Moving over to Nick's Indie development

I've made a new blog called Nick's indie development. I'm moving over there for game development in general, rather than just a specific game.

A new website will follow sometime, but probably not any time soon. All of the topics I want to talk about will be going on over there.

The specific link is indiedevnick.blogspot.com.

There isn't anything there yet but i may be doing some brainstorming sessions soon. I don't know when i will start developing my next game, it all depends on what happens over the next summer.

Thanks for reading.

On the topic of future development

This post will be more or less to help me put my thoughts on paper as how to proceed with future projects.

So far, Irritum has been relatively condensed. It has a local website, a blog (this) completely dedicated to it, and a store specifically made for it. This doesn't allow for very much flexibility with future projects.

What I need to do:
I need to make a developer website. Something local with a main page about me and my games and stuff, and then sub-pages for my games. I'll also make a single store for multiple products, so it will be easier for me to do cross-promotion.

I need to make a dedicated developer blogger. I want to continue having blogs for developing games, but also a general blog for developing in general.

I also need to make a developer youtube and Facebook page (twitter will be easy to modify).

------------------------------------------

I want to have a localized website with sub-pages for specific games, blogs, and stuff like that. I think it will be easier for people to see my page and see the multiple games I will offer as a developer.

I have about 5 ideas I think may be worth pursuing for my next game. I have a couple I really like, but they may be too ambitious. It will be something I need to look into a bit more. That being said, development will not start until a long time forwards.

That kinda sucks though. It is addicting designing and creating games, but I just can't dedicate that time to development right now.

I think also I may start a Kickstarter for my next project. I will probably just ask for a small sum ($10,000 or so) to get the game done. This will be the minimum amount of money I will need to make the game.

I also might experiment with the idea of stretch goals being additional games being made. Something like $10k for the main game, $20k for a second game, $30k for a third game, etc. It might be an interesting thing to experiment with. Maybe no advantage though, since if the Kickstarter is successful I will just do the same thing for my next game.

Thanks for reading.

Things are slowing down

Sorry for the lack of posts coming in, and for that matter the lack of new videos. School this semester is much more demanding than I expected. I have lots of videos of the game development I want to put up, but they take so long to create. Maybe I'll try to put one up this weekend.

I will also be partaking in a Twitch event this weekend with Clann of Gamers. I will share more info on it as it gets closer to the date.

Other than that, nothing really new. Sales are slow... Trying to get the game on Amazon.. stuff like that.

Please excuse the absence of updates. I'll try to make a new blog post once a week, but no promises unfortunately.

Thanks for reading.

Giveaway Code!

Hi everyone! Download code can be found below!

I finally finished my first game in Unity, Irritum, and to promote the game I am handing out some download codes. It is available for Windows/Mac/Linux DRM free.

About the game:
Irritum is a game revolving around the concepts of depression, and suicide. The player finds themselves in purgatory with no memory of their past life. Two mysterious beings, Cassus and Sollus, guide the player in their journey of discovery, and lead them either to retribution or oblivion. The only thing you know is to keep moving forwards, either collecting your memories in each level or ignoring them completely. Either discover the purpose of Irritum, or escape it.

The gameplay for Irritum is a 3d platformer with a puzzle-like twist. The player must use inter-dimensional planes to reach the end of each level, but they can only have one plane activated at a time. For example, the player can activate red platforms and interact with them as normal, but when blue is activated, the player will float through red platforms as if they did not exist. You also have the ability to create a ghost of themselves that is immune to damage, and reverse gravity at their will to overcome obstacles.

Code Redemption:
For exchange for the game, I would just like to ask your help in promoting the game. Please, if you enjoy the game share it with your friends or coworkers. Share the code below to people you know and help me get the game out there. At least put a comment below and share your experience with the game. I need your help to make it a success!

To redeem the code, go to the game's website here and click "Purchase Direct". You will be asked to enter in some basic information, but at the final order page enter this code:
IRRITUM-BLOGGER-PROMO.
The game will be made free and available for download. The code is (currently) only available for 50 uses so get it before they're gone!

