Pain Points:

• Level transition is too fast and sharp, causing dizziness/nausea
• Black borders around the warped level look weird
• Distortion effect doesn't respect pixel art grid
• Visual inconsistency with game's art style
• Confusing footage for new viewers

Problems to Solve:

• Improve smoothness of level transition
• Reduce motion sickness during warp effects
• Maintain pixel art integrity during distortions
• Ensure visual consistency with game's theme
• Clarify gameplay context for viewers

Potential Solutions:

• Slow down transition speed
• Add pixelation effect to match art style
• Use off-screen environment to fill borders
• Adjust lighting system for better color consistency
• Create tutorial content explaining the effect

Pain Points:

• Spelling errors in promotional materials (e.g., 'inflammation', 'whishlist')
• Lack of clear gameplay demonstration in trailer
• Concerns about AI-generated content authenticity
• Cultural barriers in references (e.g., Jaws movie not universally known)

Problems to Solve:

• Need for accurate game representation to build trust
• Desire for VR support
• Clarification on gameplay mechanics and variability
• Addressing biological inaccuracies (sharks not needing dentists)

Potential Solutions:

• Fix spelling errors in trailers
• Show actual gameplay footage
• Consider VR support based on feedback
• Add educational notes about creative liberties taken with shark biology |

Pain Points:

• High cost of existing facial mocap helmets ($300-$1000)
• Difficulty capturing both face and body performance simultaneously for realistic eye movement
• Complexity in shipping durable products internationally
• Lack of comfort in mocap helmets

Problems to Solve:

• Making facial motion capture affordable and accessible
• Creating a durable, lightweight helmet design
• Simplifying the mocap process with minimal equipment (single phone for body mocap)
• Finding pre-made face animations for non-actors

Potential Solutions:

• Affordable helmet rig ($100) using iPhone
• Free software integration with Unreal Engine
• Step-by-step tutorials to simplify setup
• Using refurbished phones to reduce costs
• Recommending animation libraries like Mixamo for body animations

Pain Points:

• Regional pricing concerns in certain markets (e.g. Balkan countries)
• Skill tree navigation complexity in late game
• Visual asset similarity concerns to Path of Exile

Problems to Solve:

• Balancing infinite progression with engaging gameplay
• Preventing player overwhelm from skill tree complexity
• Maintaining challenge despite potential overpowered builds

Potential Solutions:

• Progressive skill tree introduction with search/highlight features
• Boss phase/shield system to balance OP builds
• Steam's regional pricing recommendations implementation
• Customizable map difficulty scaling

Pain Points:

• Solo developers struggle with creating all game assets (art, animations, sounds) due to time and skill constraints
• Difficulty balancing game mechanics while showcasing gameplay
• Lighting and environmental design challenges in early stages

Problems to Solve:

• Creating a complete souls-like game as a solo developer
• Efficiently developing core systems (combat, AI) while outsourcing assets
• Testing gameplay mechanics effectively without dedicated QA

Potential Solutions:

• Using pre-made assets from marketplaces like Unity Asset Store
• Focusing development efforts on core coding (player controller, AI, combat systems)
• Iterative testing during development phase

Pain Points:

• Difficulty in marketing indie games effectively
• Challenges with multiplayer game adoption (player dependency)
• Pricing uncertainty for indie games
• Lack of polish/aesthetic affecting game appeal
• Financial pressure from unpaid development periods

Problems to Solve:

• How to attract initial players for multiplayer games
• Determining optimal pricing for indie games
• Improving game visuals and polish
• Building a following before launch
• Balancing game development with financial stability

Potential Solutions:

• Focus marketing efforts before launch (as suggested by OP)
• Create compelling trailers showcasing gameplay
• Lower price point or free-to-play model for multiplayer games
• Use reference games for pricing benchmarks
• Develop simpler game types initially
• Continuous updates and post-launch marketing

Pain Points:

• Need for job opportunities in art and design fields
• Difficulty in finding projects matching specific style (dark, horror, surreal)

Problems to Solve:

• Securing freelance, part-time, or full-time work
• Connecting with clients interested in dark/horror themes

Potential Solutions:

• Showcasing portfolio on specialized platforms (ArtStation, Instagram)
• Networking in niche communities (e.g., indie game dev, TTRPG)

Pain Points:

• Repetitive sound effects
• Floaty/weightless character movement
• Lack of visual polish (empty gray backgrounds)
• Subtle enemy reactions (flinch/stagger)
• Unpolished animations and combat feel
• Overwhelming negative feedback causing stress

Problems to Solve:

• Improve game feel through animation and physics
• Enhance audio diversity and polish
• Add environmental details and visual effects
• Clarify story elements in short clips
• Manage development workload and expectations

Potential Solutions:

• Implement hitstop/hitstun mechanics
• Add landing animations and particle effects
• Use pitch-shifted sound variations
• Create background sprite work/fog effects
• Conduct actual playtesting sessions
• Prioritize polish tasks systematically

Pain Points:

• Long development cycles for indie games
• Difficulty in completing indie projects

Problems to Solve:

• Releasing a game after extended development
• Gaining visibility and wishlist additions

Potential Solutions:

• Community support and encouragement
• Wishlist additions to boost visibility

Pain Points:

• No specific pain points mentioned

Problems to Solve:

• No explicit problems stated

Potential Solutions:

• No solutions discussed

Pain Points:

• Difficulty creating engaging trailers
• Uncertainty about what makes a game look interesting
• Lack of impact in animations and sound effects
• Static camera angles
• Finding reliable testers for game testing
• Repetitive and time-consuming QA testing
• Difficulty reproducing bugs reported by testers

Problems to Solve:

