Let’s refocus on the feedback posting, please.
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Asking people for help on a game is hard. Imposter syndrome is real- I mean I know I feel worried that if you ask people might feel like they’re obligated to look at a game they don’t really want to. You’re going to find the games that need this thread the most are probably also the ones that the authors are feeling worst about and worried about trying to push it out there even more 
I personally like the give and get feedback model as that way I know everyone is benefiting but given my lack of time that’s often tricky for me to commit to also. Anyway, I really do hope this thread connects people. I appreciate what you’re doing here @Eiwynn. I wonder if there’s a few more people like me in the mix though that are feeling awkward about asking rather than just not appreciating your work in maintaining this thread or the people who are kindly volunteering.
Anyway back to the scheduled programming 
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It is. We have talked about it before.
Thoughts about feedback in a general sense follows:
There are as many ways of getting feedback as there is developing a game.
The issues involved with getting feedback are as real as the issues in writing and developing a game.
Time, a sense of obligation and more are all factors involved, yet there is one universal thing that is involved with feedback, and that is “the effort to connect with testers.”
Even if you do not intend to do any testing in the current month, getting yourself in front of the people that you can connect with later is important.
Start making a list of potential readers, what they are willing to test and what they are not. Make contact with them, not to demand they read something immediately, but to establish a working dialogue with them.
Those that you feel comfortable with, you can then share some of your plans … for example, I have been mentioning my upcoming pre-beta to people for the last six months.
I wish I could set up a private exchange, but I am nowhere near having the ability to do that.
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We know, and we appreciate your help support and the people who volunteer. And there’s they burning at seeing writers not sending anything.
Both sides want to help and both sides can feel like they are not being valued and the other is harsh.
But as writer have felt buried and received harmful pms in my most vulnerable moments.
I simply not really ready for send pm to people I don’t know. I am not in that moment.
Same some readers don’t feel like are good enough for giving feedback.
Anyone is good enough. As you can have an input that can be key for an author.
I only asking for everyone empathy. Calling people entitled only causes poisonous and bitterness.
I can testify that Bitterness and failure are not fine. You don’t want to end like me. We should try to not create more Maras here.
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Let me begin by saying no pressure, I’m asking this out of curiosity.
Just wondering, after I made my author post, did anyone here stop by my WIP thread as a result? I did receive some likes and comments there, but I don’t know if those folks went there via my author post here, or because the thread had been bumped by people commenting. For those people who have been hanging around here to see if writers needed help - did you eventually check it out?
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- User Name: @expectedoperator
- Author Post
- The Judgement of Tarkar
- Genre: Fantasy - Life Sim - Adventure
- Time Commitment: Currently in alpha stage
- Feedback: Anything
- Link: The Judgement of Tarkar
- Contact: I prefer feedback in the WIP thread for now so it’s altogether
- User Name: @expectedoperator
- Reader Post
- Genres and Tags: Fantasy
- Hard Passes: Gender-locked male MCs; games that aren’t playable on dashingdon/moodyink
- Time commitment: It’s near the end of April, but, uh… for April, I can participate in beta or alpha runs – authors can follow up on feedback given, and I’ll usually respond in less than a week.
- Specific qualifications: I have no idea how to answer this, and therefore I won’t.
- Contact: DMs allowed, but I’d prefer authors to @ me in their WIP threads first (especially if it’s in the alpha stage)
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I didn’t, but only because it is female-locked.
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That’s entirely fair.
On another note. I think the lack of author posts here is due to the lack of new WIPs this month. I often keep an eye out for new WIPs, and there has been a large drop recently. People have final exams, I think. We might be able to get a more lively thread in May.
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No, I didn’t. Beta testing is more my kind of thing. It’s more difficult to give good feedback if I don’t have a clear direction to aim that feedback in. The author posts this month both seem to be for alpha testing. (Unless yours is actually in its beta stages but on the shorter side because of images or something? It’s been a while since I last saw a completed game clock in at 45k words. Still, Otome games aren’t really my thing.)
