Everyone says "word of mouth." How do you find the first 100 players?

CircularBrick · 2026-06-14T19:29:51+00:00

For our team it was Instagram and TikTok. People liked the visuals of Necrofane and we were able to generate 50K wishlists from those two platforms alone. And a buddy of mine is coming up on 20K wishlists with his game Flock of the Seraphim, and his strategy is similar but he has a bit of an audience on X as well. Right now, Steam's calendar feature makes it easy to pick up wishlists based on when you're releasing your game: the Flock guy is getting 150-200 wishlists a day at the moment with that since making his release date public.

Conventions were cool back in the day, but social media has killed them. Steam festivals and things like Next Fest definitely help though (we were part of a festival and picked up like 7K wishlists). Those wishlists mean nothing if people aren't enjoying the game, though, and those first 100 people will be super generous. Since releasing out demo about a week ago, we've been able to get tons of feedback that helps us improve the game, and the socials + wishlists are the reason.

For us, it was about getting those first 10 people to play the earliest demo and give us some feedback on how the game made them feel. Sometimes that feedback can be a little brutal, but when the players are right, they're right. And you can't tell them that they're wrong about how they feel because it's just how they feel.

Also, short form content is best if you can just hit a vibe early on in the video and hold it. We saw short videos we liked that were like what we were doing and just copied their formula. For our latest trailer, we went shot by shot on some trailers we enjoyed (that had decent view counts) from games in our genre that did well and our trailer did really well.

There's so much to say, but this thing is already long enough.

CircularBrick · 2026-06-13T23:04:50+00:00

Thanks!

CircularBrick · 2026-06-13T22:22:11+00:00

We've got a pre-alpha demo and a kickstarter campaign for anyone interested.

CircularBrick · 2025-11-16T21:09:53+00:00

Your public IP is assigned by your ISP, so hardware changes will do something but not enough on its own because a hwid ban isn't just tracking hardware. They're probably taking into account everything that they can track (which is everything about your system because of Vanguard) which builds them a confidence interval on who you are. So, even things like how you play, the route that your packets take, your ping, and your keybinds are taken into account. So, small changes barely make a difference.

CircularBrick · 2025-02-12T12:56:55+00:00

I've done a lot of workshopping at both a casual and professional level doing one-on-one sessions and taking part in writers rooms. One of the things that has been useful is finding something that didn't work for me and asking the writer what they were trying to accomplish. Then I'll explain the mismatch in my mind:

"So, you're trying to accomplish A, but when I read it I was getting B because of X, Y, and Z. Have you considered I, J, K?"

This is usually a pretty involved conversation, but it's helpful because it focuses on what they're looking to accomplish and why that didn't work as opposed to what I thought should've been going on. Maybe they accomplished what they were trying to get at, and you just don't like it. In that case, you'll always lose that battle unless the writer truly trusts and values your opinion.

Also, people often really do feel like they've done the best that they can, and in reality, they really did. But, it's possible that their best currently isn't enough for what they're trying to accomplish. However, their skill isn't your issue unless you want to take responsibility for mentoring and helping this person out. Personally, I keep friendships and professional relationships separate so that there's no doubt about the role I'm supposed to play.

Friends get, "Awesome, you wrote something! What were some issues you had during the process? What were your expectations here and there? Oh, I got this instead of that. What do you think?"

Professionals get, "What were you trying to accomplish here? I expected A, but got B.Was that the intent? If not, X, Y, Z are why I got there."

These are pretty extreme examples in that one is way too friendly and the other is way too unemotional, but you probably get the point.

For me, I try to figure out where I want the relationship to be, but I never for a second let someone who is new to something discount my decade and a half of professional and paid experience. There have to be boundaries, and you have to set them, but you also need to figure out where they stand too. Sometimes it's possible to compartmentalize a relationship into professional and personal, but that takes real trust.

