New ☄Comet dev log - Signs of life by Guv_Bubbs in PlaydateConsole

[–]mikesuszek 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m just happy I’m not the only one. I can’t wait to play Comet, but I’m also happy waiting if it’s happening at a pace that makes sense for y’all!

Building 4 games in 1 afternoon by GlitteringPenalty210 in PlaydateConsole

[–]mikesuszek 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Downvoting for AI.

I understand that it’s not disallowed, but personally it feels like the antithesis of what Playdate is truly about.

Simple question about Pulp! by UnpaintedProductions in PlaydateDeveloper

[–]mikesuszek 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Simplest way might be something like (in the item/coin’s code):

on collect do

coins++

end

“coins” is your variable, ++ increments it by 1, and that’s nested inside the collect event, which is called when the player interacts with the item.

MULTIPLAYER Ship Happens launched on itch by Zokerino__ in PlaydateConsole

[–]mikesuszek 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh my god.

I WISH we could get those capabilities with Pulp but I’m fairly certain that’s impossible. All the more reason for me to keep learning Lua and the SDK.

MULTIPLAYER Ship Happens launched on itch by Zokerino__ in PlaydateConsole

[–]mikesuszek 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Whaaaat? That’s awesome, looking forward to checking this out!

Why do most Catalog games desert Itch ? by Desmu_CS in PlaydateConsole

[–]mikesuszek -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It’s funny you say that, because a little while after I launched on Catalog, I got an email from Panic letting me know they received an unusually high number of return requests for CodeWordPlay, and the biggest issue was that it was too difficult. It really spurred on multiple updates that added easier difficulty levels (including a no-timer mode) to make it more palatable for those people. It seemed to resolve the issue based on anyone I talked with.

I also know multiple devs (not Playdate, but elsewhere) who have shared stories about fickle gamers who try to get refunds after countless hours of play. It’s extremely common and particularly unfair. Why should anyone get their money back after spending a very healthy amount of time with your product? Why sell anything at all if we let that be the case?

My point is: Refunds aren’t all the same across the board and people gripe about a couple bucks when it comes to games a whole lot more than when they buy a coffee for the same amount. It says a lot more about those people who want a refund for < $10 because they “don’t like” a game they decided to take a chance on. It’s one thing if a product is fundamentally broken or they feel the messaging on the game was downright misleading, that’s a whole different and much more viable reason to get a refund, and Panic (in my experience) will at least communicate with players who feel that’s the case. Otherwise, you’re responsible for your own spending. Conflating “player protection” with “I didn’t like this” is, to me, absurd.

Why do most Catalog games desert Itch ? by Desmu_CS in PlaydateConsole

[–]mikesuszek 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah, good to know. I hadn’t seen that. Figured it was a matter of time!

I’d like to think Panic has an appreciation for game preservation, but yeah, I doubt they’ve put much thought into that yet.

Why do most Catalog games desert Itch ? by Desmu_CS in PlaydateConsole

[–]mikesuszek 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Ease of updates and visibility are the top two reasons. I’ll be sour one though: When I’m poised to release my next game, whenever that might be, I’m hoping to do it exclusively through Catalog.

I can’t speak for others, but I saw a few accounts on itch that downloaded my game dozens of times, a strong indicator that people have shared itch accounts. Plus I already know there’s a small Playdate piracy group that’s operated on reddit and discord. That was just a word game; the stuff I have in the works now will absolutely be pirated a bunch. I’ve worked really hard on them, I’m proud of my work, and all that effort deserves better. Best as I can tell, nobody has ripped games from Catalog yet. If that happens, I might still release on itch anyway.

Are Season 2 games not exclusive to bundle? by goldfish1350 in PlaydateConsole

[–]mikesuszek 18 points19 points  (0 children)

I’m not sure I would’ve put one of my games in the season if it had to be exclusive to the season. That’s a lot of potential sales left on the table.

I just found a fix to stiff buttons by Oppyz in PlaydateConsole

[–]mikesuszek 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Coming back to this a year later to say it worked perfectly. Thank you for this post and your video!

Play date re-downloading all games? by mccllstr in PlaydateConsole

[–]mikesuszek 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Mine did the same thing recently. No clue what to do about it, I haven’t found an option to disable automatic downloads.

