Learning objectives: Understand what actually drives Steam discovery for a small, unknown developer, and set realistic, sequenced goals for the course.
Estimated time: 4-6 hours
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Three courses in, the game itself is done, or close enough to done that “finish the game” is no longer the bottleneck. This week doesn’t build anything visible yet, it builds the understanding and the plan everything else in this course executes against.
Three courses in, the game itself is done, or close enough to done that “finish the game” is no longer the bottleneck. This week doesn’t build anything visible yet, it builds the understanding and the plan everything else in this course executes against.
Use one focused segment per part, then pause to implement and validate before continuing.
Keep short notes, screenshots, and links to what you published so this week's work is reusable in later polish passes.
Complete the focused task for this part before moving on.
Understand wishlist velocity, not just total volume, as the strongest signal a small, unranked developer can generate themselves.
Apply and validate this technique in your project artifact.
Break down the realistic channel mix, short-form video, Steam discovery, friends, long-form, and owned channels, to decide where limited time goes.
Cross-check this part against your actual store page and channels.
Name and discard “build it and they will come,” “one viral post fixes everything,” and “marketing happens at the end.”
Draft or build the concrete piece this part asks for.
Pull real numbers on wishlists, socials, devlog posts, and Discord to establish a specific, honest starting baseline.
Finish with a validation step and one clear next action.
Map the 12 weeks ahead against your current Steam “Coming Soon” status and a realistic launch date.
Use this checkpoint marker to confirm this week's deliverables are actually done, not just planned.
# Checkpoint for Week 1: Foundations of Indie Community Building
[ ] A written, honest presence audit with real, specific numbers, not estimates
[ ] A documented channel-comfort ranking
[ ] A 12-week goal outline with specific, self-chosen targets mapped to this course's structure