for the past 2/3 months or so, me and my team (2 of us
) have been constructing a game, it has good market apeal, and is a kind of low-spec-arcade-multiplayer type affiair, no fancy 3D gfx (yet
) but good small network code; we have a "tech demo" which incorparates our gfx engine, and the startings of the netcode (clients can connect to the server and fly around) .
The general game concept is a multiplayer asteroidslike clone. many have compared it to subspacea lready, but has a much nicer feel the the whole game.(we think at least)
The orignal way we palnned to take the game was to release it as freeware and bulid up a kind of underground scene, (this is alreayd quite propular on our "local" uk irc network -quakenet- and have quite a following. The whole game revolves around team-games and many people are already passing on the name, building up a reputation for itself etc) and then being recognized for our potential, and hopefully scoring a more free publisher who lets us be a bit mroe creative with your own work.
As we''re quite young, we''re totally skint 24/7, and though there may be a way of finding some funding or sponsorship for the game. We have had a few offers, but because of the lack of profitibility fromt he game (in terms of sales at least) big publishers arent intersted at all. Intead theyre looking for " the next quake clone" or ust to higher a newer coder, with an x degree. anyways, we have a few instrests, and have recently cited online gaming networks (in the uk) barrysworld, gameplay, etc. the one company that does seem intersted to help us, wants up to be included in a x game contract, so this game may not be so profitble, but the future ones will be.
i ahve the opportunity to go onto a "games technology" course in soctland (abertay/dundee) but it consists of a 4 year long course, where the last yea is the only one of intrestet to me, the first years being c/++, publisher contracts, game design etc. all things im already expierienced with.
im not sure where to head, and was hoping any expiereiced developers could point me in the right dorection, find some contacts or give some advice (apart froma spell checker
)
The current plan is to take a year out (finish college this year), try to find some other job and continue the [free] game in my spare time. if nothing comes to fruitation, taking the course and getting a job afterwards (obviously not with my own creative talents).
i know wincosk/directx api''s, working mainly in delphi(pascal) but planning on converting to c++/opengl for the next project (i can find it easily comprenshible to write in those languages/api''s)
thanks for any replies
__________________
graham "red" reeves.
red@deadpenguin.org
www.deadpenguin.org
