Ren'Py Stranded in Space [Days 1-19.5 Elysium] [WildMan Games]

[smuk]

I have heard that some devs forego the 1$ tiers completely, prefering to have patreons pledge 5$ 2-3 times per year instead. It's a matter of how much of the pledge goes to the creator. I believe that at 1$ it might be as little as 50-60% and that at 5$ they get at least 10% more.

imo it's psychology of basic human collective behavior. when guy come and, even that he enjoys the product, see that dev have 99 subs - "meh, maybe he doing something wrong that I missed here, so no subscription from me"
but we are collective creatures. if more ppl enjoying something - more likely it will draw more ppl in. there is a difference between 100 and 99 and vice versa

And I do agree with you on your every word. I just have a little different perspective that I describe above. Using patreon over ~7 years now had show me a lot

 

[PrivilegedCholo]

imo it's psychology of basic human collective behavior. when guy come and, even that he enjoys the product, see that dev have 99 subs - "meh, maybe he doing something wrong that I missed here, so no subscription from me"
but we are collective creatures. if more ppl enjoying something - more likely it will draw more ppl in. there is a difference between 100 and 99 and vice versa

And I do agree with you on your every word. I just have a little different perspective that I describe above. Using patreon over ~7 years now had show me a lot

"if more ppl enjoying something - more likely it will draw more ppl in". This
You're right about that, even if this is technically a pirate site and most people on here get VN's for free, I believe it makes up for a ton of traffic that eventually passes through to patreon, hence its a bonus if your game gets a active community going here.

Patreon has no community or newsfeed. Usually unless you know what you're looking for on that site its not like there is a forum or a trending page. Building interest there has to be through promotion on other social media platforms.

Currently Wildman is trying to get his Steam release going but time will tell if it pays off (no thanks to Itch), steam isn't as bad as patreon since there's discussion threads but its UI/UX is so terrible that the average person browsing there isn't likely to come across it unless they go out of their way to search for sexual content.

In my humble opinion if he really wants to grow his fanbase it probably has to be through this site and existing here isn't enough, he could take a page from some of the biggest creators here and see how they got their communities going through updates posted here and rewards etc. As well as putting up the latest versions of the game within the month because unfortunately, exclusivity never works on a pirate site. I may sound rude here but a few overly loyal supporters won't be the ones that actually promote the game or cause it to trend. Its usually always and mostly the mass of casual seafarers.

 

[LordGonti]

Just to back up what's already been said really. There's an information gap. It's a common marketing challenge. Dev posted on Itch the impressive number of sales they've achieved through that site. All of those paying users are now in need of a new info source regarding future updates.

I've paid for SiS through Itch and don't really know what's going on with the latest release. Whether I'm waiting for Steam, if it'll pop up on here shortly. Maybe Dev is waiting to release 17 and 18 together? I can see there's potentially some new work going into day 17. I'm assuming the purchase made through Itch is dead but I don't know.

I'll just quietly wait and see but 1700 paying users with a bit more info might perk up the thread and there's ways to do that without taking value away from Patreon subs.

 

[Wildman Dev]

In my humble opinion if he really wants to grow his fanbase it probably has to be through this site and existing here isn't enough, he could take a page from some of the biggest creators here and see how they got their communities going through updates posted here and rewards etc. As well as putting up the latest versions of the game within the month because unfortunately, exclusivity never works on a pirate site. I may sound rude here but a few overly loyal supporters won't be the ones that actually promote the game or cause it to trend. Its usually always and mostly the mass of casual seafarers.

I'm trying to get up on the damn banner at the top of the website, but who knows if the f95 Gods will hear my prayers.

I'm definitely interested in promoting my game on this website and elsewhere, and I don't doubt that doing more in this thread would help, but it's likely not so simple.

I think there are a lot of factors preventing my game from exploding in popularity. Market oversaturation is a huge part of it.

My slower than average updates doesn't help, either.

The other reasons I would include wouldn't sound so nice, so I'll end my analysis before I get thrown in JAIL.

With all of that said, I'm fairly content with where I'm at. I think in a lot of ways SiS is unique, and the Steam wishlists have been good (I think?). If my launch goes well, I'm gonna dig my heels into this GODFORSAKEN industry and continue making the best damn games ever. My next title's premise? You're a world-class surgeon who just got divorced after eight years of marriage. Your next operation? Mending your broken heart. 2024.

