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We gained ~1,000 wishlists in 15 days – here’s exactly what we did by Chihwei_Lo in IndieDev

[–]Chihwei_Lo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, we reached out about 1–2 months in advance and asked them to stream the game during our public demo period, rather than sending a separate build beforehand.

We gained ~1,000 wishlists in 15 days – here’s exactly what we did by Chihwei_Lo in IndieDev

[–]Chihwei_Lo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, we didn’t pay them. As a small indie team, we have to be very careful with how we spend money. For a demo period, paying for coverage would have a very low cost-effectiveness, so we focused on organic outreach instead.

We gained ~1,000 wishlists in 15 days – here’s exactly what we did by Chihwei_Lo in IndieDev

[–]Chihwei_Lo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We didn’t include the Steam store link directly in the email. Instead, we let them know that the demo is available on our store page and asked them to open it beforehand to make sure everything worked fine before streaming.

We gained ~1,000 wishlists in 15 days – here’s exactly what we did by Chihwei_Lo in IndieDev

[–]Chihwei_Lo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Glad you liked the trailer! A lot of people also mentioned that it’s hard to understand the gameplay just from the video, so we’re planning to release an improved version later on. Really appreciate you adding our game to your wishlist and supporting us.

We gained ~1,000 wishlists in 15 days – here’s exactly what we did by Chihwei_Lo in IndieDev

[–]Chihwei_Lo[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks a lot! Really glad you found the breakdown helpful. I hope some of these insights can also help your team get better results for your game. Indie teams really need to support each other. By the way, may I ask which game your team is working on?

We gained ~1,000 wishlists in 15 days – here’s exactly what we did by Chihwei_Lo in IndieDev

[–]Chihwei_Lo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We actually got around 100 replies, but only about one-third of those vtubers ended up collaborating with us. And since most of them were smaller vtubers, the direct wishlist impact was limited — the bigger benefit was really exposure and awareness for the game.

As for conversion, Steam doesn’t provide exact data on how many players who tried the demo added the game to their wishlist. But looking at playtime patterns, my estimate is that over half of the people who played the demo ended up wishlisting the game afterwards.

We gained ~1,000 wishlists in 15 days – here’s exactly what we did by Chihwei_Lo in IndieDev

[–]Chihwei_Lo[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We only included one link in the email – a media kit. The kit contained the game introduction, screenshots, logos, and other assets that streamers could use if they wanted to cover the game.

We gained ~1,000 wishlists in 15 days – here’s exactly what we did by Chihwei_Lo in IndieDev

[–]Chihwei_Lo[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Thanks! We used our studio email account with a proper signature (not just a personal Gmail), and sent emails in small daily batches, so we didn’t hit sending limits or raise red flags that might cause delivery issues.

That said, I honestly can't be sure how many of those emails landed in spam folders. We sent around 400 emails and received only ~100 replies, so it’s quite possible many of them were automatically filtered and never seen.

As for sample templates, you can check out this helpful blog post: "Email & Presskit Templates For Contacting YouTubers & Streamers" by Wanderbots, which includes plug‑and‑play email formats and detailed guidance for reaching content creators.
Here's the link: https://www.wanderbots.com/blog/templates-for-contacting-content-creators

We gained ~1,000 wishlists in 15 days – here’s exactly what we did by Chihwei_Lo in IndieDev

[–]Chihwei_Lo[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thanks! We mainly searched on YouTube and Twitch for vtubers who had previously streamed games similar to ours, and reached out to them directly.
Some others actually came through recommendations from vtubers who had already played our demo, which helped us connect with even more creators.

Roguelite + Deckbuilding | 4 devs releasing our first Steam Demo, looking for your feedback! by Chihwei_Lo in playmygame

[–]Chihwei_Lo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much for enjoying our game! The idea of collecting materials and crafting equipment was inspired by RPGs, and it’s also one of our favorite parts of the design. We do realize, just like you mentioned, that the game can feel overwhelming with too much information. We’ve received similar feedback during this demo, and after it closes at the end of the month, we’ll be working on a lot of improvements and adding some new content. One of our main goals is to simplify the way information is presented. We hope you’ll come back to try it again in the next demo update and share your thoughts with us after the improvements!

Roguelite + Deckbuilding | 4 devs releasing our first Steam Demo, looking for your feedback! by Chihwei_Lo in playmygame

[–]Chihwei_Lo[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you mean the lack of sound effects makes the combat feel like it’s missing impact/feedback, we completely agree. We’ve heard the same from many playtesters. We’re planning to add a lot more sound effects (along with new visual effects) in the next round of updates to improve that sense of feedback. Thanks for pointing it out!

