Behind the Horizon - new RPG / Farming / Nature Simulation

[Jadawin]

http://www.jadawinindiegames.de/image/OPGEN.jpg

Hello Community,

Behind the Horizon is part of the Steam in the Open World event this weekend! Of course, as usual, there is a 40% discount on the game during the event. So a good opportunity for you to add my game to your library !

Homepage: https://www.jadawinindiegames.de

Here is the link to my shop page at Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1453430?beta=0

 

[Jadawin]

Hello Community,

at the moment the annual summer promotion is running and you can get my game there with a nice discount until 8 July. After a little more than half a year after release, the game is now well polished and the updates are becoming less frequent. So it's a good time to play Behind the Horizon !

Homepage of the game: https://www.jadawinindiegames.de

Here is the link to my shop page at Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1453430?beta=0

There is also a new trailer showing all the changes of the last months:

View: https://youtu.be/zDO97VhXYFo

 

[Jadawin]

Hello Community,

It has been quiet around my game Behind the Horizon for a long time now, while I took a well-deserved summer break after 4 years of intensive development work and the PC stayed switched off most of the time.

Now that the days are getting shorter, I have started working on the first big add-on again. In the meantime, all the new areas in the world have been created and the framework of the plot and quests has already been set. I have created a lot of new graphics, new music and some new sounds.

I also had to adapt the save system to save additional data and optimised it and made it more flexible. Then there is a selection menu to start the AddOn (if a corresponding EndGame was found).

At the moment I am working on the intro of the AddOn and the new quest lines.

What does the AddOn offer:

The epic story continues seamlessly, taking our hero to many new areas and also answering some unanswered questions. There are new NPCs, new quests, new caves with new monsters that get other challenging mechanics. In addition, there will be another pet that can be summoned to help in battle.
As usual from the main game, the farm and RPG parts will be linked and offer a lot of variety.

The love story will also be continued.

But I won't reveal more yet. I will go into more detail on some aspects from time to time when I am writing them !

 

[Jadawin]

Hello Community,


some time has passed and I'd like to give you an overview of my work on the big add-on for Behind the Horizon.


The big add-on " Behind the Horizon - The Desert" is now slowly taking shape and "of course" it is much more extensive than initially envisaged. The playing time will be about 50-100 hours. The world map will be about a third larger. So there is a lot to discover.


New items, new mechanics, new monsters, new NPCs, new plants and trees and much more...

The main part of the AddOn takes place in the desert in the south, which poses completely new challenges for the player. In parts, the AddOn feels like a survival game. The level of difficulty is correspondingly higher than in the main game. Therefore, it is definitely useful to have finished the main game and to be familiar with the world of Behind the Horizon.


The story revolves around the question: What became of Alex/Carla from the intro of the main game? In the add-on, many other open questions from the main story are gradually clarified and relationships from the main game are developed further.


Soon I will also post some screenshots and further information about the AddOn. Of course, there will also be a trailer introducing the AddOn later.

Since the development time for the AddOn has been over a year so far and there is still a lot more time to come, I now have the question of whether to make the AddOn available for free as an update or to distribute it as a new APP together with the main game.


At the same time, I could lower the price of the main game and thus appeal to new players with a smaller budget to try out Behind the Horizon.


I would be interested in your opinion on this?

 

[Brian Boru]

First, a typo on the Steam game page: the game page
ABOUT THIS GAME: "Hightlights" should be Highlights

Second, even tho this isn't my kind of game, I've wishlisted it because the reviewers are genuinely impressed with both you and the game, and it looks very interesting and varied.

Third, add your demo link to our Demos thread.

appeal to new players with a smaller budget to try out Behind the Horizon

I may have missed it, but I don't see your demo mentioned on its Steam page. I recommend adding it prominently if you can. This covers the "try out" market.

question of whether to make the AddOn available for free as an update or to distribute it as a new APP together with the main game.

At the same time, I could lower the price of the main game

I wouldn't lower BtH price, it's already too cheap imo for the amount of content—I'd have it ~$25-30. Pricing is probably the main marketing lever you can activate at will, so it needs to be considered very carefully for the lifespan of the product.

Do not make the Add-on free. Price it relative to BtH. Run a sale on BtH for 2-3 weeks before you launch the Add-on.

