Game Development

Validation, Get Your Validation Here

Posted on by magicrat_larry

Everyone has  ton of ideas.  Ideas come so often that it is mind blowing that there really isn’t a flooded market for games.  The issue is really how do you refine those ideas down in to the one you want to make.

To do this my team has done a fairly simple process.  We take a meeting or two and brainstorm all the crazy ideas out on the board.  During this phase there are no dumb ideas.  Throw everything on the board.  Violent Sol Worlds came out of a combination of a destruction derby top-down game and a top-down survival game.  You never know what saying one idea with another will do to your head and what will come out.

Once you have your list simply start eliminating, for now, the ones that either you don’t like or cannot do.  The list should get smaller and smaller until you get down to a few.  Talk about them, see what you love about them all.  One will jump out at you as something that should be created.  To me this is not enough.  Just your idea is not enough to say it should be made.

You need opinions.  So what I do is simply start marketing it.  Go to social media and start talking about it.  As you are creating your POCs, you should POC everything, be telling people about it.  If they react well to the idea you will feel it.  Show concept sketches, Show game-play POCs.  Show everyone anywhere about the idea.  The people of the internet will tell you if you can sell the game.

To me at this point you have the two vital questions answered.  Do you love the idea, and will people respond to it.  If the answer to both those questions is yes then your idea is validated and should be created.  If one of those answers is no then go back to the brainstorming stage and find one that will work better.  Remember if this current idea is not good there are 500 million more in your head waiting for you to get all excited about.

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Proof of Concept (POC) Everything

Posted on by magicrat_larry

There is a good quote that always strikes me and I believe it is a good call to action for POCs.

Our approach to making games is to find the fun first and then use the technology to enhance the fun

-Sid Meier

If you just start coding your game from idea and start throwing stuff in you are not necessarily finding the fun first.  What I like to do is to figure out a cool concept, as few neat sounding game-play elements and code up some quick little programs to show off those game-play elements.

The key here is speed.  Do not spend time designing an awesome architecture.  Do not spend time making sure it is pretty.  Get the game-play in to your own hands and see if you still think it is fun.  For example, for Violent Sol Worlds we started off with the idea we wanted a top-down shooter.  So I started to create a POC of a guy shootingCowAndGuy.

This POC at first looked terrible, with borrowed graphics but I could walk around and shoot one immobile cow.  It turned out that it was fun to shoot an walk around, but the addition of blood from the cow made it more fun.  The feedback was the true start of fun.  At that point I thought the cow was detracting from the fun because it was an innocent cow.  What would it be like to shoot something that moved, and shoot stuff like a building etc?

  So I quickly threw in a wall and animated a bug creature I had been drawing.  It was a lot more fun to shoot something moving.  But the feedback was BLOODall wrong now for the bugs.  They would need to die.  So I coded in hit points and had them disappear when it hit 0.  This still broke the experience and the fun.

When I added blood and body parts from the bugs being shot and killed it changed the world.  It turned from something that I would launch and stop in seconds to something I found myself playing for minutes and it was just a POC.
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You see without the POC I would not have noticed so many subtle things that make the action game-play fun.  It is about moving around and shooting, but it was more about what you were shooting and how it felt to shoot them than anything else.  This process did not take weeks, it took hours and the learning experience it was, was worth every minute.  It changes designs, it effects decisions, and best of all it’s a quick process and adds value.  

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May the Polls be With You

Posted on by magicrat_larry

So I have started to use Twitter to post more polls.  This is not scientific by any means I was just curious as to what polls were like on Twitter and asked a few questions and will post the results here and blab about each for a little bit.

What’s your favorite Genre for games?

Scifi – 86%

Fantasy – 14%

This one was interesting to me.  I always though that it would be the other way around.  There are far more games made in the classic Fantasy worlds with goblins, orcs, and elves than a scifi universe.  This made me really happy actually that maybe that same old world that every fantasy game is in might not be the most popular thing out there any more.