Where to Follow:
You can always email me at [email]nick@irritumgame.com[/email] with any questions or comments.
Website
Desura
Blogger
Facebook
Twitter
Youtube

The game seems to be polarizing so far

More reviews come in, and more contradictions between them. It is becoming harder and harder to determine the actual value of the game. 

I think the nature of the game may just be polarizing. I can understand how the story and context of the game can polarize people, but everything from the graphics to the controls, people seem split.

Very confusing. Oh well, thanks for reading.

Nick

Concerning Criticism, My theories

It seems like every time I find reviews, they seem to come in pairs. In the pair, there is always one good and one bad.

The game seems to be pretty polarizing with how much people enjoy the game. Some people say it is fun, and others find it not fun at all. Some people say the graphics are stylish and unique, and others say distracting and in bad taste. Some praise the controls, and others lament them.

Suffice to say, I have not heard one repeatable criticism or praise for the game. Every criticism I have heard as been unique, and not repeated by others as criticism, and the same goes for the praise for the game.

This makes it incredibly difficult for me to understand how the game is. I know there are some issues that some reviews bring up, and I try to resolve those. But apparently those issues are not issues for other people. I just find a hard time to separate bias from actual constructive criticism or actual praise for the game.

I don't want to turn my head from criticism because it will help me grow as a developer, but it becomes so hard when criticism for my game comes from, in my opinion, things that should not be weighed against my game. I appreciate reviewers for what they are doing, and I hold no hatred or ill-will towards them, but it bothers me when my game gets dinged for not being compatible with third party programs, or is not an open world title like many other 3d platformers.

I just find criticism like those so out of line when trying to review a standalone title. But I can't brush off this criticism because it has to come from somewhere. It has to be something that is wrong with my game somehow, and to improve the game I have to try and fix it.

I just don't get it sometimes. Hopefully more reviews will shed some light on this.

Edit: I can not stress enough how much I am not writing off all the bad reviews. I am simply exposing my internal thoughts about some reviews. I am incredibly thankful for all reviewers to have played my game and given it a chance, and I know their schedules can be crammed full. In my willingness to be open about all aspects of development, I am obligated to share my thoughts on the reviews.

Thanks for reading.
Nick

Structure of giveaways / On the topic of reviews

For the giveaways, I will probably end up doing some kind of structure where I release one code than can be redeemed 50+ times. That way people won't have to keep editing the post to claim their codes and remove them as needed.

Hopefully this will make it more streamlined for people to download the game.

I'm also going to try to sync Desura and my Fastspring Service provider so Fastspring will give Desura keys when people download the game. This way, for the giveaway specifically, people will get a Desura key when they redeem the code. This will also help future customers.

In return for the giveaways, I will only ask for help promoting the game. I want to request people to share the game with their friends and talk about the game if they can. I will ask them to please comment how they felt about the game and give some feedback, any at all.

My hopes are that this will help stimulate sales. First weekend sales were lacking (I have never been a firm believer in Day1 = biggest sales) so hopefully this will help promote the game more.

Plans are to give away several hundred copies at least, and based on how well those go, offer more.

On to the next topic, reviews.

So far, the game has had mixed reviews. More positive than negative, but nonetheless mixed. I'm anxious to see more reviews, some more should start coming in soon.

It's very confusing, to read some people's thoughts and watch them play, and they appear to actually "get" the game and enjoy it. While others absolutely hate it and say it sucks. I don't know what is trustworthy and unbiased, but only time will tell.

Irritum now available on Desura!

Irritum released on Desura today! Head on over and check it out!

It is available for Windows/Mac/Linux for only $9.99. Please head on over and show your support!

If you have any questions or comments you can always contact me at nick@irritumgame.com.
Nick

Release today! Please go support!

Game is finally out! Please purchase the game at my website(www.IrritumGame.com)! It is only $10 for Windows/Mac/Linux versions and DRM free.

