I have a question for everyone who has submitted a game to itch.io.
How long did it take for your game to be indexed?
It's been 10 days since I published my game.
I've been waiting 3 days for a response to my support email.
I'm not complaining, it's probably the way it should be.
It would be great to hear about your experience though.
You can find the answer to your question in the rules of Questions & Support where it belongs.
There is no answer to this question in the rule section, since the question was specfically aimed at other users. The rule secion just instructs how to side track support and use community threads for a squeaky wheel gets the grease kind of support by including a ticket number. And the rule section and faq are a direct cause for many of these threads.
(contacting support) "typically we will respond within a 1-3 days"
(indexing new project) "We generally review these within a few business days after a project is published."
(contacting support because not being indexed) "If you just published the page, please wait at least a day before contacting us."
There are no responses for weeks or most likely never, to such requests. The games just get indexed eventually. The waiting time for new projects is either zero or weeks/over a month. Asking people to contact support two days after waiting for getting indexed is creating an expected time frame that apparantly is not met in most cases. The faq is out of touch with reality, which creates further problems and frustration.
For indexing specifically, there is the problem that there is the possibilty, that a project is not indexed intentionally. Developers cannot tell the difference. And when they read the faqs and see the mention of "days", they will get worried, if those "days" turn to weeks. They are in limbo.
Perhaps that's why the rules of Questions & Support, that everyone ignores, say "don't ask how long it takes". Because it depends.
Yes, I know. It took me long enough to get one little change into the official FAQ, and by that time it was already obsolete. Worse, I missed a spot, so now the text says two different things. But it's a basis for conversation! That's the point of skimming the textbook.
I can't comment on itch.io's communication policies, mostly because I have no idea why our admins communicate so little. But they said this many times: please don't wait around. Please don't rely on being indexed. But people don't like to hear that, even after they do read the FAQ.
"Don't ask how long it takes," but why so strict? I think this is the most important question. Developers come to this site to share their games. I do not need exact time frames, who do you take me for? I am just a little newbie developer who made his first game, everything is new to me, everything is unclear, but I read and study everything carefully and listen to everything. But it is obvious that there are those who have already gone through this, and there are also those like me who are just starting out, and there is also an opportunity to share our experiences with each other. Our experience in this matter, our attitude towards this matter.
Perhaps that's why the rules of Questions & Support, that everyone ignores, say "don't ask how long it takes". Because it depends.
Is this a translation issue? Because that is not what the rules say.
The rules in questions and support say:
Before you create a topic asking why you can't find your game ... (do things)
A prudent thing to ask, as is common in any message board. Telling people to first search for the topic. The rule proceeds to direct people to the faq, where it states a time frame of days for indexing to occur. This is giving the impression that the game was somehow processed by staff - since it only takes a few business days - but deemed unfit to be indexed. If the developer would disagree, they are asked to make a plea to support.
Please correct me if I am understanding the meaning and intention and context of this rule segment wrong. English is not my native language and this is how I read that rule.
After waiting at least a day to make that plea and there is no answer after a few days and people go back to the rules that directed them to the faq in the first place, it says:
Please do not create topics asking how long it will take for support to reply to you. Different questions may take different amount of time to respond, typically we will respond within a 1-3 days but it may take longer depending on the type of issue.
Yeah, pestering support, as the faq tells people to do, is not exactly asking a question. It is actually two different waiting times. One for getting indexed - which should take a few days. And one for asking support to reconsider the decision to not index it - which should also only take a few days.
I am probably biased, as are you, from reading all those indexing problem threads. But how is all this seen from the perspective of a new developer trying to get it right? Do they see helpful "disclaimers" at the time of publishing, that they might not find their project for some weeks and should not worry and do their own promotion? I dare say: no. They might read the faq and see mention of days, so they might wait a week or even contact support, as they were told. Still no answer, no indexing and here we are, reading such an indexing thread every day.
To my understanding, this thread is not about individual waiting time. Neither for indexing, nor for support answers. Yes, it "depends", but the set up expected waiting time stated at the places people can go looking for these things, do talk about days. Having at least a realistic guess about waiting time would put some people at ease. But heeding the rules does not give this answer. You only can read that in threads about people complaining. After reading those, one realizies, that the time should realistically be read as weeks, where it says days in those rules and the faq.
Itch is indie, if it takes longer, it takes longer. So be it. But it might help to tell this to people, so they do not create unnecessary support requests or worry about having done something wrong.
Obviously I was really misled and misunderstood the interpretation of these recommendations.
I created this post, but not to demand an answer or to proudly ask the whole forum when I will get an answer here and there and why it is taking so long. No, no and no again! This is not about me, but about others who have encountered similar things. I made it clear that this is not a complaint, but an interest in someone else's experience.
Please forgive me if I broke the rules or offended you in any way, this was not my plan.
Thanks for the clarification. That it used to be different explains a bit.
Talking to other people usually helps, so it is strange to discourage topics about just that. To discourage individual support questions is understandable. This is not a tech support message board that is answered directly by the company. So a question about how long one's individual response time will be, is futile anyways.
And from my view, many of those topics are just that. People seeking assurance that they did nothing wrong, that it is not them, that everything is normal. Long waiting times, ok, people might not like it, but they can deal with it. But being in limbo is nerve wrecking.
That's exactly what I was trying to explain, but I guess I'm not doing it well. I didn't mean to offend or hurt anyone. Only two people responded to the post I made, but it still turned into such a lively discussion. I think I really hit a sore spot. But I didn't mean to, really! And I just want to repeat what I've already said: "I accept the time frame as fair and honest." And that's true, no matter what it ends up being. Ten days have passed, ten weeks will follow, it will be hard of course, but if it finally gives me the opportunity to show my game to others, then it was worth the wait, and if it happens much sooner, then I'll throw a party.
