My Flash game has been released. What now?

[NoisyPerlin]

So I've released my first Flash game, ColorLight (http://mochiads.com/games/colorlight_v2/) through Mochiads. I've got ads for my game through their free traffic share program, and I'm displaying ads at the beginning of the game (47 cents! rock on! ). Thing is, I'm not sure what to do next to increase traffic, and to generate income from this. I have heard that where many developers go wrong is failing to support and promote their product after it's released, but I'm not really sure what to do. Does anyone have any advice they could give me?

[Jason Chong]

So I've released my first Flash game, ColorLight (http://mochiads.com/games/colorlight_v2/) through Mochiads. I've got ads for my game through their free traffic share program, and I'm displaying ads at the beginning of the game (47 cents! rock on! ). Thing is, I'm not sure what to do next to increase traffic, and to generate income from this. I have heard that where many developers go wrong is failing to support and promote their product after it's released, but I'm not really sure what to do. Does anyone have any advice they could give me?

Totally understand how you feel about the promotion part.

Not to mention getting pirated 2 days after release *arggghh!*

And waiting forever for portals to answer your emails.

I guess one way is to find one game that you like and think is doing well, then do a google search and see which site they're listed on and try to go one by one and see how to get your game there.

[andrew]

You need a *lot* of traffic to make any real money through MochiAds. $100 = 200,000+ plays (@ appx $0.50 CPM). This means getting it on lots and lots of portals, including the big ones. I would start reading here: http://www.mochiads.com/resources/

In the end it's really more about the game than the promotion -- either the game will get played a lot, or it won't. Most Flash sites go through games at an amazingly quick rate, and only the top notch stuff sticks around long enough to amass a large amount of plays.

- andrew

[Applewood]

Simply sit back and watch the pennies roll in

[NoisyPerlin]

Is there anything in addition to Mochiads that I should try, or are they the best? I went with then because they seemed easy to work with, and their ads seem to be everywhere. Should I also use someone else in addition to them?

You need a *lot* of traffic to make any real money through MochiAds. $100 = 200,000+ plays (@ appx $0.50 CPM). This means getting it on lots and lots of portals, including the big ones. I would start reading here: http://www.mochiads.com/resources/

In the end it's really more about the game than the promotion -- either the game will get played a lot, or it won't. Most Flash sites go through games at an amazingly quick rate, and only the top notch stuff sticks around long enough to amass a large amount of plays.

- andrew

[KNau]

I'm going to come right out with the bad news - you probably aren't going to make money with this game as it is. It's the same with the guys who post their programmer-art games and ask how to market or find a portal to sell it. We're all polite and offer advice but the real answer (what we're all thinking) is "Don't bother!"

Before you go looking for more traffic or more hosts I'd put more time in the game. The concept is interesting but it looks like the kind of Flash game that guys on indiegamer bitch about constantly - like it was made in a couple hours. You've got almost no sound, no presentation (not even a title screen), no leveling and hence no replay value.

Sorry to be so harsh but better you know the actual root of the problem and can fix it then to fool yourself into thinking it's a marketing / reach issue. If your game is great they'll be breaking down your door to offer you sponsorship money, hosting services or to outright steal it. If they aren't then it isn't.

So you have a choice to make - fix the game or get off it quickly and go work on the next one. Both are equally valid.

[KNau]

Just picking this up again...

Mochiads is just one part of the equation and I would consider it at best a backup revenue generator, certainly not the core strategy.

Most important right now (other than working on the game) is to register your own domain and host the game there. Then you can set up advertising on your own site that will generate more revenue than mochiads can. Put your logo and link at the start of your game so that no matter who hosts it you get some traffic and exposure.

[Spore Man]

That game is not fun enough to make much money, but here's what you do:

Compile a list of a couple thousand Flash game portals. Then spend the time submitting your game to each and every one of them.

Put a link in the game that encourages people to visit your site. Monetize traffic to your own site.

Watch the pennies roll in as people try the game for the first time. Watch them stop rolling in as people stop playing the game and don't tell their friends about it (just not fun enough).

Make another game. If you release them with enough frequency, even bad games will earn you some pocket money. The key to remember is that the revenues will peak pretty early unless your game is REALLY fun and worth coming back to again and again.

