Prophour23 post-mortem, part 2
Here's the first part!
Prophour23 is a fast-paced, replayable real-time strategy about building an organism and defending it from insects. You might call it a permadeath RTS.
The good things
1. Shipping the game (and staying true to my original vision)!
Yes, that's the most important thing to me. I'm proud of accomplishing this and I'm very glad that I kept the focus on what I actually wanted to create. Finishing games is hard. Even after creating multiple games it still surprises me how much work it involves. So, I think it's important and appropriate to be proud of it.
2. Using libgdx
I really like libgdx. It doesn't force any specific coding style, it's Java (so it's very performant and sufficiently high-level), it's multiplatform, well documented and it provides a lot of additional helper tools. I used one of them (packr) to prepare builds for Windows, Mac and Linux for different stores - all with a single, small program using the packr API.
3. Aesthetics
I can't recall a single person dissatisfied with Prophour23's aesthetics. In fact, most of the players appreciated it, even when they didn't like the game. I wanted to create an unique look and atmosphere and I'm very satisfied with the outcome. During the development I often wondered whether I'm spending too much time on the aesthetics - but it was worth it.
4. Reception
Prophour23 currently has a Steam rating of 82%. Not bad! There were quite a few people that really got into it and played much better than me. That made me very happy!
The bad things
1. Marketing
No one knows about Prophour23. I sent a lot of emails to press, youtubers and many other people. I gave away hundreds of Steam codes. And yet, there are only a few articles about the game on small blogs (except for the indiegames.com review) and maybe a ten videos on YT.
I followed lots of articles on how to write a good, eye-catching email for the press. I strived to keep them to the point and I attached Steam codes within the first email. I spent lots of time on my trailers, trying to make them short and with a hook. I tried to know as much as possible about the recipient's game interests to target my emails better.
About 95% of my emails got no response at all.
I should probably push further, but that's soul-crushing work and it's a work that never ends.
2. Weirdness + focusing the gameplay on player discovery
I love when games allow me to discover something. Items in Spelunky or Risk of Rain, crafting recipes in Minecraft, everything in Starseed Pilgrim. That's why I decided to focus P23's gameplay on player discoveries. There are no unlocks, everything's available from the beginning. You are limited only by your understanding of organ functions and creativity. A few possible organ combinations are shown in the tutorial, but that's it. I hoped that players would invent different, more sophisticated organisms than mine - and I wasn't wrong! Still, they were a minority. I think that pairing the focus on discovery with general weirdness of the game created a strange cocktail savoured only by a few. Frankly, I don't know how to fix this: I don't want to change the game's focus on player inventions, but I also don't want to lose the unsettling strangeness. And I have no idea how to make that mix less confusing.
3. Festivals
I submitted Prophour23 to IndieCade, IGF, A Maze, Experimental Gameplay Workshop, Rezzed and probably some more contests and festivals I forgot about. I thought that my game would be a good fit at least for a few of these places, as it's a bit different and - ahem - "artsy". P23 wasn't accepted anywhere, so it was a waste of time, money, and a big let-down for me.
Sales!
Let's get this out: I sold about 1200 copies of my game. That's obviously not enough for me to make a living, so I'm working on a new game in my spare time again.

That's the Steam sales data. The spikes are the christmas, summer and weeklong sales. Currently I sell next to nothing if there's no discount.
The game's available also on IndieGameStand and the Humble Widget on the game's site. I sold a noticeable amount of copies through the Humble Widget on the release, but after that the sales outside Steam could be ignored. I also made a version for Android tablets and sold 14 (fourteen) copies on Google Play.
I didn't expect Prophour23 to be my break-through game. I didn't expect to make a living with it (although there was a small hope). I predicted (hoped?) to sell about 10.000 copies in the first year and that certainly isn't going to happen. So yes, I'm a bit dissapointed with the sales. But that doesn't stop me from working on new games!
Thanks to everyone who purchased it! I hope you liked Prophour23.
It's good to read about an indie game that was made using LibGDX. Considering the number of downloads of your game on Steam, I think that it was successful! So thanks for sharing your experience in making Prophour23. It inspires me to finish my game which I'm developing using LibGDX. I'm sure it will get even better on your next project!
Thanks for sharing your data! A shame the numbers are so disappointing especially since you seem to have put quite a bit of effort on the marketing front.
Have you thought of teaming up with a publisher for your next project?
I put quite a bit of effort on EVERY front ;)
As for the publisher: not really. There's just a small amount of indies satisfied with a publisher, I had a bad experience as well (tried it one time). Also, my work schedule is so random that I'd be a nightmare to work with :)
AvriqPrinter RepairPrinter InstalltionWifi trouble shooting
Software InstalltionI am looking to learn more about this issue. Thank you for sharing. I will follow this site regularly
Virus removal
MenmyshopCar StereoDouble Din Android PlayerHyepersonic Double Din PlayerHyundai Creta Double Din Player Hyundai Xcent Double Din PlayerTata Nexon Double Din Player
CBSE open schoolcbse privatebanzaraonjourney
If you're seeking Faridabad independent Escorts Agency then Call us to rent the best VIP Escorts in Faridabad. Get very hot erotic sex services 24/7 Hours.
||call girls in faridabad||
||faridabad escorts||
||faridabad escort||
||faridabad call girls||
||faridabad call girl||
||faridabad escort agency||
||escort services in faridabad||
||faridabad escort service||
||housewife escorts in faridabad||
Luckily, Pune has an incredible history of treating its visitor with the best administrations. The Pune escorts are a quiet yet significant piece of this custom.
