Hi, my name is Jarvis McCrary and I’m a video game designer that has an amazing opportunity for you. I’ve been a web designer and video game programmer for 30+ years. My first game creation was in 1984 for Radio Shack TRS-80’s then later for Pocket-PC and other mobile devices (that was far before iPhones). At the time we had to program games for systems that didnt even have color graphics and we had to program in Assembly language (the direct language for talking to the processor). So suffice it to say that I have a LOT of experience in this arena (I’ll show you snippets of those projects below). Over the years I’ve learned a variety of computer languages and easily drifted between programming game, databases, government systems, websites, Forex auto trading software, etc.
Programming government data tracking is OK but nothing is as much fun for me as programming games. Games are the hardest type of programming due to the massive variety of things that must be computed and displayed in real-time with no lag to create an enjoyable user experience for the player (60 frames per second). I LOVE the challenge of it and todays video game marketplace is chock full of opportunity for people like me with the skills to create games. The best things I’ve discovered is just how much easier it is to market and profit from games these days. I almost feel like a kid in a candy store. Below I’ll try to answer some of the obvious questions and of course I can be contacted through this website or my provided e-mail to clarify any issues. Lets begin…
Just some basic info about the current PC gaming market so you’ll understand how and why you’ll profit from this Amazing Offer:
I’ll get into a LOT more detail but I’m sure this is what you’d like to know first. I’ll give you the quick and dirty rundown. After an extended break from making games and transitioning to boring databases projects I had the yearning to return to video games. I have quite a few games that I programmed versions of in the past that I thought could use a nice update using the newest gaming technology. I selected my tool of choice GameMaker:Studio and started working on a new PC game. WOW!! the tech had gotten soooo much better in the last few years (and easier for me) but what absolutely blew me away was how easy it was to MARKET & SELL PC games today. The gaming platform Steam (ask your kids about it) is HUGE!! It has over 125 Millions active users and as of July there may be upwards of 12 Millions people playing at any one time. I was absolutely floored at how centralized and easy it is to reach so many players at once (PC/Linux/Apple Mac).
Of course there’s a catch: You cant just add your game to Steam. It has to go through a process called ‘Greenlight’ where players actually vote on whether they’d like to see your game on the platform. In addition Valve (creators of Steam) has final approval of adding your game to their marketplace. They’re pretty picky and unless your game has 40%+ ratio of ‘YES’ votes its unlikely that you’ll get added to Steam.
I submitted my first GMStudio (GMS) game ‘ChopperSquad X’when it was about 60% complete and I have enough video to make a decent game trailer for Greenlight users to vote on. Afterward I took a small break and purchased the GMS export module that would allow me to create games for Android phones. I revived an old year 2000 project called ‘Cheaters Blackjack 21’ that allows you to ‘cheat’ at blackjack vs computer players (and if you get caught do showdowns/shootouts). Its a fun idea that I created in the 2000’s and gave it a update with modern graphics and sound. It only took me a couple months to make and its out now on Google Play, SlideME and other Android stores. I never expected to put it out as a PC game but since I developed the Android version on a PC I also had a personal version I could play on my computer. (I also created a Android game called Zoo Escape – Animal Match)
Just to increase the number of Android ‘Cheaters Blackjack 21’ users I also created a PC Greenlight page for it (close the popup box if you visit it). I posted pictures and gameplay from my personal PC version but also noted that there was a Android version and provided a link to the Google Play page. I NEVER thought that my PC converted mobile game would be approved and ‘Greenlit’ by Valve and the Steam players but it was!! About 45% of them said they’d like it to be on Steam. In addition when Cheaters Blackjack was ‘Greenlit’ my first game ChopperSquad X was also ‘Greenlit’. I had two projects that Steam users said they wanted to play!!
