Your project post getting stale? Need a better idea than a wall of text? Almost every single project post I’ve seen could be improved by implementing one of these ways to spruce it up.

Header/Logo Image.

Using the title of the game in a large font is not a good idea. Take a few minutes in your favorite image editing program (even ms paint will do) and give it a real logo. These are proven to make people more likely to both read the post and download the game.

Delete the wall of text.

No one likes reading those… probably not even you. Do you read the giant walls of text in every project post you see? No one needs to know every character’s name, age, favorite fruit, and backstory. No one needs a 10 paragraph essay on the politicial stability of the player’s home kingdom. 2 paragraphs is enough to say everything worth saying.

This very post is a great example of a wall of text you want to avoid. What could you do to spruce it up? There’s a reason we have images to the right of every block, and usually we’d put a few larger ones in between some of the paragraphs or at the left/beginning.

Save the spoilers for credits.

Most posts use way too many spoilers to hide their very best marketing materials. Screenshots? If they’re good, keep them out of one. And if they’re bad, why are they on your post in the first place? Folks are visual - you’ll find most forum readers skip every section and only look at the screenshot images.

Keep information to a minimum.

Most posts say far too much stuff. Just show what you need to get people to download the project, they’ll be able to find out the rest ingame. 20 screenshots? Keep it at 5 or 8 maximum (unless it’s a giant project), with a link to somewhere else to see more if really someone’s interested.

Screenshots at the top.

Never, ever, start people off staring a paragraphs of words. The faster you show your great screenshots, the faster they’ll be paying attention to the rest of the post. A visitor who’ll be tempted to click back is the last thing you want. Make sure you have them as clickable thumbnails to see the full-sized versions.

Category Header Images.

Much like a logo, these will help areas of your post get read. Open up your favorite image editing program and make pictures saying “Story”, “Screenshots”, etc.

Remove the script list.

Unless it’s a type of battle system, these are never “features” worth mentioning to other RM users who could just find the same ones. Save these for a credit area. Many posts read as if they were just a gigantic Rpg Maker VX script demo.

Try making the whole post an image.

This is usually a bad idea, but the results speak for themselves. Why use spoilers for hiding everything when you can make the post itself beautiful & attractive? Be sure to break it up and save PSD files for easy editing. People on dialup will hate it however!

“Download” Image.

A picture that says download here/download demo will stand out much more than a simple link. Try to make it eye catching too! Bonus color tips: Yellow or white on a dark color works well, or a black font on a light background.

Animations.

Most people introduce their characters with a faceset, usually from the RTP itself, facemaker, or the Ruruga japanese redrawn versions. Try something different! A small animated picture of the character walking, or even a small animated (or split up) screenshot of an important ingame cutscene.

Colors.

Most message board systems have a color tag you can use for some of your words. Use it! Category headers, important names, and anything else you want to stand out are all good places for a [Color].

A (very) short testimonial.

Has some well-known liked your project? Mention it, along with a line or two about what they thought. This is not a full review - it’s being told to get more people to download the project.

Know someone who could use these tips? http://rmvx.gameclover.com/tutorial/spruce-up-project-post/