Steam testing

A VN/CCG hybrid game with all romance combos https://www.winterwolves.com/pscd.htm
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Franka
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Re: Steam testing

Post by Franka »

Congratulations, I hope it does as well as it deserves!

I'll get a review up soonish.
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jack1974
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Re: Steam testing

Post by jack1974 »

So far it's doing very badly :lol:
But in the current indieapocalypse climate, it's not too bad (I've heard people doing much worse!), so I'm happy :)
The real question (which I'll be able to answer only in a few months) is if I'll be able to continue making more games like this or I'll be forced to scale down to lower prices (and obviously much less content than now) ?
I hope not, of course, but... :shock:
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jack1974
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Re: Steam testing

Post by jack1974 »

OK things are a bit better. The thing is that there are so many new releases that the normal visibility is spread over a bigger amount of time, so takes more time for the same amount of people to see your product :)
If you liked the game and own it, please leave a review since it really helps!
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Harbinger1975
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Re: Steam testing

Post by Harbinger1975 »

Guh....I buy all your stuff here and not on steam because....censorship (though you wonder they don't scream bloody murder about Mass Effect or The Witcher. Money talks bullshit walks right? F'in politics). I would praise like...ALL YOUR GAMES.
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jack1974
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Re: Steam testing

Post by jack1974 »

Don't worry, for me is better if you buy here :)
But those who were saying "wait on Steam since there could be more people who like card games there etc etc"... NOPE! :lol:
The game is not even in the popular new releases, while my last two were there. Seems like that making an indie game with price >$9.99 and that doesn't have a "catchy theme" (but I would say most of cases a stupid idea) won't be popular.
It's the same thing as youtube. You make a serious video = ignored. You make a video about funny cats = 500,000 views :mrgreen:

Not sure if the problem is price, the art style, or the card game (but people can play as VN, so...).
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pahldus
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Re: Steam testing

Post by pahldus »

My guess is price is the biggest sticking point. There are so many games under that $10 price point that are similar to your games, though definitely not on the same quality level. It sucks, but in order to sell large numbers, you either need to be AAA or be cheap.

Games like you make seem to be going more and more to a patreon model. I have seen several decent VN games being developed using patreon as their sole funding and then giving the game/novel away for free. I mean, some of them are bringing in 30 to 40 thousand dollars a month in support. It is kind of weird to watch.
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jack1974
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Re: Steam testing

Post by jack1974 »

Yeah I completely agree. People just see the price and stop there. Doesn't matter if a game has 200k words (and good writing) or 12 CG, LGTB romances, etc. They just see $9.99 (or lower), and buy it, even if has royalty-free or public domain backgrounds and poor art/music :lol:
Kinda sad that quality doesn't matter anymore, feels like everything artistic about it is gone, and is just like a chinese factory, trying to make the games out as quick as possible without any quality standard.
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Franka
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Re: Steam testing

Post by Franka »

Well, the price is what people always complain about. Getting people to notice the existence of the game looks like a challenge too. It's a shame, because I know the audience for a game like this is there. But yeah, a lot of people won't drop more than $9.99 on something they don't really know.
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Callista
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Re: Steam testing

Post by Callista »

I do agree that pricing does have a factor when it comes to what people will buy on Steam but I think that if a game is really good, price isn't going to matter although some people might hold off until there's a holiday sale or something.

I don't know if this might play as a factor but perhaps for those who are familiar with Planet Stronghold, some might be under the impression that it's the same kind of game despite that it's actually quite different (PS being RPG while PSCD being a card-type game). There are people who won't bother reading game descriptions. lol Personally, I liked PS but I tend to form my own opinions about games, regardless of others' influence. XD
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jack1974
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Re: Steam testing

Post by jack1974 »

I think might just be the art style honestly, since I know several people that were put off by it. SOTW has higher price, and yet did much better even on Steam. So I think it's really that people prefer manga artwork.
Anyway, it's fine, in next months will have several games so I can see what happens with them. If the problem is mainly the art, people should like Undead Lily :)
I am only a bit worried now since same art will be used on Roger Steel :lol: but well, nothing I can do about it now, it's already done.
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