At this point I had created 3 games with GMStudio (click to view on Greenlight or Google Play): ChopperSquad X, Cheaters Blackjack 21 (press ‘X’ to close go to Store popup and view the original Greenlight page) and Zoo Escape. You can also Play Zoo Escape NOW on this website. (just swipe up/down and left/right to connect the same animal type) It took me about 8 months to make ChopperSquad X since it was my first GMS project and I had to learn the interface and GML programming language from scratch. After ChopperSquad X I had such expertise with GMS that I easily created the 2 Android games. Now I was at the point that I could create whatever I can think of. This brings me to the situation that I’m in today. After I had programmed those 3 GMS games I knew so much more about the system that I’d really like to start from scratch on my first project ChopperSquad X since my new knowledge would result in an even more polished product BUT…
Instead I’d rather use those skills to revive another of my old TRS-80 games that was a HUGE seller for me back on the TRS-80. THATS why I’m making this incredible offer for you to get involved in helping finance the creation on my new game: PAGODA: Ninja Wars. I’m only selling off a small percentage of the game (about 15% to 20%) and people that invest will have multiple opportunities to get paid off and/or receive royalty payments for PAGODA for life. (Once games are on Steam they’re on it basically forever and always sell copies). I am REALLY underselling how much these shares should be worth just to get this project moving quickly.
How much do you need and how much are 1% shares?
I’m trying to quickly raise about $15,000-$20,000. For each $1,000 you invest you’ll get 1% of GROSS revenue from the game which can result in $5000 in profit or more (I’ll explain the math later). $5,000 investors will get 6%. $10,000 investors will get 15%. I plan on pricing PAGODA at $9.99 (or higher). Steam keeps 30% or revenue so we’ll net about $7.00 per unit. Steam and other platforms often have massive sales that skyrocket sales but typically I’ll need to add a generous discount during these periods (I dont plan on discounting more that 30% the first year). The sales volume is MORE than made up by the increased sales and attention.
As I stated earlier that once on Steam you can expect to earn a royalty check every month for years to come (and when sales slow down we can get the game included in game bundles where it could sell THOUSANDS of heavily discounted copies that generate a nice pot of cash quickly. Its a way to generate a quick profit from older titles when their daily sales start to slow down).
I will also be offering a couple options for you to exit the deal early once I have enough of the game complete to create a trailer like you see in the Greenlight videos. These arent guarantees but if successful for those that want to sell their percentages back to me for a smaller (but quicker) profit it could be an option. It’ll probably take a number of months (6 to 9) before I have enough of the game done to create a trailer (even though you’ll be able to see my progress a couple times per month on programmer websites for posting works in progress).
Once I reach that stage I have a couple options. #1 is to do a Kickstarter. Its a funding platform where I can sell copies of the game before its finished. Theres no upper limit to the amount of money that can be raised and I expect to get a generous influx of cash from the platform. I will use a portion of that cash if the KickStarter is successfully funded to buy back shares for 30% to 50% profit from anyone that wishes to cashout at that point (percentage depend on amount of funds raised). #2 is a funding platform called Indiegogo that has no lower funding threshold (but its not as big as KickStarter) and any funding raised from it was also be used to buyback shares from investors that wish to be paid out before the game is complete. Both of these can be utilized when the game is about 50% to 60% done.
#3 option for buyback is the possibility that I will release on Steam when the game is about 80% complete. This option is called “Early Access” and it allows players to get their hands on the game when its in an early playable state and I can use their suggestions and input to refine the final product. Its just another avenue to sell copies before the official release and help developers fund projects that are in-progress. Depending on the state of the game I may or may not skip “Early Access” and simply wait to publish the final product when its complete but its a possible option if funds are needed to complete the game and/or buy out investors at a profit.
How can we track your Programming Progress?
Easy. With just a mouse-click. As I build games I post my progress to a programmer website called IndieDB every couple weeks (usually 1X or 2X per month). The first couple months of game development are spent building core systems that handle graphics, input and various other system. (Gotta build the engine before you can use it). After the initial groundwork I start posting current progress every couple weeks. (Check the IndieDB for ChopperSquad X, IndieDB for Cheaters Blackjack, IndieDB for Zoo Escape) If you’d like to watch the progress of videogame creation as it happens the reports can be fun to read as you watch me try things, make changes and add new features.
