Guitar Fretter Update: Lefty Flip Looking Promising

Full Guitar Fretter is Getting Lefty Flip

Lefty flip is a capability I've wanted to add for a long time. And now I have a prototype of lefty flip working.

To explain lefty flip in two steps:

• First when you have a guitar tuned from top to bottom the topmost string is the lowest pitch, the bottom one highest.
• Second, you take that style of tuning and rotate the guitar 180 degrees so your left hand now has the job of picking and right has the job of fretting notes.

The full version of Guitar Fretter will have lefty flip soon. Hopefully in this next release. It's looking promisingly stable but still needs work.

Turning One Project into Two

All the first step foundational work is in place. The stuff that doesn't really help game players but does help Guitar Fretter become two separate games. This work includes stuff like new art for logos and start screens. I've shared work in progress updates on the new visual direction and flow/function of the start screens in recent weeks.

Now the new start screens exist, function, and look like they should the next step there is to breath more feeling with subtle animation, motion, sound. Arriving at the start, activating buttons all should feel like something. This will take one or two work sessions, nothing extreme in effort but will do a lot to complete the first impression of launching the game.

Excited to have the whole start flow update working, now I'll be able to have two separate living versions of Guitar Fretter. Plus they'll each look fresh.

Guitar Fretter Freeplay

Guitar Fretter Freeplay will make it easy for new folks to discover and play a version of Guitar Fretter. Freeplay will have:

• The full experience of arcade game action memory match to learn the fretboard note positions.
• 4 string bass
• 6 string guitar
• All three levels of difficulty

Freeplay is a whole separate game available at no cost, with no hidden monetization or embedded third party ads. It will mention and link to the full version of Guitar Fretter, that's the only advertisement. I want folks to know that the full paid version exists so that's the only advertising included.

This is balancing the goals of: mentioned but not intrusive. This means guitar teachers will have an easier time recommending Guitar Fretter to students. If folks want more than the starting instruments or other features like custom tuning or lefty flip, those will be in the full version.

Making something I care about a lot in a caring way

Guitar, comics, video games are all things I enjoy and want to make for others to enjoy. Guitar Fretter is infused with all kinds of things I care about.

When I create an app, I wish it to be useful, usable, and entertaining. I also wish to be paid fairly for the service without resorting to extremes. I'm a solo indie creator. I both want and need to focus on creating vs blocking and enforcing. Even when I hope to grow my workshop beyond one person I plan on all of us focusing on making games we care about in a caring way.

• Payment: I want to make simple one-time purchase work. You pay me once to play and use Guitar Fretter. Someday I may make games that have downloadable expansions, that seams reasonable too.
• Data: I super don't want your data. Neither your personal or anonymous data. If you want me to know about your experience then send me a message. I'm not watching you.

If you like the game and buy it, that's enough for me. If you get the free version and like it that's also great. And for sure I'm hoping some folks who get the free version decide to upgrade to the full version.

That's all part of caring in a systemic way.

Soon we'll all get to find out how that goes. My new goal is to get both published by the end of June.