Just to back up what's already been said really. There's an information gap. It's a common marketing challenge. Dev posted on Itch the impressive number of sales they've achieved through that site. All of those paying users are now in need of a new info source regarding future updates.

I've paid for SiS through Itch and don't really know what's going on with the latest release. Whether I'm waiting for Steam, if it'll pop up on here shortly. Maybe Dev is waiting to release 17 and 18 together? I can see there's potentially some new work going into day 17. I'm assuming the purchase made through Itch is dead but I don't know.

I'll just quietly wait and see but 1700 paying users with a bit more info might perk up the thread and there's ways to do that without taking value away from Patreon subs.

Itch fucked me over by removing me from the Payouts feature. I actually loved that website, but Leafo's a big jerk. I'm gonna continue posting dev logs, and I'm considering posting my new game there when it launches, but paid releases of Stranded in Space on Itch are likely over for me. Stripe doesn't allow adult game sales, which was like 30% of my purchases, and that's to say nothing of the US Sales Tax issues presented when you're the merchant of record (and Itch isn't.) I might be stupid, but I'm not even sure I'm legally able to sell my game to US users on Itch anymore.

 

[misterandy33]

not even sure I'm legally able to sell my game to US users on Itch

Aside from the fact that Itch uses Stripe and PayPal as payment processors*, and admittedly I am not a lawyer but I can't find any LEGAL prohibitions that actually prevent the sale aside from the restrictions relating to 18 USC 2257. It's all banking regulations and "high-risk" mitigation tactics, rather than legal requirements.

That said... I do know the ToS and associated agreements *are* (mostly) legally binding, so someone could technically get into trouble there.

*Stripe has a blanket ban on all adult/sexual content, while PayPal has a ban but not-ban(? PayPal's policy is worded weirdly) on some types of "sexually oriented goods and services"

Sorry, I know that doesn't help much...

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[Wildman Dev]

Aside from the fact that Itch uses Stripe and PayPal as payment processors*, and admittedly I am not a lawyer but I can't find any LEGAL prohibitions that actually prevent the sale aside from the restrictions relating to 18 USC 2257. It's all banking regulations and "high-risk" mitigation tactics, rather than legal requirements.

That said... I do know the ToS and associated agreements *are* (mostly) legally binding, so someone could technically get into trouble there.

*Stripe has a blanket ban on all adult/sexual content, while PayPal has a ban but not-ban(? PayPal's policy is worded weirdly) on some types of "sexually oriented goods and services"

Sorry, I know that doesn't help much...

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Yeah, I think it gets even worse than that.

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This was being extensively talked about in the Itch discord at one point. Essentially, when on the Direct to You payment system, Itch doesn't provide enough specific information about where a buyer is from within the US, and so accurately (legally) applying US sales tax to purchases made of your game is literally impossible.

At least, that's what it seems like. I'm no tax professional, and the language/laws surrounding the sales of digital products are unclear at best.

 

[misterandy33]

It appears that the states that have sales tax have a threshold ($100,000 or more, $500,000 or more, or more than 200 transactions, depending on state) that if exceeded requires the collection of sales tax. If someone doesn't exceed that amount into that state, then they don't have to collect sales tax.

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---

All a bit of a moot point for itch though, given the bans that their supported payment processors have.

 

[T3X]

I've wishlisted it on Steam, can't wait to see Day 17! Game could definitely use some audio though, have you thought about using AI generated voices?

 

[TheGremlin21]

I've wishlisted it on Steam, can't wait to see Day 17! Game could definitely use some audio though, have you thought about using AI generated voices?

Who know's maybe we will get something like that in the future, we've had a new update released on patreon adding music across days 1-17

 

[Blackthunder_vn]

The problem is in germany we are not able to buy it or even wishlist it at steam.
Hmmm.

 

[Wildman Dev]

Who know's maybe we will get something like that in the future, we've had a new update released on patreon adding music across days 1-17

I'd pay several voice actresses to record a dozen or so lines for each character. The dream.

