Hello, this is Alpheratz*. In this devlog, I would like to share the launch results of Connected Clue, news of our release on STOVE, preparations for our next project, and my personal reflections looking back on the past development period.
- STOVE Indie Release & Discount Event
Following Steam, Connected Clue has officially launched on STOVE Indie as well!
If you are interested in the game but haven't purchased it yet, a 20% discount event is ongoing until the 29th, so please take this opportunity to check it out.
The warm, supportive reviews you leave after playing give me a lot of strength! :)
STOVE Store Link:
https://store.onstove.com/games/104815
- Preparing for the Next Project, Protocol: Stitch
While working on the Nintendo Switch and mobile ports for Connected Clue, I have also begun developing a new project: a horror adventure game titled Protocol: Stitch.
I do not plan to upload developer diaries for this next project on the crowdfunding announcements until the project is fully launched. Instead, I will steadily share the development progress through the channels below, so please look forward to it.
Gameping: https://www.game-ping.kr/posts/320
X (Twitter): https://x.com/shw1208/status/2052542611857256943
Additionally, unlike Connected Clue, I plan to conduct the crowdfunding for this next project when the game is almost fully complete. This is to ensure that game keys can be delivered to backers as quickly as possible right after the funding period ends.
- Launch Results & Applying Feedback
For about a week after the release of Connected Clue, we achieved the meaningful result of ranking on the 'New & Trending' lists in multiple countries, including Korea, Japan, and the United States!
Thanks to this, the game received a lot of love not only from Korean, Japanese, and English speakers, but also from the Chinese-speaking community. Because of this, I urgently applied a temporary AI translation for Simplified and Traditional Chinese. Since Connected Clue is a mystery game, there is a massive amount of dialogue, which means translation requires a significant amount of money. Once I secure enough translation funds in the future, I plan to proceed with professional translations for both Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
I am deeply grateful for your interest and love!
Currently, I am focusing on applying the valuable feedback and bug reports sent by users from all over. If you experience any inconveniences or have suggestions while playing, please feel free to email me anytime at ( [email protected] ).
Since this is a one-person development, it might take a little time, but I will do my absolute best to accommodate your feedback and make improvements.
- Developer's Reflections
When I first opened the Crowd Funding project, I urgently needed to raise funds due to the financial difficulties of the company I was working for at the time. Because of this, there wasn't enough time to fully verify the 'fun' aspect of the demo, and as a result, I ended up making the backers wait for a long period of 3 years. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize once again.
Although the company dissolved during development and I had to continue the work alone, I am relieved that I was able to safely complete Connected Clue after three and a half years.
Developing games full-time means having no income until the game is completed. In the midst of that, I simultaneously participated in offline events and sold merchandise online to promote the game. I approached the merchandise as a 'gift' for the players rather than a way to generate profit, so I didn't promote it heavily. (Still, thanks to those who purchased, the profit came out to be about 30,000 won! Thank you so much!)
Fortunately, taking on a side job from the middle of development allowed me to continue the project to the very end.
This year marks exactly 10 years since I started developing indie games. Since I hadn't achieved significant results while making several games over the years, I practically developed Connected Clue with the resolution, "This is the last time. Let's finish just this one and quit game development." However, an unimaginably large number of people have loved this game. Thanks to all of you, I realized once again that my true path is 'game development,' and my heart was overwhelmed feeling firsthand just how many people were waiting for and enjoying my game.
Of course, I still have a long way to go. I know very well that my skills in planning, directing, coding, and creating fun are still insufficient to be loved by even more people. Using this experience as a stepping stone, I will put my utmost effort into making the aforementioned next project a game that you can enjoy much more than before.
- Future Plans
Currently, along with managing the STOVE store, I am preparing for the Nintendo Switch and mobile version releases.
Originally, I planned to release the Steam and Nintendo Switch versions simultaneously, but the Switch porting preparation was delayed more than expected, so I released the Steam version first last March. The Nintendo Switch version is expected to release as early as the end of this year, or early next year at the latest.
For the mobile version, after the Switch release, I plan to prepare for the Google Play Store launch by going through various resolution and achievement tests for about 6 months. Since the Google Play Store requires about 20 testers as a condition for release, I plan to recruit mobile testers through a Crowd Funding announcement later on. I ask for your continued interest and participation when that time comes.
Thanks to all of you, I have been able to develop games to this very day.
It would give me great strength if you continue to enjoy Connected Clue and leave good reviews.
Thank you. Have a great day :)