After the last video I bought Ten Bells, I haven't had a chance to play it yet, but it looks great. The fact that you've already put out a game that has had a good reception I think will help when it comes time to do a kickstarter later. Even if Ten Bells wasn't commercially successful I feel comfortable backing a kickstarter just because you've shown you can complete a product.
This game looks so sick! I love the honest look at game dev you have in the video. And wow, all that progress just in one episode is amazing, the house really just came to life. I can hardly wait to see how the project continues to develop, I barely finished this episode and am already looking forward to the next one!
Hey man! This looks very cool! The mixture of cuteness and lighting mood is awesome. The motion blur effect on your animations makes them very attractive. Personally, I like zombies, but I have a hard time watching these dark-toned zombie dramas! They affect my mood too much! But this kind of style is very sweet for me. If you have to choose between mainstream popular ideas that work for big games and weird, original ideas, go with the weirdness. It always works! So far, this looks amazing!
I LOVE the animation of the characters! So smooth and full of life, ironically haha The bird animation really bums me out though, it’s so unnatural and clunky 😅
The game looks promising. I hope you ride out this huge tidal wave that the industry has faced and come out on the green pasture. Will support in whatever measure I can.
First two minutes of the video. I feel you soo much. I'm also dev that was touched by layoffs. Than found new job that wasn't paying me for couple of months. Additionaly I'm also solo dev. Never relate to anything in the world more than couple of first minutes. The feeling. It's hard. Hopefuly it will make you a bit better. There are more of us. Keep up good work bro, you're awesome remember
Hey friend, congrats on the video! To show some support, I bought ten bells and added Long Gone to my wish-list. I’d seen your game before, and I thought it was really beautiful. I’m going through something similar to you-I’m a 3D game artist, and I was laid off in March with my entire team. Since then, I’ve been getting by, but things just aren’t the same as they used to be. Feeling really hopeless. Rooting for you, and I’ll be here in the comments cheering you on! Good luck and enjoy the journey.
I am so happy to have found your channel. I hope that this channel and Twitch can grow more to give you some income to breathe a little better in this awful situation. I saw Ten Bells from Alpha Beta Gamer, and knowing all you are going through and the fact that it wasn't a success is sad. I'm going to buy it and follow your journey on Twitch when I can. Also, I saw that you have a Patreon, and I am going to support you on that platform as fast as I can. In the meantime, good luck with everything. The game seems really good with the idea and the graphics in it.
You got a real diamond there, just need to polish it. I watch a ton of devlogs, but i think this is the first one, where i really want to buy the game. Good luck, I’m rooting for you man!
I'm so hyped for the game (and demo), and I will gladly pay a full price for the game. I'm into zombie apocalypse games, movies etc, and your game looks great (I mean in terms of gameplay, but I also see a lot of potential in the graphics - animations are great, very nice pixel art, I love everything about what you're preparing for us). Keep it up!
that's exactly the feeling i was going for, the original pitch was "Another World x Broken Sword x Gone Home" so its awesome to see that come through :D
I love the style of your game, and I love zombie games. I will definitely buy this game-not only to support you but also because I am genuinely interested in it
Raising the price of Ten Bells to at least $9.99, if not $14.99, could be a strategic move. A higher price not only signals quality but also makes discounts more appealing-for instance, $4.99 during a sale would feel like a great deal while still reflecting the game's true value. There's a reason why premium products like $1,000 iPhones sell: the price communicates worth. With an already very positive rating, you can leverage that reputation to justify a higher price point. Remember, the game's success isn't solely tied to matching a low price-it’s also about projecting confidence in its quality. Undervaluing your work can hurt not only your own profitability but also the indie scene by setting unrealistic expectations. Value your work and let the price reflect it.
It was $10 to start with, every other game in our genre is $4 on average so we’re above value by double on anomaly games which was likely the original issue we had. We’ve had a lot of exposure and 11k of wishlists but people weren’t pulling the trigger which is why it’s been knocked down to $5 to try it out. Ultimately the issue we had on Bells was not having enough wishlists pre-launch.
