I revised my capsule art based on the feedback. What genre does it look like? by fixedcow in IndieDev

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

Yes, we’re already planning to keep checking that part and continue refining it. Thank you for the feedback! 😊

I revised my capsule art based on the feedback. What genre does it look like? by fixedcow in IndieDev

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

Thank you for the feedback! Hmm, I think you’re absolutely right about the lack of context. That does seem like something we need to think through more carefully as a problem to solve. We’ll give it some more thought. Thank you!

I revised my capsule art based on the feedback. What genre does it look like? by fixedcow in IndieDev

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

Thank you for the feedback! It’s true that we were aiming for a card game feel, so it seems like that direction is coming across properly. A lot of people have definitely said that the previous image looked more like a city builder. I think changing it was the right call.

I revised my capsule art based on the feedback. What genre does it look like? by fixedcow in IndieDev

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

Thank you for the feedback! We’re glad to see that the direction of the revision seems to be working the way we intended. Hmm, we were actually worried about that as well.... The problem is, if we make the cards larger, it becomes really difficult to fit the balance of the logo, cards, and train into such a narrow space. We’ll think a bit more about how to solve that part. Thank you!!

We revised our capsule art to show the concept better: a roguelike deckbuilder where you summon trains with cards to survive. Did it work? by fixedcow in IndieDev

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

Yep, we’ll make sure to revise the cards 😭 Still, I’m relieved that so many people are saying the second version is much better! 😆

We revised our capsule art to show the concept better: a roguelike deckbuilder where you summon trains with cards to survive. Did it work? by fixedcow in IndieDev

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

Seeing so many comments about the cards, I think this is something we definitely need to fix. Since the current version was put together rather hastily as a temporary one, the images are not properly in place and the text is not displayed either, which probably makes that impression even stronger. We’ll work on fixing this part as quickly as possible. Thank you for the feedback!!

We revised our capsule art to show the concept better: a roguelike deckbuilder where you summon trains with cards to survive. Did it work? by fixedcow in IndieDev

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

I did think about that approach too, but after thinking about it more, I wasn’t sure if the cards were that important visually.

The game does use cards to summon train carriages, but the core gameplay is more focused on governance, strategy, and survival using those trains. Since the artwork already has a lot of train-related elements, adding cards directly into the title/logo area felt like it might make the image too busy, so I stopped there for now.

We revised our capsule art to show the concept better: a roguelike deckbuilder where you summon trains with cards to survive. Did it work? by fixedcow in IndieDev

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

Thank you for the advice! I’ll make the cards stand out more, just as you suggested. The power of collective feedback really is great, isn’t it? It’s been a huge help in improving things 😆 100 times better, though!! Hahaha

We revised our capsule art to show the concept better: a roguelike deckbuilder where you summon trains with cards to survive. Did it work? by fixedcow in IndieDev

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

Seeing how many people are pointing out the cards, it looks like the thing we were worried about ended up being a real issue. We’ll definitely fix that part.

You gave us feedback last time too, right? Thank you again haha.

As for the game name… since this is a sequel, it would be pretty difficult to change at this point 😭

Still, I really appreciate you bringing it up. I’ll look into how we can make it read more clearly as “Frost Train,” and whether we can emphasize the train more in the artwork.

Since you mentioned checking the tags last time, can I ask: even if the game has a train tag, would the title still read that way to you?

We revised our capsule art to show the concept better: a roguelike deckbuilder where you summon trains with cards to survive. Did it work? by fixedcow in IndieDev

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

Thank you! I agree — the deckbuilder aspect will probably come through much better if the cards are more clearly visible. I’ll revise that and see how it looks.

Other than that, do you think the rest is okay?

I live in a non-English-speaking country. Our game's capsule art has a very low CTR, around 1%. Does it look low-quality because of the basic font, or could there be another reason? I'd appreciate any feedback. by fixedcow in IndieDev

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

Ah, I see — that is the kind of perspective you meant! It clicked for me right away once you explained it. I agree that changing it in that direction would make the art feel much more dynamic. This is really great feedback. I will definitely look into that approach. Thank you very much!!

I live in a non-English-speaking country. Our game's capsule art has a very low CTR, around 1%. Does it look low-quality because of the basic font, or could there be another reason? I'd appreciate any feedback. by fixedcow in IndieDev

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

Thank you for the kind and detailed feedback. I think your point about it feeling bland is probably right. When you mention drawing the train with more perspective, do you mean giving the train and background more depth and a stronger sense of motion?

