0
Going to post your game idea? Read this first
Started by boolean, Jul 31 2004 01:30 AM
This topic is locked
43 replies to this topic
#1 Members - Reputation: 1441
Posted 31 July 2004 - 01:30 AM
So you have an amazing original idea for a game that is going to blow the world away? That’s good. The gaming community always needs new up and coming talent. Now, you’ve probably got that game idea all worked out in your head, and eager to see what other people think about it. So you’ve found this forum and are about to write a post asking people what they think of your game…Well, before you do, you should be aware of something:
There is a pretty high chance you will be flamed and not get the responses you want.
Now, this is nothing to do with the Gamedev community being mean, or anything to do with you personally. It's probably got to do with the way you are writing your post. If you are serious about getting feedback from people about your idea, following the guidelines below will help you with this.
If you don’t want to read the entire post, just read the parts in bold
Ad:
#2 Moderators - Reputation: 699
Posted 31 July 2004 - 03:10 AM
[quote]
I hate to say it, but the majority of the people this post is targetted at will not read it simply because they *do* post in the first hour of joining and that it's been mentiond before (several times, I recall) that people simply don't take time to familiarise themselves with the site and/or community before rushing in with their first post.
For the record, I feel that Wavinator's 'feedback required' threads are the perfect example of how to approach the subject. They show evidence that he's thought about it at length and in several ways, he's already decided on the main focus of the feature idea and often just wants to bounce it off the community to tidy up the finer points. Each post also seems to focus around one particular aspect of the game and isn't just "Here's my game idea - feedback please"
Perhaps in your post you could put in something like that, the reasons why they should look at such threads.
I'm also thinking that in the most relevant FAQ there should be a bunch of right and wrong ways to ask a question or request feedback on an idea eg:
Bad - I have this cool idea for a game where you play a guy with a gun that kills lots of things and I want power ups which power ups do you think are best 4 my game k thanks
Good - I wish to ask a little feedback on the powerups my FPS game should have. So far I have:
- Railgun: It's fast, accurate, long ranged but ammo is hard to find and it has a long reload time
- Shotgun: Short ranged weapon, inaccurate but has plenty of ammo in the game
- UberGun XXI: Causes a small singularity to open which causes the very quantum fabric of the local space to break down. Kills everything in sight, only one in the game, can only be used once but is highly unstable and the effect isn't predictable.
Also, people should be able to accept constructive criticsm. The 'quality' of feedback to posts has increased since the ratings system, but some people do flame anonymously and worse, if the original poster's idea is criticsed they rate down the person offering the criticsm (even if it's not a flame).
Finally, people should remember that we all have at least ten ideas of our own so don't be suprised if we're not as enthusiastic about them as you are ;)
That turned into a long post [smile]
Quote:
Original post by boolean
Don’t post in the first hour you join up with Gamedev
I hate to say it, but the majority of the people this post is targetted at will not read it simply because they *do* post in the first hour of joining and that it's been mentiond before (several times, I recall) that people simply don't take time to familiarise themselves with the site and/or community before rushing in with their first post.
Quote:
Original post by boolean
Read some posts from Wavinator or other respected members and take note how they write.
For the record, I feel that Wavinator's 'feedback required' threads are the perfect example of how to approach the subject. They show evidence that he's thought about it at length and in several ways, he's already decided on the main focus of the feature idea and often just wants to bounce it off the community to tidy up the finer points. Each post also seems to focus around one particular aspect of the game and isn't just "Here's my game idea - feedback please"
Perhaps in your post you could put in something like that, the reasons why they should look at such threads.
I'm also thinking that in the most relevant FAQ there should be a bunch of right and wrong ways to ask a question or request feedback on an idea eg:
Bad - I have this cool idea for a game where you play a guy with a gun that kills lots of things and I want power ups which power ups do you think are best 4 my game k thanks
Good - I wish to ask a little feedback on the powerups my FPS game should have. So far I have:
- Railgun: It's fast, accurate, long ranged but ammo is hard to find and it has a long reload time
- Shotgun: Short ranged weapon, inaccurate but has plenty of ammo in the game
- UberGun XXI: Causes a small singularity to open which causes the very quantum fabric of the local space to break down. Kills everything in sight, only one in the game, can only be used once but is highly unstable and the effect isn't predictable.
Also, people should be able to accept constructive criticsm. The 'quality' of feedback to posts has increased since the ratings system, but some people do flame anonymously and worse, if the original poster's idea is criticsed they rate down the person offering the criticsm (even if it's not a flame).
Finally, people should remember that we all have at least ten ideas of our own so don't be suprised if we're not as enthusiastic about them as you are ;)
That turned into a long post [smile]
#3 Members - Reputation: 1441
Posted 31 July 2004 - 12:04 PM
Theres some really good pointers there Evo.
I do agree on the 'posting in the first hour' syndrome, and I cant see much of a way to stop people from doing that.