Been following you on twitch every day almost. Love your stuff and your games! Keep pushing it man! PS.: I ve been laid off 2 also in the past 2 years. I know how it feels. This industry is grueling. But you got this man!! I know it! And keep pushing nice stuff!
I run a game development studio in Korea~ Yesterday was our year-end party, and until the New Year, I’m planning to start my personal project, which I’ve been working on at home, during my holiday getaway~ Let’s have fun making games together!
Overthinking kills the process brother , keep working I love Ur game and someone maybe not , that doesn't matter the thing that matters is that you do your best
I love the look and feel of the game! I also love the overall idea for the game. Don't give up!! I can totally understand the feeling but hang in there!!
Hey there! Been loving these devlogs so far! Just noticed a mistake cropping up between 6:36 and 6:44 - the object called 'Draw' is actually spelled 'Drawer'. English is weird sometimes. Anyway, I'm absolutely going to be following this devlog series religiously.
Wishing you all the success. You have a backer out of me as this game is looking great and made with passion. Maybe a kick starter might support as we can all see your dedication and talent and all want this game as looks great. Every game you create will bring followers, learning new things from it for next etc. Please keep going. I know it is easier said than done but don't push yourself so hard as you're doing so awesome
I'm a gaming youtuber that uploads mostly survival games and I can say you have nothing to worry about. This game will sell and I know a handful of survival gamers that will buy it. Can't wait to try the game out. Just keep up the grind! You got this!
I guess that's the problem i have in that its not really a survival game, its something i need to communicate better moving forward for sure. Thanks for the feedback though, i appreciate the support!
My fresh look: impressive visuals pixel-art in 3D (similar to "Cloud Gardens" game) and vibes of "Last of Us". And ... interesting SATIRICAL interactions with enemies. Something like in new Indiana Jones, but zombies are much more dumpier. Even they are cruel killers if the hero is not clever enough to get rid of them. I expect that game mechanic will be focused on plenty funny and satirical ways of get rid of zombies from the path of our hero. Maybe use the predictability of zombies behavior for hero's advantage (to solve some simple puzzles).
added to my wishlist man, hope the stress gets easier for you. its already looking great. Streaming could be a great idea too, make sure to open a Kofi or donation link on twitch as well!
Hello mate, just found this page and i have subbed and picked up your game due to this video. I myself am developing a game and with work, kids and project, its tough. Anyway, thought i,d show my support. The new game looks good by the way. i'll pick that up, as survival games are my thing. Good luck
Indie dev favours a few people generally out of luck. The industry is in a bad place due to oversaturation and even great games fly under the radar. Rick Rubin's idea of creating without monetary incentive is all you can do to ensure the best product but the reality is if you need to survive you may need to find a job to support your endeavour and just accept that is the reality. No amount of stress or worry translates to a better product so for your best chance at survival is to create for the love of it and if you need a job to supplement that, that's all you can do. We create art for the sake of art, once it is out of our control we can't determine its success and it shouldn't dictate our happiness. Knowing you've done all you can is all that matters. It's easy to say this as I am not in your situation but I have been. And when I was going through it I did not keep my cool but if I could do it again I would try my best.
I agree, the work needs to be done without the threat of income in which ever way. I hope I can find a balance to be able to work on it full time but if not, im fully prepared to work on this project on the side until its complete with the time it needs either way. Its a labor of love no matter what happens
I'm somewhat in the same boat. I try to make enough to continue making games in my own time. It sucks not being able to do it full time like when I was in AAA but like you said, others have it worse
I think sometimes you have to zoom out, ignore the money part a bit ( i know its easier said than done) and just simply enjoy the beautiful thing you have created
I agree, if I had another job outside of this then it would be a none-factor for sure. I am proud of bells but ultimately in the thick of things when the bank account is dry, it’s hard to not have it be a concern. I wanted to be truthful about my headspace at each step as I document the progress.
This seems like an insanely difficult and labour intensive game to work on. Good luck, I feel like making a decent amount of content will take you a long long time without figuring out so faster workflows for art, animation, puzzle setup etc.