You can also purchase the game via Desura (http://www.desura.com/games/irritum) on Monday, the 9th!

Please, if you are interested in the game go get it and try it out, it's only $10!

Also, please tell all of your friends. Share the game with people everywhere, I need your help and support to make this a success!

As always, you can contact me at nick@irritumgame.com with any questions!

Thank you everyone for reading, and I hope you enjoy the game! :D
Nick

Release is tomorrow

Release is tomorrow. The game probably won't be immediately available through Desura, so if you want the game ASAP you can purchase it direct from (www.IrritumGame.com).

I will also be doing giveaways this weekend. I plan to give away several hundred copies of the game. I will share some here, and others will be on Reddit, Unity forums, Facebook, twitter, etc.

I think everything is in order to go. I hope it gets off to a good start. My sales expectations aren't too much, but I would love the game to sell at least 1000 copies. My expectations are much lower, but I would consider it (in my eyes) a phenomenal success if I reach 1000 copies.

My plan is that, over the weekend, giveaways will lead to more sales. I hope my plan works out. Either way, I am excited and nervous to get this thing started.

Thanks for reading.
Nick

Closer and closer to launch

Irritum is launching on Friday. I don't know what else to say.

I am working to get the game on Amazon, GameHouse, and Desura, so hopefully that will all be done soon.

I answered some interview questions recently, they should be popping up around the internet soon.

I have some news as far as how much people like the game, but  I won't share it yet. It is positive, but I don't know if I am able to release that info yet or not. So far, it is only one review though, so it may be an outlier. Hopefully others enjoy the game as much as these people did.

I may also post a new video to youtube on Friday, maybe a pair of videos. I know I haven't uploaded one of development in a while, but now with the game almost out I will have time to catch-up.

I really have nothing else to share. I expect I will have lots of news after launch, but only time will tell. I will post a new post on launch day, but otherwise I can't think of anything else to share at this time.

Here we go.
Thanks for reading.

Working to put my game on Amazon

So, in my recent search for outlets to put my game, I contacted Amazon. They are on of the main outlets that contacted me back (quite quickly also) and told me the requirements for my game to be on the Amazon store.

They sent over a contract for me to look over and sign off, and then we can start working on the page for the game. I need to send over game materials and such, but this is how I expected it. This is the kind of service I was expecting when I would contact places to put my game on their service.

It just makes me even more frustrated that GoG turned down my game. It is a huge sales platform, and I would love to be featured on it, but I just don't get why they can't do the same as Amazon has. GoG didn't even play the game, they just said no without even giving it a try.

Just thought I would share a little more insight on this for everyone.

On that note, I will be out of town this weekend, so I won't be updating blogger or anything, but I will get some nice free time to work on the game. I am trying to "go gold" by Tuesday, as per my marketing service team thingy, which I will now reveal is Beefjack.

Today, as far as the game goes, I added some "color correction" to the game, which as basically just a screen overlay of a specific color. I also added a faded overlay to the screen edges. Other things was stuff like some bug fixes, making sure all the particles worked properly, and stuff like that.

Release date is quickly approaching, and I am very excited. I hope the gaming world latches onto my game and likes it. It is my first game, so I understand it won't be perfect, but I hope people enjoy it.

Thanks for reading.

Sent out requests for places to sell my game

Today I sent out dozens of emails to outlets everywhere on the web to see if I can get my game sold through their website or service. I will share here what they respond with (hopefully most will accept). I don't understand why anyone would deny a game that wants to be on their service.

Venting time:
I mean, I can set up an account with Fastspring and have a store up in running very quickly (depending on how advanced you want the product to be integrated into the service), but for more purposes it took only a few hours, of which most time was spent waiting for an email response.

When you are ready to put your store live, you write an email to Fastspring asking them to activate your store, and then they review it, and activate it. It's that simple (not to mention free). Amazing service. Fair rates. Friendly interface. It really is exactly what someone wanting to do direct sales should look into.

