How would I go forward to release a game on Steam?

Started by Triforce, May 08, 2017, 02:44:28 PM

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Planning to make a game in Solarus (With no copyrighted content from Nintendo) to help support this project (A bit of the money made will go towards the Solarus team)

How would I go forward with this after steam greenlight?

Would it require me to add certain lua scripts or is there some kind of documentation regarding this?

With regards

We quickly answered on the FAQ: http://www.solarus-games.org/engine/faq/#sell_solarus_game
You most obey these rules, because of Solarus license:

  • The engine is GPL: Just make sure you give a link in your game to Solarus engine if you haven't modified it and used it as is, or provide the source code of the modified Solarus engine if you modified it. The modified Solarus engine must be GPL too.
  • The game's data can be whatever license you want. This is where you can, if you want, give a commercial license.

Hi! I totally understood that and read it but I wonder how would I go forward with the Steam API, couldn't find any kind of documentation regarding that

With regards

Sadly, everyone I know that put a game on Steam always has to send back a refund. What people seem to be doing is playing the game all day/night long, beating it, and asking for a refund. Not everyone does this, but keep that in mind.

You need to use Greenlight. If Valve likes the game, then they will publish it on Steam.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c61YgiNDd8E

Just to let you know...Greenlight is flooded with game clones and trials.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raIef6QXu0E

The best way to get funds is by using crowd funding platforms. For example, Patreon and Kickstarter.

From the The Solarus Resource Help Project:

Funding online platforms that can help your project with donations:
Have you ever thought of using Patreon, kickstarter, and indieGoGo? These could be funding platforms that could help your Solarus game projects. I think Patreon would be the best because people can send recurring payments monthly to creators. As in people can give you money monthly.

Funding platforms:

  • Appsplit
  • Wefund
  • Appstori
  • Onevest
  • Fundbyme
  • Razoo
  • Pozible
  • Croundfunder
  • Campfire
  • Rally
  • Rockethub
  • Gofundme
  • Fundrazer
  • Gambitious

Quote from: Zefk on May 09, 2017, 07:41:13 PM
Sadly, everyone I know that put a game on Steam always has to send back a refund. What people seem to be doing is playing then game all day/night long, beating it, and asking for a refund. Not everyone does this, but keep that in mind.


I totally understand but I'm just 'Worried' that after I finish the game and before I can post it to steam greenlight / steam direct so will Valve require me to add some kind of API / Steamworks thing.

I am not the best with lua or c++ and I highly doubt that if Valve just sent me a API and told me

QuotePlease before you can post your game, please add our steamworks api to the project files

that I would be able to complete what they ask me to do and add their API making me sit there with a fully finished game but can't release it on steam due to not enought knowledge?

Thanks


Quote from: Triforce on May 09, 2017, 01:30:50 PM
Hi! I totally understood that and read it but I wonder how would I go forward with the Steam API, couldn't find any kind of documentation regarding that

With regards

I don't think you would be able to integrate the Steam API, since that code is proprietary, and thus it can't be mixed with that of Solarus, unless the devs give you special permission, which IMO would defeat the point of it being open-source. It *might* be legally feasible to use a launcher that is integrated with the Steam API and handles that stuff, though.

Either way, you don't need to integrate the Steam API in a game to put it on Steam, the Steam API is only necessary for things like Steam Achievements.