Do you prefer to make PC or mobile Games?

PC Games – 80%

Mobile Games – 20%

I was a bit shocked by this as well.  Most people that answered prefer to make a PC game.  I find that interesting because it seems like the mobile market is flooded with a who’s who of human crap these days.  Maybe everyone should follow their heart and not where they think a market is.  It looks like creating mobile games is either undesirable, or it is a pain in the rear that nobody really loves.  Kinda gives you a good understanding why mobile games are all, for the most part, terrible.

What would you rather play? PC or Console Games

PC Games – 70%

Console Games – 30%

Very close to the poll above on what you would rather make.  A ten percent difference with most people who answered saying they would rather play a PC game. Seems like people would rather be on a PC than a console.  I do understand why now that console prices are so high and the games all cost $60 a piece.  I used to love consoles, now I never turn one on and play on my PC.  I really don’t care that much though, gaming is gaming and I am glad people can play on whatever they play on.

Is Game Development a Passion or a Business?

Passion – 100%

Business – 0%

I get this one was hard to actually click business.  If you click business you are not going to be able to feel like an indie game developer anymore.  That is not true really.  If you want to make it as a game developer you do have to learn that the business part is what makes it possible for anyone to see your product.  I think this shows us why it is so hard for indie developers to break into the market.  It seems that 100% of them are there for the love of it, not the distribution of a product.  Not a bad thing, but not the greatest thing to get your game to people to play it either.

Which are you looking forward to the most? or

Star Wars Battlefront – 25%

Fallout 4 – 75%

This one is still ongoing as of the writing of the article so I will only say this, I’M SO EXCITED!!!!

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These Are the Days of Our Gamedev Lives

Posted on by magicrat_larry

So Last Friday, it was fun.  Fun like taking a kick to the zinger fun.  Here is how it all went down…

I started my day as normal, no problems.  Got to work and Aaron, our architect, let me know his car broke down.  So that is terrible for him.  We worked our normal, day job, day.  Then go to the weekly game development meeting for Violent Sol Worlds.  In this meeting we see the final art for some cars etc.  Then we begin to discuss the Kickstarter video.

See, we have somebody else helping us edit the video down and make it great.  That person is busy.  So we debate how to move forward to meet our deadline we set for the Kick to launch.  We figured we would end up editing the video ourselves.  Then we kept talking.

At this point I threw out the questions of, why not delay the launch, to start the conversation.  Then my head started to freak out.  Yes, one more delay.  I knew it was the right thing to do, but delaying one more week seemed like I was being asked to kill a puppy.  It was hard.  puppy

I tried to rationalize it away as I could take a week off and get ready for the deep dive in to design that we will have to take.  That did not work.  I then realized that I had to convince myself that the video will be much better because we wait the week and that we will be better off for it.  That seemed to calm my brain down a lot.  I also had to get myself in to a head space of there will be no more delays beyond that.  delay-no-more

So the basics is that we are slipping one more week on the Kickstarter we had planned to launch really soon.  So we basically were done with our meeting at that time.  We did what we always do, and walked out to the parking lot.  At which time Ben, sees his car tire is flat.

What a lovely day for game development.  It was a great test for the team to have nearly all of us have some sort of mental test that pushed us to a breaking point.  We held together, and made what I think were great choices.  Like I always say, when the world gives you lemons, it’s a trick, get an axe.

Getanaxe

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Proud Parent of a Kickstarter Page

Posted on by magicrat_larry

It is no secret for the past two months the Violent Sol Worlds team has been working on putting together a Kickstarter.  The thing is we did not think it would take this long.  We figured a month and it would be out the door.  A month is a very long time to work on essentially an elaborate blog post that asks for fundiMoreCowbellng.

Well we are on the second month now.  It just keeps going.  We had something that could have launched a month in.  There just was not the pride I feel today for it, it needed more cowbell.  

The second month really took our content and polished it up and made us move from a Kickstarter that we kinda just needed to launch to one I want to launch.

