A new presentation video and started working with Unity.

New presentation video

I did a three minutes video that explains the project more in details than the Gameplay trailer. It covers the three main features: battle system, story and collaborative mindset of the project. There is an error in the dialog that I am currently fixing, so I will upload a new version soon.

Unity development

I dig up my old Unity prototype and made it work. I read about best practices on the internet and search useful assets in the Unity store.

This week

• New Facebook ads campaign with the new video.
• If the ads work, I will continue marketing efforts and contact journalists/Youtubers.
• Have fun with Unity!

Weekly update is a way to summarize what I have done last week.

This is written pretty quick and without much revision, as I want to spend more time on the game’s development.

Feel free to ask for precision if some parts you are interested in are not clear enough.

Weekly update is a way to summarize what I have done last week.

This is written pretty quick and without much revision, as I want to spend more time on the game’s development.

Feel free to ask for precision if some parts you are interested in are not clear enough.

New graphic integration

Not all graphic have been redrawn, I think there is a 10% remaining. I will wait for all of them before making a new release online.

Marketing

I made some graphic in an attempt to make a viral trend.

Give me your opinion campaign

This is a campaign where I will ask for people to give me their email address so we can chat about their opinion on the game’s future development. Automated email will be sent to redirect them to online form that will ask them various thing about what they would prefer (boss type, boss attack, boss music). Final questions have not been decided, but I have tackled the UI in the online form, the emails’ templates and the technological challenge. I will wait to see if Christa have enough time to invest in alternate graphics and see if enough people are interested in step1 of the campaign before going through.

Kickstarter

The project description, with most graphics in it, is done. I sent it out for reviewing to Christa. If some of you want to volunteer to review it, it is here: https://goo.gl/1yl9x6

This week

• Some minor correction on the Kickstarter project
• Kickstarter reward descriptions
• Making ads material for Facebook
• I may start the game’s trailer, even without all graphics. I will need to swap some scene afterward though, but at least, I would have decided of the scenario and gain some experience with video editing.

The Kickstarter campaign ends Friday, but obviously, the campaign goal will not be reached.
Thank you everyone who followed me and give me feedback about the game.
What will happen of the game? Pretty much nothing for now. I must return to my real job Monday and having two young kids, I won’t have any spare time to continue this project. Maybe I will come back to it in about a year, but that is not sure.
I have to think about what I need to improve. A different story? A longer demo? Partner up with a writer and artist (not a sub-contractor)?
I think having a story that involves travelling through time may be cool. Having a story centered aroun religion seemed too much controversial and created unease. I thought that being an indie developer, I could make such unease, but that is not true: if I want to sell, I must give what people want.
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Started working with Unity, last wave of Facebook ads.

Facebook ads

Ads with my newest presentation video. After spending around $250, I got someone back me for $5. Not very lucrative…

Unity development

Here is what I had in my old Unity prototype:

• Old graphics.
• Character movements using the mouse.
• My own cutscene API and the first cutscene in Thomas’s house.
• Triggered cutscene when we walk near the priest.
• NPC AI for running randomly and speaking.
• Combat in a separate screen. It had no enemies though and there were no way to transition from and to the dungeon scene.
• Movement and throwing skill in combat.

I don’t know how much time it took for this work. This week, I worked 42,5 hours on the Unity game.

• Going into and out of combat without having a separate screens. It is not complete.
• Adding enemies in combat and making the attacks make some damage.
• Integrating the Dependency Injection and refactored some of the existing code. I took Zenject from the Asset Store.
• Integrating a few of the newer graphics
• Adding background music. I made a small music manager that remembers where the song was at when you go into combat so it does not start over when you go out. Also, when switching scene and the music is the same, it runs seamlessly while the scene loads.
• Buying TileTool2D to help me make dungeons faster. This tool would benefit from a better explained tutorial, I had a hard time figuring out the workflow. It had some bugs I fixed and I also adapted the tool to my need.

A lot of work need to be done to polish the UI. Making an AI for the enemies in combat will take a lot of time.

This week

• Continue having fun with Unity!
• Maybe make a video about my progress in Unity, I did not hear enough interest so far, so I am not tempted to spend much time on this.

Weekly update is a way to summarize what I have done last week.

This is written pretty quick and without much revision, as I want to spend more time on the game’s development.

Feel free to ask for precision if some parts you are interested in are not clear enough.

Kickstarter launch was a complete failure, I need to figure out what is missing in The Pilgrimage and adapt my marketing strategy.

Weekly update is a way to summarize what I have done last week.

This is written pretty quick and without much revision, as I want to spend more time on the game’s development.

Feel free to ask for precision if some parts you are interested in are not clear enough.

Satisfaction survey

Please fill this anonymous survey, so I can better adapt The Pilgrimage to your expectations.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1GcITkBVhutfr7JfM19GL7aBE8c30xjRDaZL0HZgIMJA/edit

Presentation video

I made a presentation video. If you haven’t already, you can view it on the Kickstarter page. Memorizing text takes too much long, so I cheated a little and only learned half of my text. If I had improvised, I would have hesitated too much, degrading the professionalism of the video.

Facebook ads

I stopped Facebook ads. They still have a low Cost per Click, but nobody supported the project on Kickstarter.

Press contact

Contacted a lot of journalists in English and French. A lot opened my emails, but no response or media coverage so far.

Kickstarter

Kickstarter launched last Wednesday. Only 3 supporters so far, which is really deceiving. Funny facts, I received so MUCH message regarding Kickstarter campaign’s promotion in the days after. Even one for my Indiegogo project!?

This week

• Ask the community what they like in the project and what should be added to Kickstart it.
• Improve the about page of my website and refer the Kickstarter project description right from the top. The page will be better organized by section of interest and explain more on a particular aspect of the game.
• Re-do some promotion.
• AMA on Reddit Thursday: https://twitter.com/Filcius/status/789099874725851136

Preparation for Kickstarter launch this Wednesday, finished first Facebook ad campaign “I need your opinion” and contact some Youtubers.

Weekly update is a way to summarize what I have done last week.

This is written pretty quick and without much revision, as I want to spend more time on the game’s development.

Feel free to ask for precision if some parts you are interested in are not clear enough.

Facebook ads

I did the “I need your opinion” marketing campaign. I spent around 150$ and a rate of 1.12$/click, which is good. However, even if people visited my site, I only got 10 contacts from this campaign. My facebook targeted audience is quite small, so I chose to stop annoying it with my ads for a while and start again a new marketing campaign in-sync with Kickstarter launch. This campaign will give more information on the game’s features up-front.

Press contact

Sent emails to a lot of Youtube channels that may be interested by my game, in the hope they try it and talk about it. A few opened the mail, but no response so far. I did not send to all of my list yet.

My girlfriend translated the press kit in French, but I did not integrate it yet, until I contact French/Quebec press.

Kickstarter

Kickstarter will launch next wednesday around 12:00-13:00 EST.

Kickstarter description is done and ready for preview here. Serve yourself: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/filcius/1095457962?token=6961194b

I will try to add a presentation video.

This week

• Integrate final art for the “I Need Your Opinion“ campaign
• Finally do the present myself video to add to Kickstarter description.
• Finish the “Kickstarter” ads campaign and launch it.
• Promotion of my game on Kickstarter
• If I have time, contact press and youtubers