You made some really good points in your post. I am hoping that if enough people reply with tips of thier own, I can edit my post and do a....well....a version upgrade of the post. [smile]
I do agree on the 'posting in the first hour' syndrome, and I cant see much of a way to stop people from doing that.
You made some really good points in your post. I am hoping that if enough people reply with tips of thier own, I can edit my post and do a....well....a version upgrade of the post. [smile]
#6 Members - Reputation: 740
Posted 31 July 2004 - 07:04 PM
Quote:
Original post by boolean
I do agree on the 'posting in the first hour' syndrome, and I cant see much of a way to stop people from doing that.
Maybe by enforcing it? Not directly as in checking if they have been a member for at least an hour. Hide it in one of those "You will get an e-mail, in the e-mail will be a password. Come back with that password." registration things. It's fairly standard procedure, and then, just send the e-mail out an hour after registration. The e-mail could contain something like what you wrote and "hidden" (i.e. not "PASSWORD: XXXXXXXX") in there would be the password, so they have to read it somewhat rather than just scanning for "PASSWORD".
Anyway, I always thought it was proper netiquette to both read the FAQ or at least know what it contains (though some of the FAQ's on this site and elsewhere leave much to be desired...), and to "lurk" for at least a month before posting (some suggest longer, but I think a month is a good balance).
Hmm... maybe sticking new comers in a kiddie pool or moderated board (only feasible if the vast majority of posts are not from new comers, which I doubt is the case). This could be another way of enforcing the "lurk before you post" rule and would go well with a policy of "No anonymous posters" (which has its own pros and cons).
#8 Members - Reputation: 720
Posted 31 July 2004 - 07:56 PM
boolean, i applaud you for writing this post. it actually *embarrased grin* persuaded me to think a little more about my own design ( i was going to post it when i saw this), and i came up with the *gasp* surprising conclusion that my question did not fit the criteria. it didn't violate the basics, but the level of thoroughness(detail) needed to be redone. see, even complete retards can benefit [grin]. but then, i actually read this . . .
theres the kicker. append "before they post". not much to be done about that, except try to ensure theres not a second uninformed post.
a kiddie pool ?!!
i strongly object to this.
what about those who aren't new to gamedev, who were deep cover "lurkers" if you will, but have just not registered earlier because they're too lazy, or *sigh* because they have amnesia every other day and can't remember their passwords. although i suppose since i'm the only one in the latter, i justly deserve the kiddie pool.
Quote:
i hate to say it, but the majority of the people this post is
targetted at will not read it
theres the kicker. append "before they post". not much to be done about that, except try to ensure theres not a second uninformed post.
Quote:
Hmm... maybe sticking new comers in a kiddie pool or moderated board (only feasible if the vast majority of posts are not from new comers, which I doubt is the case).
a kiddie pool ?!!
i strongly object to this.
what about those who aren't new to gamedev, who were deep cover "lurkers" if you will, but have just not registered earlier because they're too lazy, or *sigh* because they have amnesia every other day and can't remember their passwords. although i suppose since i'm the only one in the latter, i justly deserve the kiddie pool.
- stormrunner
#10 Staff - Reputation: 8901
Posted 01 August 2004 - 03:45 AM
Although posts should contain enough relevent information to stimulate a good discussion of the ideas at hand, posts should be kept concise and to the point. Longer posts should use some sort of formatting that aids readers (such as the important parts being bold as in your own post) to sort through the information, and of course, the usual usage of paragraphs, etc should be used.
#11 Members - Reputation: 740
Posted 01 August 2004 - 05:31 AM
Quote:
Original post by stormrunner
a kiddie pool ?!!
i strongly object to this.
I'm a little hesitant to respond now that this thread has become sticky, but I'd like to say that that wasn't an idea I'd thought out, merely a first suggestion that came to my mind. The problem with most "make people do the right thing" schemes is that they're a hinderance to those who would do the right thing anyway. Always trade offs, and I doubt the kiddie pool is worth the hassle.
#12 Members - Reputation: 1441
Posted 01 August 2004 - 10:30 PM
Quote:
Original post by Kazgoroth
Longer posts should use some sort of formatting that aids readers (such as the important parts being bold as in your own post) to sort through the information, and of course, the usual usage of paragraphs, etc should be used.
Ah, good point, I didnt think of that one.
*Guide Updated*
#14 Members - Reputation: 156
Posted 02 August 2004 - 06:17 AM
Quote:
Original post by Way Walker
Maybe by enforcing it? Not directly as in checking if they have been a member for at least an hour ... maybe sticking new comers in a kiddie pool or moderated board
I agree with stormrunner on this. I was a regular at gamedev for almost three months before I registered, and the only reason I registered was becuase I finally had something to post.
Best that can be hoped is to reduce the number of keyboard happy posters, I guess.
---------------------------------------------------There are two things he who seeks wisdom must understand...Love... and Wudan!
