I worked hard on making a map. Gave it nice terrain, some interesting gameplay, etc. and now when I go to advertise it, almost *no one* is interested in playing it. The 3 threads I've started on various Starcraft sites got me like 2 replies of people interested in it, and I've gotten no sign of feedback from Map Night or JMan's video review channel. Why? Should I have made a video? Do I need to publish it on EU servers as well? There's got to be SOMETHING i can do :/
Maybe people just don't agree that the gameplay is interesting. Or maybe they think the genre is old and overdone. Or maybe it isn't actually being looked at because the title isn't interesting at all.
Videos are amazing for popularity. And from what I've seen, most maps get newsed as soon as they get a good video trailer up. For example, my zergling burger video had like 50 views. As soon as progammer saw it, he newsed it and I immediately got 2000 views and lots of people interested. Videos = super amazing.
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Without knowing what map you're talking about, my guess is that it is not very unique. A TD or AoS can have incredible terrain, and decent towers/heroes, but there is just too many other maps like it, and if it only stands out slightly, even in only good ways, nobody cares about your new TD map.
I might be wrong, and your map might just be plain bad`? I dont know :p could you like me to it?
I find it funny that you chastised Mephs some time ago over his map not being popular and said something about he should have advertised more. Although, I didn't go too deep into that thread but it seems like you need more advertisement. I'm not saying you're acting like Mephs, he did act immature on the bnet forums. You are going about more civil although it seems like you haven't advertised it enough since some nobody like me never heard of this map you released. You need to get everybody, including the nobodies like me to hear the map name.
Go to every forum, make videos, do everything you can. Ask OneTwo or Husky to play the map or make a vid for it. Husky has made vids of custom games and that would surely give some good publicity. OneTwo has made trailers for other maps and I think they are usually good, I'm not sure if he just uploads or makes them himself but it can't hurt to ask him.
Maybe people just don't agree that the gameplay is interesting. Or maybe they think the genre is old and overdone. Or maybe it isn't actually being looked at because the title isn't interesting at all.
What map is this?
But that's the thing, almost no one has tried it. So i don't know :/ Obviously it's interesting to me, and it does have some good components I'd think, but ultimately I'm going to need more feedback than whoever I can beg to play it in the looking for custom games channel...
I find it funny that you chastised Mephs some time ago over his map not being popular and said something about he should have advertised more. Although, I didn't go too deep into that thread but it seems like you need more advertisement. I'm not saying you're acting like Mephs, he did act immature on the bnet forums. You are going about more civil although it seems like you haven't advertised it enough since some nobody like me never heard of this map you released. You need to get everybody, including the nobodies like me to hear the map name.
Go to every forum, make videos, do everything you can. Ask OneTwo or Husky to play the map or make a vid for it. Husky has made vids of custom games and that would surely give some good publicity. OneTwo has made trailers for other maps and I think they are usually good, I'm not sure if he just uploads or makes them himself but it can't hurt to ask him.
I'm trying to figure out what that "more advertising" entails :P Mephs knew what he had to do, he just wasn't happy with the pace at which his map was getting popular and seemed to think that throwing a mini tantrum would be a good idea.
Advertizing is hard work. A good map does not just become popular by itself. Like the other posters said before, a good video works wonders.
Getting newsed on mapster helps quite a great deal, giving you an instant about 2000 people knowing more about your map.
Getting advertized by youtube mainiacs like Husky or TotalBiscuit is like a lottery win, because they have like hundreds of thousands of subscribers; not all of them will watch the video, but all of them will see it being advertized.
And, like mentioned before, a Tower Defense is nothing, what people makes think "Huh - I need to try this."
Try to improve your presentation, specifically add information, why your map is better than your average tower defense. And, well, as much as I dislike the current hype on videos only, they are indeed the absolute best way for advertizing.
TDs are overdone IMO. no matter how balanced/challenging/inventive/polished you make it- it's still a TD, and there are hundreds
While true, people always seem to be interested in TD maps. Just look at Squadron TD; that one isn't even that good and it's somehow made it to competing with SotIS for #1 on the popularity list. Green TD was high on the pop list at one point, and so was Vexal, ...
Well, you can still create a nice gameplay experience. Remember RileyStarcraft's Sorceror's Defense? It was one of the first well-polished tds for sc2, and it was fun as well as unique. Or split td; lacks polishment, but uses a very unique life system, randomized build areas and some other twists, creating quite fun games.
TDs are popular because they are easy to make and there are many of them. It is a self-perpetuating cycle because custom games players don't have many options that moderately fun yet.
