Just a little addition for anyone playing/reviewing games on itch.io and wanting to rate them (because it was raised on the discord):
the rating system is different to the IFDB, as in there’s an algorithm that will make a game more/less visible depending on the engagement on the game page, especially the ratings. This is also most critical during the first days of the release of a game
A 1- or 2- star essentially bury games on itch.
Also if you are not sure where to leave a note/comment/review, it is best to leave it on the game page rather than the submission one.
Note: reviews left with a rating will only be visible to the author and people following your feed
For submitters:
If you do not want ratings on your game, untick this option:
Thank you for the review, Kaemi! It was very exciting to receive one from you, particularly as I’ve enjoyed your reviews during past IF events. You have a strong stylistic flair that makes them so intriguing to read.
Your kindness and specificity when describing what did click for you with regards to the language (which does teem cheerfully indulgently florid at points) is much appreciated. Very kind.
The issues with pacing you mentioned make sense to me, and are likely attributable to my tacking on the ending near the final hours of the event, as I had came within a hair’s breadth of scrapping the project entirely and been wrestling with that last minute decision. Totally get where you’re coming from!
I am glad I stuck it through and finished in the end, as my friend Jinx was thrilled over the in-jokes and references to our characters sprinkled throughout it, and of course- receiving such thoughtful, contemplative feedback from you.
I’m thrilled you took the time to both play and review my game! Thanks again for sharing your thoughts. Cheers!
I tried too, but I just got into my own head. Brian posted something that I’ll consider for next time…
I should have done that… even just to solidify plot points.
My game was going to be The Witch, The Wolf & The Huntsman where you play a god of sorts and change the order of the three characters encountering each other by optionally swapping the first two randomly drawn cards of fate (Part 1) and then the remaining character comes into the story (Part 2: 6 possible outcomes - 1 card for each character). I wrote about half of the scenarios, but soon found that creative writing is not my forte. Each character was to have a secret (like the Wolf is the Hunter’s lost wife, cursed by the Witch) and each character was to have heartbreak, vengeance and vindication… but I just couldn’t make the 6 tangled stories compelling or distinct enough. That takes real skill.
I don’t think writers get enough credit. Even worse, sometimes writing (the act itself) is not valued enough.
Yup! The page is up and online*, but I’m waiting to wrap up the Neo-Twiny to officially announce it (prob tomorrow).
*unless we forget, the next jam page is up about 30 days before the jam starts. It’s all linked on our Discord server, or here.
ill start tomorrow)