I went into it in a lot more detail in the previous episode but this is why im headed towards funding in the spring once i have a demo for crowdfunding/investors/publishers so i can get a second person to help with environment art above all else. If all these things fail then ill just set the expectations to players that it will take longer as i work a day job.
Hey mate, you are definitely talented and made a good product with 10 Bells. This is a praised product. I think you should consider, that the issue is something that you are not (yet) good at: Marketing. So it might be a point in time to spend more attention to that or getting in contact with someone that can help you. Someone focused on sales or maybe an influencer with reach. I just wish you best of luck and good fortunes. Dont mistake this as ill intent. Cheers
As far as I know: Most gamers don't care about visuals so much. Some do, sure, but it's a very small %. You can sell to this niche % and make lots of money, but for that you need a genius marketing strategy. For indie games, this is a good formula to spend your limited time if you want to make money: Visuals 5%, sound 5%, controls, gameplay, game feel 90%. Larger studios can afford great visuals but indies just can't... If you spend more than 5% of your time on graphics, you're wasting your time, unless you only do this for your own enjoyment. Also, you're competing with everything else a player can be doing, like browsing their phone, etc. So don't make them wait for anything, like cuscenes or having to read text on the screen, or you'll lose them. In 2024, nobody has patience. Hope it helps. I've applied this to app development and I've made some good money. But I learned time management the hard way...
I have a mantra that ive always worked with while making games which is "It has to work before it looks pretty, then it has be pretty before It sells". Gameplay feel is the most important once the player gets the game into their hands but you do need to get the game controller there for them to feel it which is where the visuals come in. Marketing is usually done through how a game looks which is testament to how Long Gone is doing, nobody has played it but its gotten 27k wishlists. This actually makes me nervous *because* people havnt played it. I agree with your sentiment in that gameplay is and should always be the most important part of a game.
Hey man, the pressure to develop the game with such a precarious financial situation must be incredibly difficult to handle. Make sure you’re looking out for your mental health as well. Genuinely looking forward to seeing you succeed. 👊🏻
Absolutely: I use Aseprite to animate, but i usually make silhouettes of my character first, once you have a silhouette then you can mask a new layer onto it and paint in all your base colours. Once you have that base, then flatten down the sihuette and the colour mask and then start adding details. Too many people try to start with details and it gets a little messy. If all this fails, then do it like they used to do it in the 90's and rotoscope it. You can film yourself doing an action then import those video frames into aseprite and draw over the top of them to get a fluid look. Hope this helps!
the advice I always give on stream is to start with a black silhouette. When we were kids we made shapes from clouds, same principle. Once you have a silhouette then you can mask in basic colors and then add your details. By compartmentalizing the shape, colors and details in your mind, you can focus on one thing at a time.
@ it’s harder to receive investment outside of kickstarter and the like. Might be worth looking into.. obviously not the expense of working on the game.
I’m a full stack corporate web developer trying to transition to doing game development on my own and I have to say after watching you in this video, I have taken so many notes. 🔥 I’m also curious on what type of software are you using to create the pixel art and character animations for the game?
That's awesome! I wish you good luck on your journey! I use Aseprite to animate pixel art. Im transitioning over to BlockBench for 3D this month but ive been working in blender so far. :)
@@hillfortgames Sweet! Thank you for sharing this with me! I’ll check out Aseprite for sure! And I’ll definitely be keeping up with your future dev logs!
Wait... 20 million views and only 150 reviews on Steam? How is that possible? I always thought that if your game is picked up by UA-camrs/streamers you're all set and rich. That is kinda depressing considering I'm almost finished with my game...
Streamers are good for momentum upon release but if you dont have any wishlists on your game then youre bound to hit the same wall as we did. I wouldn't release until you have at least 5k wishlists for that momentum to matter.
Hey! that's a really good looking, promising game. I just whist-listed. Just wondering why don't you use 3D characters instead of 2D sprites on 3D world? I've read that even "planet of Lana" (it's a Sci-Fi side scrolling puzzle platformer game like yours) started with 2D animations then shifted to 3D characters for flexibility. Keep up the good work.
