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[axisofweevils]

Well deserved. These sales fill me with determination.

 

[Lijik]

Really?
So game play means nothing anymore?

Gameplay certainly means a lot, but the characters in this game are so fully realized that people really connect to them. A lot of this games enduring popularity is because of that. Sometimes this even goes hand in hand with the gameplay! Minor enemy spoilers:

Spoiler

One of my favorite random encounters is a comedian who tells bad ice puns. The way you get through this fight peacefully is to laugh at his joke at the right time. Its super charming stuff

 

[AsfaeksBR]

Welp, that guys definately a millionaire, discounts or no.

IIRC, all the income from the game is going directly to charities. The only money Toby makes is through the Soundtrack (which is really worth)

 

[A-V-B]

IIRC, all the income from the game is going directly to charities. The only money Toby makes is through the Soundtrack (which is really worth)

wow, what? I never knew that.

 

[peakish]

Undertale is one of those games that I probably would enjoy but that repel me with their visual style. Everything I've seen about it so far sends shivers down my spine, and not in a nice way. It makes me feel uncomfortable. I don't know much about it, so that may actually be the game's point, but it just doesn't suit me somehow (even if it was the point).

Well, at least, if I ever get around to it and actually end up liking it, I know that I won't have to feel bad for not supporting the developer when the game was recent, since it's already a resounding success.

I can totally see why. Still, there's some lovely character art in it even if it's not always visible in the overworld.

Picking it up later is probably good, I generally don't think it's a good idea to play games when they're super hot and I'm not entirely convinced it's for me. Better to come at it once the hype has calmed down.

 

[mothball]

The only blatant internet humor is temmie.

and that painfully long part with that dinosaur whose name i forgot going full tumblr for an entire chapter

not knowing when to stop seems to be a recurring theme with the game's humor now that i think about it
a far cry from the more reserved humor of earthbound that people love to make comparisons to

 

[Corpekata]

IIRC, all the income from the game is going directly to charities. The only money Toby makes is through the Soundtrack (which is really worth)

wow, what? I never knew that.

I don't think this is correct.

 

[InfiniteNine]

and that painfully long part with that dinosaur whose name i forgot going full tumblr for an entire chapter

not knowing when to stop seems to be a common theme with the game's humor now that i think about it
a far cry from the more reserved humor of earthbound that people love to make comparisons to

I honestly don't get the comparison since while it does pay some homage to and is inspired by EB it's largely it's own thing.

 

[Drkirby]

and that painfully long part with that dinosaur whose name i forgot going full tumblr for an entire chapter

not knowing when to stop seems to be a common theme with the game's humor now that i think about it
a far cry from the more reserved humor of earthbound that people love to make comparisons to

Alphys, and I think the character is intentionally annoying.

 

[MrBadger]

Well deserved. It was definitely my favourite game last year and I'm happy to see such a well realised vision become such a big success. Truly inspiring.

Wat? It's a thread about Undertale, we're just answering your questions.

This must be the unbearable Undertale fanbase in action.

 

[Ferrio]

and that painfully long part with that dinosaur whose name i forgot going full tumblr for an entire chapter

not knowing when to stop seems to be a common theme with the game's humor now that i think about it
a far cry from the more reserved humor of earthbound that people love to make comparisons to

Spoiler

The character was suppose to be unbearably annoying. I hate the character, but I have to give it to Toby for actually conveying that so well.

 

[Octavia]

No, the humor is more natural.

Eh, I kinda disagree. I mean, they don't blatantly play sport air horns or scream "Oh baby a triple!" anywhere in there, but it's definitely internetty in its humor for a good portion of the game, especially the latter half which is basically one big social media joke.

 

[jett]

I wonder if tobyfox will make anything ever again or just retire with his millions.

 

[dreamlongdead]

I didn't play the game, but I listened to the whole soundtrack. The music is phenomenal.

 

[Robert at Zeboyd Games]

Really?
So game play means nothing anymore?

Some people like Undertale's gameplay, but that wasn't my point. Good/interesting characters & story are much more likely to go viral and lead to mass market success than good gameplay mechanics are. There's a TON of Undertale character fan art out there each of which helps spread the word about the game. When gameplay does get shared around, it usually has a story hook to it (you can hack the game world itself in Axiom Verge!) but even then, it's much less viral.

It's not like your average person goes around saying "The formation system in Legend of Legacy is an elegant solution to fundamental issues in turn-based traditional RPG combat!" to try to entice their friends to play it. Well, maybe I do, but I'm odd that way.

Really? With the hype around it, i actually thought it's more. Like a lot. Not undeserved though, congrats!

It's 4 months old and hasn't even had a 50% off sale yet. 1 million sales is HUGE for an indie title. Not only that but sales are steady - it has been in Steam's Top 25 Best Sellers list almost the entire time since it came out.

 

[InfiniteNine]

I wonder if tobyfox will make anything ever again or just retire with his millions.

He is going to start the game "shrouded in darkness" this year so maybe we'll see that in a year or two.