Literally, Fastspring doesn't ask for any up front money or any reimbursement if you can't sell anything at all, but they ask for only 8.9% of all sales you make. They set up a distribution platform for you with absolutely no requirement for units moved, and that is absolutely fantastic. But I can't understand why other digital distributors can't do this.

For example, GOG turned down my game being on their site. The only costs I can think of would be that they would have to pay would be the server for hosting the files and related information about the game, which with a huge database of games already in there, should be miniscule. I am doing all the work, I am making the game, trailers, screenshots, etc. Literally all they have to do would be to activate my account, like Fastspring did, and let me set up a store.

I understand Fastspring takes a huge risk with their policies, but obviously the rewards must outweigh the risk, especially the failures. They know that for every 10 or so they accept, most will fail, but they can recoup those costs by the one that succeeds out of every 100 or every 1000. I just don't get why this model doesn't work for other distributors.

I know some of it may come from the fact that a lower quality game may bring down the general quality of the website, but when you don't even play the game, you can't make that decision. Not only that, but it's not their place to deny a game opportunity for success. They have a rating system in these services for a reason, to filter out the bad games. By jumping the gun and denying indie game developers like myself the opportunity to reach a wider audience for their game, they essentially condemn the game to failure, or at least a lower level of success, and it is kind of frustrating.

In fact, it is very frustrating. By denying indie game developers these opportunities, they are not helping the indie scene. They are narrowing it down and only giving attention and press to the games that "they" deem worthy. It is almost like a segregation of indie games based on content, but this is the heart of the "indie revolution". As indie developers, we should be able to explore other ideas and content without having to worry about not being featured on a distributors platform because it doesn't feature pixel art or isn't a rogue-like.

I know people have services like these to make money. I know that is what they are after, and they want to specify which games will make them the most money, and denying games which they expect will either net them a small return or make them lose money. But this is the same pattern of big game companies only allowing developer studios that want games published. They need to fall in line and make a game that will appeal to the masses. But this is inherently opposite of indie games, where we try to make something personal, and most often niche.

It just hurts the indie gaming scene. There should be more open platforms, with games that sell better having a smaller distribution cut, and games that are higher rated by users get more publicity on the service. That way, smaller games by smaller devs can still be included in the site, and if they make good games, they will get recognition.

 It shouldn't be the distributors decision what indie games get recognition, it should be the consumers. They way things are now, both developers and consumers of the indie game scene are being harmed.

Sorry if I appear to be rambling, I am just speaking my mind continuously.

Thanks for reading.

P.S. If GoG changes their mind, I would still love to work with them. I am not putting an embargo on their service, but I think they should be more open to smaller indie developers, especially brand new ones like myself.

I have always heard the last 10 percent of the game is the hardest...

.. and it definitely is. I think what happens in the last stages of development will either make or break the game. The mechanics are there, the aesthetics are all in place, the only thing left is polishing and bug fixing.

I have been knocking bugs out consistently, and it seems every time I fix one, I find two more. I don't break two things when I fix one, I just happen to find two more after I fix one. That and I have spent considerable time trying to make the game's graphics more appealing. I removed a blur effect because it harmed performance immensely in some levels, and it made the game feel hazy, which wasn't the effect I was hoping it would do.

I also added many particles systems to the game. Today I added some on the character to make it look like the UV s moving around a little. Other ones I added was dust when the player lands from a jump and some rain.

On a side note, unity sucks sometimes. Their particle system is nice, but I can't access most of the variables from within code, and the particle system crashes Unity frequently. Not only that, but when Unity crashes, the particle systems remember some settings but not others, so they become entirely useless and I have to create a new particle system and start from scratch. Incredibly frustrating.

Unity is a powerful engine that is awesome in some aspects, but in others it is completely unreliable.

In other news, new price change. The new price is $10 for launch. I was suggested this by the marketing people I have partnered with, and hopefully it will lead to more revenue.

Oooooo I also recently had an article about my game featured on IndieStatik. It led to a little more buzz, and I am excited to see if my game catches on with other outlets. By far though, the most helpful way to promote my game so far has been Boogie reading it in his fanmail. I will definitely send him another letter and copy of the game for launch.