[andrew]

Before you go looking for more traffic or more hosts I'd put more time in the game. The concept is interesting but it looks like the kind of Flash game that guys on indiegamer bitch about constantly - like it was made in a couple hours. You've got almost no sound, no presentation (not even a title screen), no leveling and hence no replay value.

Well, KNau is right.. disregarding the mechanic for the moment, at the very least it needs a title screen, audio, level progression, some sort of scoring, etc. It looks more like a work-in-progress than a fun, complete game. Also, I beat "medium" mode in approximately 10 seconds via random button clicks and was a bit shocked to find out that the game only has one level?

How much money are you trying to make? GameJacket is an alternative to Mochi, but the CPM's are about the same. Sponsorships can make you thousands, if the game is good enough (this one likely isn't). I would spend some time on Kongregate, Newgrounds, ArmorGames, etc and get a sense of the current quality bar in the Flash realm.

- andrew

[JGOware]

Not much of a game there. I clicked a few things, it said "Victory" and I was done, left confused what I did and why. Chalk it up as a learning tool, move on to the next game idea.

[Applewood]

I'd not even bothered looking at the game as I assumed it would be shite.

Not because I know the author, but because pretty much all flash games are shite. Having just checked it out, I see I overestimated it.

No idea what this is meant to be independent of.

[AlexWeldon]

I'd not even bothered looking at the game as I assumed it would be shite.

Not because I know the author, but because pretty much all flash games are shite. Having just checked it out, I see I overestimated it.

No idea what this is meant to be independent of.

Okay, let's not be too cruel to the poor guy. It's true that it's weak in many respects, and not nearly a finished game, but it is his first effort, and the concept itself isn't terrible.

I also disagree that all Flash games are bad. Totem Destroyer, Amorphous+, Spikey's Bounce-Around and Splitter are all excellent games. Small, short and simple, yes, but that's the business model for Flash games these days.

The trouble with Flash games is the same as the trouble with short fiction - the fact that it lends itself to small, simple things attracts a lot of lazy, untalented people who think that making simple things is easier than making complicated things. In fact, it's the other way around... you can hide a mediocre game under a lot of fluff, whereas a simple game needs to have a damn good idea behind it, because if not, there's nothing to hide its mediocrity.

To the OP: Try making the game more akin to something like Bejeweled. Instead of having puzzles to beat, put targets along the right AND bottom sides, and allow the player to rotate either rows or columns. Lighting up a target correctly causes it to disappear and the player to score points, whereupon a new target of a different colour appears in its place. Have a life meter counting down with every move at an increasing rate; lighting targets refills it somewhat. At first, just making matches on most of your moves should be enough to survive, but after a while, even matching a single target every move won't be enough - you have to match two, and eventually three targets per move to avoid running out of life... eventually it becomes impossible and the player loses, but you're just trying to score as many points as possible before that happens.

[Applewood]

Okay, let's not be too cruel to the poor guy.

Wasn't trying to be cruel per se, just wondering what this has to do with independent game dev. I expect to see pro standard stuff because amateurs aren't indies. Therefore I judge things against a pro-standard. This however is a very old debate that I somehow always lose, largely, I suspect, because most of the pro's have disappeared and were never in the majority in the first place.

I also disagree that all Flash games are bad.

That's not a disagreement. I said pretty much all are bad. There's a few I myself play avidly, but the vast majority are just rammel.

The trouble with Flash games is the same as the trouble with short fiction - the fact that it lends itself to small, simple things attracts a lot of lazy, untalented people who think that making simple things is easier than making complicated things. In fact, it's the other way around... you can hide a mediocre game under a lot of fluff, whereas a simple game needs to have a damn good idea behind it, because if not, there's nothing to hide its mediocrity

This I totally agree with.

[AlexWeldon]

Wasn't trying to be cruel per se, just wondering what this has to do with independent game dev. I expect to see pro standard stuff because amateurs aren't indies. Therefore I judge things against a pro-standard. This however is a very old debate that I somehow always lose, largely, I suspect, because most of the pro's have disappeared and were never in the majority in the first place.