Yeah.. for me gamedev is also a side hustle.. what I can recommend: livestream on youtube too (multistream) like you do on twitch.. lots of twitch guys realized, that youtube gives more money.. becsuse the videos stay there
@@hillfortgames I am using Aitum Multistream (Twitch as main) and it works perfect. and Casterlabs Caffeinated for multi chat and congrats on finding an investor
Hi, thanks for checking out the video. The devlog isn’t to promote the game but document the process. You can check out the previous episode for a full intro to the game for a better idea of what long gone is :)
make a better game then 🥸 Absolutely just kidding and frankly right there with you brother, nearly homeless and can hardly afford a meal a day for the last year or so which has been great for weight loss. 😅 Keep pushing forward, the future has dividends for you
brother! the fact that the world is throwing all the obstacles your way but you're still pushing through is admirable. keep up the hustle.
👊genuinely don't know if i could do anything else at this point! Thanks for the support!
I’m the other dev! Hello world.
Hi
Who let you out of your box?
@ quite right. Back into my hole I go
This thread reads like a scene from Nigel and Marmalade
@@burgeryoufoundbehindthegrill quite right! This does read like a scene from Nigel and Marmalade. That’s excellent news!
After the last video I bought Ten Bells, I haven't had a chance to play it yet, but it looks great. The fact that you've already put out a game that has had a good reception I think will help when it comes time to do a kickstarter later. Even if Ten Bells wasn't commercially successful I feel comfortable backing a kickstarter just because you've shown you can complete a product.
This is a good thing to keep in mind, thanks so much for the support, I hope you enjoy Ten Bells :)
holy crap the animations in that intro are insane
Thanks so much! Glad you’re digging it!
This game looks so sick! I love the honest look at game dev you have in the video. And wow, all that progress just in one episode is amazing, the house really just came to life. I can hardly wait to see how the project continues to develop, I barely finished this episode and am already looking forward to the next one!
Thanks so much for all the support man!
as a non developer and uneducated in the field of gaming industry, I'm trying to make my own indie game.
Thanks for the video.
You just got a new sub
Hey man! This looks very cool!
The mixture of cuteness and lighting mood is awesome.
The motion blur effect on your animations makes them very attractive.
Personally, I like zombies, but I have a hard time watching these dark-toned zombie dramas! They affect my mood too much!
But this kind of style is very sweet for me.
If you have to choose between mainstream popular ideas that work for big games and weird, original ideas, go with the weirdness. It always works! So far, this looks amazing!
glad its connecting! Thanks so much!
watching you do your thing on Twitch most mornings has become my morning ritual. Thanks for sharing your craft like this!
thanks for being a part of the journey!
I LOVE the animation of the characters! So smooth and full of life, ironically haha The bird animation really bums me out though, it’s so unnatural and clunky 😅
ill look into it :) Thanks for the feedback!
Stick with it. This looks really cool!
thanks so much :)
Great devlog, really well edited!
Looking forward to seeing your progress - subscribed!
thanks so much! Looking forward to the next one myself!
The game looks promising. I hope you ride out this huge tidal wave that the industry has faced and come out on the green pasture. Will support in whatever measure I can.
First two minutes of the video. I feel you soo much. I'm also dev that was touched by layoffs. Than found new job that wasn't paying me for couple of months. Additionaly I'm also solo dev. Never relate to anything in the world more than couple of first minutes. The feeling. It's hard. Hopefuly it will make you a bit better. There are more of us. Keep up good work bro, you're awesome remember
thanks so much! I really appreciate it :)
Just bought Ten Bells because of this video ❤ Look forward to playing it, and can't wait to see the next stage of your progress on Long Gone!
thanks so much for the support man!
awesome game aside, this video is really well done! love the documentary style of editing, really refreshing to see on a devlog
glad its connecting :)
Hey friend, congrats on the video! To show some support, I bought ten bells and added Long Gone to my wish-list. I’d seen your game before, and I thought it was really beautiful.
