itch.io

I was working from a draft and forgot to replace the bracketed part before posting. Sorry about that, it wasn't a good look. I'm genuinely curious about where the game is headed, though. What are you working on at the moment, and what's next in the build?

Hey man, I have messaged you  on email

That's great to hear, and it explains why the devlogs feel so polished. Doing it all in-house must take a lot of work.

I'm curious how you've been getting Tavern Talk in front of new players so far. What's been working best for you, and what's been a bit of a struggle?

That's honestly a great foundation to build from, drawing lessons from your first game plus 20 years of gaming experience and inspirations like Final Fantasy and Ragnarok Online shows real intentionality, not just copying trends. The fact that it satisfies you as a creator says a lot too, that usually comes through to players.

Happy to help with introducing it to more players, that's genuinely where I can add the most value. Before we go further though, where have you been posting so far, just the YouTube channel, or have you tried other platforms like TikTok, X, Reddit, anything like that? Good to know what's already out there before mapping out next steps.

Also, would you be available for a quick call sometime to talk through this properly? Easier to walk through ideas and get a clearer picture of what would work best for A Record of Valkadia that way.

thanks man, really appreciate your response

 I Have messaged you on email, check it out

That's great, having a detailed feature video covering everything is a solid foundation. Are you planning to cut that down into shorter clips for places like TikTok, Shorts, or X too, or is it mostly staying as one full length video for now? Specific moments like a grid failure cascading or the nuclear startup sequence could do really well as standalone short-form content, especially for pulling in the engineering and city builder crowd who love seeing systems in action.

Honestly, when I came across Power Network Tycoon, I genuinely wanted to know the brain behind it, four years into something this detailed and technical says a lot. A project at this stage, right at full release, really deserves consistent visibility beyond just the one video. This is actually what I do, I'm a social media manager and video editor, I help break down longer footage like that into short-form content and keep things posted consistently so the momentum doesn't just live in one upload. Would you be open to support on that side?

That design choice makes a lot of sense, keeping it approachable for new players while rewarding returning fans with deeper story context is a smart balance. And letting players freely discover their own builds instead of locking them into a set path is honestly a great way to keep the systems feeling personal rather than prescriptive.

Checked out your YouTube channel too, good that there's already some boss fight footage up there. Honestly, when I came across A Record of Valkadia, I genuinely wanted to know the brain behind it, the amount of systems depth here isn't something you stumble into by accident.

A game this deep in mechanics really deserves consistent visibility though, boss fights and build reveals especially tend to perform really well in short-form once they're packaged right. This is actually what I do, I'm a social media manager and video editor, I help turn footage like what you've already got into polished, consistent content and keep things active so new players keep discovering it. Would you be open to a bit of support on that side?

Here's a reply continuing as success, no dashes, pitching naturally with the "brain behind it" framing worked in:

That makes total sense, bandwidth is real, and a backer only Discord is honestly a smart call rather than spreading thin across multiple communities.

Increasing social updates as release gets closer is a great instinct though. Honestly, when I came across the game, I genuinely wanted to know the brain behind it, the steampunk atmosphere and attention to detail really stood out, and a project like this deserves to land in front of as many people as possible heading into release.

This is actually what I do, I'm a social media manager and video editor, I help turn existing footage and updates into consistent, engaging short-form content so that increased push doesn't fully fall on your team's plate. Would you be open to a bit of support on that side as you ramp up toward release?

That's actually really cool, dev process videos are genuinely valuable for other creators and show real transparency, but I'm curious, what about other platforms like TikTok or Instagram, are you posting anything there, or is YouTube pretty much the main one right now?

Honestly, when I came across Super Duper Fishing, I genuinely wanted to know the brain behind it, the amount of detail and consistent updates really stood out to me. A game like this deserves real visibility though, catch reveals and rare fish moments especially are the kind of content that spreads fast and pulls in new players who'd never find it otherwise.

Social media posting matters a lot for that, even a great game can stay hidden if it's not consistently showing up where people are scrolling. This is actually exactly what I do, I'm a social media manager and video editor, I turn gameplay into engaging short-form content and keep accounts active and growing. Would you be open to a business collaboration around that?

Honestly, that's such an honest and relatable thing to admit, a lot of devs are incredible at building the game itself but find the social media side draining or just outside their skillset, and that's completely normal, they're very different crafts.