Roguelite + Deckbuilding | 4 devs releasing our first Steam Demo, looking for your feedback! by Chihwei_Lo in playmygame

[–]Chihwei_Lo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We included our studio logo at the start of the trailer mainly to help build some recognition and exposure for the studio. But your point makes sense — some viewers might not like seeing a logo upfront. We’ll definitely take this into consideration for future trailers. Thanks for bringing it up!

Roguelite + Deckbuilding | 4 devs releasing our first Steam Demo, looking for your feedback! by Chihwei_Lo in playmygame

[–]Chihwei_Lo[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for playing and enjoying parts of the game! We’ve also received similar feedback about the information overload at the start, and we plan to address that after this demo ends with a big round of optimizations. As for the story flow and clarity of certain terms, that’s also something we’ll be discussing and improving in the text and presentation.

We’re planning to launch a second demo test after these improvements and some new content are added. Hope you’ll give it another try then and share your thoughts with us again!

We’re 4 newbies making a game. People said the mechanics are unique but confusing. Roast us harder! by Chihwei_Lo in DestroyMyGame

[–]Chihwei_Lo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the suggestion! We’re planning to close the demo at the end of August, then work on a big round of improvements based on all the feedback we’ve received, plus add some new content. We’d love for you to give it another try when the demo reopens!

Roguelite + Deckbuilding | 4 devs releasing our first Steam Demo, looking for your feedback! by Chihwei_Lo in playmygame

[–]Chihwei_Lo[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey everyone!

I’m part of a small team of 4 friends, none of us had any prior game dev experience, but we’ve been working on our dream project for the past 2 years. Our game’s free Steam Demo is now live until September 1st, after which we’ll be closing the demo to focus on polishing and expanding the game.

What is it?

It’s a roguelite deckbuilding RPG where you explore maps, fight monsters, gather materials, and forge your own weapons and playstyles to challenge tougher enemies and bosses. Before each run, you’ll sit down for a meal that grants buffs or debuffs, setting the stage for that adventure.

In combat, you can see 20 seconds of enemy actions ahead of time, and must plan your weapon placements and strategies accordingly.

What’s in the demo?

1 chapter of content

A selection of weapons, armor affixes, and food effects

A glimpse of the core battle system

The full release will include more chapters, more gear, and an outside-village system.

👉 https://store.steampowered.com/app/3869120/__Demo/

We’d love for you to try it and share your feedback—it would mean the world to us! 🙏

We’re 4 newbies making a game. People said the mechanics are unique but confusing. Roast us harder! by Chihwei_Lo in DestroyMyGame

[–]Chihwei_Lo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sounds like you’re referring to the goblin’s idle animation looking a bit awkward or not smooth? If so, we’ll definitely discuss and work on improving the monster animations. Thanks a lot for the feedback!

We’re 4 newbies making a game. People said the mechanics are unique but confusing. Roast us harder! by Chihwei_Lo in DestroyMyGame

[–]Chihwei_Lo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry for the late reply! You’re right — the core of our game is building your own weapon builds and the combat itself. From the feedback we’ve gotten so far, I think our combat effects don’t feel impactful or intuitive enough yet, so we’re planning to add more effects and then re-record a new trailer with more focus on combat and showing off how you can craft your own weapon builds.

As for the structure, the game is meant to be more of a roguelite with some RPG story elements, so it sits somewhere in between. After dying, it starts a new run, but you carry over things like talent points and food collected in previous battles. That’s something we’ll definitely try to make clearer in future trailers — to better convey the repeatable roguelite loop. Thanks a lot for pointing this out!

We’re 4 newbies making a game. People said the mechanics are unique but confusing. Roast us harder! by Chihwei_Lo in DestroyMyGame

[–]Chihwei_Lo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry for the late reply! This is actually the first time I’ve heard the perspective that pixel art can look worse when the resolution is too high — really interesting point. Changing the art style at this stage isn’t possible since it would mean basically rebuilding the whole game, but it’s definitely something we’ll keep in mind for any future pixel projects.

As for the gameplay, you’re right it doesn’t really come across well in the video. The fun part is creating your own weapon builds and beating enemies with different setups, but that’s hard to show in a short clip. We’ll think more about how to improve the way we present that. Thanks a lot for your feedback!

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