As someone who was three games at 3.9, 3.6, and 3.6, I can say from experience that anything below 4.0 drastically decreases sales. For example, The Magician’s Burden has a 4.2, which is only .3 points above TotDH, but it was 6x as successful.
All that said, please don’t be discouraged, @hustlertwo. It took me 3 games and several years to finally get my feet under me, and it’s very rare for an author’s first work to get stellar reviews, especially if it pushes some boundaries like Toaster does. Even most of the bestsellers from CoG and HG had far less successful works elsewhere at first.
Hmm, interesting to know. I’m basing the “reviews aren’t everything” off Starship and Wizardry. Wizardry has a lower rating and was released earlier, but continues to outsell Starship. Then again, two completely different genres so that probably has a lot to do with it.
I agree. I learned heaps from writing and releasing Wizardry. You’re also writing something that is space themed and a comedy, both of which are relatively uncommon in the releases compared to magic and fantasy. It’s got a niche, keep going with the writing and you’ll get there
Steam users are a different breed than the phone app markets. That is both good and bad. Or neither … it just means that as a general rule, they focus on different aspects of the games they buy.
Review bombing is a concern for some but HG games are so niche, I really don’t think such would happen, even if the game somehow upset a portion of the users it appeals to.
Most Steam users that will be interested enough to visit your store page, let alone purchase your game will be cross-over gamers of visual novels and the like. A lot of those have set protagonists (due to art and other features not offered) so their expectations will not be the same as the app markets.
With that said, CoG/HG titles usually show-case features that VNs do not. The price point is one such feature - that works in your favor. The lack of art works against you, and so-forth.
The biggest dings I foresee, from legitimate reviews will be: I’m giving up art and music of normal virtual novels and instead of giving me more customable protagonists, you are are still presenting set characters.
I think one of the more frustrating things is that I chose a low price point in part to head off these sorts of criticisms. It’s a first effort, it’s niche, I was still figuring out a lot of stuff. It’s got presets and builds to a sequel that may or may not happen. But hey, how often does a IF title come out with 160,000 words for $1.99 at launch? Hopefully that scores some points (or at least blunts the worst criticisms) on Steam when/if people find it there. Like, more than the 33 who have thus far.
Tally Ho (which has I believe had strong sales), Eerie Estate Agent and N’hood Necro, as well as Starship. Most recently, Baroque made me laugh out loud at Holofernes several times, though she’s a funny character against a decidedly grim setting.
It’s still quite new and there are only 25 reviews, which means they weight more heavily. For example my 1 review raised it by 0.1 ( an influance I normally don’t have XD )
Hopefully your game will get more reviews and it’ll even out. Let’s just sit back and see how it goes
I let Solus live in a hope that i will turn her to the light one day, and surprise !! I got to know GloPac has mole by doing that … so in sequel, could it be that i only pretend to work with her orgsnisation but just trying to gain more information about them ? Could i convince Fiorella not to hate me for freeing Solus ? Solus seems interesting to interact with
You would have the option to follow the Solus-supporting path and still bail at several points during The Hoard. But no matter who you are, you would have a relationship penalty with the other person once you publically take action in favor of the faction she supports. Not an insurmountable one, and definitely less if you’re playing as Fi because Alexi isn’t that loyal to anything (though he still hates Solus and her people for what they did to Neb). But there’s going to be repercussions. Then again, other characters might react differently, including those not introduced yet.
At least Train and Nu will like me… Lol, thus far Fiorella trusted me … am hoping to remain good faith with her but don’t want to kill Solus as well …Lol. :-)
I read the author’s statement further down this thread and it seems sexuality does not feature heavily in the game, that said Alexi in the demo didn’t set off my gaydar, which isn’t great but that may be the cultural default assumptions that all guys are straight unless otherwise defined speaking there.
Also agreed on the preset characters, I like defining my mc’s myself and as a great many games and WIP’s around here show it is possible to give the mc plenty of background in such a framework too. Just look at Vendetta, XoR or Hong Kong Blood Opera. Though granted those three works, as well as the Myrmidon, are not something I’d want to challenge every author to take up but they do prove you can have both plenty of background and plenty of customization with player-defined mc’s.
I agree, fortunately, this is why CoG has demo’s and after playing the demo I have decided not to go all in on this one.
I don’t know my girl seems to desire woman. Think is okay But I wanted flirt with Alex not with everything with boobs. Alex seems more neutral in all regard fiona is totally set in a stone
I obviously didn’t try the female preset, so I’ll take your word for it.
Like I said, it may simply be due to the automatic and deeply ingrained cultural assumptions on my part as well as that he doesn’t seem to fit the profile of the sorts of (gay) guys I like that triggers this for me.
Score is tending upward at least, to 3.8. And it’s over 1,000 downloads on Google, though there’s no telling how many people bit. Still no Steam or Amazon reviews from what I have seen, and a little less than 50 sales on Steam thus far.
A surprise from my wife tonight. Not that she made it, mind you. Her stuff is delicious but doesn’t tend to be this presentable. But it was still pretty cool.
It was certainly not a catch all assessment.