The thing is, social media and content can genuinely make or break how far a good game travels, especially something like Dawn of the Rotten where the chaos and fun moments are already there, they just need to actually reach people consistently rather than stay buried in devlogs. A single funny co-op clip hitting the right audience can bring in more players than weeks of silent development, even if the game itself doesn't change at all.

Before Farmhouse drops, what have you been doing so far for social media, if anything, just posting occasionally, or has it mostly been nothing outside the devlogs here?

By the way, this is actually exactly what I do professionally, I'm a social media manager and video editor, I take gameplay footage and turn it into polished, excellent short-form content, handle posting, reply to comments, and basically keep the account alive and active so you don't have to split focus between development and constantly showing up online. I've worked on a few past projects doing exactly this, happy to share some examples if you're curious.

Hey, congrats on hitting V1.0 after four years, that's a huge milestone, and the sheer scope of this patch (pedestrians, simulation fixes, UI polish, performance work) shows just how much care went into getting here.

With the launch sale live and this being the official full release, this is honestly the best window you'll get for visibility. Are you doing any dedicated content around the 1.0 launch specifically, beyond the trailers already up? With how deep the simulation goes, feels like there's a lot of potential in short-form clips showing off specific systems, grid failures, nuclear startup, that kind of thing, especially for reaching the engineering/city builder crowd who'd love the technical depth.

Since this is a sequel with history behind it, are you doing anything to showcase boss fights or build strategies for players discovering the game fresh? JRPGs like this tend to do well in short-form content, boss encounters, skill combos, that kind of thing, especially with how much systems depth you've already built in.

Hey, Super Duper Fishing looks like a lot of fun, 100+ fish and the hook and drag minigame sounds like it has a nice tactile feel to it. Shipping 8 versions in about a month is also a serious pace, clearly putting a lot into this.

Saw you've got a YouTube channel linked too, how's that been going so far? Fishing games tend to do really well in short clips, big catch reveals, rare fish moments, that kind of thing. Curious if you're already posting content around updates like this, or if that's something still on the to-do list alongside development.

Hey, the update cadence on Dawn of the Rotten is honestly impressive, especially fixing something as specific as zombie push collision, small details like that make a big difference in how combat feels. Love that it's bilingual too, shows you're thinking about reach beyond just one audience.

Online co-op being in beta now feels like a huge opportunity for content, co-op zombie chaos clips tend to do really well in short-form. Are you doing any video content around that, or is it mostly living in the devlogs right now? With the Farmhouse map coming up too inspired by Night of the Living Dead, feels like there's a lot of potential to build some hype content leading into that.

Hey, the daily rotating weather system is such a smart way to keep a puzzle game feeling fresh long term, Hyperspace Breaker and Fueled Up sound like fun twists on the core loop.

One thing that stood out, that high score share image is basically built for social media already, daily puzzle games like this tend to spread really well when people post their scores, similar to how Wordle took off. Are you doing anything to encourage that kind of sharing right now, or is it mostly staying within itch for now? Feels like there's real potential to turn each day's puzzle into a small wave of social content if it got pushed a bit further.

Just read through the comments here and wow, the love for this game is honestly incredible, people naming their favorite characters, making OCs, begging for updates, that's the kind of organic passion a lot of devs spend years trying to build.

Have you thought about bringing Molly's Marvelous Photos to Steam eventually? With a following like this already in place, feels like there's real potential once the full release is ready. , especially if school and work are taking priority right now, just wanted to say the reception here is genuinely impressive.

Hey, "back from the dead by unpopular demand" is such a great way to frame this, love the chaotic energy around Giraffe Town's comeback. A physical CD release with a holographic seal of quality for the first 100 orders is such a fun collector hook too.

Are you planning any video content around the physical drop, unboxing style clips, countdown content leading to December 3rd? That kind of reveal moment tends to do really well in short form, especially with a brand as distinct and cult-favorite as this one already has going for it.

Yeah, this is actually my job, so it would be a paid service. I have a YouTube channel with examples of past work if you'd like to check the quality before deciding anything, happy to share that whenever useful.

year thanks for the response man!!!, really appreciate, feel free to let me know if anything changes and good luck with the game

respect that, avoiding the mainstream algorithm chase definitely has its own charm, especially for something this niche and community driven.

