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[Spram]

So, back in 2015 I lost my job and that gave me the time to start doing what I always wanted to do: A 3D platformer.

Was it a good idea? Of course not! After putting it up on Steam Greenlight 5 days ago, I've only gotten 904 unique visitors and 254 yes votes. Pooptastic!

HERE IS THE GREENLIGHT PAGE!





Maybe I made a crap trailer? Maybe the game has crap graphics? (I like them) Maybe nobody likes 3D Platformers anymore (THIS IS THE RIGHT ANSWER). Maybe the game looks boring... well, it doesn't really do anything new. SORRY. I wanted to make the type of game I wanted and I love Nintendo, yes even the new stuff, so I made a 3D platformer. The only thing that separates this game from any other platformer is that it is set in an open-world. Not because it's trendy, but because I like the idea.. imagine Mario Sunshine set in an open world.. now imagine it's kinda shit..  THAT'S MY GAME!

So I don't care if you vote yes or no. I just want more views and so far I have no idea how to get them. Posting this here might help. Also, did I say there's a demo? There's a DEMO on itch.io

Here's a town:


You can see half the island from here:


These aren't in-game screenshots. If you want to see in-game screenshots go here, here or here.

Anyway, if this gets greenlit I plan on selling it for $5.99 or even $4.99.. I don't know, it's a short game. If it doesn't get greenlit (which seems very possible) then I'll have to put it up on itch.io or somewhere else. Is that good idea? Do people even buy stuff from itch.io? Any ideas? I'm stupid and the last time I put a game up for people to download was on The Daily Click.

So did I mention Greenlight hates it? I mean, sure it got some nice replies, but I have horrible self esteem and I only notice the bad ones:

Looks very meh. Subpar graphics, most of the game looks devoid of content, just empty platforms. SFX are terrible in combat, and the combat itself is shoddy. Need much more work. Downvote.

I think it could work with a bit of polish

...there's not much indicating that it'll be all too pleasant to play. It's seems fun and all but just needs some polish overall.

It looks way too clean and empty.

Way to simplistic, not that intruiging

The world does look clean and empty

With eye shattering 1990s graphics.

it looks generic and forgettable.

looks like a fun ps2 game, looks like a terrible steam 2016 game.

I think it needs a bit more polish.

Somewhat generic 3d platformer, but we need more of them regardless. Maybe if it's successful you'll make something even better.

Now we're talking!

Anyway, I feel like a fraud and a failure. Go check the greenlight page and give me some views. Also, if you're going to suggest I polish the game, let me know in what aspect I should polish it. Thanks!

DEMO on itch.io

DEMO on free wix page

[DireLogomachist]

Hey Spram! It honestly looks a lot better than I had expected on clicking that link. Jumping looks smooth and enjoyable - the most important part of a 3d platformer. I'd say it has a lot of potential!

But I'd say yes it does need polish. What game doesn't need more polish. God almost every AAA game ever released needs more polish. So don't let that phase you.

Btw, loved the balloon hopping segments! Stuff like that makes traversal fun and I'd love to see more design like that in the game.

How far is the game to completion?

[Spram]

Thanks DireLogomachist!

I'm almost done with the game. I would say I'm done, but there is always something to find out and fix or make better. Part of the reason I don't want to polish the graphics is because I'm afraid adding more stuff or making some things more detailed will make the game run worse. It already goes down to 40 fps in some areas.. but I have a crappy cpu so maybe it's just me.

[DireLogomachist]

I wouldn't worry about the art too much. What I meant was more like design polish, however vague that may sound...

[Zoglu]

Judging from the video, the controls look smooth, especially jumping
Maybe you should show more gameplay mechanics and features like your balloons, as the video show lots of wandering around but not much platforming actually, and the tomato throwing fights don't seem pretty challenging for now.
In Mario 64 you can swim and dive, slide down a mountain, avoid big boulders in a cave, throw enemy bombs... As a 3D platformer, what will your game offer?

Edit : your character and your nickname kinda remind me of a 2D freeware platformer, like 10 years ago, where you could also throw tomatoes. Is that you?

[NowSayPillow]

Oh man, this game looks adorable.

[Spram]

Judging from the video, the controls look smooth, especially jumping
Maybe you should show more gameplay mechanics and features like your balloons, as the video show lots of wandering around but not much platforming actually, and the tomato throwing fights don't seem pretty challenging for now.
In Mario 64 you can swim and dive, slide down a mountain, avoid big boulders in a cave, throw enemy bombs... As a 3D platformer, what will your game offer?

Edit : your character and your nickname kinda remind me of a 2D freeware platformer, like 10 years ago, where you could also throw tomatoes. Is that you?

Part 1: Unfortunately, the game mechanics are simpler than Mario64. You can jump, throw tomatoes, double jump, run, talk to people and other stuff, but no swimming/throwing/sliding. It's a pretty simple game.  

Part 2: The one with the HORRIBLE jumping mechanic? Yes, that was me.

Oh man, this game looks adorable.

Thanks!

[Zoglu]

Despite the jumping mechanic I remember playing Furball multiple times, spending like 10h trying to finish it

[Spram]

Wow, thanks!

Well, maybe you spent 10 hours because the bad jumping made it harder than it should have been. But you still manage to soldier through. 

[and0]

Can't honestly say I understand Greenlight. I once put an 8bit platformer on there and got shit about it not being in HD, not running at 60fps and not being widescreen. Had VR been a thing they probably would've complained about the lack of support as well. Essentially they were complaining about an 8bit game looking like an 8bit game. Then again, if Greenlight would make sense, Jim Sterling's career would have dried up a bit.

Anyway, about your game: The trailer made the game look less generic than I thought and it made me want to play the demo which I'll do after work tonight. Expect some more feedback then (and a Greenlight vote).

