I spent Three years working on my dream indie game project. Now what?

If your not good enough, what's next?
store.steampow...
Music in the video.
Dear my Dear
Fall into Oblivion
Life within the little bottle
Kirche
Scenery view from the slop roof
Passing each other
Rural Ground
Amemomori

[@miguelhernandez6733]

Here commenting once more. Your dilemma has been on my mind since yesterday. I also began to do a RPG Maker project circa 2006, but I quickly realized it was going to take too long to produce and quickly dropped it. But I also watched some Indie developers tutorial video some years ago, there they said something that weight heavy on my mind: For your first game, try to make it simple and get it done super fast, and release one after another becoming better. Yesterday I was playing the crunchyroll vault game: Evans Remains. That game has great art, but once I began to play it, I quickly realized that it was done maddly simple, and could be replicated fairly easy. Maybe try to do te opposite for yourself, your first game had a long and overcomplicated development, make your second game the opposite by getting it done fast and simple, even if you don't realease it. Test yourself, see what have you learned and try again with a more doable approach.

[@simi7272]

You got it right. Your game doesn't stand out at all. I ditched the idea of maning a game in RPG maker because of that exact reason. So I chose Unreal xD. If your gameplay mechanics are good, and your story amazing (I dunno, haven't played it) then maxbe you should try building the game in Unreal? With beautiful 3D graphics? Maybe not? Maybe yes? Another thing you mentioned, is that people shouldn't use pre made assets, so that there game stands out. No one cares about using assets, and no one would notice that. Just don't overdo it, don't make your characters have pre-made models. If you make an environment out of assets, but the enemies and characters yourself, no one will notice that you used assets to make the environment. Edit: Just saw your steampage. Taking almost 20$ for this game is really a lot. I don't know how other people think about this, but I would never pay even 10 for something that looks like just another RPG maker game. I am not here to be toxic or hateful towards you, but just realistic. I am certain that the game is fun and has a good story, but sadly, this just is not enough.

[@RPG_Guy-fx8ns]

To be fair, if you forced Miyamoto to use these assets, he probably couldn't sell an RPG game that takes itself seriously either.

[@LucianoRasente]

Sorry for this comment, but, I think you need to find an identity for the art of the game. It looks like a generic rpg maker game 😢

[@Orionhart]

Agreed with above. Secondly, you won't get any traction on steam without likely paying for some capsule and banner artwork. It just doesn't look like something anyone would click on currently, disregarding any of the hard work you did on the game and story. If people don't try your game they won't know they like it, and if the steam art doesn't get them to click, they won't try it. It's a tube and you need each part to be clear or it'll clog up and prevent anyone from getting through to play the game.

[@FutureJacket]

Sales funnel. The top of the funnel isn't inviting curiosity.

[@patricknorris9334]

"The people who did test it loved it and said the writing style was very much you"...as in your friends and family? Is there a free demo? How long is the game? What's the catch of the story? Or even what is the story? The steam description seems vague as heck and with the art and grammar issues the game comes off as one of those bought asset scam games. Not to be harsh I love rpgs and would give it a shot but all things to think about when you are so invested that you may not see unless you take a step back.

[@prestonharris7406]

Bro your game costs $20, it should be $7 max. Just based on art alone. If you want to be apart of the “greats” in the rpg genre you have to be up to their standards. You are competing with many high caliber games liked chained echoes, sea of stars, octopath traveler. You have to step up your quality if you want people to actually play your game.

[@180lucas180]

Yo dude, it's so nice to see your efforts. I just love to see someone talking about something that they love. I'm not a big rpg fan, but i can see a unique charm and you passion oozing from this project. Wish you the best of luck with this and maybe your future endeavors!

[@ElTomTom87]

I’m not a dev but a graphic designer. Sometimes people don't respond positively to your work. I’ve had tons of projects that haven’t gone well that I’ve put a ton of time in, but It’s not a failure if you grow from this.

[@wond3rpus]

Don't let it get you down! The lack of attention doesn't mean you're not good enough! RPG maker games are a difficult sell. Maybe try something in a new engine! Your projects also don't have to be a one-man show. You could always try collaborating with an artist!

[@TiltLoop]

I see spending this much time on a project as very risky no matter what. I'm trying to develop a smaller game, and trying to upload devlog shorts to keep me motivated. And then on the next one I'll increase my scope. That way it seems to be working better for me since I have a very limited time to work on it.

[@blayzeon]

word count works against you if you don't know how to write lol

[@miguelhernandez6733]

Wait, Nintendo rejected the port? Why? There is a lot of trash in their store, but they reject your game?

[@AzureSymbiote]

Best to form a team.

[@dudedigital]

Bring on Part 2!