this post was submitted on 27 Sep 2024
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Inspired by true events from this morning

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[–] maneframe@lemmy.sdf.org 88 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (4 children)

Hey me too! I released my first game on Steam a month ago and by all objective measures it was a flop, but as a hobbyist I'm still proud of it. It honestly did better than I thought for a small niche game that I did a terrible job of marketing, and my one review so far was quite positive so I'll count that as a small win as I move onwards to the next game.

EDIT: Here's the game because my reply is getting harder to spot below - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2792160/SnowDown/ - It's a small Jackbox-inspired party game (using phones as controllers) but with real-time action and physics as you throw snowballs around and destroy structures.

[–] gwen@lemmy.dbzer0.com 77 points 1 month ago (3 children)

you cant just SAY that and then not mention the game name

wow you really are bad at marketing

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 41 points 1 month ago (3 children)

The eternal conflict between being an indie dev and not wanting to be a shill :'(

[–] Buttons@programming.dev 15 points 1 month ago

What is the game? It's not being a shill to answer questions.

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 4 points 1 month ago

I get not saying the name in the top comment, but once people are interested the door is open.

[–] oo1@lemmings.world 4 points 1 month ago

Trying to sell 'owt without becoming a sell-out.

[–] Flocklesscrow@lemm.ee 12 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] Soulg@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] ShaggySnacks@lemmy.myserv.one 2 points 1 month ago

Fuck. I lost it too.

[–] maneframe@lemmy.sdf.org 12 points 1 month ago

Oof, though you're not wrong!

[–] maneframe@lemmy.sdf.org 34 points 1 month ago (5 children)

By the way, here's the game for anyone interested: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2792160/SnowDown/

I didn't expect to see so many replies!

[–] indomara@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

This is super cute! If I buy these now for my friends and family but set it to deliver the gift near Christmas, would you get the money now? Or not til Christmas?

This looks perfect for when everyone is over on Christmas eve! <3

[–] maneframe@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I'm glad you like it! I actually made my first prototype right before last Christmas so I could play it when my family got together, and people enjoyed it so much I just kept working on it.

As far as gifting goes, I actually didn't know you could get Steam gifts that deliver later, so I'm not entirely sure of the answer, but I assume if they charge you for the game right away it would process the payment then too.

Full disclosure though, only one person needs a copy of the game to run it and play with a group. Everyone joins the game by visiting a website (generally on their phone), similar to how Jackbox games work. So there's no obligation to gift copies, but if you still do I will be quite honored and grateful!

[–] indomara@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

Aww, you're adorable. I will buy the games closer to Christmas for everyone, my reading tells me that if I buy the game and the person does not accept the gift then they will give me a refund, so I imagine you won't get the money until everyone accepts.

[–] Donjuanme@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

Got it on follow, if I ever get a house with a better Internet connection I'll give it a shot and leave a review

[–] CondensedPossum@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

this is unexpected, i was expecting a COD type game but instead it has penguins and you're supposed to have friends

[–] PalmTreeIsBestTree@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

Reminds me of some of the old school flash multiplayer games

[–] gerbler@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago (2 children)

As someone who is also awkwardly treading the line between being a soulless hack and trying to get my work noticed by literally anyone: please edit your top comment with a link to your game.

I mean it. I can't even muster the courage to post my renders to Instagram without feeling like some desperate influencer goof.

[–] Randomgal@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 month ago

Bro this is literally all in your head. 99.9 don't give a fuck what you do or don't do, either positively or negatively.

I'd you want to show it, show it. If you want to keep it for you, keep it. But it's not about other people. It's about you making YOUR choice.

[–] maneframe@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

That's a good call, thanks!

I can relate though, I've honestly avoided actively using social media for the better part of a decade, so dipping my toe back in the waters has been a bit of a struggle. I can't help overanalyzing everything I write, to the point it becomes exhausting trying to regularly post anything. And then it often feels like an exercise in futility anyway when you're lost in the sea of other posts.

So I figure for now I'll focus my energy on making games and especially improving with the visuals (admittedly I'm a programmer first and foremost, so art is not my strong suit), and hopefully gradually gain more confidence.

By the way, I've really appreciated yours and everyone's encouraging comments here! Funnily enough, this is the most attention a post of mine has ever received, and I wasn't even intending for it

[–] Bongles@lemm.ee 20 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Considering you're a hobbyist and probably don't have marketing, it's too soon to say it's a flop. Many games like that pop off later once it gets seen.

[–] maneframe@lemmy.sdf.org 9 points 1 month ago

I appreciate the optimism! I hope it can find an audience over time, but it's definitely tough to stand out. For now, I'm aiming to just keep making games and improving, rather than giving up after the first try, which sadly seems to happen a lot out there.

[–] SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

Rarely happens. The vast majority of game on Steam make the bulk of their sales within a few months of release.

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 7 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

What's your game? Niche games are awesome. And if you made it with Godot I'm definitely interested.

[–] maneframe@lemmy.sdf.org 15 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Here's my game: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2792160/SnowDown/

It's a little action party game you can play with phones as controllers (similar to how you'd host a Jackbox game). And yes I did make it with Godot!

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 8 points 1 month ago

This looks perfect for office downtime with the team on slow days

[–] Xenny@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Add twitch integration. Viral success overnight

[–] maneframe@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 1 month ago

Unfortunately I've found that the latency over streaming makes the game less fun to play than when joining locally (or over a faster video call service like Discord), but for my next game I'm designing it to be more streaming-friendly so I'll definitely be looking at building an integration then.