This is a game with netori, not a netori game.
Why did the dev make such a big fuss about Netori with Meredith, then?
Do you understand how analytics work? His patreon has been growing consistently since he first released the game. Also checking other front page games' patreons with no prior following that came out at around the same time (early 2023) this one by far generates the most income.
this is why I say this a failure of marketing, a game getting so few wishlists is basically a telltale sign of "people don't know/don't engage with this game". Dev/fans probably needs to start engaging on social media like twitter or reddit as F95 is not cutting it.You must be registered to see the links
I expressed my concerns regarding the current state of this project in the last project update; to make it short, while I have full confidence in the quality of my work, I am anxious about whether I'll experience the growth suitable for me to transition Houses of Hearts into a full-time job.
But why? Hasn't the final chapter of the first season stimulated enough growth so that I can rest easy knowing that I'll attain that goal?
The answer is, unfortunately, not that simple. It is not as inevitable as I thought it would be. A few months ago, I thought differently... But that changed after the initial reveal of the steam release, and after seeing the current analytics, I... am worried.
As of today, two weeks after the initial reveal, this is my current analytics on Steam :
I have 20 wishlists. The conversion of wishlists to actual purchases is not 100%, I'll be lucky if it is 20%. Meaning if I sell it today, I'll earn about $40... Steam takes a 30% cut from that, too, then there's taxes, etc.
Is that bad? I don't know. One thing I know for certain, it is definitely not encouraging. Perhaps it is due to the very early nature of the steam page, but I have solid reasons and grounds to be... well, concerned.
It's a sight that changes how I view Game of Hearts. Game of Hearts is a niche title with qualities that are hard to market with descriptions alone. It is not a popular title. My approach to how I handle this project must change.
I have two primary concerns:
There is a difference in expectations when starting a fresh project compared to continuing an existing one. Growth is dependent on how much a person enjoyed the first season, and those who skipped it may never give Houses of Hearts a shot.
- Houses of Hearts is not a new IP. It is a sequel.
While yes, Game of Hearts has attained a decent amount of monetary support since its inception, it also took me two years to reach my current numbers. What reason do I have to believe that Houses of Hearts will be different? The second season may be a lot better than the first, and even if it is, does that actually matter when it is very closely tied to the first season?
The truth is... I don't know. My project has been out there for 2 years; most people who are interested in it have already played it. Most people who wanted to support it have already supported it. Will new people play through the entirety of Game of Hearts, liking it enough to try the second season, and then support it? Houses of Hearts has very similar elements to the first season; married women, characters with significant others, and the focus is generally similar, too.
To put things in simple terms, Houses of Hearts is an entirely different beast when it comes to the requirements and conditions needed to support its completion.
- The growing complexity, general image quality, and the lack of time.
Early Game of Hearts renders are generally heavily blurred to the point where details are missing. I used that approach to shorten render times and get good sleep. It does not net a bad result, but it could've been so much better. As I grow as an artist, I refrain from that method, but that has hiked up render times significantly.
Compare it to the renders I have now, unblurred, albeit with much, much higher render times:
The difference might not be stark at a glance, but it impacts how one feels when you look at the renders. You'll notice this change from pre-chapter 5 and all the previous chapters, renders from Brie's section and onwards from the first season are generally much, much more detailed than the past ones.
Now, I can keep using the old method in houses of hearts, dismissing any growth and half-assing it, doing the bare minimum. But I care very, very deeply about the quality of the experience I'm trying to convey. It matters a ton to me; just completing stuff is one thing, but providing something more than just completion requires a different mindset and approach.
At the end of the day, I'm not a marketing expert, nor am I clever in managing subscriptions and garnering attention. All I did was put Game of Hearts out there and hope for the best. This approach works when I only plan to treat this project as a side job—something born purely of passion—but if I wish to step out of that mold and do it full-time, conditions and priorities change.
The fact is, I can't keep up the current pace and the sheer amount of work to provide something special without transitioning to full-time work.
Well, maybe this is just the ramblings of a man lacking sleep. Transparency is important, and this is me being transparent.
Yes, I am anxious. Yes, I am worried.
But... I love this project. I always look forward to weekends—two precious days where I can lock in and just... work. That's why I'm a little frustrated. If I don't care about this project, I won't feel this way.
If you wish to help, please wishlist the game on Steam; you don't even have to buy it.
Yeah, I've been a sub for a while and have wishlisted on Steam, and have been talking the game up on several AVN Discord's I've been on for a while now. Hopefully more word spreads.
While 20 wishlists is a ridicolously low number, it's not far away from the amount I would come to expect given the current situation.
