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How To Apply (and make a pitch that doesn't suck)
Tube
Registered User admin
Registered User admin
Welcome to the Indie Games forum! If you have a game you want to post about, this is the place for you. We have a few conditions though.
1. Your game has to have a playable build. If it's just a kickstarter, some sketches or a great idea you've had, it isn't ready to post. It can be an alpha build, a beta or whatever, but our forumers have to be able to play the damn thing.
2. Your game has to be either free to play or have a demo available. Failing that, you can agree to give away a few codes to the forumers. You can even run a competition if you like. Most people give away five codes, but sometimes devs have given away as many as 25.
3. Per our rules in the main rules thread, you cannot link to kickstarters or similar on this forum. Sorry, no exceptions.
Once you meet the requirements, send you opening post including bbcode to pgroome@penny-arcade.com. Ideally also send me a quick message to let me know that you've emailed it, sometimes these get stuck in my spam folder.
How To Make A Pitch That Doesn't Suck
We get a decent amount of threads posted here, and most of them have get at least a couple of hundred eyes on them. One thing that is increasingly common is tragic cases where threads have died of SPS (Sucky Pitch Syndrome). Here are a couple of pointers
1. Fill out your profile. Having an avatar makes you look less like a drive-by opportunist and more like you're here to contribute, and your signature is another place to link to your awesome game.
2. Put some effort into your OP. Use image tags to post screenshots. Make a gameplay video. Use bold and underline on your headings. If you don't post any screenshots it's likely that people will simply click away from it without a second thought.
3. Think about your thread title. How are you going to concisely sum up your game in the headline and make people reading it desperate to play it? Include the systems that your game is available on in brackets.
4. Be sure your game is ready to be seen. As stated above, we allow alpha and beta versions as long as they're playable, but if your alpha is an awful mess no one is going to come back to play the gold, even if it's fantastic. Games like Mount and Blade launched in beta, but were still functional and playable. That's how they found an audience. In extreme cases I'll actually turn your game down for its own sake. You get one first impression, make it a good one.
5. Proof read your post. Check the bbcode. Make sure the images are functional. Make sure all your links work. Make sure you spelled the name of the game right. Your email will be copy pasted directly into the thread, and I will not sub-edit, proof read or go back and correct your posts.
That's about it. Good luck! I hope your game sells a billion copies and you thank me in your BAFTA acceptance speech.
1. Your game has to have a playable build. If it's just a kickstarter, some sketches or a great idea you've had, it isn't ready to post. It can be an alpha build, a beta or whatever, but our forumers have to be able to play the damn thing.
2. Your game has to be either free to play or have a demo available. Failing that, you can agree to give away a few codes to the forumers. You can even run a competition if you like. Most people give away five codes, but sometimes devs have given away as many as 25.
3. Per our rules in the main rules thread, you cannot link to kickstarters or similar on this forum. Sorry, no exceptions.
Once you meet the requirements, send you opening post including bbcode to pgroome@penny-arcade.com. Ideally also send me a quick message to let me know that you've emailed it, sometimes these get stuck in my spam folder.
How To Make A Pitch That Doesn't Suck
We get a decent amount of threads posted here, and most of them have get at least a couple of hundred eyes on them. One thing that is increasingly common is tragic cases where threads have died of SPS (Sucky Pitch Syndrome). Here are a couple of pointers
1. Fill out your profile. Having an avatar makes you look less like a drive-by opportunist and more like you're here to contribute, and your signature is another place to link to your awesome game.
2. Put some effort into your OP. Use image tags to post screenshots. Make a gameplay video. Use bold and underline on your headings. If you don't post any screenshots it's likely that people will simply click away from it without a second thought.
3. Think about your thread title. How are you going to concisely sum up your game in the headline and make people reading it desperate to play it? Include the systems that your game is available on in brackets.
4. Be sure your game is ready to be seen. As stated above, we allow alpha and beta versions as long as they're playable, but if your alpha is an awful mess no one is going to come back to play the gold, even if it's fantastic. Games like Mount and Blade launched in beta, but were still functional and playable. That's how they found an audience. In extreme cases I'll actually turn your game down for its own sake. You get one first impression, make it a good one.
5. Proof read your post. Check the bbcode. Make sure the images are functional. Make sure all your links work. Make sure you spelled the name of the game right. Your email will be copy pasted directly into the thread, and I will not sub-edit, proof read or go back and correct your posts.
That's about it. Good luck! I hope your game sells a billion copies and you thank me in your BAFTA acceptance speech.
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Posts
What's bbcode? Will you provide me with a complete guide to it?
Google it dude. Come on.
Are there any weird features of the forum code that are different to most forums?
You don't need a special tag to post videos. Just post the URL and it'll post it inline. You should also bear in mind that your thread title can only be 90 characters. Please actually look at these guidelines and pay attention, because about 50% of submissions don't adhere and I'm just going to send it back. I don't have time to fix your code for you, sorry.
My post looks horrible and it was you that fucked up! Will you fix it?
Sure thing, just send me a polite email letting me know.
My post looks horrible and it was me that fucked up! Will you fix it?
No sir.
My post looks horrible! It's got a pink background and the text is in comic sans!
Uh... *cough*. Let me know and I'll fix it.
I've written out a post in HTML/C++/Aramaic; will you convert it for me?
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
You ignored my email! I hate you!
It probably got lost in my spam folder, but sometimes I genuinely miss a message or forget to post it. You can message me on the forums to make sure I got it. If it's the weekend, that's totally why it hasn't been posted yet. If you particularly need it up on a weekend for a launch/special deal or whatever just let me know.