News Byte! February 13th - Alto's Odyssey, Debris Co-Op, Bleed 2
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Guest Post - Tips on getting OMDC’s IDM Fund for a video game project
/Our friend Danny Forest from Power Level Studios is back, and was kind enough to let us post his most recent Medium post on how his studio got OMDC funding. Check it out below, and make sure to follow Power Level Studios on Twitter and FaceBook.
Disclaimer: These tips are based on my own experience with OMDC. They are not endorsed by OMDC. They may or may not work for all studios.
The idea to write this article comes from a private message we received on Reddit:
“[…]how was the OMDC process if I may ask? We are also from Toronto and thinking of applying this year with a roguelike we are making, and would love to hear about the process from someone who has been throw it if you had a moment =)”
Go To The In-Person Information Sessions
For every new round, there are always a few information sessions you can attend. Kim usually present the program and you have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have.
Go see her after the presentation. Introduce yourself and your project. Ask relevant questions. Show you care.
When you do talk to her, make sure you sound passionate. For the information session, try to stay on topic too, she’s always busy and there are other people who have questions as well.
Ultimately though, the jury chooses the winners of the grant, but I have a feeling she has some say in it. I could be wrong. It never hurts to make a good impression on the people managing the program!
Go To Local Events
There are plenty of good events to go to in Toronto. Kim attends them frequently. She even goes to local game launch parties. I met her for the first time at Massive Damage’s Halcyon 6 launch party.
If you can see who attends events you want to go to, look for Kim Gibson. I won’t share any photos here for privacy reasons.
Another great reason to go to the local events is for the other developers you meet. Having connections in the industry really helps. You never know when you’ll meet someone to partner with, cross-promote, etc. And also, the jury is composed of people in the industry. Any good impression you make during these meetups can increase your reputation.
If you don’t live in Toronto, drive to some events. Pick the ones you think will have a bigger impact. [Steve's Note - We have an events page here on the website.]
Write Freaking Good Documents
This is an obvious one, but I really mean it.
This is a competition. Other studios will write awesome documents. Be interesting. Do not be corporate. If you’re not a good writer, hire one.
When you think it’s good enough, do better. Go from good to great.
Share with people you trust to give you brutally honest feedback. If someone says it’s shit, listen to them. If they say it’s good. Improve until they tell you it’s the most amazing thing they’ve ever read.
Aim freaking high. Other studios will.
Only a few select studios get it. Everyone is great. You’re likely competing against studios who have a track record and you don’t.
Make All Your Documents Pretty
To me, this is another obvious one, but I don’t know how pretty other studios make their documents. Our documents look awesome.
Put game art, concept art, design special layouts. Make EVERY page appealing visually. Graphs are nice. Good tables may look appealing too when done right.
If you don’t have an artist helping you with that, you’re screwed. Just being honest here. I found great artists on Upwork.com before I had my team, just to make a good visual representation of the game.
Make sure though that it still looks good when printing. Some members of the jury may print the documents.
Be Impressive
Definitely easier said than done.
When we originally applied for concept definition, we didn’t have a team outside of the two co-founders and had never released a game yet.
We did however have a good track record of working in the industry for other studios and working on projects that were successful.
Here’s what I did to look impressive:
Advisor Network
I sought out a network of advisors for Power Level Studios. People both in and out of the industry. People in games, other businesses, finance, etc. I looked for people with good credentials that I could trust to tell me the truth.
If you don’t know anyone, again go to local events and connect with people. CEOs and other important people do go to them.
Awesome Team Resumes
Make it shine, both visually and professionally. Don’t just print your LinkedIn profile, unless it’s really awesome. For your artists, they need to have someone visually stunning.
Track Record of Founders
Ultimately, investors invest in people. Be awesome. Show you can do great shit. If you haven’t released anything yet, show prototypes of awesome stuff you can do. Show you work great as a team.
Get Featured Somewhere
For our second application, we were lucky enough to have gone through Square Enix Collective and received a very good rating. Do your best to get your project featured somewhere that matters. This mostly applies for Production.
Have A Team In Place, Or Prove You Can Form One
The first time I applied, the team was me, my co-founder and an unnamed artist.
