My new Game The Adventures of The Red Square is finally out!

RumiRumi Member, PRO Posts: 343
edited November -1 in Announce Your Game!
Hello GameSalad Community!
I've been working for about 4 months on my first game:
The Adventure of The Red Square is a simple fun adventure game were your goal is to track down the evil emperor and find you lost memory! It has 10 levels, 2 words, hordes of enemies and two challenging boss fights, with more to come!
Here is the trailer:

And here is the appstore link:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-adventure-the-red-square/id467793774?ls=1&mt=8

Note: The lite version is currently in review
If people show interest, I might post a few promo codes!

Also, I'm planning of doing a name change, it will change to "Dare to be Square - The Adventure of The Red Square" after the update gets approved!
Enjoy and please leave feedback!
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Comments

  • RumiRumi Member, PRO Posts: 343
    bump
  • RumiRumi Member, PRO Posts: 343
    So to get people's interests, I've decided to put a bunch of promo codes, 5 to be exact
    Please post when you use them:

    PXY44LNJWLXP

    673HA3Y39TAY

    MWTYXM4LMNAE

    RR9ML6RALWWF

    LHAL9RMFW4PR

    Enjoy!
  • BonZeroBonZero Member Posts: 37
    Looks boring and the trailer is awful, sorry but that game seems unfinished and the graphics are crap. I think i wouldnt ever pay a cent for that
  • RumiRumi Member, PRO Posts: 343
    BonZero said:
    Looks boring and the trailer is awful, sorry but that game seems unfinished and the graphics are crap. I think i wouldnt ever pay a cent for that

    Well that was generous.
    The trailer is bad because I did it in iMovie.
  • QuinnZoneStudiosQuinnZoneStudios Member Posts: 452
    BonZero, that's kind of harsh, lol!
    Better to offer constructive help than just shoot someone down ;)

    So here goes a few thoughts based upon your movie, if that's okay?
    To me, there's not enough info of the actual game play, i.e. beginning, middle and end, showing hazards and triumphs, menus etc. (how many levels are there for example) to know how much fun the game actually could be. There's nothing wrong with a game being made up of geometric shapes (tetris) so it could play quite nicely for all we know.
    You put a lot of work into the trailer for sure. For the sake of another few hours, it might be worth experimenting on an alternative trailer.
    I would lose the dramatic music and the shots of the ceiling lamp reflection as they don't contribute to the game itself and take away from the professional aspect. Just try to be honest about the game itself. That way people will know what they are buying. If it's good enough, it will stand up on its own without too much fancy dressing.
    Lock off your camera (on a tripod) and take it off autofocus so your screen is nice and sharp. Go in as close as you can and keep the background behind the phone neutral (plain black or white paper perhaps. That will better show hands on interaction. Then try some screen grab software to show the motion, graphics and game audio clearer. Intercutting the two should tell us all we need to know.
    I'm willing to bet you have a decent game there and now that you have your first trailer out of your system, take a fresh stab at it. Keep it short, simple and honest! It could be great! Nothing to lose, right?
    Good luck with it and I hope you don't mind my thoughts..... I'm old so please make allowances for me :o)

    Mike
  • RumiRumi Member, PRO Posts: 343
    QuinnZoneStudios said:
    BonZero, that's kind of harsh, lol!
    Better to offer constructive help than just shoot someone down ;)

    So here goes a few thoughts based upon your movie, if that's okay?
    To me, there's not enough info of the actual game play, i.e. beginning, middle and end, showing hazards and triumphs, menus etc. (how many levels are there for example) to know how much fun the game actually could be. There's nothing wrong with a game being made up of geometric shapes (tetris) so it could play quite nicely for all we know.
    You put a lot of work into the trailer for sure. For the sake of another few hours, it might be worth experimenting on an alternative trailer.
    I would lose the dramatic music and the shots of the ceiling lamp reflection as they don't contribute to the game itself and take away from the professional aspect. Just try to be honest about the game itself. That way people will know what they are buying. If it's good enough, it will stand up on its own without too much fancy dressing.
    Lock off your camera (on a tripod) and take it off autofocus so your screen is nice and sharp. Go in as close as you can and keep the background behind the phone neutral (plain black or white paper perhaps. That will better show hands on interaction. Then try some screen grab software to show the motion, graphics and game audio clearer. Intercutting the two should tell us all we need to know.
    I'm willing to bet you have a decent game there and now that you have your first trailer out of your system, take a fresh stab at it. Keep it short, simple and honest! It could be great! Nothing to lose, right?
    Good luck with it and I hope you don't mind my thoughts..... I'm old so please make allowances for me :o)

    Mike

    Wow! You sound like a game trailer expert. Its 11:00 here so I'm going to work on my second one tommorrow! Thanks for the long post. I really appreciate it! I'll post when I've finished the second trailer
  • QuinnZoneStudiosQuinnZoneStudios Member Posts: 452
    Rumi said:
    The trailer is bad because I did it in iMovie.

