely useless, because the moderator doesn't work for Itch and doesn't have access to support tools. And he's not lying when he says he'll inform the admins about your ticket. The problem is, the staff doesn't change their decisions based on what the moderator tells them; it only serves to draw their attention to your case.

PD:  I also want to let you know that the forum is not answered by the staff and is not a way to contact them. As I mentioned above, the only official way to contact them is through the support email.

Get help from the itch.io community. Have a quick question or issue, other members of the community can assist you in finding an answer. If you need to specifically contact itch.io staff you can message our support team.

If I remember correctly, GOG shows you two values: one general and another for people who have purchased the game. It would work as a filter if the game is indeed paid; if the game is free, it will only show you the overall rating.

Personally, rather than a system like that, I think it would be better if Itch publicly displayed the comments on the ratings. That way, users could determine whether a rating is relevant or not.

For assistance, it's best to use this other channel:

https://itch.io/board/10020/help-wanted-or-offered

This one is primarily for resolving specific questions about development.

Do you know how to program?

Look for tutorials on how to create a game similar to the one you want using engines like Godot.

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+make+my+first+godot+game%3F

Don't know how to program?

Look for tutorials on engines that don't require coding.

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+make+a+game+without+coding

Two possible scenarios.

If it's a game with NSFW content, Itch has disabled card payments for that content due to a complaint from the payment service provider.

Second scenario: the game's creator has a "direct to you" payment method, allowing them to choose which payment methods they accept. (They usually only accept PayPal.)

Estás en el foro general de Itch, aquí es poco probable que alguien te pueda ayudar (por no conocer el juego del que hablas).
Lo mejo es que trates de escribir en la parte inferior de la página del juego, ahí tienes una zona de comentarios que es exclusiva de ese juego y es más probable que te pueda ayudar el propio desarrollador.

---------------------------------------------------------------

You're in the general Itch forum, so it's unlikely anyone here will be able to help you (since we don't know the game you're talking about). It's best to try posting at the bottom of the game's page; there's a comments section there that's specific to that game, and the developer is more likely to be able to help you.

Do you realize you just replied to a post that's 3 years old?

Any changes you make to a project trigger a bot that, based on a secret criterion, determines whether your game can remain indexed or if it needs to be reviewed by a human. In that case, your game is de-indexed until a staff member reviews it manually.

Your game is marked as NSFW, and Itch hasn't indexed any NSFW games that accept money (even in the form of donations) for a year.

https://itch.io/t/5149036/reindexing-adult-nsfw-content

Using a price-per-file model for products that are sold is not recommended. It's intended as a reward above the base price.

The normal operation of the purchase system is as follows:
If someone pays for your project, they gain ownership of the product and will always be able to download the files, regardless of updates or changes to the product's price.

The price-per-file system works as follows:
If someone paid X, they can only download files priced at X or less (And it doesn't matter if he has ownership of the project, but rather the value he paid.).
In your case, if they paid 3 or more at the time of purchase, they will be able to download files priced at 3 or less.
If someone paid you 3, but tomorrow you update and change the file price to 4, that person will NOT be able to download the file.

Individually priced files come with an important distinction regarding ownership: The buyer will only continue to have access to these files if the price they paid satisfies the minimum price you set on the file. This means that if you change the individually priced file to be more expensive, you may lock out access to that purchase tier from existing buyers. We strongly recommend considering how you intend to price your project in the future before using an individually priced file. Use individually priced files for quick bonus content, not to set the price of your content. Use the minimum price on your project to set the price of your product, as this will allow you to change the price at a later time without affecting ownership.

https://itch.io/docs/creators/pricing

The forum is answered by the community, not the staff. It's best to contact support via email.

I know the moderator will inform the admin about your ticket, but while you wait for an official response from the staff, I want to point out two things that should clear up your doubts.

If your game was marked as NSFW and accepts donations, then under Itch's new rules, it won't be indexed. Check this link:

A change was introduced to the search system a long time ago; the system now only displays games, NOT creators.
If you search for a creator, you will see the indexed games that creator has, but not the creator themselves.

If you check the forum, you'll see that this question has been answered several times (and it appears in the documentation). Itch only validates interviews when you request your first withdrawal, not before, since validating the interview costs $3, which is deducted from your first withdrawal.

I think you're overthinking this (my commentary).
The guy asked for help with a music issue, and I simply told him he's better off getting help through the link I gave him than by asking here. That's all.

As for things like "licenses need to be read carefully" or "the costs of hiring a professional artist can be very high," etc., I agree with you. But I don't think those are the point of the conversation, and while you have some valid points, it would be better to elaborate on them constructively so the person who asked the original question can receive meaningful feedback.

EDIT:

and you are right my post was shit i deleted it im sorry this is my point thx

I replied before reading this.

As I mentioned before, I think you have valid points, but you should address them to the original creator. I expressed my general opinion on the topic above. Here, I was simply pointing out where it's easier to find help if they want to work with someone.

For my part, there's no problem. I've also been there—annoyed about something and ending up saying things that I later realize weren't entirely correct, so it's all good ;)

I didn't understand your irony.