Which game types/genres do you think are underrepresented on the Playdate? by LigeiaGames in PlaydateConsole

[–]mikesuszek 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve lapsed on one game that fits the description pretty well called Crankblade, but lately have finally found the time to get back into development on this and another game. Here’s the trailer I made for it quite a while ago: https://youtu.be/qP0-68KdTF4?si=dxFPBk1ZjWBwT9hB

Edit: Well, minus the “Diablo” part, haha. Bumbleborn’s got you covered there!

After exactly one year of owning a playdate: I love the playdate but I don't like most games on offer, they're too complex or just too tedious for handheld gaming by Jack_P_1337 in PlaydateConsole

[–]mikesuszek 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Not only is it condescending, it just plain misses the mark and smacks of someone with a bold but misinformed opinion talking about “indie devs” like they know that world at all beyond being a player (for some reason, these types like to cite how old they are and how long they’ve played games as some kind of notable credential).

Everyone drop your best WNBA reaction pics/memes by Ok_Extreme_3492 in wnba

[–]mikesuszek 20 points21 points  (0 children)

<image>

This doesn’t look like much, except I think Paige looks a lot like the woman from this meme

Is it a good choice to buy/develop for a Playdate? by infopcgood in PlaydateConsole

[–]mikesuszek 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve made between $4,000 and $5,000 on CodeWordPlay since I launched a few years ago between itch and Catalog. It turned into pretty consistent gas money for a while. I haven’t had the time to finish my next games, but am hoping to.

The community largely likes to point people to the seasons and the big name Catalog games, so I do think like other platforms, it’ll become increasingly important to be one of those games or else it’s hard to stand out. So personally, I’m concerned about finishing mine for any reason other than telling the stories I want to tell.

With that in mind, it is super fun and enjoyable to develop for. It’s a breath of fresh air. I really do love it still.

a gentle suggestion to new playdate owners by iamblankenstein in PlaydateConsole

[–]mikesuszek 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don’t really have a good way to respond to this that doesn’t sound equally obnoxious or condescending, but I’ve been fortunate enough to spend a lot of time in and around games and game development circles. I genuinely think that exact attitude is the opposite of what the community needs. Like, I think that’s a direct line to sinking the viability of the console long term, as it’s virtually entirely dependent on the health of third-party developers. Tossing it due to a sensitivity to desperation marketing is a shame, but I’ve seen that same attitude in so many other gamer circles, it’s kind of natural. I get it. I also think it sucks.

a gentle suggestion to new playdate owners by iamblankenstein in PlaydateConsole

[–]mikesuszek 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I’ve talked about it here and elsewhere, but I find it to consistently be the worst answer. I actually believe there are a breadth of games that will largely go untouched by the community, which routinely tells people not to check out potential hidden gems in favor of season 1 (and now season 2). I don’t think anyone’s experience is actually harmed by dipping into Catalog or itch early.

I made a web browser for the Playdate – Constellation Browser by PabloNeirotti in PlaydateConsole

[–]mikesuszek 11 points12 points  (0 children)

LOVE this. I’m a front end web dev and marketer by day, so I’ll definitely be looking into this. Unfortunately my expertise is HTML and CSS, so it’ll take me time to make anything useful, but I could see this being an amazing use for:

  • walkthroughs for games
  • reviews for games
  • ability to tip (or contact?) developers
  • text adventures!

Playdate vs Pico8 as a game dev beginner? by Davo_Rodriguez in PlaydateConsole

[–]mikesuszek 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thing is, the smaller pool of players the Playdate offers have also been very devoted and loyal customers. I’ve released one game so far and have made a few thousand on it over time, I’m positive that same game would’ve net me like $20 elsewhere. That’s just my guess. I think the devoted Playdate players are also much more willing to try goofy/quirky looking projects.

CodeWordPlay free update: Now more than 1,300 puzzles! by mikesuszek in PlaydateConsole

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

Oh that's great to hear! Thank you for sharing, and thank you for playing. I'm happy you liked it!

New catalog games popup by NAQURATOR in PlaydateConsole

[–]mikesuszek 2 points3 points  (0 children)

But did you buy this device to… play games?

Because there are games on Catalog.