TDs originated and flourished in starcraft 1 because it was one of the cooker things you could make with StarEdit. Now that we've got much better tools I feel like there's a lot more unique things we could (and should) be working on.
Well in that case, I suppose we should be thinking of new ways to expand the current form of TD?
Something more than a simple TD. Hmm...
Anyway, I also suppose that it's due to a lack of video advertising. I myself would rather watch a video ( even if it had plenty of text in it ) than read a wall of text.
I remember loving and hating sorcerer TD. I loved it when it would work and not crash my game and hated it when it would crash my game. It was probably the best TD out there.
Mine's still there.. You just have to click to the second page to see it.........
I don't like when developers make retarded videos to try and induce hype. To me, they appear kind of retarded. How can you make a TD trailer.. It'd go something like this:
"In a land.... there were guys. and these guys.... they ran. and they ran some more... eventually they reached the end. but now they won't reach the end.. because you built towers. you can build towers and they won't reach the end. in this land.
Featuring 40 levels of intense tower-building action. Build towers. Click buttons to upgrade. Order your builder to run around in circles while you wait for the next level. Spend minerals, intensely. Intensely."
See what I mean?
Just make a video DESCRIBING the unique aspects of your map. Everybody knows what a TD is. Or make a video showing off the interesting towers in your map.
On a side note:
There are certain things to "click" with players in a TD map. You have to make a map "click" with players.
EDIT: I never made a hype video. I did make a video of my upcoming map, but that was to get developers interested, not players. I dislike the idea of catering to an audience.
A TD where 2 teams have a single freakishly huge but slow mobile turret with crazy weapons like mass lasers or rockets, and send units at each other in an effort to get in range of the opposing team and nuke their BFG with their BFG.
Oh, its a TD? No wonder. I hate to say it, but there are too many TD maps and 99.5 % of them are really, really boring. If its balanced, you get just enough minerals to keep building turrets and keep the enemies away. Which makes it easy. Or its in not balanced and too hard. Thats why people need to stop making TD maps. Thats the unfortunate truth. Want a huge, amazing map? You have to have one of two options- 1) something really, really, unique or 2) The absolute best map of a certain genera. And there can only be 1 for each genera. So your better off sticking to something unique. Less competitors, and more interesting. Not to say you should give up on your TD you already made, but don't be shocked if its not the most hyped map ever.
I worked hard on making a map. Gave it nice terrain, some interesting gameplay, etc. and now when I go to advertise it, almost *no one* is interested in playing it. The 3 threads I've started on various Starcraft sites got me like 2 replies of people interested in it, and I've gotten no sign of feedback from Map Night or JMan's video review channel. Why? Should I have made a video? Do I need to publish it on EU servers as well? There's got to be SOMETHING i can do :/
Maybe people just don't agree that the gameplay is interesting. Or maybe they think the genre is old and overdone. Or maybe it isn't actually being looked at because the title isn't interesting at all.
What map is this?
Videos are amazing for popularity. And from what I've seen, most maps get newsed as soon as they get a good video trailer up. For example, my zergling burger video had like 50 views. As soon as progammer saw it, he newsed it and I immediately got 2000 views and lots of people interested. Videos = super amazing.
Posting a video to reddit can do well.
I personally consider it equally difficult to get a video popular as it is to get a map popular.
+1
for videoS
1for tease
1forcontent/gameplay/showcase the cool/fun
1tutorial for fans (with memorabilia)
good luck
advertising sucks but it is required
(eu eu eu eu eu eu eu eu eu)
I find it funny that you chastised Mephs some time ago over his map not being popular and said something about he should have advertised more. Although, I didn't go too deep into that thread but it seems like you need more advertisement. I'm not saying you're acting like Mephs, he did act immature on the bnet forums. You are going about more civil although it seems like you haven't advertised it enough since some nobody like me never heard of this map you released. You need to get everybody, including the nobodies like me to hear the map name.
Go to every forum, make videos, do everything you can. Ask OneTwo or Husky to play the map or make a vid for it. Husky has made vids of custom games and that would surely give some good publicity. OneTwo has made trailers for other maps and I think they are usually good, I'm not sure if he just uploads or makes them himself but it can't hurt to ask him.
But that's the thing, almost no one has tried it. So i don't know :/ Obviously it's interesting to me, and it does have some good components I'd think, but ultimately I'm going to need more feedback than whoever I can beg to play it in the looking for custom games channel...
