One thing, that really bugs some of us here is the sheer lack of technical support for indie/underground games.

Let me be frank, and cut to the chase: If you don’t want to support your game…don’t release it for sale. Play it by yourself, and keep it to yourself. I know this sounds harsh, but when you release a game, take money for it and do not support it you make it harder for other indies to put their stuff out, and attach a price for it. Monetization is already a big issue with indies, and you stand to make it that much more difficult for the people who are trying hard to make a living at this. I have personally spoken to some dev heads who live in a constant quandry: how should I sell my game? How can I ask for money for this? Creating a game for many of these folks is a labor of love. They have a hard time with coming to terms with figuring out how much someone will pay for it, versus what its worth to them. This becomes an even bigger problem when you deal with a hostile public that has prior experience with poor support from other indies. Everyone more or less accepts that once a AAA house has your money, they have your money. But when a person or a small group have your money…
Why? Because whether or not you have an under $5.00 price point, when you don’t respond to support issues, the person who buys it and cannot run it will scream loud and hard about this. When others see this, whether you want to acknowledge it or not, it will be a weighing factor on whether to not only buy that game, but any other indie title. Let me give you some examples of what I have seen as of late. I wont name names, but…these are real issues I have encountered:

  • Dead or dry forums. (Forums that are neither visited by, or used by the developer who set them up)
  • Going more than 10 business days without any kind of official status for a show stopping bug.
  • Asking for more information from the players, and then not responding with any updates.
  • Blaming the user for their hardware/software.
  • Letting showstopper bugs languish for months.

Keep in mind, I fully understand that devs have lives too. But, community relations with the people who want to enjoy your stuff is paramount. Absolutely paramount. If you can’t handle even visiting your own forums, then you have a problem. So, here are some tips, based on what I have learned about CS, and what I have implemented as policy here for Emerald Kingdom, and all subsequent titles:

  • Release a demo. This is one thing that can save you many a headache. If it wont run for someone in the demo, you know this BEFORE you take their money. You’re still obligated to fix the issue, but more at your leisure. Depending on how critical it is.
  • For any bug that results in someone not being able to play at all (showstoppers), acknowledgment should be made within 2 hours. 6 on the outside. That acknowledgment should contain any request for more information if needed. Status should be provided in 24 hours, and that status should contain when you will next update the status of the issue. This should be no longer than 5 business days. Wash rinse repeat.
  • Check your forums, if you have them, daily, and multiple times. This is what RSS is for, when you get right down to it.
  • Be transparent. If you have forums, asking people to email you only gives you an avenue to procrastinate away from the eyes of your customer pool. Your forums are there so if people are having problems, you can get a bigger picture. All too often I have seen forums that have a faq, no answers from the devs on topics, and a sticky post saying: email us here if you cant solve your problem.
  • Do not ignore your users. Also, do not blame them for issues such as their combination of hardware, or just because they run XP or Win 7/Mac OS and you do not. You can make suggestions, or even recommend. But do not blame people because their computer is not up to your standards. The exception is: if their computer does not meet the minimum reqs, and these have been posted.
  • Show stopping bugs should be fixed within 30 days. No more. You took their money, you owe them a fix so they can play. If fixing the issue is not possible, offer them a refund.
  • Minor bugs and other issues can and should be rolled up into a bigger patch. This is not only standard, but it also gives a good impression to the customers.

In closing, I am not saying don’t charge for your game. I am not saying don’t release your game. I am saying if you release your game, and charge money for it: support it. If you don’t, you are making it harder for each and every other indie community member to get their offerings in front of the very people you just alienated by taking their money and giving them silence in return.
Don’t mistake this for “The customer is always right”. That is not the message here. The message here is: “The customer bought it, and they deserve a working product”