Status Report #64 (Unicorn Training Released!)

     A huge weight has been lifted and anticipation took it's place. All that's left to do now is wait and see how many people download Unicorn Training next week. It feels incredible having this much experience behind me and my confidence as a game developer has finally bloomed to where I feel I truly belong with the indies I've been looking up to. I'm proud to have Unicorn Training in my portfolio and I can't wait to get started on what's coming next.

You can download Unicorn Training on Google Play!
You can also check out the status report below the page break.

   Completed:

• Fixed "Replenish" Typo
• Learned How To Schedule Facebook Posts
• Created Game Testing Google Groups
• Posted Trailer
• App Store Screenshots
• Promotional Art
• Posted Game On Google Play
• Submitted Game To Amazon, Samsung Apps, GetJar, SlideME, AndroidPIT, and More
• Redecorated Website & Updated Games Tab
• Created SlideDB & IndieDB pages
• Released Unicorn Training (DOWNLOAD!!)
• Released Free Unicorn Training Demo
• Fixed Launch Bugs

     Lessons Learned:

• Good Screenshots Are Hard To Make
• It's Good To Have Google Groups Ready For Public Playtests
• I Feel Like I Have A Game To Be Proud Of

   Of course yesterday was filled with fixing day one bugs and worrying about how the public will react to it. In the end, I just need to relax. This game is supposed to let people know I exist, not fund my career. I'm just glad that it's out there and as fun as it looks. All that's left to do is keep making better and better games.

    There will be public playtests of Alpha and Beta builds of my future games but in order to host android playtests I needed to make some Google Groups so people can register for access. I've been using one privately to test Unicorn Training myself on my tablet but now it's time to open things up to the public. Something to keep in mind is how I need to have free versions of every game I want to test so that testers don't have to pay for an unfinished product. It's not much of an issue since I already want to do that anyway.

     I believe in making free demos because people should have the right to see if they like something before buying it. So I think of a free version of my paid apps as a type of free sample so players can get a taste of what I have to offer. I wanted to include just enough to show players all the things they'll be doing, but also hold back enough so that the paid version is still worth it.

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   Downloads:

   I'm going to start organizing data in excel using a simple updated list rather than using a database of past downloads. It makes sense because if I want to check my records I can look into App Annie or the sales charts each appstore sends me. I just want a convenient list to post here every week that has the total figures for Android, iOS, and whatever else I port to in the future.

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      It's finally the end of the newborn Yotes Games. Things will be evolving rapidly here and I plan on redecorating the site, posting only twice a week, and using a different naming scheme for Status Reports. I'll keep posting daily until next Saturday, but after that you can expect posts on Tuesdays and Fridays. Posting on those days means that I only have to worry about it during weekdays so I can enjoy having Saturdays off and Sundays as dedicated work days.

     That'll give me more time to focus on development and get the interesting stuff to you from week to week. All while showing that I'm still alive and working hard. There's no point in daily updates if I spend three days a week fixing a bunch of bugs, reorganizing my design document, or banging my head against a hard programming problem. I want to be able to share an interesting development, toss out an idea I'm working on, show-off new features/characters, and demonstrate playable milestones.