 

[A-V-B]

Spoiler

The character was suppose to be unbearably annoying. I hate the character, but I have to give it to Toby for actually conveying that so well.

Yeah.

Spoiler

Alphys is sort of pathetic. But the way that she's flawed is not like.. the writing is flawed. She's a genuinely good flawed character, and I think a lot of fans miss that and prefer to think of her as "cute lesbian dinosaur." When she's actually a really messed up person. (and a cute lesbian dinosaur???)

 

[Kangi]

Yeah.

Spoiler

Alphys is sort of pathetic. But the way that she's flawed is not like.. the writing is flawed. She's a genuinely good flawed character, and I think a lot of fans miss that and prefer to think of her as "cute lesbian dinosaur." When she's actually a really messed up person. (and a cute lesbian dinosaur???)

Spoiler

Cute bisexual dinosaur

.

 

[A-V-B]

Spoiler

Cute bisexual dinosaur

.

Spoiler

Oh, yeah, I forgot! That one ending hints to her having a crush on Sans.

 

[DNAbro]

Some people like Undertale's gameplay, but that wasn't my point. Good/interesting characters & story are much more likely to go viral and lead to mass market success than good gameplay mechanics are. There's a TON of Undertale character fan art out there each of which helps spread the word about the game. When gameplay does get shared around, it usually has a story hook to it (you can hack the game world itself in Axiom Verge!) but even then, it's much less viral.

It's not like your average person goes around saying "The formation system in Legend of Legacy is an elegant solution to fundamental issues in turn-based traditional RPG combat!" to try to entice their friends to play it. Well, maybe I do, but I'm odd that way.

Undertale's gameplay is easily sharable. I can show someone a gameplay segment of certain fights and it looks cool and it's easily understandable. Most RPGs don't have that. Try and make most turn based RPGs cool, shit is difficult.

 

[benny_a]

When gameplay does get shared around, it usually has a story hook to it (you can hack the game world itself in Axiom Verge!) but even then, it's much less viral.

I think Rocket League is an indie success where gameplay is the reason it gets shared.

 

[Kangi]

Spoiler

Oh, yeah, I forgot! That one ending hints to her having a crush on Sans.

I was referring to her

Spoiler

crush on Asgore

, but I suppose that's one interpretation.

 

[dragonzdogma]

Okay I'm back with the First impressions of the demo

why did the demo disconnect me from my wifi settings and If you look at the image
why is there an invisible wall there ( or how do I actually go in there) last but not least is there a sprint button?

 

[A-V-B]

Okay I'm back with the First impressions of the demo

why did the demo disconnect me from my wifi settings and If you look at the image
why is there an invisible wall there ( or how do I actually go in there) last but not least is there a sprint button?

Yeah, that room is fixed in the final version. Part of why I recommended it.

Just take that dotted path on the bottom right

 

[Robert at Zeboyd Games]

I think Rocket League is an indie success where gameplay is the reason it gets shared.

True, true. I was thinking more along the lines of single-player games, but you're right in that online multiplayer matches can be effective marketing.

 

[Ultimadrago]

True, true. I was thinking more along the lines of single-player games, but you're right in that online multiplayer matches can be effective marketing.

What method best marketed your Kickstarter and upcoming game?

 

[Dryk]

Wat? It's a thread about Undertale, we're just answering your questions.

We are also a cult, but that's purely a coincidence

IIRC, all the income from the game is going directly to charities. The only money Toby makes is through the Soundtrack (which is really worth)

A soundtrack which is well worth buying

Alphys, and I think the character is intentionally annoying.

I'm not sure if the intent with Alphys is for her to be annoying. But she is intentionally a massive dork with horrible social skills and anxiety issues which many people obviously find annoying. As a massive dork with horrible social skills and anxiety issues myself I mostly just pitied her I guess.

 

[Mr. Poolman]

Absolutely deserved.

Enjoy your millions Toby

 

[A-V-B]

A soundtrack which is well worth buying

I did a search for Undertale and charities, and nothing showed up on Google except for a reference on humblebundle if you buy Undertale there, which is standard.

 

[Fat4all]

We are also a cult, but that's purely a coincidence


A soundtrack which is well worth buying

I'd be in a cult dedicated to the soundtrack.

 

[maquiladora]

Alright 24 megs...not bad extracting now.
my laptop speakers are not working tho

 

[Acerac]

Well earned!

Word of mouth has helped this game so much. I wonder how many more copies it'll eventually move.

 

[Abilidebob]

ALL Undertale sales goes through Steam? Or there's a GoG/tobyfox' steamless version being sold too?

 

[Robert at Zeboyd Games]

What method best marketed your Kickstarter and upcoming game?

We've been primarily using the trusted combination of name dropping (like Chrono Trigger meets Phantasy Star and Lunar!), high quality asset sharing (screenshots & music), and frequent updates on Kickstarter & Twitter. Also helps a lot that we've slowly built up a fanbase from several years of releasing RPGs. I also have some ideas for doing a story in our trailer that I think will work out well (and it helps that we have so much more to work with for the trailer than we did with our past stuff).