These progress reports as the game is being developed help build momentum for the eventual release. I post GIF’s and status reports to various game boards, Twitter and Screenshot Saturdays (every week programmers show off their progress to each other). I also sometimes post progress on Facebook and the Reddit gaming and programming subreddits when I get deeper into projects and have something impressive to show. Both are powerful platforms and can generate a ton of consumer interest so I save them for when the game starts looking impressive and we’re getting near to a KickStarter or something else that can benefit from a promotional boost.
Hmmmm, Sounds Interesting, Tell me more…
OK, if you’re still here lets start talking turkey. STEAM IS AMAZING!! and let me tell you why. Whenever I’ve ever programmed games in the past it was up to me to pay for promotion and marketing. Large display ads could be expensive and really impact your funds and ability to get you game seen. Mobile games have a HUGE problem with this. The iOS and Google Play stores are so crowded with apps that its almost impossible for indie developers to get their projects seen by users. The typical strategy is to spend multiple THOUSANDS of dollars buying installs for your mobile game until it reaches the top of the chart and hope that the position gets it seen by enough real users to start a snowball effect of ‘real’ installs. Most developers (myself included) just dont have the cash after development to spend so much money on just getting noticed. As a result most of the top mobile charts are dominated by multi-national corporations.
Steam is 1000% different (and I didnt know this until I was Greenlit since its against their TOS to talk about some aspects of it). Once your game is Greenlit by players and Valve they open the platform up to you and it automatically takes care of pushing updates to users, allows you to setup discussion forums for you game, tracks all sales, etc. It allows me to have complete control of my business and manage my users and store page BUT the hidden gem is how they allow you to promote your title on the Steam platform (with 125 MILLION active users and 12+ millions concurrent users playing at any one time) for FREE!!! For FREE!! For FREE!! WOW!!
Steam is different from ANY platform I’ve ever seen before and its gonna help us get PAID. Steam could make 100’s of millions selling ads on their platform but instead they simply take their 30% cut and allow even the smallest indie game developer to get the same exposure as the biggest multi-national for FREE. When Steam Greenlights a game they give you 1 million free impressions on the storefront upon release then they also give you another 2.5 million impressions (500,000 x 5) you can trigger anytime you want.
In the example you can see they gave me 1,000,707 FREE impressions on the storefront that resulted in a higher than average 0.52% click through rate (vs 0.36 average) and 5,226 clicks to the Cheaters Blackjack 21 page and it didnt cost me a single cent. A few weeks later I activated a 500,000 impression update round and so far have gotten 1,127 clicks from it and they still have another 100,000 impressions to deliver to me. Remember all at a cost of $0.00. Steam is a MONSTER platform and is a larger gaming platform than even the Xbox!! In addition they make it a level playing field for programmers like myself (and investors like you).
How can I track Games Sales so I know everything is Fair?
Ahhhh… Steam to the rescue once again. I will give every investor a secret login where they will be able to view sales and activations in real-time anytime you want. Below is the chart for Cheaters Blackjack 21. You will see all the data for the game whenever you want. Cheaters Blackjack 21 is my only released Steam game (ChopperSquad X is Greenlit but not released) and I tested out the alternate sales channels so I’d know how to market PAGODA or ChopperSquad X my main titles. Below I sold 125 units directly on Steam but an additonal 3,301 via bundles and other online stores that were activated on Steam. Remember CB21 is originally a mobile game and I didnt expect it to get Greenlit or become a big PC hit so I used this as an opportunity to test out bundles and some of the other online stores (so I know how they effect the Steam Store sales). I placed the game in the ‘Groupees’ bundles (bundles are a collection of 4-6 sales sold together at a highly discounted price), ‘IndieGala’ bundle, the IndieGala Store and the Humble Bundle Store. These stores resulted in the additional 3,000+ sales.