See, At first you develop all the things that Kickstarter wants you to fill in etc.  You play by the rules and do exactly what they say.  I encourage anyone doing a Kickstarter to do it that way, just get it filled in and able to go to review.  Then stop and take the time again to make it something you would even put on a resume.

I never want to do anything anymore that is just enough to get to launch.  That is not a great way to live.  I want to make sure that I do enough to make the world notice that there was work there.  Simply filling out the forms and getting it ready to launch was work, but launching it then would have looked like we just threw it together.  I want to make sure people see it and think that is a great Kickstarter page.

I also learned that you should not do the hard work to make anything above and beyond without doing it just for the work.  Don’t expect anything beyond the privilege of working on a quality product.  Hope for the best but be rewarded by launching a Kickstarter that you would write home about.  I’m going to choose to be proud of what I have helped put together.  I look forward to the world seeing it.

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I’m Too Excited to Sleep – Meet Avrio

Posted on by magicrat_larry

I am so excited.  Yes me, calm me.  For those of you that know me I am always excited, but today more than others.  We have started something awesome for our game Violent Sol Worlds.  We have started releasing weekly content posts on our site ViolentSol.com

worlds

You are a galactic settler dropped off on a distant planet to help humanity with its overpopulation and lack of resources on the core worlds.  In the game you will be playing in a top-down perspective and enjoy an awesome scifi theme.  The neat thing about it is that you will be able to craft tons of things like other survival games, but we also include vehicles in the crafting.  So you can not only drive a car but you can build them as well.

While you are surviving in the game you will also be enjoying the AI Overlord.  It will make sure you are having an engaging time on your new planet.  Gone are the days when you figure out survival and it is no longer part of the game-play.  The Overlord will inject new events, missions, and general awesomeness into you game and keep it fresh and new for you.

AvrioLogo_2

OK, back to the content releases.  Violent Sol Worlds is not only a scifi survival game, it has a huge, and rich, background story to it that you will experience in game.  We are releasing this content via posts on ViolentSol.com every Friday starting now with the Avrio Corporation.  We hope you enjoy the rich world we are building that you will be surviving in.  Come read about the Avrio Corporation and keep up to date by following us on facebook.

Make Daily Mistakes

Posted on by magicrat_larry

Although I do not like hanging out outside my house, I do not terribly hate the existence of people.  They make the world fun.  The truth is people are dumb, make mistakes and inject a certain amount of randomness into the world that not everyone can enjoy.

When you work as a team and you see yourself as a team player you need to be one of those people that can roll with the mistakes and see the genius in them.  When people create problems they do so simply by trying new things, they are learning.  Encourage that.  Don’t be the moron who wants everyone to just be mistake free, that means nobody is stepping out of their happy place and learning anything.

When it comes to yourself, make sure you are making mistakes daily.  If you are not making mistakes, you are not living life like you should.  Mistakes are the key indicator to learning and experimentation.  If you feel like you are mistake free, take some time to figure out a good area to explore in a new direction.  It’ll change your life, literally.

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Oh My God, It’s the Indiepocalypse!

Posted on by magicrat_larry

OK, let’s panic a bit first then think logically.  What if indie development is ending?  How will my dream ever come true?  I think we are all doomed.

It seems like creating a unique, interesting game experience is not what customers want anymore!

ApocalypseAhead_300x225

Is that enough panic or do we need more?

Why am I working so hard on a game when it is just a forgone conclusion that it will never sell?  I cannot believe that luck plays such a high role in game sales!  Am I wearing pants?  Will my mom buy my game?  Are my shoes on the right foot?  Are they still selling George Foreman Grills?

Enough panic, logic ahead…

spock_logic2

Let’s say that there are 10 people who buy games per year for simplicity sake.  Those 10 people buy 10 games a year, so we are talking 100 games a year sold to the market.  The chances of those 10 people stopping that trend are nearly zero percent.  Once people begin a pattern it is hard to break it.  The truth is the gaming industry in forms of sales has been rising continually for years and AAA studios cannot keep up with the amount of money that the consumer has.

