Journal #7870
Posted 12 years ago2012-07-03 04:58:28 UTC
Help with The Core?
On ModDB we have our fair share of Watchers (425 at the time of writing) and with every media release we tend to briefly make it into the top 50 ranked mods (out of 17,000).
Now don't get me wrong - this is fucking awesome and it's a real incentive to keep working on it even though we're using a dilapidated, fiddly engine.
However, I often see (frankly not particularly good) Source mods with more than double those figures and while my ego is not quite swelled enough to just assume that The Core deserves more, it can be a little disheartening when a 3-month-developed Source mappack of questionable quality is getting more press than a 3-year-developed full-length mod that myself and Andy have invested huge parts of ourselves into.
It's a lot more difficult to get people interested in Goldsource these days, especially when the majority of Goldsource gamers are only playing CS 1.6 and don't even know what a singleplayer mod is. So this is where I need your help - I was looking for action plans to potentially spread awareness for The Core and build up an audience in anticipation of its release in a few months.
There are hundreds of possible ways to go about this, and I'd like to hear your theories on what you think I should do (or if you think I should stfu and appreciate what we already have).
Some things I've been considering:
The Core on ModDB
On ModDB we have our fair share of Watchers (425 at the time of writing) and with every media release we tend to briefly make it into the top 50 ranked mods (out of 17,000).
Now don't get me wrong - this is fucking awesome and it's a real incentive to keep working on it even though we're using a dilapidated, fiddly engine.
However, I often see (frankly not particularly good) Source mods with more than double those figures and while my ego is not quite swelled enough to just assume that The Core deserves more, it can be a little disheartening when a 3-month-developed Source mappack of questionable quality is getting more press than a 3-year-developed full-length mod that myself and Andy have invested huge parts of ourselves into.
It's a lot more difficult to get people interested in Goldsource these days, especially when the majority of Goldsource gamers are only playing CS 1.6 and don't even know what a singleplayer mod is. So this is where I need your help - I was looking for action plans to potentially spread awareness for The Core and build up an audience in anticipation of its release in a few months.
There are hundreds of possible ways to go about this, and I'd like to hear your theories on what you think I should do (or if you think I should stfu and appreciate what we already have).
Some things I've been considering:
- Absolutely guaranteed weekly media updates. They won't be as high quality as the stuff we've been putting out (purely due to volume of work) and would be more like little sneak peaks at progress like the cliffs I posted in the WIP thread recently. Quality vs Frequency of updates.
- Objectives such as 600 watchers and we release all the RMFs upon release. 700 watchers and we release our textures under creative commons for anyone to use and modify, including high res originals etc etc.
- Regular dev videos - maybe fortnightly. Hints and tricks and sneak peaks at the maps.
The Core on ModDB
43 Comments
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Do what Valve does to get people hyped about their next game: make trailers. Try and do something like the Blue Shift trailer. They took Barney, animated him in a clip and showed some gameplay. Get some serious action trailers, make some scenes and record 'em.
Do it the Archie way.
i haven't been to planet phillip in AGES, but i'd think he'd be dying to do something special for this? (he gets a fair amount of traffic, right?)
Maybe some how hook up with the BM:S team, since you are kinda doing the same thing they are, but with the goldsource engine. Maybe you could do some sort of cross-promotional thingie?
Other than that i really don't know, besides going to every mapping site and starting a pimp thread..
On the other hand, i'd be happy to dress up like Barney, and give out The Core TM registered merchandise and flyers at the bars on weekends, might be fun
Not a good idea, if the fans knew this you would get a truckload of hate rather than do anything good.
Trailer is a good idea to start with, dev logs also kind of ok.
Objectives i don't think is gonna do anything good for the long run. People are just going to download all the high quality tex and free .rmf w/o bothering to play much.
Justin Beiber is a good example. Of course, quality is subjective, and the millions of teenagers think he is great. But it's unlikely they will be listening to them all their lives.
What I am trying to say is that more people play Source than GoldSource. Yes, I know you already knew that but reconcile yourself with the fact that your mod won't be more popular than some shitty source mappack. At least not until it is released. It's wrong but that's the way it is.
Now, please don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying you shouldn't try and get more attention, just don't focus on numbers so much. Better to have 400 knowledgeable and sensible people than 700 idiots.
Word of Mouth is the best form of promotion and that comes from making a quality product or service.
To be honest no matter how good your PR and marketing, if the mod itself is not great than you won't get the downloads.
Keeping potential players interested is useful but not worth too much effort.
I wouldn't recommend weekly updates if all you are going to show is WIP. Go for monthly updates with quality work that encourages people to talk about your mod.
I know it's been popular to have watcher/like targets lately but personally I feel it's cheap. Either release the textures or don't. But don't connect it to something as superficial as watchers.
Dev videos are nice but mostly for devs.
