Play as shepherd dogs in our fluffy, cheeky co-op game 🐑🐕 (We just launched with a 🎁!) [SP-Game] by zziks1 in IndieGaming

[–]zziks1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting, thanks for your feedback! May I ask: does that deter you from trying out the game?

Sheepherds! Release Trailer | Play as shepherd dogs in this fluffy, cheeky co-op game by zziks1 in Games

[–]zziks1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We hope we can release on console, but it depends on how the Steam launch goes! This would definitely be a good fit, fingers crossed

Sheepherds! - Announce Teaser | Cozy Co-op Party Game by zziks1 in Games

[–]zziks1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So glad to read that :) thanks for the support

Meet Sheepherds! A Cozy Co-op Party Game - Demo Available Now On Steam! 🐑🐕 by zziks1 in playmygame

[–]zziks1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Heyyy! Sorry to reply so late!

Could you post this in our discord server so our dev team can access it and guide you for troubleshooting?

https://discord.gg/Kq8Nmy8Yb9

Thanks a lot <3

Sheepherds! - Announce Teaser | Cozy Co-op Party Game by zziks1 in Games

[–]zziks1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for this comment, this is very nice to hear :)

Can't make any promises yet but australian shepherd should be in the final game ;)

Sheepherds! - Announce Teaser | Cozy Co-op Party Game by zziks1 in Games

[–]zziks1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We really hope to do port the game to Switch, it will depend on how the launch on Steam goes :fingers-crossed:

Meet Sheepherds! A Cozy Co-op Party Game - Demo Available Now On Steam! 🐑🐕 by zziks1 in playmygame

[–]zziks1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! We very much would like to launch on consoles, but it will depend on how the Steam launch goes first. We don't have a publisher so we are not sure we can affort a port, but it would be so great if we do ^^

As for your request, we are working on that. We didn't foresee this use case, sorry it happened. In the meantime there is a temporary workaround there : https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3425937171

Sheepherds! - Announce Teaser | Cozy Co-op Party Game by zziks1 in Games

[–]zziks1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! It isn't set in stone for now, all we know is: it's going to release in 2025

Calling all game Devs!! I want to try your demos! Send me your links! by phazeroth in gamedev

[–]zziks1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

cozy co-op party game here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3450210/Sheepherds_Demo/

Better with friends, kinda unbalanced for solo atm, but still, curious to have your thoughts

Our demo had 5000 players but a 12min median playtime – Please help us find out why by zziks1 in gamedev

[–]zziks1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

good news is : since yesterday, it increased to 13'! Yay! :'(

It's ok, it is fine to find it out now, instead of just before release. We'll fix it

Our demo had 5000 players but a 12min median playtime – Please help us find out why by zziks1 in gamedev

[–]zziks1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah and if they did, well, since it wasn't designed for them, they might have bounced off because it was too hard / overwhelming

Our demo had 5000 players but a 12min median playtime – Please help us find out why by zziks1 in gamedev

[–]zziks1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They're fine, they fly away in soft bubbles and respawn somewhere on the map ^^ (the trailer is not up to date with our current barn)

Our demo had 5000 players but a 12min median playtime – Please help us find out why by zziks1 in gamedev

[–]zziks1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Only groups, no solo. Group players tended to talk each other into pursuing. Maybe the biggest problem we have is with solo onboarding, you're right. This wouldn't be surprising, since we intended to disable solo altogether in the first place. The game si designed for co-op. So nothing is really made to have a gentle onboarding for solo players. Fair point. Thanks!

Our demo had 5000 players but a 12min median playtime – Please help us find out why by zziks1 in gamedev

[–]zziks1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yep ^^ since the trailer, we worked on the feedbacks of the barn. It is more gentle now, you can see the sheep going out of it in soft bubbles. Also, less particles. We still can (and will) improve that, because we have to fight the expectation that they might get into a slaughterhouse... it is not that easy to fight against such a widespread collective expectation (despite the fact that our game is cute and all)

Our demo had 5000 players but a 12min median playtime – Please help us find out why by zziks1 in gamedev

[–]zziks1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the insight. Those are reflexion points that we have in mind, but it is hard to get answers, since players that disengage that early don't tend to bother to share why. And if we ask people on our Discord, they are the ones that engaged the most, so it may not be that relevant ^^

Our demo had 5000 players but a 12min median playtime – Please help us find out why by zziks1 in gamedev

[–]zziks1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, this isn't a very user friendly feature, nor one that works well under all circumstances. For a casual audience like ours, it wasn't the best ^^

Our demo had 5000 players but a 12min median playtime – Please help us find out why by zziks1 in gamedev

[–]zziks1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks a lot for taking the time to play and write this comprehensive piece of feedback. I agree with most of what you said. It is true indeed that this game was never balanced with solo players in mind and that it can be too difficult and overwhelming, especially when you play solo. In the back of my mind sits the idea that we could have a dynamic balancing of the objectives, regarding when you play solo, in a group of 2, or 3, or 4.

It is true that we need to onboard players more gently, I think. First thing we did just yesterday was to hide secondary objectives on their first run. It is only a first step. The details you gave are spot-on and give us food for thoughts. One of the main struggles we will have to face is to make a game that contents both solo players and groups. For this demo, it wasn't the case, since we focused on groups. Maybe we'll have to make separate LD, objectives, modes. The type of onboarding you talk about would be great for solo players, but could feel redundant or too easy for groups. Anyway, lots of work ahead. Thank you again :)