# The Publish Checklist — export to a link your friends can play

*Provenance: steps 4–11 are the click-by-click checklist used to
publish Poppy's Sniffari (a real game from this project) to itch.io,
generalised only where the original named that game. Follow top to
bottom; tick as you go.*

## Pre-flight

- [ ] The game passes its frozen acceptance **in the exported build**,
      not just in the editor. Play the export once, start to finish.
- [ ] The web export is zipped with **`index.html` at the zip's root**
      (open the zip and look — a single folder inside means itch will
      not find your game).
- [ ] You have: a cover image (a screenshot is fine), a one-sentence
      description, and 3–5 screenshots. itch asks for these; having
      them ready keeps the flow to one sitting.

## itch.io listing

- [ ] Go to itch.io, sign in (free account), and **create a new
      project** (Dashboard → Create new project).
- [ ] Title: your game's name. **Kind of project: Game.**
- [ ] Upload your web-build zip. When it asks, check **"This file
      will be played in the browser."**
- [ ] Set the **viewport dimensions** to your game's window size
      (e.g. **1280 × 720**). This is just the embed frame; a responsive
      game still adapts.
- [ ] Tick **mobile friendly** only if the game genuinely has touch
      controls. Keyboard-only games: leave it off.
- [ ] Godot 4 web builds: if the game won't boot in the browser,
      enable **SharedArrayBuffer support** in the project settings —
      it exists for exactly this (see the Godot pack's export guide).
- [ ] **Classification:** answer honestly; a casual game with no mature
      content is the common case.
- [ ] **Pricing:** free is the right default for a first game. itch's
      revenue share is **your choice (0–100%, default 10%)** — with the
      built-in donation button, free + tips is a legitimate model.
- [ ] **Publish.** Your game now has a public URL.

## Optional: a downloadable build alongside

- [ ] Upload a Windows `.exe` build as an additional file on the same
      page; mark platform: Windows.
- [ ] Expect the first-run **SmartScreen warning** on an unsigned exe
      — normal for indie uploads; players click "run anyway." Say so
      on the page so friends don't panic.

## After publishing (the part that makes it real)

- [ ] Play your own game **from the itch page**, in a private browser
      window, start to finish. You are checking the shipped thing,
      not your memory of it.
- [ ] Send the link to three people who will actually play it.
- [ ] Write the first feedback down in the project notes — the first
      comment on a first game is usually the first item of the next
      version's acceptance file.