Immortal Defense v1.1

[rinkuhero]

http://studioeres.com/immortal

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQxtnKHXf3Y&fmt=6

http://studioeres.com/immortal/screenshot101s.png (http://studioeres.com/immortal/screenshot101.png) http://studioeres.com/immortal/screenshot131s.png (http://studioeres.com/immortal/screenshot131.png)

http://studioeres.com/immortal/screenshot129s.png (http://studioeres.com/immortal/screenshot129.png) http://studioeres.com/immortal/screenshot124s.png (http://studioeres.com/immortal/screenshot124.png)

I first released this game in May of 2007 but have since made a major update. You can also read about the game's sales stats in the game's forum, I make everything public so that others can learn from it.

I also now have the OST on YouTube in a playlist: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=F4A8B91582FC04AB

I'd appreciate any feedback you guys could give, I want to constantly improve my games. If you also have any questions about how I created it, marketed it, etc., feel free to ask.

[Techdojo]

Hi Rinku, I thought I recognised the name from the GameMaker forums, I downloaded the demo and it's really impressive, the overall package is nicely put together and the presentation and atmosphere is first class - this just goes to show what GameMaker is actually capable of generating when used properly!

Good luck with the sales, my own GameMaker project (PipeDreams) isn't generating quite the hype that I'd hoped - but then again I'm new to all this marketing side of the biz and I'm sure there's time yet.

Jon... (Techdojo)

[rinkuhero]

Thanks!

Yep, it's made in GM. Although it's not the most successful GM game, that'd be the games on http://hanakogames.com/ -- her games are much more successful, and she's been at it longer than I have.

[Techdojo]

I've seen her stuff before, looks like we've both got a target to beat ;)

BTW - Feel free to say something nice about my own GM efforts (see the PipeDreams link in the showcase section), don't let the big moderator label scare you into thinking you've got to say something nice, go on, be honest, I can take it! :):):)

BTW - I couldn't find the sales info in the forums and I noticed your price cut - has this had any effect on the sales of your game? do you think coming out with a rock bottom price (ie less than the cost of a starbucks) would have any effect either way?

Personally I don't buy into the cheap price = cheap quality = crap game argument but I suppose the buying habbits of your target market might be different, and I think the indie marketplace is where the revoloution will start to take shape.

Jon...

[rinkuhero]

The link the forum thread with the sales stats is here: http://studioeres.com/forums/index.php?topic=100.0

I haven't updated it in a few months, but will do so soon!

And it's way too soon to tell what effect the price cut will have. I want to let it run until the end of November, and then I'll be able to make a judgment based on a larger sample size. It's an experiment, so I've no idea how well it'll work or not.

The reason I decided to try it out is because I've noticed that a lot of great games on the XBLA, WiiWare, Steam, etc., do okay with lower prices. I mean, if Mega Man 9, Braid, even Portal cost less than my game (at its old price of $23), it'd be hard to convince people to buy mine instead. I bought Beyond Good & Evil for $5 off of Steam when it had a sale, as well as Audiosurf and Geometry Wars when those were on sale for $5.

[Juuso Hietalahti]

Rinku, would it be okay if you'd share the sales stats with us...? I'd like to add those in the gameproducer.net sales stats category :)

[Techdojo]

I'm also going to follow through with some of the same marketting strategies and see if I can drum up some interest myself.

FWIW - I know it's not probably the best thing to admit on these boards but... I really have little time (or interest if truth be known) for the sales / marketing side of the biz, first and foremost I'm an ideas person and I love the dev'ing - however I also have a friend who IS more clued up on that side (and has recently just faced redundancy) so I think I might offer a 50/50 split with him to try and implement some of these things for me.

If it works out, I might suggest he market's his skills in that area for himself!

Jon...

[rinkuhero]

Juuso: That'd be fine, although they're already in that thread I just linked to anyway, but if you want me to format it a certain way so that it's more easily readable for your site and you don't have to go through the entire thread, I could do that.

Techdojo: I recommend reading this article before you consider that kind of 50/50 thing: http://www.aisip.com/jappov-partnerships.php -- it deals with the pitfalls of such setups. It's not impossible, but you should consider those problems first before attempting it.

[Techdojo]

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate your concern however it's all cool - said friend is tasked mainly about buildinding the WhiteTree games name / brand - he's (more than) happy to take a cut and I'm open enough to not screw him over (and more importantly we both know that) , he knows the score and what I want to do and where I want to go, although he's acting independantly I trust his integrity enough to allow him to work for both our best interests so it *should* be a win / win situation for us both.

Jon...

Ps. Maybe we should invite "Ms, Hanako" to join the forums, I think her expertise would be very much appreciated.

[rinkuhero]

She already posts on the indiegamer.com forum.

And that article wasn't so much about one screwing the other over, but about problems about borderline areas: i.e., are tutorials, the manual, the website, customer service, etc. his job or yours, since there's plenty of things which have both a marketing aspect and a technical aspect, and it's hard to say that those things are only marketing issues or only technical issues, so if you agree to such a thing make sure you're clear about who does what.