Choo-Choo Charles & The Secret To Its Success | EP 005
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- Опубликовано: 18 сен 2024
- In this podcast episode I interview @TwoStarGames (Gavin Eisenbeisz) and we discuss how his indie game Choo-Choo Charles became a viral sensation.
► Wishlist Choo-Choo Charles here: store.steampow...
► Subscribe to Gavin: @TwoStarGames
► Learn how to become a full time game dev, free: www.fulltimega...
► Enroll in my 3D workshop, free!: www.fulltimega...
► Make your game instantly beautiful with my free workbook: www.fulltimega...
► Get my 2D game kit, free: www.fulltimega...
► Join my 2D character workshop, free: www.fulltimega...
► Wishlist Twisted Tower: store.steampow...
► Learn how to make money as a RUclipsr: www.fulltimega...
► What I believe: • What I Believe
Thanks for watching! Hope you learned a ton.
► Wishlist Choo-Choo Charles here: store.steampowered.com/app/1766740/ChooChoo_Charles/
► Subscribe to Gavin: ruclips.net/channel/UC0szxwii-u4CZkJIt2iu4_A
► Learn how to become a full time game dev, free: www.fulltimegamedev.com/opt-in-how-to-make-six-figures
► Enroll in my 3D workshop, free!: www.fulltimegamedev.com/opt-in-15-minute-3D-game
► Make your game instantly beautiful with my free workbook: www.fulltimegamedev.com/opt-in-instant-beauty-color-workbook
► Get my 2D game kit, free: www.fulltimegamedev.com/opt-in-2D-game-kit
► Join my 2D character workshop, free: www.fulltimegamedev.com/opt-in-2d-character-art-workshop
► Wishlist Twisted Tower: store.steampowered.com/app/1575990/Twisted_Tower/
► Learn how to make money as a RUclipsr: www.fulltimegamedev.com/opt-in-indie-game-income-workshop
Watching this I know you have fear about Father flopping. At least that's what I see when you asked Gavin about how can I make Father more marketable with something eye catching like Choo Choo Charles. I've watched you from the sidelines for years you know how to create well made games with compelling stories. My first time playing your game Pinstripe I was actually QA resting for Microsoft game studios and making sure the port from Xbox One to Xbox Series X. I think you don't need to look down on yourself and stress about Father. It will be a great game. Just remember what was iconic about Half Life and I think you will do great. Perhaps someone like G Man but could be a prophet or something
I really enjoyed this interview! One piece of feedback i have though, is it feels like sometimes you speak on Gavin's behalf, and ask leading questions where you provide your own expected answer instead of just letting him answer first (and to a lesser extent, talking over him). For example, telling him "this is a big game" instead of asking "how big is your game?", and other similar things. I would try to frame these more as questions for the person being interviewed, rather than making a claim and forcing them correct you on it if it's wrong.
I thought the exact same thing
I agree
So glad you did a podcast with him!!
Great interview Thomas. Cool to hear Gavin's insights on marketing and RUclips strategy, he's a smart guy! Love the podcast format btw.
yoo i love gavin's work, hyped for the game, looking forward to its release!
These podcasts keep getting better and better! **new subbie** binging your content!
Good work Thomas for getting on an Unreal dev!
bro i can't believe this content is free each episode is full of useful tips and it always makes the life of game developers so much easier
Thank you so much Thomas, what you do for the community is very helpful
Discovered Gavin's work during the Epic Megajam a couple years back! Great to see him out there killing it!
The main antagonist is a locomotive with spider legs.... mystery solved!
Cool! Loved Gavin as today's guest, I'm surprised you only knew of Gavin recently. I knew him for a while because not of "Choo Choo Charles", but of "my beautiful paper smile", I've also been enjoying this podcast as of late.
I'd like to suggest an interview with Jeff Vogel (Spiderweb Software), one of the (if not the) longest running indie developers out there.
Yeah. And he’s so much fun to watch!
6:40 wishlists and engagement being a leading indicator of sales
8:15 make a game that’s marketable
11:00 Thomas is 31
12:00 around 16 after a few failures is when he started with a business mind
13:40, 14:40 it takes courage to put yourself out there
15:10 the rudeness on Reddit comments
15:50 the certainty of wanting to make hit games, and not giving a shit about minor obstacles like rude comments
17:00 type of personality that cares about comments, vs not giving a shit
19:40 each video takes like 4 days, ~30 hours work
20:50 audience mismatch between education and dev vlog videos
21:30 direct response video advertising for chop chop Charles
23:00 needing marketing efforts to perform aince there’s a large time investment making videos
43:00 blueprint is how he programmed
45:40 the importance of inherent virality and attention crabbiness
51:30 getting people’s attention, and converting that attention to an interest in playing the game
58:40 there’s a specific style of ‘winning’ videos on RUclips. It’s not any different for marketers than for RUclipsrs.
1:00:00 conflict and it’s part in the hook and retention of a viewer
1:01:50 mini conflicts to retain viewers inside the larger conflict. Mini payoffs, and new hooks inside the larger story. Constant unresolved moments.
1:10:30 best performing videos are the ‘challengy’ storeyteling format. This is directly tied to sales
1:13:00 how development progress is tied to having content necessary for storytelling dev vlogs
1:14:10 filming yourself makes editing easier since you have additional content
1:18:00 so much to learn from from this gent
I like that you’re doing these one-on-ones with indie devs. Great inspiration to see these guys going for it
Was very cool to see Gavin grow from 7k subs to now... at one point, I thought he gave up because content was declining but he just worked on Choo Choo Charles and then boom....that's a very good example for me, that you don't need massive promo, email lists and contacts to make it through, sometimes a good idea + good timing + good presentation is all you need.
