I knew I shouldn''t have done it, but I did it anyway... *sigh* I just checked out the previews for upcoming games on Gamespot. Man, the graphics on those games kick the pants off of anything I could make... what''s an lone wolf developer to do... I know, it''s all supposed to be about gameplay. But the art for games like Startopia and Neverwinter Nights rocks. Pity the guy who doesn''t have $1 million for art... How do you keep up your morale when you see that? Do you ignore it and hope people will focus on the gameplay? -------------------- Just waiting for the mothership...

well it''s kinda funny, you first look at the graphics of Myst and say, wholly shit, but then you find out that the game is not all that good. you can have a quality game without all of the eye candy. BUT, eye candy does kick ass.

JoeMont001@aol.com www.polarisoft.n3.net

I hear ya, Wavinator. How many times have you taken a gander at the title screen of an amateur game and groaned? I''ll usually play it anyway, but from that point on, its an act of charity. As an amateur developer, I understand, but as a player, its barely forgivable.

My hope is that if you can complete every part of a game except the media, and just use placeholders for that, you should be able to show your game to artists and attract some sort of support for your project. Haven''t tried it yet, though. Failing that. . .I just don''t know. Interactive Fiction''s a lucrative field, right? ;>

Your game may not be the best seller next year, but here is what happens if you make a kick ass game. You sell/distribute it and hopefully people like it. Ones that do will show it to their friends and hopefully it will propogate on down and you will have about 50,000 people think. Hey, this game is cool even though it does not have awesome graphics. For an awesome example of a great game with it''s best graphics being circles and triangles check out "Stars!" Awesome turn based strategy game.
I hope this helps your morale. Even if noone likes your game, you can at least point to it and say, "I programmed that while you were busy goofing off" to all your friends and lord it over them.

Later,
Eck

Quake III is better looking than Thief, but I''ve never met anyone who said Quake III kicked Thief''s butt.

- DarkMage139
++++++++++++++++
"Shut up and give me the freakin code" -unknown
"Ask and you will be shot" -snes16bit
"Not again!" -SHilbert (upon being assimilated)

Thanks for the reminders, guys. They actually did help...



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Just waiting for the mothership...

Graphics has always been a pain in the ass for loner programmers.
I mean you get to a point where you say "ahh!Finished with this f***ing engine.Now let''s put the graphics and it''s over!"
but then you find out that your mama didn''t bring up an artist.

And then before you set fire to all those notes and code snippets of yours,before you tear to pieces all these precious programming books,before you start banging your head on the wall for all these unnecessary hours in front of your computer screen two options come to your head:

1)Go search for an artist who likes games but was never handy with programming and hex-mex stuff.

2)Make your best efforts on the game design,on all these stuff, apart from eye-candy that make a game really a GOOD game.
Use lousy graphics but with a GOOD gameplay,a nice story and a few good moments for the player.

And don''t wait for millions.Make it a shareware or a freeware.
Make people notice your work.
And then you''ll find the artists much easier!

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This started talking generally but in the way it became my personal woe...

Why god made me such a lousy artist?Just wondering...

Voodoo4

The way I see it, you shouldn''t worry too much.
I have been daydreaming sinceI discovered computing some 12 years ago, and since then I have been drooling with envy everytime I heard of some 16 years old getting in the industry for its genius ... and in the mean time I slowly learnt.
I am an artist as well as a programmer, I am not a genius in any of those areas, but I can do what I like, and I am stubborn.
I know they are plenty of people out there better than me, they are hundreds of people working in the industry, so why would *I* be noticed.

Well, that''s the keyword. Be noticed. If you want to be a programmer then worry about you code, if you want to be a designer, then worry about you design, and if you wanna become an artist, then just show of your skillz.
What I am trying to achieve is a good CV and port folio to show off the day I have a chance. I don''t plan to make a game of my own, rather little snippets of what I can do, what I dream of, and if I find someone who can take me and trust me, we can do wonderful things

anyway, keep dreaming, that''s a good thing. And don''t do things because they are easy. "A vainre sans peril, on meurre sans gloire"

youpla :-P