My 4 years Unity project about the afterlife

Hello everyone.

So I've been working on a 2D adventure game about the afterlife for almost 4 years now. It's called Pinstripe, and I've been painstakingly building/illustrating/writing music since my sophomore year of college in 2012.



And I think I'm ready to share it with the Unity community for feedback.

Here's the trailer:

Here's the Steam Greenlight page.

The beta build will be available on Steam in a couple weeks. I'd love for you to reach out to me if you are interested in testing the beta!

Please leave any encouraging feedback if you can, or any comments/critique!



Thanks everyone!

 

Looks really good! Did you do everything yourself?

 

Uhm, wow.

 

Thanks Gametyme and LaneFox

Yes, everything was done by me. I figured having one person doing everything would give it a cohesive feel.

Do either of you think the trailer is too long?

 

Wow. That looks amazing, the atmosphere and sound really create the world I think. Excited to try this!

 

Cool Haagndaaz. That's encouraging to hear

 

I'm not either one you asked but i don't think the trailer was too long. After all i watched it here, and checked your steam page and watched it there again.

Love the style and atmosphere, and the music. It really shows up this one been polished. And polished again, and again, and again.. Congratulation!

 

Chelnok,

Wow. That means a lot! I'm considering cutting the trailer length in half, but several people, including yourself, have said it's not too long.

Thanks!

Thomas

 

Absolutely stunning. I'm highly envious of your talent and I'm looking forward to see this released.

 

I will definitely buy this, nice work. Reminds me of Another World.

 

Thanks guys! In your opinion, is 2.5 hours of story gameplay, along with some replay-ability elements (locked doors, secret rooms, etc.), long enough for a $5-10 game on Steam?

 

I can't comment about the price but I know trailers are usually 30-60 seconds. It didn't seem that long to me while watching.

 

For me personally, I think 2-3 hours of good fun gameplay is definitely worth $5, however others mileage may vary.

 

Fantastic job! I expect this will end up in Unity showcase (official) once released.

 

Cool thanks for your thoughts, SpaceMammoth

 

That's very flattering JamesLeeNZ. I very much hope so

 

I don't buy games on playtime factor, rather on my interest in said game and how much fun I'll get out of it. Admittedly, I am very unlikely to pay for games like this because they usually are not my type, but others would quite happily pay that range. I think $5-$10 is the perfect price threshold, though I think it would be better closer to $5 than $10. Also, be aware that some countries pile on a heck load of tax (like over here in the UK!) and that really can hurt the price.

 

Looks very nice, I really love the art, animations and how the conversations in-game are going on with the display. Looks very cool and unique, definitely was worth your four years!

Is the game on a initial release time? I mean is it ready for production and selling?

 

This looks incredible. I seem to disagree with everyone here about that price. I'd easily pay $10 or more for this game. 2.5 hours is plenty if it gives you an incredible experience. I pay $20 to go see a movie and they're not guaranteed to be amazing, and I can only watch it once!

 

It's set for release this Fall on Steam. It's been Greenlit, I just need to get it through some beta testing. It has to be perfect for release. I'd hate to see 4 years down the drain because of some glitches I should have foreseen. Additionally, part of the reason for this thread was to find out if I need to add more hours of gameplay. Seems like the overall consensus is 2.5 hours of gameplay is good enough So, to answer your questions, yes, I think it's ready for selling.

 

It's funny you say that Serinx, I tend to think that way as well. Why is it that games sold for $5 are judged so much more harshly than a $20 movie like Inside Out that lasts for several hours? I'm not complaining, it's just interesting

 

Great job. $5 is a bit low though, for a premium product.

 

Even if it's 2.5 hours of gameplay?

 

Well, it all depends. Personally I'd be happy spending $10 for 2.5 hours. But that's me I'm just saying I'm impressed with your work.

You can't really raise a price but you can drop it and put it on sales. Or have a launch sale of 25% off. Always pays to read up and make your own decisions, don't mind me.

 

Considering this is my first product on Steam, I'm very thankful for your advice. So I've read that Steam will give me recommended pricing. Do you think I should go with their recommendation, whatever that will be?

 

I think you should see the recommendation and ask around once you have it

 

A Tale Of Two Sons was about 3 hours of gameplay and about $15. I think as long as the game is polished and fulfilling then people don't mind paying for it... Granted, that game was in-freaking-credible and had an amazing innovative controller system but still, I think you get the idea.

For the trailer length the general rule of thumb is 1:00. More than that and you're exposing a lot of the game (especially a short one!). I remember the wallace and grommit trailers basically showed all of the good movie parts and made the movie boring. Thats something you want to avoid.

The trailer length should only be long enough for someone to say "Yep, that looks like something I'd play, I want to see more" and then the trailer ends they have to buy it to get more of what they want.

I'd be sad if this was $5. I suggest starting at $15 and monopolizing on sale pricing if it doesn't sell like you expect.

 

Interesting. I'll definitely be polling the beta testers to get a better idea of what they would pay. I'm tempted to sell it for $5 just because I'm nervous about people feeling ripped off. But then again, a cheaper price could result in a small return, or worse, make the game look cheap.