Lessons learned? Dont bundle until Steam store sales fall to less than 5 copies per day since the highly discounted bundle prices undercut Steam sales and a LOT of full price player just buy the cheaper bundle. I’ll probably never do another ‘Groupees’ bundle since the return was pretty low (they negotiate pretty low royalty rates for developers) but IndieGala was GREAT. They sold a couple thousand bundles, paid me a royalty rate almost TRIPLE the Groupees rate and paid Fast!! They also added CB21 to their online store and do a nice job of promoting the titles to spur sales. Once sales of PAGODA taper off they’ll be the first bundler I’ll contact. CB21 is also in the Humble Store and without effort it sells a few copies a day without me doing anything. REMEMBER: Cheaters Blackjack 21 is a gambling game that most kids would have NO INTEREST in playing (and Steam shows 2X parental warning if you try to access the page) and it still sold thousands of copies much to my surprise. I cant wait to place a game into this system thats actually an action/arcade game that would appeal to the majority of the 125 MILLION Steam game players (I’m still shocked my marketing play got Greenlit so I’m using it to test every corner of the PC market that PAGODA will eventually occupy).
ChopperSquad X could easily do 20X to almost 50X these numbers (or even more) and PAGODA: Ninja Wars could easily be a minor hit that produces significant income for me and my investors. SteamSpy is a database service that reveals approximately how many sales/user any game has collected and its often amazingly accurate when used to predict possible sales ranges for released games. When I look at the typical Steam action/arcade game thats similar to PAGODA the Steam sales numbers are staggering. Heres are a few examples: First I’ll show how many copies the typical action/arcade indie games that small teams developers like myself can expect. The first game was made by a single programmer and the other two were programmed mostly by 2 or 3 programmers.
How can I earn up to 500% or More per $1000 Invested?
These games average 283,598 copies and the last one hasnt been out long. (I used the average number of owners of all three games then divided by 3). These were almost exclusively promoted using Steam markets plus Reddit, Twitter and Facebook broadcasts. If PAGODA were to get near this average this would yield a rough GROSS profit of (283, 598 * 9.99) * 0.70 = $1,983,200.81. This is a VERY rough estimate and doesnt take into account copies they sold through bundles for higher discounts but it makes each 1% = $19,832. Even if after bundles and lower than expected sales for the genre sold copies of only half of this average that would make each 1% worth approximately $10,000 for 1000% ROI. (and even if we only sold 25% of the average, 1% = $5,000. Still 500% ROI if it produces sales lower than average games. NOTE: 5K and 10K investors will earn a higher ROI with the same sales numbers since they earn more than 1% per $1000)
You can earn 500% ROI on your investment even if we only sell 70,900 copies. This is an entirely realistic goal and one thats easily achievable with a unique new game. I actually expect PAGODA to surpass that total. I wouldnt be surprised if we SMASHED that goal in the LAUNCH week. (its not uncommon for games to sell 10,000 to 20,000 within hours of posting on Steam). New games can easily go viral inside the game community if proper groundwork has been completed before the release. This is why I post to various social media outlets during the games creation to build up demand. Youtubers and Twitch streamers can result in PAGODA smashing that benchmark within hours. In any event I would expect to reach this sales goal within weeks of release (and remember I can use additional Steam FREE marketing rounds to boost initial sales numbers).
Of course this FREE marketing approach cant compete with the big boys. The large software makers have HUGE advertising budgets and can pay for promotion far beyond the FREE Steam impressions that indie game programmers are given. In addition Steam gives them preferred placement in Sales and the front page since they sell so many copies BUT on the other hand these games take hundreds of programmers years to create. They invest millions and deservedly so also earn MANY multiple 10’s of millions of dollars. Our small target of a couple hundred thousand copies isnt even a speed bump for them.