School started recently also :( I won't have much time to work on the game while in school, but since it is mostly finished I don't think that will be too much of an issue.

Thanks for reading.

Updated Accounts + Publicity + Free copies of the game

To prepare for the game really getting out there, I created a twitter and facebook for the game. I added screenshots and stuff like that too. Hopefully this will let me connect with people on a more personal level.

I recently noticed on IndieDB that the game hovers around position 1000. I know this isn't really something to brag about, but perviously it was wavering around 5k or 6k or something like that. Within the past few days however it seems to float around 1k, most of the time closer to 900. This gives me some hope that the game is getting bigger before the real marketing push (which will begin in the next two weeks).

If there is also enough publicity over the game, I am considering doing a midnight launch event on twitch. I will stream what I am doing at launch, share sales numbers, and give away many copies of the game for free. I think I would enjoy doing some kind of giveaways for each game sold. Something like for every 1 game sold, I'll give one away, or something like that. Something that would drive sales and help promote the game. I mean, on Twitch people flock to giveaways, and hopefully if I give mine away people will flock to the channel and learn about the game.

But again,  I think I would only do this if I have tons of interest in the game. The last thing I want is to get on Twitch and have 4 people watching me be awkward. My self esteem would be damaged more than my sales.

Thanks for reading.

Game is done - and other news.

State of the Game:
I think the game is pretty much done. I fixed the last couple things today and played it through a few times, and everything appears to be working nicely. I will do more testing to be sure, but so far I think my work is done. With this extra time I am going to be helping market the game, and maybe (possibly) translating the game into other languages if it isn't too time consuming. If you want the game now, it is available for preorder with instant download of an old build, and I will be uploading a new build soon so it won't be the two month old beta. So if you don't want to wait, you don't have to.

GOG denied me:
One piece of bad news: I contacted GOG to see if we could put my game on their service, and they turned me down :(. They weren't convinced of the sales potential apparently. Things like that are very worrisome to me. Maybe it was because of the lack of exposure so far, but I mean how hard can it be to put a game on their service? I would assume it isn't too much, but it may actually be very expensive. Again, I doubt it though.

Oh well. So far my main profit avenues will be direct sales and Desura (assuming they don't turn me down also for some reason, but I think their service is more accessible). I'm going to hold off on getting the game on Steam until the game seems to have more of a following.

It is disheartening to hear that someone thinks my game will fail. I assume the individual who contacted me for marketing purposes has faith my game will succeed, at least with their help. And the better my game does, the more money they will make, so I assume they believe in what I am doing.

The whole experience just puts bad thoughts in my head that I should be ignoring.

Going public:
Most of my nervousness has subsided since I revealed the game to my family, which is a huge weight off my shoulders. This has given me confidence to open up the facebook page publicly, and actually get Twitter working. I will work on all of this tomorrow, in addition to a new "launch" trailer.

This is it. The time has come to get it out there.

Thanks for reading.

Why the game was Postponed

Long story short: The game was pushed back for marketing time.

The real story:
 Recently I was approached by an individual who works for a company (who shall be unnamed for now) who offered to work with me for the marketing for Irritum. We weren't able to immediately work something out, but we now have an agreement in place and are starting to work on publicizing the game further than I would be able to.

They said they would need 3-4 weeks prior to launch to start marketing, and the original release date of August 16th would have been too small of a window for them. So I pushed the game back to September 6th.

The individual who contacted me did marketing for several other indie games, many of which hit their goals and have been successful (I am sure you have heard of two of them) but they will stay unnamed for now also because I don't want to reveal who this individual and the company is without their consent.

Anyways, they approached me and offered to do marketing for the game. This gives me more time to focus on the game, in addition to reaching a wider audience.

On a personal level, I am excited. This could open up a whole new level of success for the game. Time will tell though.

Thanks for reading.