Well, another thing is I think steam releases are almost never the main income vehicule for AVN devs. That's why I think looking at patreon analytics is more meaningful. If anything Steam is just a way to advertise the game to funnel more supporters into the patreon.
20 wishlist don't worry once it is released all of my friends are saying they are gonna buy it. I already wishlisted it and saved the money no matter the cost I am definitely buying this.You must be registered to see the links
I expressed my concerns regarding the current state of this project in the last project update; to make it short, while I have full confidence in the quality of my work, I am anxious about whether I'll experience the growth suitable for me to transition Houses of Hearts into a full-time job.
But why? Hasn't the final chapter of the first season stimulated enough growth so that I can rest easy knowing that I'll attain that goal?
The answer is, unfortunately, not that simple. It is not as inevitable as I thought it would be. A few months ago, I thought differently... But that changed after the initial reveal of the steam release, and after seeing the current analytics, I... am worried.
As of today, two weeks after the initial reveal, this is my current analytics on Steam :
I have 20 wishlists. The conversion of wishlists to actual purchases is not 100%, I'll be lucky if it is 20%. Meaning if I sell it today, I'll earn about $40... Steam takes a 30% cut from that, too, then there's taxes, etc.
Is that bad? I don't know. One thing I know for certain, it is definitely not encouraging. Perhaps it is due to the very early nature of the steam page, but I have solid reasons and grounds to be... well, concerned.
It's a sight that changes how I view Game of Hearts. Game of Hearts is a niche title with qualities that are hard to market with descriptions alone. It is not a popular title. My approach to how I handle this project must change.
I have two primary concerns:
There is a difference in expectations when starting a fresh project compared to continuing an existing one. Growth is dependent on how much a person enjoyed the first season, and those who skipped it may never give Houses of Hearts a shot.
- Houses of Hearts is not a new IP. It is a sequel.
While yes, Game of Hearts has attained a decent amount of monetary support since its inception, it also took me two years to reach my current numbers. What reason do I have to believe that Houses of Hearts will be different? The second season may be a lot better than the first, and even if it is, does that actually matter when it is very closely tied to the first season?
The truth is... I don't know. My project has been out there for 2 years; most people who are interested in it have already played it. Most people who wanted to support it have already supported it. Will new people play through the entirety of Game of Hearts, liking it enough to try the second season, and then support it? Houses of Hearts has very similar elements to the first season; married women, characters with significant others, and the focus is generally similar, too.
To put things in simple terms, Houses of Hearts is an entirely different beast when it comes to the requirements and conditions needed to support its completion.
- The growing complexity, general image quality, and the lack of time.
Early Game of Hearts renders are generally heavily blurred to the point where details are missing. I used that approach to shorten render times and get good sleep. It does not net a bad result, but it could've been so much better. As I grow as an artist, I refrain from that method, but that has hiked up render times significantly.
Compare it to the renders I have now, unblurred, albeit with much, much higher render times:
The difference might not be stark at a glance, but it impacts how one feels when you look at the renders. You'll notice this change from pre-chapter 5 and all the previous chapters, renders from Brie's section and onwards from the first season are generally much, much more detailed than the past ones.
Now, I can keep using the old method in houses of hearts, dismissing any growth and half-assing it, doing the bare minimum. But I care very, very deeply about the quality of the experience I'm trying to convey. It matters a ton to me; just completing stuff is one thing, but providing something more than just completion requires a different mindset and approach.
At the end of the day, I'm not a marketing expert, nor am I clever in managing subscriptions and garnering attention. All I did was put Game of Hearts out there and hope for the best. This approach works when I only plan to treat this project as a side job—something born purely of passion—but if I wish to step out of that mold and do it full-time, conditions and priorities change.
The fact is, I can't keep up the current pace and the sheer amount of work to provide something special without transitioning to full-time work.
Well, maybe this is just the ramblings of a man lacking sleep. Transparency is important, and this is me being transparent.
Yes, I am anxious. Yes, I am worried.
But... I love this project. I always look forward to weekends—two precious days where I can lock in and just... work. That's why I'm a little frustrated. If I don't care about this project, I won't feel this way.
If you wish to help, please wishlist the game on Steam; you don't even have to buy it.
I'll be completely honest. I love this game and i'm very eagerly waiting for season 2, but the developer is absolutely shit at communication. First, there's no discord server for players to keep in touch with the developer or to discuss the game which helps in increasing popularity. Secondly, the developer does not even communicate with his patreons. I subscribed to his patreon for a few months, DMed there and even commented on his posts, but he never replies anywhere, does not even check the comments on his posts.You must be registered to see the links
I expressed my concerns regarding the current state of this project in the last project update; to make it short, while I have full confidence in the quality of my work, I am anxious about whether I'll experience the growth suitable for me to transition Houses of Hearts into a full-time job.
