SHOOBINATOR'S PROFILE

author=Raoul589
http://rpgmaker.net/games/4263/images/31884/Where is the player? Hang on, is he that mouse?
(Average response: 'Ugh, RTP')

http://rpgmaker.net/games/4263/images/31882/
Oh look, unique spells. I wonder what it's like to control the blade? I wonder what 'blood pact' does?
(Average response: 'Ugh, RTP. Ugh, default window skin.')

http://rpgmaker.net/games/4263/images/31881/
Hmm... the player is stuck. I wonder how that puzzle works?
(Average response: 'Ugh, RTP.')

http://rpgmaker.net/games/4263/images/29212/
Look, boss fights!
(Average response: 'Ugh, RTP.')

You just gave yourself captions that you should add to your screens (of course, rephrased without the saracasm). But I didn't even notice that you were the mouse in that one screen, and the trees were some kind of puzzle! In fact, your game page doesn't really mention puzzles at all, so it would be worth adding esp. if puzzles are plentiful in this game.

author=LockeZ
Yeah, no, I'm calling it. Time of death: four days before the topic even started. Please cease this postmortem beating as soon as possible.

I lol'd

author=Liberty
I dunno, man, screenshots can show many pieces of your game - effort, writing ability, graphical ability, atmosphere, etc. A range of them can be pretty good indication of what quality a game has. It's a pretty major factor for most people and I'm not ashamed to say that I factor look as a determination as to whether I'll play a game, mainly because I don't like bare-ass maps and mis-matched graphics.

Not to mention, you can show actual gameplay elements via screenshots. The amount of customization available to the player in your menu systems, types of puzzles your game might have, different types of enemies you might encounter and what they do, different skills you might be able to learn (screenshot should probably include a description) and images of the skills in action, combat in progress whether it be a cut-away turn-based battle or ABS screen are all examples. So pretty much any "feature" you can think of you can show off in some manner via screenshot. (Note: Video would be super helpful for combat as mentioned somewhere before.)

tl:dr Screenshots are super powerful and back up your bark (i.e. game description) with some bite (i.e. example of a real, implemented feature).

P.S. Really take advice from these people and internalize it. They are a great community and have a lot to offer. Speaking from personal experience, I joined this site early this year, submitted a game page and it got rejected. I then posted a topic in the forums to get more feedback on my apparently subpar mapping, (Of course, I didn't think my mapping was really THAT bad!) and the amount of responses I got was astounding, maybe like 5 pages (hey, that's a lot by my standards). I ultimately was able to make a better product by listening to viewpoints beside my own and rethinking a few things, and I became a slightly better mapper for it. The responses I got pushed me to make a product that was closer to my true vision and capabilities and farther from the result of laziness/satisfaction with a lesser product.

For the record, I recognize that # of downloads is a factor that can influence future downloads, but that does not dismiss the above.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandwagon_effect

Two things to help your page:

• Make your logo image smaller. EASY! You can even keep the branch and cobblestone if you really want to. That image could possibly have large significance in your game for all I know (haven't played it).

• Adjust the language under "Features". "Not cliches" and "defy classification" not only sound pretentious and are merely empty adjectives, but they set your game up for making it look worse than it actually is! Those are two things that are impossible to achieve (as all our work is built off of that of our predecessors, and classifications can be made even if it is a mix of categories), so you have set the bar enormously high for player expectations! (Although most people would probably just write those phrases off as empty instead of actually enormously raising their hopes.) Give a more clear, descriptive, and realistic description of why your game is fun/interesting to play. That will get more downloads than bending the truth with false advertising! (No, I don't have statistics to back this up!)

author=FlyingJester
You could just have the temporary member take whatever they started with back when they leave. Or present a choice that forces the player to give them some equipment when they leave, but choose exactly what.

Hm, that sounds like good ideas. So say you equipped the temp character's equips onto someone else or you sold them, you would just spawn new default/starting items for the temp character? (this would be if they just take back their starting things when they leave, since the latter option isn't always good in the case the character leaving is a surprise to the player or is a sudden event in the story)

author=benos

author=Shoobinator
Is this the kind of shop where you just walk up to the object to buy it?

Nah. The shop keeper just allows everyone to take a item and leave. :p

Ah, good deal!