Speaking of community though, do you have a Discord set up for the game yet? With how fast you're shipping updates, that could be a great space for players to track progress, report bugs, and feel more connected to development without needing any big platform push. I actually help with Discord setup specifically, structuring channels, roles, that kind of thing, and have an Upwork account for that if you'd ever want to go that route. Also wouldn't mind helping out with some content creation around these updates too, if that's ever something you're open to, 

 just enjoying following the progress here.

Si alguna vez estás abierto a eso, ayudo a desarrolladores indie con cosas como edición de video en formato corto y gestión de redes sociales, básicamente convirtiendo actualizaciones como esta en contenido que llegue a más gente de forma constante. También tengo una cuenta de Upwork y un canal de YouTube con trabajos anteriores por si querés verlos como referencia. Con gusto te comparto cualquiera de los dos cuando te sirva, sin ninguna presión igual.

That's a smart approach honestly, frequent small updates keep things feeling alive without the pressure of a big reveal every time, and clever that you built your own tools to make content additions easier early on, that's going to save you a lot of time long term.

For free early access platforms, itch is honestly already one of the strongest for that kind of iterative, community-driven approach. One other option worth considering though is YouTube Playables, it's a newer platform where browser games get embedded directly into YouTube and surfaced to a huge built-in audience without needing to drive traffic yourself. Since you're not doing Steam early access, that could actually be a great fit for getting more eyes on the game while you keep refining it. If that's something you're curious about, it's actually an area I can help with, happy to walk you through how it could work for your game specifically.

Appreciate the link, I'll definitely check out the demo, good to get a feel for the mechanics ahead of the full release.

Since you mentioned more will be shown at the end of the month, that's actually a great window to make sure it lands well visibility wise. I work with indie devs on video content and social presence specifically, helping turn updates like this into short form content that reaches the right audience. I've got a YouTube channel with past edited work if you want proof of the quality, and an Upwork account as well if you'd prefer to go through that for a more formal process. Happy to share either whenever useful, , just wanted you to have the option heading into that end of month reveal.

Dogs! I love that they can follow a blood trail and bark when they spot something, and that they need water too, so the wooden bowls actually matter. Being able to target body parts and inspect creatures based on your tracking skill is a cool touch as well. Ten updates in two weeks is wild, I don't know how you keep that pace.

Are you sharing the game anywhere outside itch, or is it mostly just here for now?

Congrats on finishing Beta V2! A yandere horror game with an anime style and monster girls is a fun mix, and it's a different take on the usual horror setup. Making the Free Mode foundation stronger and adding mini events sounds like it gives people more reasons to keep playing, and it's good to see bug fixes in the same update.

I also like that you made a devlog video and have a Discord for feedback, it makes the game easy to follow.

Quick question, are you sharing clips from the game anywhere else, like TikTok, Shorts or Reddit, or is that something you're still figuring out?

¡Qué buena actualización! La Selva suena enorme: árboles que tapan el sol, lagunas con victorias regias, gotas que siguen cayendo de las hojas después de la lluvia, bruma, mariposas de día. Se nota el cuidado en el ambiente. Me encanta que use flora y fauna de la región, con yaguareté, yarará, mburucuyá y camalotes, y que lo que dejan los animales sirva para crear cosas, como el Manto de yaguareté o el Suero de yarará.

El círculo del hada también me parece una gran idea: encender las cuatro piedras de noche en el orden en que crece la flor, preparar la ofrenda y después enfrentarte al hada, que tiene tres fases. Y que el don sea una elección única y para siempre le da mucho peso. Que todo funcione en pantalla dividida y por red es un gran plus.

Una pregunta: ¿estás compartiendo estos avances en redes como TikTok, YouTube o Reddit, o todavía lo estás pensando?

Congrats on 1.2.0, and the English support from the last update is great to see. The lightness skill flying sounds like such a fun way to cross the map, especially recording travel points and flying back to them. Showing every fight blow by blow with the dodges, parries and hits, plus the choice to take someone's life or show mercy after a win, gives the wuxia setting a lot of weight.

Walking with the crank is a lovely touch too, that's exactly what makes a Playdate game feel like a Playdate game. And the one in ten big payout on Granny's chores made me smile. I'm curious what marriage and online play will look like when they arrive.

Quick question, are you sharing GMUD on socials or in the Playdate community, or is that something you're still figuring out?

are you running the socials for the game yourself, or is that something you're still figuring out?

Belated happy birthday! 0.5 looks like a big update. Four new languages is huge, and the CG gallery is a nice touch for a game with this many routes.

