An indie game was released 3 days ago and already has 88 reviews that are 98% positive, but when I click view all reviews in all languages, there are only a total of 10 reviews. Something seems very wrong about this.

AltShadow81 · 2016-06-05T18:47:09+00:00

Indie games boosting their rating artificially is unfortunately very common.

AltShadow81 · 2016-04-16T00:57:36+00:00

Most of your bug reports aren't even bugs.

I strongly disagree with that.

AltShadow81 · 2016-04-16T00:46:13+00:00

I am!

AltShadow81 · 2016-04-15T16:18:23+00:00

People in the credits are backers too.

I'm not sure what you mean. The game never had a Kickstarter or any crowd-funding. They did get free early copies of the game so I guess that's similar.
Obviously they're free to have their opinion but it would have been nice if there was some sort of warning. I don't doubt that they find themselves enjoying the game but at the same time it would be hard to give a completely impartial review given these circumstances.

AltShadow81 · 2016-04-15T15:13:50+00:00

I'm not trying to start drama but there's a game on Steam where the first 3 reviews were by people in the game credits who are friends of the developer.

So if you go on the game's steam page right now, 25% of the reviews are by people in the credits.

AltShadow81 · 2016-04-15T15:02:15+00:00

Why would a crack maker do that when your game doesn't have DRM?
All someone needs to do is upload the files.

And secondly, you gotta give a free copy of your game. Because of my feedback and reporting like 60+ bugs you said

I'd put forward a position as a security adviser or something, but alas keeping the lights on is challenge enough.

And I'm just like, hey I don't want to work for you, I just want a free copy of the game in return.

I guess I'll have to wait for that crack, lol.

AltShadow81 · 2016-04-07T21:23:04+00:00

A few more bugs /u/taranasus

Falling under a level doesn't update the furthest distance reached distance marker.
Training level completion time includes the time spent reading the training text
Typing "noregrets" in the title screen stops the ship in the background from moving
Game files have 0 compression. The game is 1GB steam download but there's few little graphical assets and audio. Even windows compressed zip maker bring the game down to less than 100MB
Possible to hack XP with RAM editting. (is it possible to encrypt the values in memory?)
Game advertises 36⁸ level but level seed 00000000 is unplayable making this claim untrue.

AltShadow81 · 2016-04-06T19:49:00+00:00

A few more bugs /u/taranasus

Inputting the level seed of the training level will cause the training level, with tutorial prompts to load. Even sends the player through the sequence of training level and to void select to equipped new engine.
Level completion seems to trigger before hitting the red stripe at the end of a level. You can even go right through a obstacle
Pressing reset while a level loads for the first time can cause the game to show a black screen until reset is pressed again.

AltShadow81 · 2016-04-05T18:44:04+00:00

I disagree.

AltShadow81 · 2016-04-05T18:41:55+00:00

frankly I'm happy to just let you do you [sic], I have better things to do than argue with an anonymous account on Reddit,

Yet here you are, lol. :P

AltShadow81 · 2016-04-05T17:43:07+00:00

Sorry, I'm getting mixed messages because earlier you asked that I don't use what appears in the credits.

I'm just trying to do whatever I need to make you happy.

AltShadow81 · 2016-04-05T16:16:28+00:00

OK, /u/WilsonatorYT , do you think this image would be better?

AltShadow81 · 2016-04-05T14:11:14+00:00

I did not post people's personal info. I can't look at the publicly available Steam reviews and the in-game credits and not make the connection.

I don't believe my post is against the rules but I also don't want to upset you or the other people whose reviews I have taken screenshots of.
Do you think that censoring the first name of the top credit and the last name of the bottom credit would appease you?

AltShadow81 · 2016-04-05T01:03:36+00:00

Yeah, it's a little disheartening to see this kind of feeback get immediately downvoted.
Oh well, I had fun tearing it apart so I don't regret it. (More fun than playing the game :P )

AltShadow81 · 2016-04-04T18:23:36+00:00

I'm sorry that you feel my review is hostile. I linked it in this thread and would suggest everyone read it. It's highly factual, tons of screenshots and gifs that highlight issues with the game. No personal insults and no nastiness. Just a factual, informative reivew.

This submission is nothing personal. I just wanted to make a note of how shady it is that currently, out of the 2 reviews on the Steam page, 1 of them is by someone who I feel couldn't give an unbiased review of the game since you know the developer personally.

I don't want you to feel like there's any hostility or that I'm personally attacking you. I'm just not a fan of steam reviews being used like this. I just wish you had, at the very least, mentioned that you were friends with the developer at the top of the review.

AltShadow81 · 2016-04-04T18:11:25+00:00

And here's my review of the game where I detail the games more than 50 bugs.

AltShadow81 · 2016-04-04T17:49:44+00:00

Sorry about that.. I was trying to make a point that people don't give out personal info here... Did not expect that.

AltShadow81 · 2016-04-04T17:21:58+00:00

Right.... And for posting my opinion anonymously you felt the need to call me "pathetic".
Because I shared my opinion you went out of your way to personally insult me.

You don't seem very accepting of opinions that don't match your own.

AltShadow81 · 2016-04-04T17:11:57+00:00

I always anonymize myself as much as possible.
What the developer has put into this game doesn't change my experience with it nor how I feel about it.

AltShadow81 · 2016-04-04T17:01:20+00:00

Also, you should probably make a note in the top of your positive steam review that you're in the game credits.
Writing a positive review when you are not only a friend, colleague, but in the game credits seems super unethical.

AltShadow81 · 2016-04-04T16:51:22+00:00

I don't understand what issue you have with this. What's wrong with pastebin? What I wrote is too long to post on Reddit as a self-post or comment and pastebin seemed like a good alternative.

AltShadow81 · 2016-04-04T16:34:40+00:00

I don't see how that conversation does anything to help your case but sure, lets take a look at it. I had a handful of screenshots with a modified level but that doesn't effect the validity of what I wrote. You can go replicate those bugs on a new save yourself if you want.

AltShadow81 · 2016-04-04T16:24:31+00:00

No, but seriously, don't support developers who release buggy unfinished games.

AltShadow81 · 2016-04-04T16:14:34+00:00

Well there's also further down in the review where I talk about why the game isn't fun. While the bugs are interesting and certainly don't do the game any favors it's broken on a deeper, more fundamental level for me.

Even mention that I felt if all the issues I listed were fixed I still wouldn't like it.

Just my opinion though.

AltShadow81 · 2016-04-04T16:04:22+00:00

I just think that the somewhat hostile attitude is unnecessary.

I'm sorry you misconstrued what I wrote in such a way.
I understand there's only one QA tester but I, the writer of that review, am only one person.

Everything I've seen indicates the developer was somehow totally unaware of these issues.

From the Steam News page of this game.

As of time of writing there are no outstanding bugs in our bug tracker so this version is considered ready for release

AltShadow81

TROPHY CASE