Categories
Game Design Game Development Geek / Technical

Freshly Squeezed Progress Report: Not Much Progress This Week

In last week’s report, I continued updating the background art of the house in The Dungeon Under My House, my second Freshly Squeezed Entertainment project.

My plan was to finish the background art this week.

Sprint 45: Pre-production and initialization

Planned and incomplete:

  • Create location art

I basically had the bathroom and the second, secret basement room to finish.

But I didn’t spend much time on game development this week in favor of promoting my Black Friday sale at itch.io for both of my previous games, Toytles: Leaf Raking and Toy Factory Fixer.

Today is the last day of the sale, so please check them out!

Anyway, I’d like to think that if I had more hours to dedicate to my business that I could handle both promotion and game development, but sometimes I need to make choices. The Black Friday sale was urgent and important, so I focused on it, and I put in a token amount of game development work, but there really isn’t much to show for it.

So come back next week, when I expect to have more to show.

Thanks for reading!

Want to learn when I release The Dungeon Under My House, or about future Freshly Squeezed games I am creating? Sign up for the GBGames Curiosities newsletter, and download the full color Player’s Guides to my existing and future games for free!

Categories
Games Marketing/Business

One day left for the 2023 Indie Game Black Friday sale

For the next day, my educational, family-friendly leaf raking business simulation Toytles: Leaf Raking continues to be on reverse sale:

Remember: when you purchase the game, it is yours to keep forever. Even with the temporarily increased price, that’s a lot of value compared to a cup of coffee you drink once or only a month of a streaming service.

And you can still name your price for my family-friendly game Toy Factory Fixer:

$0 is a perfectly valid price for the game, too. Seriously!

For both games, have the peace of mind that comes with knowing that there are no ads, no in-app purchases, and no invasions of your privacy.

Categories
Games Marketing/Business

Creator Day is Over, but the Indie Game Black Friday Sale Continues

The itch.io Black Friday Creator Day is over, but the Black Friday sale continues until November 28th.

So you can still name your price for my family-friendly game Toy Factory Fixer:

And the educational, family-friendly leaf raking business simulation Toytles: Leaf Raking is still on reverse sale:

Categories
Game Development Games Marketing/Business

Why itch’s Creator Day is so Important

itch.io is a very indie-friendly platform, featuring a “collection of some of the most unique, interesting, and independent creations you’ll find on the web.”

Today is itch.io’s 2023 Black Friday Creator Day, which kicks off their Black Friday sale this weekend.

itch.io Creator Day

It’s not the first Creator Day they had this year, but each time they hold one, it’s a helpful boost to the indie game developers who sell their games on the site since itch.io will take no cut of all sales for 24 hours.

That extra cash translates into more support towards the indie game developers. Unlike major game publishers and developers, indie game developers are usually not flush with cash, and taking home just a bit more on each sale is significant for the indie.

It could mean as much as allowing that indie game developer to have a better chance at a sustainable business, and also as much as perhaps just paying for some of their groceries this week.

Personally, as an indie game developer myself, I am definitely not flush with cash nor am I making a sustainable living with my game development efforts, but itch.io’s Creator Day sales do give me an opportunity to talk about the games I sell on there, and so far most of my very few sales this year have come from Creator Day sales on their platform.

Here’s my shameless plug for my own games:

Here’s Toytles: Leaf Raking, which is on reverse sale:

And you can name your own price for Toy Factory Fixer:

And I would strongly encourage you to check out other games, too.

So if you are planning on getting any games, either for yourself or your loved ones, get them today at itch.io. You can find some very unique games and make a major difference in the lives of those who make them.

Categories
Games Marketing/Business

2023 Family-Friendly Indie Game Black Friday Guide

It’s Black Friday, the indie-friendly platform itch.io is having a Creator Day sale, and if you want to find family-friendly indie games, let me recommend some to you!

Here are five games you can get today:

Toytles: Leaf Raking

Toytles: Leaf Raking

Yes, this is my own game. Inspired by games such as Lemonade Stand and The Oregon Trail, Toytles: Leaf Raking puts you in the role of a young turtle who wants to earn enough money to get The Ultimate Item(tm).

You’ll run your own leaf-raking business, and during the 90 days before winter, you’ll:

  • Seek out neighbors who need your services and turn them into paying clients.
  • Make key purchasing decisions, such as which types of rakes to buy and how many yard bags to keep in your inventory.
  • Balance your energy and your time as you seek to keep your clients happy without overextending yourself.
  • Visit the kitchen to ask your parents for their advice and wisdom.
  • Learn about personal responsibility and the importance of keeping your promises.

It features NO ADS, NO IN-APP PURCHASES, AND NO VIOLENCE, so you can have peace of mind with an ad-free, safe game.

Get it at https://gbgamesllc.itch.io/toytles-leaf-raking.

Hidden Folks

Hidden Folks on itch

If you’re familiar with the Where’s Waldo? series of books, this is a much richer, interactive experience in the same vein.

Search for hidden folks in hand-drawn, interactive, miniature landscapes. Unfurl tent flaps, cut through bushes, slam doors, and poke some crocodiles! Rooooaaaarrrr!!!!!

A strip of targets shows you what to look for. Click on a target for a hint, and find enough to unlock the next area.

It features:
– 32 hand-drawn areas.
– 300+ targets to find.
– 2000+ mouth-originated sound effects.
– 500+ unique interactions.
– 3 color modes: normal, sepia, and night mode.
– 22 languages (translated by the community).
– supports mouse and keyboard, controller, and touch input.

Get it at https://adriaan.itch.io/hidden-folks.

Round Ogre

Round Ogre on itch

If you like puzzle games, Round Ogre is here for you. It has simple controls, yet fiendishly challenging puzzles to solve.

500 puzzles across 31 worlds will entertain you for hours!

Start of a new world? A brand new mechanic to explore! This makes the game easy to learn, yet varied and challenging.

Solving a complete world grants you an optional bonus world, with the toughest testing puzzles.

Guide her to the cave exit to reunite her with Square Ogre. But to do so, you’ll have to think creatively and always see all the possibilities …

Get it at https://pandaqi.itch.io/round-ogre.

Toy Factory Fixer

Toy Factory Fixer

The toy factory had an accident after one of the worker elves tried to automate the assembly of toys.
Now all of the toys are put together wrong, and you need to put the toys together correctly in time for the delivery deadline!

This is another of my own games. For this Black Friday sale, you can pay what you want, name your own price, and get this toy factory worker management game for yourself or a loved one.

Features:

  • 4 levels, each with an easy work shift and a challenging work shift, for 8 total levels.
  • The option to set a hard deadline for an added challenge
  • 3 worker types, each with unique abilities, requiring you to think strategically to make the most of them
  • 2 toy types in 2 sizes, Small and Large, that can come down the conveyor belt in multiple potentially large production runs and require your good judgment to handle them
  • Turn-based game play, allowing for more thinking and not quick-reflexes, including Stop and Go buttons that allow you to play at your own speed

Plus:

  • In-game how-to that describes how to play the game in case you need help or some tips
  • The ability to toggle music and sound effects on or off, allowing you flexibility to listen to your own music or podcast or just enjoy the silence

Get it at https://gbgamesllc.itch.io/toy-factory-fixer.

Mountain

Mountain on itch

This calm and surreal simulation puts you in the role of a mountain floating in space.

You don’t really seem to have any agency, but there is something soothing about the music, the visuals, and the periodic messages that seem to be meditative in nature.

Time passes, and things crash into you from space. Many of these things are bizarre.

It’s quite the experience.

Get it at https://davidoreilly.itch.io/mountain.

Do any of these games catch your eye? What game are you looking forward to playing? Or who do you plan on gifting a game to this holiday season? Let me know by commenting below.

Categories
Games Marketing/Business

Announcing the Black Friday Creator Day 2023 and Reverse Sale

From now until November 28th, you can get my leaf-raking business simulation game, Toytles: Leaf Raking for Windows, Mac, and Linux and pay 50% more than usual. And you can pay-what-you-want for my toy factory worker management game Toy Factory Fixer.

In either case, if you are going to do so, please do so within the next 24 hours!

Toytles: Leaf Raking

The indie-friendly platform itch.io is having another Creator Day, so for the next 24 hours, they won’t take a cut of any sales that occur. That means the creators get to keep more of the proceeds.

While many developers are having a sale to celebrate, and you should definitely check them out, as usual I’m holding a reverse sale instead.

I think the game’s original price is more than generous, and a temporary increase still puts it under the cost for a movie ticket or a monthly subscription to a streaming service.

Also, you can get my first Freshly Squeezed Game, the turn-based toy factory management game Toy Factory Fixer, at itch.io. Pay what you want for it (even $0!), and for the next 24 hours, I will be able to keep the full amount of anything you contribute.

If you do end up paying for access to Toytles: Leaf Raking or Toy Factory Fixer, know that I appreciate it, and I appreciate all of the itch.io creators who make itch.io amazing!

Categories
Games Marketing/Business

WARNING: Tomorrow’s Black Friday Creator Day 2023 and Reverse Sale

Between November 24th and November 28th, I’ll be increasing the price of my family-friendly game Toytles: Leaf Raking by 50% to take part in itch.io’s Black Friday Creator Day sale.

I think the game’s original price is more than generous, and a temporary increase still puts it under the cost for a movie ticket or a monthly subscription to a streaming service.

But if you would rather not spend more, then think of today as your last chance for a sale price. Pretend this normal price is actually a discount, and know that tomorrow the game will cost 50% more. Buy now!

Tomorrow is also a Creator Day at itch.io, which means all sales go straight to the creators of the games, and itch.io will not take a cut. So if you REALLY want to support indie game developers such as myself, then save your money for tomorrow.

Either way, know that I am thankful for your support!

Categories
Game Design Game Development Geek / Technical

Freshly Squeezed Video Progress Report: Updating More Temporary Background Art

Here’s the companion video for Monday’s Freshly Squeezed Progress Report: Updating More Temporary Background Art:

Enjoy! And let me know what you think by replying below!

Categories
Game Design Game Development Geek / Technical

Freshly Squeezed Progress Report: Updating More Temporary Background Art

Last week, I reported that I had started updating the temporary background art for the rooms of the house in The Dungeon Under My House, my second Freshly Squeezed Entertainment project.

I continued the art updates this week.

Sprint 44: Pre-production and initialization

Planned and incomplete:

  • Create location art

I am sure that if I was a more competent artist or could afford to hire one that this work would be much faster. That said, I am very happy with how the house has continued to feel like it is coming to life.

The Dungeon Under My House - less temporary living room background art?

The Dungeon Under My House - less temporary kitchen background art?

Originally I wanted to keep the entryways between rooms dark to save time, but there was something compelling about allowing the player to peek into the rooms that they would enter.

My plan is to get rid of the “To House” button and eventually allow movement by clicking on the doorways and stairways the player can see. Coupled with some transition animations, it should make for a more intuitive experience.

But it also meant that I needed to pay attention to the limited real estate. The location view is already a subset of the window, and there needs to be space for the characters to occupy the room, so all of the room’s “stuff” needs to be near the top and back.

As a result, the “button” of any doorway is already going to be smaller. And I also need to make it clear that it is clickable. If the player is using a mouse, the mouse cursor and the doorway can have hover effects to communicate, but when the player is using a touchscreen on a phone or tablet, I’ll need to communicate that the doorway’s tappability differently since there is no such thing as “mouseover” in that context.

The Dungeon Under My House - creating outlines of various shelved things

The Dungeon Under My House - the main basement room

The basement is going to be interesting because I want to make the scene change when the player discovers the secret room in the basement that holds the ladder to the dungeon. So initially, there will be no hint of a secret room, and then later, there will be a visible and interactable secret doorway to the secret room.

All that’s left is the bathroom, and then I can refine the intro sequence, and then…well, just make the rest of the game, right?

Thanks for reading!

Want to learn when I release The Dungeon Under My House, or about future Freshly Squeezed games I am creating? Sign up for the GBGames Curiosities newsletter, and download the full color Player’s Guides to my existing and future games for free!

Categories
Uncategorized

Freshly Squeezed Video Progress Report: Updating Temporary Background Art

Here’s the companion video for Monday’s Freshly Squeezed Progress Report: Updating Temporary Background Art:

Enjoy! And let me know what you think by replying below!