itch.io

I’m not offended. If I was I would use a whole lot less text - or wouldn’t reply at all.

How do I put it… Starting out as an independent developer is hard. And the hardships you are experiencing now are just the beginning. But I can promise you this: With every single step you take on this journey, it will get easier. In about two years from now you’ll be tackling far bigger problems like it’s nothing.

However in the present, and from my outside view of things, it seems like you are struggling. I can say some things that will help you with those struggles, but my guess would be that I might sound really harsh to you. So if you’re not feeling too well today, maybe put a pin in this and read the rest of this tomorrow… This post will still be here.

So with that out of the way:

• Like MGC_Vlad already said: Your biggest roadblock right now is that you’re asking potential players to install python. You have given a very detailed description to make that as easy as possible - but over 80% of people wouldn’t put in the effort even if they really, really wanted that game. If you cannot give them a ready to go-version with python, look for another free engine - maybe something akin to Ren’Py. Or straight up ask other active python developers here on the site how they did it - either in the forums or, if you’re feeling bold, in their forums and comment sections.
• The images you use for your ice cream cones are some sort of stock image, whereas the machine is a collection of geometric shapes that have a different line thickness. That dissonance in style makes your game look cheap. If you were to replace the cones with your own art your project as a whole would look better - even if the graphics look “simple”. There’s beauty in simplicity.
• Currently you have only one screenshot. I can guess what kind of game it is, but having 3 to 5 screenshots, ideally one of them animated, would be much more helpful - so even the densest viewer can tell what’s going on. ;)
• With that out of the way, you will have one or two “best” screenshots that show how your game looks in action. Those are the ones you should use in your release announcement.
• And lastly: As far as I can tell you’ve done a good job with the tags, but you should add the python tag. Which you had no way of knowing existed, because it doesn’t show up in the preview when typing. I only found out because I wanted to brute force an answer out of the search and already knew that “non-prominent tags” are even a thing. A month ago I didn’t know that. To close with a quote from Men in Black (1997):

James Darrell Edwards III: “Why the big secret? People are smart. They can handle it.”

Agent K: “A ‘person’ is smart. ‘People’ are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it.

Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you’ll know tomorrow.”