I don't actually like Undertale (it's very good for what it is, but what it is isn't the type of game I like to play - soundtrack is awesome though) but as a very different take on the indie RPG that is seeing massive success, both critically and commercially, I've been watching its performance closely with great interest. I think a lot of developers will mistakenly take it as showing market interest in indie JRPGs when despite outward appearances, Undertale is like the anti-JRPG of games.

 

[A-V-B]

ALL Undertale sales goes through Steam? Or there's a GoG/tobyfox' steamless version being sold too?

There's a DRM-free version on the Undertale website. This is just for Steam

 

[Fat4all]

ALL Undertale sales goes through Steam? Or there's a GoG/tobyfox' steamless version being sold too?

This is just counting Steam sales, other counts aren't known at the mo'.

Toby sells a DRM-free version directly.

 

[A-V-B]

I think a lot of developers will mistakenly take it as showing market interest in indie JRPGs when despite outward appearances, Undertale is like the anti-JRPG of games.

Yeah, it's not necessarily an interest in Indie JRPGs.

First and foremost, it's an interest in Undertale.

 

[Abilidebob]

There's a DRM-free version on the Undertale website. This is just for Steam

This is just counting Steam sales, other counts aren't known at the mo'.

Toby sells a DRM-free version directly.

Neat!

 

[Eric the Red]

How radically different his life must be now.

No more eating spaghetti everyday anymore. Nah that's probably still the same.

 

[Shadow Hog]

 

[Fat4all]

More accurate, fo' sho'.

 

[A-V-B]

No more eating spaghetti everyday anymore. Nah that's probably still the same.

He made a statement on Twitter. Something to the effect of "now instead of buying store-brand cereals, I'm buying official mainstream brands."

So it sounds like he's living as he always does, just... not poor.

 

[Hot Coldman]

De-fucking-served. Can't wait for Toby's next game.

 

[POWERSPHERE]

Cool news for this dude

 

[Veldin]

When this game was released I was a little worried that it wouldn't see the success it deserved. Fortunately it only took a week or two to realize it was gonna be huge.

It's an extremely memorable and inspiring game that made me happy.

 

[hodgy100]

Well deserved!

 

[Jintor]

I wonder if tobyfox will make anything ever again or just retire with his millions.

i like if you look athis tweets from a year ago it's mainly stuff about him living at his parent's house and goofing off about things

 

[Ultimadrago]

We've been primarily using the trusted combination of name dropping (like Chrono Trigger meets Phantasy Star and Lunar!), high quality asset sharing (screenshots & music), and frequent updates on Kickstarter & Twitter. Also helps a lot that we've slowly built up a fanbase from several years of releasing RPGs. I also have some ideas for doing a story in our trailer that I think will work out well (and it helps that we have so much more to work with for the trailer than we did with our past stuff).

I don't actually like Undertale (it's very good for what it is, but what it is isn't the type of game I like to play - soundtrack is awesome though) but as a very different take on the indie RPG that is seeing massive success, both critically and commercially, I've been watching its performance closely with great interest. I think a lot of developers will mistakenly take it as showing market interest in indie JRPGs when despite outward appearances, Undertale is like the anti-JRPG of games.

Nice! I'm sure GAF will look forward to the trailer.

And yeah, I recall your thoughts on it from past threads, but that answers why you've been in so many of them! Haha. It is indeed very anti-JRPG at its core. I'm not sure which space that comes from as far as toby since he seems to love JRPGs, but at the same time hates things about them (generally speaking). It sounds similar to my thoughts on them, but his are very extreme when coming to traits like grinding and great length in playtime, for example. These beliefs are applied in Undertale and I'm not sure how exactly I receive it still. I don't find them necessarily bare improvements on the genre itself, but I appreciate that it was done (in the way it was), if that makes sense.

 

[MulderYuffie]

incredible

 

[Robert at Zeboyd Games]

It is indeed very anti-JRPG at its core. I'm not sure which space that comes from as far as toby since he seems to love JRPGs, but at the same time hates things about them (generally speaking). It sounds similar to my thoughts on them, but his are very extreme when coming to traits like grinding and great length in playtime, for example. These beliefs are applied in Undertale and I'm not sure how to take it still.

"I have played so many RPGs that the basic motions (keep your party buffed and use the enemy's weakness) aren't fun to me now. To keep myself interested, I need to have something else. That's where a interactive battle system comes in. You know, the kind pioneered by Super Mario RPG. But I wanted something more complex than pressing a button at a certain time. So -- inspired by Touhou and WarioWare -- I created a system of bite-sized bullet patterns."

Those kinds of battle systems are a pet peeve of mine - most of the time, they feel like they're trying to cover up a lack of strategic depth with mini-games & reflex-based actions (exception: Shadow Hearts is great). Undertale's combat is a bit different in that there's no traditional RPG strategy at all - each battle is a self-contained text-based puzzle mixed with a shmup.