Ask HN: 3 months in - where should I take this project?

[bazookaBen]

A few months ago I made a prototype HTML5 game called Private Joe. Got tons of great feedback from HN.

I just released a radically improved facebook version of the game at http://bit.ly/rhoHkH . It has everything set up, social elements, invite system, leaderboard, store , etc.

My question is, how do I get to the next level?

Some major barriers that I'm facing:

1) As an indie student developer, I find it very hard to compete with other social game developers.

2) The pros work in teams, have a marketing budget, and iterate very fast. They seem to have all the right ingredients to scale.

3) I can't afford a marketing budget. I can only put more sweat equity in game design.

4) Because I don't have a solid user base, I can't even start working on the 'business intelligence' side of social games (metrics monitoring, A/B testing, k-factors, etc). I'm missing out on that big time.

5) Mobile-wise, I'm working on porting the game to iOS+Android. Using existing frameworks like appMobi and PhoneGap decreases development time.

6) I considered starting a company solely developing multi-platform games. No luck so far (don't have VC connections, no access to talent, not based in the Valley). I also submitted my application to mobile game funds (TinyCo, YouWeb).

How do I get my skin in the game? Should I join a game startup? Can my talent be used in other startups? Should I form one myself?

Honestly, I don't think I can go far by working alone. I need to get into the major league.

PS: Am a grad student in Indiana (international citizen). Non-CS major.

[Feeble]

I think that the important part is that you keep being productive. Keep improving your game our push out new content if you can. Opportunities usually arise with time around talented people.

Like you say, it is very hard to compete with developer studios, but realize that to design, develop and actually ship a game by yourself is no small feat. I can assure you that this will not go unnoticed in your future company/work/career choices =)

[superted]

Private Joe is really a solid game. Excellent work! Would you mind sharing some basic usage stats? Have adding the elements you list been worth the effort? The reason I am asking is that I created a HTML5 a couple of months ago (http://www.thearca.de/gardenmadness/), and I have been pondering whether it is worth the effort to create a FB version or not.

[bazookaBen]

at this early stage, the facebook version doesn't have many users

Private Joe's core audience is male, 18-24. I really can't tell if adding a leaderboard/store/gifting system has helped the game. All I can do is to make sure i have those systems in place, so I can at least compete with the big guys.

in a way, it's similar to an arms race - if the other guy has it, you got to have it too.

[bazookaBen]

link to the game is http://bit.ly/rhoHkH