As we come to close and finally put this project to rest, I wanted to thank everyone for all of their support and dedication to the project. As of writing this devlog, Tears of A Mermaid has amassed over 100 downloads, over 1,000 views, and received a $5 donation to help with the Steam Page. I never imagined that some silly story I came up with on a whim would've performed so successfully. Even with my marketing campaign, a jam project only has so much content to promote, and people don't play them because they expect a high quality experience. Yet this project brought our twitter up to over 100 followers, and we have started seeing some people grow from consumers to regular supporters. 

Take the Leap into Game Design

But most importantly, I hope I have inspired people. I've said it over a thousand times and I'll say it again, designing a game is a difficult endeavor even for the professionals, and the steep slopes discourage countless people. It takes a lot of courage to attempt the climb, let alone finish a game. And I entered these jams with the express purpose to build up this courage, and left with hope for the future regarding my next projects. I hope that I have ignited a spark in you, a spark that tells you, "Hey, this moron pulled it off, so you can too". It's so easy to look at massive projects like Baldur's Gate III and Persona 3 Reload and become frightened. We often look to the exemplars of success as a measuring stick, rather than people on the same slope as yourself, and I hate that. Even now, I fear my lack of experience will make my future projects implode when compared to Stein's Gate ???. Jams are not just good for the challenge, but are a great place to find inspiration. Most participants are on the indie level, and many are more than happy to share their wisdom with you. In fact, I need to start playing more jam projects myself! Point is, everyone is climbing their own mountain. Sure the AAAs usually eat well, but that's after years of turmoil and development hell. I wouldn't say that anyone has it easy in this industry, and the challenges will evolve just as you do. So if you happen to be on a cliff peering down at the lake below, don't hesitate! Jump straight in! Trust me, it's worth it!

Any advice for promoting on social media?

I feel like it is my obligation to put a section regarding marketing. It is easily the biggest pain in the ass when it comes to developing a game. However it can also help a smaller game, such as Tears of A Mermaid, fulfill it's potential. Now I've already posted tips in Post Mortem I, so I'll make this brief. Just be consistent! That's it! Just pick one social media site like Twitter, make a schedule, and post. It can be art, it can be a reveal about your game, it can be a meme, it can be something funny you saw in your discord. As long as it's related to your game, you win. And don't forget to recycle older posts! Because ultimately, promotion can vary. Not everyone will see your big reveal even if you use the right hashtags. Even followers miss stuff. Hell, some of our reposted content got more views than when it was originally posted. The only rule, is that it follows your schedule. My schedule is Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, and there will be a post on those days. And sometimes, I'll get cheeky and post on a Wednesday, usually because something made me laugh. So let's say you're about to enter NaNoRemOJam just like us. Pick one day out of the week, and post on that day. Rinse and repeat until the jam is over! Your objective should be to remain consistent!

Yeah, that's pretty basic huh? Truth is, a lot of the people who don't market think it's rocket science, that you need a lot of money and assets to pull off a successful launch. But if you're making your first project, you're probably not going to get a surplus unless you're lucky! Just telling people about your project over and over again will help it more than flashy assets alone. Much like game design, you just need to turn off your inner critic and post. You'll gradually improve the more experience you gain. I evolved from only doing Tuesdays, to doing three days a week as my confidence grew. Hell, I'll probably move to five days a week once I get memes down. Yes, a lot of research goes into promotion, and obviously better assets will propel a game through the roof. And most of you all haven't reached that level yet. Cross that bridge once you've mastered the fundamentals first. Do this, and you'll be well on your way to a successful campaign!

What are your plans for the future?

Well, if you didn't catch it earlier, we plan to enter NaNoRemO2024. Much like Winter Jam, we have a limited amount of time (one month) to make a game. I chose the jam because I would like to get more projects and marketing experience under my belt before I tackle a commercial project. Or in my own words, I need more courage! Another time sensitive project will give me a chance to try and not nuke the scope like with this project. It would also give me a chance to better myself as a director. From the programming side of things, it'll help us practice animations as well, as one of our biggest flaws with the last project was how still the sprites were. And from a writing perspective, this story will be an action focused tale! And that is all the sneak peaks you're getting! Guess you'll have to follow my twitter huehuehue

A course that really helped me out

Some of you might be looking for a training course or a coach to help expedite their growth as a developer. And with Game Design being a subjective field, riddles with useless degrees that aren't worth the paper they're printed on, it can be hard to find a reliable solution. Is this an ad? Kinda, you won't hurt my feelings if you skip this section. If you trust me though, I can promise you that the Gentleland Course really propelled me forward. Some of you on Twitter (no one is calling it X) might be familiar with someone named Jacky Martin or Trent, two very popular people who post excellent advice on game design and marketing. You can read through their posts on Twitter and get some really good nuggets of wisdom, and if you're willing to take it a step further, I highly recommend their course! The Gentleland Course doesn't just go over marketing. It focuses on helping you develop and lead your own studio. I've been taking the course for three months now, and I have applied a lot of its information to my daily life. I now schedule my goals better, with Mondays being focused on completing marketing-related objectives and nothing else. They go over visions, target audiences, understanding the player journey, a studio's purpose, and much much more. But I understand the hesitance, I was hesitant to drop money on a random course myself. Fortunately, Jacky offers two free consultation meetings. You might have to wake up before the sun rises thanks to time zones, but it's worth it! They'll respond to PMs on Twitter, and are more than happy to answer any questions you have. On top of the course, you will be invited to their private discord channel, where budding developers like myself discuss strategies. They host challenges too, and I am currently constructing a discord server thanks to one. I wouldn't say you NEED this course to succeed, I'll just introduce it to you if you're willing to make an investment. I've gotten a lot out of the Hero's Journey, and plan to add it to my arsenal for future projects. Here's a link to her twitter! https://twitter.com/TheJackyMartin

And…that's it! That's all I have for you guys. I might do some more marketing related to the game just to fill in the void, but this is our final update! After the steam page, we're moving on to the next project! We're very thankful to have you all accompany us, and we look forward to entertaining you in the future! Until then, this is Lee, signing out!