Steam Greenlight: Visual novels & Other Ren'Py games

[LateWhiteRabbit]

I find it really disheartening that people on Steam, and game players in general, seem to care more about gameplay than story.

For the highlighted reason above, I don't find this weird at all. Most players are selfish and greedy - they want story AND good gameplay.

Aww, I liked Science Girls more than Date Warp. Long Live the Queen pwns both though, why isn't it there?

I've got to echo, Minnfae. I thought Science Girls was better than Date Warp, (though yeah, it could use a polish pass before going up on Steam) and I think Long Live the Queen is a LOT better than Date Warp. Why isn't it up on Greenlight?

The numbers required are just guidelines at the moment, so it's hard to know what'll come of it.

This is important to remember. Valve themselves said they have no idea how many "votes" or "favorites" it'll take to get something on Steam. They have to establish a baseline first and see what the average amount of favorites and dislikes on games are.

[Blane Doyle]

I find it really disheartening that people on Steam, and game players in general, seem to care more about gameplay than story.

For the highlighted reason above, I don't find this weird at all. Most players are selfish and greedy - they want story AND good gameplay.

True. I am certainly a greedy game player in many ways. that I will admit to. If I can get awesome gameplay, epic story, and the option to save ANYWHERE I am in heaven. But sometimes it just... gets to the point where they don't care about story, they just want to, and quote, "blow shit up".

My own brother. and multiple other family members, care more about the gameplay than story to the point that even if the story is pure gold? They'll stop playing the game because they don't like how the button system works. Hell, my brother, on his first playthroughs of Kingdom Hearts and Okami, skipped every single cutscene. All of them. And despite loving Sonic the Hedgehog he never watches the cutscenes for the games. Instead, he goes on Youtube and watches the cutscenes later.

I mean... I just... WHY? Why would he do that? You're... like... super insightful LWR, please explain this to me because I cannot comprehend it. That's like skipping through movies just for the action sequences for me. Not even the ones in really bad action movies where the action is the only thing, I mean in good ones like The Avengers. I just... don't understand. *sob*

[Obscura]

I thought Long Live the Queen was already on Steam?!

[papillon]

No, Magical Diary is already on Steam.

I haven't put Long Live The Queen into Greenlight yet because I'm trying to get some more artwork done for it, and the art in question should be helpful in getting certain people's interest piqued. So I definitely intend to list it eventually, just not at this moment.

[jack_norton]

Just wanted to remind that even if you get 100%, it DOESN'T GUARANTEE that the game will get on Steam - only that will be "considered" by them. So a game might even get to 100% and still not get there.

Also, from the nice comments I discovered that all my games have horrible art and looks like flash games, I didn't know that!

[papillon]

From the comments on greenlight in general I think some people think all 2d = Flash.

Of course, iirc I saw at least one comment claiming Planet Stronghold looked like RPG Maker, which, um, somebody's obviously never seen an RPG Maker game, have they?

[LateWhiteRabbit]

Also, from the nice comments I discovered that all my games have horrible art and looks like flash games, I didn't know that!

If the Binding of Isaac, Super Meat Boy, and Breath of Death VII are acceptable to them, they can suck their complaints the hell up. Loren: Amazon Princess looks better than half the indie games currently on Steam . . . .

[jack_norton]

Haha obviously I wasn't offended by those comments And yes there are much worse looking games there (even if art is not everything on a game, just to point out).
I actually submitted Always Remember Me only to laugh at the comments, and I was not disappointed: the best one was "go facebook with this shit" ROFL!!!

[Obscura]

I just want to add the ease with which I--total amateur with my first VN (unfinished) snuck onto Steam was mindblowing. I can't believe how freewheeling the whole experience was--not even a financial barrier to entry. If you have an exceptionally good looking game (alas my art really rankled some people) even if it's unfinished, I would venture to say it's totally worth it to put it on there, if just to drum up some interest for it. Seriously free advertising. I'd only recommend having a thick skin though--nasty comments don't bother me, though I did feel a little bad because I didn't want to give vns as a whole a harder time than they already do on Steam because of my little exercise.

But holy shit, free advertising.

*edit: and i suspect your chances of getting nasty comments will be faaaaaaaar less if you're doing a non BL game btw + have a pro artist, so don't get scared

[jack_norton]

To be honest I'm regretting putting some of my games there now. They can call them flash games, shit art, whatever I don't care. Now they start calling them "games for pedophiles". I'm considering removing them all. If that's how is the Steam public, I don't care to get there, never got such comments before anywhere else.

[Obscura]

That's just ridiculous. Who the eff Would say something like that? Anyways, it sounds like they can't think of anything else to criticize you about so they made a generic swipe using the ol' VNs=perversion card.

I think the stupidest comment on my game was that I was calling my game gay solely to protect it from criticism. And the comment was wedged between, you know, about twenty other comments saying I essentially made a piece of shit. So yeah, you can see how well my alleged "plan" worked.

[Auro-Cyanide]

Ugh, and this is one of the major problems with the gamer demographic, self-entitlement. "Eww, someone made a type of game I don't like, therefore it shouldn't exist/shouldn't be here." Really? It's like walking into a clothing store, declaring you don't like pants and expecting them to disappear cause no-one else would be interested either in your opinion. It's such a childish reaction.

[yu1988]

I personally find it very offensive when people just downgrade all RPG Maker game (8 bits and Flashgames as well) =/... As if all of those games could be made without any effort at all.
And seem like they don't care much about graphic either, when it come to Indie, Steam community tends to look at gameplay first and graphic later. It's very opposite with VN.

The only thing i use Greenlight is for its awesome advertising tool. Nowhere i could find 6000 views in less than one day...Everything has its drawback.

My game has a comment like "Creepy-ass sh!t". Really? I don't remember my game artworks have any ass show in them =D.

Jack_Norton and Obscura: I really hope this incident doesn't affect your feeling. Both of your games are great!

[jack_norton]

Yeah no problem had just a small moment of rage/disappointment. But on second though, it was to be expected when most of people in the west still think anime art games=porn

[chocojax]

Just saying, there might be a reason why gamers on Steam dislike visual novels. VNs aren't really games, they're more of pick-your-adventures and novels with pictures and music and the such.
Though, there are some VNs on here that include gaming elements, but are called VNs so they're seen as above.

(And yes, many comments are uncalled for, but it's the internet etc.)

Edit: And from looking at random games and the comments, there are a few people who enjoy VNs that are coming out of the woodwork. :v