Cover art is not mine! 

So it's been a week since I've released the prototype for Philistine (which you should play if you haven't) and it's been a great learning experience. However this isn't a "What have I learned", because as of writing this post, SuNoFes isn't over and I'd rather save that kind of post for after the little boost to exposure itch gives. No, this is a "team appreciation post". I don't think I've spoken about them as much as I should've. I've been unemployed and my revenue has been extremely limited as of late. I was able to pay Rula, only because her rates were generous, but aside from that, everyone currently has worked under RevShare. It's crazy! I myself wouldn't work for RevShare! I offered payments when my income was more stable, yet they stuck around regardless. Why? To be honest, I have no clue. So I wanted to discuss my appreciation. I don't care about this going viral, I just want them to know that I'm very grateful.

Foxwash; The Sound Designer and Composer

I like to refer to Foxwash as the veteran of the team. Philistine wasn't meant to be a visual novel when I first began developing. It was a 3D rpg, than a 2d platformer, than a 2D rpg, then…it went through way too many revisions. Initially, the payment was through RevShare and as expected, that didn't last, except for this guy. Even when I offered to pay him for his work, he instead asked for a higher cut of the sales. At first it was compositions, and it evolved sound FX. I imagine that completed FX and compositions, even if the game itself tanks, are still good on his portfolio. But he stayed around. I still believe I'm a bad director and that I have much to learn, yet he chose to hang around even when I was a TERRIBLE director. He has created sooo many FX, and I've been told that the prototype has more Sound FX than some of the games they've played. He did all of that with no immediate expectation of payment. If I have any reason to finish Philistine, aside from identity inflation and a gnawing sense of emptiness, it'll be for him! Thank you so much Foxwash!

Rula, Character and Background Artist

I have SO MANY bad experiences with working with artists! I do not know if I am jinx, or if I'm just unlucky, but interviewing artists is easily my least favorite aspect of game design. Since I'm not the best judge of artistry, it's really difficult for me to determine what looks good versus what's good quality. I could go on and on about said experiences, but that would take away from why Rula is awesome. Her artworks are of great quality and come at generous rates! She has a lot of patience, and we've worked together through thick-and-thin, and I do mean thick-and-thin… She teaches me stuff about her work so that I can better communicate with her, she has helped me learn some basic photo editing skills, and she has been there when one artist scammed me as the other disappeared and empathized with me when I needed it the most. Best of all, she helps me evaluate portfolios artists send me and has cooperated with several of them in creating CGs. She has stuck around longer than everyone aside from Foxwash, and has been very cooperative in helping me become a better director! Thank you so much Rula!

YorUta, the Head Programmer

So one of the things you learn very quickly as a solo dev, is that it sucks! I initially was opposed to finding a programmer because I figured that I could learn this by myself. Then something became apparent, I wanted to write! Coding is fine, but if I don't get any writing in, I go crazy! But what I like about YorUta isn't his coding experience, it's him as a person. He has given me advice on being a better game designer and is one of the first people to respond to my posts on discord. When my income ran out, he offered to do small tasks to aid in Philistine's ui, like adjusting the lore button or changing the text from "Yes, bitch" to "Yes" on one of the buttons. He's the reason the compendium feature exists in Philistine, and has given me an out to fangasming about my world without the unintended loredump. He's the reason I push myself to post in that ghost town I call a server, and reminds me of why I keep going forward. He also really likes my blogs and is probably one of the few people that reads them, so thank you very much YorUta! Hope you enjoyed the read!

Kitty, the Marketing Advisor

Kitty was one of my clients starting out. She wanted me to write lore for her RPGMaker game, and I hated marketing. So her and I began working on a work swap basis, and I couldn't be happier to have met her. She's usually free to speak for an hour each day, where her and I can discuss marketing in general, ideas or concerns I have, etc. This has helped immensely with the anxieties I have associated with marketing. Not only that, she has helped me polish my prototype's page and reminds me why activity even if unnoticed is better than inactivity. She lectured me last meeting about not talking about my game enough. I'm still a bit of a people-pleaser, so talking about my game has always been difficult with how hated self promotion is. Just her being available though has been an immense help! Thank you Kitty! 

Conclusion

Most projects require a team of dedicated developers whether we like it or not.A lot of us tend to be introverted and find the idea of leadership to be a death sentence. And i can tell you from experience, it's hard but still worth learning. I don't think Philistine's Prototype would've launched without my team and I hope that any directors reading this consider thanking everyone of their teammates for their assistance. Developing a game is easily one of the hardest hobbies one can pick up, so it takes a lot of dedication to make it happen. There are people like ConcernedApe who can develop games by themselves, however I'm not one of those people, and I'm very thankful for my team because I don't think I will ever be like him. Rula, Foxwash, Kitty, YorUta, you've heard it five times now, but THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING!