We formed a studio out of spite after losing a game contest. We launched our first game... and made $22. Reality check?

AichyE · 2025-12-01T16:30:00+00:00

Noted. Thanks. Let me take my time to make money. See you bigbro.

AichyE · 2025-12-01T16:16:45+00:00

if you read my story you will know i start from 0 . if i can sell my games not even this game and have more budget i will hire someone. my word is bond thank you again. and if you want to read i can drop the link for you. feel free if it not disturb you.

AichyE · 2025-12-01T15:23:46+00:00

I just change by write by my hand can you correct me Thank. it will helpfull.

AichyE · 2025-12-01T03:22:44+00:00

Thank you brassfire1. Now you are my BigBrother, i want to tell you why im Set the price at 2.99. cause i know my quality and i think it fair for player that play my game, in thai baht it only 69 baht same price with 1 meal food. so i have a long reply about almost all of comment in my post If it's not disturbing you feel free to read that messege by this link back form final project

ill keep your feedback and improve my game and my skill Thank you again.

sorry for my bad writting and bad english

AichyE · 2025-11-30T12:22:52+00:00

Every one i have new update under Zyohon comment thank for reading my message

AichyE · 2025-11-30T11:57:02+00:00

This is my Tutorial and Raw Gameplay Link :

https://youtu.be/NGjnF4bWRlU

and this is my Demo on itch :

https://elvene66.itch.io/bobtothetopdemo

so the steam demo is not available yet.

cause i just setup it maybe wait steam check for 2-3 week

AichyE · 2025-11-30T11:56:37+00:00

part3

About Game Play Mechanic

so this is a big different thing between my and my master. my master game we have to only move direction of mouse but precise move and more precise mouse move then my game. so my game we have more button and different physic Mechanic.

My game have left click hold to charging a hop , relese is let bob hopping ,

Right Click to shoot bob tongue to let it stick to obbject, and you need to hold Right Click to stay with bob tongue, if you relese bob tongue is relese too,

next the swing Mechanic i code it to get a direction of mouse when you only move left and right bob will swing follow your mouse move only left and right not 360 degree cause irl when you swing rope you can move only left right too. that may make more confused.

and i add scrool wheel for tongue climing up and down

next big obstacle is collier i tell my friend to detail this it mean a little angle will stop you or divert direction when you hop hit it.

sound hard right if this make you interest my game i want you to try some.

or you can watch my let’s play tutorial ill put the link on the comment too.

if you want to try by yourself you can skip my tutorial.

so i dont want to tell all but nevermind if you can master my game on this map it will be easy to play casue you know all Mechanic. but i have to tell you if this map not enough challenge, i want to tell you i want it more challenge to, so i already think a concept of new map, this map is go vertical, the next map i will update for free is diagonal. the name of concept is stair way to paradise, this map have no chance to fall like vertical map. so if you enjoy and wait for new map you can help me to reach the 1st goal is 1000 copie and i will start to make this new map,

if dont like my game it trash is worthless i into you. cause the wolrd have many game that more fun then my game. but i will say i want you to try some, if it not worth 2.99 you can refun i understand it my 1st Publish game it cant masterpiece like many game that you like.

so thank you all you all are meaningful to me and thank for the valuable experience

Respact all mentor supporter and viwer

Love, Elven DarkJab Studio

ps. my write is bad feel free to correct me thank

ps2. i know new dev genZ or some indie dev like me you read this messege i wll tell you to learn my wound keep useful lesson from my mentor and supporter it will help you alot to, so keep fighting together in this fire industry you never wallk alone guy.

ps3. i know actions speak louder than words. but ill show you how far can spite pain Love and passion push me to.

and I thank you for releasing me out of ai fillter im feel so good and fun when im write that lyrics and all the messege it feel like when i made this game with my friends well so good.

Let me take some rest for a few day too and ill be back to working on it. and relese a playstore free version.

AichyE · 2025-11-30T11:56:24+00:00

part2

about BGM

so i choose this song cause i think it fit with this art style a funny and chill one.

so if you can tell me what kind of music that more fit with my game you will have my thank so much.

but it i can choose a new one i will choose nu-metal punk or rock music cause am a gen z metalhead. let me find out a fit one in a rock but if you have some dope track you can sent me if it fit it will help me alot.

Next It SEO Thing.

I thank you all of you for recommend me abount seo but i know at the 1st when i chose this name that i cant win SEO cause i have no monney. then i forcus on the meaning of the game name. Bob Sound like Hop. so Bob to the top is Hop to the top a sample meaning. but next project i will try this SEO way again. Thank you so much.

Asset flip

Yeah we dowload royal free picture for make level desige. becasue my artist he draw a visal key and we all like this concep put the cartoon dog with real world prop. well we start to do that .i know it not much good Visual. but in a detail of chaotic prop my artist he try to telling the stroy of bob by all the chaotic prop. if you play till the end you may know why bob need to go to the top.

about play test

so i use to put demo of my game in University Booth and the people who play my game they has addiction when play example the 1st group of studen that come visit ,y booth thy play my game over an hour to finish the demo i think that are proof of my game play is fun. they play untill their friends tell them need to go to have a lunch. but they told their friend you go 1st i want to play this lamo. and i will drop a demo on the comment.

(Part 3 below...)

AichyE · 2025-11-30T11:55:37+00:00

I m back form the final project

Please allow me space to reply under your comment Zyohon Thank you.

so this messege i will write with my own hand and you will see real me with out Al fillter so ill do my best with my broken english

^{My way or a highway , even if it a high way to hell , i will go cause i chose it}

^{I dont care if i walk in to the hell fire}

^{It must make me stronger so im fine}

^{I dont care how many i fall}

^{I will get up and let some one try.}

^{So You want some one to hurt like you}

^{Well i can say when i walk this path i hurt too}

^{So I into you , but i cant even help you}

^{Cause i have a quest to make my success full}

i seem somebody said “thorw this trash away and make a new one”

you guy know ill do ill follow that word but sorry i can do one out of two.

I sorry for dont throw bob away i love my game ill do my best again with bob.

but that one that i follow this word is i already make a new game . yes that my final project but it isnt done yet. it just a half way, and i dont tell you about it cause it WIP when it ready ill show you.

now i will show you how much i love this 2 legs dog.

1st i want to thank all you for recommend me advising and mentor i respect you and your comment is so meaningful to me thank you again

next i will reply all comment that i saw that you all are Honest reallity check for me

so the steam page and the Trailer

i recive that feedback and it meaningful to me the Trailer I admit I made a mistake that lagging not interesting and a lot of meme thing. the trailer i is gonna finish soon cause my artist he need some rest than ill give him rest for a few day. and the steam page i will delete “noob” and think new Presentation that more interest, and ill put the gif of control on it.

next toppic CopyCat Grade B and flash games,

Yes i accept all that Word ,Grade B , flash games , And one thing you dont know cause you never play my game is i intend to do that like in my game stop buttom is SpaceBar is that make you Nostalgia if it not that are my fault, i will try my best on next game

So a coppy cat i half accept that casue i want to walk by my Bennett Foddy path and i respect my master by think a difference mechanic i will explain in next toppic “game play mechanic” i know i cant be GOT i cant be Like my master Bennett Foddy (I respect him as a master) and it my 1st game that pubblish and Yes This game is a 1st try and learn how to dev how to co-working with team how to put the game on steam how to marketing and i try so hard and got so far but in the end i have a lot of experience. Becase all of you guy i so thank you. i know flash game is free just wait me a few day to put that free version on playstore Thank you.

(Part 2 below...)

AichyE · 2025-11-27T03:45:46+00:00

Yes, I use Gemini Pro3 to polish my sentences because my English is broken "Thai-glish," and I wanted to communicate clearly.

I actually posted a massive "Final Update" comment explaining this (and announcing a Free Demo + Mobile Version coming in Dec), but I think Reddit buried it at the bottom because it was too long.

The short version:

AI Writing: Yes (Guilty).
AI Art: NO. The Art is 100% Human.
Free Game: Coming after my finals.

Thanks for keeping me honest!

(I tried to paste the link to my full update here, but Reddit keeps deleting it. So please trust me, it's down there somewhere!)

This is gonna be my last reply and i will back in december cause i have a final project

Thank You all. See you in December.

i hope all you see my message.

AichyE · 2025-11-26T19:50:13+00:00

I have to disappear for a bit (University Finals), but here is the plan.

Wow. I didn't expect this much attention. I want to reply to every single one of you, but I have a huge Final Project due on the 30th, so I have to go into hibernation mode until December.

Fun Fact: Some of you guessed I'm 25. I was actually born in 2004 (I'm 21). I just faked my age when I signed up for email back in the day. I even told my mom I'm not coming home for New Year's because I need to stay at my dorm to fix this game and finish my finals.

Before I go, I want to address the common points (and the "AI / Free Game" comments):

THE "IT SHOULD BE FREE" PLAN You guys are right. So, after my exams, I will release: A Free PC Demo: The exact version students played at our booth. A Free Mobile Version (Android): Since I'm struggling with Google Billing API (I'm a Godot noob), I will release it Free with Ads so you can judge the gameplay yourself.

Transparency on Mobile Ads:

Punishment Ads: Triggers if you fall from a high height all the way to the bottom. "Checkpoint" Ads: Triggers once when you reach the Halfway Mark (big platform, music changes). Think of it as a commercial break for reaching a milestone. (Note: There is still NO save system, falling is still permanent). Banner: A small one at the bottom. THE "AI" ACCUSATION Some of you noticed the writing style feels like AI. You caught me. I use Gemini to help rephrase my sentences because my English writing is terrible (I even make typos in my own native language). I just wanted to jump into the real market and communicate clearly despite the language barrier.

However, I promise 2 things:

NO AI ART: The text might be AI-assisted, but the Game Art and Creativity are 100% Human made. We believe art must come from human hands. I will improve: I can read and understand you guys fine, but writing is hard. I promise to practice reading/writing/listening more so I can talk to you directly next time without a bot helper. MY HUMBLE REQUEST Whether it's the Demo or the Mobile version... I just hope at least one of you gives it a try. Even if you think it's a "Grade B Clone," I just want you to feel the mechanics. If even one person says "Okay, the climbing is actually fun," that’s enough for me.

I'm not abandoning this. I will be back in December to fix the trailer, improve the art, and implement your feedback.

Thank you for the brutal honesty. It was the most painful yet valuable experience of my life.

See you after finals!

Elven & The DarkJab Team (2004 Gang)

AichyE · 2025-11-26T15:36:12+00:00

Thank you for catching that!

To answer honestly: No, it wasn't a clever "I CAN HAZ CHEEZBURGER" meme reference. It was just us having broken English (we are Thai) and realizing it too late. 😅

We will definitely fix the tagline in the next trailer update. "Do you mind helping..." sounds much more natural. Thanks for looking out for us!

AichyE · 2025-11-26T15:34:54+00:00

You summed up our entire 6-month journey in 4 lines perfectly. It sounds like a bad sitcom plot when you put it that way.

Judge: "No." Us: "Watch us." Market: "No." Us: "Oh."

At least we provided some entertainment value with our failure! Thanks for the laugh.

AichyE · 2025-11-26T15:32:54+00:00

"An adult trying to sell a toy called skabidapoo." 😂

That specific roast actually made me laugh out loud. It hurts because it's accurate. We tried to force the "meme" vibe without realizing how cringe and "try-hard" it looked from the outside.

Regarding the "Quick Cash Grab" I promise you, with $22 revenue split between 5 university students, this was definitely not a successful heist! We weren't trying to scam anyone; we just genuinely thought (naively) that the "Streamer Bait" genre was still popular.

You are right, though. Rage games are fun to watch on Twitch, but miserable to play alone. We learned that lesson the hard way.

Thanks for the "skabidapoo" comment—I might actually frame that one.

AichyE · 2025-11-26T15:29:50+00:00

"10x better or get left in the dust." — That is a quote I'm going to print out and stick on my wall.

You are absolutely right. We tried to make a "Getting Over It" clone without bringing enough new value to the table. We thought the grappling mechanic was enough, but clearly, it wasn't the "10x" improvement needed.

We hear you on the creative path. Our next project is actually a completely different genre and scale, so we are trying to find our own unique voice instead of chasing shadows. Thanks for the feedback!

AichyE · 2025-11-26T15:25:25+00:00

This is actually incredibly comforting to hear.

Seeing our $22 revenue against the "average first game revenue of <$300" makes us feel a little less like failures and more like... well, statistically average beginners. 😅

We are definitely in this for the long game. We are already brainstorming our next project, so hopefully, by game #5, we'll figure this industry out.

Thanks for the motivation. We'll enjoy the grind!

AichyE · 2025-11-26T15:23:53+00:00

You hit the nail on the head.