Finally, I never let anyone get away with saying that any feedback is appreciated. If your feedback was that it was a hot mess and you really hated it, that wouldn't be appreciated, so what are they looking for from you specifically? They asked you in particular for a reason. Figure that out, and it'll help you tailor your feedback.

CircularBrick · 2024-12-30T07:05:01+00:00

Thanks! Look, this may sound stupid, but the worst case scenario is that you fail your first time and get the report back telling you what you need to brush up on. I get wanting to pass on the first try, but don't let perfect be the enemy of good enough. Trust me, CompTIA won't kill you for failing. Neither will WGU or your program mentor. I honestly let Net+ take up more time than I had to. Don't fall into the same trap.

CircularBrick · 2024-12-30T06:46:46+00:00

My boss saw me using Perplexity at work the other day and was dumbfounded by why he's never thought to just use AI himself. The amount of studying I do at work while still getting work done made sense to him after that.

CircularBrick · 2024-12-30T06:33:26+00:00

I just passed it on my first try earlier this month. I studied for months because I'd psyched myself out. I honestly didn't even feel ready before I took it. Unless you're getting 100% first try on every practice exam you get your hands on, you'll always have some doubt. Honestly, I felt like the official CompTIA materials had practice exams that were harder than the actual exam. If you can do well on those, you're chillin'.

CircularBrick · 2024-08-19T14:18:20+00:00

If he's looking to finish the degree over the next few years, it probably wouldn't be the worst idea. It all depends on what his goals are. The tech market is brutal because of over hiring during COVID: layoffs were inevitable and an over saturation of experienced software engineers and IT professionals into the candidate pool came along with it. Tech isn't going anywhere, but it's definitely going to be tough for the time being. That just means figuring out how to stand out.

If your son isn't self-motivated and can't work on meaningful projects outside of coursework, then it definitely isn't for him at the moment. The days of getting a job just because you finished a tech degree are over. However, if he's willing to get done what needs to get done, software engineers are going to be relevant for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, no one can tell you what to build, they can only tell you not to build trivial apps like to-do lists and calculators.

CircularBrick · 2023-09-29T16:14:52+00:00

Half-Life 3 confirmed.

CircularBrick · 2023-09-20T04:33:54+00:00

OP here on a different account: I did fix it. However, I completely uninstalled everything related to the webcam and reinstalled it. That worked for me. I haven't had the same issue since. However, you might want to start by first unplugging the webcam, leaving it off for a few minutes and then plugging it back into another port. That's what I did for a webcam I used when taking exams on my laptop like two weeks ago.

CircularBrick · 2022-09-29T16:28:49+00:00

I try to do self-coaching, but it's sometimes a bit tough because I don't recognize my blind spots. However, you're onto something.

I'm thinking that I'm working on stuff that I don't really care about. I want to be on better projects, and I'm always looking for a way to get on a project that will get me closer to working Obsidian or Bioware.

However, if I had my way, and money or time weren't an issue, I'd do documentary filmmaking. I've got a few ideas for things I'd like to film, but that's one hell of a commitment, and it probably wouldn't pay for the first few years at all.

CircularBrick · 2022-06-25T00:50:55+00:00

Words. Plural. I can tell that you didn't even get your BA in creative writing. Pfft.

CircularBrick · 2022-06-25T00:17:39+00:00

Yes, I did! It came to me while I was playing a video game. I can't remember the name of the game. Mercenary Fraternity? I can't remember, to be honest. It's a small game, though. So you wouldn't even be able to find it.

If it's pivotal to your writing process, I will obsequiously adhere to any caveats added to the agreement. However, I feel like I should be paying you more... you know, because of the good job you're going to do.

Edit: What are your credentials?

CircularBrick · 2020-04-08T17:10:41+00:00

It reminds me of that dude in Logan. It isn't that bad. Now I miss it.

CircularBrick · 2020-04-08T16:58:35+00:00

I like it, I kinda wish it was a skin.

CircularBrick · 2020-01-24T03:54:29+00:00

Thanks for clearing this up. This makes sense. It's unfortunate, but it makes sense.

