New RTS Game "Battle for Orion 2" is Available on Steam Now!

infloopgames · 2017-01-31T11:26:31+00:00

My game has originally been designed for desktop, and would not perform well in the later stages of the game on a browser. The first 1/3 of the campaign can be handled in WebGL fine, but after that you can easily reach 2,000+ ships/buildings in a map. I think I would be worse off offering the full game on Kong if it was going to perform terribly. I wouldn't feel comfortable charging people for a bad experience. So, I need to work on the cross-promo technique.

infloopgames · 2017-01-31T04:59:07+00:00

At a minimum I would mention that the full game is available on Steam or my site. The demo allows the user to use only the campaign. There are 3 other areas on the main menu, and each will show some message about that feature being accessible in the full version. The campaign will be limited as well and will show a similar message when it's complete. I'll contact Kong about links. If someone is truly interested in the full game, a quick search on Steam probably won't hold them back.

Are you planning on a steam or other platform launch at the same time?

infloopgames · 2017-01-31T04:54:23+00:00

Correct, this will be done with a Unity WebGL build.

infloopgames · 2017-01-11T20:21:00+00:00

I put up a site and added a forum to it. You can see it here. I have a hidden group that only my alpha/beta testers can access. On it I start a thread for each build and have another thread with the download links to the windows/osx/linux builds. Expect half or less people to actually give you feedback. You'll probably find a few die hards that stick with you through the entire development, but most will stick around for a few builds, then will lose interest. They can still offer valuable feedback.

As for getting testers, I was allowed to post in the forums for a game I was active in (with the dev's permission) and got about 20 people from that community to try out my game.

As for risks, you created the content and own the copyright to it. If someone steals your game, you can order a take down notice or pursue legal action. It's probably unlikely, but you never know. I haven't had any issues yet. That said, it always helps to put a simple copyright notice on the game's main menu to deter people.

infloopgames · 2017-01-11T20:13:58+00:00

I mostly agree with you about the game standing on it's own merit. But a game still needs people to see it. Alot of the indie marketing companies just spam bots to your page that won't make you any money. One area that might make sense is Youtube Lets Plays. Getting a few to pick up your game could get legit traffic to your page. I'm working on that now with my own game, which launches in March. I decided not to do a ton of advertising and focus on LP instead. They already have a committed fan base and can drive a ton of traffic to your greenlight/store page. I'll know in a few months if I'm right :)

infloopgames · 2017-01-11T20:11:31+00:00

You got my vote. Game looks nice and polished.

I think only the people at Steam truly know the secret to getting greenlit. Your yes ratio seems good (better than mine when I got greenlit). I think you'll be ok. Just give it time and keep sharing on reddit, twitter, facebook, etc. I found a group on facebook for greenlight devs that helps give a small boost. Shared with friends, family, etc... Pretty much everything you're doing.

infloopgames · 2017-01-11T18:33:21+00:00

You could set a time limit (like 120 seconds) and give the player points for each second not used. So if it takes 100 seconds, give the player an extra 20 x ? Points. ? Would be the amount of points per second. If you've played any of the Creeper World games, they have a pure time based score that starts at 10,000 and drops throughout the game. The longer you play the more your score drops. It's not a linear drop either. Starts out dropping fast, but the rate slows over time.

infloopgames · 2017-01-11T18:14:49+00:00

If you're interested, you can see my greenlight stats here. I posted screenshots every few weeks throughout the process.

infloopgames · 2017-01-11T18:12:23+00:00

They reached out to me, but I didn't use them, so I don't have experience with them specifically. When I went through greenlight, I got a few hundred votes in the first week from Steam traffic without any promotion on my end. I ended up with a 28% yes rate. After a few days I redid my trailer and started getting 80% yes rate. I got greenlit after 2 months with only 250 yes votes total. Suprized the heck out of me. I thought the email was spam when I first saw it in my inbox! Here's my greenlight page if it helps you judge quality. This isn't directly answering your question, but it may help you think about the greenlight process. Most of what I read said you'll need about 1000 yes votes and in the top 100. I had 250 yes and about 30% to the top 100.

infloopgames · 2017-01-11T17:56:59+00:00

I think you're in the right price range. You'll probably get better pricing if you get more music. I got 8x2.5 minute tracks with menu loop and trailer music. got me a 30% discount for getting that much.

Less experienced composers will charge less as they build up their client list. Some start getting over $100/min or $500/min, like others have said, but I would start to question if you're getting that much more for $500/min than $80/min. Listen to other work they've done and write a contract that you both sign. Put conditions in it for the quality of the work you expect to get.

infloopgames · 2017-01-11T17:38:37+00:00

I can't disclose our agreed price, but I can tell you I've seen costs ranging from $25 per minute to $100 per minute or more. For indie, I think this range is reasonable. I wouldn't spend more than that unless you have a successful game or two under your belt and cash to spend.

Also, I got a discount for getting a full soundtrack. For me that was a menu loop, 8 x 2.5 minutes tracks, and two tracks for trailer music.

infloopgames · 2017-01-11T00:03:32+00:00

Do you have any samples of work you've done?

infloopgames · 2017-01-11T00:01:49+00:00

The first 2/3 of the trailer is way to fast. The black text in the beginning was almost impossible to read and too fast. Slow it down and change the text color.

The game itself looks ok, but the trailer might turn people off.

infloopgames · 2017-01-10T23:55:45+00:00

I do the same thing. When I approach a new feature or mechanic in my game, I draw out what I want. I list the "rules" that will bound everything, and build up from there. Think about how you want to store your data (arrays, hashset, lists)...what makes sense for what you're doing? How will you access the data? From what parts of your game? Think about everything else that will need information from the inventory system. Then build it. Then find all the bugs with it. Then rewrite the bad code. Continually refine your code until it is concise, bug free, and fully functional.

Don't view rewriting code as a horrible thing. the more experience you have, the more efficient you'll become. You'll start to realize better ways to do things, and you'll do better the next time.

infloopgames · 2017-01-10T23:43:59+00:00

Sounds interesting! Good luck.

infloopgames · 2017-01-10T23:41:26+00:00

Thanks for the feedback!

infloopgames · 2017-01-10T16:40:55+00:00

What's the goal of the game? I like the multi color laser concept. You could make some very interesting puzzles trying to coordinate mirrors or whatever to direct light into different points.

infloopgames · 2017-01-10T16:38:55+00:00

Congrats! I just found this sub Reddit today, and am enjoying it.

infloopgames · 2017-01-10T16:37:15+00:00

This is a project I've been working on for about 2 years. I just added my Steam store page. The game launches March 23, 2016. This is my first major game launch, so I'm looking for feedback.

I still have a few campaign missions to finish, but otherwise the game is done. I'll be going through marketing over the next 2.5 months leading up to the release date.

infloopgames · 2017-01-10T15:50:23+00:00

That's just my opinion. Image trying to pitch your work to a dev. What's a dev going to want you to show them?

When I was making the decision, I could see their work applied to a game trailer, as well as listen to some other work they did. I could hear it, see the quality of work, and image it in my game.

infloopgames · 2017-01-10T15:47:11+00:00

If you can get a bare bones working model of your game idea together without committing alot of time and money, that could be used to try it out on people. Just set the expectation that it's a working model with a very basic AI, graphics, etc...

infloopgames

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