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No problem. I’m working on Dragon of Steelthorne 2 right now, which will be close to complete when the WIP thread is out. (I’ll post here).
Alpha testing for now. I’m not expecting to complete it anytime soon.
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I’ve been skulking around here because i’m not great at giving feedback and would rather not commit myself to it if i don’t have to but if I see something here then ill quietly go check it out. I didn’t actually play yours because as an avid otome player, I have not had any good encounters with IF that claims to be otome LOL. you adding a bunch of uhhh self deprecating disclaimers?? to this post and the thread AND the game put me off because I was like ‘ok damn if they don’t think their game is good then it must really be bad 
’ and having already been burned before, I decided to make a quick escape.
ALL THIS YAPPING TO SAY
I think having more confidence in your writing will maybe pull in more people, advertising it as botched is already setting it up to fail!! it puts prospective testers off, at least in my case.
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Self-deprecating humor works for me. 
A writer’s gotta laugh at themselves sometimes.
Your call. 
If you change your mind, you’re welcome to take a look.
I might have taken the self-deprecation too far… But the implementing the entire idea was more mind-boggling than I realized… so I was trying to convey that, with humor.
Anyway, not that the WIP is struggling for eyeballs, but I could always use more.
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Hmm, well I think it’s especially common in NZ, Aust and parts of Europe, but it’s very much frowned upon to hype up what you’re doing/make it seem great and successful, unless you want to get cut down (Re: Tall poppy syndrome). Self depreciating humour is VERY common and you’re almost expected to make jokes at your own expense. It’s normal and to a degree it’s actually kind of good to be able to not take yourself too seriously at times. (And sometimes that’s all it is! Just a lighthearted way of introducing your game.)
Can go further if you mix that in with a good dose of imposter syndrome, and people who are already already worried about putting their games out there, especially if they have proven to be unpopular and cue pre-emptive self defense lines, even if it might prove self sabotaging in some ways. Probably worth giving the authors in this thread a bit of slack and the benefit of the doubt… or not, your choice 
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I found your WIP thread first! I stumbled on this by chance.
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I guessed as much.
Actually, given that this feedback assist thread has had the most activity so far, I’m thinking we allow some general discussion on feedback in addition to the reader/author posts, and also provide an option for readers to be tagged in this thread by prospective authors if they are comfortable with it. This might provide the steady stream of comments needed to keep this thread bumped, while still retaining its original purpose.
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Heck I’m not afraid of getting feedback, so if you’re interested, here you go!
- EMT-fields
- Author Post
- Canis Canem Edit
- Adult Content, Military, Crime, Serious
- No time commitment
- Mostly I’m looking for criticism. If parts are boring or drag out to long, I’d like to know. What did you find interesting. General impressions are fine as well. Any thing that comes to mind is welcome.
*Here’s the link to the thread: Canis Canem Edit. I’m not planning on opening it back up until I’m finished with the first chapter. So feel free to DM me for all feedback.
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Discussing the theory-crafting of feedback is fine, but discussing actual feedback is something that should be done in the WiP threads themselves.
The original purpose of this thread should remain its sole focus.
Thank you for understanding 
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Yeah, I see this place as an author. Like a HEY LISTEN and a way to find people interested and then that the feedback happen in pm or in the author thread.
This is like the feedback Tinder lol.
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- User Name: Wannabe_Human
- Author Post
- Wonderland Noir
- Dark modern fantasy, surreal, horror, American gods/Fables, Alice in Wonderland
- Time commitment: one-time, as chapters are released. So far it’s only the prologue and the first two chapters.
- Feedback that you are seeking: Is the writing quality to your standards? How are the characters? Is the plot understandable or obscured? Is the plot intriguing or drab? Also, general thoughts on narrative and means to improve the aforementioned points.
- [WIP] Wonderland Noir, Book 1 (Prologue,Chapter 1, and Chapter 2 Complete!).
Thread has closed, but still being worked on. DM feedback, or use Discord link.
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