You can always make a product free later on, but it's very difficult to start charging for a free product without getting backlash.

Don't bundle the Add-on with BtH for the first 3-6 months—ie whenever sales taper off to their long-term level. Then still keep both products available, but also add a bundle product.

BtH has the advantage of being a long-life product—ie it should still be as appealing in 10-20 years as it is today. So you can make changes now—like raising its price—and get over any backlash bump without damaging long-term prospects.

You've done great work, keep it up and best of luck with it

 

[Jadawin]

Thanks Brian for the good advice. I also always thought that the price was too low, but I was guided by games like Stardew Valley at the time, even though my game basically has a different target group.

Marketing the add-on separately would be possible, of course, but more complicated than offering both together. I'll have to think about that.

About the demo: I didn't know until now that I had to register something. I'll definitely take a look at it.

 

[Jadawin]

Hello Community

Behind the Horizon is now going into the second round with version 2.0. This major update, which also serves as preparation for the AddOn - The Desert, improves and expands many aspects of the game.

The biggest visible change is the new GUI, which has now been fully integrated into the quick bar and is more comfortable and consistent than ever before.

In addition, there are many changes to the balance in prizes, the combat system and the properties of plants and animals.

The starting map has also been improved in many areas and further beautified.

The lists of merchants are now completely sorted by type and make shopping a lot more convenient.

Some small bugs that occurred during the time have also been fixed.

The quest display now also has a progress bar for many quests, with which you can see how far you have completed the quest.

The complete list of changes and enhancements can be found in the patch notes for version 2.0.

They are in the community section of my game on Steam:

Behind the Horizon on Steam

Epic role-playing game with a mystical story and with crafting, magic and farming. Plays in a living, simulated world, where plants, animals and the land evolve. Huge hand-drawn underground areas invite you to explore and fight against your own demons.

store.steampowered.com

or on the website of the game: https://www.jadawinindiegames.de

PS: If everything goes well, the AddOn - The Desert will be released at the beginning of April and will be available for purchase as a separate DLC. Later, there will also be a bundle of the main game and the add-on.

 

[Jadawin]

Hello Community,

The release of the AddOn - The Desert for my epic farm and role-playing game Behind the Horizon is now getting closer. The date of early April now seems very realistic.

Reason enough to present you my first trailer for the AddOn:

View: https://youtu.be/p-bWrAVLkk4


You can find the shop page with screenshots and information about the AddOn here on Steam:

Behind the Horizon - The Desert on Steam

Expands the game Behind the Horizon with a new exciting main story, many new areas, items, spells and a new climate zone! - A farm RPG in a nature simulation that keeps changing the world. Dive into a new adventure! BtH-The Desert awaits you...

store.steampowered.com

 

[Jadawin]

Hello Community,

the time has come: Behind the Horizon - The Desert, the first add-on with over 50 hours of game play, has been completed and is ready for download !

Hightlights:

- Explore new vast territories
- Master the art of surviving in the desert
- Experience a new exciting main story in 4 chapters (playing time well over 50h)
- Find new friends
- Face the demons again
- Pursue numerous side quests
- Build on your relationships from the main game
- Get company on your farm
- Learn many new crafting plans and new spells
- Build and use many new items

You can find more information, a trailer and screenshots on my Steam shop page, and of course you can buy my game and the add-on there.
My shop page on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1453430?beta=0
Shop page of the AddOn: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1937410/Behind_the_Horizon__The_Desert/?beta=0

I hope you enjoy the new episode of Behind the Horizon and wish you all a lot of fun exploring the new areas!

Jadawin

 

[Brian Boru]

completed and is ready for download

Congrats, hope it does great

 

[Jadawin]

Hello Community,

now my Game Behind the Horizon is almost 2 years on Steam and there is a small :-( , enthusiastic community of players and the first DLC AddOn is already online.

Since marketing seems to be the main work in game development nowadays - if only I had known that before ;-) I am more busy with it than with developing the second AddOn !

Fact is: I really have difficulties to make my game known to the world as a micro budget solo developer.

Since I still believe that Behind the Horizon deserves a lot more attention, I've decided to start a little giveaway and offer some keys to you.
The only condition is that you actually play the game and if you like it you may write me a friendly review on Steam later!
Since the number of reviews also influences the algorithm where and when a game appears on Steam and I still have far too few of them, you could help me a lot.

