I don't have friends and this series is my last chance to succeed
Okay, so last year after getting fired I moved across the country. I had some savings so I focused on bettering myself at game industry skills. I made a few small games and have been in the industry for 4 years. I've emailed over 80 different companies on 3 different occasions over the passed year and still have not been able to get a job, I can't even seem to get a job as a tester even though I've have created games from scratch.
Finally I convinced my old boss's to invest in me and an idea that I had. I wanted to prove to the world that I had good ideas and these companies were missing out. So far I've started a series to give the characters backstory but it is super super hard to get your ideas out on the internet when you don't know anyone.
I am really scared this whole thing is going to flop completely, it feels like a cruel joke, I've spent a sizeable amount of the money on running ads but it almost seems like a scam based on the engagement I'm getting.
I see people with Kickstarters succeeding and getting fully funded and often it's because these people have made meaningful connections. I couldn't even get people to share when I was giving away free shirts with exclusive art.
I really need some tips or hints, or help from anyone to get my comic out there to more people, I want to do what I love, this is my real shot, someone trusted me with their money to do something great and even though I'm giving it my all I'm blowing it.
Feel free to check out the series, is it complete crap?
tapastic.com/series/The-Foolis…
Finally I convinced my old boss's to invest in me and an idea that I had. I wanted to prove to the world that I had good ideas and these companies were missing out. So far I've started a series to give the characters backstory but it is super super hard to get your ideas out on the internet when you don't know anyone.
I am really scared this whole thing is going to flop completely, it feels like a cruel joke, I've spent a sizeable amount of the money on running ads but it almost seems like a scam based on the engagement I'm getting.
I see people with Kickstarters succeeding and getting fully funded and often it's because these people have made meaningful connections. I couldn't even get people to share when I was giving away free shirts with exclusive art.
I really need some tips or hints, or help from anyone to get my comic out there to more people, I want to do what I love, this is my real shot, someone trusted me with their money to do something great and even though I'm giving it my all I'm blowing it.
Feel free to check out the series, is it complete crap?
tapastic.com/series/The-Foolis…
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Thanks for the advice- beating up the existing comic any further would just be pointless- I will weigh the pros and cons of rewriting a new plot in a different art style, as oppose to getting a new artist for the existing comic.
If the comic starts getting more traction in the coming weeks, I will give 100% to improve it going forward, and will continue to appreciate those who stood by it. If I have to redo it all it is likely not in my budget but will have to find a way.
If the comic starts getting more traction in the coming weeks, I will give 100% to improve it going forward, and will continue to appreciate those who stood by it. If I have to redo it all it is likely not in my budget but will have to find a way.
At this point I'm thinking of unplugging the comic. This is really bad, but so far, I'm hearing mostly cons, and ultimately it would be better to cut the loss. I shouldn't have been afraid to push the bar with something new and heavy, It's definitely too late to start a new comic, not with what I've spent thus far getting out there. Better art, would mean a different artist, now I'm even more stressed out.
Even if I got a new artist, sounds like the story is just shit. I'm so screwed.
Even if I got a new artist, sounds like the story is just shit. I'm so screwed.
Ohhhh you're trying to sell a video game, not this comic.
Okay, well, if I glanced at the cover of a video game and it looked like the cover of that comic, I still wouldn't buy it because it looks like more tired misogynistic crap from the 90s/early 2000s. I see Outspoken Main Character Guy, Young Magic-Using Girl, Sexy Here-Are-My-Boobs-For-Your-Visual-Enjoyment-Because-Obviously-Only-Men-Play-Video-Games Lady, and Intelligent Mysterious Guy. You've immediately turned me off with your stereotypes.
Okay, well, if I glanced at the cover of a video game and it looked like the cover of that comic, I still wouldn't buy it because it looks like more tired misogynistic crap from the 90s/early 2000s. I see Outspoken Main Character Guy, Young Magic-Using Girl, Sexy Here-Are-My-Boobs-For-Your-Visual-Enjoyment-Because-Obviously-Only-Men-Play-Video-Games Lady, and Intelligent Mysterious Guy. You've immediately turned me off with your stereotypes.
That is harsh, but I can see your view point. I'm looking for advice though, not just this is what sucks: XXX. What could/should be different would be much more appreciated.
Personally, I wouldn't buy it. The art looks kind of cutesy and the panel layout is really boring and not dynamic. I only skimmed the first few pages and it looks action-oriented and not something I would be interested in. I'm sure that kind of art/story has an audience but it's not me.
The design looks really amateurish, too. As a graphic designer, the cover and typesetting kind of make me cringe. This is not professional work and I can't see it becoming profitable.
Out of curiosity, where did you go to school and what did you major in? (Did you go to school?)
The design looks really amateurish, too. As a graphic designer, the cover and typesetting kind of make me cringe. This is not professional work and I can't see it becoming profitable.
Out of curiosity, where did you go to school and what did you major in? (Did you go to school?)
