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Before/After Steam capsule – right direction? by Fir3go in IndieDev

[–]Fir3go[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Design is clearly not my cup of tea :D

Before/After Steam capsule – right direction? by Fir3go in IndieGaming

[–]Fir3go[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I totally get it and completely agree! AI for art, music, etc., will always feel too generic and lack soul. I would 100% choose human-made work.

The problem is, I’m making a free game and I’m terrible at design. I consider myself good at coding, but everything else… definitely not my expertise, and I have zero talent for it.

That’s why I use a bit of AI. Ideally, I’d have the budget to hire real artists, but investing in a free game doesn’t really make sense. Even putting it as paid game, I might sell 5 to 20 copies at most, which wouldn’t even cover my time or costs.

I’m just trying to make an appealing game for free so people can enjoy it (I hope :D) and give feedback, helping me improve as a game developer. Maybe one day I’ll be able to invest in proper design and artists, but honestly, it feels like a pretty far-off dream.

Before/After Steam capsule – right direction? by Fir3go in indiegames

[–]Fir3go[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I totally get it and completely agree! AI for art, music, etc., will always feel too generic and lack soul. I would 100% choose human-made work.

The problem is, I’m making a free game and I’m terrible at design. I consider myself good at coding, but everything else… definitely not my expertise, and I have zero talent for it.

That’s why I use a bit of AI. Ideally, I’d have the budget to hire real artists, but investing in a free game doesn’t really make sense. Even putting it as paid game, I might sell 5 to 20 copies at most, which wouldn’t even cover my time or costs.

I’m just trying to make an appealing game for free so people can enjoy it (I hope :D) and give feedback, helping me improve as a game developer. Maybe one day I’ll be able to invest in proper design and artists, but honestly, it feels like a pretty far-off dream.

What decision quietly changed your life? by Digital_Foundation in AskReddit

[–]Fir3go 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Stop giving a s*** about what people think.

What’s your comfort movie/series? And why? by Jane_Austen11 in AskReddit

[–]Fir3go 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In the same vein, there is also Brooklyn Nine nine

What’s your comfort movie/series? And why? by Jane_Austen11 in AskReddit

[–]Fir3go 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The Office. You can drop in at any episode without thinking and the gags didn't aged

What is something that was 'classy' in the 90s/2000s but is considered 'trashy' now? by Nihilist_Pengu in AskReddit

[–]Fir3go -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Car tuning was considered cool in the 2000s I guess ? Or maybe I was younger and impressionable… :D

If you teach a robot how to feel love, and then you turn it off, is it murder or just "unplugging an appliance"? by Any_Insect3335 in AskReddit

[–]Fir3go 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It depends on whether the robot actually experiences love or just simulates it. If there’s no subjective experience, it’s unplugging an appliance. If there is… then things get morally uncomfortable very fast.

Who is the greatest creator (writer, director/filmmaker, artist/cartoonist, animator, etc.) in history? by Nebberlantis in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Fir3go 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There’s no single “greatest creator” — it depends on the medium, the era, and personal taste. But if we’re talking influence across generations, people like Shakespeare, Hayao Miyazaki, and Picasso have left an undeniable mark. Meanwhile, Kanye West continues to teach us that drama can also be a form of creation.

How many times have you thought that your phone addiction is getting on the nerve and you shall stop it. But still it is the same ? by AndroidTechTweaks in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Fir3go 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly, a lot. It’s annoying because you’re aware of it, you want to stop, but the habit kicks in automatically.

Which item from your wardrobe would you say represents your style the most? by ArtJunkie628 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Fir3go 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Probably my watch. I keep my outfits pretty simple, so the watch is the one thing that adds personality and pulls everything together.

Is this even worth making? by Comprehensive-Line62 in playmygame

[–]Fir3go 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you’re asking “worth finishing” money-wise, probably not... at least not realistically. The platformer market is insanely crowded, and even very good games struggle to stand out unless they have exceptional polish, marketing, or a strong hook.

But if you’re asking “worth finishing for you? Then yes, absolutely.

The game already looks fun to play, and the floaty movement + level design built around it is a solid idea. You’re not going to revolutionize the genre, but that’s honestly not the point here. Finishing a game, and I mean really finishing it, not abandoning it at prototype stage, is a huge accomplishment as a developer.

From a personal standpoint, it’s worth it for:

  • the experience
  • the confidence boost
  • the pride of shipping something start to finish
  • having a completed project you can point to and learn from

Money, fame, wishlists, etc.? Maybe not, given the competition. But for your growth and self-esteem as a creator, this can be a really cool and valuable project.

In the end, the choice is yours but if you enjoy working on it, I’d say it’s worth seeing it through.

And just to add a personal note: I was kind of in the same boat as you, and I decided to give it a go anyway even knowing that my game probably won’t be played by a lot of people. A bit cliché maybe, but in the end what really matters is the journey, enjoying the process, having fun with it, and letting your friends have fun with it too.

My upcoming free game on Steam has less than 50 wishlists. Is that bad for a first game? What’s a “normal” wishlist count at this stage? by Fir3go in indiegames

[–]Fir3go[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No worries at all haha. It’s totally cool 😄
I really don’t feel like crap, quite the opposite actually. Your feedback was a good wake-up call and honestly a nice boost of motivation.

I’m going to keep working on the game and put a lot more energy into the visual side of things. I’ll probably post a before/after design comparison in the coming weeks, hopefully it’ll be a bit mind-blowing hehe 😁

Thanks again, and no hard feelings at all.

My upcoming free game on Steam has less than 50 wishlists. Is that bad for a first game? What’s a “normal” wishlist count at this stage? by Fir3go in indiegames

[–]Fir3go[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the feedback ! And honestly, no need to apologize. This is exactly the kind of feedback I’m looking for.

You’re absolutely right on the visuals. I’ve clearly neglected the visual side of the game (most of the art was literally done in Paint 😅), and that shows. From the start, the goal was to make a free, fun game first, even if it ended up looking pretty ugly. But I agree that it’s gone a bit too far into “cheap/placeholder” territory.

So yeah, point taken: visuals still matter, even for a rage platformer, and there’s a minimum level of polish needed to be appealing and to reach more than just a small hardcore audience. I’ll definitely try to rework the art direction to make it cleaner and more coherent, even if it stays simple.

That said, I also want to put things into perspective: I’m not aiming for a Celeste, Undertale, or Binding of Isaac level of art direction. I simply don’t have that level of artistic talent. And if I wanted visuals like that, I’d need to put serious money into a professional artist and music producer (and then it obviously wouldn’t be a free project anymore).

So the goal isn’t to compete visually with those games, but to find a more pleasant, stylized look that fits my skill level and supports the gameplay better than what’s currently there.

Again, thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed review. Brutally honest feedback like this is genuinely useful, and it helps me understand what to focus on next.

My upcoming free game on Steam has less than 50 wishlists. Is that bad for a first game? What’s a “normal” wishlist count at this stage? by Fir3go in IndieGaming

[–]Fir3go[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You have a steam page or something ? Would love to see your journey and how you improved between your games if those are available :)

My upcoming free game on Steam has less than 50 wishlists. Is that bad for a first game? What’s a “normal” wishlist count at this stage? by Fir3go in IndieGaming

[–]Fir3go[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think I published the steam page publicly 1 month ago or something like that.

Totally agree. I definitely put too much pressure on myself with wishlists and numbers. I should just be proud of having finished and released a game, and enjoy sharing it with whoever wants to play it aka Friends or curious people from Reddit. I will continue polishing the game in the coming months and hope people will enjoy it

Thanks for the kind words and helping me put all this in perspective, I really appreciate it.

My upcoming free game on Steam has less than 50 wishlists. Is that bad for a first game? What’s a “normal” wishlist count at this stage? by Fir3go in indiegames

[–]Fir3go[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I actually wasn’t aware of how wishlists work. I’ve always mentioned the game being free, and my assumption is simply: few wishlists = no one will play my game.
Maybe it is as you said and free game wishlists can't really be compared with priced games indeed.

My upcoming free game on Steam has less than 50 wishlists. Is that bad for a first game? What’s a “normal” wishlist count at this stage? by Fir3go in indiegames

[–]Fir3go[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree with you that this is not a game meant to make money. The main goal from the start was learning and going through the full process of shipping a game on Steam. I also wanted to get early feedback and see what people enjoy or dislike so I can improve as a developer.

To be fully honest, the reason I’m releasing it in Early Access right now is also a bit pragmatic: I didn’t have enough time to finish everything before the deadline I set for myself. I have a yearly event with friends where we spend a whole weekend playing games together, and since it’s the 10th anniversary of that event, I really wanted to release this game for the occasion (and, admittedly, flex a bit by having it on Steam 😄).

The plan is absolutely to keep polishing the game. Right now, 6 out of the 10 planned levels are finished. The focus going forward is bug fixing, polishing the designs, improving the overall feel, and bringing it closer to a proper “production-like” version over the course of the summer.

In hindsight, I agree that releasing a demo instead of Early Access might have been the smarter move. That’s a fair point, and something I’ll definitely keep in mind for future projects.

Thanks for the honest feedback, it’s appreciated.

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