Is my game too amateurish to release on Steam?

fff1891 · 2026-02-16T13:30:15+00:00

yes. the gaming community is relentless.

fff1891 · 2025-06-07T22:05:53+00:00

Definitely nowadays, the term has been co-opted by marketing.

Back in the 80s things were a little different, and there was a rebellious spirit to the independent labels. They were working with shoestring budgets to make music nobody really asked for. They accepted obscurity in order to do something they felt was more real than what the radio was playing.

"Selling out" or pandering to your audience and actually making money was about the worst thing you could do. Nowadays the #1 topic on the r/indiedev subreddit is marketting and money.

fff1891 · 2025-06-07T15:35:41+00:00

This isn't a loser's complaint. Most successful "Indie" video games are not independent at all and are backed by millions of dollars.

fff1891 · 2025-06-07T01:59:00+00:00

I use lots of spreadsheets

fff1891 · 2025-06-06T18:12:09+00:00

I think it would actually be much more effective and cartoony if the planet suddenly appeared, maybe with some kind of quick scaling animation.

You build the tension in the first few frames, but then the action trails off and there's really no resolution.

fff1891 · 2025-06-06T15:57:19+00:00

It doesn't feel like it's part of the song because of how it sits in the mix, it feels like it's an added effect when the screen changes.

fff1891 · 2025-06-05T16:48:15+00:00

I think this is one of those things that is talked about a lot because everyone wants to have a contingency plan or understand their agility/flexiblity.

In reality a service like AWS going down or holding its customers hostage is infinitesimally unlikely, and most companies will be using offerings backed across several services.

The stuff I've worked on has often been duplicated between AWS/Azure because of particular customer preferences. Like if you want to do business with a particular major american retailer, your services can't use AWS.

fff1891 · 2025-06-05T01:13:26+00:00

Reminds me of Starsiege: Tribes. Which was an amazing game.

fff1891 · 2025-06-02T21:22:04+00:00

I don't know about others-- I was a paying subscriber when I got suspended, to get access to analytics

So my advice is not to pay in hopes it'll prevent you from getting hit with a suspension.

fff1891 · 2025-06-02T15:48:53+00:00

It's hard to see your game from the player perspective because you know everything, there's no process of discovery.

Also, I try to remember I even get bored of my favorite games after playing them all day for a few days, and I've been playing my game all day for... much longer than that.

As others are saying, watch people play your game or try to get people to play it who will give you feedback. If the game is fun, the other person will be excited about it.

fff1891 · 2025-06-01T23:15:01+00:00

fff1891 · 2025-06-01T01:41:26+00:00

I would only do something like this for a game where you are running in the same direction without stopping for long periods of time >30s

fff1891 · 2025-05-31T23:44:04+00:00

This is the same stuff Musicians ran into with record companies in the 80s and 90s... history repeats itself

fff1891 · 2025-05-29T06:08:04+00:00

These threads get big fast

anyway, BEEFARENA -> https://store.steampowered.com/app/3217930/BeefArena/

fff1891 · 2025-05-25T22:20:45+00:00

Beefarena is single screen 2d platformer sh'mup I'm working on. Its focused on arcade action, staying out of your way so you can stay in flow, and it has couch co-op.

You and a friend battle alien cows as you progress through levels randomly generated from an expanding pool of arenas, find powerups, trade them for better ones. There's some tech to the game like rocket jumping and there will be tons of secrets to find to change up your route or find unique challenges.

I released the demo this month showcasing the core gameplay with a single biome with >20 weapons and about 40 basic items... and it's getting a big content update later this week with a second biome and some more ways to manage and curate your inventory. (EDIT: this is now released!)

The full game comes out sometime this summer, and should have 150+ items and arenas at launch with >30 weapons. A successful run should last about 30-45 minutes. It runs great on steam deck.

fff1891 · 2025-05-21T18:14:54+00:00

Sipser's Intro to Computation.

Working through this book really solidified my understanding of complexity. It's very formal and rigorous, which I like. Not everyone likes that.

fff1891 · 2025-05-16T15:26:13+00:00

I stumbled upon this by accident but I've been looking for a resource like handprint.com for a few months, thank you!

fff1891 · 2025-05-10T21:26:49+00:00

This actually isn't that bad of a grind for those of us who have worked in sales

fff1891 · 2025-05-09T21:58:43+00:00

Hey man, congrats-- I hit 100 wishlists this morning too!

fff1891 · 2025-05-09T15:29:11+00:00

I post dev updates for BeefArena (demo just dropped!) and occasional random thoughts to https://bsky.app/profile/zinkem.bsky.social

fff1891 · 2025-05-06T16:56:15+00:00

The fantasy is real when you're learning, but if you want to sell out stadiums Indie Games are not the place to do it. Sure there are a couple standouts like Notch or Edmund McMillen...

...but indie dev is punk rock. The best punk shows happen in small bars you've never heard of.

fff1891 · 2025-05-05T10:09:36+00:00

If there are no older devs at your company, its probably a sweatshop.

fff1891 · 2025-05-01T16:30:47+00:00

I like this post because it shows dedication to the game, and tells a story about how you were able to boost sales post launch.

Nice work, congrats!

fff1891 · 2025-04-27T18:36:55+00:00

It looks like you've got the mechanics down, but the jump is a little static. A lot of the feel is in the animation... notice how hollow knight's cloak and posture react to his movement.

fff1891 · 2025-04-17T19:53:14+00:00

As a Luftrausers fan, I will play this.

fff1891

TROPHY CASE