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.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Friday, August 2, 2013
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.
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.
Friday, July 26, 2013
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
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
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
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
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
Minigame is done and included.
The mini-game I wanted to include in the game was easier to implement than I thought. It is now in working condition and included in the game level hierarchy. It still needs to be ironed out and polished, but it is working.
They are really just simple levels that break up the action every couple levels. They take less than a minute to beat, but I just wanted to include something to break up the routine every now and then.
Now I am back to my routine of polishing the game. Tweaking sounds/music, performance, stuff like that. The last major thing I really want to get into the game is a new character model that looks a bit better.
In other news, I recently said the game will release August 16. Now I realize I may have jumped the gun. I initially thought the game will be completed by that date (and so far, it will still be), but because of circumstances I could not foresee, I may delay the game by about one months time.
This is all dependent on what happens within the next couple weeks or so. When I know for sure what is going on, I will let everyone know when the new release date will be, and why it will have to be postponed.
This has nothing to do with the speed of development, but rather with an exciting offer I recently received. The offer may fail to pan out, and it may not, but either way, I will let everyone know as soon as I am able to give a definite date.
Thanks for reading.
-Nick
They are really just simple levels that break up the action every couple levels. They take less than a minute to beat, but I just wanted to include something to break up the routine every now and then.
Now I am back to my routine of polishing the game. Tweaking sounds/music, performance, stuff like that. The last major thing I really want to get into the game is a new character model that looks a bit better.
In other news, I recently said the game will release August 16. Now I realize I may have jumped the gun. I initially thought the game will be completed by that date (and so far, it will still be), but because of circumstances I could not foresee, I may delay the game by about one months time.
This is all dependent on what happens within the next couple weeks or so. When I know for sure what is going on, I will let everyone know when the new release date will be, and why it will have to be postponed.
This has nothing to do with the speed of development, but rather with an exciting offer I recently received. The offer may fail to pan out, and it may not, but either way, I will let everyone know as soon as I am able to give a definite date.
Thanks for reading.
-Nick
Saturday, July 20, 2013
New game modes
Yesterday I started experimenting with different game modes, and I'm going to try and make a run to get them in the game.
One mode is a one-life difficulty, which is exactly how it sounds. The player only has one life to beat the game. This wasn't hard to program at all, I just added a boolean so the player doesn't get "next level" or "reset level" prompts.
The other game mode is the mini-game I was talking about earlier this week. I as experimenting with it last night and I decided I'm going to try and include it. It's just a small addition that will occur after every few levels or so. Specifically after the player collects a part of their "brain".
The only hard part I think will be getting the minigame to load the correct level after the minigame is completed. I'll probably just have to manually enter the level every scene. Oh well, there will only be a few of these events so nothing to worry about.
I should also probably make a transition to the minigames. For that matter, a transition between levels other than a menu. Maybe a fade to white? I will have to think more on it.
-Nick
One mode is a one-life difficulty, which is exactly how it sounds. The player only has one life to beat the game. This wasn't hard to program at all, I just added a boolean so the player doesn't get "next level" or "reset level" prompts.
The other game mode is the mini-game I was talking about earlier this week. I as experimenting with it last night and I decided I'm going to try and include it. It's just a small addition that will occur after every few levels or so. Specifically after the player collects a part of their "brain".
The only hard part I think will be getting the minigame to load the correct level after the minigame is completed. I'll probably just have to manually enter the level every scene. Oh well, there will only be a few of these events so nothing to worry about.
I should also probably make a transition to the minigames. For that matter, a transition between levels other than a menu. Maybe a fade to white? I will have to think more on it.
-Nick
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Getting publicity
With release (August 16) quickly approaching, I am wrapping up development on the game and shifting my perspective once again to marketing. To try and get the news out about my game, I have several things I am going to do.
The first thing is that I will be giving out many copies of the game. Probably at least several hundred in total. I will post codes on Facebook, Reddit, Youtube, IndieDB, etc. Hopefully this will drive awareness of the game and get people to be interested enough to purchase it. I am planning to have at least 200 codes, and divide them up based on audience download rate around different forums and stuff like that.
The second thing that I need to contact press members with my personal story. I think what the press may really latch onto would be that first of all, I have created this game all by myself (so far) without spending a dime on making the game. The second thing, would be that this game was only created in the span of about 3 and a half months. The third being that I am creating a game that revolves around the topic of suicide(loosely), which is very rare concerning the current state of the game industry. The final point being I am only 21 years old (I will be 22 on August 16) and have done this much work alone and in this short amount of time.
That's pretty much it. Within the next few weeks I will create the official Steam Greenlight page and promote that, try to get the game set up to be sold on Amazon, and look into the Apple app store to see how to get included in that (though I've heard horror stories about that so I am reluctant to get involved with that).
Best outcome:
Game is available on my website, Desura, Steam, and Amazon at least. Hopefully It will be available on Gamersgate and GoG at a later date. That would be my goal to get the game out there.
Thanks for reading,
Nick
The first thing is that I will be giving out many copies of the game. Probably at least several hundred in total. I will post codes on Facebook, Reddit, Youtube, IndieDB, etc. Hopefully this will drive awareness of the game and get people to be interested enough to purchase it. I am planning to have at least 200 codes, and divide them up based on audience download rate around different forums and stuff like that.
The second thing that I need to contact press members with my personal story. I think what the press may really latch onto would be that first of all, I have created this game all by myself (so far) without spending a dime on making the game. The second thing, would be that this game was only created in the span of about 3 and a half months. The third being that I am creating a game that revolves around the topic of suicide(loosely), which is very rare concerning the current state of the game industry. The final point being I am only 21 years old (I will be 22 on August 16) and have done this much work alone and in this short amount of time.
That's pretty much it. Within the next few weeks I will create the official Steam Greenlight page and promote that, try to get the game set up to be sold on Amazon, and look into the Apple app store to see how to get included in that (though I've heard horror stories about that so I am reluctant to get involved with that).
Best outcome:
Game is available on my website, Desura, Steam, and Amazon at least. Hopefully It will be available on Gamersgate and GoG at a later date. That would be my goal to get the game out there.
Thanks for reading,
Nick
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