iWeb for a website

I was looking up easy to use website creation tools that I could use. I already downloaded kompozer but it seems to have deleted itself. I don't want to have to re-download it again, but I found an alternative.

I found a program called iWeb on my computer that seems to be a free resource from Apple to design a website. It isn't too advanced, but it seems good enough that I will be able to use it for the simple design I am going for. The only issue I haven't looked in to too much is how to add other html code in to the webpage. I expect this will be absolutely essential in order to get Fastspring working.

I will look more into it tonight and tomorrow.

Thanks for reading.

Edit: After some more research, it seems I can add HTML code. I also played around with adding in links and stuff, and so far iWeb appears to be perfect.

The design I am going for is similar to Braid's. I will probably have a background image of the game, with the games title at the top. This will stay in place for the length of the webpage. On the right side I will have links to youtube, facebook, twitter, etc. On the left side I will have an RSS feed for my blog. The trailer will be right in the center of the webpage, followed directly beneath by the Fastspring purchase link or window or whatever. Below that I will provide links for other portals to purchase.

Following all of this, I will have the pitch for the game. A list of screenshots with descriptions of the game next to them.

This simple design should save lots of time, and make it easy to purchase.

Thanks for reading.

Pre-ordering

I am brainstorming ways customers can preorder my game, if at all.

Without preorder, the game will be released on whatever date it is, and people can purchase and download immediately, as normal.

But if people preorder the game, I need to add some kind of incentive. Maybe I will charge the game for $5 less than retail price. Maybe I will need to add some kind of extra content for people that preorder. Possibly they can receive the game a week early or something. 

One issue I need to solve is how to actually do the preorder. Maybe, with Fastspring, the customer will just be able to purchase like normal but receive a code after they pay for it. Then on release day, or whenever the pre-release is or whatever, they can enter the code in to Fastspring and then be able to download the game. 

That will probably be the best course of action. Have the customer pay for a coupon code and then redeem it whenever they want.

The preorder bonuses will probably just be $5 less than the retail price (either $10 or $15 depending on what I want to sell the game at), and early access to the game.

Thanks for reading.

The Use of Kickstarter

I recently got an idea, but I am not sure how it will work, so I will present it here.

I wonder if it is possible to use Kickstarter as a marketing tool.

 I don't want to use Kickstarter to earn money for the game. A big thing I am aiming for is to make the game with all costs out of pocket. I want to be a example for indie developers that cannot afford expensive tools. However, Kickstarter may be able to help me reach a larger audience.

Like, what if I make a kickstarter with an absolutely outrageous price goal, so the game will not get funded, but this will help the game get noticed. I can point people to my website, youtube, etc.

Just an idea I found when brainstorming. Like I said before, the greatest threat to my game is people not knowing about it. Maybe this strategy will help spread the world.

Thanks for reading.

Start date is quickly approaching

My last finals are on next Monday, May 6th. Tuesday will be the official day I will start working on the game full-time over the months of May, June, and July.

Over the month of May, I intend to complete the base mechanics, and have most gameplay elements integrated. Not polished or perfected, but have most of the basic functionalities in the game code. I expect this to take anywhere from 2 weeks on the short side to 1 month on the long side.

After this is completed, hopefully around the beginning of June, I will switch gears and get all of my media synchronized. I will create a website, set up Fastspring, connect Twitter and Facebook together, and set up a game profile on gaming websites and Greenlight. Simultaneously, I will create a demo level in the Unity webplayer I can put on my website, in addition to a downloadable one in other sources.

Whenever this is finished, which I aim for the ABSOLUTE latest is July, I will again switch gears back to the game. I will polish and perfect the mechanics, add some nice effects to make the game look nicer, and incorporate audio effects. At the beginning of this phase, I will send out free review copies to bloggers, gaming press sites, youtubers etc. That way, I can continue to work on the game while hopefully several people will promote the game and gain knowledge about it.

By August, the website should be finished, marketing should be going strong (I intend to give away free preorders and beta keys to keep people interested and word of mouth to continue spreading), and the game should be nearing completion. In the early weeks of August, I will just be testing for bugs in the hosting services, coupon codes, etc. The game should be nearly ready for release, with just a few bug fixes remaining. Most of the testing will be to ensure that the website is working properly, and build a last burst of buzz before launch.

Right now, launch date is aimed at around August 20th. It may be sooner or later depending on however things flow, but this sounds realistic to me.

I hope I am not underestimating the code involved to get this working. I already have an algorithm developed for the base mechanics, and I know how to achieve most other mechanics, with exception of reversing vertical gravity. There are a few here and there that may prove troublesome, but I know what needs to get done in order to make them work.

Like I said before, coding should take about the first month of development, and some design. The rest of the time will be spent on promotion, creation of website and update of profiles everywhere, and designing the actual levels of the game.

Whatever the case, I have convinced myself to put in as many hours as I can in to making this game. I am planning to upload all of my work to youtube, so I will record everything I do. This may be an accurate way to determine how much I am working per day.