It's Maelstrom TD by the way. http://forums.sc2mapster.com/player-zone/map-feedback/19657-maelstrom-td/?post=1
Looks like it's to the recruitment boards for me (not that good at video editing and dont have anywhere to put one up :P)
I'm trying to figure out what that "more advertising" entails :P Mephs knew what he had to do, he just wasn't happy with the pace at which his map was getting popular and seemed to think that throwing a mini tantrum would be a good idea.
And it also seems i'll be PMing OneTwo :P
Advertizing is hard work. A good map does not just become popular by itself. Like the other posters said before, a good video works wonders.
Getting newsed on mapster helps quite a great deal, giving you an instant about 2000 people knowing more about your map.
Getting advertized by youtube mainiacs like Husky or TotalBiscuit is like a lottery win, because they have like hundreds of thousands of subscribers; not all of them will watch the video, but all of them will see it being advertized.
And, like mentioned before, a Tower Defense is nothing, what people makes think "Huh - I need to try this."
Try to improve your presentation, specifically add information, why your map is better than your average tower defense. And, well, as much as I dislike the current hype on videos only, they are indeed the absolute best way for advertizing.
@RCIX: Go
TDs are overdone IMO. no matter how balanced/challenging/inventive/polished you make it- it's still a TD, and there are hundreds
@PirateArcade | I make games | Ask me things on Discord
While true, people always seem to be interested in TD maps. Just look at Squadron TD; that one isn't even that good and it's somehow made it to competing with SotIS for #1 on the popularity list. Green TD was high on the pop list at one point, and so was Vexal, ...
@greythepirate: Go
Well, you can still create a nice gameplay experience. Remember RileyStarcraft's Sorceror's Defense? It was one of the first well-polished tds for sc2, and it was fun as well as unique. Or split td; lacks polishment, but uses a very unique life system, randomized build areas and some other twists, creating quite fun games.
@Kueken531: Go
TDs are popular because they are easy to make and there are many of them. It is a self-perpetuating cycle because custom games players don't have many options that moderately fun yet.
TDs originated and flourished in starcraft 1 because it was one of the cooker things you could make with StarEdit. Now that we've got much better tools I feel like there's a lot more unique things we could (and should) be working on.
@PirateArcade | I make games | Ask me things on Discord
@greythepirate: Go
Well in that case, I suppose we should be thinking of new ways to expand the current form of TD?
Something more than a simple TD. Hmm...
Anyway, I also suppose that it's due to a lack of video advertising. I myself would rather watch a video ( even if it had plenty of text in it ) than read a wall of text.
I remember loving and hating sorcerer TD. I loved it when it would work and not crash my game and hated it when it would crash my game. It was probably the best TD out there.
@RCIX: Go
Mine's still there.. You just have to click to the second page to see it.........
I don't like when developers make retarded videos to try and induce hype. To me, they appear kind of retarded. How can you make a TD trailer.. It'd go something like this:
"In a land.... there were guys. and these guys.... they ran. and they ran some more... eventually they reached the end. but now they won't reach the end.. because you built towers. you can build towers and they won't reach the end. in this land.
Featuring 40 levels of intense tower-building action. Build towers. Click buttons to upgrade. Order your builder to run around in circles while you wait for the next level. Spend minerals, intensely. Intensely."
See what I mean?
Just make a video DESCRIBING the unique aspects of your map. Everybody knows what a TD is. Or make a video showing off the interesting towers in your map.
On a side note:
There are certain things to "click" with players in a TD map. You have to make a map "click" with players.
EDIT: I never made a hype video. I did make a video of my upcoming map, but that was to get developers interested, not players. I dislike the idea of catering to an audience.
@Vexal: Go
I don't plan to make a hype video, just a trailer describing the unique aspects of the map like you said. :)
Working on this.
@Karawasa: Go
A TD where 2 teams have a single freakishly huge but slow mobile turret with crazy weapons like mass lasers or rockets, and send units at each other in an effort to get in range of the opposing team and nuke their BFG with their BFG.
Oh, its a TD? No wonder. I hate to say it, but there are too many TD maps and 99.5 % of them are really, really boring. If its balanced, you get just enough minerals to keep building turrets and keep the enemies away. Which makes it easy. Or its in not balanced and too hard. Thats why people need to stop making TD maps. Thats the unfortunate truth. Want a huge, amazing map? You have to have one of two options- 1) something really, really, unique or 2) The absolute best map of a certain genera. And there can only be 1 for each genera. So your better off sticking to something unique. Less competitors, and more interesting. Not to say you should give up on your TD you already made, but don't be shocked if its not the most hyped map ever.