I liked the story, though the ending always did feel a bit abrupt to me. If you’re doing a rewrite for polishing, you may want to consider amending that, but otherwise, I never saw any problems with it. If and when you do decide to publish it (I hope that is what you decide) I do plan on purchasing the game. And if you do go on to complete the sequel, I will be eagerly awaiting whatever adventure you choose to bring us next.
But yes, you should definitely do an official beta, whether you do it here or elsewhere.
If I were you, I’d first think about the substance of the book. Is there anything in the story that you want to change? Not grammar, but the story. Is anything inconsistent? Clunky?
Once you’ve made any changes you wanted to, then you can do a beta test.
And once you’ve got everything where you want it, then you can work on grammar, writing style, prose, etc.
Hi! Thank you so much for the feedback - I will take a look at the ending, a fresh check is always a good idea! I’m glad you enjoyed it otherwise, it’s my main aim to see happy readers!
Thank you for the advice, it’s very helpful! I think on the story side of things, I’m quite satisfied with how it is at the moment, and it seems to have been enjoyed by those who’ve read it. For the smaller details that I might have missed, a beta test would help me greatly with identifying them.
My main issue with earlier writing is my style and grammar, but you are correct, I can do that while the test is running, keep polishing my work alongside doing everything else.
BETA TEST IS NOW OFFICIALLY OPEN - PLEASE, APPLY FOR TESTING THE GAME!
Hi dear readers,
Thank you for your overwhelming trust and support. The opinions that I’ve collected over the past few days have finally motivated me to put aside my self-criticism and doubt, and to make the next step towards SoJ’s release.
Yes, Scales of Justice is now officially in its BETA-test phase!!
If you would like to help me by being a BETA-tester for my book, please, comment under this post, send me a direct message, or message me on Tumblr. I aim to take around 20 to 30 people, so we can have a big and productive group that nonetheless remains constructive in its feedback.
If you don’t have the time or you don’t want to be a tester, consider sharing this post, so it can get to as many of you as possible.
I will be working alongside the testers on improving style, grammar, and other minor details that require polishing as the month progresses. Hopefully, by the end of it we’ll have an even better version of this book that will be submitted for approval to Hosted Games!
I want to thank everyone who participated in the public BETA-test for my game. After many years of work, and a month of arduous, meticulous dissection of my book’s sins, Scales of Justice has now officially finished its BETA-testing and has been submitted for review by Hosted Games. Whatever the decision made on this game’s future, I want to thank everyone who has been supporting me throughout this journey - my friends, family, but first and foremost, my dear readers, strangers who enjoyed my silly writing and reached out to let me know about it. You have no idea how motivating and inspiring your feedback was, how much it meant for a new writer like me to see her prose be received so positively. Knowing that there was at least one person in this world who liked my story was enough to keep me going; knowing that there was more than one was overwhelming, in a good way.
To my BETA-testers, thank you for volunteering to the painful task of re-reading, proof-reading, and bug-testing my game, for sending me helpful screenshots to facilitate my job, and for supporting me in private. You have made this possible, and you have reinforced my confidence in my own project when I risked losing it as I read through my older work. Thank you, truly!!
Now, all we have to do is wait. I hope I’ve done every step of the process correctly, and that my game is of acceptable quality for Hosted Games. Fingers crossed… I’ll post updates here once I hear back from them!
WE DID IT! After a few weeks of wait and talks, I can finally announce that Scales of Justice has been officially accepted for publication, both on Hosted Games and on Steam! The current publication date is set for January 2025; however, if that changes, I will update you with new information.
I am so, so grateful to everyone who has been here for me during these past 3 years. What began as a shy attempt at dreaming has grown into a marvelous project that taught me so much, brought me so many new experiences and skills, and is going to end with my first publication as an author. I cannot be more grateful and excited. I hope this is only the beginning of an amazing journey.
I am currently finishing my degree and working on preparing for the release; however, I will soon be posting a little more of my thoughts about future projects (including SoJ 2), continuing Torn Page on Tumblr, and being a bit more active with my audience. Until then, please, spread the word, and let’s celebrate this together! ^^
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Apologies for the late reply, deadlines are never done for this eternal student haha