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Power: take and use's itch.io pageDevLog Link
https://microsvard.wordpress.com/2024/05/12/my-first-game-jam
Developer Feedback Questions
itch stopped giving views to the game, there are no users to get feedback from ordinary real players (not developers).
I don’t understand, is the problem with my game being really bad or the lack of traffic to the game?
Does it make sense to do something with this game, continue to improve it, or abandon it and do something completely different?
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Comments
> itch stopped giving views to the game
if you want to have views, you need to promote your game and cultivate an audience. this can be done by posting online about your game, entering jams (especially large ones), and putting out other games. unfortunately, lots of games fade out from "new and popular" on itch very quickly and get basically no views again.
> there are no users to get feedback from ordinary real players (not developers)
developers also play games. while it is good to get a diverse set of playtest opinions, developer opinions are still valuable and can provide helpful insights :)
> is the problem with my game being really bad or the lack of traffic to the game?
i think part of the issue is that you don't have a tutorial and that player's goals are really unclear. additionally, the controls all feel a bit sluggish / non-responsive.
> Does it make sense to do something with this game ... or abandon it?
i think that's up to you. do you find this game fun to work on? what are your goals for this project?
i can imagine a really cool version of this if you continue working on it, but whether you want to continue investing in it is up to you.
other notes:
- the game crashes after i die. the first time, my character popped up again but i couldn't move/nothing was happening. the second time, the screen froze on the scene as it was before my character died.
- i think you can't move when other circles are moving? this feels a bit odd
- what are the other white circles for?
- quoting yourself is a little pretentious haha -- you can just leave the quote and not attribute it. people will understand that you wrote it since it's on your page
ETA: sorry, meant to leave a gaming but the jam closed before i could.
Thank you for playing and such a great detailed review,
I can't imagine where I can promote such a small game. Apart from channels like "reddit games" I couldn't find anything suitable. It is unlikely that such small games as ours can interest the respectable reddit gamers that plays large AAA games.
I thought that itch was just a platform for small, beginner indie games, but in fact, probably all the traffic goes to large, already popular games. This means my game is not interesting to the players.
Jams are again game developers, good for getting feedback, but not getting enough players.
The goal was to make a working prototype of the game in a short time, something suitable and working, and then regularly get at least 5-10 players a day. Improve the game according to the wishes of those who want to play such a game. But the game currently only has 20 "Browser Plays". Goal failed :).
"i think you can't move when other circles are moving?"
No, after death, control of the unit is lost, but if there is a white unit nearby, you can switch to it and control it.
"what are the other white circles for?"
You can switch between white circles (units) and manage them one by one.
"quoting yourself is a little pretentious haha"
it was such an exaggerated joke from an unknown indie developer :)), in proportion to the epic theme of jam (POWER)
there's a lot of players who look at/play larger jams. the bump in views from jams also helps you stay on "new and popular" which attracts players. my entries to the git hub game off jam have gotten ~5k and ~1k views respectively, and most of these views were not from devs.
other things you can do to make more people play your game is invest in a really great thumbnail and game page. these matter a lot for whether people give it a try when they're choosing between the thousands of games on itch.
5-10 players a day is a massive amount, and honestly pretty unrealistic. most indie games on steam only get like 20 wishlists a week, nevermind 5 a day, and itch is a lot smaller than steam.
in terms of improving based on what people want, you're not going to get a good game that way. it's important to filter feedback through your own design goals, otherwise you'll end up with game that doesn't feel cohesive or have a clear direction.
> No, after death, control of the unit is lost, but if there is a white unit nearby, you can switch to it and control it.
my comment was in reference to during the game (before death). you need to explain the nearby units/unit switching thing somewhere more clearly.
"players who look at/play larger jams. ..views from jams also helps you stay on "new and popular". my entries to the git hub game off jam .., and most of these views were not from devs."
this is very interesting and good if it is really accurate information, but how did you know this? and why do you think that most jams participants are not game developers?
"other things you can do to make more people play your game is invest in a really great thumbnail and game page"
this topic is covered in darkness, I have seen beautiful, magnificent covers for unpopular games, and terrible covers that shot to the top. It's more like luck and lottery :). IMHO the effort on the cover is not worth it. This can only happen if there is an A/B test.
My current CTR fluctuates between 0.5-2%, what is the average and maximum CTR that is considered normal on itch and steam?
"5-10 players a day is a massive amount, and honestly pretty unrealistic"
But you have 5000 views ~ 1000-2500 plays, jam 7-30 days, that means ~ 1000/30~33 2500/7~350 => 33-350 plays/day
"important to filter feedback"
I agree, we need a balance between the various conflicting wishes of the players and our own vision of the project
"you need to explain the nearby units/unit switching thing somewhere more clearly."
I'll add a note to todolist to make unit selection clearer
> why do you think that most jams participants are not game developers?
they're not jam participants. there's people who go play games from popular jams since they hear about them/know about them. you can tell by looking at where your views are from on your dashboard.
> I have seen beautiful, magnificent covers for unpopular games, and terrible covers that shot to the top.
yeah, but it drastically improves your odds unless you already have a following
> what is the average and maximum CTR that is considered normal on itch and steam?
steam idk. 2-3% is average for a game that's doing well on itch i think
> But you have 5000 views
the game is 2.5 years old. we got a huge amount of views during the jam rating period (especially the first week) and then ~0-5 views a day since then. this is likely because we moved off new and popular and because we're not actively updating it
The instructions are quite unclear. I was collecting the gray balls when I touched an enemy and I was losing health so I thought it was bad. Also, when touching a power thing, I was randomly gaining and losing health and power because I wasn't sure what I was doing. Also, the ball collecting minigames take a bit too much time. It should be faster. Finally, there doesn't seem to be any goal of any kind. Add a storyline or something so the player has something to strive for.
Thanks for playing and feedback,
I added your notes to my todo list