Ask yourself this question: "What makes my mod different from other mods"?
When you have some answers, focus on highlighting those things in any PR work.
As Captain Terror said, I would be happy to discuss doing something with you. My site has the most dedicated readership/playership of SP mods, so they are your target audience.
Please contact me if you are interested.
And yet dumb videos like Meet the Heavy remixes are getting more than my project which took me half a year. In the end, you can't control popularity. You have to just spread it around and hope people enjoy it.
Surely knowing that myself and the rest of TWHL enjoys it is enough for you?
If you are willing and able to make moar on a regular basis, those would demonstrate like nothing else how much effort you guys put into the mod - and how cool it's gonna be, when it comes out.
- Absolutely guaranteed weekly media updates. They won't be as high quality as the stuff we've been putting out (purely due to volume of work) and would be more like little sneak peaks at progress like the cliffs I posted in the WIP thread recently. Quality vs Frequency of updates.
A: Frequency of updates will keep you at the top of the mod page list, which may guarantee a small amount of new visitors. However, there aren't many visitors to begin with; if you have 600 ghost watchers who don't click the watch button, they prolly won't do it even if you update once a day.- Objectives such as 600 watchers and we release all the RMFs upon release. 700 watchers and we release our textures under creative commons for anyone to use and modify, including high res originals etc etc.
A: This is pointless. Some people will make blank accounts to watch just so they can get the rmf's. Heck, it has happened on moddb that people will make multiple accouts JUST TO TROLL A CERTAIN MOD.I understand that people like to see their work being tried out and all, but ultimately it should be your passion (however much left there is) that makes you want to finish this mod. Also the mod is nearing completion anyway so that should be another incentive. Alot of people, myself included, are 'ghost' watchers that knows almost everything going on in goldsrc mod development, but do not post many comments or watch anything. If it makes you feel better, know this: Once you release your mod, it will prolly get spreaded to the Russian, Czech, and French mod communities without you knowing. You will very likely have a larger audience than moddb numbers indicate. So rest assured that more than 400 people will play your mod. It's just that you won't ever get to know about it unless you search around. Good luck!
It had a kickass trailer.
...wow i just made myself so very sad just now.
For instance, I and many other people didn't play the They Hunger (HL1) series until years after its last installment had already been released. And yet I still consider myself a big fan of that trilogy.
And, frankly, though The Core looks very interesting, it does look very stylistically similar to a lot of other HL1 mods, which causes it to blend in amidst a sea of similar looking mods... even if it's entirely different and of way higher quality. You just can't tell stuff like that from screenshots and trailers.
I'd go so far as to say that most mods, SP ones in particular, do not gain a large following or recognition until after their release and subsequent review by members of the community.
Honestly, though, back when I was still making mods... I would have been extremely happy if maybe five or ten TWHL members played through it and really enjoyed it. If you're mapping for recognition, I feel like you're doing it wrong.
what?
Everyone's face:
Unless your ultimate goal is to get hired as a result or something.
I mean there's a difference between trying to entertain people with your work, and trying to get your name all over shit. I couldn't care how many people know my name... if they enjoy the product, who cares. Again, most of us did not get into mapping - much less GOLDSOURCE MAPPING - for the money, so personal recognition is kinda silly unless you're trying to profit from it.
But do as you will.
I think you should make a new trailer in the same style of the Far Cry 3 E3 one. That was a crowd pleaser. Here, I'll get you started with the script:
INTRO (FADE FROM BLACK):
Suddenly... TITS. Tits everywhere.
From here I imagine there's some shooting, lots of fucks, and maybe the promise of more tits. Popularity for The Core will skyrocket, I promise you.
There's a profound difference between trying to get something out of your product and being a complete corporate whore. Especially when they've invested as much as they have into it.
Mind you I'm respectfully disagreeing with your opinion, these discussions always seem to gain a negative vibe which I don't want or intend.
I don't need to be recognized for my actions to enjoy them or anything. If I didn't like mapping for the creative process itself, I'd never have even tried it in the first place.
I realize this has become incredibly far off the topic at hand, though.
My feeling is just that if you create something which you enjoy immensely yourself, and you also intend for others to enjoy, there shouldn't be any need for massive media campaigns to gain interest in it prior to release. Of course I'm only talking about the world of GoldSource modding, which is so incredibly small that anyone still interested is going to end up seeing your mod if you post it around to a few sites. If a mod ends up being any good, it's going to attract a huge number of players through positive reviews alone. That's the number one reason I personally download mods. Not pre-release screens or trailers. It's the reviews I see once it's released that draw me in.
I mean sure, in terms of motivation, it's incredibly inspiring when you hear there's all these people who can't wait to play your mod. But I never once started working on a project because I thought it would have mass appeal. I was always in it for myself.
(If TitCon isn't a thing then it totally should be)
Can't wait to see the Black Squid.