So those 10 people are buying both AAA and indie game titles.  Their money is flowing into the industry, and will statistically keep flowing, and probably only increase.  So for an indie game development bubble bursting nightmare to happen, that consumer would have to pull their money out of the industry and buy less games and only buy AAA studio games.

First of all games are entertainment, people like to be entertained, and entertained cheaply.  Games make a compelling case for this market.  You can purchase a game anywhere from $1 -$70 and get far more out of each than what you spend.  The truth is the consumer wants to spend less and get more.  AAA titles are the expensive games.  Indie titles are the cheaper games.

Consumers also want unique entertaining experiences, indie titles scratch this itch greatly.  So with both of those needs for cheap and unique entertainment being met by indie games, why would the consumer stop spending money in that market?  The answer is they will not.

Now what are people observing that is making them freak out like Disco is back in town?  It is simple, the market has accepted indie games as a true and viable product, no longer experimental and new.  Now the market is solidifying and becoming a standard.  You can no longer easily buck the trends and stand out like a sore thumb in the gaming world.

What does that mean to indie game developers?  Marketing is critical.  You must connect to the consumers in a unique way, a social way.  If you fail at this then you are just simply on the shelf with all the other indie developed games.  You also have to get your pricing right, and your expectations.  It is no longer a marketing plus to simply be a guy in his basement coding games.  You have to price the thing right for the market and tell people about your title.

Lastly, it has to be a good title.  You will no longer sell your game simply because it is not AAA.  Make a quality experience and talk about it with people.  Make it come alive and you will be fine.  This is not the Indiepocalypse, it is us winning over the consumer and becoming a valued part of the economy of game development and it frightens AAA studios like crazy.  Keep up the good work and just be smart out there.

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Are you Not Entertained?

Posted on by magicrat_larry

I have a theory.  If you are going to make a game, you should entertain from day 1.  Not just when the game is released.

What does this theory do for me?  I strive to release content daily that entertains, helps, and energizes people.  If you realize that game development is entertainment then things like marketing and game design become one and the same.  If you are dull and drab in your development of the game chances are that will show in the game itself.  If you move in a direction of entertaining game development you will inject a life into your game that will be felt while playing it.

This also helps you create a community.  It drives me to write blogs, to tweet about our progress.  If you give yourself the need to have the development cycle be just as fun as playing the game itself it is highly motivating to you and your fans.

I always tell myself – Always be entertaining

You’ve played games that feel dead inside, and you’ve played games that feel like they were made with love.  My theory is that the energy that the developers had trickles in to the product and without a feeling of entertainment during the development cycles there is just no life to the product.  I could be wrong, but I don’t think so.  Worst case here is that it makes the hard work more enjoyable and keeps me motivated.

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From Happiest Place On Earth to Work

Posted on by magicrat_larry

I am back from a vacation to Walt Disney World in Florida.  Now for the painful yet fun transition back to work.  I hate this part.  The transition to vacation is always easy, just happens naturally, but the transition back to productive always takes work.  Seems a bit odd that getting back to work takes work though.

I guess there is a certain inertia to work that people have, a person that is working tends to stay working.  Seems logical.  So a person on vacation tends to stay on vacation, or at least wished they could.

If this is correct it makes sense to get working, and keep a good pace that you could sustain and basically never stop.  🙂  I know sounds nuts.  It does seem though that we were built to sustain a load for a long time and keep it up if our brains have an inertia to them.  I’ve been working hard for well over a year and it seems like it is correct to me.

Lazy people tend to be lazy, hard workers tend to work hard.  Is there a moment in your life where you changed to one of those categories?  I know I changed from lazy to productive just recently, like 2+ years ago now and my life is much better because I made that change.

Hey, if you don’t already come follow me on twitter and see how this transition goes – @magicrat_larry

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