If you want to take part, please write to me here in the forum.

Jadawin


On my Steamshop page you can find more information, a trailer and screenshots.

Shop Page on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1453430?beta=0
English Trailer V1.55 -

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLEw70F05v0&t=43s

 

[Jadawin]

Hello Community

For the Steam Autumn Sale Event, I'm offering my extensive RPG Farm game with a whopping 50% discount for a short time!
100+ hours of story, numerous side quest series, crafting, magic, romance and lots of exciting battles in a 100% handcrafted and varied huge living world. And all that without grinding and without constantly repeating quests.

So if you loved StardewValley but wished for more story and depth, Behind the Horizon is absolutely right for you!

Jadawin

PS: By the way, the AddOn is also available with a small discount!

Steamshoppage: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1453430?beta=0
Homepage: https://www.jadawinindiegames.de

 

[Slasken]

The game looks interesting, so I wishlisted it. Gonna show it to my to kids as well, they are very much into Stardew Valley.

 

[Jadawin]

Hello Community,


time flies and not only when you play Behind the Horizon ;-) !

At the moment I am preparing the second AddOn, as the story will find its ending there.


In the first AddOn - The Desert, a new climate zone was introduced and overall the part of the AddOn that played in the desert was more difficult and towards survival.


In the next AddOn, the main world, as well as your own farm that you have built up, will again play a more central role, although there will of course also be new unknown areas. The story, of course, revolves around the "Master" and two people stranded in the world. More will not be revealed here ;-) !


Besides the development of the AddOn, I am continuing to expand my community, which is still difficult. Maybe one or the other has a tip for me?


Unfortunately, I have so far been denied access to the testers of the big games magazines, which may be due to the fact that my game is almost unknown. So the snake bites its own tail ;-) !


Many small Youtubers who love indie games, especially farm games, and take a closer look at my game are completely surprised that they haven't heard of Behind the Horizon before. In the meantime, there are also some Let's plays on Youtube that are already further advanced in the game.

However, when I see how much attention 7 year old titles like Stardew still get, I wonder what these developers are doing differently. I would even go so far as to say that at least a third of all Stardew players would love Behind the Horizon -- if they knew that it exists ;-) !


On that note, I'm grateful for any help
Jadawin

 

[Pifanjr]

Have you tried putting out a lot of content on different social media platforms in the hopes that one of the algorithms starts suggesting your content to people it thinks might be interested in your game?

 

[Jadawin]

Thank you for your suggestions. I had a page on Facebook, but it was blocked because of too intensive advertising ;-) ! Otherwise, I have presented my project on all the indie game forums and communities I know.

I have my own website for the game and I also post on the Steam Community from time to time.

What else do you suggest for social networks? But the problem always seems to be the same: if you are new to such a network, no one takes notice of your page.

Unfortunately, I don't have the money for intensive paid advertising.

 

[Pifanjr]

It seems ConcernedApe, the creator of Stardew Valley, was very active on Reddit during development of his game, so a lot of people had already heard of it by the time it came out. He also has a blog on the Stardew Valley website and a Twitter account, as well as some videos on YouTube.

See also: https://www.polygon.com/2016/2/29/11134934/stardew-valley-steam-indie-farming-rpg-harvest-moon

 

[Jadawin]

That is interesting. Thank you for the link. I had also tried Reddit, but didn't get on so well with it. Of course, I also have my own YouTube channel for the game.
It was also important for Concerned Ape that he had a publisher, even if it later split from the company. Software companies generally know how to do good advertising and of course have more possibilities.
Another recent example is the EarlyAccess game Dinkum. I find it unbelievable how many reviews the game had after a few months and I also contacted the developer and asked how he did it. Unfortunately, no answer. In general, cooperation even between indie developers is rather rare :-( ! It would be a lot easier if we work together.

 

[Pifanjr]

I suspect a big hurdle for your game is the art style. I just looked up the game on Steam and I must admit the screenshots really put me off, though it looks a lot better seeing it all in motion in the trailer. The art looks like it had very little effort put into it, which then makes one wonder how much effort was put into the rest of the game. Which I think is unfair to you, as the few reviews you got show that those people got a ton of playtime out of it (up to 250+ hours!).