• How to make an effective game trailer
• How to showcase core gameplay and features
• How to add visual impact and excitement
• How to structure trailer pacing and music
• How to improve game testing efficiency
• How to automate repetitive testing scenarios

Potential Solutions:

• Study trailers from similar games
• Use hyper/action-toned music
• Showcase exciting features
• Switch clips frequently to maintain interest
• Add visual effects like pulsing lights
• Use dynamic camera angles
• Automate repetitive testing with tools
• Stream test sessions for real-time feedback

Pain Points:

• Difficulty finding relevant content creators for indie games
• Manual lookup on SteamDB and VidIQ is time-consuming
• Lack of consolidated platform for creator metrics
• Challenges in identifying trending creators and games

Problems to Solve:

• Efficiently find YouTube creators who play specific indie games
• Identify trending creators and games for collaboration
• Combine multiple data sources (active players, wishlists, search data) into one platform
• Connect with small content creators for game promotion

Potential Solutions:

• A centralized platform tracking creators and their metrics
• Automated scrapers to gather and update data daily
• Features to filter creators by game, genre, or tags
• Integration of metrics like subscribers, views, and trends

Pain Points:

• Lack of visible cave entrances in game art design

Problems to Solve:

• Creating cohesive environmental elements (cave entrances) for game development

Potential Solutions:

• Focused creation of entrance elements to complete environmental assets

Pain Points:

• Not explicitly mentioned

Problems to Solve:

• Game discovery and distribution

Potential Solutions:

• Using platforms like Steam for distribution | Free release to attract players

Pain Points:

• Building structures is too straightforward without environmental challenges
• Lack of tension and challenge during tower construction

Problems to Solve:

• Adding dynamic environmental hazards to increase gameplay difficulty
• Creating more engaging and tense rescue scenarios

Potential Solutions:

• Implementing earthquake mechanics to disrupt building
• Environmental damage systems affecting structures

Pain Points:

• No specific pain points mentioned in the post

Problems to Solve:

• Gaining recognition for indie game development
• Validating game concept through major industry events

Potential Solutions:

• Participation in prestigious events like Tokyo Game Show
• Community engagement and developer-player collaboration

Pain Points:

• Inexperience in programming and modeling
• Difficulty in conveying game purpose and mechanics clearly

Problems to Solve:

• Creating a dialogue-driven game with limited programming experience
• Effectively using audio and visual elements to compensate for inexperience
• Clarifying game purpose and mechanics for players

Potential Solutions:

• Focusing on strengths like audio design
• Leveraging dialogue to drive gameplay
• Improving scene clarity to showcase game type and mechanics

Pain Points:

• UI feels empty and lacks visual appeal
• Important information not highlighted
• Icons are too small or transparent to notice
• Lack of visual separation between cards
• Text lacks padding and sticks to borders

Problems to Solve:

• Improve visual design of in-run upgrade menu
• Enhance clarity of card effects
• Increase player engagement through UI feedback
• Make upgrade effects memorable without reading text

Potential Solutions:

• Add icons/images to represent effects visually
• Highlight key stats (e.g., numbers, percentages) with color or formatting
• Increase padding around text and between cards
• Add borders or color-coding to cards (e.g., based on rarity or effect type)
• Implement hover animations and visual feedback
• Use particle effects or screen-specific animations
• Add player statistics panel that updates on hover/selection

Pain Points:

• No specific pain points mentioned

Problems to Solve:

• Improving UI shader appearance

Potential Solutions:

• Reworking UI shader implementation

Pain Points:

• Need for community building tools
• Demo distribution challenges

Problems to Solve:

• Creating nostalgic social gaming experiences
• Establishing effective player communication channels

Potential Solutions:

• Using Discord for community engagement
• Leveraging Steam for game distribution and monetization

Pain Points:

• None explicitly mentioned

Problems to Solve:

• None explicitly mentioned

Potential Solutions:

• None explicitly mentioned

Pain Points:

• Environment artists struggle to find paid work in the indie game industry
• Indie developers often cannot afford or do not pay for concept art

Problems to Solve:

• Finding sustainable income sources for environment artists in the game industry
• Identifying art services that indie developers are willing to pay for

Potential Solutions:

• Pivoting to creating game capsules (app icons, store assets) which indies frequently purchase
• Building a portfolio through free/cheap initial offerings to attract clients
• Targeting both AAA and indie studios as portfolio grows

Pain Points:

• Porting and remaking game content between engines is time-consuming
• Outdated Steam page creates potential user confusion

Problems to Solve:

• Need to showcase upgraded animations to gather feedback
• Need to update Steam page to reflect current game status

Potential Solutions:

• Using Unity's animation capabilities for visual upgrades
• Regularly updating distribution platforms with current builds

Pain Points:

• Players dislike excessive micro-management in strategy games

Problems to Solve:

• Balancing economic strategy with autonomous combat mechanics
• Creating engaging unit generation systems tied to resource pipelines

Potential Solutions:

• Implement building-generated units with economic costs
• Develop automated combat inspired by Mechabellum's mechanics

Pain Points:

• No explicit pain points mentioned in the post

Problems to Solve:

• Promoting VR game launch on Quest platform
• Driving game sales through discounts

Potential Solutions:

• Offering 90% discount codes for user acquisition
• Leveraging social platforms (Reddit) for promotion

Pain Points:

• Feeling that nobody cares about their creative work
• Difficulty in reaching an audience
• Lack of community engagement

Problems to Solve:

• Gaining visibility for indie games
• Building a supportive community
• Overcoming feelings of isolation in indie development

Potential Solutions:

• Actively seeking and engaging with relevant communities
• Persistence in marketing efforts
• Focusing on niche audiences that appreciate specific styles (e.g. hand-drawn games)