u/playsynapse

Next will do animation, but first I am curious what you guys think, is it alright or anything feels off?

Three weeks ago, demo of my solo-developed cyberpunk narrative game Synapse on itch started to get traction. Recently it has passed 850+ collection adds, which is something I genuinely didn't expect this early.

Those three weeks were spent reading every piece of feedback I could find on itch and game discord community and turning it into updates.

Some of the things that happened because players engage:

- Fixed progression blockers and gameplay bugs.
- Rebalanced several sections after watching people struggle.
- Added features significally improving plot and storytelling.
- Added custom player names.
- Reworked the ending so it better sets up what's coming instead of ending abruptly.
- Added requested quality-of-life features like an inventory hotkey. Improved UX/UI
- Fixed dozens of smaller issues, from dialogue loops and text problems to edge-case input bugs (including one where pressing I during name entry opened the inventory).

Nearly every update came directly from someone taking the time to play and write a comment.
It helped shape the game far more quickly than I could have managed on my own.

Another great achievement is that game got small yet, awesome and very warm community in our discord.

So if you're one of the 850+ people who added the game to your collection, played it, reported a bug, suggested an improvement, or simply shared your thoughts-thank you. You've had a direct impact on where the project is heading.
I'm looking forward to seeing where the next few weeks take it.

Game on itch:
https://synapse-dev.itch.io/synapse

Discord community:
https://discord.gg/nMMtsMaVjB

Made in collaboration with Megpx.267

I've been experimenting with pixel-art rain and found a simple setup that works well.

For the rain itself, render the particles at a pixel art resolution than the final render. After that, upscale it using subviewport. That way rain vector particles become pixelated. Looks good enough for me.

For local lighting, I placed light sources (such as street lamps or bulbs) on a separate mask layer. Use that mask to increase the visibility or brightness of rain particles only inside the illuminated area. This creates the effect of rain becoming highlighted when it passes under the light source, while rain outside the light cone stays darker.

Here is the game to try on itch

Would you resist?

Link to the game in my profile or here if anyone interested ^^

So I set up the game nicely, followed all instructions and guidelines, did my best with descriptions and catchy pictures, updating the game and visuals, yet was struggling to gain any traction for around a month. While making some marketing posts on Reddit, something wonderful happened and the game got to the main page, or relatively close to the 1st page, and to all the tag searches too.

I am finally getting some feedback and suggestions in the game's Discord, and happy to get back to polishing the demo but already with a good amount of input from actual gamers. Happy it happened, and appreciate everyone who helped make it happen.

Here is the game on itch and Steam:
https://synapse-dev.itch.io/synapse https://store.steampowered.com/app/4608830/Synapse/

I set up the page nicely with all the images and styling, tags, descriptions, pushed as much external traffic as I could after indexing, and published and updated the demo, yet the traffic is just dead. Any advice?

I really need feedback from players to continue polishing the game, and I thought itch.io would help with that. I tried promoting it online and even had some amazing people support me financially and leave comments. A few people provided very important feedback, which I used to balance the game and fix bugs.

Now I'm a bit lost and wondering what's wrong with the page, since it doesn't seem to get any traction at all. I would really appreciate any help or suggestions on this.

Here's the game's page:
https://synapse-dev.itch.io/synapse

Quick update:

After I posted this, something happened and itch brought 500+ visitors, 200 plays, etc... might be the traffic from you guys supporting and checking it out pushed the traffic from itch itself. Hmmmm

Also, last week, wishlists started coming from somewhere I don't really know, without any promotion on my side. I do use UTM links, but those wishlists might be coming from the algorithms for upcoming releases.

I'm happy to have reached 500, especially since I'm getting some traction organically. At the same time, I'm terrified by my decision to set a release deadline. I still believe I can make it, and I think setting a deadline is a good thing; it's just emotionally challenging. How do you guys deal with release date deadlines?

Also, the decision to release in October was made because of the Autumn Cyberpunk Fest, so I assume it would be a good idea to promote the game there just before release.

By the way, here's the game page:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4608830/Synapse/?utm_source=reddit&utm_campaign=page

Hi r/IndieGameWishlist

So this is partly a celebration post, but also just some feedback from the past few weeks.

I stopped actively promoting the game for a bit and took a break to continue with development and fixing bugs from the demo playtests on itch, rebalancing the game. And wishlists still kept coming in, around 5-7 a day. That genuinely surprised me.