I’m going through something similar to you-I’m a 3D game artist, and I was laid off in March with my entire team. Since then, I’ve been getting by, but things just aren’t the same as they used to be. Feeling really hopeless.
Rooting for you, and I’ll be here in the comments cheering you on! Good luck and enjoy the journey.
thanks for the kind words, i really hope you land on your feet soon man, 2024 has sucked.
The game looks really promising, we are in all of this journey together , you can make it bro!
thanks so much!
Let's go. I'm following
Wishlisted your game and looking forward to it! Don't give up, your passion and dedication will make it special. Keep going!
I am so happy to have found your channel. I hope that this channel and Twitch can grow more to give you some income to breathe a little better in this awful situation. I saw Ten Bells from Alpha Beta Gamer, and knowing all you are going through and the fact that it wasn't a success is sad. I'm going to buy it and follow your journey on Twitch when I can. Also, I saw that you have a Patreon, and I am going to support you on that platform as fast as I can. In the meantime, good luck with everything. The game seems really good with the idea and the graphics in it.
i cant thank you enough, i really appreciate the support, Johnny!
Yooo I missed the news about the funding. Congrats! And great video again.
Appreciate it! Just a short term thing so far. Still on the same path of spring deadline
You got a real diamond there, just need to polish it. I watch a ton of devlogs, but i think this is the first one, where i really want to buy the game. Good luck, I’m rooting for you man!
I really appreciate that, man!
You are not alone!
Wishlisted, looks amazing. Love those devlogs too, inspiring me to move forward with my own projects as well.
This game looks amazing in every way, I hope it gets more interest and sees completion really looking forward to this games completion and release.
me too! Thanks for the support :D
I'm so hyped for the game (and demo), and I will gladly pay a full price for the game. I'm into zombie apocalypse games, movies etc, and your game looks great (I mean in terms of gameplay, but I also see a lot of potential in the graphics - animations are great, very nice pixel art, I love everything about what you're preparing for us). Keep it up!
Really happy that the game is connecting, thanks so much!
wishlisted , keep up the good work!
Looks promising. Good luck with your journey!
Keep it up man, love these vlogs - love the game concept and artwork, I trust the funding will work out!
Fingers crossed!
Game looks fantastic. Best of luck on your journey
I think the game looks great, idk why but it gives me "another world" - dos game - vibes.. i hope the algorithm gods smile upon it!!!!
that's exactly the feeling i was going for, the original pitch was "Another World x Broken Sword x Gone Home" so its awesome to see that come through :D
Thanks kinda inspired me
Never seen a game look like this, and it looks amazing
You got caseOh to play your game thats a win
Very inspiring. Hang in there, you got this!! Looking forward to playing to demo, I’ll have to give Ten Bells a go too.
thanks so much for the support, i really appreciate it :)
not a problem. Love your work. I’m also a Freelance Artist so I totally get the struggles. You got a really got thing going so keep it up.
thanks for making it for mac os too and not just windows
I love the look and feel of this game. I wish you the best of luck in your journey. Here’s to a great 2025 🤘
I love the style of your game, and I love zombie games. I will definitely buy this game-not only to support you but also because I am genuinely interested in it
Thank you!
Raising the price of Ten Bells to at least $9.99, if not $14.99, could be a strategic move. A higher price not only signals quality but also makes discounts more appealing-for instance, $4.99 during a sale would feel like a great deal while still reflecting the game's true value. There's a reason why premium products like $1,000 iPhones sell: the price communicates worth. With an already very positive rating, you can leverage that reputation to justify a higher price point. Remember, the game's success isn't solely tied to matching a low price-it’s also about projecting confidence in its quality. Undervaluing your work can hurt not only your own profitability but also the indie scene by setting unrealistic expectations. Value your work and let the price reflect it.
It was $10 to start with, every other game in our genre is $4 on average so we’re above value by double on anomaly games which was likely the original issue we had. We’ve had a lot of exposure and 11k of wishlists but people weren’t pulling the trigger which is why it’s been knocked down to $5 to try it out. Ultimately the issue we had on Bells was not having enough wishlists pre-launch.
