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u/Technical-Top-9044

r/textadventures r/rpg_gamers r/SoloDev r/interactivefiction r/CRPG r/gamedev r/playtesters r/DRPG
▲ 0 r/gamedev

Shipped a parser-style text RPG on Steam in GameMaker - what actually mattered for “feel”

I recently put out The Escape from Dungeon Keep, a room-by-room text RPG (inventory, turn-based combat, side quests, multiple endings). Stack is GameMaker + a JSON mod loader (Steam Workshop).

I went into it thinking the hard part would be content volume. The hard part was making typing commands into a box feel good for modern players.

What helped most

  1. Journal + objective line - people quit text games when they don’t know what to do next, not when the prose is mediocre.
  2. Smarter failure text - “I don’t understand” kills momentum. Suggesting real verbs (go north, take all, journal) recovered a lot of soft drop-off.
  3. Battle decisions without a full RPG sheet - guard / heavy / focus was enough to stop combat feeling like “attack until dead.”
  4. Typewriter + SFX as juice - same script, much stronger first impression in screenshots/trailer.
  5. Mods early - even a small JSON content pipeline made post-launch updates less scary.

If you’ve shipped interactive fiction or any heavy-UI narrative game: what was the one QoL thing that reduced “I’m stuck / this feels archaic” the most?

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u/Technical-Top-9044 — 3 days ago
▲ 10 r/gamedev

I have no clue how to increase my visibility

ive been stuck at around 60 wishlists for 3 days now
what can i do to increase my visibility
ive tried reddit posts discord communities and sponsorships for some small creators. i just dont know what to do please help :pray:

reddit.com
u/Technical-Top-9044 — 7 days ago
▲ 56 r/interactivefiction+6 crossposts

Looking for players who still like room-by-room text adventures — Escape from Dungeon Keep (Steam)

I miss the feel of exploring a place one room at a time, reading descriptions, and piecing the story together — so I made one.

The Escape from Dungeon Keep is a text RPG: examine everything, talk to NPCs, fight when you have to, and push toward the summit. There’s a journal/hints system if you get stuck, but the world is written to be readable without a walkthrough.

If you like Infocom-ish exploration with light RPG combat and side quests, this is aimed at you.

Also there is workshop mods for the game i hope you guys can wishlist!

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5050070/The_Escape_From_Dungeon_Keep/
Keys available for IF reviewers / Let’s Players — email dungeonkeepmaster@proton.me

u/Technical-Top-9044 — 9 days ago