That was one of the negative point of our application. This hurt our credibility a lot. The point of our application for Concept Definition was to come up with a game prototype and define our art style. Yet we didn’t have an artist.
We didn’t hide that though. We did explain how we’d fix that weakness.
If you do have the team in place already, that’s a major plus.
Have A Good Project
As in, not a clone of another game with a different theme.
They want you to show some innovation, but also that you can sell the game and make money. Another Candy Crush clone doesn’t qualify.
Combine ideas from different genres. Combine ideas from awesome games. Design something unique.
If you’re a small studio, be realistic. Present a project that’s not too ambitious and not to easy.
Present your idea to potential gamers. When applying to IDMF, only present ideas that generate VERY positive reactions from the gamers you talked to.
Never Lie / Be Realistic
When I asked for feedback on my first application, a very positive point from the jury was that they saw how honest and realistic I was about everything.
I didn’t hide any weaknesses. I showed them how I’d overcome them. With precision. Always.
My numbers were backed by data I’ve analyzed. When I had to estimate things, I explained my reasoning.
Never put numbers you can’t “prove”.
Meet All Deadlines
If you were realistic to start with, that could be a non-issue. If you send your application before the program deadline, that won’t go unnoticed.
If you do get the grant, respect your milestones. If you can’t meet your milestones, don’t lie about it.
Limit Deferrals As Much As Possible
You are allowed to defer payment for work done on your project. For a small studio with limited funds, it’s hard to avoid that. But make sure you limit it to the bare minimum.
Invest your own money. Ask friends and family to invest as well. This shows how serious you are about the project.
If 50% of the budget comes from OMDC, provide 30% yourself. The more the better.
Apply For Concept Definition Instead Of Production
If you have no credentials yet, apply for Concept Definition. If you have an ongoing project currently, apply for a new project. You can’t have started the project beforehand, so it has to be a new one.
Concept Definition is less competitive, and less risky for everyone. Plus, you receive money to build prototypes, how awesome is that! You get paid to make a better design of your game.
Once you receive the grant for Concept Definition and deliver successfully, it’s much easier for them to give you more money when you’re ready for Production.
Business And Marketing Plan Is The Most Important Document For Production
In one of the information session, Kim said that was the most important document.
I took that seriously. I spent a shit-ton amount of time polishing that one. Again, make the text and the visuals awesome.
For Projections, Do Worst Case, Normal Case and Best Case Scenarios
This shows you’ve done research and are as realistic as you can be. No one can fully predict what’s going to happen. Prove that even if you reach the worst case scenario, you still benefit from the project.
Research your competitors, pretend you’re going to perform worse than your worse competitor. Put your numbers in the worst case scenario.
For normal case, pretend you’re going to do exactly like your worse competitor.
For best case, pretend you’re going to be doing a little better than your worse competitor.
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Alto's Odyssey Release Date Announced
/Snowman announced today that their follow up to Alto's Adventure, Alto's Odyssey will be coming to iOS (iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV) February 22nd. You can pre-order the game on the iTunes store right here.
Just beyond the horizon sits a majestic desert, vast and unexplored.
Join Alto and his friends and set off on an endless sandboarding journey to discover its secrets.
Soar above windswept dunes, traverse thrilling canyons, and explore long-hidden temples in a fantastical place far from home.
Along the way, you’ll grind across vines, bounce atop hot air balloons, ride towering rock walls, and escape mischievous lemurs – all while uncovering the desert’s many mysteries.
Play This Game: Borbudo On Google Play Store
/Local and indie developer Rob Lehrbass emailed me this week to let me know about his indie game on the Google Play Store Borbudo - which you can pick up for free right here. Sadly I am without a Google device right now, but you can check out the description and screenshots below!
Borbudo is more than a simple shoot-em-up game; it's a collection of worlds to explore, each with diverse characters, challenges, quests, puzzles, missions, and more! Battle your way through abandoned space stations, jungle battlefields, arctic dungeons and puzzling labyrinths.
Your journey through the worlds of Borbudo will never be the same, but it will always be epic!
You can download the game on your Android devices here, and check out Rob's Patreon if you want to help support him and Borbudo.