(the comic is free, i don't intend to sell it at any point)
Part of me regrets making something so cliche, I knew that I was making a game (a mobile game) and it's a very casual market, I guess I felt like people wouldn't get sucked into something too niche, too heavy, or too light. So I tried to play it safe. Was that ultimately wrong? I felt like if I started with something safe that once I built up a fan base I could branch out and have the communal power to push some more serious projects but at this point it feels too optimistic.
Yes I do love RPGs. I could always change Rei's name and say it was a fake. I'll probably do that.
See I've released 2 small apps that were original and I thought were good, used money out of my own pocket, but literally, they had no reach, no audience, that was what this series was suppose to do...
I had big plans for the future of it as far as powers and plot lines go I just think with any starting series (anime, manga) all the characters generally start art very basic and not that impressive and it's that growth from the start to later on that makes them really exciting and appealing.
Part of me regrets making something so cliche, I knew that I was making a game (a mobile game) and it's a very casual market, I guess I felt like people wouldn't get sucked into something too niche, too heavy, or too light. So I tried to play it safe. Was that ultimately wrong? I felt like if I started with something safe that once I built up a fan base I could branch out and have the communal power to push some more serious projects but at this point it feels too optimistic.
Yes I do love RPGs. I could always change Rei's name and say it was a fake. I'll probably do that.
See I've released 2 small apps that were original and I thought were good, used money out of my own pocket, but literally, they had no reach, no audience, that was what this series was suppose to do...
I had big plans for the future of it as far as powers and plot lines go I just think with any starting series (anime, manga) all the characters generally start art very basic and not that impressive and it's that growth from the start to later on that makes them really exciting and appealing.
It's not complete crap, but it feels like you get all your ideas from JRPGs because it's cliche as hell. If the gameplay of the game is fun then that might not matter -- in that case you might want to forget the backstory and work on a really exciting game demo. If the story is important, get some decent writers to look at it and give you some suggestions.
It's not complete crap, but I feel like it doesn't start at the beginning. Does that link take you somewhere to the middle of the story?
It's the beginning, I tried to opt for sort of a "things are already in motion" beginning to grab the reader's attention.
I see 
I do like that approach in general, but in this case it wasn't enough to make me want to read more. I think it's too generic. It's a drunk asshole getting shown the door by a spunky underdog. Sure, the underdog happens to have a tail, but that's about it. Maybe there's something else you could put in there to make the reader want to know more. What else is unique about your main character that you could stick in with a side comment, or a thought bubble, or...something?
I do like that approach in general, but in this case it wasn't enough to make me want to read more. I think it's too generic. It's a drunk asshole getting shown the door by a spunky underdog. Sure, the underdog happens to have a tail, but that's about it. Maybe there's something else you could put in there to make the reader want to know more. What else is unique about your main character that you could stick in with a side comment, or a thought bubble, or...something?It certainly wouldn't be too late to make that kind of a change. Any suggestions?
Without knowing your character, not really. Are there any things he particularly despises? Any seemingly "innocent" thing that might rub him the wrong way? Any personality quirks? There needs to be something that makes the reader go, "whoa, I did not expect that. I wonder what's going on here?"
Firstly, unless you're on your deathbed, this is not your last chance to succeed.
I don't think it's complete crap. Reiniay isn't the best name. It's hard to pronounce and remember. It just looks weird for the the sake of being different. It's not the best art, but I don't think that would hurt sales too much. I bought something similar when I was 15ish.
Make sure you get someone to edit it. I just found "chose" where it should be "choice".
A pretty simple way to get more out there is to get out in the real world. Do you have any local cons you could get a half booth at?
I don't think it's complete crap. Reiniay isn't the best name. It's hard to pronounce and remember. It just looks weird for the the sake of being different. It's not the best art, but I don't think that would hurt sales too much. I bought something similar when I was 15ish.
Make sure you get someone to edit it. I just found "chose" where it should be "choice".
A pretty simple way to get more out there is to get out in the real world. Do you have any local cons you could get a half booth at?
There is a con coming up, and there are only big booth spaces available. I'm pretty intimidated about reserving space at this point, I don't know how much further I'll be along the story in a month and a half and with app and game demos, I'm not a pro and there always tends to be hiccups and development setbacks in most cases. It would be a heavy push to prepare a game demo and prep for my first con I think in a month and a half.
I did ask the organizers if it was okay to hand things out to visitors and patrons but I wonder if I'd just annoy people.
I did ask the organizers if it was okay to hand things out to visitors and patrons but I wonder if I'd just annoy people.
It's not my literal death bed, but it feels like it could really hurt a chance to impress future employers and it screws my reputation for people putting their trust in me. This can often be suicide or hurt for a while, much like screwing up your credit...
I think one of the things that's hurting your opportunities with employers is your style; it's too much like Scott Pilgrim & in a company's eyes, if it looks to much like something pre-existing - that can be enough for a lawsuit (aka "something not in their best interests").