I was really interested in gaining experience from others, learning how it happens from those who have already experienced it. And I'll be honest, I got even more than I expected, so many useful thoughts, now I have something to think about, something to learn, and most importantly, now I'm calm about my game.
Squeaky wheel, as accurately noted. A lot of things are really extremely vague, and all you can do is take everything on faith, which of course is very inconvenient. "The games will just be indexed eventually", maybe I would have been quite satisfied with this clarification from the beginning. And if there had been a postscript: "Weeks/over a month", then I would have even calmed down, that's honest. I completely agree with you.
There is such a postscript in the unofficial FAQ I keep sending people to.
Forgive me for my mistake. I really didn't mean to offend anyone with my actions. I read all the rules and recommendations. But I'm not interested in the technical side of this issue, because it's clear that the time frame is infinitely blurred. Everybody talks about it, it's written everywhere. That's why I made it clear that I'm not complaining, that this is probably the way it should be. I don't need support in this matter. Because what kind of support can there be? Attention to my project and its indexing? That would be support, that would be great. But that's not going to happen, and I understand that. I accept it honestly and fairly. I wanted to know specifically about other people's experiences, how they feel about this.
If one reads the comments and observes fresh games on the index, the conclusion is, that the typical waiting time is around 7 days to 30+ days. Sometimes longer. This is speculation, but it might vary with staff availabilty and maybe they do things in bulk. So anytime a flu wave strikes or any other thing that might occupy staff attention, the waiting time might rise.
There could be a running average of the indexing time by community comparision. But that waiting time is said to not be first in first out, so the results would be very inaccurate.
While indexing is meant to bring a little bit of quality standard, in my opinion, the most important aspect is trying to catch bad actors. Be it yet another crypto scam, shovelware, spam and of course malware. I have seen a lot of malware here. And, sadly, hacked accounts.
Very interesting remark about the influence of significant events in the world on the indexing time, it really makes you think. You immediately understood that I am not looking for specific numbers, I understand everything perfectly well and do not blame anyone for anything, everyone does their job and everything has its time. Nevertheless, you have given me much more information on this subject, so I am already glad that I decided to create this post.
Thank you for your attention to my thoughts! It means a lot to me.
I understand what a dangerous place the internet can be, it is really very sad, but I am definitely not a scammer, honestly. I am the simplest and most ordinary little developer without an audience, trying with all my might to figure out how to get at least someone to play my game.
I think the faqs are simply outdated or describe the situation as it would be, without whatever troubles piled up over the last year. I experienced such scenarios first hand, where each little needle sting would not matter, but all together they result in a pile up and basically a traffic jam that additionally creates work. That is why I am criticising the lack of warning messages at the right places. I believe it creates additional work, making everythign even worse. Some of the needle stings would include: tax season, sickness wave, several ddos attacks on Itch and of course, scammers doing bad things.
The last bit is very real and creates a megaton of work that we all do not see. I only see the things that Itch staff and automatics did not catch and that is still a lot. The scammers are adapting quickly and from their patterns it hints that Itch managed to greatly improve on one thing. Unfortunately that thing has as a side effect a lot of quarantines and of course longer waiting times for indexing and more games not being indexed.
I am definitely not a scammer
That's what a scammer would say ;-)
If only it were just a joke on your part. But alas, we live in a world where even an overly concerned user who participates in such discussions with good intentions can easily turn out to be a double agent ;-)
You are absolutely right about everything. This is a much deeper topic for discussion than I first thought. That is why I agree to wait as long as it takes, no matter how hard it is for me. I really understand that it is not the developer who is in a difficult situation, one of thousands of the same, because each of them wanted such a difficult situation for themselves. This is my choice, my path. I understand very well that those who have to bear this pressure of thousands of persons like me should be thanked, and I thank them. This platform is a great opportunity for me and my game, and I have not found a better option yet.
Asset, not a game, but in my case it went really fast. It was up the same night I released it; I don't think I even noticed a delay. (I was already a known artist in another community, so I was able to direct traffic from there, which probably helped. Also, it's an asset with no executable files, so there's that too.)
That's my experience. Don't get me wrong, my experience trying to contact support later was much worse, it doesn't surprise me that people are falling through the cracks. But, uh, there's my answer to the question.
My game has been indexed and I want to summarize it.
Here's what I'll tell you: worry, study more materials, read, develop and look for answers.
It's paradoxical, but it's very important to balance in yourself the one who doesn't stand still and the one who is ready to be patient.
This is the only way to save precious time. And you won't waste your energy and your nerves.
And I'll tell you what I wanted to hear from the very beginning: everything will be okay, you'll be successful.
This place is a really good opportunity for those who are just starting out as a developer.
There are those who are ready to help you, you are not alone, so never give up.
But even in a friendly environment there is always danger, there are criminals who want to do a lot of dirty tricks.
There is a constant battle with them, and therefore you must learn to be part of this well-coordinated battle.
Everyone starts from a small seed, you just have to accept that as a fact.
But what will happen next with your game, what it will grow into, what fruits it will bear, depends only on you.
For me personally, these few downloads and the long-awaited positive comment mean a lot.
The process of creating the game was and is a creative therapy for me, it helps me to feel better.
And now I know that my work and experience could give someone new impressions, which is very pleasant to realize.
Now I have more strength to continue doing what I do, even more than I had in the beginning.
Thank you all. Be yourself. Don't give up. Keep creating. You will succeed.