Limited Run Games Releases Home On PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita [Updated]
/Limited Run Games will be releasing Benjamin Rivers' horror adventure game Home physically on PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita.
Home was released digitally on PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita in 2014, and later ported on iOS and Steam. You can buy the physical version on Vita here, and PlayStation 4 here.
"Awakened by an oncoming storm, you open your eyes to discover yourself in a strange, dark room—tucked away in a house that’s not yours.
As you play the game, it changes—subtly, almost imperceptibly—to reflect your perspective. It's a horror game unlike any other, and as you'll discover, its truths are entirely subjective."
Update: Originally the title was that the game came out on Xbox One - which should of read PlayStation Vita.
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Bleed 2 Out Now On PlayStation 4, and Xbox One
/Bootdisk Revolution have released their action platformer Bleed 2 on PlayStation 4, and Xbox One - previously the game was released on Steam. The ports were handled by Digerati Distribution and Nephilim Game Studios.
You can pick up Bleed 2 on Xbox One here, and PlayStation 4 here. Make sure to check out the trailer below!
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Throwback Thursday - Fossil Hunters, EGLX, Far Cry 5
/Another Throwback Thursday! Remember to subscribe :)
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Co-Op Mode For Debris Announced
/Moonray Studios have announced a co-op mode will be coming to their underwater game - which you can pick up on Steam right now.
"You and a friend are trapped together, yet still somehow alone. An unconventional narrative co-op game set in a surreal frozen seascape. Developed over 3 years, this first-person co-op story takes place in a surreal sunken world locked between ice and rock. Following an accident, players must scramble to find power, defeat strange creatures and decipher what mysterious forces are attempting to prevent their escape. Debris is designed based on the challenges facing those affected by psychosis and created with the help of medical professionals, Debris explores the interplay between perception and reality in an unconventional narrative-driven co-op format."
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Interview Between Jake Butineau and Cuphead Composer Kris Maddigan
/Good friend of the site Jake Butineau (who you've probably known for our News Bytes, or on our Podcast) started his own podcast - and his first guest is Kris Maddigan the composer for Cuphead (which won GOTY from our fans). Give it a listen!
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Throwback Thursday - Lost Orbit
/We're back! This time we're looking at Lost Orbit from PixelNauts - you can pick up the game on PlayStation 4, and Steam. It's a twitch, speed "floater" in space - we did a recent video (and make sure to subscribe on Youtube).
Lost Orbit did well with critics getting a 77% on Metacritic, and was reviewed by some of the bigger places out there.
“All in all, Lost Orbit is a winner.”
8/10 – Destructoid
“Lost Orbit could quite possibly be contender for indie game of the year.”
9/10 – Punk and Lizard
“If you like dodge ‘em ups then this is one of the best available"”
9/10 – The Sixth Axis
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Orbit: Satellite Defense Hits Early Access
/Bluish Green Productions, the team behind Robos World will be releasing their next game Orbit: Satellite Defense in Early Access tomorrow on Steam. The RTS game has you protecting the planet from alien invaders and is "roughly 80% complete" right now with a scheduled full release date in April 2018. You can check out the Steam page right here.
If you're interested in seeing what is avaliable in the Early Access, the below vidoe should help.
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Guest Post - How our first game project accidentally reached 3 million players
/The following guest post is copied from Medium with the author's permission. Danny Forest is the creator of Soul Reaper from Power Level Studios and wrote about his experience with his game reaching 3 million players in an unconventional way. Make sure to follow his studio on Twitter.
How our first game project accidentally reached 3 million players
During a recent interview with Gaming Reinvented (https://gamingreinvented.com/), I opened up on the “success” of our “first” title: Rogue Sharks Arcade, which has been played by over 3 millions players around the world.
I thought this may be an interesting story for other developers, so I’m sharing it here.
Here’s the question and the answer as a preview:
Rogue Sharks Arcade seemed to be your first game, and it was pretty damn successful. Did you imagine it’d have 3 million+ players?
Haha, this one’s a good story I think. Rogue Sharks Arcade was some kind of “accident”, both the game itself and its “success”.
