First of all: work on Love Notes is making good progress! I’ve made my mind about the “progression” and gifts screen and I’ve coded them, and also finished playtesting Tristan route.

The progression screen will show at which point of the story you are, all info displayed on a single screen.

Picking the right gifts will increase the relationship and one of the two endinds variants (text only).

And now back to this blog’s topic: some tips and tricks for indie game developers.

Social media marketing

Ahh the, social media. Nowadays, Nobody can live without them, so you MUST do social media marketing, right? Well, short answer is yes. But there’s some things I want to clarify: people are buying your game, not your online persona, your political ideas, etc.

I’m not saying social marketing is useless, not at all. And, depending on the type of game, it can really help (it doesn’t work the same way for all genres/topics). However, you should always remember that what matters is the game, so spending your time improving it is your main priority.

If being on the social networks and posting comes natural to you, good. But I remember that years ago (not too long ago to be honest) I was always thinking “I need to post something before going to bed to increase my followers”. That’s dumb. If you have such thoughts, listen: just go to bed instead, and sleep, and the next day wake up and work on your game!

Using their online tools, I checked the impact of twitter/facebook marketing on Kickstarter, Steam, itchio revenues of the games I released this year: it varies between 3-5%, with regular daily posting over the release month. It’s not super accurate, but even if it was twice that amount would still be a relatively small amount. Obviously, you need to pay ads to get a lot of people. If it was so easy…!

Last but not least: I personally know several devs who have very minimum social presence (like posting once a week or less on social media) and earn mid-six figures a year.

TL DR: keep your online presence, and if it comes natural, post often: BUT remember that your game has the priority and spending too much time on social networks won’t matter so much on the overall success.

Cyberbullying

Being too much online or being too vocal, or just being online (haha) can expose you to cyberbullying or just people in general wasting your time. When I was at highschool, I was often bullied. I know well what it means. I know the rage that grows inside of you.

While in real life it’s not always easy to react, online is much easier. But it’s also easier for any random idiot to attack you for any reason. Those people are true timewasters. And the temptation to reply is big. I know. You don’t want to leave the other person the last word!

But in the end, ask yourself: why? If someone is a bully, they won’t change their mind no matter what you say. And some people are really there just to waste your time because they have nothing to do in their lives. Do you want to be like them, or finish something?

So, if they start immediately being rude, just insta-block them and don’t even bother to talk. If you think they might listen to reason, sure it’s worth talking. But never spend too much time. You’re supposed to work on your game, you know?

TL DR: there are a lot of bullies out there. If someone comes to you aggressively for no reason, just block them. Nothing else will bring anything good, on the opposite it will just be a waste of time

Vocal minority

I already talked in the past about the vocal minority in general in my blog here: https://www.winterwolves.net/blog/2018/01/the-vocal-minority-feature-creep-and-keeping-yourself-sane/

Vocal minority is of course present also in social media. Someone is sure that if you make a game about dancing pumpkins, it WILL BE A HIT. And they won’t stop repeating it. They might also bring some more dancing pumpkins fans to support their theory.

The temptation of course is to see if they are right. And there’s nothing wrong with that! Because they might be right. I know this well since I have almost done all kind of games, all kind of romances, all kinds of settings, art styles, etc etc.

But the reality is: some ideas work, and others just don’t. And it’s nobody’s fault – it’s the market who decides. What is “the market”? People that pay money for your game ! Because you’re running a business – if you do games just for fun then of course it’s fine to do whatever you like.

However, the dancing pumpkins fans won’t listen – they’ll say that it’s your fault for reason X and Y. You used wrong art, bad writing, the setting wasn’t appropriate, you made mistake 1,2,3.

And they might be right, if you just tried once. But if you’ve tried that thing several times and it brought always same results, then the conclusion is clear. It might just be that doesn’t work for you. For someone else, it can. People think that “if genre/theme X is popular ANY game that uses it WILL be successful”. No. Not at all! There are a lot of aspects in a game that can determine if it will be a flop or a success.

Obviously, the opposite is also true: sometimes good ideas/suggestion can come from social followers. In the last two years after a lot of people complained, I did three yuri only games after ignoring that genre for… 12 years, and I felt dumb for not doing it sooner!

TL DR: beware of people always insisting on you doing thing X. They do it because they like it, it’s not their fault. It’s normal. But ultimately you need to make choices that will let you survive another year. If you can do it and make someone happy, even better.

Conclusions

I hope this post was somewhat useful to you. Ah one last marketing tip: have forums/blogs. They require some minimum upkeep but they really can help with SEO, and they can bring new visitors (and customers) to you business.