This next week will be spent on studying for finals as well as meditation before the oncoming storm that will be this summer. I plan to stay up well past midnight every night, and work every minute I can outside of my part time job (to at least earn some definite money) and some time to keep my girlfriend happy.

Thanks for reading.

Success of "Thomas Was Alone" (*Spoilers*)

I recently stumbled on a Reddit AMA with the creator of Thomas Was Alone, Mike Bithell. It was very inspiring. Many comments praised him and his game for the relationships and characters he created. I honestly haven't had a chance to play the game, but I have watched Lets Plays of it. It looks pretty fun, and the dialogue was very entertaining.

I wonder if emotions can be met with the same praise. I really want my game to push emotional boundaries for the genre. I want the last level to make the player say "wow" when they learn the complete story. Not a wow as in "that was amazing", but a wow that you feel after watching, say, Donnie Darko.

***SPOILERS BELOW***

I am still unsure of how to accomplish this. I think, after beating the final level, the player will be stuck on an empty plane while the credits float around the screen. Maybe then, the player will see the complete story, and I can give some kind of cue that the player is imprisoned in this coma. Maybe I can add in sound effects that resemble a hospital, and maybe some words or phrases that echo around the void.

I want the player to have a revelation that, all this time, the player has been putting back together the pieces of their soul, but they are still imprisoned.

Maybe, when the player is standing on the plane at the end of the game, his wife will be standing on an adjacent plane, but the player can't jump the distance. The model has to be recognizable as the wife from the slides, so it will have to be nearly the same model. The female will stand on the plane, and as the credits go on, the distance will increase until the female is no longer visible.

I should probably introduce the female character earlier in the game also. Maybe a hazy yellow figure at the end of each level. It can be a marker the player aims to move towards. After the player arrives at the last platform where the girl is standing, she disappears, the player gains a piece of their brain and a description of the piece of the brain, and then the slide. This continues until the after the last level. The female figure is perfectly visible, and while the slides play in order, the female moves further and further away.

***SPOILERS END***

I digress. The Reddit AMA was very inspiring. I just hope my game forms a community as well. I think my game has real potential to invoke emotion in the players.

I can see some people hating the game because the story is too abstract, and I can see some understanding it. The only problem is not knowing whether most people will understand it or be confused.

Another useful piece of information I found was that Thomas Was Alone sells for $10. This makes me think I may be able to charge no less than $15.

If I can invoke the emotion of distress and sadness in the player, than I can consider myself successful.

Thanks for reading.

The story of Irritum (*Spoilers*)

                                            ***SPOILERS ARE IN THIS POST***

I have been thinking of the story for my game lately. More so than usual.

I don't know when to include many of the story elements. What I do know, is that they need to be frequent. Other than the gameplay, this will be my main tool to keep the player playing. If the player finds nothing of the story after some levels, then they may get frustrated or bored. There needs to be some sort of reward after each level.

From here on out, there will be MAJOR spoilers.

***SPOILERS FOLLOW***

The game will begin with the player just appearing in the void. No background or anything. I may add a cinematic beforehand, or for a trailer, to just lead in to that moment, but it will have no effect on the story.

Again, I suggest you read this ONLY AFTER you have already beaten the game. This may RUIN the game for you.

I want the story to be told out of order. After every level, you gain a memory. 

The story will be about suicide. The player would have commit suicide in their lifetime because of some reason. The reason will most likely be because of a loved one leaving them, or cheating on them. So the player finds their lover cheating on them, and then commits suicide. The player is then left paralyzed in a coma. The setting of the game is the player stuck inside the void of their mind/body.

I have 24 levels planned for the game. Each level implements a new mechanic/obstacle. After each level, you gain a new memory. This means I will need to have a story spanning 24 "slides". The memories will only be pictures, with no text explaining them. I will brainstorm about the slides below.

Man looking at a gun in a box. Man and wife on a date. Ambulance speeding down the road. Man laying in medical bed. Man with a gun to his head. Man crying into his hands. Man walking in the rain. Man looking in a window and sees wife with another man on a date. Man's heart falls to darkness. Man meets the woman. Man and woman spend time together, woman pays attention to strangers. Wife holds mans body. 

That is 12 right there, and most of them are highlights. I need 12 more. Maybe the other 12 can be transition slides, to bridge a gap between big story events.

The characters in the slides will probably be colored, just like the objects in the game. This is not only to cut back on need for great artistic talent, but also to help differentiate between the major characters. 

Maybe when the player collects the cerebrum, he is able to move the memories in to order. When in order, he could unlock the cinematic?

After every level, the player will gain a new memory, a new body function related to the levels completed, and a piece of the brain related to that body function. The piece of the brain will be accompanied by a description that shows what the brain controls. The preceding mechanics will be based on that brain function. There will also be a small sound effect when the brain piece is found. 

For example, the first piece will be the medula oblongata, which controls autonomous control for the body. After collected, the player will hear breathing and a heartbeat. 

By tying all of this together, I hope people will see a connection between the whole game.

Thanks for reading.

Next Few Weeks

I probably won't be updating this over the next couple weeks. Finals are swiftly approaching and I will be putting most of my attention towards those.