Hi all, I'm almost at 85% of development of my game. Graphics assets and gameplay are definitive, so i could easily take screenshots and video to show it in a TA thread. Any suggestion how to correctly/smartly/politely create an "upcoming iPhone/iPod Game" thread ? I have no Facebook page nor website online yet, the game lack of musics and i've not an exact idea about the Release Date. I wonder... should i wait (polishing gameplay, creating a website as a reference, introducing musics to create better videos, etc) or should i go? Thank you all, in advance. sigLuca Game Artesan
Don't be shy, just create one in the upcoming games, that its purpose. but be prepared: you might not get that much reply. Keep updating that thread with new stuff added to the game. JC
can't stress it enough.. have nice screenshots ready to go. a video of some sort is nice as well, if possible, and then as polished as you can. start posting around TA otherwise (constructively) to get your handle a little more familiar.
well like the other said.. and some more.. post some cool screenshots (no music needed there) and if you can a short gameplay trailers.. does not need to be fancy if you just want to show off how the game is played.. you can do an "real" trailer later and when the time is right.. but yes don't be shy.. it makes no sense to "hide" your product ... also try to keep some distance between announcement and release.. if both are within a weeks time.. thats to short.. to gain the interest of the community and to keep the world go round (assuming you have a knockout game that people want to talk about) but be prepared to ask question.. and if your answere would be like "can't tell you its a secret" ... then your not ready to show of your product.. i've seen it more than once here on the board to see people tease something, don't really tell you what its about and you'd instantly loose interest from viewers.. except your company name is id, or epic or gameloft etc.
Thank you all for your advice. I'm going to select some screenshots and capturing a short video from the simulator, just to start up. I admit i'm a bit shy, and afraid of what could be users reaction about my 'creation' I wonder how long an 'upcoming game' thread could survive (in users interest) before the release... i'm not certain about the release date (maybe 2/3 months in the future) so i was trying to figure out an exact timing. Thanks again, sigLuca Game Artesan
Just do it! Upcoming games forums is a nice to start showing your work to everyone, and you may also get some nice feedback before actually submitting it to the store. I created two topics for my game: Once when I had just the concept art for characters and scenario, and one more time when I made the trailer. Both of them didn't have enough views as I expected (8/10 replies ), but it is always nice to see people are watching and talking about your work. The problem with my game is that we are working very slowly, in our part-time, so I couldn't update the topic as much as I wanted... But yeah, go for it!
Take it from a consumer's point of view: what would entice you to buy the game? For me, it would be: 1. Attractive Screenshots - nail on the head, as HCG mentioned above 2. Gameplay video - don't shy away from displaying your game in action. Videos that just promote the game and leave out gameplay (dramatic music, flashy intros, etc) leave a lot to be desired since that's not actually how the game plays. 3. Description - needs to be just right. Too long or detailed, and you've lost them. Too short and you'll still lose them. Make it clear and concise: what is your game about, and what makes it stand out? Add a few reviews/quotes from websites or users who have played or reviewed the game if possible.
And accepting feedback without getting furious and attacking people always helps too! No, really. I've seen more than a few generally well-mannered indie devs just failing to listen to well-meant advice...
Good tips here, as I'm approaching (about 1 week) the time to start a thread in Upcoming. Any other non-developers in here want to chime in with what attracts them to specific games in that forum?