I’m still here. Tell me about PAGODA: Ninja Wars…
The 1984 version of PAGODA was a frantic test of reflexes. Multiple enemies and traps would appear and the player had to avoid them quickly. If you took too long or stood still eventually a spike wall would descend and kill you. As you completed level after level more enemies would appear, more traps would activate and this would continue until you were either overwhelmed or you reached the final level and retrieved the golden sword (which I could NEVER do). I held numerous contests at the time and incredibly some dedicated player in Canada actually finished the game and described what happened in the final room. (I had never known anyone that could finish the game).
The new version will take that idea and ramp it up by 1000X!! I’m going to expand the concept of traps and ascending the Pagoda (an asian dwelling) until you reach the top level. You will have to face enemies from level 1 to level 100. You gain experience as you defeat them and increase your level up to the max of 100. You start out as a white belt and dont become a black belt until you’re a level 90. There will be 10 or more Pagodas you must conquer and each contains multiple masters that wield a variety of mystical powers.
Players will be able to level up their character over multiple plays (progress is saved between games) until they are ready to face the final master. There will be traditional game modes when you can play the game and post your score to a world wide leaderboard to compete against others. In Normal Mode levels are randomly generated and the game will be different each time you play it. The traps, enemies and layout of the Pagoda will change each time to keep the game fresh and fun.
It will also contain a Speedrunning mode where 10 Pagoda’s ALWAYS have exactly the same enemies and the game ends when you defeat the final boss. This playthough is against the game AND a timer. This will encourage Twitch (where people watch gamers play videogames) content creators to compete with each other to get the fastest score. For speedrunners every playthrough has to be exactly the same so that every speedrunner faces the exact same challenges. If you look over Twitch you’ll see a LOT of 90’s games (Mario, Sonic, Metroid, etc) are still being play competitively to get the fastest completion time in the world.
It will also contain an ‘Endless’ mode where you enter a single Pagoda with unlimited upper floors and players will compete to see who can reach the highest level. I’m also going to ‘steal’ some of my best ideas from ChopperSquad X. #1 being the ninja ‘powers’ panel. If you watch the Choppersquad X Video you’ll notice that the player has a panel filled with 8 powers. These powers are picked up and used by the player and are earned as they defeat enemies along the way. In PAGODA: Ninja Wars I’ll use this same method. As the player gains a higher level they’ll be able to use new powers. They’ll start out with only 4 open slots and unlock the remaining 4 as they gain experience (note the 8th slot is locked). I want to create a situation where players must have fast reflexes to avoid the traps, fighting skills to defeat the ninja’s enemies and manage the available slotted powers (use it now or save it?)
The player will face Ninjas, Traps, Dogs and MANY more obstacles to prevent them from getting to the top of the Pagoda. Each harder level will introduce new enemies, new powers ups, new sub-bosses and a variety of powerful end bosses. My goal is to create a game that can #1 – Provide a different experience every time you play to keep players coming back for more. #2 – Provide a platform for Speedrunners that create Youtube videos and Twitch live playthroughs that can boost sales and keep your game actively played by a rabid gaming community. #3 – Include the challenge of an ‘Endless’ mode where players can compete against others to achieve the highest level and score. Each of these modes will have have Worldwide Internet leaderboards so that players can compete against others for Ninja Domination. Each of these phases are designed to extend the self life of the product.
If you watch my gaming videos you’ll note that I hold myself to a particular standard when making games. I strive to create games that are easy to play, look good, have precise control so every gamer knows they are 100% in control of the onscreen avatar and are fun for the user. I have a TON of other ideas I’m going to implement for PAGODA: Ninja Wars. I could talk about it endlessly for hours but suffice it to say that all the skills I’ve developed to this point will be incorporated into this game. This is honestly a FANTASTIC opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a project that could pay you dividends for YEARS!! This might be the only project I allow outside investors to contribute too. (even though I am thinking about allowing PAGODA investors to share a small percent of my next game as a THANK YOU. I’m confident that investors will be able to use PAGODA profits to finance investment in my next game so its could end up being a 2 for 1)
I am SUPER excited to get working full steam on PAGODA: Ninja Wars (I’ve already started some of the core programming). If you think you’d like to join me on tis project dont wait too long. I’m only selling off 15% to 20% of the revenues and this is a limited opportunity. Also I apologize for the length of this page but I really wanted to give you some background on myself, my talents and a few of my past accomplishments. The only caveat I will express is that I’m programming this from scratch and every game is a project that has NEVER been done before so there are bugs, setback and occasional delays (as well as amazing breakthroughs you didnt expect) so EXACT release dates are impossible to provide. That why I emphasize that you’ll be able to use IndieDB to follow game progress as we go along. If you’re impatient and cant wait about 6-9 months until we do a KickStarter, IndieGoGo or Steam Early Access so I can cash you out early if needed PLEASE DO NOT INVEST. These projects take time and I refuse to produce junk just to meet deadlines.
In gaming you get ONE shot with reviewers, customers, Youtubers and Twitch Streamers and while its true that good games can recover players when issues are addressed. Its the same as when meeting people in real life. ‘You never get a second chance to make a first impression’. Thats why I release development screenshots, images, GIFS and other pre:sale info before release while in development to generate excitement but I refuse to release a shoddy product into players hands when the rewards for doing it right are so great (plus I want to be in the discussions to win a few indie gaming awards). I only make and release games that dont exist and I WANT TO PLAY. I dont make clones, copies or stolen ideas. I would love to have you aboard the PAGODA ship. ALL ABOARD!!
OK, I’m In!! How do I Sign Up?
Thats Easy. I’ll be using Contractual.ly to generate the investment agreement. We both sign it electronically and we’ll have a binding agreement between us. The terms are simple: For each $1,000 (co-executive producer) you invest you’ll get 1% of GROSS revenue from the game. $5,000 (executive producer) investors will get 6%. $10,000 (lead executive producer) investors will get 15%. I’m planning to sell of 15% to 20% of the game depending of the cash raised. (I expect a couple 5K’s and a few 1K to make up the overall total). Once the game reaches about 60% complete I’ll be able to create an impressive KickStarter/Greenlight video and start pre-selling copies of the game. I’ll make the offer to investors that wish to cash out with a 30% to 50% ROI on their investment (depending on the amount of pre-sales) at that point.
After that stage I’ll either complete the game 100% or make it available for Steam Early Access. EA allows players to buy the game before completion and give actual feedback and suggestions as I work toward polishing the final product. At that point I may offer another buyout option before the official release for those that wish to cash out early. Afterward its full steam ahead to the official release. Once the game is released on Steam I will provide a secret login that only my investors will have that will allow them to see all sales and activations for PAGODA.
I anticipate that PAGODA will generate positive profits for YEARS and will possibly always sell a certain level of copies. Once they become a trickle we’ll enter a few gaming bundles (which generate massive sales in HUGE amounts quickly). I will be sending checks/wires to all investors monthly whenever the accumulated profits owed exceed $100. (I dont want to pay an accountant to issue $2 checks). Thats basically the meat of the agreement.
If you have any questions feel free to contact me through this website contact form or send email directly to pagoda@blackopzfx.com. I’ll also be available for the occasional phone call but I’d MUCH prefer that the majority of communications between use take place via email since both sides will have a written record of any understanding or agreements. (or course I’ll be happy to discuss the smile on your face once you start receiving your profit checks). This is an incredible opportunity and I hope you’re willing to enter the PAGODA: Ninja Wars with me. Should be a fun adventure. Just send me a message or email telling me how much you’d like to invest and I’ll zap you over an electronic contract. Once I reach my funding goals no further contracts will be signed and this investment round will be closed. Thnx!! for taking the time to consider this offer – Jarvis McCrary