Full Games List
Featured Games
New Games
Reviews
Media
Images
Blogs
Game Updates
Images Feedback Summary
Game Design Highlights
Tutorials
Articles
Scripts
Utilities / Plugins
Resources
Engines
Engine Bulletins
What is Makerscore?
Past Events
Achievements
Misaos
Forums
Chat
New to RMN?
Full Store List
RMN Music Pack (free)
Profile
Locker
Play ListsSGT M'S PROFILE
Close
Search
Filter
All
Game Pages
CYE What went right and what went terribly wrong retrospective.
Going to try and take a more chilled approach from now on and not place too much pressure on myself.
This is definitely the best takeaway you can get from a scenario like this. It's better to step back and re-assess why you make game and the things about making them that you enjoy than to just quit entirely because it didn't work out.
And remember that it is okay if commercialism isn't the path you want to continue down towards. It takes so, so much more to get a game out of the swamp now than it did even just five years ago and you can't blame yourself for not having the absolute lightning strike of correct circumstances that it takes to get a game noticed now.
Even with the mild success I had with Soma Spirits on Steam, Brave Hero Yuusha ended up being a bit of a flop and it got to the point where they were only ever selling if I put them on sale for like fifty cents. My numbers have only been dropping ever since. But as long as it took to cope with failure, I managed to find reasons to love making games again. And I'm sure you find find that love for gamedev, too.
2021 Misao nomination monthly data
If we're throwing our own games on here, I did finish Soma Union in August. Though I can understand if this shouldn't be highlighted since Soma Spirits won in 2016. But I thought I'd mention it anyway.
The Featured Game Thread
Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass and Ara Fell are both commercial games and have been featured before.
I don't think there's a written rule about what commercial games are eligible, save for this post from Libby:
So I imagine the games have to be established and in the spirit of the RMN community, and not just some guy showing up one day posting their big Kickstarter game or something.
EDIT: Venaitura was also another featured commercial game.
I don't think there's a written rule about what commercial games are eligible, save for this post from Libby:
Well, personally I'm a-okay with games that have been on the site since their conception being made Featured games, even if they turn to commercial. Supporting our success stories is just common sense to me.
So I imagine the games have to be established and in the spirit of the RMN community, and not just some guy showing up one day posting their big Kickstarter game or something.
EDIT: Venaitura was also another featured commercial game.
Releasing a game in 2021
I had some modest success in terms of visibility: both Soma Spirits and Brave Hero Yuusha broke the critical threshold of 10 user reviews, which pretty much quadruples a game's visibility on Steam. A lot of the fight nowadays is getting to that threshold, and it's getting harder as the market gets even more crowded.
Both were still kind of on the low end for RM games for their times. Soma was released in 2017 and Yuusha was released in 2019 and there was a big difference in returns in just two years. Yuusha was the less successful of the two games and it struggled for quite a while. But now that both games are free downloads I've seen a decent increase in visibility again.
I couldn't tell you how to make it big on Steam lol. But that's my experience for what it's worth!
Both were still kind of on the low end for RM games for their times. Soma was released in 2017 and Yuusha was released in 2019 and there was a big difference in returns in just two years. Yuusha was the less successful of the two games and it struggled for quite a while. But now that both games are free downloads I've seen a decent increase in visibility again.
I couldn't tell you how to make it big on Steam lol. But that's my experience for what it's worth!
Releasing a game in 2021
It's been a decade since I released a game. How are indie titles released in 2021? No idea.
I'll say it's gotten a lot more ruthless out there on the market in a very short amount of time. Social media definitely helps, but be prepared to put a lot of effort into algorthim'ing if you're hoping to get a big audience there.
Posting the game on itchio will definitely help, and its userbase is considerably larger than here on RMN. You could also try Steam if the $100 USD fee isn't a problem for you, and getting a game on there is considerably easier than it used to be.
Best of luck!
Game's Done, BTW. Who Wants to Test?
Brainstorming for Luxaren Allure 2
Soma Union
author=Kamani
This was really fun to play, and a lovely sequel to Soma Spirits. Thanks for making it.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for playing :)
AngelStarStudios and Spammer Mail
author=kentona
I got TWO.
Yes, I'm still the BIG DOG 'round these parts
I got three. I'm sorry to the two others who were denied this wonderful experience on my account.
Getting emotion from 2d characters
I'll be bold as to say that animated sprites aren't everything and you absolutely need to consider the many other factors that convey storytelling. Mood, setting, ambience, and straight-up solid writing all factor in to how well you can get a point across. Think about the music in the scene. The tension surrounding the characters. The party dynamics at play when these characters are undergoing developments.
Case in point: Undertale broke ground in emotional 2D storytelling and the protagonist has one single character sprite that almost never changes, and there were many other characters with very few expressions as well. It's because of everything -surrounding- these characters that the game was so effective in delivering emotion.
Beautifully animated sprites can do wondering but relying on animation alone won't always win the gold. I think to really convey emotion well, you have to think about the things at play that the player won't see at face value.
Case in point: Undertale broke ground in emotional 2D storytelling and the protagonist has one single character sprite that almost never changes, and there were many other characters with very few expressions as well. It's because of everything -surrounding- these characters that the game was so effective in delivering emotion.
Beautifully animated sprites can do wondering but relying on animation alone won't always win the gold. I think to really convey emotion well, you have to think about the things at play that the player won't see at face value.
Games - Tester
Games - Other