I understand your frustration... I get really pissed off at "artists" whose education is a single "Learn to Draw Manga" book and "designers" whose qualifications consist of a pirated copy of Photoshop.

However, everyone starts somewhere, and this guy did show a bit of professional spirit by picking something really modest as his first project, and getting it to the point of being playable, if not truly finished. Isn't that more or less what we tell the noobs to do? He's not posting to the Game Design forum asking for opinions on the MMORPG he's planning as his first project, or lecturing the seasoned veterans on how they're all living in the past and how they should adjust their business model to fit his vision. Furthermore, his posts contain: a) capital letters, b) punctuation, and c) no major grammar mistakes.

The real test is whether he says "Thanks for the feedback," and comes back in a month with something noticeably better, or whether he says "Well, that's just your opinion" and disappears forever.

That's not a disagreement. I said pretty much all are bad. There's a few I myself play avidly, but the vast majority are just rammel.

I'd argue that pretty much all games are bad, Flash or not. I suppose the proportion of good games is even smaller in the Flash world, but I think it's a mistake to assume that a game will be crap just because it's done in Flash.

[Applewood]

However, everyone starts somewhere, and this guy did show a bit of professional spirit by picking something really modest as his first project

No kidding! I mean, one level ? This has mochi ads slapped on it - it's not meant to be a wip. I agree there could be a game in here, if a professional programmer and a good designer spent another several months on it. As it is, I find it offensive - see below

but I think it's a mistake to assume that a game will be crap just because it's done in Flash.

You're assuming I want to spend time weeding out the occasional nugget from the mass of dross. "Games" like the above only serve to water down the overall average quality and this in turn damages everyone who is actually trying to make a proper living out of producing quality Flash titles. I'm bloody glad I'm not one of them and do my Flash under a commercial contract.

[AlexWeldon]

No kidding! I mean, one level ? This has mochi ads slapped on it - it's not meant to be a wip. I agree there could be a game in here, if a professional programmer and a good designer spent another several months on it. As it is, I find it offensive - see below

It's not actually one level... the levels are randomly generated, so you get a new one each time you hit one of the difficulty buttons. Why he doesn't have it start a new level each time you beat one, I don't know.

Anyway, I agree that he could have spent more time on it before asking us for advice... and certainly should have asked for feedback before releasing it to the public. Personally, though, I think we should only actively chase people away from this forum if they display crappy work and a crappy attitude, which this guy hasn't, yet.

[andrew]

"Games" like the above only serve to water down the overall average quality and this in turn damages everyone who is actually trying to make a proper living out of producing quality Flash titles.

How is that true? There are indeed thousands and thousands of crappy Flash games out there, but one wouldn't know it by looking at the big portals. They either hand-pick (and/or pay for) their content, or use a community rating system to bubble the good games up to the top (Newgrounds, for example). A bad game quickly gets lost, down-rated into oblivion. I'm not sure how the bad games "damage everyone"?

If anything, I'd argue that the average quality bar for Flash games is going up, and this makes it harder to make a "stand out" game....

- andrew

[Applewood]

How is that true?

Start by asking a Flash programmer how much he makes a year.

[AlexWeldon]

Start by asking a Flash programmer how much he makes a year.

But do you think we'd be more likely to convince people to pay for professional-quality Flash games if the average quality of the free ones was better?

Not that I disagree with you necessarily... it's hard to guess what would happen. There are two things in the way of getting people to pay for Flash games (whatever the business model): one is that there are an abundance of free Flash games, some of them quite good, the other is the perception of Flash as an inferior platform, incapable of producing good games. It's hard to see how both situations could be remedied simultaneously. If more people make good Flash games and give them away for free, no one has a reason to pay for games. If more people make crappy Flash games and give them away for free, no one will believe that anything Flash could be good enough to pay for.

[Chris Evans]

Flash games need to be a means to an end, not the end.

You're not going to make much (or any) money off a single Flash game. Sure, sponsorships are possible but usually only the top 99.999% will get a deal that's worth anything (+$2,000). Very good games might get $100-500 offers. The vast majority won't get any offers whatsoever.