    There's nothing wrong with iMovie as such. I just used it to cut my animation reel together with. You can actually get professional results depending upon how you use it. It's capable of HD and all the basics like titling etc. Shoot and record at the highest quality level you can and export it that way too and you'll be fine, you'll see....
    Like cheap hammers and saws, you can still build a house with them.

    So, show 'em what you're made of Rumi!

    Cheers now!

    Mike
  • QuinnZoneStudiosQuinnZoneStudios Member Posts: 452
    Rumi said:
    Wow! You sound like a game trailer expert. Its 11:00 here so I'm going to work on my second one tommorrow! Thanks for the long post. I really appreciate it! I'll post when I've finished the second trailer

    I wish I were an expert. Just done lots of editing over the decades ;) Also I'm a potential customer so that's just my personal take on what I'd like to see. Everyone has opinions and often that's a double edged sword. It's up to you how you filter them all....

    Have a great night and start fresh tomorrow. Just be true to your work and the game. Can't wait to see version 2 (but don't rush it now, ha!).

    Later,

    Mike
  • David_GryphonsRealmDavid_GryphonsRealm Member Posts: 459
    @quinnzonestudios : I'm glad you took the time to not only give constructive criticism but also encourage and uplift. We need more members like you.

    Thx again
    David
    Gryphon's Realm
  • osucowboy18osucowboy18 Member Posts: 1,307
    Great advice Mike!

    @Rumi: I wouldn't say iMovie is a bad film editor. It may not be top of the line, but I have made a few trailers with iMovie, and everyone seemed to love them. It's just about how you make the software work for you. Anyway, good luck! Can't wait to see what you come up with.

    - Alex
  • wormilwormil Member Posts: 127
    I've used MWTYXM4LMNAE. Thanks mate.
  • BonZeroBonZero Member Posts: 37
    Sorry i sent that message after a night out... Didnt mean to be that rude. Apologies. And yes, its too harsh its not that bad really, its the trailer what i most dislike but the actual game is not great but not that bad either
  • RumiRumi Member, PRO Posts: 343
    Thanks for the great encouragement everybody! (even you BonZero) Also thanks to wormil to posting which promo code he uesed. Three of the promos are used And I don't know who used the other two!
  • RumiRumi Member, PRO Posts: 343
    All the promos have been used :)
    http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dare-to-be-square-the-adventure/id467793774?ls=1&mt=8
    Here is the new link! The Name has officially changed to Dare to be Square - The Adventure of The Red Square

    I'm still working on the new trailer, I'm just waiting for a day where I don't have 6 hours of homework :(
  • YatelandYateland Member, PRO Posts: 81
    no one want to buy this app.
  • andrewm2211andrewm2211 Member Posts: 341
    All the criticisms are valid, but this is a VAST improvement from your other games and trailers no doubt, you are clearly on the road to excellence!
  • old_kipperold_kipper Member Posts: 1,420
    just my opinion but I think you could slick up the look. Some minor tweaks could make everything look a lot cleaner and I would avoid the textured backgrounds unless they really work with the primary coloured actor objects. The fonts need sorting and reducing to a max of 2 (one in game and another for logo/title). Again go fro something strong and simple. If you make a new video the first thing I would do is to work it out on paper. Shoot some gameplay with screen recording software, and cut it so it short but shows the style of gameplay and also quickly shows the scope of the game. Using camera shot can work but stabilise the camera and make sure you have sharp focus and good lighting conditions. An easy way to get a solid camera without a tripod is a bag of rice.... A wheelchair or skateboard can give you smooth tracking shoots.... But keep it simple... and avoid templates in imovie. They have all been seen before and count for nothing.
  • RumiRumi Member, PRO Posts: 343
    ifunway said:
    no one want to buy this app.

    wow at least bonzero apologizes
    andrewm2211 said:
    All the criticisms are valid, but this is a VAST improvement from your other games and trailers no doubt, you are clearly on the road to excellence!