I started working on Soul Reaper back in September 2013 and came to the realization that the game was way too ambitious for a first game. I would need money to hire artists and more, but didn’t have the money. So I thought making a simple mobile game, similar to the classic gravity-based helicopter web game, would be my way out. For some reason, Sharks was the first theme that came to mind. I thought Rogue Sharks would take one month to build. I had limited Unity experience back then, but that’s not why it took much longer. It took about a year to build. The game just wasn’t fun enough by my standards, so I re-did it a few times with different mechanics. I released Rogue Sharks Arcade two months in, since the game had enough content to be a full-game loop.
Classic gravity-based helicopter game.
I released it on the web on Kongregate and was hoping to get feedback so I could improve it for mobile after. Money was not the target here. About 200 people played it on Kongregate and had a score of 3/5, confirming my assumptions: it’s not a very good game.
But here’s the interesting part: how did I get from 200 players to 3M+? The short answer: it was stolen and put on MANY other websites around the world. You see, I was too dumb to protect it, and I didn’t even put my company logo or the game title in the game, so people just rebranded it and claimed it as their own. It got featured on lots of Chinese, Turkish and Russian websites. There was no English text in the whole game. Everything was icon-based, so it was accessible in any language
BUT, because of that incident, I got exactly what I wanted: feedback. With 200 players, I got close to no feedback, with 3M+, there were plenty of players to give feedback. I had to track websites down and translate feedback back to English, but still, there was lots of feedback. But that’s not all, I was tracking everything in the game using Game Analytics. I knew exactly how people were playing, so I knew how to improve the game for mobile.
But then at that point I was travelling around the world with my wife for about a year, so I didn’t have much time to make the mobile version. But I did it anyway. I stopped Chiang Mai, Thailand, to work on it for one full month and finished it. So Rogue Sharks for mobile exists, and is a much better game than Rogue Sharks Arcade on the web. I never released it though, because it’s still bad in my opinion. We were in 2016 then and there’s millions of games in the App Stores. A lot of them are great and have a much bigger budget than we had at the time. Unless I found a good partner to release the game, I figured there was no point releasing a game no one would discover and play. Plus, we’re Power Level Studios, we want to make great RPGs, not game genres we know nothing about.
So yeah, the game was “successful” for what we tried to achieve, but definitely no commercial success. And yeah 3M+ was definitely not expected!
Conclusion
Getting your game stolen is not necessarily all bad. We got the feedback we needed to make a better version of the game for mobile, which would not have been possible otherwise.
Is it a valid marketing strategy? Well maybe. If you’re a little smarter than I was and add ways to track actual players’ contact info, it may be one of the best ways to get discovered.
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Throwback Thursday - The Castle Game
/Building off of last week - we have round two of Throwback Thursday, and this time the first video/Let's Play which you can check out here (and below).
The Castle Game is a RTS-lite fantasy game from Neptune Interactive. Originally planned to also release on Wii U, and Steam, it only graced the PlayStation 4 but was one of my favourite games from 2015. I really enjoyed the colours, the sounds, and the kind of laid back approach it took to the genre. It's not hardcore, and the concepts are simple - which was perfect for someone who was never much of an RTS fan.
The Castle Game posted a respectable 68 on Metacritic, and was helped by our good friends at Clapfoot Studios, the makers of Fortified, and Foxhole. You can get it on PlayStation 4 right here (and btw it's a fairly easy platinum). Until next time!
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One More Story Announces Voice Actress For Shakespeare's Landlord
/One More Story Games announced the voice of Lily Bard in their upcoming game Shakespeare's Landlord will be Julia Gibson, who does the voice for the Shakespeare series audio books.
Shakespeare's Landlord is the latest story game, based on the Charlaine Harris series of the same name, and came in third in our Most Anticipated category as voted by the fans - so make sure to keep an eye on their Twitter to see all the updates!
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Fossil Hunters PC Release Date Announced
/Reptoid Games have announced the release date for Fossil Hunters, at least for the Steam version. On February 13th you'll be able to download the adventure game that won Ubisoft's Indie Series on Windows and Mac.
We'll have to wait a bit longer for the console version of the game, so make sure to add it to your wishlist in the meantime!
Jobs!
