u/Pr0spector0

I'm torn whether to use 'Color Map' post processing. I'm leaning toward just letting the player choose between ones because I can't seem to choose. Even then, which do I make default? The one with no Color Map? Or one of the ones with color map. Which do I use as the 'default' look? Tradeoffs abound. No Color Map allows the colors I've chosen for different areas to probably be the clearest, with the 64 color 'natural color' map being nearly as. The others are more striking (and possibly hard to look at or offputting) but more interesting visually to my eye. Do y'all prefer plain without Color Map or lightly applied or like more restricted 'artistic' coloring?

I am looking for a video editor for a demo release trailer with at least modestly successful games to point to having done their trailer (400+ reviews on steam). Ideally on games that are atmospheric, and making use of custom OST for that game in a way that captivates its target audience.

Game can be found here: https://gameround.co/detail/772/info and on steam/itch if you look for it.

Willing to pay what is usually paid (I'm not sure of an exact figure for this kind of thing but willing to pay fairly).

I ask as someone with not much grasp on biblical concepts and words, (as an agnostic without religious background), but I have noticed a commonality between the language of Gene Wolfe's Shadow of the Torturer, which references the bible heavily if I understand it correctly, and the prosaic language of Caves of Qud. So beyond the obvious, such as Joppa (another name for the real town of Jaffa), Golgotha, Bethesda, (and I'm now realizing how many more there are), how deep does it go?

Hey! Hope y'all are doing well. I hope it's ok if I announce the beginning of the public playtest at https://gameround.co/detail/772/info . I've already got such great feedback. It's super easy to play using their launcher (similar to Steam). It's on Steam for those interested! https://store.steampowered.com/app/3719140/Exobiota/?beta=0

I'm genuinely having a hard time deciding which looks better: with retro pixel textures or without. What do you all think looks better?

Edit: Apologies for the not the greatest or clearest screenshots. I'm mainly just wondering if not having a more retro vibe aesthetic is causing my game to not be recognized by retro dungeon crawler or retro RPG enthusiasts. My game is mechanically retro in its inspirations being Morrowind or newer games of the Genre like Dread Delusion or Lunacid. Is this confusing? I want to better understand my target audience, like those over at r/fieldies, though it's a small subreddit.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3719140/Exobiota/?beta=0

What is the best way? Do you like the Disco-Elysium approach where you roll the dice, whose result is weighted by your skills? If you're like me, this encourages save scumming if the game allows that, and it can be pretty frustrating if for some reason you can't load a previous save since you just got blocked from experiencing part of the story.

Or something more elaborate like a minigame? Or are regular skill checks just fine? People will say they don't like them but they are so common, you'd think they'd be extinct if that was true.

I realize most people don't think about them that much and if well designed, these approaches can all work well, and that's what the player really notices and cares about.

I keep thinking I should get a professional video person to do a trailer but I don't know anyone good, and I'd rather not be gaslighted by some guy making trailers with AI, who gets offended when I say he used AI even though it's obvious. (I used no AI for this trailer... it's just gameplay set to a piece of music I thought sounded good, but like I said, I don't really know what I'm doing.)

I don't really know if this game is actually marketable. It's sort of Kings Field adjacent but more focused on story. I think people who enjoyed Dread Delusion would enjoy this. It's not retro graphically, exactly, which is something that worries me. Like, will people who would enjoy my game not recognize it as part of the genre?

I've also considered getting a composer to help with trailer music but again, same problem. I don't know anyone good etc.

It's sort of my first game I think I could possibly sell on steam, after a bunch of halfway-made not-really-good-enough-for-Steam 'games'. I know it won't be a masterclass or anything, but I hope it could be a decent debut entry, with the right direction and care. Or maybe I should give up because my game is not streamer-friendly (I won't but maybe I should haha)

Any feedback is much appreciated. Game's here, btw: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3719140/Exobiota/?beta=0