    I'm not really sure what to make of this... this is my first application on the appstore, and first trailer.............
    old_kipper said:
    just my opinion but I think you could slick up the look. Some minor tweaks could make everything look a lot cleaner and I would avoid the textured backgrounds unless they really work with the primary coloured actor objects. The fonts need sorting and reducing to a max of 2 (one in game and another for logo/title). Again go fro something strong and simple. If you make a new video the first thing I would do is to work it out on paper. Shoot some gameplay with screen recording software, and cut it so it short but shows the style of gameplay and also quickly shows the scope of the game. Using camera shot can work but stabilise the camera and make sure you have sharp focus and good lighting conditions. An easy way to get a solid camera without a tripod is a bag of rice.... A wheelchair or skateboard can give you smooth tracking shoots.... But keep it simple... and avoid templates in imovie. They have all been seen before and count for nothing.

    Which leaves me with a new gameplay video. It isn't awesome or anything, it just somes up the game

  • quantumsheepquantumsheep Member Posts: 8,188
    A better video, but I would take the sound off it and have just one track playing over the background, otherwise it seems a bit disjointed!

    A bit of shameless promotion, but here's the Air Supply vid:



    Notice that even though I'm showing lots of different shots of the action, the music plays consistently over the top of it!

    Hope that helps,

    QS :D

    Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home...
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/Quantum_Sheep
    Web: https://quantumsheep.itch.io

  • RumiRumi Member, PRO Posts: 343
    thanks for the help sheep currently my sales are kind of bad.... :(
    I'm thinking of releasing a prmac news thing as soon as I make a good trailer!
  • quantumsheepquantumsheep Member Posts: 8,188
    Rumi said:
    thanks for the help sheep currently my sales are kind of bad.... :(
    I'm thinking of releasing a prmac news thing as soon as I make a good trailer!

    That's fair enough, and in future I hope you'll learn that coordinating a trailer and a press release for launch is probably the best way forward.

    QS :D

    Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home...
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/Quantum_Sheep
    Web: https://quantumsheep.itch.io

  • RumiRumi Member, PRO Posts: 343
    quantumsheep said:
    That's fair enough, and in future I hope you'll learn that coordinating a trailer and a press release for launch is probably the best way forward.

    QS :D

    Creating an app has been a good learning experience especially that I'm 12. I'm making mistakes and with my next app, I'll know to coordinate releases. Atleast I'm not making these kind of mistakes when I'm an adult! :)
    My advice for everyone is to not rush your publishing, write out a press release and a good trailer before releasing (I made a trailer, and a lot of people liked it, but it wasn't very professional it is in the first post)
  • RumiRumi Member, PRO Posts: 343
    Um no....... my name isn't Jove its Rumi
  • andrewm2211andrewm2211 Member Posts: 341
    Eh, a wierd for letter name, what's the diff? :P

    Just kidding, all the best, your game is way better than his, I just got confused cause looks like you guys used the same imovie template, and 'epic' feel to your trailers.
  • RumiRumi Member, PRO Posts: 343
    actually Rumi is my nickname.
    Its named after this poet!
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumi
    okay back to the topic

    Here is my final gameplay video! I'm going to release a prmac news thing later today

  • RumiRumi Member, PRO Posts: 343
    Wow, a thread must be created like every 5 minutes! Here is a little bump!
  • GraybayGraybay Member Posts: 114
    The trailer is starting to look pretty good, gratz. How did you end up recording the gameplay?
  • EatingMyHatEatingMyHat Member Posts: 1,246
    I think the trailer still misses the fun factor, what I got out of it is:
    1. The game is short (2 worlds, 2 bosses)- BTW, trailer is not a shopping list
    2. I can change the color of the box
    3. No clue why should I care

    If you call your game an 'adventure', where is it? you need to construct a story line, even if it is just for the trailer. People need to care about the square :) in order to buy the game. If the biggest thing that you have to say about the 'adventure' is that there are 2 worlds and you can change the color of the square, you might be better off without a trailer.

    Here are some more specific items (on the trailer and the game):
    1. instead of saying that there are 2 bosses/worlds/anything, give things names and say something like 'fight the evil xyz...' or 'navigate xyz in search of...'. You said that "simple fun adventure game were your goal is to track down the evil emperor and find you lost memory", where is all this story in the trailer?
    2. Colors should be unlocked based on something, now you can say 'unlock new content..'
    3. Give each color a secret ability that you can unlock, selecting a color/ability at the start of the level will give the game more strategic element and will add playability.
    4. Always think "would I run to the app store the buy the game after seeing this trailer?"

    Just my 2c,
    GR
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