Been following you on twitch every day almost. Love your stuff and your games! Keep pushing it man!
PS.: I ve been laid off 2 also in the past 2 years. I know how it feels. This industry is grueling. But you got this man!! I know it!
And keep pushing nice stuff!
thanks so much man, i appreciate your support and your presence on Twitch, its been a great first month or so and youve been apart of it!
This is sick af i would pay 100 to play this.
I'm definitely buying that game
I haven't played any zombie game since the days of the DayZ mod, so this one looks really nice; and the puzzle-focus makes it a definite buy for me
I run a game development studio in Korea~ Yesterday was our year-end party, and until the New Year, I’m planning to start my personal project, which I’ve been working on at home, during my holiday getaway~ Let’s have fun making games together!
Overthinking kills the process brother , keep working I love Ur game and someone maybe not , that doesn't matter the thing that matters is that you do your best
I love the look and feel of the game! I also love the overall idea for the game. Don't give up!! I can totally understand the feeling but hang in there!!
making good progress!
When your done, release a book with pictures of your game assets designs and nice pictures from your game world.
The designs are worth it.
I’d love to release an art book one day :)
Hey there! Been loving these devlogs so far!
Just noticed a mistake cropping up between 6:36 and 6:44 - the object called 'Draw' is actually spelled 'Drawer'. English is weird sometimes.
Anyway, I'm absolutely going to be following this devlog series religiously.
Its from the prototype days, its somewhat of an on-going joke on stream to the point im leaving it as long as I can xD
The game looks very good !
My sister's bf just bought Ten Bells today and played it, loved it! Don't stop creating, life will find a way! ♥
(i will buy the game *very soon*)
Wishing you all the success. You have a backer out of me as this game is looking great and made with passion. Maybe a kick starter might support as we can all see your dedication and talent and all want this game as looks great. Every game you create will bring followers, learning new things from it for next etc. Please keep going. I know it is easier said than done but don't push yourself so hard as you're doing so awesome
Thanks so much, man. I really appreciate this.
Congrats on the investment!! Been watching the streams
I'm a gaming youtuber that uploads mostly survival games and I can say you have nothing to worry about. This game will sell and I know a handful of survival gamers that will buy it. Can't wait to try the game out. Just keep up the grind! You got this!
I guess that's the problem i have in that its not really a survival game, its something i need to communicate better moving forward for sure. Thanks for the feedback though, i appreciate the support!
My fresh look: impressive visuals pixel-art in 3D (similar to "Cloud Gardens" game) and vibes of "Last of Us".
And ... interesting SATIRICAL interactions with enemies. Something like in new Indiana Jones, but zombies are much more dumpier. Even they are cruel killers if the hero is not clever enough to get rid of them.
I expect that game mechanic will be focused on plenty funny and satirical ways of get rid of zombies from the path of our hero.
Maybe use the predictability of zombies behavior for hero's advantage (to solve some simple puzzles).
it looks good!! keep it up!
Thanks, will do!
I dont have a pc but i would still buy it to support you
added to my wishlist man, hope the stress gets easier for you. its already looking great. Streaming could be a great idea too, make sure to open a Kofi or donation link on twitch as well!
Thanks so much! I have a patron and a donation tip jar on the twitch page :)
Keeping going! Nice video and nice game!
Amazing!
Hopefully Tim Schafer sees that video
The game looks sooo beautiful!!! I await it! your workflow is also very amazing, its a shame that the industry is just the way it is.
thank for making this
thanks for watching this!
you should get a promo link for that pen-holder. And get some kick-back for promoting it.
I want one now.
Buying Ten Bells for support
Seen some of your videos about Long Gone before but no idea you'd released Ten Bells. Just bought it to show support.
I hope you enjoy the game :)
Hello mate, just found this page and i have subbed and picked up your game due to this video.
I myself am developing a game and with work, kids and project, its tough.
Anyway, thought i,d show my support.
The new game looks good by the way. i'll pick that up, as survival games are my thing.
Good luck
Thanks so much :) it’s less of a traditional survival game and more of a puzzle adventure, hope that still perks your interest!