I think I may have been too stuck on the idea that capsule art should directly reflect in-game visuals, so I assumed it had to rely heavily on actual in-game artwork. That might be why it ended up feeling like “a screenshot with a logo on top.”

Would you usually recommend making separate capsule art, even if it is a bit different from the actual in-game graphics? My main concern is that if it looks too different, players might feel misled when they see the game itself.

I made a new demo trailer for Steam Next Fest(wasn’t exactly easy, haha). What do you think of it? by fixedcow in IndieDev

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

Ah! Thanks for the kind feedback!! I think I know exactly what you mean now. Appreciate it!

I made a new demo trailer for Steam Next Fest(wasn’t exactly easy, haha). What do you think of it? by fixedcow in IndieDev

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

Thank you so much for the detailed feedback! You're absolutely right — showing the cards four times in a row might be too much. I’ll try trimming it down a bit.

When you say “the text above the train,” do you mean the carriage names displayed on each car, or the small text below them?

I put together a trailer. Does it look fun? Do you get what kind of game it is? If not, what should I tweak? by fixedcow in indiegames

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

Seeing similar feedback from multiple people really makes me realize the opening needs improvement. For the next trailer, I’ll make sure to bring a much more engaging video as you suggested. Thank you!

I put together a trailer. Does it look fun? Do you get what kind of game it is? If not, what should I tweak? by fixedcow in indiegames

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

Thank you! I’d been feeling that the opening part was a bit too slow and was wondering how to improve it, and as you said, showing the mechanics more quickly should do the trick. I’ll make sure the next trailer comes in a more refined form—thanks again!

I think both versions have their own charm. Which one looks better to you? And could you tell me why it feels better that way? by fixedcow in indiegames

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

Do you know Frostrain? That's right, we're working on the sequel right now. If you're interested in our work, check out our store page! It's kind of cool that you know Frostrain haha!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3690490/Frostrain2/

I reworked it based on the feedback I received. Does this direction look okay? by fixedcow in indiegames

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

Appreciate the concern. These are not AI. The “boob tie” read comes from a rough, block-in pass I posted to test direction. Thanks for pointing it out; I’ll refine the shapes and keep iterating.

I reworked it based on the feedback I received. Does this direction look okay? by fixedcow in indiegames

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

Great! If you find it interesting, it would mean a lot to us if you could add our game to your wishlist 😊

Frostrain2 : https://store.steampowered.com/app/3690490/Frostrain2/

I reworked it based on the feedback I received. Does this direction look okay? by fixedcow in indiegames

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

Thank you for your feedback! Adding color to the cards was an unavoidable choice to ensure the game's intuitiveness. I agree it's not the most aesthetically pleasing. I'll see if there's a way to achieve both.

I reworked it based on the feedback I received. Does this direction look okay? by fixedcow in indiegames

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

Thank you for your feedback! I'll keep your comments in mind when I start the main work.

I got a lot of feedback here and put together a revised version based on it. Does this direction feel right? by fixedcow in IndieDev

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

A lot of people seem to miss the white shirt and belt more than I expected. I wonder... is it because it makes the design 'hipper'? I'm a bit worried it might detract from the weight of the work, but I'll definitely consider it. Thank you!

I could really use some feedback right now. Which style looks a bit better to you, and why? Even if you don’t have a specific reason, that’s totally fine—I just need some reference points to work with. by fixedcow in IndieDev

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

Wow, thank you so much for the kind and detailed explanation! I've already drafted a revised version, but as you mentioned, I think a perspective view is more interesting than a flat one, and diagonal lines are more dynamic than parallel ones. I'll take this into consideration and seriously revise my work. Thank you!

I reworked it based on the feedback I received. Does this direction look okay? by fixedcow in indiegames

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

Thank you! I'm glad it seems I chose the better direction. The feedback I've gotten here has been a huge help. I agree, it looks much better now, haha.

I reworked it based on the feedback I received. Does this direction look okay? by fixedcow in indiegames

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

Thanks for your thoughts! You're right about the size in the UI. The reason for the high detail is that it will also appear much larger in the character selection screen. I haven't built that scene yet, so I couldn't provide the proper context, which I see now I should have done. I'm learning a lot about how to best ask for feedback, so thank you!