I suspect improving the graphics might be your best bet on growing your community now, but take that advice with a grain of salt, as I don't actually have any experience in the matter.

 

[Brian Boru]

cooperation even between indie developers is rather rare

Are you familiar with GDC? They seem to do good co-op work, eg this one.

 

[Jadawin]

I suspect a big hurdle for your game is the art style. I just looked up the game on Steam and I must admit the screenshots really put me off, though it looks a lot better seeing it all in motion in the trailer. The art looks like it had very little effort put into it, which then makes one wonder how much effort was put into the rest of the game. Which I think is unfair to you, as the few reviews you got show that those people got a ton of playtime out of it (up to 250+ hours!).

I suspect improving the graphics might be your best bet on growing your community now, but take that advice with a grain of salt, as I don't actually have any experience in the matter.

Behind the Horizon is clearly an indie game and as a sole developer there are limits. Of course, my graphics are not up to date and I understand that this puts people off. Nevertheless, I think it can keep up well with the level of other successful indie games. Of course, graphics are a matter of taste, and graphics in indie games are anyway.

There are still a few things I would like to improve about it, such as the representation of grass. In my game, that's very complicated, because the whole world is constantly developing and growing and nothing is static, so everything has to adapt graphically. In a world that always stays the same, it's much easier.

Nevertheless, thank you for your opinion !

 

[Jadawin]

Are you familiar with GDC? They seem to do good co-op work, eg this one.

Thanks! That looks interesting! I'll have a closer look there...

 

[Jadawin]

Hello Community,


the next big update of Behind the Horizon is now online at Steam and at Itch! In addition, there will also be a discount at the weekend at Itch!

Besides many new features and optimizations, the update finally brings controller support to the world of Behind the Horizon !


Here is the link to my shop page at Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1453430?beta=0

My shop page at itch.io: https://jadawin1.itch.io/behind-the-horizon

 

[Jadawin]

Hello Community,

Once again Behind the Horizon has received a major update. This time I have finally introduced the achievements and stats that many have been asking for. In addition, the game now has auto cloud support.

In addition, I have further optimised the controller operation, which is now even more intuitive and simple.

First tests on the SteamDeck are coming soon, so you will be able to play Behind the Horizon mobile on the SteamDeck soon.

Here is the link to my shop page at Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1453430?beta=0

 

[Jadawin]

Hello Community,

The work on the DLC The Sky Fortress is now finished and I will use the rest of the time until the release at the beginning of September for extensive test play.

If you want to find out more, you can already take a look at the DLC shop page. There you will find a lot of details.

Behind the Horizon - The Sky Fortress on Steam

Expands the game Behind the Horizon with a new exciting main story, many new areas, items, spells, new pets and plants ! - A farm RPG in a nature simulation that keeps changing the world. Dive into a new adventure! BtH-The Sky Fortress awaits you...

store.steampowered.com

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

After finishing the DLC, and also because the triology of the main story is now completed, I have compiled some data about my game project. I think I shouldn't keep this from you. I'm sure it will be interesting for some of you to find out what Behind the Horizon is all about:

Development time (at the moment): about 7 years
Lines of code (C++): > 156000 - yes, that's really a lot ;-)

NPCs (all with their own seasonal daily routine and personal history): 74
monsters: 82
BossMonsters: 26
Animals: 18
Farm animals: 9
Pets: 6

Dialogue texts of the NPCs: 663535 characters (no I didn't count that myself ;-) ) - that's about 375 book pages

Script cutscenes: 250

Texts for cutscenes: 190562 characters or about 120 book pages

Quests in total: 614 - I didn't count the characters for quest texts

Equipment items in the game: 137
Plants (all with growth cycles): 61
Ground cover: 14
Tree species: 24
Soil types: 41

Books: 183 - again, I didn't have the character set counted, but there are a lot!

Teleporters: 20
Recipes(Food): 65
Plans(Building): 146
Formulas(Spells): 65

Spells: 65

Graphics: 1288 128pxx128px tiles
2801 64pxx64px tiles
- which of course must all have their own definition structure in the game.

Overlay backgrounds 7

Steam achievements: 100

So that's it ;-) ! Maybe this gives some of you an overview of how big an extensive RPG is. If I had known beforehand how big the game would be, I probably wouldn't have started it. But this way, passion and joy about what I have achieved have driven me on and on.