I did update the trailer and messed around with the tags on the Steam page (or maybe broke them, still not entirely sure). I also keep an eye on similar games as they pop up. And I've been using the game's Instagram to comment and engage with other artists' accounts, which might have played a role too.

These aren't huge numbers. But it makes me happy that things didn't just fall to zero the moment I took a breather.

Steam page and web demo if anyone wants to check it out:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4608830/Synapse/?utm_source=reddit&utm_campaign=page

https://synapse-dev.itch.io/synapse

Hi r/gamemarketing

So, the point of this post is, of course, to celebrate reaching the 400 wishlist mark, but also to share some brief feedback on what happened after I stopped promoting the game. Wishlists kept coming in at a rate of 5–7 per day, even without me posting at every possible opportunity I could think of.

As for the Steam page, I updated the trailer and adjusted some tags (or maybe broke them instead), and I keep an eye on similar games as they appear.

I also actively use the game's Instagram account, commenting on and engaging with fellow artists' accounts. That might have helped as well.

These aren't huge numbers, but it genuinely makes me happy that things didn't drop to zero while I took a break from the promotion sprint.

Here is the Steam page if anyone wants to check it out:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4608830/Synapse/?utm_source=reddit&utm_campaign=page

Hi honorable r/playtesters

Since first playtest - a lot of improvements were made. Thanks to you all!
I am asking for the second round now, and hope it is much more playable, and you guys can actually finish the chapter ^^

https://synapse-dev.itch.io/synapse

t was the first month after my game, Synapse, went live on Steam, and I want to share a bit about how the process went and what happened.

For Steam:
On the first day, I posted the page with a self-made trailer, in-game screenshots, and the first round of tag and text optimization. I gained some wishlists by announcing it in a few Discord groups and subreddits.

Then I tried different post types and timings, and found that early morning East America time worked best for me. Since I make handmade stylized art, posting in relevant pixel art and cyberpunk communities worked the best.

That’s about it so far. I got several rejections on some subreddits while I was still learning how to participate properly and respectfully within the rules and communities.

During this month my reddit account growth was pretty good (in my humble opinion). I alwasy engage and respond. And not only in my own posts.

I try to make engaging posts without making them feel too much like marketing posts — and maybe I worried about that too much. I think I lost some traction when I became overly careful and stopped posting links.

Steam page for Synapse

For itch.io:
I posted the game with a playable demo some time after the Steam page was already live. The goal was to test the waters and gather gameplay feedback.

It worked out a bit differently than I expected. Three people supported the game with money, while only one person gave gameplay feedback. The support was extremely motivating, and the feedback was critically useful. I fixed some bugs and gathered data for a small rebalance.

At first, it gained traction from my own promotion, and then it picked up some momentum and brought in people from itch.io itself — but after that, it almost completely dropped to zero. So I guess I need to keep promoting it outside of itch.io more consistently.

Synapse on itch.io

If anyone has questions or recommendations on how to improve visibility and marketing, you’re very welcome to share them.

edit: I have participated in one small offline event, which brought some good connections, and many people just checked out the game and chat about it.

Don't worry, she's just joking

Participating in one local event while I am traveling. Hope to meet fellow artists as its mostly an cartoon art workshop-exhibition.

If anyone interested please feel free to ask about the event or the game.

And wish me luck 🤞

My game recently just crossed 200 wishlist level, and I am so happy about that. Also I got 3 supports for my itch free demo, I am so grateful to all the people that show interest to my game, and especially those who decided to donate some $, which was so unexpected and very inspiring!

Please feel free to ask anything you want, related to the process or the game. I market game myself and just exploring the waters, actually 2 weeks ago I knew nothing about marketing. Now I might know 0.001% -_-

Upd: attaching the link if anyone interested to check the game
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4608830

Even though the game is free to test, I honestly have no words for how grateful I am. It’s a huge motivation boost, and a big thank you to someone who cared enough to support it. 💜

If anyone interested: https://synapse-dev.itch.io/synapse

Hey r/danang!

I will be participating in artoon network showcase, where I’ll present Synapse - pixel art hand drawn cyberpunk thriller game. Come, check it out and have fun.

And also, to those who interested, here some links to the game and event:

Wishlist game on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4608830/Synapse/

Event on IG:
https://www.instagram.com/thecartoonartshow

I created the door animation where it slides side and back automatically. Behind the actual wall it looks fine to me, wdyt?

Maybe should add some more visible width to it though

A piece made in collaboration with Moneer Alwerfally as an apartment location.