#15 Members - Reputation: 158
Posted 02 August 2004 - 12:17 PM
Quote:
Original post by thelurch Quote:
Original post by Way Walker
Maybe by enforcing it? Not directly as in checking if they have been a member for at least an hour ... maybe sticking new comers in a kiddie pool or moderated board
I agree with stormrunner on this. I was a regular at gamedev for almost three months before I registered, and the only reason I registered was becuase I finally had something to post.
Best that can be hoped is to reduce the number of keyboard happy posters, I guess.
Same here, I registred only after lurking for a while and reading anything relevent I could fine, on the boards and in the Varrious sections of gamedev, and other sites. So when I regestred I actuly had done my research and making me wait an hour would of just pissed me off and I would of left. As this is the premire game development site I might of not continued into the programming path I am on and thus would be doing something else less enjoyable. The few post that are from newbies are not worth turning serious people away.
Just me
#16 Members - Reputation: 740
Posted 02 August 2004 - 01:40 PM
Quote:
Original post by gamegod3001
Same here, I registred only after lurking for a while and reading anything relevent I could fine, on the boards and in the Varrious sections of gamedev, and other sites. So when I regestred I actuly had done my research and making me wait an hour would of just pissed me off and I would of left. As this is the premire game development site I might of not continued into the programming path I am on and thus would be doing something else less enjoyable. The few post that are from newbies are not worth turning serious people away.
Hmm... people still disagreeing even after I mentioned my own issues with it. Anyway, I don't think my proposal was quite as disagreeable as you seem to think. It's fairly standard procedure to do the "You'll get an e-mail with your password" and, in my experience, these typically don't arrive immediately, anyway. Put in an hour delay and nobody would be any the wiser.
Or maybe I'm just too laid back and not so easily discouraged from something I enjoy?
#17 Members - Reputation: 158
Posted 02 August 2004 - 05:00 PM
Quote:
Original post by Way Walker Quote:
Original post by gamegod3001
Same here, I registred only after lurking for a while and reading anything relevent I could fine, on the boards and in the Varrious sections of gamedev, and other sites. So when I regestred I actuly had done my research and making me wait an hour would of just pissed me off and I would of left. As this is the premire game development site I might of not continued into the programming path I am on and thus would be doing something else less enjoyable. The few post that are from newbies are not worth turning serious people away.
Hmm... people still disagreeing even after I mentioned my own issues with it. Anyway, I don't think my proposal was quite as disagreeable as you seem to think. It's fairly standard procedure to do the "You'll get an e-mail with your password" and, in my experience, these typically don't arrive immediately, anyway. Put in an hour delay and nobody would be any the wiser.
Or maybe I'm just too laid back and not so easily discouraged from something I enjoy?
An hour is a long time to wait for an email with your password. The longest I ever waited for a password was 5 minuites. Anyways do you think that if someone didn't look around prior to regestration they would do so even if they have to wait? In the end all a waiting system would do is annoy people, newbes would still post their questions that could be answered by the the FAQ, or other resource readlily avaliable.
#18 Members - Reputation: 190
Posted 02 August 2004 - 07:28 PM
Quote:
Original post by gamegod3001 Quote:
Original post by Way Walker Quote:
Original post by gamegod3001
Same here, I registred only after lurking for a while and reading anything relevent I could fine, on the boards and in the Varrious sections of gamedev, and other sites. So when I regestred I actuly had done my research and making me wait an hour would of just pissed me off and I would of left. As this is the premire game development site I might of not continued into the programming path I am on and thus would be doing something else less enjoyable. The few post that are from newbies are not worth turning serious people away.
Hmm... people still disagreeing even after I mentioned my own issues with it. Anyway, I don't think my proposal was quite as disagreeable as you seem to think. It's fairly standard procedure to do the "You'll get an e-mail with your password" and, in my experience, these typically don't arrive immediately, anyway. Put in an hour delay and nobody would be any the wiser.
Or maybe I'm just too laid back and not so easily discouraged from something I enjoy?
An hour is a long time to wait for an email with your password. The longest I ever waited for a password was 5 minuites. Anyways do you think that if someone didn't look around prior to regestration they would do so even if they have to wait? In the end all a waiting system would do is annoy people, newbes would still post their questions that could be answered by the the FAQ, or other resource readlily avaliable.
When i first came here 2 years ago I came here for help. After taking a quick look thou the most recent posts i made my post asked my question that has been asked dozens of times before, got an answer to my question with in 10 min.
the reason that i came to GameDev is for help, if i had to wait an hr for help then i would have gone some where else.
i disagree with having any type of waiting period for newbie.
We where all newbie once upon a time.
#19 Members - Reputation: 199
Posted 02 August 2004 - 07:53 PM
Great post, just fix the spelling error: " ‘what part about visiting planets done you like’. " and it's tip-top :)
Maybe send out a link to this thread with the registration confirmation? ( or use this text before the activation of an account? )
Maybe send out a link to this thread with the registration confirmation? ( or use this text before the activation of an account? )
