[aschearer]

Assuming the game is "Hazmat Hijinks: Total Meltdown" on Steam. Here's some tough love:

The video takes way too long to get to gameplay. Screenshots do a poor job explaining what the mechanic is. I've read the capsule image, watched some of the trailer, looked at several of the screenshots and still can't tell you what the gameplay loop is. Sort of a top down puzzle thing? With a "match the color" mechanic? The art is not good enough by a mile. OK I just read some of the "About This Game" -- no one cares how many hours of gameplay, if it's so novel why can't you explain that better than "always something new", which is redundant. Surprises also feels like it's just more novelty. The first point about various suits is not exciting, why should I care? Having a handful of people really love it isn't sufficient. I had a game on Dictionary.com that people played hours daily, still couldn't make money from it.

Stepping back, I think there are ways you could vastly improve your marketing, but is it worth it? Take the "L" and move on to your next project. Use what you've learned to improve and "make great stuff." It's better to move quickly, learn, and make better and better stuff until you've hit on something that works. At least I wish someone had given me similar advice back in the day.

PS All this is coming from respect and recognition of the incredible amount of hard work and sweat you've committed to the game. You're a bad ass for working so hard and completing a game!

[todfox]

Thanks for your feedback. I agree it needs visual improvements. I chose not to spend money on an artist -- just had too much in the project already. The trailer should have been done by a 3rd party. I don't grasp what is going to appeal to someone anyway.

You know what? I won't make any more. I think I'm done.

I'm not interested in learning what people like or adjusting to what's popular. Why on earth would I go through this again? Nothing I am interested in working on is ever going to be profitable. Simple as that.

This has nothing to do with your comment. I've had it with programming, I've had it with tech, I've had it with people. I will just scrape by doing the bare minimum to survive as a freelancer.

I wish I could throw my computer into a river.

[eloff]

Just going out on a limb here, but that's burnout. Take a break. Do things off the computer. Programming will call you back when you're ready. Or you'll find something new. Either way, take that break.

[bruce511]

I am writing this reply not to dissuade you, but rather to hopefully be helpful in your understanding of what is happening here. As they say, life is a game, learn the rules, and I will attempt to explain one of the rules here. It may sound harsh - that's not my intent. I did't make up the rules, I just play the game...

Firstly;

>> Nothing I am interested in working on is ever going to be profitable. Simple as that.

This is a critical understanding. Because it helps you to determine what _value_ you get from an activity.

For most of us, let's say 99%+, we have creative hobbies. Some play music, some write, some cook, some make pottery or art, some program. The value of a hobby is that the process itself brings us personal joy. The value gained is in the process, not the result.

I've started making pottery. Some of it comes out the way I like, some doesn't. Some doesn't survive the firing process. But there is joy in working the clay, joy in decorating the result, joy in the finished piece. But it's safe to assume I will never sell the results (as in, no-one will buy them) and in some ways selling them would rob me of the "hobby". Frankly, I'd rather give them away. Given how much I pay for the studio time etc it'll never be profitable.

So if i's not profitable, why do it? Because doing it brings me joy.

So it is with programming. Either you are doing it for profit (work) or for fun (hobby). If you are doing side-projects primarily for money then for starters, don't write a game. there are a zillion games in the world, and just like music, the number of them that make actual money are vanishingly small. Going from "I need money" to "I'll write a game" is not a good strategy.

Lots of Indies write games though because writing games can be as much fun as playing them. The joy is not in the selling, but in the process. As long as you end up with a game you like to play, well, you have your reward.

In many ways, most open-source projects can be thought of as "hobbies", not in a pejorative sense but because, for most of us, they are not income. The value has to lie elsewhere, in the creation process, in the community or whatever.

>> I wish I could throw my computer into a river.

Clearly the act of programming is not bringing you joy. For you the computer is work, and you should use it doing things that people are paying you to do. That's completely ok. I use my car to go to a place I want to be, I don't "go for a drive". For me a car is just a tool, for others it's a major part of their lives. That's ok, we're all different.

So, in conclusion, if you want to make money with your computer, then there are lots of ways to do that. (hint: it's not in writing games.) If you need suggestions in this space, then by all means ask.

But most of all I encourage you to find an outlet for your creative instincts. One where you get joy from the process, not profit from the result. Programming is not providing that. Tech is not providing that. People are not providing that. You need to find that for yourself.

Good luck!

[aschearer]

Isn't being an artist great? Hang in there.

[kleiba]

Go for it! If you have an opportunity to make a living outside tech, just do it.

[Shocka1]

The responding comment to your original post was a bit harsh. You are also being a little too hard on yourself. I can only imagine how hard you've worked on your game. You deserve a break, but don't throw your computer into the river. Go get recharged and rid yourself of the negative energy. Then ask yourself the hard question of why you originally wanted to create a game in the first place.

[antiatheist]

Looks like a Chip Challenge clone/upgrade, the surface mechanics aren't very obvious in the video on steam for someone who doesn't know it.

Perhaps some contrasting animations or visual guides would help with that.

[AnIdiotOnTheNet]

> I've read the capsule image, watched some of the trailer, looked at several of the screenshots and still can't tell you what the gameplay loop is.

Interesting. I think I sussed out the gameplay loop almost immediately because it resembles Chip's Challenge[0]. Maybe that's misleading, but to anyone who grew up in that era I'd think that's what would immediately come to mind.

> The art is not good enough by a mile.

Disagree. It could be a little better, but it is appropriate for what it is aping and plenty readable. Many many games have done well on art of about this quality or worse.

> no one cares how many hours of gameplay

I do, and so do a lot of people if How Long to Beat is anything to go by. In my case though 40hrs is too many and would be a negative.

[0] I later saw that it called this out in the video, during a part I skipped because, as you said, it takes too long to get to the gameplay.

[rasz]

>"Hazmat Hijinks: Total Meltdown" on Steam

Looks like 1990 Chip's Challenge on Windows 3, thats not a good look.

[Moru]

If that game is like Chip's challenge I know someone that would love it, it's her favourite game all times. Thanks :-)