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[darkhog]

I am working on a game, let's say it's called CVS. I plan to launch IGG campaign latter this or next year (more like this, but you know, things happen), but I have little to no budget (I'm doing everything, except music - it's CC-by/CC-by-sa or PD music so I can use it in commercial product without fees).

Therefore I really can't offer any "material" rewards to pledgers (t-shirts, mugs, etc.).

So I wonder...

1. What would be good pledge rewards that would actually give value (aside of full copy/early access to the game, because it's given at this point) and wouldn't cost me too much or nothing at all (except e.g. time spent coding it into the game)
2. How to put realistic campaign goal that would provide me funds I need, yet would be achievable?
3. Is flexible funding a good idea? I plan to finish game "no matter what", but needs some funds to do so (licenses, hiring actual musician to create OST, perhaps voice actor for the trailer - art and rest still would be done by me). But I feel that it could deter some people.

Also a side question: Since I plan to start campaign when I have something playable, is putting short demo of the game, say 5 levels alongside campaign a good idea? Or would it act as deterrent to potential players?

Disclaimer: It was originally posted by me on /r/gamemarketing but failed to generate response in past 19 days so I'm posting it here in hopes somebody would help me.

[darkhog]

Bump.

[Moth]

I really can't offer any "material" rewards to pledgers (t-shirts, mugs, etc.). [...] What would be good pledge rewards that would actually give value (aside of full copy/early access to the game, because it's given at this point) and wouldn't cost me too much or nothing at all

"Your stuff in the game" is the bread and butter type of reward for larger pledge levels. It makes sense, as crowdfunding on principle is supposed to be about helping someone create something, and paying a premium to leave your mark on something you think looks cool is a good system.

The typical reward progression is typically something like-
Thanks > Digital Copy > Digital Copy + OST > Physical Copy and/or physical doodads > stuff in the game

2. How to put realistic campaign goal that would provide me funds I need, yet would be achievable?

How many funds do you need? There's your goal. Do take into account website fees and taxes, though. Add those onto what you need.

3. Is flexible funding a good idea? I plan to finish game "no matter what", but needs some funds to do so (licenses, hiring actual musician to create OST, perhaps voice actor for the trailer - art and rest still would be done by me). But I feel that it could deter some people.

Flexible Funding is a great concept [for some things] but I think projects on IGG are going to have a harder time than on KS in general. IGG has even less of a built-in audience than KS does (not that you should be relying on KS's audience alone to make or break you, mind) so you will need to pull even more of your weight. That said if your goal is low like 1K you'd probably be able to make it work on IGG.

You should try to hype up your game before the actual campaign. This was a big mistake I personally made. I came out of nowhere with my KS when I should have been building a fanbase up to the KS's launch.

Also a side question: Since I plan to start campaign when I have something playable, is putting short demo of the game, say 5 levels alongside campaign a good idea? Or would it act as deterrent to potential players?

That's a personal choice, there are lots of people who choose to go either way. Personally I did not offer a demo and many other games on KS don't. This is pretty much because I didn't want to take away from the magic of the game from when it's released proper... like, imagine if people could play the first couple dungeons of Ocarina of Time a year before it came out. That would have dulled a lot of its impact imo :p

[darkhog]

Thank you, very useful feedback indeed. Also I plan to add "your stuff in the game" reward, but I don't know how I'll realize it in the game. I'll think up something.

Also how do you hype up your game before campaign? Especially if you are a nobody like me without any prior hits? For someone like, say Terry Cavanagh, hyping up new project is easy enough, but for nobodies like me, well...

And I know I'll have harder time on IGG than on Kickstarter, but unfortunately KS isn't available for anything but funding projects in my country (Poland), so I can't use that venue.

I was just asking if Flexible Funding is good for game. I'm going to make it no matter what, but need funds for things like hiring music artist (gfx due to nature of this game is easy enough for me to make myself) or buy licenses for tools I need to finish it/hiring additional coder.

As for the demo, this is something to give me peace more than anything else. I'm just not comfortable asking for money when I have only screenshots and a video (both of which could be easily faked). Plus I think that if I have a demo, people would take me more seriously and see that I really want to do this and not take their money and run away.

[Moth]

Go to a bunch of press websites and find people who you think would have personal interest in your game. Write them nice emails (or find them on twitter and ask if they're interested) with a link to your demo and some press resources. Here's a list of indie game press sites.

here are a couple of keynotes I like:

and



pixelprospector also has a list of marketing related articles, and here's a nice little tutorial that gives you a checklist and stuff that'll help point you in the right direction of how to handle things.

You should of course have somewhere interested parties can go to follow development of the game, like a site and a twitter.

Sorry to hear IGG is your only option in Poland. You can still make IGG work, it'll just be a bit tougher. I feel in one sense IGG is a bit of a "small pond" and it's easier to be seen by the audience it has, even if there's less of an audience/money to go around in general on IGG than there is on KS, so it does have that going for it.

It sounds like flexible funding is a good fit for you! I wouldn't be able to say how it might impact peoples' perception of the game or not because I've never really done any research on that matter.

[darkhog]

Thanks for the tips on building hype!

And IGG isn't the *only* option for me in Poland, but the only alternative are local sites (PolakPotrafi, Wspieram.to), so you know...

I actually have devlog here on TIGForums, but haven't updated it because I didn't have anything to say.

//edit: Link to my devlog is in my sig.