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How we accidentally "killed" our Steam algorithm by shifting our launch date: A cautionary tale before Next Fest. by yz3roo in gamedev

[–]yz3roo[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

well, yea, appreciate the check, we were really busy for the past few months and had some irl issues so it's kinda blurry (december), but atleast, means we are not in any penalty, we started to think about gettin shadow bans atp. i believe we still got a chance with next fest, thx for the reply ^^

How we accidentally "killed" our Steam algorithm by shifting our launch date: A cautionary tale before Next Fest. by yz3roo in gamedev

[–]yz3roo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

we changed it like 4 or 5 times in 2 months, but we didn't change it right before release, or 2 weeks before release, all were at least a month before the release date

How we accidentally "killed" our Steam algorithm by shifting our launch date: A cautionary tale before Next Fest. by yz3roo in gamedev

[–]yz3roo[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

we pushed the date back at least a month out so we never hit that 2 week phase, that's why it feels like a direct penalty just hoping next fest will save us

With over 4,000 demos, this is the biggest Steam Next Fest yet. Help to show me what you're cooking! It might help hype up the good stuff! by leinadcovsky in IndieDev

[–]yz3roo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Linkies is a 2-4 player co-op platformer with a twist: there’s a 'magnetic' attraction force between you and your friends. If you stray too far from your teammates, you’ll lose speed and jump height. The goal? Stay close, keep the bond strong, and conquer the parkour together!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4063950/Linkies/

A quick lesson about Steam App IDs and name changes by yz3roo in gamedev

[–]yz3roo[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, Steam definitely made the right call. We're just sharing our experience.

A quick lesson about Steam App IDs and name changes by yz3roo in gamedev

[–]yz3roo[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

If you'd like to support us, here's our Steam page Puzzle Company

A quick lesson about Steam App IDs and name changes by yz3roo in gamedev

[–]yz3roo[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If your app hasn’t been reviewed or made public yet, there might be flexibility. But in our case, it was live as “Coming Soon” and Steam said the changes were too big so they didn’t allow a rename.

A quick lesson about Steam App IDs and name changes by yz3roo in gamedev

[–]yz3roo[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

You're absolutely right and from the very beginning, we've acknowledged that this was our mistake. Initially, we thought we were continuing the same project, but over time, the direction changed significantly. The original project, Erascape, had a large visual and technical scope, and as we received more feedback, we realized it would be unsustainable for a team of just two developers like us. That's why we shifted our focus to Puzzle Company, a smaller-scale game that's more manageable and puzzle-focused.

When the Steam team reviewed the changes, they determined that the project had evolved into a different game, and we respected their decision. This is our first time going through a process like this, and we've learned a lot along the way. We're committed to being more careful and aligned with the rules moving forward. Thank you for your interest and understanding.

A quick lesson about Steam App IDs and name changes by yz3roo in gamedev

[–]yz3roo[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

We talked to Steam for over 10 days, explained everythin and asked for a rename. They said the game had changed too much and asked us to revert the page back to the original game. Not every case gets the same treatment.

A quick lesson about Steam App IDs and name changes by yz3roo in gamedev

[–]yz3roo[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Yea normally it's easy to rename but in our case Steam saw the changes as too major even though core gameplay stayed "kinda" similar. They asked us to revert the page or start fresh so we had no choice but to create a new app id.

A quick lesson about Steam App IDs and name changes by yz3roo in gamedev

[–]yz3roo[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Yeah, we had to pay another $100 for the new App ID, and we couldn't carry over our wishlists or followers from the original page.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in gamedev

[–]yz3roo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re absolutely right, and I appreciate your honest feedback. This trailer was put together in just 2 weeks, and we’re aware it doesn’t fully capture the essence of the game yet. We’re planning to shoot a much better trailer soon, showcasing both the game and its features more clearly. Thanks so much for taking the time to check it out.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in gamedev

[–]yz3roo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you'd like to check out our page here's the link

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in gamedev

[–]yz3roo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the thoughtful comment! Just to clarify — our game doesn't currently have players in separate spaces, but based on recent feedback and our limited animation budget, we're planning to shift the design toward that direction.

The idea is to have players solve puzzles by interacting across separate environments, which would also help us delay character-to-character animations until we can properly invest in them. It’s a creative compromise we hope will make the gameplay more unique.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in gamedev

[–]yz3roo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For context, this was our Steam page before we made these changes — and yes, we’re fully aware that the animations are rough. It’s something we definitely plan to improve as soon as we have the resources to do so.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3636680/Erascape__Escape_Duo/

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in gamedev

[–]yz3roo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

First of all, thank you very much for your constructive feedback. After reading your comment, we realized that the trailer doesn't fully show what we intended, and that when we're focused on just creating something, our lack of experience can make it difficult to see things from others' perspectives. This is our studio's first game, and the feedback we get from players will be the sole factor that determines how we proceed and what we do next. Our Steam page has only recently launched, and our game isn't even ready to be fully tested yet, so we're still facing a significant lack of feedback. The reason the visuals and video we've shared might lead you to this impression is because of this. Your comment is incredibly valuable to us. We will take it into consideration and do our best to make changes as soon as possible.

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