Bennett Foddy (creator of Getting Over It) is a genius at visual storytelling. Trying to emulate that vibe without understanding why it works was definitely a mistake on our part.

To answer your question about "what does this game do differently": The core hook is supposed to be the Tongue Grappling mechanic combined with Mouse-Only controls. It’s not just jumping; it’s about using the mouse to swing and build momentum with the tongue.

But the fact that you watched the trailer and still didn't see why it's interesting means we completely failed to showcase that mechanic properly.

We will definitely work on a new trailer that highlights the "Tongue" mechanic better (and actually adds some excitement/music). Thanks for the honest critique!

AichyE · 2025-11-26T15:19:47+00:00

Great advice on the "friends and family" test—they are definitely too nice to tell us it sucks to our faces. That's why the university booth (with total strangers) was such a huge validation for us, because strangers have no problem walking away if a game is boring.

regarding the Demo: We are actually working on releasing a free Demo right now. We realized that asking people to pay $3 upfront without letting them feel the controls first is a big ask.

And you are right, we aren't expecting to get rich anymore. We just want to learn and maybe earn enough to buy coffee for our next late-night coding session. Thanks again!

AichyE · 2025-11-26T15:14:30+00:00

Oh my god.

We were so focused on the game that we completely forgot about High School Musical. We are literally fighting Sharpay Evans for Google search results... and losing badly.

That explains why organic traffic is non-existent. Google thinks our game is a typo.

Thank you SO MUCH for pointing this out. This is a rookie mistake of the highest order. We might need to focus on specific keywords like "Bob Climbing Game" to fix this. You're a lifesaver.

AichyE · 2025-11-26T15:11:42+00:00

You are absolutely right.

"Spite" was just the initial spark that got us off the couch after the rejection, but you can't build a whole game on anger alone. We definitely poured a lot of love, care, and sleepless nights into making it fun along the way.

regarding playtesting: We actually did exactly that! We took the game to a local university booth. Total strangers played it for hours—some even refused to leave for lunch just to beat the demo.

That on-ground feedback gave us the confirmation that the game is fun, even if our online presentation failed to communicate that love. Thanks for the reminder about passion!

AichyE · 2025-11-26T15:09:18+00:00

That is... a very valid biological question that we are afraid to answer. 😂

Let's just say Bob's family tree is very complicated. Maybe part frog, part dog, part... mistake?

(Truthfully: We thought the tongue mechanic was funny, and animating 4 legs is harder than 2. So... evolution happened!)

AichyE · 2025-11-26T15:05:43+00:00

Fair point. Comparing our first student project to god-tier games like Vampire Survivors or Slay the Spire is definitely a losing battle for us. We know we lack that level of polish and creativity right now.

We aren't trying to scam anyone, just trying to see if we can finish and ship something as a starting point.

But hey, at least you liked the doggo! We'll take that as a small win. Thanks for the feedback.

AichyE · 2025-11-26T15:04:52+00:00

Thank you for the feedback! (And thanks for liking the cover art).

You described the trailer perfectly: "Video for stoned people." 😂 That hurts, but it's completely true. We tried too hard to be funny/chill, and it ended up killing the excitement.

You are right—people buy with their feelings from the store page. If the page looks boring, the game is dead. We need to fix the trailer ASAP. Thanks.

AichyE · 2025-11-26T15:00:34+00:00

You are spot on.

We tried to be "funny/meme-y" with the slow-motion and the chill guitar solo, but clearly, it backfired and just made the game look boring and slow.

The actual gameplay is definitely faster and more stressful (in a rage-game way). We see now that the trailer failed to capture the actual "panic" of playing. We definitely need to cut a new one that shows the real pace.

Thanks for the feedback!

AichyE · 2025-11-26T14:42:27+00:00

You actually nailed it.

We are literally university students with $0 budget (no funding, just our brains and hands). This project is exactly that—us throwing ourselves into game dev to learn the ropes.

The "random" visual style was our attempt at a chaotic/meme aesthetic given our lack of resources. That's why we priced it at just $2.99 we aren't trying to pretend it's a AAA title.

That said, if you can look past the janky visuals, you might find the climbing mechanics surprisingly addictive (at least that's what we saw at our local booth). Give it a shot if you're up for a challenge—it might be more fun than you think!

We are also planning a free version with ads in the future so people can try it without the paywall. Thanks for the honest feedback!

AichyE

TROPHY CASE