Pune escorts
clinique de chirurgie esthetique
lifting mammaire
lipoaspiration
chirurgien plasticien tunisie
chirurgie plastique
clinique esthetique tunisie
clinique esthetique en tunisie
visit to our website for Hp printers help
HP Printer customer support number
hp printer customer care number
hp printer technical support number
hp service centre USA
hp store contact number
hp service centre near me
HP Printer tech support phone number USA
We are popular as Florist Service in Gurgaon from last 10 Years, we also offers fresh flowers cakes and latest gifts across Gurgaon. Send flowers online and Offline from flower shop for your loved ones and availlable for corporate gifting with fastest delivery.
Florist Service in Gurgaon
Online Florist Services in Gurgaon
Welcome to On this post I am Babita Know more about me visit website-Bhopal Escorts | Indore Escorts | Jabalpur Escorts | Gwalior Escorts | Ujjain Escorts | Satna Escorts | Ratlam Escorts | Call Girls in Bhopal | Call Girls in Indore | Call Girls in Jabalpur | Call Girls in Gwalior | Call Girls in Ujjain | Call Girls in Satna | Call Girls in Ratlam | Bhopal Escorts Agency | Indore Escorts Agency | Jabalpur Escorts | Gwalior Escorts | Ujjain Escorts Agency | Satna Escorts Agency | Ratlam Escorts Agency | Bhopal Escorts Service | Indore Escorts Service | Jabalpur Escorts Service | Gwalior Escorts Service | Ujjain Escort Services | Satna Escorts Service | Ratlam Escorts Service |
THANK YOU FOR VISITING MY WEBSITE:-
russian escorts in gurgaon
housewife escorts in gurgaon
gurgaon escort services
gurgaon escorts
escorts in gurgaon
escort services in gurgaon
gurgaon call girls
call girls in gurgaon
Pune Escorts
Ramagundam Escorts
Thane Escorts
Vasai-Virar Escorts
Ahmedabad Escorts
Bangalore Escorts
Bellary Escorts
Chennai Escorts
Coimbatore Escorts
Delhi Escorts
Vijayawada Escorts
Visakhapatnam Escorts
Warangal Escorts
Vapi Escorts
Ujjain Escorts
Agartala Escorts
Kanpur Escorts
Mumbai Escorts
Navi Mumbai Escorts
Noida Escorts
Solapur Escorts
South Dumdum Escorts
Sri Ganganagar Escorts
Srinagar Escorts
Surat Escorts
Trivandrum Escorts
Udaipur Escorts
Ulhasnagar Escorts
Vadodara Escorts
Varanasi Escorts
Rajkot Escorts
Ranchi Escorts
Rourkela Escorts
Saharanpur Escorts
Salem Escorts
Sangli Escorts
Shillong Escorts
Shimla Escorts
Siliguri Escorts
Silvassa Escorts
Nanded Escorts
Nashik Escorts
Nellore Escorts
Kolkata Escorts
Panaji Escorts
Patiala Escorts
Pimpri-Chinchwad Escorts
Port Blair Escorts
Raipur Escorts
Rajahmundry Escorts
apowermirror crack
kaspersky antivirus crack
avast cleanup premium crack
Nice article and very useful thanks for share with us.
Welcome to Our Escort Services
Jodhpur Escorts
Jodhpur Escorts
Dwarka Escorts
Thanks for sharing these useful information! This is really interesting information for me.
Agarwal Packers and Movers, Packers and Movers, Movers and Packers, India
Agarwal Packers and Movers Blog | Packers and Movers Blog
Ramesh Agarwal | Ramesh Aggarwal Blog
Agarwal Packers and Movers Blog
Agarwal Packers and Movers Blog
Agarwal Packers and Movers Delhi
Agarwal Packers and Movers, Packers and Movers, Aggarwal Packers
Agarwal Packers and Movers Delhi, Packers and Movers in Delhi
Agarwal Packers and Movers
Deep Learning Projects assist final year students with improving your applied Deep Learning skills rapidly while allowing you to investigate an intriguing point. Furthermore, you can include Deep Learning projects for final year into your portfolio, making it simpler to get a vocation, discover cool profession openings, and Deep Learning Projects for Final Year even arrange a more significant compensation.
Python Training in Chennai Project Centers in Chennai
I have a hard time describing my thoughts on content, but I really felt I should here. Your article is really great. I like the way you wrote this information Landlord 온라인경마
Your article looks really adorable, here’s a site link i dropped for you which you may like. 토토
Thanks for sharing this post.
packers and movers in kondapur