If you're aiming for sponsorships, it's a tough battle between making the game good enough to rise above the masses, but not spending too much time on it where it's no longer cost effective. A few Flash devs manage to get sponsorships in the $2,000 - 5,000 range but often times you'll see they spent 5-8 months developing the game. Good for them, but that's hardly impressive for anyone who's running a full-time game business.

As for MochiAds, they have such low CPMs that you need an absurd amount of daily impressions (100-300k) to generate any decent income off a single Flash game. This is next to impossible because many of the high traffic Flash sites don't allow MochiAds. Or if they do, you'll be on the front page for a few days and then replaced with something else as you watch your traffic plummet back to earth.

However Flash games can be useful if you have a overall plan of drawing traffic to your website. If you look at from the perspective of drawing traffic to your site with each successive Flash game (not just one) then it can work in the long run. You still will probably get a very poor ROI early on but eventually it may be easier to monetize your games once you've built up some traffic.

Keep in mind though, the Flash game market is extremely over-saturated. Sites like Newgrounds literally get 150 new games a day. Many of the high traffic sites built up their sites when there wasn't so many new games popping up everyday. A single game could bring in more traffic because it would stay on the front pages longer and it was easier to get your game accepted in many places.

Flash is still fun though for making short quick games and improving your game design skills. Unlike downloadables, even very mediocre flash games can get tens of thousands of impressions and dozens of user reviews. So it's much easier to get feedback with a Flash game than it is with a downloadable.

[NoisyPerlin]

Thanks, all, I really appreciate it. I know the feedback was pretty negative, but I think that's a good thing, in a way. It's better to know where to improve than to not know to make any changes. I guess the first and most obvious change to make is to automatically start a new level when the user wins, so that it's a bit more obvious that the user can keep playing, since a lot of people didn't realize that the puzzles were randomly generated. scoring and a title page are a must too (there was actually originally a title page in there, but it got messed up when I changed the load screen). Anyway, thanks again for the input, even if it wasn't what I'd hoped for

[tfowers]

We were able to have a successful flash-based product. First we created the prototype game in flash, to see if it was a solid design. We then went ahead and made a full-featured downloadable version, also in flash. We used the prototype as the "web demo" version. We got a nice sponsorship, and used it to promote the download version off our site. It has been a very successful strategy. Tying a free flash version to the direct download model, you get alot of traffic. BTW, about 50% of our sales are international.

[AlexWeldon]

We were able to have a successful flash-based product. First we created the prototype game in flash, to see if it was a solid design. We then went ahead and made a full-featured downloadable version, also in flash. We used the prototype as the "web demo" version. We got a nice sponsorship, and used it to promote the download version off our site. It has been a very successful strategy. Tying a free flash version to the direct download model, you get alot of traffic. BTW, about 50% of our sales are international.

What did you do for the downloadable version? Did you use an SWF to EXE technology (I've heard that Adobe has been making threats about the legality of that), or Adobe AIR or what?

[tfowers]

We tried Zinc and Northcode (both do flash 9 now) but both would crash randomly. Granted our codebase is a bit more complex than most (~300 classes) We went with AIR and it has been really good - great performance and stability. We had to come up with our own DRM/Encryption. We also have been able to make standalone versions(using SHU) for Mac and PC and hope to be on some casual portals soon.

[tentons]

Having just checked it out, I see I overestimated it.

What's your point? You're not constructive or helpful at all, and there's a difference between being honest and being offensive. You are offensive.

(Sorry, I have a strong response to a lack of sensitivity and tactless behavior. Argh, I took the troll bait. Sorry! SORRY!)

[Applewood]

Nah, no troll bait. Just sick and tired of people showing up with unfinished weekend developments asking about how to make money

ok, here's some contructive criticism:

1) Throw your code away now you've hopefully learned something
2) The core mechanic is good, so this time design a game around it
3) Add lots of levels, a sense of progress, lots of interesting stuff
4) Add lots and lots of nice graphics and reward/feedback effects
5) Swing buy some of the big portals to see where the quality bar is
6) Don't kid yourself you can make money at this - most don't

[KNau]

Before anyone gets uppity - I know Applewood has a distaste for Flash games (perhaps rightfully so) but his advice applies to downloadable games as well.