Blog about anything, not necessarily related to games. I know a guy who got a lot of traffic to their site because of a Star Trek blog post. They sell space sim/strategy games…

September was a very intense month for me, between At Your Feet Steam release, Love Notes Kickstarter and Summer In Trigue beta. So let’s see what’s the current situation.

Love Notes Kickstarter

Hi everyone, first of all thanks to everyone who backed my Love Notes Kickstarter. It ended up at 6.576 €, so very close to the Kasumi stretch goal of 7000 €. As I already posted in the Kickstarter update, I might still add Kasumi romance in the end. More info coming next month!

Even if the result was only little more than At Your Feet, the game has no adult content, and as probably everyone knows, that’s a big negative bonus nowadays. So all things considered it did much better than I thought. Also, I think of screwed up a bit by setting the original four theme songs stretch goal – obviously, people who plays this kind of games are more interested in extra romances, art, writing. Music is nice but it’s still a secondary thing, even for a game featuring a music band.

But you see, Kickstarter (crowdfunding) is good also for this: imagine if I didn’t do the KS and thought that was a good idea to do 4 music tracks. I would have spent a lot of money for something that only a very small minority would have liked! So, Kickstarter in a way is also a system to test the waters, to see what the paying customers (and not vocal minorities) really want. It’s really an essential tool for indies to survive in such a very competitive world as today.

Summer In Trigue is out

After a week of heavy testing, I’m confident enough to release the version 1.0 of the game. The last update was only about typos and there haven’t been reports of crashes or plot holes since 3-4 days.

The game is going to take part in Steam Fest, so there will be a (slightly) outdated demo available during the event. And then the Steam release should happen shortly after, around the 20th October. I know, not the ideal time to release a game, but in the end with all the sales, new releases, promos, etc it’s NEVER a good time to release a new game on Steam! lol

Conclusions

It’s only out since a month, but I was pleasantly surprised by At Your Feet sales so far, especially on Steam. I’ll probably do a full postmortem later, after 6 months or 1 year has passed. But for now, I can say that it exceeded my expectations and I’m very happy about that!

And now, going back to work to see if I can finally have a beta demo of Curse Of Mantras before the end of year 🙂

Yes this has been a busy week haha! First of all, I’ve launched my new yuri game “Summer In Trigue” beta on itchio. You can find it here:

For more info including a walkthrough check my forums.

And now let’s proceed to the last two love interests for Love Notes which is in its final days of crowdfunding, Zoe and Nathan

Zoe Bennett
Age: 28

At first glance, Zoe seems to be nothing more than a mild-mannered librarian. However, underneath her bookish façade is a woman saw the actual rise and fall of nations. Millenia before, Zoe was a priestess to the goddess Isis, and when she died, she was mummified in honor of her accomplishments. However, the person who committed this procedure must have been more talented than anyone knew for several years later, Zoe came back to life.

However, this proved rather traumatic. After all, what do you do with the dead but bury them? Zoe found herself trapped under several feet of earth and sand. Once she let the initial terror of being buried alive pass, she started to dig her way out inch by bloody inch. It was slow going, Zoe dying several times in the process before emerging once more into welcome sunlight.

Fortunately she accomplished this while Egypt was still during the height of its power. While there were some changes, enough remained the same that Zoe was able to fit right in. After her first disastrous burial, Zoe made sure that future incarnations wouldn’t face such problems.

Much as the Nile ebbs and flows, so does the passage of time. Zoe proved adaptable as she saw the rise and falls of empires. This isn’t to say she was quiet. After all, as her own existence proved, there was a world beyond the material one, one that most people were unable to deal with safely.

Eventually, as she rose again in this more modern age, Zoe went to university. Here she discovered some of the staff who cognizant of the supernatural world. While they were unable to go toe-to-toe with most paranormal creatures, they help in other ways by storing dangerous magical books and artefacts. The staff would destroy them when possible, otherwise storing them safely away from the world at large.

Zoe proved to be an able custodian in this regard, continuing where others would pass away. However, one thing Zoe learned is that change is inevitable. One day, she felt a surge in necrotic energies, an indication of something foul plaguing the city. Just as quickly as it came, it disappeared, the victim of it managing to escape its ravenous clutches.

She experienced a similar feeling a few years later, this time while listening to music from an up and coming band named Spectral Howl. From the shadows, she followed their career, curious as to what would unfold.

Nathan Moore
Age: 24

As far back as he could remember, Nathan could commune with the spirits. At first, his parents assumed he had a very active imagination, telling fantastical stories about how his ‘friends’ slew dragons and rescued captured nobility in lands far, far away. Things became much more real when Nathan, tears streaming down his face, told his parents that his grandfather died, two hours before they got the news by phone call.