But regarding the graphics: I think one of the reasons people call it bland-looking is because you're using "realistic" textures and color palettes in an outdated N64-PS2 graphical style. That makes the game look "bad", as if you've failed to model a realistic 3D world because you didn't use enough polygons and varied high-res textures. Maybe you could try and make the game look more cartoony by increasing the saturation/contrast, maybe adding outlines... just an idea.

[PsySal]

Hi, this looks nice.

Try not to get too discouraged about greenlight. I don't have any tips for getting thru it but I think your game looks great, so don't start to doubt yourself there just because of a one internet popularity contest, as important as it might be. You gotta do what you gotta do (by which I mean, have confidence in what you're doing!)

It sounds like you are asking for suggestions for things to improve/polish-- I might be more sensitive than some people to it but one thing that stands out (which is unfortunately not simple to fix) is the camera movement. It feels very fast in terms of changing camera angles. So possibly even just adding a small amount of momentum to it could improve, although this slows the players ability to change views it can prevent motion sickness for a lot of people.

A long time ago I played a game, Space Station Silicon Valley, a very wonderful 3D platformer where you are a microchip that takes over animals (yeah) but it suffered from a too-fast camera. Made me feel quite sick playing it, and I haven't forgotten. Nintendo has done a fantastic job of managing camera, even back to their 2D games where they take pains to avoid more movement than is absolutely necessary.

Anyhow! Best wishes, I certainly gave you a greenlight vote.

[Spram]

and0: Thanks! I'm kinda disappointed in Steam Greenlight, but not because people don't like it. That's ok, I can't force people to like it. The problem is the lack of views. So far I got 931 and 850 of them were from the first day. I guess I could try to advertise my game better, but that's what I'm doing now. Anyway, there are just too many games these days.. and I'm obviously part of the problem.

PsySal: Thanks! I'll take a look into the camera. I think it might be too fast too. Anyway, I also played Space Station Sillicon Valley (made by the people who would go on to make Grand Theft Auto... I think) and it was wonderful.

[and0]

Alright, I've played the demo and even though I already expected to like it I was pleasantly surprised! It's a pretty world that's fun to explore and you can tell that passion went into it. The graphics and sound are quite nice and there's neat touches everywhere.  Nevertheless, here's some ideas for polishing the game:

• The controls are a tad sensitive
  The movement doesn't seem to be analog, so the slightest nudge of the analog stick sends Zissi running. This makes it hard to jump on enemies and became especially noticeable at the shooting gallery, where I actually fell of the pier trying to line up my shot. And speaking of which:
• Aiming is a bit finicky
  It can be a bit hard at times to hit stuff with tomatoes (also in part due to the controls, see above.) Maybe some slight auto-aiming could help, or alternatively a manual aiming mode where you hold down a button to make Zissi stand in place, then rotate her around.
• Transitions
  Some loading screens would make the game flow better and seem more polished. When first starting the game I thought it might have crashed, because between the title screen and the game there was just a long black screen. Also, leaving houses seems a bit abrupt, as does dying; the moment you die you just respawn instantly, which makes it a bit disorientating.
• Orientation
  If the demo is anything to go by, the game is essentially an open world, yes? You can walk anywhere and have to get quests from people in the world. If that is also the structure of the final game, some tools to help orientation would be nice. A quest log, an on-screen compass, an arrow pointing you to your next objective...just whatever you feel is enough for the kind of game you want to make.  I feel it should also always be made clear what the critical path is, so that you don't get stuck and can't progress.

Looking forward to the final game!

[Spram]

Thanks and0!
I've been screwing around with the controls lately trying to make them a little tighter.

It seems this game is going to be stuck in Greenlight Limbo for a while. I was wondering if releasing it on itch.io first would be a good idea. Maybe even having a huge sale at the beginning to get it out to as many people as possible. I've been thinking of maybe even %100 off for a couple of days. I don't know if that's stupid, but the reception my game has gotten is extremely mild.

Maybe the game is just not good enough?

How much would you pay for this game?

[Spram]

Sorry for bumping this. I promise I won't do it again unless I'm replying to someone.

How much would you pay for this game?

Well. I put it up on itch.io for $4.99.. which might be fair, I don't know.. so I put it up on a sale.

It's 99% off, or $0.04 for a limited time. Ends August 1.

Get it here: https://spram.itch.io/zissis-island

[seaventure]

did you make it with unity?

[Spram]

did you make it with unity?

Yes

[tjcbs]

Can't honestly say I understand Greenlight. I once put an 8bit platformer on there and got shit about it not being in HD, not running at 60fps and not being widescreen.... Essentially they were complaining about an 8bit game looking like an 8bit game.

Not to go off-topic (though a bump is a bump), but this is a *major* peeve of mine. 60fps *is* looking like an 8bit game, most all of them were. The fact that developers then could achieve that with a sub 2mhz machine, and "developers" now are either too lazy or unable to do that with literally millions of times the computing power, just boggles my mind. Any shit you got was probably an understatement.

[chrisdalke3]

Congratulations on the Greenlight success.

This game looks fantastic! It definitely brings up some deep feelings of nostalgia for the N64 / GameCube era of 3d platformers. I applaud you for the guts it takes to produce something because YOU would enjoy it as a player. I'd love to toss $5 your way for this game if you have time to release a Mac version someday.

Don't worry about the graphics either. Having great gameplay and "feel" is really what matters. This imgur album is relevant, it's showing the progression of The Witness's level graphics. http://imgur.com/a/WIk8Z Even adding some gradual polish as you release updates can produce something amazing, and to be honest, I feel like what you've produced looks great as it is - anything more is a bonus.