Super stoked for the game and thanks for this talk, one of the best and "industry nearest" insights you actually get right now.
Excellent interview. gonna throw in my 2 cents for the real-time brainstorming. Just a tree and tower is kinda been done, but if you look at some of the ways like Mana series depicts the Mana Tree or other game depictions of Tree of Life / Yggdrasil there are some creative inspirations out there that make it look different than just a normal tree with unnatural branching and auras. Similarly, there are a lot ogames featuring tower of babel type depictions, if you want corrupted versions of towers Castlevanias are definitely solid ways to go. There are of course so many examples to look at but those are some of the good ones I know off the top of my head. Maybe even go for broke, maybe this tree was cut down and a tower built atop it, then the tree is revived and drives right up through the tower so you have this tower with wals knocked out and branches growing out windows. I love brainstorming this stuff XD sorry it was so long
When RUclipsrs like Coryxkenshin, Markiplier and Jacksepticeye play this horror game, it’s gonna be at least 6 times more popular.
Great interview and I learned a lot. Loved details around Gavin's workflow when he is creating his Devlog. I am just started creating Dev Logs so this was very helpful!
Great conversation... I love the human side of it.
as a developer, i really appreaciate how you tell some sort of technology for normal people so they can understand that easily. I really suck at explaining something xD
Loving these podcasts
As always very good video and interview! Learned a lot from this one. Funny how you Thomas looked like a kid that just discovered a treasure, so many things to ask and so few time to spare... This is basically how I feel every time a watch one of those interviews... Thank you so much :)
It does make sense that keeping things simple is more feasible for a solo dev, but from a marketing perspective I believe that a meaningful skill tree has WAY more impact than just marketing static upgrades.
Love these podcasts.
Don't ask me silly questions I won't play silly games. I'm just a simple choo-choo train and I'll always be the same.
I only want to race along, beneath the bright blue sky, and be a happy choo-choo train, until the day I die. 💀🚞
really interesting to here you guys talking about designing for virality! this podcast is great!
I love the game I just purchased it today and played for about an hour, it is a very good game and I want to play it more. I have a little technical question: I am impressed by the little size of the game: about 2 Gb, so how a so good looking game can fit inside 2Gb, Gavin probably has very good practice/technic to keep the final build small, respect for this achievement on the technical and the game design level.
Hello! I'm loving this content, these podcasts are super interesting and I can ear them while I do other stuff. You should invite Billy Basso if you can, he is behind a game called "Animal Well" it featured on Game of the devs as well and is super cool looking, keep up the great work! cheers!
Great content as always Thomas. I've been following Gavin and his game looks amazing. Loved this podcast. I learned a lot 😌
This video was really informative, and I had an idea for a visual cue for father, how about an Apple grenade , as in forbidden fruit. and maybe bone weapons/ xbow bolts from the tree. Just brainstorming.
I love the look of this game and being a solo dev? I can only have utter respect for him. I'm trying to make a game myself and its a lot of work! That is an understatement for sure!
I love what you do and how do you share your passion with us, if is not for you definitely I would have much more difficulty in making games, keep going I’m with you Thomas !!
🎮❤️
This was a great guest, really interesting game, and fun personality!
Couldn't help myself to laugh when you both talked about TikTok comments! Haha! Really good interview! It was awesome.
Awesome interview, shame you didnt focus more on marketing. Because damn this game is everywhere...
Of course, with a name like "Eisenbeisz", which is German for IronBite, everything this guy makes is gonna be kickass.... xD
hey guys much respect for your creations am 38 now i use to do CSgo maps when i was 16 17 ish than life happened and i forgot about it now am rebooting my life
and am going back just started to write story boards maps ect my plan is to make a FPS game called Shadow Strike Go FPS and a 2D story game Ancient Aliens Return you guys make me feel like it isn't to late to start over thanks guys !!
cheers from FrostyDaveStudio!!!
Cool! You should do Full Time episode with Puppet Combo. That would be fun.
This is impossible this is insaneeeeeee🔥🔥🔥🔥🥵
great one! looking forward to play CH-CH-CH!
Thomas Brush he's very handsome human 😍😍😍
just beat Thomas Was Alone while watching this
100% correct my dream game is a zombie shooter built dense urban setting lol would not sell at all so I'm working on something just on the edge of my wheelhouse where I understand enough to know what I need to know
What if the tower in Father was built out of common good/evil symbols or objects, like a spire of angels and demons or something... might be a little more visually grabbing
Just a thought on the tower becoming a tree @thomasbrushdev, why not full the branches with lost souls reaching out to you for salvation? And have demons defending the tree from you?
He is now millionaire... 🤑 🤑
Most successful indie game developer of 2022 - 2023 .
yay finally the horror man 🎃❤️
Looks pretty cool !
I'm really enjoying this series of videos. I would love to see a conversation with Pontypants, he's doing a boxing game and his channel is doing great: ruclips.net/user/Pontypants
I agree I've been following his progress and it looks awesome!
good video
I'm going to freeze myself in my freezer until this game comes out!!!!! Hurry. Please!!!!
Please, can you put in this Amazing game the italian lenguage, please?
PLEASE PLEASE CAN YOU MAKE THIS MAC SUPPORTED???!??!!!
A tower can be stronger as a hook than a tree. Ask me how; Tower of Babel.
How did he not get suid from the people who home tomas the tank engine
bring danidev its gonna be fun podcast thomas
Seems like he hit a nerve of Steam Users. This is more an happy accident though, no one can plan to get 300k wishlist entries. Anyway Congrats !
Hey thomas!
He is successful because he is passionate not because he is talented.
You are so right for reddit and jealous people...