Agh! So many variables at play. But this is part of the process, and what I love so much about game development

 

Haha, well there's fortunately many articles on pricing your game.

Here is one from a quick google:
http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/Jeff...w_Youre_Going_To_Price_Your_Computer_Game.php

 

1. there's steam refunds now.
2. steam themselves recommend launch sales - talk to them when you get a chance.

 

Great article thanks for that

 

This game looks awesome! One of the best looking 2D games I've seen.

 

If you need beta tester, i can do some testing for mac. I'm not the one who would give you deeb analysis for gameplay, but if you got a bug somewhere i probably catch it, bugs are attracted to me.

 

Cool cool I'll letcha know!

 

Looks like a really great game. I would definately pay $10 for this. It looks like you put a lot of thought into the game and the trailer is fantastic, but a bit too long in my opinion. I have always wanted to design a great game like yours all by myself, but I have no art or musical skills... Did you create all the art and music by yourself? If so, I think you did a great job.

 

Just to be clear, i probably wont play it all the way through from start to beginning. Even that its relatively short piece of art, i wouldn't be able to focus as i got too many irons in fire at the moment But if there's any problems with with user interface, be it in menus or controller or that kind of things, you'll get my critics and suggestions - well my opinions - how to make it better.

 

Thanks shay4545. Yes, everything is done by me.

I very much appreciate you comments, they mean a lot. As for you wanting to make a game by yourself, don't sell yourself short. I'm sure with some practice you could figure it out! Art style and music are one thing, but anyone with a little creativity can come up with a super cool idea for a game and execute on it. Just look at Meme Run.

Thanks again.

 

This looks absolutely fantastic. The music and the art really makes the world come to life. These are the kind of games that made me want to make games myself.

 

Thanks DuffyT. Do you have any games currently released?

 

Not yet, but hard at work trying to. But it's not worth showing off just yet. I haven't reached that stage where I get to work on the presentation and the beauty although I like that most, saving that for last.

 

Cool well shoot me a message when you have something. I'd love to take a look!

 

Or you could split the difference and go $6.99... if it ends up being a really tough call between $5 and $10 then maybe the real value of the game is right in the middle. I think you could probably charge $10 but dropping it a bit might make some people who were on the fence about it go ahead and buy. Just an idea, not sure if it's a good one.
But the game looks really good -- looks like it was a ton of work, congrats!

 

Great idea eaclou

Thanks for the comments. Really helpful.

 

Before I start provide suggestions on your questions, I just want to say... WOW. This look incredible, the amount of work and time in the really does show, it looks phenomenal. The art and music are hauntingly beautiful, the plot seems intriguing and the gameplay looks solid. This truly does look like you put the time and care into your game. The fact everything presented is made by one man is inspiring. I hope you find success as you and your game deserve it. Just amazing.

... But to answer your questions

Trailer Length
Taking away the end card of the video, a 2 min trailer is ok but probably could be a little shorter. There is a moment where at around 1:30 it seems like the video is drawing to an end, but then picks right up again. (Just before the iOS & PC/Mac, the elevator part) That seems like a good place to end it if you do decide to shorten it at all. But it is fine as is.

Price of Game
This is something that I have been thinking about with the game that I am currently working on myself. I think the link that @LaneFox provided helps get you in the mindset of choosing a price. Personally, I could see this being sold for $10-$15, no problem. If you include a small sale at launch, people who would be on the fence have more of a reason to jump in and try it out.

Game Length
Don't worry about it, 2.5 hours of gameplay is great. There are plenty of examples of games that are that length up for purchase on various platforms. If your game feels complete, don't add filler content. It could ruin all of the work you have already done because it feels like it doesn't belong or it was tacked on just to lengthen the game.

To avoid geeking out any further, I just want to say amazing job, be proud of what you have accomplished and best of luck!

 

Even though it took 4 years, it is definitely encouraging to see something of this quality produced by a single developer. As for the trailer length, mileage varies but I did not find it too long and that was simply because it was polished, well put together and engaging. Most of the elements you showed in the trailer were unique so it kept me watching and wondering what I was going to see next. Excellent job! I'm with Hippo, I would definitely pay $10 for this and I don't even typically get into 2D games.

 

Very encouraging words, Darkays. Your advice, among others, is useful, and has helped solidify my thinking that Pinstripe is pretty much ready for release. Aside from some beta testing and Steam specific stuff, I think it will be good to go by the time Fall comes around this year.

Thanks again!

 

Dustin Horne,

Glad you liked it. To your single developer point, it's definitely not something I'd like to try again I'm hopeful to find a couple stand-up people to work with me on my next project. Thanks so much for your comments. Means a lot.

 

Just beautiful.
Better watch out Laika or Tippett might give you an offer difficult to refuse.

 

while not my style, this looks absolutely fantastic! I wish I had a 10th of your talent!
I agree that $5 is too low for it. $9.99 seems perfect.

 

This looks fantastic! The atmosphere is so nice and unique. Really beautiful, great work