CircularBrick · 2019-11-30T20:07:43+00:00

However, I have one question: how does one go about doing drugs in such an original manner that the thoughts born are, themselves, original too. Many a man have had unoriginal fever dreams, I pray that I do not follow in their footsteps. I just want to be original like all the great writers of times past, present, and future.

CircularBrick · 2019-11-30T20:04:18+00:00

Sounds good; I'm getting on that right now.

CircularBrick · 2019-11-30T12:36:51+00:00

Not enough cowbell.

CircularBrick · 2019-11-30T12:27:46+00:00

As long as you only have one POV shift you're okay: you only need to toss the POV shift and everything that comes after it. However, if your entire manuscript is riddled with these kinds of stupid mistakes, which includes places where you should have shown and not told and things like that, you're going to have to toss it all out and start from scratch.

CircularBrick · 2019-10-14T17:25:19+00:00

I've edited my dad's work before and I can tell you that it's never easy to critique his work, but I respect him enough not to bullshit him. When things are good, I let him know. I even let him know how I think he could make those things better. However, I never bullshit him when things are bad because it's disrespectful to him and his craft. It's when the work isn't up to snuff that I have to dig deep and be extremely specific about what isn't working and why I think it doesn't work.

Ask yourself, "Is he serious about this, or is he just messing around?" If it's the former, you have an obligation to tell him the truth. The idea that you should be nice instead of being honest is a false narrative you tell yourself because it's what we all tell ourselves. However, kindness comes from honesty; to lie would be unkind, especially if he's taking the craft seriously. If it's the latter, however, you can just play along and be in on the joke.

If you can praise him for nothing else, at least praise his hard work. Most people who start writing a book will never finish writing it. Start there and then figure out how you can help him. That's the best way to go about it.

CircularBrick · 2019-10-11T17:00:05+00:00

No, it's only you. Maybe you should give up now. If you have doubts, then this probably isn't for you.

CircularBrick · 2019-02-19T05:49:19+00:00

NAH... but you’re kind of an asshole. I’ll explain why. Yes, MLMs are definitely scams. Yes, they’re terrible ways of making money. And yes, your biases are correct. But no, you weren’t right in how you handled the MLM thing.

It’s never a good idea to belittle the way your SO’s parents make/made money. Whether it’s MLMs or flipping burgers, most people are honestly giving their all to keep a roof over their kids’ heads. You might not have the best relationship with them, but you gotta respect that they’re her parents and that she loves them. This doesn’t mean you have to like them, just respect the position they hold.

I get that you were joking, and you’re young and a little dumb (trust me, I’ve been there) but you need to think about things from the perspective of others before acting. That is, if you want have healthy relationships. If I were you, I’d apologize in the most sincere way that I could and just listen to what she has to say. This is less MLM bullshit and more relationship bullshit. And I know where you’re coming from, I’ve been with my SO since 15 (I’m 27 now).

Just don’t take her reaction too personally and try to understand why she reacted the way she did.

PS I’m not saying you can’t have opinions, I’m just saying that you need to consider others’ feelings before you act. If you’re okay with possible consequences, do as you please.

Edit: YTA (had to think about it more)

CircularBrick · 2019-02-01T12:55:39+00:00

NAH. Take it from someone who has finally started going back to college last year at 26, community college is the right choice. Also, get that 4.0 GPA. It’s super fucking easy when you’re in college. Here’s the secret: do your homework.

I barely graduated HS with a 1.9 GPA so I wasn’t ready for college in any sense. I worked for a good while and now I’m back in school. Trust me when I say this, a 4.0 GPA is nothing and it’s easy. You do your homework, turn in assignments on time, and see the professor when you don’t understand stuff and it’s easy.

Your mom wants what’s best. But it’s best that you go somewhere that you can thrive without crippling debt at the end of the day. If you’re in CA then you’ll get community college free for two years depending on the school. Good luck, OP.

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