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So am I allowed/able to post a page without a game?

A topic by Teabag Studio created Aug 27, 2021 Views: 978 Replies: 6
Viewing posts 1 to 3

Hey everyone. I've been working on a project of mine for over a year now and I decided its now a good time to start teasing and showing stuff a bit. I wanted to create a page with a teaser trailer and give more info about the game and its world. So I got 2 questions:

1. Can I create a page without a playable demo?
2. Can I share my social media page like instagram or my twitch.tv channel?

Tried to find answers but to no luck, so if anyone could enlighten me I would be really grateful! Thanks in advance.

Moderator(+1)

You can create a page without any playable builds, to start promoting your project. You can even accept pre-orders if you’d like. Just make sure to mark your game accordingly in the “Release Status”.

One thing to keep in mind is, your project will not be indexed in the search engine until it gets a playable build. Your page however will still be public and you can share it’s URL with other social media.

Can I share my social media page like instagram or my twitch.tv channel?

As far as I’m aware, you can add your own social media links on the project’s page. Although not sure if it’s a rule, I’d imagine it gets into a gray area if you decide to promote competitor marketplaces. If all you want to share is social media where you document your progress, or for people to follow you, that should be fine.

It’s up to you to make sure potential viewers are enjoying your page and are not overwhelmed by external links.

Hope that helps

(+1)

It did, thanks a lot!

I just realized that I replied to the topic creator. I was actually trying to get a response from @Dark Dimension!

(3 edits)

Hi, don't mean to hijack this topic, but I was wondering the same thing. I'd like to put up a page as well, but I was wondering what the best options are for showing progress?

I understand there are devlogs, but I noticed there's a devlog category on the forum and a category on the website. So are they linked, or separate? How does that work?

My game is still in a early stage, but it would be great to hear what people think of the idea and the looks of it so far. Putting up a page devlog seems more sensible to me, rather than a forum topic that's basically a list of your own replies, it seems less organized. 

Anyway, I was wondering about the create page settings. If I don't have anything to play yet, what type of pricing do I need to choose? It seems not applicable in this case.  And the cover image, should it contain the game's name/logo? I'm not sure where it will be shown - it's not clear to me. I intended to use this link by the way; https://itch.io/game/new is that the correct way to go for what I want?

Thanks!

Moderator

I understand there are devlogs, but I noticed there’s a devlog category on the forum and a category on the website. So are they linked, or separate? How does that work?

Devlogs on a project page, with the Devlogs forum board are two completely different places. You can use either, or both, to publish your devlogs. I’ve seen people use the board to show progress on a game, and then move to having a project page and update that instead, when the project matures enough.

Either case, there are no hard restrictions. Just make sure to read the board rules before posting.

My game is still in a early stage, but it would be great to hear what people think of the idea and the looks of it so far. Putting up a page devlog seems more sensible to me, rather than a forum topic that’s basically a list of your own replies, it seems less organized.

As mentioned in my other comment on this post, you are allowed to have a page without any playable builds. The only thing to keep in mind is that you are transparent with potential viewers. Make sure it’s clear your project is still under development.

If I don’t have anything to play yet, what type of pricing do I need to choose? It seems not applicable in this case.

You can put your project for free, until you upload a build and change the price then.

And the cover image, should it contain the game’s name/logo? I’m not sure where it will be shown - it’s not clear to me.

There is no should or shouldn’t. It’s up to you to make an image that will attract viewers, while also communicating the game’s brand. It’s usually a good idea to show the game’s name with stylized graphics, to give a taste to viewers of what the game looks like. The cover is shown when users search for games, they see the cover, the game’s title and the small description text.

It sounds like you are thinking about it too much. Just go for it, and you can fix any mistakes along the way. Hope that helps, looking forward to seeing your projects around :)

Thanks for your reply. Sometimes I do think a bit too much about things. I just want to go down the right path from the beginning. 

And you know, perhaps a devlog on the board, and 'upgrading' it to a page later does kinda make sense. I've never done anything like posting a devlog before, and itch.io is also new to me. But I'm going to get started. Thanks!

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