Worried that Nathan might be haunted, his parents enlisted the services of a nearby shaman. To his parents’ relief, Nathan was fine. However, the shaman was concerned by how the spirits flocked to the young boy, and taught Nathan how to tune them out. This proved beneficial, causing his grades to suddenly increase.

Eventually, Nathan went to university as a pre-med student. As top of his class, some of his professors thought he would do quite well as a doctor. Everything changed during his final year of school. At that point, one of his closest friends took on a more pallid, almost corpse-like appearance as weeks passed while growing more violent. Things might have ended badly if the cursed hadn’t been broken.

As a result of this, Nathan wanted to help people, but figured there were enough doctors in the world. Instead, he decided to embrace the spirit world whole-heartedly. He quit university, and instead started learning under the shaman who helped him so many years before. Nathan struggled at first as his knowledge was only what he had gleaned from his ‘friends’ earlier. Much like school, Nathan started to excel once more as he found his footing.

This isn’t to say Nathan is against modern medicine, far from it. In fact, he insists people go to doctors first since most ailments come from the physical realm, and must be treated that way.

Nathan might have continued this way until a marked trepidation in the spirits led him to a bar where the band Spectral Howl played. While he still couldn’t figure out what was going to happen, the band seemed to be center of it. As such, he took every chance he could to follow them. Some of the members of the band thought he is a devoted groupie, and Nathan let them believe this while he keeps a vigilant eye.

This week’s characters introductions are Tristan and Valerie. They’re a bit spoilery, even if it’s to be expected from a supernatural dating sim!

Check the game’s Kickstarter here.

Valerie Vaughn

Apparent Age: 23

At first glance, many people think of Valerie as the younger and more irresponsible sister of Tristan. After all, she is a constant fixture in the bar, enjoying the newest band to grace the stage and the newest man or woman to cross her path.

What few know is that Valerie is actually Tristan’s elder by over a century, both created by the same elder vampire. Despite the age difference, this does make the two siblings in the eyes of vampire society.

What is more remarkable is unlike many older vampires, Valerie acts like a fledgling. Normally, as such creatures age, they become more stodgy as a result. However, Valerie has an energy that many find tiring.

Some of this can be attributed to the time when she was mortal. The daughter of a noble family, she was expected to marry well, and bear her husband many children. However, Valerie chafed under such restrictions and ran away just a few nights before her arranged wedding day.

While still fleeing, Valerie discovered that she was being followed. No matter what she did, or how far she went, the pursuer got closer, keeping a distance while relishing her distress. Growing irritated, Valerie created a trap to catch her hunter. Much to the vampire’s surprise and delight, it worked. Instead of draining her as previously planned, Valerie was turned into a vampire.

However, with a greatly extended lifespan comes the need to occupy that time. Now that she had her freedom, Valerie took the time to travel through Europe. Of course, she was more than capable of defending herself as no few brigands found to their detriment when accosting what they assumed to be a lady on her own.

Valerie grew so proficient that the vampire society at large made her into assassin. After all, if one lives long enough, you are bound to create a few enemies. Some you might be able to outlive, but others can be more problematic, and in that case it helps to have someone who can handle it.

It was one such problem which drew Valerie to North America. Her quarry was more powerful than initially assumed, and beat Valerie in a fight. Her injuries were so great, though, that she fell into a long sleep.

A long time passed before she woke up, only to find the world greatly changed. Much to her surprise, Tristan was actually nearby and helped her get established in the city. At the moment, Valerie’s time is her own and she intends to enjoy it as much as possible.

Tristan Vaughn

Age: 27

No one can remember how long the Vaughn family has lived in town, except that it has been running the bar Nightshade now for going on over 100 years. This isn’t to say the building stayed the same since it does undergo major renovations, but it certainly is one of the oldest family owned businesses in the city.

However, something seems wrong with the current owner, Tristan. He rarely goes about during the day, and many people just assume he suffers from some kind of genetic disorder. However, he is a constant in the city’s nightlife, easily identified by the shades he rarely takes off.

What few people know is that this is an illusion; every owner has been Tristan. Through various disguises, both supernatural and mundane, Tristan keeps a close eye on the city, feeling as if he helped it grow from a simple cow town a century and half before.

This isn’t to mean Tristan is aloof. He is known to patronize art galleries as well as give stage space to promising bands. One of his favorite finds in recent years was a band called Spectral Howl which invigorated his cold blood.

In supernatural society, Tristan is generally left alone, his bar considered ‘neutral’ territory by the various factions who inevitably arise given time. This doesn’t mean Tristan is weak, far from it. Besides his supernatural powers, few know that was actually a vampire hunter in mortal life.

