Hi Dark,
This is precisely why I myself am struggling for game ideas. Finding exactly
the right storyline and getting all the right resources is something of a
costly challenge, both in money and imagination. The fact of the matter is,
sound effects, music libraries and voice actors cost a heck of a lot of
money, so much in fact, that most developers are actually paying more than
they are receiving through sales. I can completely understand why some
developers have decided to shut up shop. I dread to think what it must have
cost Lighttech to have to release all their games for free just because they
were starting out in the business and probably, like me among others, felt
incompetent enough to sell things that maybe considered a clone or low
quality because people are now expecting a lot more advanced titles. I bet
if I had released Acefire during the trend for other smaller game like the
Accessible Games stuff (Battleships etc), I probably would have gotten a lot
more respect for it than I did releasing it 3 years ago.
As it was, I can totally understand everyone's downheartedness on it. We
have games like Tank Commander out there for as little as $30, why should we
pay $25 for a very simple game based on chance and a little strattegy? The
fact was made worse in that I, unlike most of the other game devs, am from
the UK and must therefore balance out what I paid for in pounds to what then
had to be converted from US dollars.
I am now having to almost literally, it feels, eat my mind out and push my
programming skills to the limit to try and come up with a game that you all
will like to try and make at least a little bit off it, hence the reason it
is taking so long for me to come out with a big release.
I'm not trying to say this to make anyone feel guilty or small, but rather
to state my opinion as to why audiogaming seems to have fizzled out
somewhat. The only reason I am continuing to develop games is for personal
gratification. If you guys like it as well that's a bonus, and if my title
is as good as for you to buy it that's an extra bonus.
Hey, this in itself is a good idea for a game. Grin.
Regards,
Damien.
----- Original Message -----
From: "dark" <[email protected]>
To: "Gamers Discussion list" <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2011 4:53 PM
Subject: Re: [Audyssey] the spirit of game production - Re: brings
backmemories - Re: Fw: BlindSoftware.comBlog Feed
Hi Tom.
Amusing, angela in an empty level? ---- that would be a pain to get past,
the vacuume of the ancients! ;D.
I must confess, having had to monitor most of the releases over the last
few years I don't think your correct in terms of saying we've missed out
on a boom in games, rather I'd say that at the moment the emphasis has
changed.
Back when Gma, bsc and presumably esp were working ten years ago, it seems
a lot of developers had the thought of creating games of the 80's and 90's
in an accessible form, just as Dan and justin said in the troop podcast.
There then seemed to be a boom on such games, alien outback, pipe, the
original plans for monti, superliam, jim kitchins' Mac1 game etc.
Obviously though like everything else, there was a boom and bust syndrome
and people's expectations and desires changed. People started to say
"we've got enough wrack up score style affairs, what next?"
I even remember when Liam released judgement day, there were those who's
reaction was "oooh no, not another one"
now, it seems we have two catagories of games. Free or fun affairs which
are made either by start out devs with bgt, or by experienced devs for
fun, which tend to be arcade games but don't tend to wrack up a huge
amount of interest, and serious! games, which have huge amounts of
options, levels, game modes or whatever.
Of course like any trend there are some exceptions such as Q9, but
generally it seems now the average accessible game player has higher
expectations of what they will play, and what they expect if paying for a
game, than previously.
Were bsc to release something like troopanum now, the reaction I think
would be "what, ---- you expect us to pay money for something like this?"
This is however just the way game developement seems to work. from the
players perspective it's a difference in demand and supply, while from the
developers' it's a different spur to your creative talent, ---- sinse like
anything else artistic which you put your own time and effort into, your
own individually created game has to be! individually yours even if it is
created with community in put.
That's again a nice aspect of the gaming community, such things can be
discussed, tested, thought over etc, rather than some big evil company
boss saying "make this, sinse we sell more of these and the advertizing
says it'll appeal to people"
This is just what Mr. Marx meant when he spoke about the alienation of
labour, and the online community is a pretty good example of something
which doesn't fall into that very nasty hole.
But before I go into a socialist wrant i'll stop ;D.
Beware the grue!
Dark.
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