Rules for game development

#6 -- criticize

I disagree with #1 and #10.

Dave Mark - President and Lead Designer
Intrinsic Algorithm - "Reducing the world to mathematical equations!"

And I must disagree with #8; Drink lots of Mountain Dew, Hot Espresso Beverages, and if you can find it or order it from thinkgeek, Bawls soda.

The Tyr project is here.

#8 -- Drink lots of beer, it is a programmer''s lifeblood

A team doesn''t take experience. It takes friends. I directed around 10 people while making Cradle Quest 2 and it was only my second real game. And my first FMV (Full Motion Video) which was the previous "you can only make those if you have millions of dollars" genre. Myst was done with a hypercard type program.

Which is why I laugh at #2 and #3. The "next gen" MMO''s are reality games. It''s not the tech that drives those things. Having a computer dial a pager is 10 year old technology. Computers have been fax machines and auto-dialers ever since they invented the modem.

It takes a month or two of dedicated coding to make such a game and the rest is just story and tying faxes, pages and e-mails into a coherent web that keeps the player interested. There are plenty of old classic stories that could be used to make a facinating real life game without having to pay royalties.

People really over estimate what it takes to do things since big companies have made an art out of overspending.

Ben






IcarusIndie.com

i think it''s more a matter of dedication and over-imagination that makes some of those posts obscene and/or silly.

i don''t think it takes experience (ex: working 7 yrs in the industry) to make a MMORPG. but unfortunately people have wonderful ideas and no plan. their foresight went out the window the minute their ideas of how great the game would be began to enter their heads. also once problems arise (especially ones they''ve never dealt with before) people/teams become easily discouraged and then they disperse.

in short i agree with #2 and #3. yes it takes skill and some experience but more importantly it takes dedication, foresight, and a well thought plan.

#11. if you''ve been programming for more than 2 hours, get on the ''net to go to GameDev, and come across a porno site... don''t forget to wash your hands

NERD!!!!
Seriously though, If you give up friends to make a game then you deserve to be socially isolated. Games don''t have to be antisocial, you can play multi player or just trade tips.
But on your main topic I find that you must plan A LOT. Plan the feel and look of the game. Plan the logic and coding before you even do anything. Other methods will work better for others. Find you''re own.
Also try to be nice to people who are working, but don''t have a direct relationship with. You can feel free to be more open with close friends who are more likely to take the critism in their stride. Not to say you should be mean, it''s just that a friend may take it as honest, but another may feel like their work is being dissed.

Cypher[Ae] - Define reality...

quote:

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Original post by InnocuousFox
I disagree with #1 and #10.

Dave Mark - President and Lead Designer
Intrinsic Algorithm - "Reducing the world to mathematical equations!"

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I second that. My first game was my four elements 1 contest entry. My second/last game was my four elements 2 contest entry.

I disagree with #4. If an artist you''re working with can''t handle critisisms then you don''t want to work with''em. Trust me!

I''m not so sure about that.

#1 is very important in order to get a feel of how to accomplish things. Without ever completing a game, you are far more inclined to give up on things.

I suppose if you have a history of finishing OTHER large projects, then it wouldn''t matter if you have finished a game before or not.

Dave Mark - President and Lead Designer
Intrinsic Algorithm - "Reducing the world to mathematical equations!"

Alright, well it depends on the critisisms yeah? Don''t say things like: "you f*cking c$ck s@&ki%g f$gg*t, this is s$%t. You make me want to puke. What is this foul rubbish you call art. Your mother is a dog..." but if they can''t handle "that doesn''t match the other work or the original concept designs. Here''s where you''ve gone wrong..." then you don''t want to work with them. Agree?

quote:

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Original post by Jebediah
10. If you dont have experience, dont expect to be able to create a team. Join one instead. (like mine)

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So you''re trying to recruit people with no experience for your team? You''ve come to the right place!

Ya your probably right about the rules. Personally I think #1 still holds, I changed #2 because there are some simple MMOG''s that wouldnt be too hard I guess.
With my experience with artists and composers (the "artistic" people) I found that they are very stuck up and think their stuff is godly. Idealy yes, it would be nice if you could be honest to the person but I find that it doesn''t work.

1. Start from the ground up. Make a tetris clone.
2. Don''t make a MMOG unless you know what it takes to make one.
3. The next generation game requires knowledge and a well-thought out plan.
4. Dont critize an artist.
5. Dont critize a composer. Tell them "This is perfect, but I''m looking for something different".
6. Learn to spel.
7. Provide lots of information about your game and yourself.
8. Drink lots of coke and beer. Its the lifeblood of nerds.
9. Dont have any friends. Friends steal time away from making games.
10. If you want to make a team for your game, then make sure you have the experience and knowledge to back it up.
11. After watching porno....dont forget to wash your hands.

quote:

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Original post by KalvinB

People really over estimate what it takes to do things since big companies have made an art out of overspending.

Ben

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Actually, I think amatuer game developers vastly under-estimate the effort that goes in to making a real, commercial game. A couple months coding for an MMOG? Come on, get real.