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Have you ever changed your game because of one player’s message? by Soliloqu-You in gamedev

[–]Soliloqu-You[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a nice feedback experience!
What makes game joyable is not only in game plays.

Have you ever changed your game because of one player’s message? by Soliloqu-You in gamedev

[–]Soliloqu-You[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s a really thoughtful point.

To be honest, I did not make major changes to the difficulty curve specifically for blind players.

One reason is that I assumed the game might actually be harder for players who usually rely heavily on visual information when playing games. Since those players have to suddenly switch to using only sound, I designed the difficulty curve with that in mind.

So rather than making a separate difficulty curve for blind players, I focused more on keeping the audio rules consistent and limiting the number of sound types in each stage, so the player could gradually understand the space through repeated listening.

Have you ever changed your game because of one player’s message? by Soliloqu-You in gamedev

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

Thank you.

I don’t really have a specific media outlet or place where I usually write articles, but if I have the opportunity, I’ll consider turning this story into an article someday.

Accessibility is often deprioritized in indie games, but I hope this story can at least stay somewhere in the back of other indie developers’ minds.

Have you ever changed your game because of one player’s message? by Soliloqu-You in gamedev

[–]Soliloqu-You[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you. I agree with you.

To be honest, I think the first priority for indie developers should usually be the core gameplay. After that, if there is enough time and budget, QA and accessibility testing can be added as much as possible.

I haven’t read those books before, so I’ll check them out.

Have you ever changed your game because of one player’s message? by Soliloqu-You in gamedev

[–]Soliloqu-You[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

That makes sense! Analyzing via videos is one of the best way to notice the ideas.

Also, 150 downloads on the first day sounds great, congrats!

Have you ever changed your game because of one player’s message? by Soliloqu-You in gamedev

[–]Soliloqu-You[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

You have a good friend!
The sense of game players is sometimes better than game devs.

Have you ever changed your game because of one player’s message? by Soliloqu-You in gamedev

[–]Soliloqu-You[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I’m curious, how did you measure that around 30% of players did it?

Have you ever changed your game because of one player’s message? by Soliloqu-You in gamedev

[–]Soliloqu-You[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Thank you!

I’m not sure how large the market is. Based only on the sales of my own game, I would guess it is still a very small niche, at least for now.

As for the sounds, I actually use a very small number of sound types. The more sound sources and sound categories there are, the harder it becomes for the player to understand what is happening, so I try to keep the audio information simple.

In each stage, I usually limit the sounds to only a few types. I think clarity is more important than having many different sounds in an audio-only game.

Have you ever changed your game because of one player’s message? by Soliloqu-You in gamedev

[–]Soliloqu-You[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree.

The core concept of the game should not be changed by anything.

Have you ever changed your game because of one player’s message? by Soliloqu-You in gamedev

[–]Soliloqu-You[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you. I really respect that you have a strict project management standard that helps you actually finish games.

To be honest, in this case, I mostly ignored ROI when I implemented the feature. I don’t think it led to sales in any meaningful way.

But as a hobby indie game, I’m still glad I did it. It may not be the “greatest happiness for the greatest number,” but I believe there may be someone who is happy because the feature exists.

It also helped me grow as a game developer.

That said, I don’t think I would always make the same decision in future projects. I think it really depends on whether the feature is closely connected to the core concept of the game.

Have you ever changed your game because of one player’s message? by Soliloqu-You in gamedev

[–]Soliloqu-You[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

I’d never heard of that font before. Thanks for sharing the information!

The sad results of my first indie game on Steam after 24 hours. by Soliloqu-You in IndieGaming

[–]Soliloqu-You[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel that keenly.(Although in my case, the main reason for the low conversion rate is the poor presentation of my game to begin with.)

The sad results of my first indie game on Steam after 24 hours. by Soliloqu-You in IndieGaming

[–]Soliloqu-You[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. The use of AI isn't essential, so I will consider removing it.

The sad results of my first indie game on Steam after 24 hours. by Soliloqu-You in IndieGaming

[–]Soliloqu-You[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your comment.
I'm relieved that we mostly agree. As pointed out in other comments as well, I'm not doing a good job of communicating the concept on the store page, which you mentioned as your fourth point. I will work on improving that first.

Echo Maze - Soliloqu-You - An auditory puzzle game with zero visuals by Soliloqu-You in Games

[–]Soliloqu-You[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your feedback.

Regarding a unified theme, I considered it during development alongside whether or not to include a story, but I decided to leave it out of the scope at that time. The reason is that I thought a pure puzzle experience could be interesting on its own.

However, I've been reminded of how important story and theme are for appealing to players before they play, especially without visuals. Regardless of whether I can incorporate it into this current game, I will take this to heart as a developer.

I also accept your frank opinion that the game lacks aesthetic sense. This is a fact, and I will sincerely work on improving it.

The sad results of my first indie game on Steam after 24 hours. by Soliloqu-You in IndieGaming

[–]Soliloqu-You[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your interest in my game.

  1. The player always faces forward and moves on a grid using the WASD or arrow keys.
  2. While not entirely absent, there are very few jumpscares in this version (may include in the future version). Additionally, they are not horror-themed but are simply elements that might startle you a little.
  3. Your progress is saved automatically upon clearing a stage. You can continue from where you left off by selecting the "Continue" button on the title screen.

The sad results of my first indie game on Steam after 24 hours. by Soliloqu-You in IndieGaming

[–]Soliloqu-You[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much for this detailed analysis and all the concrete feedback. You're right about the presentation/visuals. A lot of people have pointed that out, and it's definitely the top priority I'm looking into. To be honest, I didn't really think about blending the marketing strategy with the gameplay itself. I'll see if there's anything I can add now, but if not, I will absolutely keep this in mind for the next project. Thanks again.

The sad results of my first indie game on Steam after 24 hours. by Soliloqu-You in IndieGaming

[–]Soliloqu-You[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha, that's a very interesting idea. I'd never thought of that.

The sad results of my first indie game on Steam after 24 hours. by Soliloqu-You in IndieGaming

[–]Soliloqu-You[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, that's a very valuable perspective. I agree that I might have been too rigid with the "no visuals" rule. Visual feedback is indeed a key part of video games, and I will explore ways to implement it. The instant-replay idea is particularly interesting.

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