More and more polish (as well as other news)

School is quickly approaching, the first day is stated as August 16 (a Friday...?), so I want to be done with the game by then, which is exactly why that was the first launch date. Coincidentally, it will also be my birthday.

With only two weeks of actual development of what I desire to include in the game, I am generally polishing the game. I changed the shaders around a lot to find something I like, in addition to adding some particle effects. The game seems to now have a real "atmosphere" that I like.

I added falling objects that leave behind little smoke tails, I added a glowish looking thing to collectible memories, I added a yellow fire effect to checkpoints so they are now visible (in addition to removing the "checkpoint reached" text), a small dotted line that follows moving platforms to enforce the idea of circulation, and some shards of glass that fall from broken platforms. I also added some fading screens between the scenes so the game transitions better. The game fades to white between levels, and fades to black between menus. Oh yeah, and a rain effect (still barely working) that I think adds some nice ambience to the game.

I have a couple of bugs I want to fix, one is game-breaking, but only temporarily. I know exactly how to fix it, and where it occurs, but I am too tired right now to do it. A job for tomorrow. Everything is just more polish.

As I begin wrapping up this game, I find more ideas of new games entering my mind. I have one idea that I keep dreaming of, but it may be too ambitious for my next project (depending on how this project turns out).

I also changed the HUD a bit, making it less cluttered and such. Also fixed some issues with resolutions. Added in some sound effects. Changed some sound effects, added in some music.

I am glad to be wrapping up this project. It's not that I don't like making the game, I absolutely love doing this, but I want the nervousness to end. I want to be able to relax and be happy that people like the game. Not even that, but I just want people to play it and know about it.

I need to update my profiles. I will probably be doing that next week. Find out how to use my twitter account, update and make facebook page public, update youtube, and update IndieDB. I have a lot of screenshots I want to put out there. Then I need to make a release trailer.

At that time I will also make preorders the full $15, and they will receive the build I have currently have, rather than the beta, in addition to the final build at release. I don't want people to pay $5 the day before release for my game.

My next post will be about why the game was postponed, I promise.

Thanks for reading.

New Launch Date - September 6

New launch date is September 6. It has been pushed back a little to accommodate some unforeseen events. Now this may sound like a bad thing, but this is a good thing. In my opinion, a very good thing.

I still won't go into the specifics until everything is signed off on, but that should happen within the next few days. Then, (hopefully) I will have the confidence to talk about it.

This is a good thing though because the game will hopefully reach a wider audience, in addition to being a better experience overall.

Exciting times everyone. Lets all hope this pans out well. Thanks for reading.
-Nick

The current state of me.

I think now is an interesting time for me to explain how I currently feel about the game. I have watched many interviews with game developers, and many say that after the game is released, they become depressed. They compare it to sending a child off to school, or something of the like.

My game hasn't been released yet, but I think I am starting to feel a similar way. I wouldn't say I am depressed, but I would consider myself incredibly nervous to the point of minor paranoia. I consistently feel "butterflies in my stomach" to a huge degree. I don't know if it is because of the recent and exciting opportunities that I could be a part of, or because of the game going very public in the next few weeks.

For that matter, not many people I know are aware about this game yet. I guess you could say I am scared of what people will think of it, and of me for that matter. To increase my chances of success, I will have to show it off to everyone I know, and that kind of scares me. I may have nothing to be afraid of, but I feel this way nonetheless.

In addition, I am afraid my game will not be considered a good game. I won't stop making games by any means. I enjoy it a whole lot. Even though it may not be my main source of income, I will still do it. I also know this is a learning experience for me. It will make me a better designer, writer, artist, programmer, etc. But I still want people to like the game. I will be happy I finished my first game, but I may be heartbroken if people hate it, at least within reason. I know not everyone will enjoy the game, but I want people who like the genre to enjoy my game.

In conclusion, I am afraid. I am afraid of failure. I am afraid of what people will think of me. I am afraid of what will follow after this game.

I'm not saying the game isn't fun, and it's dumb or anything. I just wonder if other people will like it as much as I do.

Thanks for reading.
-Nick