@hillfortgames I'm still interested. Looks good.
10 bells is a quality anomaly game, I’m surprised it hasn’t done better. Did you put it on GOG too?
Not yet, it's something we plan to tackle in the new year!
Good luck!
thanks, Alex! Ill need it ^_^
Indie dev favours a few people generally out of luck. The industry is in a bad place due to oversaturation and even great games fly under the radar. Rick Rubin's idea of creating without monetary incentive is all you can do to ensure the best product but the reality is if you need to survive you may need to find a job to support your endeavour and just accept that is the reality. No amount of stress or worry translates to a better product so for your best chance at survival is to create for the love of it and if you need a job to supplement that, that's all you can do. We create art for the sake of art, once it is out of our control we can't determine its success and it shouldn't dictate our happiness. Knowing you've done all you can is all that matters.
It's easy to say this as I am not in your situation but I have been. And when I was going through it I did not keep my cool but if I could do it again I would try my best.
I agree, the work needs to be done without the threat of income in which ever way. I hope I can find a balance to be able to work on it full time but if not, im fully prepared to work on this project on the side until its complete with the time it needs either way. Its a labor of love no matter what happens
I'm somewhat in the same boat. I try to make enough to continue making games in my own time. It sucks not being able to do it full time like when I was in AAA but like you said, others have it worse
The game is looking great. And such a cute kitty ☺️
she's the best!
I think sometimes you have to zoom out, ignore the money part a bit ( i know its easier said than done) and just simply enjoy the beautiful thing you have created
I agree, if I had another job outside of this then it would be a none-factor for sure. I am proud of bells but ultimately in the thick of things when the bank account is dry, it’s hard to not have it be a concern. I wanted to be truthful about my headspace at each step as I document the progress.
what cool game. its gonna be awesome!
This seems like an insanely difficult and labour intensive game to work on. Good luck, I feel like making a decent amount of content will take you a long long time without figuring out so faster workflows for art, animation, puzzle setup etc.
I went into it in a lot more detail in the previous episode but this is why im headed towards funding in the spring once i have a demo for crowdfunding/investors/publishers so i can get a second person to help with environment art above all else. If all these things fail then ill just set the expectations to players that it will take longer as i work a day job.
Neat game idea!
Hey mate, you are definitely talented and made a good product with 10 Bells. This is a praised product.
I think you should consider, that the issue is something that you are not (yet) good at: Marketing.
So it might be a point in time to spend more attention to that or getting in contact with someone that can help you.
Someone focused on sales or maybe an influencer with reach.
I just wish you best of luck and good fortunes. Dont mistake this as ill intent.
Cheers
None taken, I agree with you wholeheartedly. Just being honest about how I was feeling in October at the time
As far as I know:
Most gamers don't care about visuals so much. Some do, sure, but it's a very small %. You can sell to this niche % and make lots of money, but for that you need a genius marketing strategy.
For indie games, this is a good formula to spend your limited time if you want to make money:
Visuals 5%, sound 5%, controls, gameplay, game feel 90%.
Larger studios can afford great visuals but indies just can't...
If you spend more than 5% of your time on graphics, you're wasting your time, unless you only do this for your own enjoyment.
Also, you're competing with everything else a player can be doing, like browsing their phone, etc. So don't make them wait for anything, like cuscenes or having to read text on the screen, or you'll lose them. In 2024, nobody has patience.
Hope it helps. I've applied this to app development and I've made some good money. But I learned time management the hard way...
I have a mantra that ive always worked with while making games which is "It has to work before it looks pretty, then it has be pretty before It sells". Gameplay feel is the most important once the player gets the game into their hands but you do need to get the game controller there for them to feel it which is where the visuals come in. Marketing is usually done through how a game looks which is testament to how Long Gone is doing, nobody has played it but its gotten 27k wishlists. This actually makes me nervous *because* people havnt played it. I agree with your sentiment in that gameplay is and should always be the most important part of a game.