But why? Hasn't the final chapter of the first season stimulated enough growth so that I can rest easy knowing that I'll attain that goal?
The answer is, unfortunately, not that simple. It is not as inevitable as I thought it would be. A few months ago, I thought differently... But that changed after the initial reveal of the steam release, and after seeing the current analytics, I... am worried.
As of today, two weeks after the initial reveal, this is my current analytics on Steam :
I have 20 wishlists. The conversion of wishlists to actual purchases is not 100%, I'll be lucky if it is 20%. Meaning if I sell it today, I'll earn about $40... Steam takes a 30% cut from that, too, then there's taxes, etc.
Is that bad? I don't know. One thing I know for certain, it is definitely not encouraging. Perhaps it is due to the very early nature of the steam page, but I have solid reasons and grounds to be... well, concerned.
It's a sight that changes how I view Game of Hearts. Game of Hearts is a niche title with qualities that are hard to market with descriptions alone. It is not a popular title. My approach to how I handle this project must change.
I have two primary concerns:
There is a difference in expectations when starting a fresh project compared to continuing an existing one. Growth is dependent on how much a person enjoyed the first season, and those who skipped it may never give Houses of Hearts a shot.
- Houses of Hearts is not a new IP. It is a sequel.
While yes, Game of Hearts has attained a decent amount of monetary support since its inception, it also took me two years to reach my current numbers. What reason do I have to believe that Houses of Hearts will be different? The second season may be a lot better than the first, and even if it is, does that actually matter when it is very closely tied to the first season?
The truth is... I don't know. My project has been out there for 2 years; most people who are interested in it have already played it. Most people who wanted to support it have already supported it. Will new people play through the entirety of Game of Hearts, liking it enough to try the second season, and then support it? Houses of Hearts has very similar elements to the first season; married women, characters with significant others, and the focus is generally similar, too.
To put things in simple terms, Houses of Hearts is an entirely different beast when it comes to the requirements and conditions needed to support its completion.
- The growing complexity, general image quality, and the lack of time.
Early Game of Hearts renders are generally heavily blurred to the point where details are missing. I used that approach to shorten render times and get good sleep. It does not net a bad result, but it could've been so much better. As I grow as an artist, I refrain from that method, but that has hiked up render times significantly.
Compare it to the renders I have now, unblurred, albeit with much, much higher render times:
The difference might not be stark at a glance, but it impacts how one feels when you look at the renders. You'll notice this change from pre-chapter 5 and all the previous chapters, renders from Brie's section and onwards from the first season are generally much, much more detailed than the past ones.
Now, I can keep using the old method in houses of hearts, dismissing any growth and half-assing it, doing the bare minimum. But I care very, very deeply about the quality of the experience I'm trying to convey. It matters a ton to me; just completing stuff is one thing, but providing something more than just completion requires a different mindset and approach.
At the end of the day, I'm not a marketing expert, nor am I clever in managing subscriptions and garnering attention. All I did was put Game of Hearts out there and hope for the best. This approach works when I only plan to treat this project as a side job—something born purely of passion—but if I wish to step out of that mold and do it full-time, conditions and priorities change.
The fact is, I can't keep up the current pace and the sheer amount of work to provide something special without transitioning to full-time work.
Well, maybe this is just the ramblings of a man lacking sleep. Transparency is important, and this is me being transparent.
Yes, I am anxious. Yes, I am worried.
But... I love this project. I always look forward to weekends—two precious days where I can lock in and just... work. That's why I'm a little frustrated. If I don't care about this project, I won't feel this way.
If you wish to help, please wishlist the game on Steam; you don't even have to buy it.
That's actually false. Steam's sale money always obliterate Patreon's money.
Yes, but you're talking about the top 1% of AVNs there. Are there any more realistic examples? Also the Freshwomen dev is like the worst example to use considering that guy owns a whole adult vn platform.
Look I don't wanna stay on this topic too much because I'm smelling the incoming purge for off-topic.
Fair enough. This just makes it far less likely that the game won't see some level of financial success, I also looked up some examples on my end and it seems to track.
So you're projecting and pretending that because one story is Netori suddenly meant the entire game is netori based when the author clearly never said anything of the sort.
You must've missed the pages of fans expressing their dissatisfaction at the dev announcing that he's moving away from Netori elements in the game before the Season 1 ending. There was a huge fuss about him saying he can't keep working that theme because of his mental health suffering.