I've wishlisted it on Steam, can't wait to see Day 17! Game could definitely use some audio though, have you thought about using AI generated voices?

I seriously appreciate the wishlist. It's really helpful.

The problem is in germany we are not able to buy it or even wishlist it at steam.
Hmmm.

Damned evil sex games. They'll corrupt us all, in the end.

I'll still be releasing on Patreon, and I haven't quite figured out what I'm doing with Itch yet. And there's always f95, of course...

 

[Wildman Dev]

Alright, I'm an amateur at making trailers, but this is the one I just uploaded to Stranded in Space's Steam page. The game is releasing on September 1st, 2023.


To my SiS enjoying pirates that can't or won't support me, I humbly ask you to consider

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the game, if you haven't already. Even if you don't intend to buy it, wishlisting it will help me out a ton. I'm an ambitious guy with a ton of stuff planned in the coming months, so let's build something together.

That phrase isn't taken, right?

 

[BorgiaBou]

I'm an ambitious guy with a ton of stuff planned in the coming months

If i had a dolla every time a dev said something like this...

 

[T3X]

Alright, I'm an amateur at making trailers, but this is the one I just uploaded to Stranded in Space's Steam page. The game is releasing on September 1st, 2023.


To my SiS enjoying pirates that can't or won't support me, I humbly ask you to consider

You must be registered to see the links

the game, if you haven't already. Even if you don't intend to buy it, wishlisting it will help me out a ton. I'm an ambitious guy with a ton of stuff planned in the coming months, so let's build something together.

That phrase isn't taken, right?

Very excited about your future developments! Are you going to release Day 17-18 on F95?

 

[PrivilegedCholo]

 

[Reafwalk]

What I'm curious about is... what days are currently available for Paidtreons right now?

 

[Wildman Dev]

What I'm curious about is... what days are currently available for Paidtreons right now?

Paidtreons? I like to call them my SiSters. And I love keeping it in the family, Reafwalk.

Days 1-17 are available right now on Patreon. With the newest version comes sound, several laptop fixes (like removing the timer on the sliding puzzles + adding scroll bars to all the chats), writing improvements for Days 1-8, and also image improvements for nearly every single render in Days 1-8 (like 1800 renders!)

Here's a cool tidbit for Day 17: It involves a personality quiz that you take with Ishani. By the end, it lets you know which girl you're most compatible with on the ship. I'm going to post one of the questions she asks you here, and you'd better freaking answer it, Reafwalk. You'd better take the time to read this mountainous paragraph of text.

Ishani - "You live alone out in the countryside. You have neighbors, but they're not within a reasonable walking distance. It takes you ten minutes of driving just to reach the town you're closest to. One night, a knock at the door stirs you from your slumber. It's late and you live alone, so you're wondering who could be knocking at your door at this hour. You cautiously open your front door to the sight of a pretty young thing, Kendra. Even though she's beautiful, she looks lost and unkempt. She tells you she's been kicked out of her house by her boyfriend, whom, through context clues, you realize is one of your more distant neighbors. She must've walked all the way here. It's freezing outside. She's shivering. She asks if she can come inside and take a hot shower because she needs to warm up. She tells you she's desperate and has nowhere else to go. She says she'll find a way to repay your kindness, were you to let her inside your home. What do you do?"

Choice 1 - Ahh, the old, "Let me inside so I can bury you neck deep in your backyard" routine. I've seen this movie. I'm not letting a stranger into my home. Pretty girls never need help; it must be a trick.

Choice 2 - A pretty girl wants to take a hot shower in my home and she'll find a way to repay my kindness if I let her in? Have you been reading my diary??? I'm letting her in and putting the moves on her. I'll make sure she feels better!

Choice 3 - We all must help those in need. She's down on her luck and needs kindness. I not only let her in, but I also make some calls and help her figure out a way to recover from this terrible event. I'd make sure she was okay.


What do you do, Reafwalk? What do you do?

 

[TigerWolfe]

Paidtreons? I like to call them my SiSters. And I love keeping it in the family, Reafwalk.

Days 1-17 are available right now on Patreon. With the newest version comes sound, several laptop fixes (like removing the timer on the sliding puzzles + adding scroll bars to all the chats), writing improvements for Days 1-8, and also image improvements for nearly every single render in Days 1-8 (like 1800 renders!)

