I can see that this is quite expensive to keep in developing, but overall I feel it’s still been good this way: I don’t want to release something I wouldn’t feel proud of. I made some really good progress in June, and tackled almost all the items in my Dead Wake task list. I haven’t release the game, since some things happened:

• I experienced on major bug (I wrote about it), but eventually got it sorted (it was crazy collision issue, and it’s still bit unclear what exactly cause it - but it’s fixed, and I know what line of code did it, so I’m fine with that). This caused a couple of weeks delay in my progress.
• Feature creepish thing in me sneaked in: I added some new things that I think will make the game better (ranging from new type of zombies to different weapon handling and reloading and perks and stuff).
• It’s too near holidays…
• …and I still need some things done.

So basically, I think I might have been able to get some sort of sellable version out if there had been the collision issue and if I had not choose to do some additional features. Maybe.

I still have some grand plans about the level system which I need to do, but I keep reminding myself about what I’m doing here - and that it’s too easy to add “just one new idea” in the game, but you gotta remember how long you plan to work on the game.

The game is not finished: there’s still some key tasks that need to be done. I want to feel proud about the game I’m released, and not want to try rush it. I’ve planned to take some break in July and spend less time on computer (recharge batteries for the whole year), relax and do sunny holiday stuff. I’ll work on the game a bit on July, but will continue full charge right in the beginning of August.

I actually pondered whether I should try to do the release in the end of June as I planned, but then I remembered a piece of advice I once gave to friend of mine. He was preparing to get on a holiday and asked if he should release something a week before the holidays.

I said: “You’ll ruin your holiday if you release now”.

He agreed instantly.

So do I.

Like, after seeing Lords of The Rings you feel an urge to play as Gandalf (or say “run you fools” to your friends) or something like that. I bet you do. At least sometimes.

Well, I’m like that.

I know that rationally that makes no much sense. I wanna be me. I don’t really care how some long wood creature called Treebeard lives, but after seeing Treebeard in the movie, I start talking to my dogs with that funny voice. When I do that, the dogs look at me as oddly as you think of me now.

Anyway.

It’s kind of strange how seeing things affects on our (well, mine at least) mind to experience things. Logically speaking, even though Battlestar’s Adama is a cool leader in my opinion, it doesn’t really make no sense to why I choose Adama in the board game version. After all, the only Adama in game is depicted in the character card, with some special skills listed. For strategic purposes, I could equally well pick some other character - but I wanna pick Adama.

Choosing Adama as my character, doesn’t make me Adama, but somehow I’ve always felt some sort of cool feeling for roleplaying things. When we played ice hockey as kids, we were roleplaying Teemu Selänne. When we played war outdoors, we were shooting Terminators and stuff.

Maybe it’s not the movies that mess up things. Maybe it’s just our brain that creates us a feeling that brings something more into experiencing games. Something that games cannot provide inside. Something that we must choose to put in to games.

Maybe we just need to give ourselves to act childish sometimes, and really enjoy playing games?

I guess that’s why god invented accountants, but still…

Okay, I actually don’t think whining about whining goes nowhere but you gotta have humor every now and then. Just remember that those who say bad things about your game are actually one of your most precious assets: some of them are whiners that you really need to ignore, but there’s many people who simply would want your game to be better but don’t know how to argument. Listening to “bad feedback” is actually one of best ways to improve your offering.

But I’m sure you already knew that.

In Steam, I cannot sell my old games, and the 8 gigabytes load times are bit long for my 2 meg connection, but since I really don’t buy nor play games so often it’s okay for me (I’m more interested in how certain stuff works in the game, and then I usually move on… to make my own game).

To me, I kind of feel that the time of physical copies is coming to the final end. I’m ready to get only digital copies from a reliable distributor. I know there can be some issues with digital distribution, but to me it feels like that’s the way how games will be delivered in the future (if they even are delivered, rather played using some master server…).

This is of course just me thinking, and don’t know what will happen - and when. But I prefer digital ones over physical copies.

How about you, how you like your games delivered: digitally or physically?

The reward program was a pretty complex. There were all sort of rules and systems which would get you to certain level, where you could reach platinum something to get 0.37 eur on something when you bought something somewhere sometimes. And, only if you buy certain amount of stuff.

Or something.

I know that eventually it means that I might get some sort of discount, but I didn’t have a calculator at hand and I’ve only studied Math up until the University so I couldn’t solve the puzzle. Maybe the day when we all carry tiny supercomputers inside our DNA I might figure it out.

Anyway, compare this system with another reward system in a nearby pizza store: “buy 9 pizzas, get 10th for free”.

That’s really simple. No any complex mess. Just simple thing: buy 9 pizzas and the 10th pizza will be free. Simple, and clear. And rewarding.

So, in the case we want to reward some people (whether it’s giving them discounts or rewarding them in game), it’s a pretty good idea to tell them how the reward system works (or at least have some sense in it).

Just think of it: would you play a game where the aim is to get points, but you wouldn’t know how to score points, and the game would just give you a bloody long book that would explain how to get points?

Me neither.

I don’t suggest that you should reveal the player everything in your game… but if the player is clueless (or needs to read a several pages of text to realize how some simple thing should work) about how the basic rewards, then something is wrong. Or maybe it’s just me.

I took a bit of time and programmed a small experimental system to promote games. The service is located at http://gamestweet.net/. The simple idea of this site is to pull any game tweets from Twitter that contain the link http://gamestweet.net/ in the tweet.

Developers can Tweet about their games. These game tweets are shown at http://gamestweet.net/. More people will go check out the site. People will get totally excited about new cool games and will go download and buy them. Spending tons of money.

The system works so that you just need a Twitter account (like I do) and tweet something game related (possibly with your game link or something) that contains link to http://gamestweet.net/.

Go check it out and tell your friends, m’kay?

When you are having a huge discount campaign, it would make sense to actually supply the items…

(This was taken from the konsolinet.fi - neat Finnish store by the way - and the red text after these games says “temporarily unavailable - more coming in 5-10 days”)

Of course with digital distribution things are better (as long as the servers are online).

I know this isn’t exactly scientific thing, but pretty interesting anyway.

83 out of 99 would pay $20 or more for a solid fun game.

Pretty darn interesting.

Does this affect on how you are pricing your game?