Game About Making A Game
hmmmm...I''m kind of interested in the type of game you guys are talking about, it might be kind of large though.
Also you can have a choice of publisher - One with bigger penetration but offers less percentage. Or those with a bigger up-front cash layout versus bigger downstream payoffs
ZoomBoy
Developing a iso-tile 2D RPG with skills, weapons, and adventure. See my old Hex-Tile RPG GAME, character editor, diary, 3D Art resources at Check out my web-site
ZoomBoy
Developing a iso-tile 2D RPG with skills, weapons, and adventure. See my old Hex-Tile RPG GAME, character editor, diary, 3D Art resources at Check out my web-site
quote:Original post by superpig
If your virtual devver adopted a software-factory approach, I could see things working out a little better.
Your games get assembled from components (such as 'graphics engine version 1,' 'networking module version 3') and so on. You start with no components available, and must research in order to get them.
Of course, time spent researching is time lost developing. When you are presented with a design (from your designer) it gives estimates as to the component levels needed (i.e. 'graphics 3, sound 1, network 2,' and so on). You have to pick a design which will sell well (given by 'genre,' 'excitement,' 'action rating,' and so on), yet the components required for it would be either already under your belt, or attainable within the deadline set down by the publisher.
Actually, I could see this working...
Then the game gets sent out for review and gets scores based on how good its parts are, also based on how good the competitors' current games are. So if they're all 1 grade better than yours in every component then they'll get better reviews.
But not only do reviews count, other aspects of marketing will help make sales to make profit for the next game.
Then they'd be publisher pressures and deadlines, and you might have to sacrifice that extra grade up on the graphics component because it's going to take another month to develop and the publisher wants the game NOW. The publisher could also want the deadlines stuck to better nearer to the Christmas period, but be more easy going in the summer. If you consistently fail deadlines then the publisher would want to drop you and you're out to find another publisher.
(Yes, I know the pub would handle the marketing normally, but I think it would be more fun if the player handled it)
Edit:
- Sticking to deadlines well helps your image among publishers.
- Perhaps your first game has to go for the Internet shareware publishing route because it is of a lower quality? Or perhaps you can choose to take a fat-ass loan in the beginning because you think you could be more profitable spending more time in development and then getting a retail publisher with this game.
[edited by - garconbifteck on December 10, 2002 5:29:42 PM]
Here''s what I''m thinking so far...
1) Starting up
You have to hire staff, purchase technology (not just computers, things like engine licenses as well), and find a premises. You need at least 1 designer, 1 programmer, 1 artist - although the same person could do one or more of those jobs (a person has ''programmer'' or ''artist'' skills which can be used), you won''t be able to have someone as one job *and* another at the same time...
2) Ideas
You get your developer to come up with some ideas, while assigning your other people to research jobs (which will improve their skill levels, and make them faster later on - as well as providing you with new components from time to time). Your designer comes up with various ideas, which are summarised with genre, required components, estimated dev time, ''action,'' ''mental,'' and other ratings to give you an idea of what the game is (without needing a large database of game ideas). Of course, something with a high action rating will probably have a low mental rating, and so on - you have to judge from market trends which design you think will be best recieved.
3) Development and funding
Two things happen in this stage. Firstly, you have to control development on the game - assigning developers to tasks, allocating funds to things (like the motion capture studio you want to hire, or the actors for that FMV), dealing with tech problems that occur (one of the machines has broken down and needs to be repaired). Secondly, you have to talk to publishers (assuming you''re still on your first game) and secure an contract. Some publishers won''t take you until you''ve finished a certain % of your game, and others have varying financial terms. If your game is finished and you still don''t have a publisher, then you can put your people back to research, but the money keeps ticking away...
4) Marketing
As your game nears completion, you have to control the marketing of your game (not really your job, as someone noted, but what the hey). You can buy ads in magazines and tv and so on; or, you could send demos off to the game magazines. That''s free, but you risk a bad review if the magazine doesn''t like it...
5) Support
While you start the cycle again for the next game (i.e. GO TO 2), you have to support previous games; otherwise, your next game will suffer predjudice. Employing trained support personnel, dedicating programmers to making patches, and so on.
Well, there''s my potshot at it.
Superpig
- saving pigs from untimely fates
- sleeps in a ham-mock at www.thebinaryrefinery.cjb.net
1) Starting up
You have to hire staff, purchase technology (not just computers, things like engine licenses as well), and find a premises. You need at least 1 designer, 1 programmer, 1 artist - although the same person could do one or more of those jobs (a person has ''programmer'' or ''artist'' skills which can be used), you won''t be able to have someone as one job *and* another at the same time...
2) Ideas
You get your developer to come up with some ideas, while assigning your other people to research jobs (which will improve their skill levels, and make them faster later on - as well as providing you with new components from time to time). Your designer comes up with various ideas, which are summarised with genre, required components, estimated dev time, ''action,'' ''mental,'' and other ratings to give you an idea of what the game is (without needing a large database of game ideas). Of course, something with a high action rating will probably have a low mental rating, and so on - you have to judge from market trends which design you think will be best recieved.
3) Development and funding
Two things happen in this stage. Firstly, you have to control development on the game - assigning developers to tasks, allocating funds to things (like the motion capture studio you want to hire, or the actors for that FMV), dealing with tech problems that occur (one of the machines has broken down and needs to be repaired). Secondly, you have to talk to publishers (assuming you''re still on your first game) and secure an contract. Some publishers won''t take you until you''ve finished a certain % of your game, and others have varying financial terms. If your game is finished and you still don''t have a publisher, then you can put your people back to research, but the money keeps ticking away...
4) Marketing
As your game nears completion, you have to control the marketing of your game (not really your job, as someone noted, but what the hey). You can buy ads in magazines and tv and so on; or, you could send demos off to the game magazines. That''s free, but you risk a bad review if the magazine doesn''t like it...
5) Support
While you start the cycle again for the next game (i.e. GO TO 2), you have to support previous games; otherwise, your next game will suffer predjudice. Employing trained support personnel, dedicating programmers to making patches, and so on.
Well, there''s my potshot at it.
Superpig
- saving pigs from untimely fates
- sleeps in a ham-mock at www.thebinaryrefinery.cjb.net
I''ll post again tonight with something full, but last night I had lots of ideas : ) It looked a lot like Championship Manager in my head oddly enough... :S (Even though I hate CM)
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