Hey man, the pressure to develop the game with such a precarious financial situation must be incredibly difficult to handle. Make sure you’re looking out for your mental health as well. Genuinely looking forward to seeing you succeed. 👊🏻
Keep up the fight, brother
can you guys give me some tips on how to make this kind of pixel style?
Absolutely: I use Aseprite to animate, but i usually make silhouettes of my character first, once you have a silhouette then you can mask a new layer onto it and paint in all your base colours. Once you have that base, then flatten down the sihuette and the colour mask and then start adding details.
Too many people try to start with details and it gets a little messy. If all this fails, then do it like they used to do it in the 90's and rotoscope it. You can film yourself doing an action then import those video frames into aseprite and draw over the top of them to get a fluid look.
Hope this helps!
stop stressing , you are stressing the cat with you 🤣
She’s the one hammering on me; “yo, I need cat food”
@hillfortgames
😆😭 Noooooo , that cracked my heart
How to get started with drawing simple 2d pixel sprites? What would you have done if you had to do it? Thnx in advance :)
the advice I always give on stream is to start with a black silhouette. When we were kids we made shapes from clouds, same principle. Once you have a silhouette then you can mask in basic colors and then add your details. By compartmentalizing the shape, colors and details in your mind, you can focus on one thing at a time.
Just wondering, as an indie, have you set yourself up as a company yet?
I dont think its really too important to do that until you have money coming in
@ it’s harder to receive investment outside of kickstarter and the like. Might be worth looking into.. obviously not the expense of working on the game.
I’m a full stack corporate web developer trying to transition to doing game development on my own and I have to say after watching you in this video, I have taken so many notes. 🔥
I’m also curious on what type of software are you using to create the pixel art and character animations for the game?
That's awesome! I wish you good luck on your journey!
I use Aseprite to animate pixel art. Im transitioning over to BlockBench for 3D this month but ive been working in blender so far. :)
@@hillfortgames Sweet! Thank you for sharing this with me! I’ll check out Aseprite for sure! And I’ll definitely be keeping up with your future dev logs!
Multiple revenue sources.. You are hella talented dude. Here’s to hoping twitch pops off for you.
Thanks man, ive been enjoying it so far!
Nicee
Wait... 20 million views and only 150 reviews on Steam? How is that possible? I always thought that if your game is picked up by UA-camrs/streamers you're all set and rich. That is kinda depressing considering I'm almost finished with my game...
Streamers are good for momentum upon release but if you dont have any wishlists on your game then youre bound to hit the same wall as we did. I wouldn't release until you have at least 5k wishlists for that momentum to matter.
Hey! that's a really good looking, promising game. I just whist-listed. Just wondering why don't you use 3D characters instead of 2D sprites on 3D world? I've read that even "planet of Lana" (it's a Sci-Fi side scrolling puzzle platformer game like yours) started with 2D animations then shifted to 3D characters for flexibility. Keep up the good work.
Thanks so much. I just like the look of pixel art, I think it grabs attention a little more :)
@@hillfortgames yeah I agree. and it would be much harder to get that aesthetics from a 3D pixel character. Keep up the good work!
whishlist++
Yeah.. for me gamedev is also a side hustle..
what I can recommend: livestream on youtube too (multistream) like you do on twitch.. lots of twitch guys realized, that youtube gives more money.. becsuse the videos stay there
Thanks for the tips! I’ll look into it :)
@@hillfortgames I am using Aitum Multistream (Twitch as main) and it works perfect. and Casterlabs Caffeinated for multi chat
and congrats on finding an investor
hi what is your setup
I have a Mac Studio m2ultra. Works well for my needs :)
:)
Really cool! Although it’s giving major TLOU vibes. The setting, music, logo, character (Joel).
The economy sucks man. Sorry.
can confirm.
No idea about an actual gameplay, but description not catching.
Hi, thanks for checking out the video. The devlog isn’t to promote the game but document the process. You can check out the previous episode for a full intro to the game for a better idea of what long gone is :)
make a better game then 🥸
Absolutely just kidding and frankly right there with you brother, nearly homeless and can hardly afford a meal a day for the last year or so which has been great for weight loss. 😅
Keep pushing forward, the future has dividends for you