In that section of the forum, there are people offering and asking for help (art, music, programming, etc.), both free and paid, so I can't see where your criticism lies.

The problem is that the Itch staff is often overwhelmed with work, and response times can be very long, so all I can say is be patient.

You can try copying the ticket number from the forum and politely asking the moderator to inform the staff about your case.

First, this forum is answered by the community, not the staff.

Second, it seems the automated anti-scam filter has flagged your posts as suspicious. To clarify, this doesn't mean you did anything wrong; it simply means the automated system detected something suspicious, and your posts must be reviewed and approved by a human first. The best course of action is to contact Itch support, explaining the error message and what you normally do (posting links to YouTube videos where you share gameplay of those games).

You're not the only one, and I agree with what you're saying. I also think a menu that allows filtering by language would be a good idea.

A tip: when I want to search for games in another language, I use the URL:

itch.io/games/lang-<CODE>

Where CODE is the 2-letter ISO code.

To search in German, it would be:

itch.io/games/lang-de

For Spanish:

itch.io/games/lang-es

The great thing is that when you're on the games page with the language selected, any other filters you use are automatically added to the language filter.

Could you specify which rules you're reading?

I ask because I don't recall any that mention contacting "mod," which I assume means "moderators" and not "modifications."

Community moderators don't have access to indexing and can't help you resolve the issue, which is why it seems so strange that you're citing a rule that says you should contact the moderators.

I agree with what you're saying; it would be a good idea to have a couple of moderators dedicated to reviewing and approving these messages. Currently, as far as I understand, only the staff can do it, and they're already overwhelmed with work without having to review comments.

The creator of a project is supposed to be able to act as a moderator of their own page (and approve pending messages on their page), but it seems that Itch doesn't notify them when they have messages awaiting approval. Unless you manually go to the moderation menu, you won't know, and I think that contributes significantly to the problem of many messages remaining hidden for months

What is the problem?

I'm going to assume you're genuinely looking for an explanation. If you simply want to express your frustration, it would be best to post it here:

https://itch.io/board/10017/general-discussion

But since you're posting in "Questions & Support," I assume you want to know a bit about the reason.

I also want to clarify that I'm only explaining the reason we've seen; I'm neither defending nor attacking your position, just explaining the facts.

Several months ago, there was a surge in comments with malicious links on Itch's game pages. Every day, this forum was flooded with people complaining that Itch wasn't doing anything to prevent these comments with malicious links on legitimate sites. What we know is that some of these links were designed to trick people into downloading malware onto their computers so that their credentials could be stolen, so it was crucial to prevent it.

The staff should have implemented a filter, which unfortunately catches many legitimate posts. (False positives) And now, if you check this forum, you won't see posts from people complaining about malicious links, but you will see many posts from people complaining that they can't post.

Basically, we went from a system that failed to detect fraudulent posts to one that is capturing too many false positives.

Please note that I am explaining the events; I am not discussing how effective it is or whether it is the best or worst system.

So providing it on itch.io as a sideloadable game seems moot. Would a downloadable demo be still considered as only promoting the full online game?

I've seen several projects that are precisely "demos" that have a link to Steam to buy the full game.

Personally, I don't like them, but from what I understand, they don't violate any rules and have been indexed by Itch, so I don't think there would be a problem on that front.

I don't quite understand your question either, since Redoinhunter has already answered it, but I'll try to clarify what the documentation says:

Please try not to upload just Steam keys, or put a link to your Steam store page without uploading any files. Someone buying a game on itch.io wants to be able to access it on itch.io through our website and app. If possible, your uploads should be DRM-free, but it isn't a requirement.

You can create a page on Itch that only has a link to the playdate page. Yes, the rules do NOT prohibit it (personally, I think it should be prohibited, but the rules don't explicitly prohibit it, only advise against it), but it's very likely that your page will NOT be indexed, since it doesn't offer any games within Itch.

Links to other platforms are intended to be a complement and NOT the main (and only) way to get the game.
For example, you can offer a game with achievements on Steam and a version without achievements on Itch. You create the page on Itch, upload the version without achievements to Itch, and include the Steam link in case someone wants to buy the version with achievements. The important thing is that you offer an option for people who want to buy and play directly from Itch without relying on another store.

Conversely, if your game doesn't offer this option and forces users to use another store, then you're not offering anything of value to Itch users. You'd only be using Itch to promote your game, and although the rules not prohibit it, it's likely that your page won't be indexed.

I recommend asking for help in the subforum dedicated to that, since more people involved in music creation will read it.

You can also find people offering their services there.

https://itch.io/board/10020/help-wanted-or-offered

What you should do is contact Itch support via email, detailing all the problems and providing any evidence you deem necessary. You should receive an automated reply with a ticket number.

If a significant amount of time passes without a response (as I understand is your case), you can post the ticket number here in the forum and politely ask the moderator to inform the staff about your case.

The admin made a change to the search system several months ago (I think it was over a year ago). It no longer shows users when you search, only games.

If the user you're looking for has indexed games, it will show you those; if they don't have any indexed games, it won't show you anything.

If you know the nickname, you can always use the profile URL, which has the following format:

itch.io/profile/<profile_name>