SyntaxBomb - Indie Coders

if you are wanting sales then you need to up your game.
I know you have been hit with the critical stick a lot recently, so I am not going to say anything about the game, but the presentation.

And I'm going to do it graphically so you can see what I am on about

OK. first off it would be nice if everything felt like there was some thought and concept. you need to be able to see this without even seeing the game. it gives the feel of the game and the style appears throughout.


Look at the text - compare it to yours. compare it to other similar games. take their lead.

A simple bit of text with a quick filter looks and says: "I'm not really bothered, or could spent the time to come up with a product"

You want people to see the product. everything must look and feel that love, time and effort has been put into it. It it doesn't why should people bother to even continue to look and buy it. You want the first thing that people to see is quality and love


So why did I change the name?
double rr - meh
grum sounds a bit like bum and a game about bums is not what we are after?
grim already sounds interesting and grinthir because it fit nicely with the new graphics element - the shield

So without seeing the game you already have in your mind something with knights, shields, metal and a style.
if Grinthir a place or a person? again this could lead into the back story...

OK, notice there is a very defined graphic element in the shield. is this important? You bet - it's the core graphic we can lift and use for other things to reinforce the game look and style:


So we now have a defined style for the text:
sorta old, with heavy capitals. so this is probably a medieval/fantasy setting - certainly NOT space. unless it was old stye knights in space... You see where this is going

And..
We have the program icon on the left
a timer  or direction finder on the right
and we are also using the same logo as a decal for the text

It all says and feels like the same thought and concept.
The game could be a 2d platformer, it could be a full on 3d quake multiplayer, or it could be a rts.

Ignoring the spelling bee flying around in circles after it saw Adams mission intro screen ...


If the game is about "honor", use a polished text effect (metal, shiny, ... maybs still some "used" corners as they are experienced...) and a medieval font.
If it is about a "grim time in the past" (warriors from the North, brutally burned villages, slavery, ...) then use a more grim font ... something which cries "wilderness", "wrath" etc. So your logo might contain some bear fur as ground for some weapons, or an empty throne ... a throne for which you fight for ...etc


But this is all something you can worry later - once you concepted out the real "mood" of the game ... you can create the logo once you fletch out your graphics (replacing the prototypes you got now), when the actual gameplay is working (buildings, upgrades, teching, scripted AI).
And all this still needs to wait until your core game engine is ready for RTS: do not make your units move like under the effect of speed, amphetamines or whatever ... they are swords man in armor - they do not "blink" their rotation, they do not run like weazles ...
Ensure fire is not offset, ensure that elements have right proportions - concentrate on the camera angle and think about in ADVANCE if it would be a good idea to almost cover units behind other ones. There is a reason for the camera angle in the more popular RTS games.

Create the working game mechanics first - then draw your sprites. Else you end up with sprites you do not need in your game - or are required to sacrifice visuals (or even mix different camera angles - for an totally non-suiting look).


AAND: do not forget to find your unique selling point first: why should they play YOUR game, not all the other games (with bigger budgets, more man power, ...)


bye
Ron

It's a shelling mistook