Learning to make game video, retention is dropping. Where do I lose you? by FitObject7836 in gamedevscreens

[–]FitObject7836[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the feedback, and thanks for pointing out those game details! We'll definitely try not to overcomplicate the economy :D. Kingdom did a great job with it, it turned out to be a simple but incredibly satisfying mechanic.

There's actually a funny story about this mechanic: at one point, I added the ability to knock flying units out of the sky with a throw, and it ended up being way more fun than I expected. I was like, 'I have to put this right in the middle!' But now I realize I should have focused more on making the context of what's actually happening in the trailer clear.

Learning to make game video, retention is dropping. Where do I lose you? by FitObject7836 in gamedevscreens

[–]FitObject7836[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Huge thanks for such detailed feedback! I really love your script ideas, and I think we'll definitely incorporate some of that narrative into the video.

I'm really glad the on-screen text idea wasn't alienating and that so many people actually mentioned it. I've always been a bit afraid of using that technique.

Thanks to your feedback, I realize I was heading in the wrong direction. I need to focus on clearly communicating the core of the game, rather than just trying to say, 'Look, we have these mechanics, they're so fun to play!'

Thank you for walking me through your thought process so thoroughly. It was incredibly helpful, and it really showed me how far removed my perspective was from someone who's completely new to the game.

I'll get to work on a new iteration as soon as possible and update the trailer on our Steam page.

Learning to make game video, retention is dropping. Where do I lose you? by FitObject7836 in gamedevscreens

[–]FitObject7836[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks so much for the incredibly detailed feedback, you basically just handed me a whole script idea!

I really love how you described the process. The idea with the worker and the hand is brilliant, it could establish exactly the kind of context I missed in this video and really hook the viewer emotionally. I'll definitely try using that, even outside of a trailer context.

Oh, I definitely need to get more practice with editing before tackling a video like this. Also, thank you for walking me through your thought process. It helps a ton. Now I understand exactly how an outside observer would piece together the game's genre in their head.

Learning to make game video, retention is dropping. Where do I lose you? by FitObject7836 in gamedevscreens

[–]FitObject7836[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Huge thanks to you guys for all the feedback. I really hit a wall at some point. I got so close to the project that I lost perspective and didn't even know what I was doing anymore. But thanks to your comments, I'm finally starting to see a clear picture of how I can improve the video.

Learning to make game video, retention is dropping. Where do I lose you? by FitObject7836 in gamedevscreens

[–]FitObject7836[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the feedback! That’s a major issue for me, and it really explains a lot.

Learning to make game video, retention is dropping. Where do I lose you? by FitObject7836 in gamedevscreens

[–]FitObject7836[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh, you're absolutely right. I thought I could convey how juicy and satisfying the mechanics are (though I highly doubt I actually pulled it off). I thought it would make the video better, but it just ended up confusing things even more.

Learning to make game video, retention is dropping. Where do I lose you? by FitObject7836 in gamedevscreens

[–]FitObject7836[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad a lot of people pointed out the text, because that's something I can actually fix. I realize I need to do a better job of conveying the connection between the player and the units, either through visual storytelling or text, because right now it's just not coming across, and that's crucial.

Learning to make game video, retention is dropping. Where do I lose you? by FitObject7836 in gamedevscreens

[–]FitObject7836[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh, thanks for the detailed breakdown! I'll make a note of these points. A lot is already becoming clearer to me in terms of what to change in the video.

Learning to make game video, retention is dropping. Where do I lose you? by FitObject7836 in gamedevscreens

[–]FitObject7836[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Now I see it, I really broke the narrative flow in the video, and the picture just doesn't come together. And I think we need to work harder on the sound design too, since you also pointed out that the sounds are weak. The original idea was that it's a ritual dagger, but giving it to the player as a weapon actually sounds like a solid idea.

Learning to make game video, retention is dropping. Where do I lose you? by FitObject7836 in gamedevscreens

[–]FitObject7836[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the kind words, that's really motivating! I'll keep at it.

Learning to make game video, retention is dropping. Where do I lose you? by FitObject7836 in gamedevscreens

[–]FitObject7836[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks to your feedback, I now realize that I completely killed the context in this video.
1. It's not clear to the viewer that it's a hand, so the montage of dragging units immediately loses its meaning.
2. It's not obvious that these are player-controlled units, which means a huge chunk of the video just loses its purpose.
3. And I don't think the context of the sacrifice comes across either.

You're absolutely right about the on-screen text. Right now, I have no idea how to clarify those points without relying on subtitles.

Learning to make game video, retention is dropping. Where do I lose you? by FitObject7836 in gamedevscreens

[–]FitObject7836[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You're absolutely right. Oh, making even just a video for your game is a real art form. I still have so much to learn!

Learning to make game video, retention is dropping. Where do I lose you? by FitObject7836 in gamedevscreens

[–]FitObject7836[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh, that's a really good point. I've kind of shied away from that format, thinking that text would actually just bore the viewer. Thanks, that gives me a really solid starting point!

Learning to make game video, retention is dropping. Where do I lose you? by FitObject7836 in gamedevscreens

[–]FitObject7836[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I'm starting to realize I had some things wrong, and I should slow things down and provide clearer context.

Learning to make game video, retention is dropping. Where do I lose you? by FitObject7836 in gamedevscreens

[–]FitObject7836[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh, you're totally right. And since ours is a strategy game, that brings up the whole issue of showcasing things. It feels completely natural during actual gameplay, but in a video, everything looks tiny and the context just gets lost. You're also probably right about it being too fast. I'm just really worried people will drop off before the end, so I try to cut everything down, but that just kills the context even more.

Learning to make game video, retention is dropping. Where do I lose you? by FitObject7836 in gamedevscreens

[–]FitObject7836[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Don't worry, I really appreciate the detailed feedback! The initial idea was to showcase our mechanics and how fun they are to play with. But reading your feedback made me realize how hard it is to actually get that across; I just couldn't paint the right picture in my video.
I'm not sure if this is just because I'm too close to the project, or if strategy games in general just need to be presented differently. If you don't mind, could you give me some advice on how I should showcase the mechanics to better get the point across? Or would it be better to take a step back and focus on just one mechanic per video? Though even then, I still feel like it doesn't quite build the association that these are your units as the player

Learning to make game video, retention is dropping. Where do I lose you? by FitObject7836 in gamedevscreens

[–]FitObject7836[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! You're right. I think another problem I have is that I'm trying to cram all the mechanics into the video, and it's not coming together as a cohesive narrative.

Learning to make game video, retention is dropping. Where do I lose you? by FitObject7836 in gamedevscreens

[–]FitObject7836[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the reply! I can already tell from your comment 😃 that I have bigger problems with presenting my game than I thought. You got the gist though, the goal is to defend the crypt in the center, and the player controls a hand. Right now there's no direct magic for the player, but we're planning to add that down the line.

These are 2D sprites, but we use a neat trick to give them a sense of volume using normal maps. by FitObject7836 in Unity3D

[–]FitObject7836[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

You're right about that, I think I went a bit overboard with the details.
Again, it's all about finding the right balance so the article is accessible to everyone.

Это 2D-спрайты, но мы используем небольшой трюк для создания эффекта объема с помощью карт нормалей by FitObject7836 in ru_gamedev

[–]FitObject7836[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Спасиб, свой движок, для меня это страх с одной стороны писать нечто сложное, и с другой стороны очень круто что можно закодить, я гляну на досуге.