However, Tristan grew complacent. On one hunt, his foe proved rather wily and captured Tristan. With great curiosity, the vampire turned Tristan into a creature just like he hunted. Those early nights were really tough, but Tristan learned that while he needed blood to survive, it didn’t require him taking a life to do so.

The last few years have been a mixed bag for Tristan starting with a young college student who occasionally came to the bar. There was something off about them, a touch that reminded Tristan of the draugur. This person seemed to stir up other supernaturals, and for a moment Tristan was afraid he’d have to get involved again.

Though this matter was resolved, it left Tristan with a great unease. One thing he learned during his long nights was to follow his gut instinct, and it felt like another storm was brewing on the horizon.

Coming next week

Next week will post the other two love interests introductions: Zoe and Nathan! Of course, unless we hit the bonus romances stretch goal of Kasumi and Dante. Check the game’s Kickstarter here.

As promised, going to do a few weekly blog posts to introduce Love Notes characters. Let’s start with the two protagonists, Rachel and Jesse. Check the game’s Kickstarter here.

Rachel Bailey
Age: 21

At first glance, Rachel seems to be doing quite well for herself. After all, as the ‘face’ of her band, Spectral Howl, people assume she has the world at her feet. However, this could be the furthest from the truth.

Going all the way back to elementary school, Rachel is a rather shy person. She would rather read a book than play with the other kids. However, her distance stance actually drew the attention of Jesse. A bit of a class clown, Jesse did his best to make her laugh and more often than not he succeeded.

All of the shyness disappears when Rachel gets on stage and loses herself in the music. It is still a bit of a surprise that the innumerable violin lessons she took as child would serve her in good stead in her current career.

When she graduated high school, Rachel was at loose ends. Though her parents heavily encouraged her to go to university, going back to school was the furthest thing from Rachel’s mind and she only lasted a semester. Instead, she flitted from job to job, never finding anything strong enough to hold her interest.

This all changed when Jesse performed at an open mike night at a bar she was currently working at as a waitress. For months, Jesse was not at his best, and as his best friend, Rachel was quite concerned. However, when Jesse started to play, Rachel felt a stirring within her breast, and quickly joined him on stage. The reaction from the crowd showed this could be a path the two of them could take.

However, what goes up can also come down. The first problem occurred when Rachel found out one of their bandmates was selling drugs on the side, using each gig as a way to expand their network. If this wasn’t enough, another bandmate left when they accused Rachel of trying to steal Jesse from them.

This came as a total shock to Rachel. For one thing, she and Jesse were good friends, nothing else. For another, Rachel didn’t even know the two people were romantically together.

If this wasn’t bad enough, Rachel’s also been suffering horrible dreams. She can’t remember much about them other than the iron tang of blood in her mouth from when she bit her lips.

Despite all this, now that Rachel found her passion, she is going to try to keep it alive at all costs.

Jesse Morgan
Age: 22

As one of the founding members of the band, Spectral Howl, Jesse bears a quiet confidence that puts people at ease in his presence. After all, it takes courage to drop out of college just one year before graduation in order to pursue one’s musical dreams.

This choice wasn’t that hard to make. Jesse was unsure about pursuing his degree, and in fact felt trapped by the expectations of those around him. However, after getting a positive reception about his musical skills from a local bar, as well as the unanticipated vocal talents of Rachel, Jesse decided to forge a new path.

However, he also knew he couldn’t do it alone. He first turned to Rachel, his oldest friend going back to elementary school. They were constants in each other’s lives, knowing they could rely on each no matter what comes. From there, they started to recruit other people like Sean to play the drums.

Jesse is glad he isn’t the ‘face’ of the band, gladly relegating that role to Rachel. Jesse definitely pulls his own weight. Besides being the lead guitarist, Jesse is also the chief song writer. Occasionally this causes him to butt heads with other bandmates when revisions are suggested and Jesse digs in his heels on any changes at all.

For a while, the band was quite successful. They consistently sold out their venues, and there was even talk of a possible record label contract. However, being at the top makes a fall that much greater. It started when the bass guitarist was arrested, forcing Jesse to try and find a replacement. Almost as quickly, a second member left, citing irreconcilable differences with Rachel.

However, current circumstances have shaken Jesse to his core. From his waning friendship with Rachel to the dissolution of his band, Jesse is standing at a crossroads. Does he keep following his dream, or is it time to pursue some other career?

If this wasn’t bad enough, Jesse finds himself plagued by nightmares that he doesn’t know the source of. The only thing he can remember is a flash of gleaming white before waking up in a cold sweat.

Despite all of this, Jesse isn’t one to give up. Adversity builds strength, and Jesse is sure he can face whatever challenge comes his way.

Next week, will be the turn of Valerie and Tristan! Remember to check the game’s Kickstarter here.