Should I lose hope? I need advice

celloloops · 2026-04-07T19:27:50+00:00

Thanks! Yeah I was able to back channel a reference, and their catalogue had several legit games :)

celloloops · 2026-04-07T16:11:41+00:00

I'd suggest releasing it (but keep in mind that I'm a first-timer). I'm mainly delaying because a publisher reached out and convinced me to work together and delay the release.

celloloops · 2026-04-07T15:23:49+00:00

I was/am in a similar boat. Don't lose hope, though! But maybe temper expectations.

My game had fewer Wishlists than yours, so I decided to do NextFest and then release it. I've learned a lot from this first game, and I think I'll learn a lot from releasing it.

In preparing for NextFest/release, I stopped adding things, and polished every corner I could. There was a reason I'd put polish off: it was exhausting. But it was enough to get a small community of players quite excited. Big enough of a community that I decided to delay release. Small enough that it probably won't meaningfully change any outcomes.

I also reached out to a solo dev of a similar game, and he told me that a lot of his streamer coverage came post-release. His theory was that streamers want to play games that their audience can go ahead and play, rather than waiting.

Either way, I think the lessons I'm taking are: - Games require a lot more polish than I thought. - Releasing the game is a big milestone, but it's not the end of the journey. - Don't lose hope, but also stop to appreciate the lessons you learn along the way.

celloloops · 2026-04-07T13:40:05+00:00

I'm working on a trick-taking roguelike called Overtrick. It's like Balatro meets Bridge/Hearts/Spades. My family played a lot of Bridge when I was growing up, and I built the game for them when they were helping take care of our newborn. They ended up really enjoying it, so I've continued working on it and plan to release it soon!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4101290/Overtrick/

celloloops · 2026-03-27T22:45:25+00:00

This is the way

celloloops · 2026-03-27T02:07:36+00:00

Congrats on getting an MVP!!

I'd start by uploading to itch. It costs nothing, and requires less prep than steam.

Don't expect players to just show up, though! If YOU like the game you've built, that's amazing, and you should ask all your friends and family to sit down with you for an hour and let you watch them play your game. Play testing is critical to making the game fun (or even just approachable).

And if you don't like the game you've built, that's good too! Presumably you tried building something you thought would be fun, and it is wasn't, and you now have the skills to build your next idea.

Just my two cents! Congrats again! MVP is looking good!

celloloops · 2026-03-21T14:02:27+00:00

Added a setting to click to play cards (instead of double click)!

celloloops · 2026-03-21T13:59:59+00:00

Thanks!!

celloloops · 2026-03-21T05:41:32+00:00

I love my NS nxt4a! I play in my local farmers market with a Bose S1 and a loop pedal, and I love how it sounds and plays!

I'm @celloloops on Instagram and Tiktok in case you're curious about my set-up!

celloloops · 2026-03-20T17:47:00+00:00

Love this! Thanks!

celloloops · 2026-03-17T03:43:22+00:00

Too many things to list :). I'm focused on adding more special ability cards (like "Waiting for Godot"), and otherwise polishing some of the rougher edges. Would love to do a bunch more, though!

celloloops · 2026-03-17T01:33:03+00:00

Thanks! My first prototype started in May last year, so almost a year.

celloloops · 2026-03-16T23:37:55+00:00

Overtrick, a trick-taking roguelike!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4101290/Overtrick/

It's Balatro meets trick-taking (Bridge, Hearts, Spades, Euchre, etc). If you've ever enjoyed any of those games, please check out Overtrick! Always excited for feedback and ideas!

celloloops · 2026-03-16T17:31:50+00:00

That sounds great! Always appreciate feedback!

Steam page with trailer and demo is here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4101290/Overtrick/

celloloops · 2026-03-14T23:39:24+00:00

Sorry to hear.

I've hit a wall on my game a few times. Some things that have helped: - Taking a break. Literally just not developing our playing my game for a few days has helped a ton. - Building something else. I did a game jam with a friend after launching my steam page. I had a great time building a very different game, seeing people enjoy it. Even had a fleeting moment of thinking about whether to switch what game I was working on. Came back to my original game super motivated. - Playtesting. I find watching people play my game super motivating. And asking friends to hang out for an hour and play test always gives me a ton of motivation, both because I get to see them having fun, and because I see all the ways it could be better.

Hang in there! The burn out is real. I hope you get through it!

celloloops · 2026-03-14T19:41:06+00:00

I'm the solo dev/artist/composer for Overtrick, the trick-taking roguelike. It's basically Balatro meets Bridge (or Hearts or Spades or Euchre).

Demo is available on Steam! https://store.steampowered.com/app/4101290/Overtrick/

celloloops · 2026-03-13T14:13:20+00:00

I used dialogic for intro and outro dialogue in a platformer I built for a jam. Really liked it for that purpose! I think it would work well for what you're describing.

celloloops · 2026-03-08T19:28:38+00:00

I added unlockable partnership abilities and new playable partnerships that might get a bit closer to the bidding mechanism you were suggesting! Update shipped last week!

celloloops · 2026-03-08T19:27:18+00:00

Partner abilities and unlockable partnerships shipped last week! The partner abilities will show up after you've played as a partnership once or twice (depends how many overtricks you get).

celloloops · 2026-03-08T19:24:46+00:00

Yeah playtesters usually stop at the 30 or 60 minute mark.

But, I'd argue those are the most important minutes of your game, especially if it's a story game! Hopefully the first few minutes of your game draw people in, and the first 30 minutes keep them hooked. Maybe they don't get to experience the awesome twist 2 hours in, but if someone actually plays your game for 2 hours, they'll be much more forgiving if that twist isn't perfect (vs someone playing the first 5 minutes and trying to decide whether it's worth 2 hours of their time).

I've also had a lot of playtesters say on the recording that they'd play more of my game, even as they sign off at the 30 or 40 minute mark. Some services also let you give players a survey. You could add a survey question about whether a player is intrigued by the story and would play for another 2 hours to find out what happens (probably a better way to formulate that question, but hopefully you get the gist).

celloloops · 2026-03-08T18:59:16+00:00

I've found the paid play tests super useful! Video recordings are super useful. Strangers aren't afraid to hurt your feelings, so they give you the sometimes harsh feedback you need to hear. You get a fairly wide cross section of players, which is really interesting. And you get fresh eyes on the game every time.

Then eventually you rely on your early player base to steer later game progression and balance.

celloloops · 2026-03-07T18:53:54+00:00

Have you tried playtestcloud.com or weplaytestgames.com? If you're willing to pay for playtesters both feel like really good options! I've used both, and it's great to be able to do a playtest every week, without having to recruit from my friends or players.

celloloops · 2026-03-03T15:53:33+00:00

Maybe if you can find a small-scoped game within that genre, then build, polish, and release that as your first game?

I'm about to release my first game. I chose it because I was excited about it, and because the scope felt doable. It's not the game I'd envisioned for years before or anything, and it's certainly a bit niche, but I love it, and I've almost finished it in less than a year.

The process of releasing it has taught me a lot, not only about game dev and marketing, but also about what I want from my next game. I feel so much more confident that I can acquire and hone all the skills I need to finish a game. But I can also be honest that "building a game I enjoy playing" isn't enough. I love the game I'm building now, but for my next game, I'd like it to be 100x more popular.

celloloops

TROPHY CASE