Here's a cool tidbit for Day 17: It involves a personality quiz that you take with Ishani. By the end, it lets you know which girl you're most compatible with on the ship. I'm going to post one of the questions she asks you here, and you'd better freaking answer it, Reafwalk. You'd better take the time to read this mountainous paragraph of text.

Ishani - "You live alone out in the countryside. You have neighbors, but they're not within a reasonable walking distance. It takes you ten minutes of driving just to reach the town you're closest to. One night, a knock at the door stirs you from your slumber. It's late and you live alone, so you're wondering who could be knocking at your door at this hour. You cautiously open your front door to the sight of a pretty young thing, Kendra. Even though she's beautiful, she looks lost and unkempt. She tells you she's been kicked out of her house by her boyfriend, whom, through context clues, you realize is one of your more distant neighbors. She must've walked all the way here. It's freezing outside. She's shivering. She asks if she can come inside and take a hot shower because she needs to warm up. She tells you she's desperate and has nowhere else to go. She says she'll find a way to repay your kindness, were you to let her inside your home. What do you do?"

Choice 1 - Ahh, the old, "Let me inside so I can bury you neck deep in your backyard" routine. I've seen this movie. I'm not letting a stranger into my home. Pretty girls never need help; it must be a trick.

Choice 2 - A pretty girl wants to take a hot shower in my home and she'll find a way to repay my kindness if I let her in? Have you been reading my diary??? I'm letting her in and putting the moves on her. I'll make sure she feels better!

Choice 3 - We all must help those in need. She's down on her luck and needs kindness. I not only let her in, but I also make some calls and help her figure out a way to recover from this terrible event. I'd make sure she was okay.


What do you do, Reafwalk? What do you do?

I'm not Reafwalk but I'm option 3 all day long.

 

[MarsUltor]

Paidtreons? I like to call them my SiSters. And I love keeping it in the family, Reafwalk.

Days 1-17 are available right now on Patreon. With the newest version comes sound, several laptop fixes (like removing the timer on the sliding puzzles + adding scroll bars to all the chats), writing improvements for Days 1-8, and also image improvements for nearly every single render in Days 1-8 (like 1800 renders!)

Here's a cool tidbit for Day 17: It involves a personality quiz that you take with Ishani. By the end, it lets you know which girl you're most compatible with on the ship. I'm going to post one of the questions she asks you here, and you'd better freaking answer it, Reafwalk. You'd better take the time to read this mountainous paragraph of text.

Ishani - "You live alone out in the countryside. You have neighbors, but they're not within a reasonable walking distance. It takes you ten minutes of driving just to reach the town you're closest to. One night, a knock at the door stirs you from your slumber. It's late and you live alone, so you're wondering who could be knocking at your door at this hour. You cautiously open your front door to the sight of a pretty young thing, Kendra. Even though she's beautiful, she looks lost and unkempt. She tells you she's been kicked out of her house by her boyfriend, whom, through context clues, you realize is one of your more distant neighbors. She must've walked all the way here. It's freezing outside. She's shivering. She asks if she can come inside and take a hot shower because she needs to warm up. She tells you she's desperate and has nowhere else to go. She says she'll find a way to repay your kindness, were you to let her inside your home. What do you do?"

Choice 1 - Ahh, the old, "Let me inside so I can bury you neck deep in your backyard" routine. I've seen this movie. I'm not letting a stranger into my home. Pretty girls never need help; it must be a trick.

Choice 2 - A pretty girl wants to take a hot shower in my home and she'll find a way to repay my kindness if I let her in? Have you been reading my diary??? I'm letting her in and putting the moves on her. I'll make sure she feels better!

Choice 3 - We all must help those in need. She's down on her luck and needs kindness. I not only let her in, but I also make some calls and help her figure out a way to recover from this terrible event. I'd make sure she was okay.


What do you do, Reafwalk? What do you do?

Can I be "Choice 2.75" (Choice 3 + some A-game flirting)??

 

[Reafwalk]

Can I be "Choice 2.75" (Choice 3 + some A-game flirting)??

I would like to steal the above answer.... but if I had to narrow it to just one... 3 would be the answer