I really like that the secret scenes with Lorkan and Emphys are hidden behind the name entry trick instead of just being marked on the map. It rewards people who pay attention. The mix of dark fantasy and yandere with a jester in the cast also feels different from the usual otome setup, and having five people all competing for your attention while you try to survive sounds intense in the best way. Nice to see the cross promo with other dark romance devs too.

Quick question, are you making the trailers and clips for the game yourself, or is that something you're still figuring out?

Aurawra is adorable, the long naps and head scratches line got me. I like how the familiars series gives each critter its own spotlight, Beebug, Slinky, Leggulas and now Aurawra. The character intros for people like Kya and Delphi do the same for the cast, so the tavern already feels like it has a lot of personality before you even sit down.

The mix of cozy and D&D flavor is a great combo too, and having a demo on itch with the full game on Steam makes it easy to jump in.

Quick question, are you making the clips and trailers for all this yourselves, or is that something you're still figuring out?

Nice breakdown of the modes. Hardcore with no saves on a C64 game sounds brutal, and I like that Peaceful still lets spikes kill you.

Do you have a trailer or gameplay clips out yet, or are you still focused on the build?

Thanks for the hints, I'll go check every corner of level 1 and that wall in level 3.

Makes sense to finish it first and see how people react before deciding on Steam. One thing that could help with that is short gameplay clips. I'm a professional video editor and cut clips for indie devs, and a trophy hunt in a square-based online game would work well on TikTok or Reddit.

I work through Upwork, so you'd have a contract and payment protection. Happy to cut a free sample from your gameplay if you want to see my style. I also set up Steam pages, so if you go that route later, feel free to message me.

Good luck finishing it!

Alright feel free to let me know incase things changes mate!!!!

That's awesome, sounds like there's real demand for it already if people are already asking. Twitter for devlogs makes sense for now, but honestly, once you do set up a Discord, it could be a nice space for fans to ask questions more privately too, some people prefer that over commenting publicly, especially with translators and more detailed feedback floating around like with the Romanian translation thing.

Funny enough, setting up Discord servers for devs is actually something I do, I have an Upwork account if you ever want to check it out once you're ready to make that interest gauge real. No pressure at all though, just wanted to mention it since it came up naturally, mostly just excited for day 2 either way!

That makes a lot of sense honestly, nailing the core experience first before scaling it feels like the right call, a lot of games try to expand too early and it ends up spreading things thin. Smart to let the browser version prove itself first.

Street lamps being your favorite part to make doesn't surprise me either, it's one of those small details that really adds a lot of atmosphere once it's in. Really hope people keep enjoying it enough to justify that bigger version down the line, would love to see where you take it.

That makes total sense. A demo like this is a strong base for a publisher pitch, and the swinging and VR hooks are easy to show in a trailer.

One thing that helps with publishers is how the demo is presented: a short, punchy trailer, a clean one-page site or press kit, and a Steam page draft they can look at. At [Bubble.connect], we make exactly those for indie devs, and we'd be glad to put together a free sample, like a 30 to 45 second cut from your existing footage, so you can see the quality before deciding anything.

Would that be useful, and where is the best place to send it?

More characters and a bigger world sounds great, and I can already imagine where the next classes could take the story. how a class felt / a fight].

Since community ideas are such a big part of your plan, have you thought about a dedicated Discord for playtesters? A single server for feedback, suggestions, and bug reports usually keeps early fans engaged and makes tuning easier.

At [Bubble connect], we help indie devs with Discord setup, trailers and short clips, and Steam wishlist strategy. We'd be happy to set up a simple server layout for Crulanda or cut a quick teaser from your public footage as a free sample. Would that be useful?

Thanks for the update, and what a cool community moment with the Romanian translation! [ from the demo, e.g. a character / a tense scene / the art / the hallway atmosphere]. Really looking forward to day 2.

Quick question: do you have a community spot (like a Discord) where fans and translators can hang out, or is everything on Twitter for now? Curious how you plan to share day 2.

Thanks for the fast fix, and for caring about accessibility enough to ship Atkinson Hyperlegible support. [ from the game or page, e.g. a park / a character / the art style / a route]. Adding Korean and Simplified Chinese was a great move too.

Quick question: are you doing anything to reach the Korean and Chinese audiences now that those translations are out, or is it mostly word of mouth?